Arc 5Dai Youheng’s Return

Dai Youheng led Shrek to victory in the tournament, left the academy, and gained the Three-Eyed Golden Beast’s power of destiny while strengthening himself in the Star Dou Great Forest. Back in the Star Luo Empire, he challenged his family’s succession and confessed to Xu Jiujiu that he had hidden his strength to pursue her and claim the White Tiger Duke’s inheritance.

  • Dai Youheng accepted Xu Jiujiu’s fifty-thousand-year soul bone and later led Shrek to victory over Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, completing a one-versus-seven run in the individual matches.
  • Mu En awarded soul bones to Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Dai Youheng, but Dai Youheng declined Yan Shaozhe’s offer to remain at Shrek and graduated with Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi.
  • Dai Youheng entered the Star Dou Great Forest, exchanged a Snow Woman Sacred Heart Pill for a wisp of the Three-Eyed Golden Beast’s power of destiny, and gained a thirty-thousand-year soul ring from a Heaven-Shaking Demon Ape.
  • Dai Youheng returned to the Star Luo Empire, visited Xu Jiujiu, and declared that he would claim the White Tiger Duke’s inheritance while protecting Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli.
  • Dai Youheng confronted Dai Yueheng, Dai Huabin, and Duchess Zhu Man over their past treatment of his family, while Xu Jiujiu and Xu Jiawei agreed to support him as a potential imperial ally.
  • Xu Jiujiu confronted Dai Youheng about hiding his strength and enduring her three palm strikes, and he admitted he had done so to avoid provoking his family while keeping the chance to see her.
  • Dai Youheng told Xu Jiujiu he intended to compete for the White Tiger Duke’s heirship and become strong enough to marry her openly, leaving her moved by his confession.
Chapters 101–125 Vol. 2 Read

Ch. 101False Affection and True Devotion

Dai Youheng convinced Xu Jiujiu that his transformation came from his devotion to her, accepted a fifty-thousand-year Darkness-Commanding Head Soul Bone, and asked her to help him leave Shrek Academy. Xu Jiujiu agreed to arrange his graduation after the tournament, while the Snow Empress privately condemned his act.

  • Dai Youheng told Xu Jiujiu that his love for her had inspired his saber art and driven him to become stronger.
  • Xu Jiujiu gave Dai Youheng a fifty-thousand-year Darkness-Commanding Head Soul Bone as a personal gift, and he accepted it.
  • Dai Youheng explained why he wanted to leave Shrek Academy and asked Xu Jiujiu to summon him home in the Star Luo Imperial Family's name.
  • Dai Youheng admitted that he also wanted a legitimate reason to stay near Xu Jiujiu, making her blush and smile.
  • Xu Jiujiu agreed to have Nebula Douluo Manyi accompany him to Shrek to arrange his graduation after the tournament.
  • The Snow Empress angrily denounced Dai Youheng's lies and his exploitation of Xu Jiujiu's feelings.

Ch. 102Finals

Shrek Academy advanced to the finals after Star Luo National Academy conceded, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy defeated Di'ao Academy in the other semifinal. As the finals began, Zhou Yi sent a deliberately weakened Shrek lineup into the team battle to injure key opponents before relying on the later matches.

  • Star Luo National Academy conceded its individual match, sending Shrek Academy to the finals.
  • Jiang Peng defeated Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy fighters before Ma Rulong stopped him with a flame soul tool.
  • Zhou Yi worried about Ma Rulong's strength and reconsidered Shrek's match strategy.
  • Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy entered the finals arena as Emperor Xu Jiawei, Xu Jiujiu, and Dai Hao watched.
  • Zhou Yi sent Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochеn, Xiao Xiao, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, He Caitou, and Xu Sanshi into the team battle, planning to injure key opponents and preserve Shrek's strength.

Ch. 103Shrek's Crushing Defeat

Shrek’s team battle against the Sun Moon Team ended in a crushing defeat after Xiao Hongchen overwhelmed their attack with 128 soul cannons. Zhou Yi conceded the match, and Jiang Nannan suffered grievous injuries that left her unable to compete in future matches.

