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When Dong Hui and Yang Mingxin were helping Zhu Zhuqing restore her soul power, Dai Weisi held Zhu Zhuyun close and asked with concern, "Zhuyun, are you alright?"
"Mm, I'm fine! My level is higher, so my soul power wasn't depleted as quickly," Zhu Zhuyun replied, panting heavily. Then, as her gaze shifted to the mangled remains of Bloodstab, the excitement on her face was impossible to conceal.
"To think we actually joined forces to slay a Titled Douluo! Have we really become this powerful?"
"That's right, Zhuyun, you are a true genius!" Zhu Yaqin walked over, gently patted Zhu Zhuyun's cheek, and smiled with satisfaction.
She had witnessed with her own eyes how Dai Weisi and the others had slain Bloodstab. Pride and joy surged within her heart—this was her son and daughter-in-law.
"You've all truly grown stronger. It seems from now on, as your mother-in-law, I won't have to worry about anything anymore," she said with a smile as she rubbed Zhu Zhuyun's delicate cheek.
"Mother Queen!" Zhu Zhuyun's face flushed crimson, and she shyly lowered her head.
"Alright, you two sisters must be exhausted. Go and rest! If you wear yourselves out, my heart will ache for you."
"Yes, Mother Queen, I understand." Zhu Zhuyun smiled faintly before leaving with Dong Hui to take care of Zhu Zhuqing.
Meanwhile, Dai Weisi and Dai Pojun made their way to the grand hall of Haotian Castle. At that moment, Haotian Sect disciples were bustling about, working alongside healing-type soul masters from the Xingyue Sect to treat the wounded.
At the center of the hall, Dai Weisi saw Tang Xiao lying flat, his right arm missing. Ten healing soul masters surrounded him, continuously casting healing soul skills to stabilize his condition. They were drenched in sweat, which poured from their foreheads like rain.
Among them was Jiangzhu. Her soul power had already surpassed level forty, making her a rank forty-one healing-type Soul Ancestor. Her fourth soul skill was a group healing ability capable of restoring health, accelerating bone growth, and mending wounds.
Although its healing scope could not match Ye Lingling's Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul, it was still formidable. Short of resurrecting the dead or regenerating severed limbs, there was almost nothing it could not heal.
In fact, Jiangzhu's strength ranked among the highest of the healers treating Tang Xiao.
Seeing this, Dai Weisi glanced at Chen Xue beside him and said calmly, "Sister Xiaoxue, I'll have to trouble you."
"I understand!" Chen Xue nodded firmly. She gathered her soul power, releasing her Radiant Crystal Martial Soul. Her fifth soul ring shone brightly as she declared, "Fifth Soul Skill: Soul Skill Amplification!"
Chen Xue's fifth soul skill could enhance other soul masters' abilities by twenty-five percent. As rays of divine light poured into Jiangzhu and the others, their healing power was greatly strengthened, and Tang Xiao's vital signs quickly stabilized.
Tang Yuehua, who had been weeping bitterly, noticed her brother's condition improving. She wiped away her tears and gratefully said to Chen Xue, "Miss Xiaoxue, thank you."
Chen Xue giggled sweetly. "Lady Yue, there's no need to thank me. You are His Highness the Crown Prince's fiancée. Helping your family in their time of need is this servant's duty."
At this time, Dai Weisi also patted Tang Yuehua's shoulder, comforting her. "Sister Yuehua, don't worry. I've already checked. Lord Howling Sky is no longer in any mortal danger."
Hearing this, Tang Yuehua breathed a quiet sigh of relief. But then, Dai Weisi's next words made her heart leap into her throat once more.
"It's just that…"
"What is it? Husband, please tell me. I—I can bear it!"
"It's just that, due to Lord Howling Sky using the Slaughter Word Technique while gravely injured, he overdrew his potential. His internal organs have suffered damage, and one of his arms was severed by Ghost Leopard Douluo. As a result, his soul power level will inevitably drop. From now on, I'm afraid Lord Howling Sky will only be able to live as a rank eighty-seven Soul Douluo."
"What?!" Tang Yuehua exclaimed in panic. "Will… will my brother's lifespan be affected?"
A Titled Douluo has a natural lifespan of at least three hundred years, with an additional hundred years gained for each rank advanced. As a rank ninety-seven Super Douluo, Tang Xiao should theoretically have lived for a millennium.
"His lifespan shouldn't be affected, only his combat strength. The best proof is that his appearance remains unchanged."
Dai Weisi pointed at Tang Xiao's still-youthful face. Despite being over seventy years old, Tang Xiao still looked middle-aged. If his lifespan had truly decreased, his body would have aged, turning him into a frail old man.
"That's good, that's good…" Relieved by his explanation, Tang Yuehua's tense heart finally eased.
"As long as my brother survives, that's all that matters."
"I'm sorry, Sister Yuehua. We came too late." Dai Weisi wrapped his arm around her slender waist, stroking her soft hair. "If only we had arrived sooner, perhaps none of this would have happened."
"No, Your Highness, this isn't your fault. You and His Majesty came personally to aid the Haotian Sect, and for that, we are already deeply grateful. The true culprit behind all this is that beast, Tang Hao!"
The Seventh Elder cursed furiously. At this very moment, his resentment toward Tang Hao had reached its peak. If Tang Hao were here, he would have grabbed his Haotian Hammer and beaten him senseless!
"That's right! It's that troublemaker Tang Hao!"
Even the Third Elder was filled with resentment. "If Tang Hao hadn't run rampant in Spirit City, slaughtering so many soul masters and giving Spirit Hall an excuse to strike, why would Bibi Dong dare risk offending all other powers by sending her Soul Master Legions to openly attack us?"
"Yes! Tang Hao must give us an explanation!"
"Causing trouble is one thing, but the most infuriating part is this: the entire continent knows we're under attack by Spirit Hall, yet that brat hasn't shown his face once! He clearly doesn't regard us as his kin!"
"Exactly! Tang Hao is the true culprit behind the deaths of the two Elders. He must be captured and publicly brought to justice! Otherwise, he'll just continue stirring up chaos and dragging us into disaster."
At this moment, every disciple of the Haotian Sect despised Tang Hao. They condemned him for his actions, and those who had lost loved ones in the war hated him to their very bones.
Even Tang Yuehua, who usually cared deeply for her second brother, could not help but feel a surge of resentment as she looked at the gravely injured and unconscious Tang Xiao.
Just as the disciples said—at the sect's moment of life and death, Tang Hao had acted like a coward and vanished, while the Star Luo Emperor and Crown Prince traveled a great distance to aid them.
Who truly cared for the Haotian Sect was plain to see. To be abandoned by all, betrayed by one's own kin—such words described Tang Hao's situation perfectly.
After this incident, there was no longer any place for Tang Hao in the Haotian Sect.
Watching the furious disciples, Dai Weisi's eyes flickered as he thought to himself: Though the Haotian Sect has lost two elders, there's an unexpected benefit. With this turn of events, they will surely lean completely toward the Star Luo Empire… and I will be able to draw them entirely into my grasp.
Once, the two forces were allies. But after this battle, their relationship will likely shift to that of master and subordinate.
(End of Chapter)