Huo Yuhao had calmed down completely. It was a mechanical kind of cool. In this state, his judgment would be best, as he cast aside all emotional attachment and faced everything before him calmly.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu looked at each other. They could see the look of joy in each other’s eyes.
While they had never thought well of Huo Yuhao, they could not deny that he was powerful, indeed. When he first joined the Academy, he was able to join forces with Wang Dong’er, who back then was still Wang Dong, and they emerged as the champions of the entrance exam. Since then, Dai Huabin had tried to beat him many times through his own efforts, but failed over and over again. At this time, he had to admit that the distance between Huo Yuhao and him had widened even more. There was no way he could catch up now.
Dai Huabin had had no idea what to do. When he heard Huo Yuhao’s voice, he felt a sense of relief.
He nodded vigorously from atop his horse, signaling to Huo Yuhao that he would obey all his commands.
Huo Yuhao snorted coldly in his heart. This guy isn’t that dumb.
As he thought that, Huo Yuhao did not slack off. He enveloped the White Tiger Duke in his spiritual power. While he did not know where the enemy would ambush him, it had to be somewhere he had to pass by. Right now, he did not care how the enemy knew of the White Tiger Duke’s patrolling schedule, but he had to stop him from advancing.
To assassinate the White Tiger Duke, the enemy must have laid an inescapable trap. The moment they entered it, Huo Yuhao did not think that he would be able to save the White Tiger Duke. Wang Dong’er was a Soul Emperor, and Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and he were all Soul Kings. With their strength, how could they save the eight-ringed White Tiger Duke? What power did they have? The only way to do so was to avoid the enemy’s trap completely.
The White Tiger Duke sat atop his White Tiger Colt, allowing it to gallop ahead at full speed. He was motionless as he rode on.
The reason he came out to patrol was because of the unstable situation in the Sun Moon Empire.
The Sun Moon Empire had wanted to strike for a long time. The two sides were inches away from war. On the Star Luo Empire’s side, they had stationed many soldiers at every single pass and chokepoint.
According to the news from the Sun Moon Empire, they were still months away from war. The Sun Moon Empire could only attack after they stationed enough soldiers at the border.
However, Dai Hao had received a shocking piece of news today. An unprecedented explosion had rocked Radiant City, devastating more than one-third of the capital. The explosion threw the Sun Moon Empire into turmoil, and they had suffered heavy losses. An official statement from the Sun Moon Empire stated that the explosion had something to do with the Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire, though it gave no details.
According to the information Dai Hao had received, Princess Jiujiu wrote that the explosion had nothing to do with them. It was likely committed by Shrek Academy!
But it did not matter who did it anymore. An explosion like this would have a severe impact on Radiant City. While there were not a lot of casualties, the Illustrious Virtue Hall and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy were both completely destroyed. It was also likely that one of their major armories was destroyed, as well!
Under these conditions, it was much less likely for the Sun Moon Empire to start a war. In particular, according to his intelligence, the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire was so overcome by the explosion that he passed away!
This would throw the imperial family of the Sun Moon Empire into an internal conflict. While the Crown Prince, Xu Tianran, had an absolute advantage and the initiative, the other princes who had a chance of ascending the throne were not weak, either! Furthermore, they understood Xu Tianran very well. The moment he ascended the throne, their fates were sealed. Hence, they would surely counterattack with all their might.
For the Star Luo Empire, this was good news! The chance of an all-out war was currently almost zero. This would give the Star Luo Empire more time to prepare.
In the past few years, the three original empires of the Douluo Continent had put an increasing amount of attention toward the development of soul tools. The White Tiger Duke did the same. While he could not take part in the manufacturing of soul tools, he understood their importance in warfare.
Not long ago, the White Tiger Duke had been extremely excited by one particular soul tool… the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon from the Tang Sect! It’s most important aspect was that it could be operated by ordinary soldiers after it had been charged by the Sealed Milk Bottles. While it was difficult to protect and guard, especially because of their reliance on and periodic maintenance required of stationary soul cannon shells, he was sure that the troops of the Ming Dou Mountain Range, with its defensible terrain, would benefit greatly should the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon be adopted on a wide scale.
