Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

With a bright yellow base and black trim, the magnificent and solemn attire concealed the girl's glistening skin, which had been drenched in sweat not long ago, yet it did not appear bulky at all. On the contrary, against the backdrop of this magnificent robe, which represented the highest power of the Sun and Moon Empire, it revealed a certain majesty that was becoming increasingly clear, as if it were engraved in her bones.

It was as if they were about to welcome the grandest ceremony.

Tie the belt, tie up the sideburns, put on a crown, and draw the eyebrows.

Amidst the inexplicably tense atmosphere, Nan Qiuqiu and Tang Ya, who were helping out, methodically handed over various items—a gold hairpin, a jade hairpin, rouge, and an eyebrow pencil.

Those hands, which wouldn't tremble even when holding the heaviest carving knife, now held a slender pen and, for the beauty before them whose eyelashes trembled slightly, outlined two long, graceful willow-leaf eyebrows along the edges of her originally short, thick, and slightly cute eyebrows.

Like the finishing touch to a painting of dragons and phoenixes dancing, when Kong Tianxu completely withdrew his hand, the room, which had seemed somewhat dim, seemed to light up, becoming bright and radiant, just like the center of the world.

After a long while, a phoenix crown was placed on top, and a shawl covered her shoulders. The person in the mirror sat upright, exuding majesty.

"Tianxu, Grandpa Kong, how do I look?"

Xu Tianzhen glanced nervously at the mirror, then looked at Kong Tianxu and Kong Deming who had arrived later. Her previously composed demeanor instantly crumbled, and she stammered.

Kong Deming nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, even better than when Xu Guozhi and Xu Guoyi went up there back then."

"We can set off now, my Empress." Kong Tianxu put down his pen and gently took Xu Tianzhen's hand.

To his surprise, the hands showed no signs of tension or coldness, remaining as warm as the sun.

"Tianxu".

Receiving such affirmation, Xu Tianzhen finally relaxed considerably. She opened the wide sleeves of her elaborate brocade robe, embraced Kong Tianxu somewhat shyly, closed her eyes, and whispered in his ear:

See you later.

See you later.

In order not to mess up the formal attire that had been prepared over a long period of time, Kong Tianxu only gently touched Xu Tianzhen, and the two enjoyed a moment of tenderness.

Then, Xu Tianzhen opened her eyes, her face filled with unwavering determination.

Accompanied by Cain, she boarded an extremely understated yet spacious carriage and slowly drove into the misty night.

A bright phoenix followed far behind.

"Tianzhen has grown up too," Kong Deming sighed.

Kong Tianxu nodded, gently stroking the back of the seat, as if using the lingering warmth to slightly calm the turmoil in his heart.

After tonight, the sun and moon will rise anew, and a more glorious future will be built upon temporary ruins, freeing him from all constraints.

Even he couldn't help but feel somewhat overwhelmed at such a moment.

As he was pondering this, Kong Tianxu suddenly felt an extremely smooth sensation under his hand. It was cool and soft, making him want to squeeze it.

He lowered his head.

Nan Qiuqiu pressed her cheek against her hand, rubbing it against it like a kitten from time to time. A few strands of hair got into the corner of her mouth, and she made a few ambiguous murmurs.

Seeing Kong Tianxu looking over, she blushed slightly, lowered her eyelids, and whispered:

"Me too..."

Under Tang Ya's complicated gaze, Kong Tianxu smiled slightly and pinched her fair and rosy cheeks.

"Now that the guests have almost all arrived, let's set off."

The once bustling Mingyue Hotel was now deserted. On the wide street that ran east to west, two groups of people were tearing through the first rays of night in opposite directions.

……

the other side.

Behind the dilapidated inn door, figures hurriedly disappeared into the darkness in different directions.

Xuanzi hesitated for a moment in front of the door, stopped, and looked at Zhang Lexuan behind him.

"Le Xuan, maybe... you shouldn't go. Xiao Xiao and the others are all injured and need someone to take care of them, especially He Cai Tou, whose injuries seem to be getting worse."

"We can't let the children bleed anymore."

Zhang Lexuan was slightly taken aback.

Is this for their own safety? Or... is it a lack of self-trust?

She lowered her eyes, stroked the raised dragon and moon pattern on the letter in her pocket, pursed her lips, and offered no defense.

“…I understand, Elder Xuan.”

……

A fledgling hotel.

The atmosphere was rather somber.

"Tang Si and Tang Wu haven't arrived yet? Didn't you inform them of the time?" The Third Elder, Ming Lei Douluo, looked at Chen An with a stern expression, his eyes already turning somewhat sinister.

Faced with the direct pressure of a Title Douluo-level evil soul master, Chen An, who was usually extremely afraid of death, remained neither humble nor arrogant, but simply said respectfully:

"Reporting to the Third Elder, I already notified them when the last semi-final ended, but I guess something delayed them."

"Hmph! If they don't arrive, you'll have to pay for the losses of the Xi Shui Alliance with your life," said Ming Lei Douluo coldly.

"Third brother, don't make things difficult for Chen'an."