  • At the start of the team battle, Shrek followed Zhou Yi’s plan as Ma Xiaotao attacked Ma Rulong and Xu Sanshi used Xuanming Displacement to switch places with Xiao Hongchen.
  • Xiao Hongchen combined his first four soul skills to create 128 soul cannons, whose barrage shattered Shrek’s defenses and overwhelmed the team.
  • Jiang Nannan used Instantaneous Movement, Invincible Golden Body, and Waist Bow to attack Xiao Hongchen, but his Golden Attachment skill let him evade her strike.
  • Xiao Hongchen’s close-range cannon fire broke through Jiang Nannan’s protection and blasted her away, while Xu Sanshi failed to reach her through the barrage.
  • Zhou Yi conceded, and Huang Jinxu ended the match with a Starlight Barrier; Jiang Nannan’s severe injuries ruled her out of future matches.

Ch. 104Individual Matches: Dai Youheng Takes the Stage

After Shrek’s crushing team-battle defeat, Dai Youheng entered the individual matches and won three fights in succession, giving Shrek a chance to recover. He left the arena after defeating Mi Jia, while the Sun Moon Team still had more contestants to send out.

  • Zhou Yi asked Dai Youheng to compete first in the individual matches and eliminate as many Sun Moon Team members as possible while Shrek’s exhausted fighters recovered.
  • Dai Youheng defeated Li Yan in seconds by evading his fireballs and striking his soul cannon.
  • Dai Youheng beat Chen An after blocking his attacks and knocking him out of the ring with a powerful kick.
  • Dai Youheng used the Limitless Blade Method to turn Mi Jia’s triggered shells against him and overload his chest-mounted soul tool.
  • Dai Youheng’s three consecutive victories drew cheers from the arena and renewed Zhou Yi’s hope.

Ch. 105Dai Youheng vs. Meng Hongchen

Dai Youheng defeated Meng Hongchen after enduring her Icefire Purgatory and exploiting the opening that followed her teleportation. He remained in the arena after winning his fourth consecutive match, while the onlookers marveled at his strength and wondered what had changed him.

  • Elder Ma sent Meng Hongchen to challenge Dai Youheng, and she attacked with her ice and fire swords and deadly poisons.
  • Meng Hongchen unleashed Icefire Purgatory, then teleported behind Dai Youheng and struck him with the attack.
  • Dai Youheng endured the blast with his enhanced body, suffering only a slight injury, and turned to counterattack.
  • Dai Youheng seized Meng Hongchen’s wrist, knocked away her ice sword, and punched through her defensive soul tool, leaving her unable to fight.
  • Dai Youheng won his fourth match in succession, prompting cheers from the crowd and astonishment from Xu Jiawei, Xu Jiujiu, and Dai Hao.

Ch. 106One Versus Seven

Dai Youheng defeated Xiao Hongchen by destroying his Soul Cannons with the combined power of Darkness Zone and Shadow Surge, completing Shrek’s one-versus-seven victory in the individual competition. After the Sun Moon Team forfeited its remaining matches, Dai Youheng returned to Shrek’s side, confident that his goals in the tournament had been achieved.

  • Dai Youheng used Darkness Zone and Shadow Surge to move unseen, destroy Xiao Hongchen’s 128 Soul Cannons, and defeat him.
  • Xuan Zi recognized the combination of Dai Youheng’s Soul Skills as comparable to a Domain Skill, while Xu Jiujiu resolved to bind him to the imperial family.
  • Elder Ma forfeited the Sun Moon Team’s remaining two individual matches, and the Heavenly Fiend Douluo declared Dai Youheng the winner and Shrek victorious.
  • The crowd cheered Dai Youheng for completing a one-versus-seven victory, and he returned to Shrek’s preparation area.
  • Zhou Yi assigned Dai Youheng to the third match of the upcoming Two-Two-Three Battle so he could recover, while Dai Youheng believed the first two matches would settle the outcome.

