It was late at night.
In Qing Linyun's room in the Shrek Academy teachers' dormitory, the light was already out.
Though the bed was a little hard, Qing Linyun wasn't picky about where he slept. With the window open to the slightly salty breeze from the East Sea, he soon fell asleep.
He slept quite soundly, too.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The light was still on in Gu Yue's dorm room.
Gu Yue had arrived relatively late, so she had been lucky enough to get a room to herself.
It wasn't big, but it was enough for her alone.
She was having trouble sleeping.
She stood quietly by the window, gazing at the moon outside.
The moon was full, and its silvery light spilled in, shining on her face.
Gu Yue frowned. Her mind was in a mess.
...That man today.
Qing Linyun.
The thought of him left Gu Yue with a feeling she couldn't quite describe. Did she dislike him? She certainly did.
He was slick-tongued, never serious, and always trying to take advantage of her.
But for some reason...
When she thought of him holding her and pulling her along as they ran today, that overbearing feeling seemed rather nice...
Gu Yue shook her head.
No, I can't think about that.
She took a deep breath and turned her attention to something else.
The Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
She had sensed it clearly on the field today. That short-haired boy called Tang Wulin bore the Golden Dragon King's presence.
It was faint, but very familiar.
...It's him.
Gu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly.
The Golden Dragon King.
She had searched for so long, only to find him right here at this academy. But for some reason, she kept feeling that things weren't so simple.
How could the Golden Dragon King Bloodline be in such an ordinary human boy?
And...
Gu Yue remembered the way Qing Linyun had smiled at that boy today.
"I think he's pretty cute."
Could that man know something too?
...That's impossible, right?
He was human. How could he possibly know about the Golden Dragon King? But what if he did?
Gu Yue bit her lip.
She suddenly felt that Qing Linyun was far more dangerous than she had imagined.
Just how much did he know?
As she pondered, a thought suddenly sprang to mind.
Why not just kill him? Put an end to it once and for all.
Then he wouldn't be in her way. What if he really did interfere with her plans?
Once the thought appeared, she couldn't suppress it. Gu Yue's gaze slowly turned cold.
She was already considering whether to summon Di Tian over directly.
Close the door, unleash Di Tian!
Just then.
A voice suddenly rang out in her mind.
"Gu Yue."
Gu Yue trembled all over, a bad feeling welling up at once.
That voice... it was Na'er.
"What are you trying to do?"
Na'er's voice was very serious.
If Qing Linyun had been there, he would probably have been shocked. She sounded nothing like the clingy little girl she usually was.
"I'm telling you, you're not allowed to set your sights on my big brother."
"He's mine."
Gu Yue frowned. "What do you know? He's dangerous. He knows too much. What if he interferes with our plans..."
"I don't care about any plans."
Na'er cut her off. "If you dare lay a finger on me... no, if you dare lay a finger on big brother..."
"Even if I have to self-destruct, I absolutely won't fuse with you."
"Do you hear me!"
Gu Yue was so angry she laughed.
"Self-destruct?"
"Are you crazy?"
"You're the half that split off from me. We were one to begin with! And now, for a human, you're going to self-destruct over this?"
"Na'er, wake up!"
"He's just a human! An ordinary human! Nothing good will come of you being with him!"
"What do you know!"
Na'er flared up too. "Big brother isn't ordinary at all! He's good to me. He's truly good to me!"
"Just because you can't feel warmth, you think I can't either?"
"I'm telling you, Gu Yue, if you dare touch a hair on big brother's head, I'll die right in front of you!"
The two of them argued back and forth in their minds for a long time.
Neither could convince the other.
Finally, Gu Yue grew fed up.
"All right, all right."
"I just won't kill him."
"Are you satisfied now?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"...You promise?"
"I promise, I promise."
Gu Yue rubbed her brow. "I won't touch him for now, all right?"
"But don't think this is over."
"I still have to keep an eye on him."
The conversation ended.
Gu Yue stood by the window, gazing at the moon outside, her mind still in a mess.
...I won't kill him. Not for now.
But that didn't mean she would do nothing.
At that moment, thousands of miles away, on Sea God Island at Shrek Academy.
Na'er also stood by a window, gazing at the same moon.
She clenched her little fists and murmured to herself.
"Big brother."
"I won't let anyone hurt you."
The scene shifted.
The Far North.
Amid the ice and snow stood a secret stronghold.
At the very depths of the stronghold was a massive throne hall.
A dark figure slowly emerged from a corner of the hall. It was the Ghost Emperor.
He sat upright on a throne, gazing at the empty throne before him, lost in thought.
Before long.
At the other end of the hall, the air suddenly warped.
A towering man two meters tall slowly stepped out of the distorted air.
His entire body was covered in a fearsome suit of black armor, leaving only a pair of blood-red eyes exposed.
With every step he took, the entire hall trembled slightly.
The Underworld Emperor, Ha Luosa.
Hailed as the Gray Terror and the most gifted person in thousands of years, he had become a Titled Douluo at eighteen.
