Douluo: Starting from the engagement with Zhu Zhuqing.

Three years later, in the Wuhun Empire, the old capital of Xingluo.

In three years, the Xingluo Empire has become a thing of the past. Although the current Xingluo City is still called Xingluo City, it is no longer a city.

A ferry carrying the former nobles of the Xingluo Empire left Xingluo City and went north along the river to the center of the current continent, Wuhun City.

A young girl leaned against the railing and looked at the Xingluo City getting farther and farther away. She couldn't help feeling sad in her heart and her eyes gradually became dazed.

"Your Excellency the Duke is too much. Although the empire has fallen, you are still the daughter of the Duke. You don't even know what the bishop looks like, but you were betrothed to him by His Excellency the Duke, and you are a concubine."

Next to the girl, a woman dressed as a maid said indignantly:

"Isn't he just a cardinal? Who knows how old he is? How dare these guys do this when the empire is still here?!"

Hearing this, the girl sighed slightly, smiled bitterly and said:

"Qing'er, don't you understand? How can an egg remain intact when the nest is overturned?"

"Once the empire is defeated, those of us who depend on it will be at the mercy of others. My father betrothed me to the cardinal in order to preserve the family. As the daughter of the patriarch of the family, I have enjoyed a life of luxury, so I should take on the responsibility of continuing the family line."

"Even if the old cardinal is unable to move, I still have to serve him well, hoping that he will show mercy and help my father out of his predicament."

Qing'er's face changed suddenly.

Although the entire imperial capital was in panic as if the sky was falling when the empire collapsed not long ago, she, as a servant of the most honorable Xu family in the Xingluo Empire, was not affected too much. Therefore, she was not clear about the situation of the Xu family and still believed that the Xu family was the high and mighty Xu family.

Now hearing such pessimistic words from the young lady, he was greatly shocked and looked at her with eyes full of regret.

"Miss, this is too unfair to you."

"Grievance? Do I have any choice?"

The girl named Xu smiled faintly, her pretty face full of resignation.

The cardinal is highly regarded by the current Pope Juliana. She has been given to the cardinal. If she breaches the contract, the entire family will be implicated.

After the words fell, there was a long silence. When Xingluo City gradually disappeared below the horizon, the girl withdrew her gaze and glanced at the well-dressed and toasting people on the boat. A hint of disgust flashed across her eyes.

They are nothing but a group of stray dogs, barely maintaining a ridiculous decency. When they arrive in Wuhun City, they will rush to tear off this so-called decency, wag their tails and beg for mercy to those high and mighty figures, praying for a chance to live.

"Qing'er, what is that young master doing?"

Suddenly, the girl seemed to remember something and asked casually.

Qing'er was stunned for a moment, a look of surprise appeared on her face, and she immediately replied:
"That young man stays in the cabin all day long, reading all day long, and only comes out to take a breath of fresh air when eating. Miss, do you need me to tell that young man? It is a blessing for that young man to be favored by you."

"Is that so?"

The girl felt lost.

The young man they were talking about was a tall blond young man with a handsome and tough face. He had a mysterious and noble aura that made people unable to help but be attracted to him.

It was just a chance encounter, but the girl's heart was moved.

"After more than 20 years, I finally met someone I loved, but I couldn't help myself."

The girl was distressed, her expression was sad, she clenched her teeth, and after a moment, she slowly said:
"Qing'er, I am a prisoner, how can I be lucky enough to fall in love with someone? Maybe after knowing my identity, he would be eager to distance himself from me. Besides, we don't even know the name of that young man, nor do we know whether he has a wife. It is really inappropriate to ask him presumptuously."

"The most important thing is that I have been promised to be someone else's concubine, so I must not cause any trouble."

"The glory of my Xingguan Xu family must not be tarnished."

"As for that young master..."

The girl smiled bitterly:
"I am content to see him. Why should I bother him? If his character does not match the image I have in my mind, then I will not even have room for fantasy."

The girl and Qing'er fell silent for a moment.

······
The sun rises and sets, and the ferry sails north.

We have reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, and Wuhun City is not far away. After getting off the ferry, we can change to a carriage and reach the destination in just two or three days.

Although she had decided not to disturb the young man, when he appeared outside the cabin, holding a book and frowning, the girl couldn't help but focus her attention on him.