Ch. 107The tournament ends

Shrek Academy defeated the Sun Moon Team to win the tournament, while Ma Xiaotao lost control after Ma Rulong’s Sword of Judgment triggered her evil fire. As the team prepared to return to Shrek, Dai Youheng arranged to leave later with the Star Luo Imperial Family’s help.

  • Ma Rulong used the Sword of Judgment against Ma Xiaotao and Bei Bei, triggering Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire; Dai Youheng refused to use his pill to save her.
  • Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong defeated the injured Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, giving Shrek a two-to-one victory in the final round.
  • Huang Jinxu announced Shrek Academy as the tournament champion, and Xuan Zi took the Sword of Judgment from Elder Ma for study.
  • Zhou Yi selected three Soul Bones from the Star Luo imperial treasury as Shrek’s championship reward.
  • Dai Youheng exchanged a discreet signal with Xu Jiujiu and planned to return to Shrek with the group before the Star Luo Imperial Family escorted him home a month later.

Ch. 108Return to the Academy, Soul Bone Allocation

Shrek Academy welcomed the returning tournament team, and Sea God Pavilion Master Mu En revealed himself before honoring their victory with four soul bones. After distributing them, he invited Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao to discuss their future paths, while Dai Youheng prepared to leave Shrek and enter a wider world.

  • Mu En welcomed the returning Shrek team at the academy gates, revealing that the familiar dormitory caretaker was the Sea God Pavilion Master.
  • Mu En praised the students for defending Shrek's glory and called Dai Youheng, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao forward to receive soul bones.
  • Mu En gave Xiao Xiao a thirty-thousand-year Purple Spirit Demon Vine right arm bone, Wang Dong a ten-thousand-year Light-Breaking Demon right arm bone, and Dai Youheng a forty-thousand-year giant-pawed black tiger left arm bone.
  • Mu En bestowed a fifty-thousand-year Icefield Fierce left arm bone on Huo Yuhao after he acknowledged the contributions of the other team members.
  • Mu En invited Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao to explore their future paths, while Dai Youheng accepted that he would not join them and waited for Princess Xu Jiujiu's people to arrange his graduation.

Ch. 109The Lan Sisters' Dilemma and the Breakthrough to Level Fifty

Dai Youheng told Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo that he planned to leave Shrek Academy, then broke through to level fifty through his own cultivation. As he anticipated a confrontation between Du Busi and Xuan Zi, the Body Sect arrived at Shrek, setting the stage for a clash between powerful Soul Masters.

  • Dai Youheng told Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo he would leave Shrek Academy and suggested they consider the Inner Court, finding him in the Star Luo Empire, or joining the Body Sect.
  • Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo struggled to decide what to do, while Dai Youheng left the choice to them.
  • More than half a month later, Dai Youheng broke through to level fifty without using either of his gifted soul bones.
  • Du Busi roared for Xuan Zi to face him, and Dai Youheng recognized that the Body Sect's leader had come for Huo Yuhao.
  • Du Busi led the Body Sect's powerful fighters toward Shrek, where Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, Cai Mei'er, and Xian Lin'er rose to confront them.

Ch. 110Du Busi vs. Xuan Zi: The Lan Sisters Were Tempted

Du Busi challenged Shrek Academy to take Huo Yuhao to the Body Sect, but Mu En intervened and forced him to withdraw. After hearing Dai Youheng describe the Body Sect’s second awakening, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo decided to seek it after graduation.

  • Du Busi confronted Xuan Zi and demanded that Huo Yuhao join the Body Sect, then overpowered Xuan Zi in a series of clashes.
  • Mu En appeared through the Radiant Sacred Dragon projection, claimed Huo Yuhao as his disciple, and warned Du Busi to leave Shrek.
  • Du Busi withdrew but told Huo Yuhao that the Body Sect would welcome him whenever he changed his mind.
  • Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo asked Dai Youheng about the battle, and he explained Du Busi’s golden awakening and its power.
  • Dai Youheng told the sisters that their hair Martial Souls could undergo a second awakening, and they decided to seek it at the Body Sect after graduation.

