Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Xia Yi shifted his body slightly, only to find that his entire being was frozen stiff by a force that seemed to emanate from within. He couldn't move at all.

This time, the impact of the resentment on his body was far more severe than when he had previously absorbed it to help Wu Jin.

"Stop pretending to be asleep. I know you're already awake." That sweet voice from before rang out again, but to Xia Yi's ears, it was chilling.

Xia Yi ignored her and instead focused on circulating his soul power to refine the resentment within him.

The amount of resentment he had absorbed this time was substantial—if he could refine it all, it would be enough to push his soul power to break through to level thirteen.

In truth, Xia Yi had no choice but to prioritize refining the resentment. His entire body had been frozen stiff by the power of the resentment, and even circulating his soul power was extremely difficult, making it impossible for him to speak.

What mattered most now was refining the resentment inside him. Otherwise, if it accumulated in his body for too long, it could leave lasting damage.

"Truly worthy of the Holy Spirit Cult—a move designed to kill instantly. It's a good thing my soul is unaffected by resentment, or I'd have already fallen under your control." Xia Yi had already guessed Lina's identity. He had been wondering how she would approach him.

He hadn't expected Lina to be so direct—attempting to control him upon their first meeting.

"To think you can refine resentment. You truly are connected to us," Lina's sweet laugh echoed in Xia Yi's ears. The next moment, he felt a surge of immense soul power pour into his body.

Before Xia Yi could react, the overwhelming soul power began to guide the resentment within him toward his spiritual world.

Naturally, Xia Yi's actions did not escape the notice of Lina, a Super Douluo. She also observed that Xia Yi's soul seemed immune to the effects of resentment.

Although she did not know why, she unhesitatingly acted to guide the resentment in Xia Yi's body into his spiritual world.

Only by allowing Xia Yi's spiritual world to be dominated by resentment could she control him through it.

Lina's soul power and spiritual power were far superior to Xia Yi's.

Compared to her, Xia Yi was as defenseless as a newborn.

With just a minor intervention, Lina had the resentment within Xia Yi flowing into his spiritual world.

In an instant, an icy coldness erupted from the depths of Xia Yi's soul, enveloping his entire being.

Xia Yi felt as though his very soul had been frozen stiff. The cold emanating from within was so overwhelming that even his ability to think was impaired.

All he could sense was a torrent of resentment, hatred, and violent negativity continuously invading his mind.

Ordinarily, people's actions were guided by their emotions and desires. If someone's spiritual world were entirely filled with negativity, their spirit would essentially become that of an evil soul master, regardless of whether their martial soul was inherently evil.

However, Xia Yi's body and soul were now both frozen, leaving him entirely powerless.

Lina, one of the Holy Spirit Cult's Four Heavenly Kings and a Super Douluo, could not possibly fail against a mere one-ring soul master like Xia Yi.

"Hehe, that's it. But you're not allowed to fall completely just yet, or it won't be as much fun." Lina's sweet laughter echoed in Xia Yi's ears. The next moment, he felt an icy sensation emanating from his chest.

The sensation swiftly invaded Xia Yi's mind, penetrating his spiritual world just like the resentment.

This icy presence was different from the cold of the resentment. The moment it entered Xia Yi's spiritual world, it immediately suppressed all the resentment within it.

As the icy sensation spread throughout Xia Yi's body, his frozen soul was finally freed, though his physical body remained paralyzed.

"Perfect!" Lina clapped her hands and looked at Xia Yi with a playful smile. "I know you can hear me. Remember what I'm about to say, or don't blame me if you end up hunted like a rat later."

"First, you don't need to know who I am or what I want. Just remember to obey me. I won't always be by your side, but don't think you can escape my control."

"Second, your spiritual world is now occupied by resentment, but I used a silver dragon scale engraved with numerous intricate soul guidance arrays to suppress it. No matter where or why, you must never remove the silver dragon scale from your chest. Otherwise, your spiritual world will inevitably be overrun by the resentment."