After this happened many times, the young man seemed to have noticed the girl's gaze. He would occasionally turn around and smile slightly when their eyes met. Just when the girl was at a loss and blushed, he turned his attention back to the book.

The girl felt lost.

This was the first time she felt so confused. As the daughter of a duke, she was always calm and composed.

But after being noticed by this young man, especially after her peeping was discovered, all her years of self-cultivation disappeared. She was like an ordinary woman looking into the eyes of her lover, with astonishment, shyness, and uneasiness all at the same time.

However, the young man's frank smile made her extremely disappointed.

She knew very well what it was like for a man who liked her to be looked at by her.

They may avoid looking at me, or they may be nervous and stuttering when speaking; or they may be shy and at a loss, and their movements become extremely restrained; even if they meet some brave people, it is difficult for them to remain calm.

She had seen too much before.

But the young man's reaction was so indifferent, as if he just met an ordinary person, which means that he had no interest in her at all.

For the first time, the girl felt insecure about her appearance.

"The falling flowers have feelings, but the flowing water is merciless..."

The girl stared at the young man's back, whispering in disappointment.

Although she already knew that the young master had no interest in her, the girl still paid attention to him from time to time.

The morning light pierced through the night, and the golden sunlight shone on the green river, which was magnificent. On one side of the river was a human town, and on the other side was the famous Star Forest on the continent.

Many guests came to the bow to admire this rare beauty.

In a few days, such free days may no longer exist.

"Miss, why don't you go and meet him? Once you arrive at Wuhun City, you may never see this young master again!"

Qing'er said anxiously.

The girl's face showed a look of struggle, her beautiful eyes staring at the young man, her hands clenched and relaxed several times, and after a while, she finally made up her mind. She walked through the crowd admiring the scenery and slowly came to the young man.

"Sir, is there anyone here?"

The blond young man slowly raised his head from the pages of the book, as if he was troubled by something, and the annoyance on his face had not yet dissipated.

A pair of golden-rimmed eyes swept over, majestic and noble, and the girl was stunned, feeling ashamed of herself. At the same time, an inexplicable sense of familiarity also surged into her heart.

She seemed to have seen this person somewhere.

"Of course not. Sit wherever you want."

The blond young man smiled slowly.

Despite his gentle demeanor, the sense of authority grew stronger, giving the girl the feeling that he was even more powerful than her father.

The girl's heartbeat quickened, and she regretted her rash action. Seeing the blond man lower his head again to think about the contents of the book, she felt cold in her heart, but thinking about her future, she gritted her teeth, forced a smile and said:

"Sir, what is your name?"

The blond young man raised his head, was stunned for a moment, seemed to understand something, closed the book, and said with a smile:
"Meeting is fate, why do I need to know your name? What do you want to drink? It's my treat."

A strange look flashed across the girl's eyes. This ship was full of captured nobles from the Xing Luo Empire, but this person was able to come and go freely. He was an extremely special person. She took the drink and asked:

"You are so free and easy, I have never seen such a carefree person before. The nobles on this ship are full of decadence, none of them are like you."

"Miss, you misunderstood. I am not a Xingluo noble..."

Having said this, the blond young man paused, smiled helplessly and said:

"I am kind of like that, but I have long since left the Xing Luo Empire, so I am not a prisoner, so my mentality is completely different from everyone else's."

"Oh? Then why was he able to board this ship?"

The girl was even more curious.

"It's a long story. I have an old relationship with a high-ranking official of the Wuhun Empire. I was able to board the ship this time because of his favor. I have been traveling around the continent for three years. Not long ago, I returned to Xingluo City to deal with some personal matters. This time I boarded the ship to meet that old friend."

The young man said it lightly, but it caused quite a stir in the girl's heart.

This ship includes almost all the descendants of the most important nobles in the Xingluo Empire. Even the Wuhun Empire is somewhat regarded as important and wants to board the ship, but not even many bishops are allowed to do so.

The old friend this person mentioned must be of a very high status!
The girl's mind suddenly became active, but after thinking about it, she found it ridiculous. Why should others help her?

Just as she wanted to continue chatting with the man to find out his identity, she found that he suddenly turned around and looked at the Star Forest on the other side of the river. His eyes suddenly became extremely sharp and cold.

A rustling sound came from the forest.

