Have You All Lost Your Minds?
The night was deep over the ruins of the Starlight Auction House.
Xu Jiawei stood frozen in place, his body as stiff as a stone.
His bright yellow dragon-patterned robe fluttered in the night wind, but it did nothing to dispel the bone-chilling coldness in his heart.
Everything before their eyes had vanished—the top auction house, a symbol of the Star Luo Imperial Family majesty and wealth, was now nothing but ruins.
The charred beams and pillars leaned precariously, emitting wisps of black smoke; the once gleaming white jade floor was now riddled with cracks, torn apart by the shockwave of the explosion; the priceless auction items, the meticulously arranged decorations, and everything that represented the face of the Star Luo Empire were all reduced to dust in that earth-shattering explosion.
And his Jiujiu...
Xu Jiawei dared not think any further.
"No... no... Jiujiu will be alright..."
He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded. His breathing became rapid and erratic, as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Those eyes, which always carried an imperial majesty and deep calculation, had now lost all their luster, leaving only an empty despair.
The Titled Douluo of the Star Luo Empire who had come with him were also deeply shocked.
They stood at the edge of the ruins, their faces ashen, their eyes filled with disbelief. The great battle that had just erupted in the night sky, the terrifying Soul Power fluctuations that could change the very heavens and earth, had sent a chill down the spines of even these powerful figures at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent.
That power... was beyond their comprehension.
"His Majesty..."
An elderly Titled Douluo with white hair and beard spoke in a hoarse voice, but he didn't know what to say.
Finally, they all looked up at the figure in the sky.
In the night sky, Bao Liang held a corpse in his hand, hovering in mid-air.
The corpse was still wearing a tattered black robe, and the exposed skin was covered with scorch marks and cracks. It was none other than Cheng Gang, the mighty Douluo who had been so arrogant just moments before.
Bao Liang's expression was as relaxed as if he were just casually carrying a bag of trash. He even looked down at his "spoils of war," a disdainful smile playing on his lips.
"Tch, someone with this level of skill dares to mess with me? They're asking for trouble."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire battlefield.
"You can't even withstand one of my attacks? You dare call yourself Titled Douluo?"
Before he finished speaking, Bao Liang casually tossed Cheng Gang's body downwards.
Just as the corpse was about to hit the ground, he flicked his right index finger, and a faint but Destruction orange-red light entered the corpse.
"Boom!"
With a soft sound, Cheng Gang's body turned to ashes in the horrified gazes of the crowd.
Thus, Cheng Gang, the Mighty Douluo, the royal retainer of the Star Luo Empire, the first Title Douluo to be eliminated and the first to die in this battle for the Snow Emperor's embryo, has fallen.
Not even a trace was left.
Bao Liang clapped his hands, as if brushing off something dirty, and then went to carefully examine the Storage Soul Tool he had just taken from Cheng Gang.
Just as his fingers touched the storage ring left behind by Cheng Gang, a heart-wrenching roar suddenly came from below.
"Why... why! Why did you kill her!"
The voice, filled with pain, anger, and despair, caused Bao Liang to pause slightly.
He looked down toward the source of the sound and saw Xu Jiawei looking up at him with bloodshot eyes, his gaze seeming to want to devour him alive.
"Who?" Bao Liang was a little confused.
"Xu Jiujiu! My sister!" Xu Jiawei's voice trembled, with a barely perceptible sob, "Shouldn't she be at the auction? Why did she end up like this?"
Why did you kill her?!
Bao Liang then suddenly realized what was going on.
He raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips, "Oh, you mean her? Wait a minute."
As he spoke, he casually gestured in a certain direction.
A bright orange fireball rose from the distant ruins, tracing a graceful arc in the air as it flew towards Xu Jiawei.
The fireball wasn't fast, but it carried a terrifyingly high temperature, distorting the air wherever it passed.
The Star Luo Empire Titled Douluo behind Xu Jiawei immediately assumed a defensive stance, their Soul Power surging as they warily watched the sudden fireball.
But the fireball didn't attack anyone; it just flew a few meters in front of Xu Jiawei and then stopped.
"Boom."
With a soft sound, the fireball dissipated.
A figure dressed in a gorgeous gold dress appeared out of thin air before everyone.
Xu Jiujiu, she blinked her beautiful eyes, which always held a hint of wisdom and composure, but now she looked around somewhat blankly.
She was standing at the entrance to the hidden passage of the Starlight Auction House, preparing to leave quietly, but the sudden pressure from the Titled Douluo instantly froze her in place, rendering her unable to move.
Immediately afterwards, she felt her body lighten, and her whole body turned into a streak of fire, inexplicably flying towards the slums.
Before she could even figure out what was happening, she was swept up by a force and lifted into the air, winding and turning before finally landing here.
"Royal brother?" Xu Jiujiu looked at Xu Jiawei, then at the mess around them, his face full of confusion. "What are you doing here? No, how did I get here?"
Xu Jiawei was stunned when he saw his sister unharmed. Then, his eyes lit up with ecstatic joy.
He rushed forward, grabbed Xu Jiujiu's arm tightly, and carefully examined her from head to toe. Only after confirming that she was truly unharmed did he breathe a long sigh of relief.
"Jiujiu, you're alright... that's so good..."
"Brother, what exactly is going on?" Xu Jiujiu was even more puzzled.
Just then, Bao Liang's voice rang out, carrying a hint of casual teasing:
"Your older brother thought I had killed you, so I brought you back so that your emperor brother could see whether you were really dead or not."
"Really, you don't actually think I'm like you Douluo people, completely oblivious to where I am when I attack, do you?"
"I'm not some bloodthirsty Evil Soul Master, how could I possibly go on a killing spree in places where there are innocent civilians?"
"Let me put it this way, my Second Soul Skill has the ability to transform into elements, so I had already moved the crowd away before I even started."
"Do you really think I'm like you, someone who doesn't use their brain when they start a fight?"
Are you guys out of your minds?
Bao Liang stood with his arms crossed, hovering in mid-air, looking down at the Titled Douluo from the Star Luo Empire below, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
Upon hearing this, the faces of Xu Jiawei and the other Star Luo Empire experts instantly turned pale and then red.
They really... never consider the surrounding situation when they take action.
They are Titled Douluo, the strongest figures standing at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent.
Can their lives be compared to those of ordinary, uneducated people?
In their view, sacrificing some civilians is nothing in the matter of winning or losing a battle or competing for resources.
It could even be said that for ordinary people to witness the battle of Titled Douluo was a blessing they had accumulated over several lifetimes.
This idea was already deeply ingrained in their minds and had never been questioned.
But today, having been exposed in public by Bao Liang, a teenager, they suddenly felt an indescribable sense of shame.
"Alright, I'm too lazy to say the rest. You're not worthy to listen."
Bao Liang curled his lip, clearly having no interest in these hypocritical sanctimonious men.
"Now, it's time to talk about what's between us."
His gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on the two members of the Body Sect who were preparing to slip away quietly.
"What do you two think, from the Body Sect?"