“Assassin!” Hao Ranhui roared as he jumped to his feet. He jabbed a finger at Rao Wu, eyes red as he ordered, “Capture that infidel!”

As it turned out, Hao Ranhui needn’t have bothered. Several dozen uniformed soldiers stormed into the arena and then trained their guns at Rao Wu immediately after Bu Lu struck the ground.

The confused audience erupted in chaos as they cursed Rao Wu, the hybrid, for attempting to assassinate a prince. No one bothered giving the child a chance to explain himself. Within the blink of an eye, the spectators began throwing food or stone towards Rao Wu.

Lu Lin would never permit her master to be humiliated like that, so she promptly sprung up a large flower from the ground to shield Rao Wu from the pelts.

An elder in golden robes stormed onto the field with a group of paramedics. The doctors performed quick tests on the unconscious prince and then relayed the prognosis with grave expressions. “Three soul spaces have been destroyed by some tyrannical energy. I’m afraid the damage is too severe. The Second Prince will not be able to summon any monsters until the damage is healed.”

The golden-robed elder’s eyes flashed with fear, but he quickly asked, “What about his life? Is his life in any danger!?”

Fortunately, the doctor shook his head. “The Second Prince’s soul is severely damaged, but it seems he has some sort of life-saving treasure that took the brunt of the attack. Otherwise—”

“Otherwise, what!?”

The doctor shivered as he looked at the taciturn child, who stood at the soldiers’ center. “He might have instantly exploded.”

“What!?” The golden-robed elder nearly went mad with rage. This man was Grand Tutor Xin Lao, who had been in charge of the Bu Royal Family’s princes and princesses’ education for three generations. In all his time teaching, Bu Lu was the most talented prince of all and was his favorite. He could not believe there was someone who dared harm the country’s future pillar. Even going so far as to attempt murder!?

Enraged, the Grand Tutor pointed at Rao Wu and ordered, “Shoot Him!”

“Rraff!” Within the podium, Twilight suddenly went berserk. The direwolf’s sudden bark instantly shattered the barrier, much to Hao Ranhui’s shock. Twilight then raised his head and let out a terrifying howl as his shadow burst out, immediately spreading over the entire arena grounds.

Then, before anyone could react, several spikes shot out from the shadows, stopping just half an inch from each soldiers’ throat.

“Sh-Shadow Domain: Spires of Darkness!” Hao Ranhui’s screamed, and his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as he stared at the incredible sight.

Domains were advanced skills only monarchs or emperors could use. Domains could alter an area’s physical and spiritual laws around the caster, granting them unimaginable power and distinct advantages over their opponents.

Domains were also famous for one other reason. While most monsters or trainers derived their domains from similar sources or elements, their resulting domain effects and characteristics were usually unique. In a sense, domains, rather than names, were the best way of identifying powerhouses near the top.

‘Shadow Domain: Spires of Darkness’ was a domain that had not shown its face on the continent in a decade or so. This domain once paved Rao Taylor’s path to the Starry Brave championship. It belonged to Rao Wu’s most powerful soul pet: the one most said was most likely to become an Emperor in a few years.

“You!” Hao Ranhui’s eyes were ablaze with equal parts fear and fury as he pointed at Twilight. “Shadow-Walker Twilight! You’re Rao Taylor’s soul pet, Shadow-Walker Twilight!”

Grand Tutor Xin Lao and several spectators gaped in shock at the silent Star Dusklight Wolf whose eyes burned with fury as he glared at the soldiers. “Rao Taylor’s soul pet. Then—” the tutor turned to look at Rao Wu with recognition. “The son they left behind. You’re Rao Taylor’s secret child! What? Did you come back for revenge!? Is that why you attacked a defenseless man!?”

Rao Wu ignored the Grand Tutor and instead turned to look up at his Uncle Twilight with frantic, worried eyes. “Uncle can’t use his soul energy!” He quickly took out a vial with a purple liquid and then gave it to Xian Da. “Quickly! Before the poison acts up again.”

Xian Da promptly bit the vial and then sunk into Twilight’s shadow. Moments later, he emerged from the ground in front of Twilight. After not seeing his father in two years, Xian Da teared up as he placed the vial on the ground and then nudged it toward Twilight. “We did it, father. We found a cure for your poison.”

Twilight looked at the vial and then at Xian Da. He shockingly ignored the vial, and instead, welcomed his long lost son with a hearty ‘embrace.’ He then let Xian Da go greet Midnight and then looked at the vial with a complicated expression.