The next moment, a huge monster rushed out of the woods. Its eight spider spears were reflecting cold light, and the bottom of the spider spears were covered with white hair like a human face, which was weird and terrifying.

It’s the human-faced demon spider!

Judging from its size, its cultivation has exceeded 60,000 years!
Suddenly, sharp screams rang out throughout the ferry, and the bustling crowd dispersed in an instant, fleeing into the cabin.

Many of the people present were nobles, so there should have been no shortage of strong people. However, those who had a little cultivation had already been taken away by the people of the Wuhun Empire, and the rest were just insignificant characters.

Therefore, when they are in danger suddenly, most people behave badly.

Especially when encountering a famous soul beast like the human-faced demon spider.

A thousand years of cultivation is enough to fight against a ten-thousand-year soul beast. The one in front of him has a cultivation of more than sixty thousand years. Even an ordinary Titled Douluo may not be his opponent. The highest-level cultivator on the ferry is only a bishop at the Soul Douluo level. In other words, once the human-faced demon spider has the intention to kill, everyone will surely die!

"Open the martial spirit!"

At this moment, a loud shout was heard in the cabin, and an old man rushed out of the cabin with eight soul rings surrounding his body.

As soon as he finished speaking, twenty Spirit Empire guards sent out their spirits, including five Soul Saints and more than ten Soul Emperors.

A Soul Douluo-level warrior plus more than twenty Soul Emperor-level warriors are already considered the top combat power on the continent, but they are still not enough in front of this human-faced demon spider.

You should know that in the original novel, when the Spirit Hall attacked the Tiandou Empire's participating team, except for Jue and Gui, the one with the highest cultivation level was just a Soul Douluo.

"The ferry is docked, and everyone gets off immediately!"

The old man looked solemn and forced the ferry to turn and move towards the shore.

It is impossible for a human-faced demon spider of this level of cultivation to appear on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, let alone on the border between the Star Dou Great Forest and humans.

Therefore, something must have happened inside the Star Forest.

However, a human-faced demon spider of this level of cultivation must possess a certain level of intelligence. If it were to come to the periphery and commit a lot of killings, it would surely anger the powerful humans, and there would be no possibility of it returning to the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest.

There are many soul beasts in the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest, and their cultivation is very high, so human strongmen dare not act recklessly, but they will not show mercy to the soul beasts that are alone in the periphery.

Therefore, the old man was not too worried. After releasing his martial spirit, he was on guard. As long as the human-faced demon spider was not crazy, it would leave on its own after a short confrontation.

However, what he miscalculated was that after seeing many soul masters releasing their soul rings, the human-faced demon spider immediately went crazy. Its eight spider spears bent slightly, and it leaped up like a spring. Its huge body fell down rapidly, and the growing shadow seemed like the sky collapsing, covering the entire ferry.

The eight purple-black spear tips emitted a chilling light.

The old man, who had been trying to maintain his composure, suddenly turned pale.

"Run! Everyone run!"

The old man roared, and his eighth soul ring surged. He instantly fled to the shore and protected everyone in front of him.

The other guards seemed relieved when they saw this, and were not surprised. They also fled, but their speed was much slower than that of the old man.

In just a few breaths of time, the only ones left on the ferry that was filled with powerful men were the unarmed captives of the Star Luo Empire.

There was despair on everyone's face.

In desperation, several people summoned their martial spirits, jumped out of the fence, and jumped into the water. Seeing this, the rest of the people also jumped into the water. Even if they couldn't swim, at least they had a chance to survive.

Suddenly, heavy snow began to fall next to the ferry, and the sound of people falling into the water sounded like a death knell in the hearts of everyone who was still hesitating.

"Miss, jump!"

Qing'er pulled the girl to the railing and advised her anxiously.

The girl turned around and looked at the blond man sitting in his original position, confused and surprised, and said anxiously:

"Sir, leave quickly!"

The exclamation was inconspicuous like a splash in the noisy ferry, but the blond man seemed to notice it, his eyes were gentle, and he nodded slightly.

The girl was stunned for a moment, and felt a warm power flowing through her body. She stopped instantly when she was about to jump into the water.

The man suddenly disappeared.

The next moment, a golden light suddenly appeared in the increasingly dark sky, and under the terrifying human face on the belly of the human-faced demon spider, there appeared a human figure.