Ch. 111The Star Luo Envoys Arrived: Shattered Star Douluo

Jing Hongchen negotiated a student exchange with Shrek Academy but failed to recover the Sword of Judgment, while Dai Youheng awaited the Star Luo Empire’s envoys. Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi arrived to escort Dai Youheng home, and he rejected Shrek’s offers by declaring his devotion to Princess Jiujiu.

  • Jing Hongchen failed to retrieve the Sword of Judgment, gave Huo Yuhao the Level 9 Soul Tool Red Dust Protection, and agreed with Shrek to exchange students in two years.
  • Dai Youheng watched Shrek’s political struggles from a distance and anticipated the Star Luo Empire’s arrival.
  • Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi arrived at Shrek Academy to escort Dai Youheng home and arrange his graduation.
  • Yan Shaozhe urged Dai Youheng to stay, offering him a place among the next generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, high-grade soul bones, and a future hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
  • Dai Youheng rejected Yan Shaozhe’s offer and declared that he would return to Princess Jiujiu and serve the Star Luo Empire.

Ch. 112Revealing His Strength, Heading to the Star Dou Great Forest

Dai Youheng left Shrek Academy and revealed to Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi that he had concealed his true strength, claiming he had done so to return to Princess Jiujiu. He persuaded them to postpone their journey home and enter the Star Dou Great Forest to help him obtain a fifth soul ring, while secretly pursuing the Three-Eyed Golden Beast’s power of destiny.

  • Manyi defended Dai Youheng’s decision to leave Shrek, and Yan Shaozhe approved his graduation.
  • Dai Youheng parted from Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and the Lan sisters, then departed with Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi as Ling Ya followed them from a distance.
  • Dai Youheng asked the two Douluos to help him obtain his fifth soul ring in the Star Dou Great Forest.
  • Dai Youheng revealed that he had concealed his soul power and claimed he had done so to escape Shrek’s attempts to keep him and return to Princess Jiujiu.
  • Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi praised Dai Youheng’s devotion and agreed to seek a powerful soul beast for his fifth ring.
  • Dai Youheng, Shattered Star Douluo, and Manyi entered the Star Dou Great Forest, where Dai Youheng secretly sought the Three-Eyed Golden Beast’s power of destiny.

Ch. 113Vina, Princess of the Heaven Dou Empire

Dai Youheng followed Huo Yuhao and his companions through the Star Dou Great Forest and found Princess Vina in danger from crimson fire monkeys. After Manyi rescued her, Vina met Dai Youheng and recognized his reputation as Xu Jiujiu’s persistent admirer, though his composed manner surprised her.

  • Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Dong defeated a thousand-year dark gold terrorclaw bear with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, allowing Xiao Xiao to claim its soul ring.
  • Dai Youheng detected fighting nearby and led Manyi and Shattered Star Douluo to a clearing where Vina and her guards were surrounded by crimson fire monkeys.
  • Manyi drove off the monkeys with her Nebula Fan and rescued Vina, who greeted her as Grandma Manyi.
  • Manyi introduced Shattered Star Douluo and Dai Youheng to Vina and her guards, and Shattered Star Douluo praised the guards’ martial souls.
  • Vina teased Dai Youheng about his reputation for pursuing Xu Jiujiu, then grew curious when his bearing and the Douluos’ regard for him contradicted her expectations.

Ch. 114Traveling Together, the Heaven-Shaking Demon Apes

Dai Youheng and Vina joined forces on a soul-ring hunt, where Manyi and Shattered Star Douluo confronted two Heaven-Shaking Demon Apes guarding an Azure Spirit Vine. After the Snow Empress revealed the Auspicious Beast’s location, Dai Youheng slipped away and found the Three-Eyed Golden Beast surrounded by reverent soul beasts.