Truth be told, Twilight was not too optimistic. A poison monarch on the verge of breaking into emperor-rank cast the poison afflicting him. Initially, he thought the Eternal Spring would cure his affliction. Unfortunately, while the overpowered Eternal Spring could heal any injuries to either the soul or body, it could not cure diseases or poisons.

As a result, Twilight had long resigned himself to his fate. The strange poison fed on soul energy, so Twilight could keep the worst at bay as long as he refrained from utilizing his soul energy. Living a peaceful life raising Rao Wu and his kids certainly helped with just that, but right now… things were a bit bad.

*Cough* Twilight vomited massive chunks of blood as he doubled over in pain. The poison had flared in full force after he utilized his domain. He knew he did not have much time left, so he initially intended to kill everyone here and then escape with Rao Wu. But, perhaps there was a second path?

Twilight stared at the vial. He had two choices:

Trust Rao Wu and drink the vial, which would most certainly prevent him from escaping, or go with his instincts and kill everyone before escaping. Like there was ever a choice. Twilight chuckled as he bent down and picked up the vial. He cracked the glass and then let the purple liquid flow down his throat.

Ultimately, Twilight chose to trust Rao Wu. “Nggh!” Twilight groaned and staggered in place as the liquid burned through his soul. It felt like someone lit a fire within his body, causing the Star Dusklight Wolf to nearly pass out from the pain.

However, Twilights’ willpower was too powerful for mere pain. Gritting his teeth, he opened a pair of bloodshot eyes and glared at the Grand Tutor. His low growl issued a significant threat. If anyone dared to touch Rao Wu, he would slaughter that person on the spot.

While Twilight suffered due to the poison and elixir’s fight, Rao Wu turned his sight from Twilight with a confident gaze. He gained the elixir in the ninth test as one of the prizes for winning the competition. The elixir was one of three prizes Rao Wu could choose from—one of which was the egg of a monarch-ranked soul pet.

Rao Wu might have chosen the egg, but he instantly changed his mind when he heard the elixir’s effects. The elixir could not heal injuries, but it specialized in killing toxins in the body. It could kill any harmful germs or poisons in the body, making it a premium product. Rao Wu never found out who made the elixir or how, but he chose it for his Uncle Twilight.

Confident the elixir would cure his Uncle, Rao Wu looked at Grand Tutor Xin Lao with furrowed brows. “You said something about revenge. Why would I be looking for revenge? ”

Grand Tutor Xin Lao snorted with disdain. “Do not pretend like you don’t know. Rao Taylor, the traitor, was executed for the attempted murder of the Crown Prince while resisting arrest.” Xin Lao jabbed his finger at Rao Wu. “Even children in neighboring cities are privy to this. Yet, you, his son, pretend not to know? Preposterous!”

Rao Wu frowned. This was truly his first time hearing about his birth parents. Uncle Twilight promised to tell Rao Wu the truth when the child turned ten, and until this moment, Rao Wu had been content to wait it out. No, that was not quite right. Until this moment, Rao Wu was never really interested in his birth parents.

The Dusklight Wolves and Steelback Apes were Rao Wu’s family, and he had always been content with that. Well, he still was, but the Grand Tutor’s words had piqued Rao Wu’s curiosity.

After the Grand Tutor’s tirade, Rao Wu chose to pretend a little to fish out more information. “Heh. My father isn’t that type of man. The Crown Prince tried to arrest him for such a petty crime. Shouldn’t he defend himself?”

“Petty?” The Grand Tutor’s eyes burned with fury. “You call marrying a hybrid petty!? You know it is banned in all countries, and you call that petty!? Diluting the human race, and leading us to extinction is called petty!?”

‘So my mother was a hybrid.’ Rao Wu felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he glared at the Grand Tutor. Again. Once again, it came back to this stupid discrimination. Were hybrids really that bad? Did they not deserve to live too? Enraged, the youth’s buried anger finally exploded, “Yes! Petty! So what!? Is it so bad to marry a hybrid!? Is it your life!? Why do you care what others do. How is it affecting you, Rotten Egg-head!”

“R-Rotten Egg!?” The tutor nearly fainted as his bald yellow head glinted under the evening sun. In his many decades on this earth, no one had insulted the great Grand Tutor like this. “D-Do you know who you’re talking to!? I’m the Grand Tutor! Teacher to the Royal Family! Do you want to lose your head!?”

