Di Tian listened to Xiong Jun, then looked at the Auspicious Beast before him, her eyes brimming with excitement. After a long silence, he finally let out an almost inaudible sigh.
"So be it."
Di Tian's voice was low and resonant. "Heavenly Screen's choice is indeed not something we can forcibly oppose."
He lowered his enormous dragon head slightly, bringing himself almost eye to eye with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Her small figure was reflected in his dark golden dragon eyes, and his tone was more serious and solemn than ever before:
"Remember, little one."
"No matter where you go, protecting yourself must always come first."
"That world may be wonderful, but the human heart... is far more unpredictable than the most dangerous Soul Beast. Do not reveal your origin lightly, and above all... do not trust any human."
"Their greed and cunning are beyond your imagination."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion rubbed her head against Di Tian's cold, hard scales. She could feel the deep concern beneath those stern words, and her excitement settled a little, giving way to greater seriousness.
"Mhm! Uncle Di Tian, I'll remember."
"I'll be careful. I'm only going to take a look, and I'll be back soon!"
And just then-
"Hum!"
In the sky, the enormous screen stretching across the heavens rippled once more. Three brilliant, solid pillars of golden light descended from Heavenly Screen!
One landed at Shrek Academy, another fell toward the Sun Moon Continent, and the last pierced straight through the dense canopy, disregarding the distance through space, to descend upon the core of the Star Dou Great Forest and envelop the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
The next second, Dai Mubai, Li Dan, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion vanished from the Douluo Continent.
At the same time, the image on the enormous Heavenly Screen in the sky flickered, then clearly divided into three, each showing a different scene and viewpoint.
The Shrouding the Heavens World.
Accompanied by three flashes of golden light, Dai Mubai, Li Dan, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion appeared in different corners of the Eastern Wasteland.
Beneath White Emperor City.
[First-person perspective: Shrek Academy student, Dai Mubai (Level 38)]
As the golden light completely faded, the scene before Dai Mubai's eyes went from blurry to clear. "This place..."
Dai Mubai discovered that he was standing in a dim, cramped space. Rough flagstones lay beneath his feet, and the air was filled with a damp, moldy smell mixed with a faint scent of blood.
By the dim oil lamps set several meters apart along the walls, Dai Mubai made out his surroundings...
Three sides were black stone walls covered in moss, while the fourth consisted of metal bars as thick as an arm. Beyond the bars lay a dark corridor.
This seemed to be a prison cell.
"Wh... what's going on?"
The unrestrained excitement on Dai Mubai's face was instantly replaced by bewilderment. He rushed to the bars, gripped the cold iron with both hands, and peered outside.
"Why am I in a prison cell?!"
Thinking this, Dai Mubai shook the bars hard, wanting to see whether he could break out.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what the metal bars were made of. Even with every ounce of his strength, he could not budge them at all.
"Fuck!!!"
Dai Mubai was utterly speechless. What happened to the promised opportunity? I start out in prison?
"Is anyone there?! Let me out!"
Dai Mubai shouted, his voice carrying down the prison corridor as he tried to summon a jailer. After all, he had not committed a crime, so surely he could be released?
Although Dai Mubai felt the chances were slim, he still intended to try.
Unfortunately, there was no response, only the echo of his own voice.
"Is anyone there?! Answer me!"
Dai Mubai raised his voice. His Soul Power began circulating unconsciously, and the imposing presence of a level thirty-eight Soul Elder faintly spread from him.
And then...
"What's all that noise?! It's the middle of the night! Are you going to let anyone sleep?!"
A hoarse, impatient voice came from the depths of the cell, thick with sleep and the irritation of being woken.
Hearing it, Dai Mubai turned to look behind him.
The depths of the cell were too dark to see clearly. He could only vaguely make out a black figure curled up on a pile of straw in the corner.
The man's hair was as tangled as weeds, his clothes were ragged, and his face was almost impossible to make out. He looked like a filthy beggar of a prisoner.
"Who are you? What is this place? Tell me, now!"
Dai Mubai was unsettled at that moment, so naturally his tone was far from pleasant, carrying his habitual arrogance and an air of command.
"Heh..."
The filthy prisoner seemed to laugh in anger. He slowly sat up, two faint points of light staring at Dai Mubai from the darkness.
"Boy, are you new here? Don't you know the rules? Disturb my sleep again, and I'll break your legs. Believe me?"
Dai Mubai froze for a moment, then a surge of anger shot into his heart.
Being thrown into a cell for no apparent reason had already left him frustrated and furious. Now an old prisoner who looked like a beggar, without a trace of Soul Power in his body, actually dared to threaten him?
"Break my legs?"
Dai Mubai laughed in his fury, his handsome face covered in frost. "You think you can?"
Who was he, Dai Mubai?
A prince of the Star Luo Empire, leader of the Shrek Seven Devils, a level thirty-eight Battle Soul Elder, and the bearer of the White Tiger Martial Soul!
He was outstanding even among his peers on the Douluo Continent. When had anyone ever threatened him with such contempt, especially a prisoner!
"That's right, I can!"
The filthy prisoner's voice abruptly turned cold. "You really are a frog at the bottom of a well, boy. Looks like you won't quiet down unless I teach you a lesson!"
The instant those words fell, the dark figure moved!
Fast!
So fast that Dai Mubai saw only a blur!
A scrawny, grime-covered hand curled its five fingers into claws like a phantom, bringing a heart-stopping gust as it grabbed straight for Dai Mubai's neck!
Alarm bells rang in Dai Mubai's mind, but he had ample combat experience, and his reaction was extremely fast.
Shocked and furious, he did not retreat. Instead, he let out a low growl and clenched his right fist. Pale white Soul Power instantly enveloped it as he threw a vicious punch at the scrawny hand!
"You're courting death!"
Dai Mubai unleashed the punch in anger. Although he had not used a Soul Skill, it still concentrated the formidable strength of a level thirty-eight Soul Elder.
In his estimation, this old man was so skinny and trapped in prison. How much strength could he possibly have?
With this punch, even if the man's arm did not snap, the bone would surely fracture!
However-
"Bang!"
The two fists collided with a dull impact.
The ferocity on Dai Mubai's face instantly froze, replaced by utter horror!
The moment fist met palm, he felt as though his fist had struck not a human hand, but an incomparably hard iron mountain hurtling along at high speed!
There was no trace of Qi at all, only a terrifying, utterly pure brute force that he could not comprehend, surging along his arm!
"Crack!"
A faint sound of bone cracking rang out. Before Dai Mubai could even feel the pain, his feet left the ground and his entire body flew backward, as though a charging behemoth had struck him head-on!
"Boom!"
His body slammed heavily into the hard stone wall behind him, shaking loose showers of dust. His internal organs felt as though they had all been displaced.
A metallic sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Pfft-!"
Dai Mubai collapsed to the floor, clutching his twisted, deformed right arm in excruciating pain. He raised his head, his eyes filled with incredulous horror and bewilderment.
He... he had actually been sent flying by a single punch from a filthy old prisoner who looked as though a gust of wind could knock him over?
Even his arm had broken?
How was this possible?!