Demonic Shadow Breaks Seal, Mutaito's Hidden Secrets, Evil Aura Descends

As the sun sank, the clamor of the martial arts tournament gradually faded. Before the awards podium, Qi Tian accepted the championship trophy and generous prize money, his expression calm and unruffled. To him, this tournament was merely a stop along the path of martial arts; the real trials had only just begun.

Below the stage, Goku circled the trophy, inspecting it from every angle with envy in his eyes. Krillin also leaned in, praising it repeatedly. Bulma crossed her arms and said with a smile, "Since we made the trip, why not head to West City and rest up for a few days? My treat!"

"Back to Turtle Hermit Island first."

Master Roshi cut off their chatter. His brow was tightly furrowed beneath his sunglasses, and none of his usual goofy demeanor remained. His tone was exceptionally grave. "There's something I need to tell you once we get back."

The others rarely saw Master Roshi this serious, and they all put aside their playful moods. Bulma immediately released a Capsule airplane, and the group boarded and took off toward Turtle Hermit Island. The plane passed through the clouds as dusk deepened beyond the windows, while a heavy atmosphere settled inside the cabin.

Qi Tian leaned against the window, his fingertips absently brushing the armrest. At the very instant the awards ceremony had ended, a cold, violent presence had surged into the sky from the distant southeastern seas. Like ink dropped into clear water, it swiftly spread in every direction. That presence was filled with the desire for destruction and slaughter, utterly unlike the ki of an ordinary martial artist—so sinister it sent chills through his entire body.

Almost at the same time, the system prompt sounded in his mind.

[Ding! An ancient evil lifeform has broken its seal and revived. Special event check-in triggered.]

[Check in?]

"Check in." Qi Tian's gaze darkened slightly. He already had a suspicion.

[Ding! Check-in complete. Rewards issued.]

[1. Permanent combat power +580. Current base combat power: 9100.]

[2. Evil Containment Wave Mastery: Inherit Mutaito's sealing secrets. Can be directly performed through one's own ki without relying on any object. Sealing strength is positively correlated with one's combat power.]

[3. Evil Presence Detection: Unlocks the ability to locate evil presences across the entire area, ignoring terrain and barriers to precisely lock onto the target's location.]

A warm current flowed through his meridians, and a complete sealing technique appeared in his mind—profound and intricate. It was the very Evil Containment Wave Mutaito had once used to suppress King Piccolo. At the same time, his forehead grew faintly warm, and every presence within a thousand miles became clear to his senses. The location of that evil presence was unmistakable: it was on an isolated island in the southeastern seas, and its aura was still slowly rising.

"You felt it too?"

Master Roshi's voice came from across the cabin. The old man's expression had grown even more grim. "That evil ki... there's no mistaking it. It's King Piccolo."

"King Piccolo?" Goku tilted his head, looking utterly confused. "Who's that? Is he strong?"

Krillin and Yamcha also looked puzzled. Clearly, neither of them had ever heard that name.

Master Roshi sighed. In a low voice, he slowly revealed a long-buried secret of the martial arts world. Three hundred years ago, King Piccolo had wreaked havoc across the world. Powerful demons served beneath him, and wherever they passed, living beings suffered ruin. Countless martial arts sects were slaughtered, and the entire world was shrouded in terror. Back then, the great martial arts master Mutaito had created the Evil Containment Wave to oppose that fiend. Only by sacrificing his life had he barely managed to seal King Piccolo inside a rice cooker and sink it into the deep sea.

"I thought it was only a legend, that the seal would remain secure forever." Master Roshi clenched his fists, his knuckles turning slightly white. "But this ki now... someone has undone the seal."

The cabin fell silent. Goku clenched his fists, battle intent blazing in his eyes. "If he's a bad guy, then can't we just beat him?"

"It's not that simple." Master Roshi shook his head, his tone heavy. "Master Mutaito had to give his life just to barely seal him away. Even if I used the Evil Containment Wave with everything I had, the chance of success would be less than thirty percent—and it would cost me my life. Once that fiend recovers his full strength, no one in this world will be able to stop him."

As he said that, he unconsciously looked toward Qi Tian. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze carried both expectation and unease. He knew Qi Tian's strength was unfathomable, but King Piccolo was a legendary fiend, an evil being who had lived for centuries. Could this young man truly stand against him?

Qi Tian noticed his gaze and said calmly, "Don't worry. He won't be able to turn things upside down."

His tone was calm, yet filled with unquestionable confidence. Seeing how composed he was, Master Roshi's anxious heart inexplicably settled somewhat.

Meanwhile, inside a cave on an isolated island in the southeastern seas.

The seal on the rice cooker had been completely torn away. Thick dark-green mist billowed out, gathering into a tall, savage figure. His green skin was covered in wrinkles, two sharp antennae rose from his head, and his eyes glowed with vicious red light. It was King Piccolo, who had been sealed away for three hundred years.

Having just broken free, his form was still somewhat unsteady, but the cold aura around him was already terrifying. His combat power stood firmly at 7200. Three centuries of imprisonment had drained most of his strength, and he was currently only in a weakened state.

"Damn Mutaito..." Piccolo growled hoarsely, his voice brimming with resentment. "Three hundred years... I have finally seen daylight again!"

Pilaf stood nearby, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile. "Great King Piccolo! I'm the one who released you! Once you conquer the world, all I ask is to be your second-in-command!"

Shu and Mai huddled behind Pilaf, trembling so violently that they did not even dare lift their heads. The fiend's aura was far too terrifying. Simply standing beside him made it hard for them to breathe.

Piccolo lowered his head and glanced at Pilaf, a flash of disdain passing through his eyes. If his power had not yet recovered and he did not need people to carry out his orders, he would have crushed such an insect with a casual squeeze.

"The Dragon Balls," Piccolo said darkly. "Go gather all seven Dragon Balls. I will restore my youth and reclaim the world. Before that, I'll give this world a little 'greeting.'"

He swept out a hand, firing several dark-green blasts of ki. Several small mountains outside the cave were instantly blasted flat, and the explosions echoed across the sea. Terrifying shockwaves spread in every direction, killing all the sea creatures in the nearby waters and sending sheets of white foam rolling across the ocean.

After doing this, Piccolo closed his eyes and began absorbing the yin energy between heaven and earth to recover his strength. He could sense the ki of quite a few martial artists on the continent, and several of them were rather strong. They would be perfect for testing his hand—and for intimidating the world while he was at it.

The plane slowly landed on Turtle Hermit Island. The moment everyone stepped off, Master Roshi hurried into his study and pulled out ancient books that had been sealed away for years. Their pages were yellowed with age, recording the full details of how Mutaito had sealed Piccolo, along with the basic methods of the Evil Containment Wave.

"After Master Mutaito died, the complete method of the Evil Containment Wave was lost. I only learned a little of it myself." Master Roshi pointed at the diagrams in the ancient book, his expression solemn. "If we can complete the technique, perhaps we'll still have the strength to fight."

Qi Tian gave the ancient text a glance. Compared to the Evil Containment Wave Mastery he had just acquired, its contents were no more than beginner-level scraps. He did not point this out and merely said, "Let's see what he does next. He has only just broken free, and his strength hasn't recovered. Most likely, he'll first hunt down powerful martial artists to establish his authority."

The moment he finished speaking, several explosions suddenly boomed from the distant horizon. Immediately afterward, several faint martial artist presences vanished from his senses one after another.

Qi Tian's eyes turned cold.

He had come.

The evil wind had begun to blow across the human world. The dark calamity from three hundred years ago was about to unfold once more. But this time, Mutaito would not be the only one risking his life.