“What kind of teacher is so daft!?”

“What?”

Rao Wu cleaned his ear and shot the old man a disdainful look. “You already ordered your men to shoot earlier, so you want to kill me anyway. Why are you now pretending like I’m the one who wants to die? Are you stupid? I can see why you raised an idiot like that stupid mushroom head. Trying to force me into a slave contract? He’s lucky he didn’t die.”

By this point, the Grand Tutor was apoplectic with rage. However, he knew he could not let Rao Wu besmirch the royal crown’s name. “Don’t talk nonsense! The Second Prince offered you a chance and you assassinated him instead.”

“I’m not going to argue with you.” Rao Wu shrugged and then glanced at the stands. “You gullible idiots can believe what you want, but, one: I will never willingly contract myself to anyone.” Rao Wu held up his second finger. “Two: Whoever tries to force me into a slave contract will die, and three: I don’t have to do anything for two to happen.” Rao Wu looked at the old man as he said, “I never agreed to your mushroom head’s offer. I don’t know what you did that made it so no one could hear me, but you’re free to test again if you don’t believe me.”

Rao Wu opened his arms wide and then jutted out his chest. “Come. Try and put me in a slave contract. You can bind my arms. All I ask is that you do it yourself. Don’t send out someone innocent to die in your place.”

As the Grand Tutor hesitated, some perceptive people in the crowd began to murmur. “Wait, could that child be telling the truth?”

“Did the Prince really try to force him into a slave contract?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them. The Bu family are all tyrants.”

“Aish. What a scandal. If you’re going to do wrong, at least do it with pride. Look at the Lunzi family. Now, that’s the style of a great clan, not these Bu cowards.”

“Hey! Hey! Watch your mouth!”

The Grand Tutor’s mouth twitched as the crowd’s momentum began to shift. At first, everyone was united against Rao Wu as it was a case of a hybrid assassinating a human prince. However, it all changed if Bu Lu attacked first in such a sinister way. Every man had the right to defend themselves—especially a nine-ten years old child.

Sensing the shifting sentiment, the Grand Tutor quickly shouted, “How dare you spread lies against your Prince! Do you utterly lack shame?”

“Shame? What’s that? Can you eat it?” Rao Wu sneered and then added, “Plus, since when did that mushroom head become my Prince? I’m not from your kingdom, Rotten Egg-Head.”

“Rebellious cur!” Grand Tutor’s eyes shone with hidden delight! Indeed, Rao Wu was still a child. He only needed to prod him a little to make him say something wrong. Now, he could punish Rao Wu however he saw fit, and no one would be able to criticize him.

“Ugh!” On the podium, Twilight suddenly groaned and then coughed up several clumps of black blood. Unfortunately, the sharp pain shattered the Star Dusklight Wolf’s concentration, causing his domain to fluctuate for a brief second.

The Grand Tutor was an astute man. He quickly spotted the anomaly and then shouted, “Shoot the traitor!”

Midnight’s eyes immediately turned black as she sunk into Twilight’s Shadow. Within the blink of an eye, she appeared behind the soldiers and then released a terrible howl, following which fifteen Shadow Doppelgangers burst out of Twilight’s shadow and then charged at the soldiers’ backs.

Midnight would have preferred to appear underneath the Grand Tutor, but the man had spread his soul energy around himself and the soldiers to interfere with Twilight’s domain.

Midnight hoped to buy time until Twilight recovered, but the soldiers did not hesitate even with the threat of losing their lives. Their fingers traveled to their fingers, and they began to pull the trigger as Rao Wu and Lu Lin, readied themselves for battle.

The situation was like a powder keg whose fuse had burned to the last point.

“ENOUGH!”

However, just before the explosion, someone appeared between Rao Wu and the soldiers.

With a single word, the entire stadium froze. This was not by choice or due to shock, but they all literally froze, unable to move a single part of their body.

Rao Wu frowned as he looked at the woman who had brought the events to a standstill. She removed her veil, causing a bright light to flash around her. The light dimmed, revealing a gorgeous, stunning fox-hybrid with dark gray ears sticking out of her beautiful long hair. A bouncy, thick tail swished behind her, confirming her race and identity to the world.

The strange woman took a deep breath and then looked at both Rao Wu and the Grand Tutor. “Do not embarrass yourselves any further.”