Chapter 261 Wang Qiu'er Appears!
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
Those were the steps outside the Haotian Sect; the rain was still falling.
[Huo Yuhao, huddled in a corner in the dark world, still held Wang Dong'er's cold body in his arms.]
[After being brutally beaten by Titan and Minotaur, he did not leave.]
He sat there all night.
The next day, he returned to Shrek Academy, while Wang Dong'er's body was immediately retrieved by Titan and Niu Tian.
Upon returning to Shrek Academy, he refused all visits.
He locked his door from the inside and boarded up the windows.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight.
He sat on the floor, leaning against the edge of the bed, staring at the cracks in the floor.
He neither ate nor practiced cultivation; he simply spent each day in guilt.
Only a few of Wang Dong'er's belongings were neatly arranged on the table; they were the only tidy things in the room.
Days passed by like this, and he was like an empty shell, alive but not truly alive.
In the city squares of the underworld, the atmosphere became extremely oppressive as people watched this scene unfold.
"Look at his pathetic state." A Soul Master shook his head, his face full of disgust. "What's the use? Wang Dong'er is gone. What's the point of him locking himself up? Does hiding in the house bring Wang Dong'er back to life?"
"This is Huo Yuhao from our dark world," another young Soul Master mocked. "He got beaten up by Niu Tian and Titan and doesn't dare to utter a sound. In the white world over there, he would have already figured it out and started messing with Tang San. This guy here doesn't even dare to leave his room; he's practically a piece of trash."
"I'm speechless. With this kind of mentality, even a rat in the sewers in the underworld lives with more dignity than him." A middle-aged Soul Master sneered. "He thinks he's missing Wang Dong'er, but he's just escaping reality. He doesn't dare to think about who killed Wang Dong'er; he only dares to hide here and make himself a laughingstock."
The whispers in the crowd were filled with disdain. To them, the dead were gone; for the living, revenge or survival was paramount. In the underworld, Huo Yuhao's despondency and constant self-pity were the epitome of weakness.
"And this is what Shrek Academy calls hope?"
"I think he's completely ruined. Even if he does manage to come out of seclusion this time, I think he'll just be destined to be controlled again."
Despite these vicious comments, the Soul Masters of the Underworld showed no sympathy.
They watched the boy grow thinner and thinner in the darkness, their hearts filled with incomprehension at this "foolishness."
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.
The door to Shrek Academy finally opened.
Huo Yuhao walked out.
He looked much thinner, with sunken eyes, but the颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it conveys a sense of listlessness, dejection, and apathy) expression had disappeared.
His eyes became utterly calm, like a stagnant pool. He walked to the Tang Clan's main hall, reported to Bei Bei, and indicated that he was ready to carry out the mission.
This time, the Tang Clan's mission is very urgent.
[Mingdu, the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, was ordered by Xu Tianran to capture many powerful figures during the Soul Master Competition.]
[This includes many important figures from the Douluo Continent.]
Therefore, the Tang Sect decided to launch a rescue operation.
Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and others formed a team and infiltrated Mingdu.
The rescue went smoothly.
They used soul-guided devices to disrupt the defenses and successfully rescued the members from their captivity.
During their evacuation, they avoided the palace guards and moved out of the city through underground tunnels.
But as they approached the city gate, the situation suddenly worsened.
Several dark figures descended from the sky, blocking their path.
That was an elder of the Holy Spirit Cult.
There were four in total, each exuding a strong stench of blood, their spirit rings flashing, sealing off all exits.
"Huo Yuhao, do you think you can escape?" an elder laughed shrilly. "You dare come here to snatch someone away? Don't even think about leaving alive!"
Huo Yuhao was surrounded in the center.
He looked at the four titled Douluo-level elders around him, his face showing no panic, only a numb calm.
In the plaza of the underworld, the Soul Masters held their breath as they watched this scene unfold.
"It's finally here."
"Judging from this commotion, they're specifically targeting Huo Yuhao."
"This is going to be a problem for Hei Yuhao! After all, in our underworld, Xuanzi is just a piece of trash, unlike Bai Xuanzi who is omnipotent."
"If he dies here, wouldn't his six months of seclusion to adjust his mindset become the biggest joke?"
The air in the square became tense once again.
Although they were dissatisfied with Huo Yuhao's weakness, they were, after all, watching the Heavenly Curtain, and no one wanted to see the protagonist die too quickly.
"Look, he doesn't show any expression at all." An older Soul Master squinted at the screen. "Is this the result of half a year of adjustments? Facing four Title Douluos, he didn't even take out his Soul Tool?"
"I think he's given up the struggle." The person next to him sneered. "After all, he got beaten up at the Haotian Sect. He probably thinks that dying at the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult is a relief."
The mockery continued, but everyone's eyes were fixed on the screen.
Just then, as the Holy Spirit Cult elder's attack was about to land on Huo Yuhao, a figure suddenly appeared in the corner of the sky.
The figure was dressed in silver armor and held a long spear.
Wang Qiu'er.
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
The Holy Spirit Cult elder's attack was already close to Huo Yuhao's brow.
Just then, a golden light pierced the darkness of the street.
It was a golden spear.
The spear, carrying immense force, shattered the dark purple sphere of light conjured by the Holy Spirit Cult elder. The shockwave from the explosion created a spiderweb-like network of cracks in the surrounding ground.
A figure blocked Huo Yuhao's path.
It was Wang Qiu'er.
Her long, deep blue hair fluttered in the strong wind, her golden vertical pupils fixed intently on the four elders around her, and she exuded a dragon-like aura that seemed to vibrate the very air.
"You scum, you dare touch him?"
Wang Qiu'er said coldly.
Huo Yuhao froze, staring at the back of the figure blocking his way, a complex and bewildered look flashing in his eyes.
Since their parting at Qiankun Wenqing Valley, Wang Qiu'er has disappeared.
However, Huo Yuhao didn't go to see her, because he was still grieving for Wang Dong'er.
But why has Wang Qiu'er reappeared now?
(End of chapter)