A deep, resonant voice rang out as the towering leader of the Xi Shui Alliance, Nangong Wan, entered the hotel lobby. He patted Ming Lei Douluo on the shoulder and his gaze swept over the crowd.

"I also believe that kid will come. After this final is over, while the Holy Emperor is also here, we'll have a good talk with him, and I'm sure he won't be unmoved."

He said that, but he was more anxious than anyone else.

Tonight, he specially invited Kong Tianxu to join the sect in exchange for a chance to evolve his martial soul.

Now, within the Holy Spirit Cult, pure evil soul masters like him are a minority.

Seeing his former peers and even subordinates all completing the evolution of their martial souls and making rapid progress in their cultivation, how could he not be anxious?

He also knew that this was because he had been too close to Zhongli Wu in the past, and had been branded with that label. That's why he was so eager to flatter Kong Tianxu and make amends.

Just then, a sound came from the doorway.

Guided by two men in black, Huo Yuhao, with a cold and stern expression, appeared in the sight of Nangong Wan and Ming Lei Douluo.

Upon seeing his appearance, Nangong Wan and the others' expressions improved considerably, while Chen An hurriedly went to greet him.

"You've finally arrived."

He didn't question Huo Yuhao's lateness. He simply nodded slightly when their eyes met, indicating that the deal they had agreed upon was ready and without any problems.

Huo Yuhao smiled and returned his gaze, as if everything was alright.

Alliance Leader Nangong Wan personally came forward to greet him, but upon seeing that Huo Yuhao was alone, he subconsciously frowned:

"Young Brother Tang Wu, you've finally arrived! But why are you all alone?"

Huo Yuhao said indifferently, "My older brother has entered deep meditation and is at a crucial stage of his cultivation. You don't need to worry. Even if it's just me alone, I can still win today's match."

The mention of He Caitou reignited Huo Yuhao's hatred.

Whether it was because the level 8 Binding Light consumed too much energy, or because there was a quality problem with the smuggled version of the Sacrifice Chapter that He Caitou used, his condition took a sharp turn for the worse after last night.

Even if Xuanzi personally intervened, he could only help stabilize the injury.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group left the hotel. The hotel was located in a relatively central location, and given the vast size of Mingdu, it was impossible to walk there directly; that would be too slow.

Outside the hotel, the carriage was already prepared.

Huo Yuhao and several other contestants rode in one carriage. Nangong Wan and Ming Lei Douluo rode in another. The remaining burly men in black placed the various rare metals they were carrying on other, simpler carriages and then mounted their horses.

A group of over a hundred people headed in a grand procession towards the western suburbs.

Inside the carriage, Huo Yuhao kept his eyes closed and remained completely still.

Huang Zheng, a disciple of the Nether Thunder Douluo, glanced at the two but didn't respond. Compared to the other carriage, their carriage was much quieter. Furthermore, the carriage's shock absorption and sound insulation were excellent, so hardly any sound came out.

But beneath the calm surface, is Huo Yuhao really that calm?

The truth is quite the opposite; at this moment, he is constantly gathering his mental energy.

Within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, he entered a wondrous state.

Within the somewhat deformed yet extremely vast sea of ​​the mind, waves surged. Under the cover of simulated soul skills, the Spirit Eye Martial Soul had quietly activated, and its fourth soul ring continuously shone.

His fourth spirit ring was not the Silver Moon Wolf King from the original story, but a ten-thousand-year-old ghost wolf that is relatively more common.

However, this ghost wolf was a member of the silver wolf pack and possessed certain spiritual attributes.

According to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's speculation, this mutated ghost wolf is likely a hybrid of a ghost wolf and a silver wolf, thus possessing the characteristics of both types of soul beasts.

Although the spirit beast was ordinary, the spirit skill that this spirit ring granted him was anything but ordinary.

Spiritual clone—this was the fourth soul skill that the mutated ghost wolf had given him.

Unlike ordinary ghost wolves that can only maintain clones for a short time, his clone not only possesses real attacks and a physical body, but also, due to the infusion of a large amount of his own spiritual power and the effect of the Titan Snow Demon Skull, can move over long distances and exist for a long time, making it extremely stealthy and deceptive.

It was this very soul skill that inspired his battle technique of ruling the beam.

The only downside is that the preparation time for this soul skill is far too long, making it impossible to use in battle.

However, it is extremely suitable for this kind of occasion.

The luxurious carriages of the Xishui Alliance finally came to a stop. At this time, the entire caravan had arrived at the western suburbs, five miles away from Mingdu.

Huo Yuhao seemed to have regained consciousness at just the right moment, his eyes slightly dazed when he opened them. However, no one noticed that a distorted pattern of light had quietly emerged from between his brows and vanished in an instant.

"We've arrived," a voice came from outside.

As the night breeze blew, Huo Yuhao's eyes quickly returned to normal.

He narrowed his eyes, his mental detection spreading out, and he sneered inwardly.

I am looking forward.

In tonight's grand drama, who is truly the protagonist?

Just then, Kong Tianxu and Kong Deming arrived at another door.

Kong Tianxu smiled slightly.

The fish has taken the bait.