Morning mist hung thick over the valley like a curtain of secrets. The crashing roar of a towering waterfall echoed against the rocks, muffled slightly by the soft rustle of Blue Silver Grass that blanketed the forest floor. At a hidden place. A forgotten corner of the world where time seemed to sleep—and yet, beneath its tranquil surface, a storm had begun to stir.
Golden Crocodile Douluo stood silently among the foliage, his imposing figure cloaked in a heavy, gray robe that shimmered faintly with spirit power. Despite his size, not a single branch cracked beneath his feet. His breath was slow, steady—a predator awaiting his prey.
"So this is the place," he muttered, golden eyes scanning the terrain. The boy had been correct, as always. Li Wei, his only grandson left in this world now a student of Shrek Academy. A strange one, that child. Too much knowledge for his age, too composed, too precise.
He moved with practiced ease, descending the ridge to the pool beneath the waterfall. Water mist soaked the edge of his robe as he approached the grassy patch near the rocks. Here, nestled between ordinary plants, stood a single cluster of Blue Silver Grass. But even to someone less attuned than a Spirit Master, this grass was different.
The color, for one—a delicate silvery-blue that glowed faintly under the morning sun. Its blades were longer, more elegant, swaying not with the wind, but as if to an unseen rhythm. There was an energy in the air here, subtle but ancient.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's lips curled slightly.
"Blue Silver Empress," he whispered. "So that's what they call you."
He didn't know her name—Ah Yin. To him, this was simply a valuable specimen. A dormant 100,000-year spirit beast in plant form. It was rare enough to find spirit beasts of such age, rarer still to find them alive. For them to cultivate back into their peak state take less time then original cultivation time and with the right environment it will take less.
Seeing this place that he can even see the sunlight shone on it will not be enough for a plant. He wonder about the original intention.
He crouched beside the plant, fingers reaching out slowly—but then he stopped.
A wave of cold crept over his palm. The sense of touch didn't lie. It wasn't killing intent or spiritual defense.
It was a restriction.
Golden Crocodile Douluo narrowed his eyes.
"So the boy was right. There's a trigger on this..."
According to Li Wei, any direct interaction with the Blue Silver Empress or the artifact hidden beneath it would alert one person and one person alone—Tang Hao. The Clear Sky Douluo. A man once known throughout the world as a rising legend.
A disgraced fugitive now.
And soon to be bait.
The Super Douluo stood and retrieved a jade box from his spatial ring. It was crafted by Spirit Hall's finest artifact forgers, engraved with runes designed to isolate and suppress spiritual aura.
With gentle motions, he surrounded the Blue Silver Empress with a field of suppressive energy, wrapping her carefully with glowing threads of force, never once making direct contact. Once she was sealed within the box, the glow of her aura disappeared.
Only then did he dare to exhale.
"Even dormant, you're dangerous," he murmured.
He placed the box back into his spatial ring, then turned his attention to the ground where the Blue Silver Empress once stood. Li Wei had said it clearly:
"Beneath her roots, there lies a spirit bone. It belongs to her. A right leg bone. Do not touch it directly."
Golden Crocodile Douluo called forth a thin blade of spirit energy and carefully cut through the soil. His hands moved with the precision of a healer and the calculation of a warrior. Finally, a glint of gold-blue light shimmered beneath the earth.
It was beautiful.
Sleek, radiant, and exuding pressure so immense that even he, a Rank 98 Super Douluo, felt his heartbeat quicken.
He leaned down slowly.
This bone... it could elevate a Soul Sage to a Title Douluo. A treasure like this could start a war.
The Blue Silver Empress Right Leg Bone pulsed as if alive.
Golden Crocodile Douluo carefully enclosed it in a thick spirit-sealing talisman and placed it into another isolated storage device. There was no room for arrogance. One wrong touch, and Tang Hao would come crashing down upon him like a storm.
Let him come, he thought.
He rose to his full height and scanned the terrain again. No movement yet. That meant he still had time.
With a few controlled leaps, he climbed the cliff face by jumping toward it and found a rocky overhang shaded by thick trees. Here, hidden by nature and empowered by a concealing his figure, he crouched.
Waiting.
Watching.
His mind turned over the plan once more. Li Wei said Tang Hao would come. Said he would be enraged enough to act without thinking. If so, then his hatred is a tool.
He didn't trust the boy fully. How could he? That child was like a mist in the morning, difficult to pin down. He spoke of things he shouldn't know. Knew places, timelines, and secrets that only a handful of people ever touched.
But the results spoke for themselves. And want to or not, that his only living relative and also with potential. Even he wonder whether his grandson is someone who have knowledge of the future. If he is, then he will be a force to reckon and he will help spirit hall as that is his home.
He has already seen how he has the mercy to commoner and spirit beast alike. Li Wei do not like killing but he knows that his grandson will do it in the future. He will a force to be reckoned when that happen especially after he awaken that martial spirit of his.
Li Wei was right about the location. About the spirit bone. About the restriction. That kind of insight wasn't guesswork.
Golden Crocodile Douluo didn't care if the boy had a secret. So long as it benefitted Spirit Hall.
"Tang Hao... if you truly abandoned your humanity, then show me. Show me the monster you're said to be."
His fingers flexed, power humming just beneath his skin. He was ready.
No ordinary Title Douluo could face a Super Douluo of Rank 98. Tang Hao was strong, yes. Fierce. But his cultivation had stagnated ever since Ah Yin's sacrifice.
And hatred, while powerful, was not invincible.
The wind shifted. He felt it.
A ripple.
A surge of killing intent, distant yet approaching fast.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's lips curled into a razor-sharp grin.
"You're coming."
In that moment, the valley felt like a stage, and the world held its breath.
Soon, the Clear Sky Douluo would arrive—and when he did, the hunter would be waiting.
Ready to drag the legend into the light.