  • Vina and Dai Youheng joined the expedition, and the two Douluos agreed to help Vina find a soul ring.
  • Vina discovered a ten-thousand-year Azure Spirit Vine guarded by a thirty-thousand-year and a sixty-thousand-year Heaven-Shaking Demon Ape.
  • Manyi trapped the weaker ape while Shattered Star Douluo wounded the stronger one, beginning a fierce battle.
  • The Snow Empress told Dai Youheng that the Auspicious Beast was nearby and warned him to take only a wisp of its fate power without harming it.
  • Dai Youheng activated his soul skills, slipped away unseen, and found the Three-Eyed Golden Beast in a clearing surrounded by devoted soul beasts.

Ch. 115A Deal with the Emperor Auspicious Beast

Dai Youheng lured the Three-Eyed Golden Lion away from the soul beasts and tried to negotiate for a small portion of her power of destiny without binding their fates. After the Snow Empress vouched for him, the Auspicious Beast remained wary but listened to his proposed Ancient Secret Art.

  • Dai Youheng used the aura of the Golden Vajra Evil-Repelling Body to draw the Three-Eyed Golden Lion away from the gathering of soul beasts.
  • The Three-Eyed Golden Lion attacked Dai Youheng, and Ling Ya blocked her with a Permafrost Ice Wall.
  • Dai Youheng called on the Snow Empress, who explained that he had saved her and had no intention of harming the Auspicious Beast.
  • The Three-Eyed Golden Lion rejected the proposed exchange because she feared that sharing her power of destiny would bind their fates.
  • Dai Youheng explained that his Ancient Secret Art could extract only a wisp of her dispersed power of destiny without touching its source or creating a karmic bond.

Ch. 116The Power of Destiny

Dai Youheng traded a Snow Woman Sacred Heart Pill for a small strand of the Three-Eyed Golden Beast’s power of destiny, gaining a vision of his path to godhood. Their agreement was interrupted when the Scarlet King arrived and mistook Dai Youheng for a threat to the Auspicious Beast.

  • Dai Youheng offered the Three-Eyed Golden Beast a Snow Woman Sacred Heart Pill, and the Snow Empress vouched for its power to restore the dead.
  • The Three-Eyed Golden Beast accepted Dai Youheng’s offer, and they exchanged the pill for a tiny strand of her power of destiny without linking their fates.
  • Dai Youheng received a vision suggesting that becoming an emperor was part of a task leading to godhood, though he and the Snow Empress thought it differed from his earlier premonition.
  • The Three-Eyed Golden Beast confirmed that the exchange had not harmed her, and the tension between her and Dai Youheng eased.
  • The Scarlet King charged into the woodland, assumed Dai Youheng intended to hunt the Auspicious Beast, and prepared to attack as Ling Ya struggled against its pressure.

Ch. 117Advancing to Soul King

Dai Youheng warned the Scarlet King that Titled Douluos threatened the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, prompting the beast to flee with her to the Lake of Life. Back with his companions, Dai Youheng began absorbing a thirty-thousand-year-old Heaven-Shaking Demon Ape's soul ring as his fifth.

  • The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stopped the Scarlet King from attacking Dai Youheng and explained that he was her friend and had traded fairly with her.
  • Dai Youheng warned the Scarlet King that Xuan Zi and other Titled Douluos were nearby and might target the Auspicious Beast, so the Scarlet King carried her toward the Lake of Life.
  • Dai Youheng returned to Manyi and claimed he had chased a soul beast compatible with his martial soul before losing its trail.
  • Manyi brought Dai Youheng back to the battlefield, where Vina was absorbing the Azure Spirit Vine's soul ring and the wounded Heaven-Shaking Demon Ape awaited him.
  • Dai Youheng killed the Heaven-Shaking Demon Ape and began absorbing its thirty-thousand-year soul ring as his fifth.

