Hatred and Indifference

"No... I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you all... kill you all..."

Tears streamed down Yu Xiaofeng's face, and his roar jolted the two of them awake. Old Wu carried Ghost Douluo and lunged forward, avoiding the vital area. The spear instantly pierced through the latter half of the black flood dragon's body.

Yu Xiaofeng's eyes were bloodshot as he roared toward the right side of the forest, "Grandpa Qian, save me!"

Yu Xiaofeng's words instantly sent a cold sweat down Qian Daoliu's back. He had been hiding in the distance watching for quite some time, hoping to find their lair and determine whether what was written in the book was true.

He had been here for a long time. From Yu Xiaofeng being captured to Old Wu transforming into a dragon, the chain of events had caught him completely off guard. The instant Old Wu killed two Titled Douluo, Qian Daoliu told himself that he had to find an opportunity to kill Old Wu first.

Anyone who threatened his life had to be eradicated in the shortest possible time. That was Qian Daoliu's way of doing things.

But Yu Xiaofeng's words had instantly exposed him to danger. He stood motionless, watching Wunao flash past with Elder Fang.

Yu Xiaofeng was completely despairing. The rage in his heart turned into concern, all of it directed toward Old Wu and Ghost Douluo. He suddenly noticed that the black spear was slowly forming again.

"This is bad."

Seeing this, Yu Xiaofeng said to Old Wu, "Old Wu, take Old Ghost and leave. Find Grandpa Qian and my godmother. Have them figure out a way to save me. If you delay any longer, none of you will be able to escape."

A dragon tear fell from within Old Wu's dragon membrane. He opened his jaws and let out a howl before vanishing from the spot at high speed.

"Come back alive! In this world, I, Wu Xin, only have you as family!"

Old Wu wailed miserably, his voice filled with unwillingness, fury, and resentment.

He knew that Qian Daoliu had to be here. Otherwise, at such a critical moment, Yu Xiaofeng would not joke about something like this.

Then Yu Xiaofeng told the two of them to return to Spirit Hall and find Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong. It was merely to make Qian Daoliu think that his earlier cry had been meant to bluff their enemy.

Qian Daoliu would definitely fall for it. The reason was simple: when people faced life and death, everyone chose to believe what they thought was right. Qian Daoliu would be no exception.

Yu Xiaofeng had seen through this, which was why he said those words again. They were meant for Qian Daoliu to hear, and he believed that the people who had captured him would cooperate with him nicely.

"Just as expected."

That voice came from the sky again...

"Spirit Hall is nothing. If they dare come to my territory, I'll make sure they die without a burial ground."

The black spear dispersed. Yu Xiaofeng sat inside the crystal sphere, his feelings incomparably complicated. How he wished Qian Daoliu had come to save him. Then he could have devoted himself wholeheartedly to Spirit Hall, loyal until death.

But Qian Daoliu's actions were exactly as he had expected. He, Yu Xiaofeng, was nothing more than bait. From his first martial soul test until now, he had always believed that Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong valued his talent and martial soul. Thinking about it now, he was truly an idiot.

As His Holiness the Pope of Spirit Hall, what kind of genius disciple could he not have? Why would he need to shamelessly curry favor with Yu Xiaofeng?

Behind all of this, it turned out that they only wanted to use him as bait, drawing these people out so Qian Daoliu could carry out his plan.

Yu Xiaofeng laughed bitterly. "I really am stupid. I've lived all these years for nothing, only figuring this out now."

"If you show me no kindness, then I have no need to show you any loyalty. If I survive and make it back this time, Qian Daoliu, just you wait."

Elsewhere

Old Wu fled west with Ghost Douluo, intending to return to the cave where Yu Xiaofeng had recovered from his injuries. Yet after flying less than a hundred li, his dragon body abruptly changed back into human form and plummeted straight down.

Ghost Douluo reacted swiftly and grabbed him. When he looked at Old Wu in his hand, he saw that his black hair had already turned snow-white. A level 91 Titled Douluo had fallen directly to level 51. This sudden change made Ghost Douluo realize that Old Wu's earlier terrifying power had come at the cost of losing levels.

Falling directly from a Titled Douluo to a Soul King was a price too unbearable to accept. But without such a terrible price, it truly would not have made sense.

"Old Wu, hold on. I believe Xiaofeng will definitely come back alive."

"That old bastard Qian Daoliu didn't even make a move at the crucial moment. If he'd acted earlier, we would've returned safely to Spirit Hall long ago. Just wait. Once Xiaofeng comes back, he'll definitely make Qian Daoliu pay."

"Ah!"

"If you walk by the river often enough, your shoes are bound to get wet. He truly misjudged things this time. He'll regret it for the rest of his life."

Ghost Douluo sighed and vanished from sight.

Qian Daoliu had broken out in a cold sweat, but after experiencing so much, how could he leave because of such a minor incident?

Just as Yu Xiaofeng and Old Wu had expected, he also believed Yu Xiaofeng was making something out of nothing, using Qian Daoliu's name to frighten that group. Luckily, his resolve had been firm enough. Otherwise, he would have ruined the entire plan.

At this very moment, he still believed he had acted perfectly and that no one had discovered his presence. Little did he know that, aside from Yu Xiaofeng, the owner of the black spear had also noticed him. However, that person had his own plans. Everyone would see soon enough.

Underground Divine Palace

Elder Fang carried the black crystal sphere into the great hall and placed it atop the skeletal throne.

A crack opened above the skeletal throne, and a suction force drew the black crystal sphere into the fissure. It then disappeared.

Yu Xiaofeng slumped inside the crystal sphere, with not the slightest emotional fluctuation left in his eyes. He faced everything calmly now. No matter what happened, it was only a first time. Though it was regrettable... what else could he do?

At that moment, a tall figure appeared before him. The man's face was extremely blurry, making it impossible to see what he looked like. Only his blood-red eyes carried an intense aura of evil.

The man raised his hand and fired a dim light into the crystal sphere. The sphere turned into black mist and merged with the dim light before returning to the man and vanishing.

Yu Xiaofeng sat on the ground as his body continuously enlarged. It only stopped once he had returned to his original size.

The man said to Yu Xiaofeng, "You really are a strange child. I can't see any emotional fluctuation at all in your eyes."

Yu Xiaofeng replied flatly, "Talk. Get to the point. I want to get out early and settle accounts with that old bastard Qian Daoliu."

The man smiled. "Good. As expected of someone I have chosen. You have backbone and blood."

"First, you must pass my test. Only by passing it can you leave here alive."

"Second, if you truly make it out alive, I need you to help me deal with someone—someone you know very well."

Yu Xiaofeng said, "Help you deal with someone I know? I can't do that. You'd better kill me."

The man smiled again. "Not necessarily. The person I want you to deal with is none other than the person you have been secretly targeting all along."

Yu Xiaofeng was startled. Then the man's voice sounded by his ear...

"His name is Tang San."