Dai Mubai took a deep breath, suppressing the lingering fear in his heart. "I'm fine now. Everyone, go back and rest. The enemy shouldn't be coming again."
After the others left, only Dai Zhenguo, Zhu Fengyi, Ning Fengzhi, and Sword Douluo remained in the military tent.
Dai Zhenguo said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect that the Spirit Hall, unable to stop open robbery, would resort to assassination!"
"Grandpa, those aren't people from the Spirit Hall." Dai Mubai shook his head.
"Not from the Spirit Hall?" Sword Douluo asked, puzzled. "Although that person didn't reveal their Martial Soul, judging from their movement technique and the sheer volume of their Soul Power, they are clearly a Titled Douluo of considerable strength, perhaps even a Peak Douluo."
Dai Mubai explained, "The weapon that person used to attack me was a type of Hidden Weapon called ' Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb.' I know that only one person in the world knows how to make this kind of Hidden Weapon."
"Who is it?" Ning Fengzhi asked immediately.
Tang San.
Sword Douluo frowned slightly. " Tang San?"
Dai Mubai nodded, then took out Tang San's Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moon Night, and from one of the jade stones, he took out two iron gallbladders, one large and one small. "Father-in-law, don't you remember this?"
"The other side is the Clear Sky Sect; they've also come to Soul Bone."
Dai Zhenguo and Ning Fengzhi exchanged a glance, a hint of seriousness flashing in their eyes at the same time.
Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment, then said, "The Tang brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, knowing that their identities might be exposed, still supported Tang San in the finals, all for those few Soul Bone. Now that Mubai has taken all the Soul Bone, they are naturally very unwilling. Their motive for coming to steal the Soul Bone is quite reasonable."
Dai Zhenguo patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder. "We'll talk about the Clear Sky Sect later. Since they haven't revealed their Martial Soul, they obviously don't want to turn against us immediately. Let's wait and see. We'll just remember this debt for now."
"Yes, grandson understands." Dai Mubai nodded.
Everyone has done things like extortion and theft; it's all for personal gain, and there's nothing to criticize about it.
If the roles were reversed, I would also try to seize them.
Those are three top-grade, Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone —who wouldn't be tempted?!
However, Dai Mubai knew that the opponent's use of the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb, a Hidden Weapon capable of threatening Titled Douluo, was clearly not solely for the purpose of seizing the Soul Bone.
I've noted this down.
Ning Fengzhi nodded, his tone gentle. " Mubai, your strength and resources have already aroused the suspicion of many forces. It's best to be careful during this period."
"Yes!" Dai Mubai nodded solemnly.
Then, everyone left, and the military tent returned to calm.
Meanwhile, Tang Xiao flew swiftly and returned to the cave on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest before dawn.
Inside the cave, Tang Hao leaned against the stone wall to meditate, while Tang San sat beside him, guarding him. Yu Xiaogang remained asleep on a rock in the corner.
Tang Hao opened his eyes and saw that Tang Xiao looked unwell and his clothes were tattered. He couldn't help but ask in a deep voice, "Brother, how are you?"
Tang Xiao sat down on the rock, exhaled a long breath, and said, "I didn't manage to snatch the Soul Bone. Sword Douluo Chen Xin has been secretly following me. I was discovered as soon as I made a move, so I couldn't use the Clear Sky Hammer and had to retreat."
Tang Hao frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Tang Xiao added, "However, Dai Mubai was hit by the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb. Xiao San said that the Hidden Weapon is extremely poisonous; once hit by that poison needle, he probably won't last long. Dai Mubai is doomed."
Upon hearing this, Tang San's lips curled into a slight smile, clearly extremely confident in his Hidden Weapon, only regretting that he hadn't managed to snatch the Soul Bone.
Tang Hao snorted coldly and nodded, saying, "Very well. With Dai Mubai dead, there's one less person of his generation who could threaten Xiao San. As for that Soul Bone, once I recover, I'll go to Star Luo City again and definitely get it back."
After saying that, Tang Hao closed his eyes again to regulate his breathing.
Unbeknownst to them, Dai Mubai had undergone Ice and Fire Body Refinement, making him immune to all poisons.
Although the poison from the Bone-Melting Needles was potent, it could only cause Dai Mubai's flesh to tingle and itch for a moment, and could not cause any real harm.
On the other side, in Spirit City, at the Papal Palace.
Inside the magnificent hall, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Demon Bear Douluo, and Ghost Leopard Douluo bowed their heads to the ground.
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
On the high platform, Bibi Dong sat on the Pope throne, holding a scepter, quietly listening to Chrysanthemum Douluo's report on the pursuit.
Her face was so calm that no expression could be seen.
The calmer the scene, the less daring the four people standing below became to breathe. Having followed the Pope for many years, they were well aware of Bibi Dong's ruthlessness.
"Unexpectedly... the Star Luo Empire has produced a new Titled Douluo capable of wielding the Hell White Tiger. This is quite surprising."
Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger.
The four men lowered their heads even further, cold sweat pouring down their faces.
Gui Mei forced a smile and said, " Your His Holiness the Pope, that Titled Douluo should be Dai Zhenguo, the Retired Emperor Dai Zhenguo of the Star Luo Empire. The Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger, which he and the Retired Emperor used, has a strength approaching that of a Peak Douluo..."
" The Retired Emperor, Dai Zhenguo!?"
A hint of disdain flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes, followed by a more serious expression. She had thought he was just a useless person stuck at the peak of the Soul Douluo level, waiting to die, but unexpectedly he had broken through.
"After retiring, this old fellow devoted himself to cultivation and actually broke through that bottleneck. That's quite remarkable."
Her gaze slowly swept over the four people below, while her mind raced with calculations.
With Titled Douluo in charge and the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, the Star Luo Empire is an impenetrable fortress and a very tough nut to crack.
If they were to forcibly seize the Soul Bone again, the commotion would be enormous. Once the news spread, the reputation that the Spirit Hall had painstakingly built up over the years would suffer a heavy blow.
It would be a lie for Bibi Dong to say she wasn't heartbroken that her three Soul Bone had become someone else's possession.
But she knew even better that a complete break with the Star Luo Empire at this moment could very likely trigger a major war between the two powers.
The Spirit Hall is certainly not afraid of the Star Luo Empire, but Spirit Hall current focus is on the Heaven Dou Empire and the Upper Three Sects, and it is not yet ready to turn against the Star Luo Empire.
The original plan was to use Dai Weisi to steal the ball from the home team; if successful, it would be perfect, but if it failed, it wouldn't affect the overall plan.
We have to put the Star Luo Empire aside for now.
A deep sense of helplessness flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. In the end, she could only swallow her anger and suffer in silence.
She said calmly, "Let's leave the matter of the Soul Bone at that for now. There's plenty of time."
Gui Mei hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, what should we do with Dai Weisi?"
"The plan has failed, Dai Weisi is no longer of any use, let's just ignore him. Let's pretend this never happened."
Bibi Dong's tone revealed a clear hint of impatience. Dai Mubai returned to Star Luo City unharmed; Dai Weisi's fate was already sealed.
" The Star Luo Empire is currently united and a tough nut to crack. Let them cause trouble for a while."
"Our focus now remains on taking down the Heaven Dou Empire and the Upper Three Sects. You may leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The four men, as if granted a pardon, bowed in unison and retreated backwards from the main hall.