He walked up to the empty throne and plopped down on it.
The clatter of his armor echoed through the empty hall.
"What did you call me here for?"
The Underworld Emperor's voice came from beneath his armor, calm but edged with chill. "I still have business in the Star Luo Empire."
The Ghost Emperor chuckled.
"Don't be so impatient, Ha Luosa."
"What's the hurry?"
"I called you here because there's something I want to discuss with you."
The Ghost Emperor told the Underworld Emperor about Na Nali and Leng Yulai.
He explained everything clearly, from their abduction years ago to the strike that had wiped out an entire stronghold today.
The Underworld Emperor frowned after hearing him out.
Though his face was hidden by his armor and his expression couldn't be seen, his voice grew noticeably heavier.
"Two level 98 Super Douluo."
"Both shot up to level 99 Limit Douluo in a short time."
"One Quasi-God, one Demigod."
"...Do you believe that?"
"I don't."
The Ghost Emperor's smile was meaningful. "But the facts are right there, Ha Luosa. We have no choice but to believe it."
"And I've looked into it. There's a boss behind those two."
"Just a fifteen-year-old brat."
"I think we should grab the kid and find out what he's hiding."
"Maybe we can get something good out of him."
The Underworld Emperor was silent for a moment.
"Where is this kid?"
"Eastsea City."
The Ghost Emperor spoke unhurriedly.
The Underworld Emperor's body suddenly went rigid.
Eastsea City.
The moment those words came out, it was as if someone had smashed him in the head with a sledgehammer.
How to describe the feeling?
Quite a blow-dazed him silly without hurting his brain.
It was like being hit by something called the Clear Sky Hammer.
A piercing agony surged up from the depths of his soul in an instant.
It hurt so much he nearly rose from his throne.
But the Underworld Emperor was, after all, an old monster who had lived for over a hundred years.
He forcibly suppressed the pain.
On the surface, he remained as unhurried as ever.
Only his hand gripping the armrest of the throne tightened involuntarily.
He had a premonition. An instinctive premonition from the depths of his soul.
If he dared go to Eastsea City, he would surely die there.
The Underworld Emperor fell silent for a long while, then shook his head.
"I'm not going."
"I still have things to attend to on my end. I can't get away."
The Ghost Emperor froze.
"...Huh?"
"I said I'm not going."
The Underworld Emperor rose to his feet, his armor clattering again. "Have fun on your own. I'm leaving."
With that, he disappeared from the hall without even waiting for the Ghost Emperor to reply.
The Ghost Emperor sat on his throne, narrowing his eyes at the spot where the Underworld Emperor had disappeared.
Something wasn't right.
It was far too strange.
He knew the Underworld Emperor all too well.
That guy usually had to stick his nose into everything and seize every advantage he could.
What was going on today?
He'd heard Eastsea City mentioned and immediately chickened out?
And the way he'd stiffened for that instant just now...
Although the Ghost Emperor hadn't seen his expression, he knew about the Son of the Plane.
The Underworld Emperor had the plane's favor.
So...
The Ghost Emperor's eyes slowly lit up.
He seemed to understand something.
That kid called Qing Linyun was in Eastsea City. And the moment the Underworld Emperor heard Eastsea City mentioned, he'd been scared like that.
Could this have been a warning from the plane to the Underworld Emperor? Was that kid hiding something? What could scare even the Underworld Emperor so badly?
The Ghost Emperor cursed inwardly.
Well, well, Ha Luosa. Trying to trick me into going there? Do you take me for a fool?
On the surface, the Ghost Emperor still wore his usual smiling expression.
He even cupped his hands toward the empty air. "Ah, all right, then. You go about your business. I'll go myself."
Once the Underworld Emperor had gone completely,
The smile slowly faded from the Ghost Emperor's face.
He sat on his throne and pondered for a while.
Then he clapped his hands.
A hummingbird, black from head to toe, flew out of the shadows in the hall.
The hummingbird landed on his hand and transformed into a tall, thin man dressed in black.
"Your Majesty."
The Dark Hummingbird lowered his head. The Ghost Emperor looked at him and spoke calmly:
"Go to Eastsea City."
"There's a kid there called Qing Linyun."
"Go and kill him."
The Dark Hummingbird raised his head. "...Just one child?"
"Don't underestimate him."
The Ghost Emperor smiled. "You're just going to sound him out."
"While you're at it..."
A cold glint flashed in the Ghost Emperor's eyes.
"Find out for me what exactly that kid has on him."
The Dark Hummingbird nodded, turned, and vanished into the shadows.
The Ghost Emperor leaned back on his throne, looking at the ceiling with a delighted smile.
He was just a Dark Hummingbird, nothing but expendable material in the Ghost Emperor's eyes. When it came to Super Douluo, he could have as many as he wanted, as long as he was willing.
And trading one such expendable pawn to learn the secrets of a terrifying fellow who could make the plane give a warning was worth it no matter how he looked at it.