Fairy Yuechan Recognized Shi Hao as the Wild Heavenly Emperor from the Future; Tiandou Empire Renamed Stone Kingdom

As a gentle breeze swept past, faint ripples of light spread across the bluestone pavement of the imperial palace square.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell upon Shi Hao's dragon robe. The golden dragon scales glittered beneath the sun, as though each one contained endless power and majesty. A faint smile appeared on his face, a smile of confidence and absolute control.

Shi Hao's gaze slowly swept across the square. Every soldier felt those blazing eyes, as though they could pierce straight into their souls. When his gaze fell upon them, they felt an unprecedented thrill and honor, as if they were standing at the pinnacle of history, witnessing the birth of a great moment.

"Very good." Shi Hao's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached every soldier's ears. "Since that is the case, I declare that from this day forth, the Tiandou Empire shall be renamed the Stone Kingdom. From now on, the billions of citizens of my Stone Kingdom shall receive the Willow Deity's protection, prosper for generations, and forever enjoy heaven's favor."

As his words fell, the square instantly sank into dead silence. The soldiers seemed unable to recover from the sudden shock.

But soon, the silence was shattered by deafening cheers.

"Long live the Stone Kingdom! Long live the Willow Deity..."

The soldiers' cries surged like a tide, their faces brimming with wild joy and excitement. To receive the protection of a deity, they had become the luckiest people on the continent.

Among the impassioned soldiers, Marshal Ge Long stood out in particular. He knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the bluestone, his hands braced on the floor as he bowed devoutly toward the empty sky above.

"Long live the Willow Deity! I hope you will protect me and help me break through soon to become a Title Douluo..."

At the same time, on the other side of the imperial palace, the pathetic Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, tightly bound in wire mesh, presented an entirely different sight. His body was curled up, his clothes ragged, and his expression listless. Listening to the cheers from afar, despair and unwillingness appeared on his face.

He had once been the pride of this empire, admired by countless people, yet now he had fallen into a prisoner's state. Such an enormous reversal was impossible for him to accept.

"Little San, Little San, come back quickly! Come save your master..." Yu Xiaogang's hoarse voice echoed from the corner. His eyes were filled with pleading and despair, as though he had already abandoned all dignity and pride, hoping only for the slightest salvation.

Ma Hongjun beside him was in an equally miserable state. His chubby face had turned deathly pale, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled continuously down his forehead.

He, too, had once been a genius soul master of this empire. Yet now, just like Yu Xiaogang, he had become a prisoner. This tremendous change filled his heart with fear and helplessness.

"Third Brother, Third Brother, come back quickly..." Ma Hongjun cried out in a tearful voice.

At that moment, Shi Hao's voice rang out once more. Standing high above and overlooking the entire imperial palace square, his gaze burned like torches, as though it could see through every falsehood and disguise.

"Guards!" he shouted. "Throw these two into the dungeon. They shall be the shame of my Stone Kingdom!"

Upon hearing Shi Hao's command, a group of soldiers immediately sprang into action. Grabbing the wire mesh, they roughly dragged the pathetic Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun up from the ground.

Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun's bodies scraped against the wire mesh, producing harsh, grating sounds. Their clothes were torn open by the wire, and streaks of blood appeared across their skin.

Yet at this moment, neither of them could spare a thought for the pain. They could only stare at the soldiers in terror, unaware of what fate awaited them.

The soldiers dragged Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun step by step toward the dungeon.

The dungeon lay in the deepest part of the imperial palace. It was dark and damp, a place for imprisoning important criminals. Along the way, the soldiers moved aside, their eyes full of disdain and mockery, as though they were watching two clowns perform.

Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun were dragged along so unsteadily that they could barely stand. Their hearts were filled with despair and fear. They did not know how long they would be imprisoned, nor did they know whether they would ever have another chance to see daylight.

Yet they were powerless and could only allow the soldiers to handle them as they pleased.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the square continued shouting, "Long live the Stone Kingdom!" Their voices were perfectly synchronized and deafening, as though they intended to drown the entire Tiandou Empire in their cheers.

Inside the grand hall, Fairy Yuechan still stood behind Shi Hao. Her white gauze dress swayed gently in the wind, like a blooming white lotus unfolding its own pure and ethereal beauty amid the mortal world. Her long hair cascaded smoothly to her waist, fluttering softly with her movements and giving off a faint fragrance.

Her figure was tall and graceful, with exquisite curves, like a fairy who had descended into the human world, beautiful beyond compare. Her features were delicate and elegant, her skin as fair as jade, radiating a cool and noble aura.

At this moment, Fairy Yuechan quietly gazed at Shi Hao's solitary yet tall and upright back. Her eyes were filled with doubt and curiosity, while an inexplicable feeling rose in her heart.

"Stone Kingdom, Shi Hao? Could he really be from the Stone Kingdom of the Desolate Domain? But who exactly is he? And who is that legendary Wild Heavenly Emperor?"

She did not know what this feeling was, but she knew that Shi Hao had deeply drawn her in.

The dungeon was dark and damp. The heavy iron doors let out piercing screeches as the soldiers shoved them open.

Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun were each tightly held by two soldiers. Their wrists were painfully chafed by rough iron chains. Under the dim candlelight, the stone walls of the cells were mottled and stained, with wet marks everywhere. An indescribable stench filled the air, sickening enough to make one vomit.

Yu Xiaogang was the first to be shoved into one of the cells. As the iron door slammed shut behind him, his heart suddenly sank, and despair surged over him like a tide. He looked around and saw that the cell was dimly lit, with only a few rays of light shining in through a small window at the top. It looked especially bleak. More than a dozen pairs of eyes stared at him in unison, each revealing a different emotion: curiosity, indifference, hostility...

These prisoners wore tattered clothing and had sallow faces. Some sat while others lay down, each claiming a place in a corner of the cell.

Yu Xiaogang's arrival had clearly broken the cell's former calm. The prisoners began whispering among themselves, and from time to time, someone cast him an ill-intentioned glance.

Among the prisoners, a burly man stood out especially. He was a full two meters tall, heavily muscled, and stood in the center of the cell like an iron tower. His face was covered in thick flesh, and a vicious scar slanted down from his left eye to the corner of his mouth, making his already ferocious face look even crueler.

The man was bare-chested, his chest and arms covered in intricate tattoos that were clearly the marks of some sect. He lounged lazily against a pile of filthy straw, surrounded by several prisoners who appeared to be his lackeys.

The burly man stared at Yu Xiaogang with blazing eyes, sizing him up from head to toe. Yu Xiaogang felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny, as though every pore on his body had been pierced by the other man's gaze. He swallowed hard and tried to keep himself calm.

He knew that in a place like this, weakness would only invite more trouble.

However, although Yu Xiaogang tried hard to put on a tough front, his body trembled uncontrollably. His already somewhat pathetic face twisted into an even more ridiculous expression. He did not dare meet the burly man's gaze and could only let his eyes wander about, as though searching for a way to escape.

At that moment, the burly man suddenly spoke. His voice was rough and hoarse, as though it had been squeezed out from the depths of his throat. "Newcomer, get over here and lie down. Be my cushion." As he spoke, he stretched out his fan-sized hand and patted the pile of straw beside him.

The other prisoners in the cell immediately burst into laughter. They seemed to greatly enjoy bullying newcomers.