He was out on patrol today because he worried that the damage to the Sun Moon Empire might provoke their troops to act irrationally. Hatred could cause one to lose their mind, especially when it came to hatred between countries. Hence, he wanted to inspect the defenses of all the major chokepoints.
Dai Hao always liked to be personally involved. As a result, he was able to command respect among his troops. Right now, the blackness of night stretched far into the distance, and a chilly wind caressed his face. This put him into a good mood. After all, the delay of the war lessened the pressure on him, the Commander of the Three Armies.
Just as Dai Hao was thinking about how he should implement soul tools in his army, a mysterious spiritual ripple washed over him. It was not strong, but it was very fine. It seemed to penetrate his mind, and was trying to enter his Spiritual Sea.
He furrowed his brows in anger, and his eyes shone with light. Spiritual fluctuations emitted from his body, blocking the spiritual power. At the same time, he raised his hand, causing the four special guards next to him to stop their horses. The White Tiger Colt underneath him stopped, too.
The White Tiger Bodyguards were the elites of his army. Individually, while they could not compare with soul masters, they were very adept at arranging themselves into formations and following orders. The White Tiger Duke controlled them as if they were one of his limbs.
Hundreds of White Tiger Bodyguards stopped after they received the signal, and the formation remained as orderly as before.
Dai Hao turned around, and his White Tiger Colt growled.
The White Tiger Colt was a mysterious beast. It had the body of horse, the skin of a tiger, and its power was Rank 6. Dai Hao had raised this one personally since it was young, and he viewed it as a brother. When paired with Dai Hao, before the latter reached the cultivation of a Soul Sage, he was already able to exhibit powers superior to one. It had served Dai Hao well and faithfully!
The senses of the White Tiger Colt were sharp. Like Dai Hao, it could sense the spiritual fluctuations. It immediately looked at the last few members of the White Tiger Bodyguards.
“Who is it? Show yourself!” Dai Hao bellowed. He glared in that direction. With his cultivation, he was able to sense that it came from one of his personal guards the moment it came into contact with him.
This assessment shocked Dai Hao. He was able to eliminate his target’s spiritual power, but its strength was not normal for White Tiger Bodyguards. Only spiritual-type soul masters should be this powerful! If not, only someone with the cultivation of a Soul Sage and above could do this! Fortunately, his opponent’s spiritual power showed no ill will…
There were disturbances among the White Tiger Bodyguards. The four special guards next to Dai Hao rushed forward on their Dragonscale Horses. One of them shouted, “Nobody move! Alert!”
The White Tiger Bodyguards grabbed the reins of their Dragonscale Horses. None moved. Only the horses neighed.
Huo Yuhao pressed down on the back of his horse and jumped down.
At this moment, in the eyes of the other White Tiger Bodyguards, he was a tall and strong member of their number. He did not appear too different from the rest. Under the power of the Yin-Yang Love Querying Valley, the other White Tiger Bodyguards were all familiar with him, and treated him as one of their own. However, no one could remember his name.
“Lord Duke, it was me!” Huo Yuhao shouted.
The White Tiger Duke narrowed his eyes into slits. His other four special guards all leapt up from their horses as a pair of small wings opened behind them. They surrounded him from the air. Furthermore, the other White Tiger Bodyguards drew their weapons and encircled Huo Yuhao. Only Wang Dong’er remained next to him.
Dai Hao looked at Huo Yuhao, and his eyes narrowed into slits. He found him familiar too, but he could not remember his name.
“Who are you? Did you use your spiritual power to test me?” Dai Hao roared.
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “Yes, you should have felt the strength of my spiritual power. I am a spiritual-type soul master, and I joined the White Tiger Bodyguards because of my respect for your loyalty to our country. I have nothing to hide, but I don’t want to stand out too much. Hence, I remained in White Tiger Bodyguards. Just now, I sensed danger in front, which was why I used my spiritual power to warn you.”
Suspicion filled Dai Hao’s eyes. Then, his gaze turned cold as he said in a low voice, “Seize him!”