He pointed gently upwards.

The human-faced demon spider seemed to be aware of something, and its eight spider spears quickly shrank and merged into one, trying to block the finger. Its crazy eyes were replaced by fear and despair.

The human-faced demon spider's weakness is the human face on its abdomen, while the sharpest and toughest part is the eight spider spears. Using eight spider spears for defense is difficult even for a Titled Douluo.

But when the eight spider spears touched the man's fingertips, the world seemed to stand still.

The body of the human-faced demon spider was quietly suspended in the air, and there was no consciousness in its cold eyes.

The spirit masters of the Spirit Hall who escaped to the shore, the captives who fell into the water, and the nobles who were still hesitating on the ferry, were all stunned when they saw the scene in the sky, as if they had forgotten to breathe.

The wind from the Star Forest swept across the river, lifting her golden hair slightly. The human-faced demon spiders on her fingertips fluttered like ashes and disappeared.

Only the inky black soul ring was floating quietly.

Everyone was horrified, but no one dared to speak.

The eyelids of the old man with eight rings twitched and he swallowed his saliva. He had just left this strong man on the ferry. If he was held responsible, he would be dead.

"I just abandoned the ferry because I was unable to do so. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me!"

The old man bowed his hands, lowered his head to the ground, and his voice trembled slightly.

Everyone waited quietly for the response from the man in the sky.

The man glanced at the old man without thinking too much. After all, if it were him, he would choose to protect himself if he was not strong enough.

With a wave of his hand, the people who had fallen into the water floated up, and in amazement, they slowly fell back onto the ferry.

Sensing the changes around him, the old man rolled his eyes, raised his head slightly, looked at the expression of the man in the sky, then slowly stood up and said loudly:
"Your Majesty rescued the needy and saved the lives of a whole ship. I don't know your name, but once the Pope knows it, he will definitely treat you as a guest of honor!"

Hearing this, the man finally turned around, but there was a strange look on his face. However, he still did not say anything. He just looked into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, his eyes gradually turning cold.

"I've been watching for so long, it's time to come out."

The sound was faint, as if it came from the sky.

Everyone was confused and followed the man's gaze towards the Star Forest. They saw a man slowly emerge from the forest. His skin was green and his face was bitter. He said:
"Lord Poseidon, the appearance of the human-faced demon spider outside the Star Dou Great Forest is indeed our responsibility, but it was not our intention."

Everyone was still a little confused and didn't understand this person's identity. He was dressed in green, which was really strange.

Only the old man stared at this man with a serious and puzzled look. As a Soul Douluo, he could naturally feel the terrifying aura like the abyss from this man. Combined with the rumors in the temple, this man was probably the legendary ferocious beast that existed for hundreds of thousands of years - the Ten Thousand Demon King!

After hearing the word "Poseidon", everyone seemed to be struck by thunder, with disbelief in their eyes. The silent ferry immediately became boiling with noise.

The gods had been extinct on the continent for thousands of years, and now they suddenly appeared, and everyone found it hard to believe.

However, the scene of the human-faced demon spider being annihilated with one finger just now was a fact, which added a bit of authenticity to this shocking news.

"Miss, is this gentleman really..."

Qing'er barely managed to control her inner emotions, her tone of shock was heavy, mixed with a hint of disbelief.

The girl surnamed Xu stared blankly for a long time without saying a word. The light in her eyes slowly disappeared, and was replaced by a calm look, or rather a calm look that was no longer filled with fantasy.

"It should be true."

The girl laughed to herself.

“I didn’t expect that I would chat with a legendary god for so long.”

"No wonder I always feel familiar when I see him. Qing'er, do you still remember the person who left the Xingluo royal family, led people back to the empire, and disappeared after killing the emperor?"

Qing'er's eyes lit up.

"Miss, you mean, he is..."

"Yes, it is Dai Yao."

The girl smiled bitterly.

The competition among the Xingluo royal family was of greatest concern to these nobles, and therefore the name Dai Yao had come into her ears many times.

But she had only heard about him. Dai Yao had been practicing in seclusion for many years, and she had never met him until later when Dai Yao broke into the Xing Luo Empire, destroyed the country and killed the emperor. Standing on the ground, she saw Dai Yao's face as he fought in the sky.