"Third, you must not reveal what I've done to anyone. My identity is recorded by the Federation. Ordinary soul masters may not know, but the upper echelons of the Federation Government, Shrek Academy, the Spirit Pagoda, and the Tang Sect do. If they find out I tampered with you, you're as good as dead. They always eliminate people like us without mercy. So don't even think of seeking their help or using them to break free from my control. If I reclaim the silver dragon scale, you'll inevitably fall and become an evil soul master."

"Well then, I have other matters to attend to. I'll come back for you once your cultivation advances a bit more." With a playful laugh, Lina disappeared before Xia Yi.

After Xia Yi painstakingly refined the resentment Lina had left in his body and regained some mobility, he opened his eyes to find Gu Yue standing before him.

"What kind of monster are you?" Gu Yue's beautiful eyes were filled with shock as she gazed at Xia Yi.

"Almost fell, and you call me a monster?" Xia Yi responded, exasperated.

Gu Yue rolled her eyes. "Almost means you didn't. To make a Super Douluo fail, if you're not a monster, then what are you?"

"Mind explaining?" Xia Yi asked irritably.

Gu Yue nodded. "From the moment we returned from Tianhai City, Di Tian detected Lina's presence. Upon investigating her, we found she seemed intent on staying near East Sea Academy to monitor you. She wasn't trying to recruit you into the Holy Spirit Cult, just purely interested in your potential to become a divine craftsman. So, Di Tian wrote a report and submitted it to the police. Fearing a Federation crackdown, Lina was forced to use this method to control you temporarily and fled East Sea City."

To the Holy Spirit Cult, they would never recklessly push Xia Yi toward becoming an evil soul master, nor would they recruit him outright. If Xia Yi became an evil soul master and joined their ranks, Zhenhua would never teach him the art of Sky Refinement.

What they wanted was Xia Yi, a future master of Sky Refinement under their control, regardless of his allegiance to the cult.

Gu Yue, on the other hand, wanted Xia Yi to infiltrate the Holy Spirit Cult and eventually bring it under control—not merely become a tool for them.

As soon as Gu Yue identified Lina's identity, she had Di Tian notify the Federation government. If Lina had stayed any longer, she wouldn't have escaped East Sea City alive once Federation forces arrived.

"That's all well and good, but couldn't you have given me a heads-up?" Xia Yi asked darkly.

It was fortunate that the Holy Spirit Cult didn't intend to destroy him. If they had adopted a "if we can't have it, no one can" attitude, things could have turned ugly.

"I've had Di Tian secretly watching Lina the entire time. If she really tried to harm you, she wouldn't have left East Sea City alive, even without the Federation's intervention," Gu Yue said seriously.

Lina's strength as a super Douluo with three-word battle armor was undeniable. However, if her opponent was Di Tian, the situation was entirely different.

Xia Yi nodded, then glanced down at the Silver Dragon Scale pendant on his chest. "So, what's this about?"

According to Di Tian's accounts of soul beast history, since the birth of Douluo Continent, Gu Yue was the only Silver Dragon. Only she could possess a Silver Dragon Scale.

Why would Lina have one?

"You mean this?" Gu Yue didn't hesitate, reaching out to remove the pendant left by Lina. After examining it closely for a while, she carefully placed it back around Xia Yi's neck.

"According to Spirit Pagoda records, over thirteen thousand years ago, the Sun-Moon Empire royal family hunted a Silver Dragon. Ten thousand years ago, during his exchange at the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, the God of Emotions, Huo Yuhao, used Tang Sect's mechanical crossbow techniques in a deal with the Mingde Hall Master to obtain some of the Silver Dragon Scales from the Sun-Moon Empire. Even today, Spirit Pagoda still has a few in their collection. Since the Holy Spirit Cult's leader at the time was the Sun-Moon Empire's state preceptor, it's not surprising they managed to acquire a few scales," Gu Yue explained, her voice tinged with melancholy and anger.

"A hunted Silver Dragon?" Xia Yi was stunned, his expression slackening. Could there have been another Silver Dragon in existence besides Gu Yue?

That didn't seem right. Gu Yue was a fragment of the Dragon God. Combined with her prolonged slumber, there was no chance for her to have descendants. Where could a second Silver Dragon come from?

Wait...

Xia Yi quickly noticed something unusual. While Gu Yue was indeed furious, her anger wasn't the kind one would feel if a clansman or descendant had been killed.