Ch. 118War Demon Awakening, Plans for the Sixth Ring

Dai Youheng absorbed a thirty-thousand-year soul ring and gained a powerful fifth skill, then began planning to strengthen himself enough to absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as his sixth. After asking Vina to help his friends reach the Body Sect, he left the forest, while Huo Yuhao emerged with a powerful new external soul bone.

  • Vina completed her soul-ring absorption, advanced to Soul King, and reached rank fifty-one.
  • Dai Youheng absorbed the Heaven-Shaking Demon Ape's thirty-thousand-year soul ring, reached the peak of rank fifty-two, and gained the fifth skill War Demon Awakening.
  • Dai Youheng judged that his physique could withstand more powerful soul rings and planned to seek a skull soul bone before attempting to absorb the Abyssal Ice Prison Tiger's hundred-thousand-year ring as his sixth.
  • Dai Youheng asked Vina to escort his friends Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo to the Body Sect when they graduated, and Vina agreed to help.
  • Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao left the forest; Xiao Xiao had gained a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear ring, and Huo Yuhao had fused its Dark Gold Dreadclaw external soul bone into his right palm.

Ch. 119Bi Ji's Shock, Di Tian's Command

The Three-Eyed Golden Beast told Di Tian and Bi Ji about exchanging a strand of her power of destiny for the Snow Woman Sacred Heart Pill. Though the pill could not heal the Silver Dragon King’s God King-level injuries, Di Tian saw its maker, Dai Youheng, as a possible future hope and ordered the soul beasts to find him without harming him.

  • The Three-Eyed Golden Beast recounted meeting Dai Youheng and the Snow Empress and showed Di Tian and Bi Ji the Snow Woman Sacred Heart Pill.
  • Bi Ji examined the pill and confirmed that its life power could reverse mortal injuries but could not heal the Silver Dragon King’s divine wounds.
  • Di Tian reasoned that Dai Youheng might eventually refine a pill powerful enough to heal the Silver Dragon King as his cultivation advanced.
  • Di Tian ordered the soul beasts to search for Dai Youheng, the ice-attribute Titled Douluo, and the Snow Empress, forbidding them from confronting or harming the group.

Ch. 120When Flowers Bloom, Butterflies Come

Dai Youheng returned to the imperial capital and maintained his appearance of devotion to Xu Jiujiu, while the imperial court saw him as a possible means of consolidating the Dai Family under its authority. Xu Jiujiu was moved by the report of his supposed sacrifices, and Dai Youheng found his family’s fortunes still in decline.

  • Dai Youheng chose to visit Xu Jiujiu after cleaning up at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, while Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi discussed his potential role in uniting the Dai Family with the imperial family.
  • Shattered Star Douluo and Manyi reported Dai Youheng's strength and claimed devotion to Xu Jiujiu, who was shocked to learn he had reached the peak of level fifty-two.
  • Xu Jiujiu reflected on Dai Youheng's apparent sacrifices and began to see him with curiosity and tenderness rather than only as a political asset.
  • Dai Youheng returned to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and saw Dai Yueheng preparing for a Soul Tool prosthesis after losing his hand.
  • Dai Youheng also saw Dai Huabin dejected and weakened, with Zhu Lu staying loyally at his side.

Ch. 121Dai Youheng's performance

Dai Youheng returned to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and declared his intention to claim its inheritance after his brothers were badly injured. He let the Duchess's spy overhear his ambition and waited for her to make a move while Dai Hao was away.

  • Zhu Man accused Dai Youheng of causing Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin's injuries, but he calmly cited the Evil Soul Master ambush and Shrek witnesses to defend himself.
  • Dai Youheng dismissed Zhu Man and went to his courtyard, leaving her furious and wary of his growing strength.
  • Dai Youheng told Bai Wanning that he had graduated from Shrek's Outer Court and had returned to live in the Star Luo Empire.
  • Dai Youheng declared that he would claim the White Tiger Duke's inheritance because his injured brothers could no longer lead the mansion, frightening Bai Wanning.
  • After Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli left, Dai Youheng revealed that he knew a spy had overheard him and intended to draw Zhu Man into acting while Dai Hao was away.