No wonder she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Dai Yao.

At the same age, Dai Yao had already become famous all over the world, and even the bishop of the Spirit Hall had to bow respectfully to him, while he himself was imprisoned, like a floating duckweed.

Just as the girl was sighing, a distant and majestic voice was heard from the sky again.

"King of Ten Thousand Demons, you know what I have been doing all these years. When it is accomplished, the benefits to your soul beasts will be self-evident."

"But now, before the mission is completed, a ferocious beast like the human-faced demon spider has broken into the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Fortunately, no bloodshed has occurred. If the mission is completed, and your soul beasts become rampant, who among you can bear the consequences?"

"Do you want me to clean up the Star Forest?"

Dai Yao looked down sternly, his voice indifferent.

He has been studying artificial spirit rings over the years, traveling around the world to gain knowledge in the hope of making a breakthrough.

He traveled by carriage or on foot, step by step, starting from Hanhai City, passing through the Far North, the ancient land of Tiandou, and the Wuhun Empire. After three years, he finally arrived at the Xingluo Empire to pay homage to his mother.

After three years, I have made some progress, but it will take more time to create a real spirit ring.

However, after seeing the human-faced demon spider breaking out of the Star Dou Great Forest today, he became secretly alert and decided to give the soul beast clan enough of a warning to prevent them from causing greater disasters in the future.

As soon as these words were spoken, a trace of uncontrollable panic flashed across the green face of the King of Ten Thousand Demons, and he groaned in his heart.

As one of the few plant-type soul beasts in the core area, he can use the power of plants to control the actions of many soul beasts with high cultivation, so he has always been responsible for dividing the territories of many soul beasts.

However, today, for some unknown reason, the human-faced demon spider went crazy and flew towards the outside of the forest. Due to his slow reaction, he was unable to catch up with it until the border of the Star Forest.

But unfortunately, Dai Yao ran into this incident.

"Lord Poseidon, you are too serious. This incident happened by accident. We will definitely strengthen our defenses to prevent this from happening again."

The King of Ten Thousand Demons knew that he could not avoid this matter, so he had to grit his teeth and make a promise.

He was groaning in his heart, the commotion just now would definitely attract the attention of Di Tian and the others. Biji and Ziji hurried over, and with the relationship between the two girls and Dai Yao, they were able to dispel Dai Yao's vigilance!
Otherwise, the soul beast clan cannot afford the hostility of a god!
Dai Yao could not deny it and said coldly:

"Will your promise work?"

He noticed the aura coming from the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest and said lightly:

"Let's go. To avoid future troubles, I still need to make some boundaries clear."

The Monster King was as if he had been pardoned, and he immediately wanted to lead Dai Yao into the core area. However, at this moment, a weak but firm voice sounded on the ferry. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the girl surnamed Xu kneeling on the ground, saying sadly:

"Lord Poseidon! The Xingluo Empire was destroyed, and our Xu family became prisoners. My father was once a close friend of Prince Hengyu. I hope Lord Poseidon will have mercy on the Xu family for the sake of Prince Hengyu!"

Dai Yao turned his head slowly, with a hint of surprise in his cold eyes.

This girl will seize the opportunity.

"Are you from the Xingguan Xu family?"

"Exactly."

The young girl surnamed Xu prostrated herself on the ground, allowing the many Xingluo nobles to look at her with strange expressions, and said tremblingly.

"Xingguan Xu family..."

Dai Yao sighed slightly.

Ten thousand years later, the Xingguan Xu family replaced the Dai family and became the new emperor of Xingluo. In this life, because of his existence, the Xingluo Empire was destroyed, and the Xu family also died.

This is his part of the cause and effect.

"For the sake of Prince Hengyu, I will help your Xu family this time, and it will not happen again."

Dai Yao said calmly.

With a pointed finger, the girl slowly floated up. With an ecstatic expression on her face, countless golden dots gathered on her forehead, and the pattern of a golden trident gradually took shape.

"Go to Wuhun City and meet Hu Liena. After she sees the mark on your forehead, she will know what I mean."

After saying this, Dai Yao's figure disappeared out of thin air, leaving only the black soul ring, which gradually merged into the eternal flowing river.

"Thank you, Lord Poseidon!"

The girl knelt on the ground and cried with joy. (End of this chapter)