...
Upon hearing this, Xuan Hao finally understood.
"To serve the emperor in order to punish the disloyal?"
"right."
Tang Yuehua nodded, a deep worry in her eyes. "That's what everyone is afraid of right now."
"And I was terrified!"
Tang Yuehua sighed, "In the past, although there were frictions and killings among the Soul Masters, there were always some unspoken rules and bottom lines.
After all, everyone had their own families, sects, and weaknesses to consider.
If things really went too far, no one could guarantee that their descendants wouldn't face crazy retaliation a hundred years from now."
"But you are different."
Tang Yuehua looked at Xuan Hao, "In their investigation, it's as if you popped out of thin air from a crack in a rock.
You have no background, no family, and no one can even find out your true background and lineage."
"Your behavior is so unscrupulous, driven entirely by your mood, that you even dare to disregard the rules of the three upper sects."
"A madman with the power to overturn the continent's (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure of the country), yet without any ties or bottom lines to restrain him...
Everyone is afraid, afraid that one day you will really wield your terrifying violence against them at will!"
Xuan Hao nodded in strong agreement after hearing this.
"Their concerns are indeed very valid."
Xuanhao picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup of water.
"If I were them, watching an uncontrollable monster rise up that could overturn the table at any moment, I would also be so scared that I couldn't sleep all night."
"But what's the use of just worrying here?"
"Since they're so afraid of me, and since they're convinced that I'll eventually take over the entire Soul Master world and even usurp the royal family, shouldn't their most important task right now be to unite and eliminate me before I fully break through to the Title Douluo level?"
Xuan Hao shrugged. "Sneaking around in the stands like a thief, staring at me like that, do you think you can kill me with your glare?"
Tang Yuehua was speechless.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance and looked at Xuan Hao: "Do you think that's possible?"
"They don't want to kill you? They simply can't, and they don't dare to!"
"First of all, it's clear from the surface that you have a Poison Douluo who will absolutely support you!
Who is Dugu Bo?
He's the Lone Wolf of the Soul Master world, a crazy old man who can slaughter an entire city at the drop of a hat!"
"If anything happens to you, who can guarantee that Dugu Bo won't go insane?
Who would be willing to gamble the lives of their entire family on the bottom line of an old poisoner?"
"Secondly, there's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
How sharp is that old fox Ning Fengzhi's eye?
He even dumped his most precious only daughter, the future heir of the sect, Ning Rongrong, directly onto you, and she's hanging out with you every day!"
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's stance is now irrelevant.
Anyone who tries to harm you is targeting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's future son-in-law, and will simultaneously face the wrath of two top-tier powerhouses, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo!"
"In addition to the Tiandou royal family, Xue Qinghe has spared no effort in trying to win you over."
At this point, Tang Yuehua sighed and gave Xuan Hao a strange look.
"Finally, and most fatally."
"In the eyes of the entire continent, behind you lies a hidden family of unfathomable strength, one that even the Spirit Hall fears!"
"How could a monster who possesses a 100,000-year soul ring at the age of fifteen or sixteen appear out of thin air?
There must be a peerless Douluo-level expert protecting you behind you!"
Tang Yuehua rubbed her temples. "Although those of us who are by your side know in our hearts that the so-called reclusive family is just an empty shell that you made up yourself by talking nonsense. But the people outside don't know that!"
"The more they can't find out about you, the more they'll believe the rumor is true. Fear of the unknown is the most dangerous shield."
Listening to Tang Yuehua's analysis, Liu Erlong nodded in agreement and took over the conversation.
"Yuehua is right."
"Those old fogies outside, stirring up trouble, and those so-called loose cultivator alliances—to put it bluntly, they're just a motley crew hastily banded together for their own interests!"
"Right now, everyone's mindset is that they want to take action, but they absolutely dare not be the first to do so."
"Taking action would be extremely risky and troublesome. If a so-called demon-slaying alliance were to besiege you, who would lead the charge?
Who would withstand your first wave of attacks?"
"What if, as the fight goes on, they realize the opponent is too tough and everyone just runs away?
Who wants to risk their life here and become someone else's pawn?"
"Even if we assume they have the guts to make a move, they'd need the capability to do so!"
"With your terrifying strength—the ability to kick down the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's main gate and utterly crush the sect's experts in front of Yu Yuanzhen—in today's Soul Master world, only a true Title Douluo could personally intervene, or a group of Soul Douluos could form a suicide squad to overwhelm you..."
"Nobody can think of any other way to take you down!"
Liu Erlong shrugged. "Ordinary Soul Saints can't even break through your defenses in your current state. No matter how many come, they're just easy prey for you.
They'll only be slaughtered by you, which is meaningless."
"So, this is a complete dead end."
Tang Yuehua looked at Xuan Hao: "They can't beat you, and they don't dare to touch you.
They can only hide in the shadows and bark at you, spreading your threat theory to each other, suffering day and night in fear and suspicion."
The courtyard fell silent.
A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, making the leaves whisper in the wind.
"Since it's a dead end, then it has nothing to do with me."
Xuanhao leaned against a large tree with his legs crossed.
"They can't sleep, they're living in fear, and that's their own fault."
"This world is inherently a game for the strong."
"In the past, they were the powerful. They had the backing of sects and families, and controlled resources and the power of speech.
Therefore, they set the rules of the game in this world."
"In order to suppress dissidents, they can arbitrarily label others as heretics; in order to seize a soul bone, they can annihilate an innocent village without hesitation."
"Back then, why didn't they talk about rules? Why didn't they say that everyone was fighting for freedom?"
"Because they are at the top of the food chain, they are the rules!"
Xuan Hao stood up. "But now, times have changed."
"Next, I am stronger than all of them. I possess absolute violence, and I have the power to overturn the entire chessboard."
"Then, naturally, I should be the one to set the rules for the game from now on!"
"I can play however I want."
"When I'm in a good mood, I'll let them keep jumping around on stage like clowns; when I'm in a bad mood, I'll just uproot their sect with one punch."
Xuan Hao turned his head and looked in the direction of the Heavenly Dou Imperial City, and said coldly:
"This is what they have been doing for hundreds and thousands of years."
"Just because the tables have turned and they've become the weaker, more subservient party... doesn't mean they'll suddenly change their tune and start standing on the moral high ground, spouting nonsense about prioritizing justice and the unwritten rules of the underworld, right?"
Xuan Hao shrugged:
"You can't beat me, so you start lecturing me on reason and rules?"
"Where in the world can you find such a cheap deal?"
Read 20+ chapters ahead at Patreon
patreon.com/TaroYamato
Patreon.com/TaroYamato