Ch. 122An Uproar at the Duke's Mansion

Dai Youheng arranged for Ling Ya to secretly protect Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli while preparing to strike against Duchess Zhu Man. At breakfast, he openly defied the Duchess’s household, beat Dai Huabin, and overturned the table on Zhu Man and her sons.

  • Dai Youheng ordered Ling Ya to protect Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli, fake their deaths if they were threatened, and carry out another task later.
  • Duchess Zhu Man heard that Dai Youheng coveted her son’s title and vowed to make the Duke’s Mansion his grave.
  • At breakfast, Dai Youheng ignored Zhu Man’s demand for a greeting and confronted Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin over their past treatment of his family.
  • Dai Youheng slapped Dai Huabin, while Zhu Man’s illness left her unable to sustain her Soul Power or fight.
  • Dai Youheng kicked Dai Huabin down again, checked that Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli had eaten, then heaved the tablecloth and drenched Zhu Man and her sons with the meal.

Ch. 123The royal siblings, Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu

Dai Youheng left the Duke’s Mansion with Nebula Douluo Manyi and went to the Star Luo Imperial Palace, where Xu Jiujiu and Xu Jiawei discussed using his feud with the Dai Family’s legitimate line to strengthen imperial authority. Xu Jiujiu summoned him for an audience.

  • Dai Youheng provoked Duchess Zhu Man and her sons at breakfast, then left with Manyi when she arrived to escort him to the palace.
  • Manyi reported the confrontation to Xu Jiujiu, who judged that Dai Youheng’s growing power had made his long-held resentment against the legitimate line erupt.
  • Xu Jiujiu told Xu Jiawei that Dai Youheng’s estrangement from his family made him a useful ally for the imperial family.
  • Xu Jiawei approved covertly supporting Dai Youheng to make him a sharper weapon and more dependent on the empire.
  • Xu Jiujiu ordered an attendant to summon Dai Youheng for an audience.

Ch. 124Xu Jiujiu's Accusation

Dai Youheng met Xu Jiujiu in the palace, where she confronted him for hiding his Soul King cultivation and demanded the truth about his staged weakness. He fell silent, his practiced expression giving way to a complicated look.

  • Dai Youheng greeted Xu Jiujiu and Xu Jiawei, who teased them before leaving the two alone with Manyi.
  • Xu Jiujiu scrutinized Dai Youheng and accused him of deceiving her.
  • Xu Jiujiu revealed that Manyi had reported Dai Youheng had secretly become a Soul King.
  • Xu Jiujiu questioned why Dai Youheng had pretended to be unable to withstand her three palm strikes and demanded the truth.
  • Dai Youheng fell silent as his expression shifted from feigned shock to a complicated look.

Ch. 125Snow Empress: A Scumbag Who Toys with Hearts

Dai Youheng explained that he had hidden his strength and acted like a fool to survive the White Tiger Duke's family politics and remain near Xu Jiujiu. He declared his ambition to compete for the heirship and marry her, leaving Xu Jiujiu unexpectedly moved while Snow Empress recognized his performance as a lie.

  • Dai Youheng admitted that he had deliberately taken Xu Jiujiu's three palm strikes and concealed his strength because he feared Zhu Man and the legitimate sons would see him as a threat.
  • Dai Youheng said that acting infatuated and useless had let him preserve his chance to see Xu Jiujiu without provoking his family.
  • Dai Youheng revealed that Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin had fallen from contention, giving him a chance to compete for the White Tiger Duke's heirship.
  • Dai Youheng told Xu Jiujiu he wanted to become strong enough to marry her openly and bring her into the Dai Family.
  • Snow Empress privately called Dai Youheng a scumbag for deceiving Xu Jiujiu, but Xu Jiujiu admitted she had not meant to blame him and seemed moved by his confession.
Arc 5 of 11