Douluo Dalu: The Legend of The Spider Emperor

Hu Liena, bound by spider webs, instinctively struggled to break free.

However, no matter how much she writhed, the web seemed to have taken root, completely immobilizing her.

At that moment, Hu Liena looked up at the sky.

She saw a towering figure silently appear...

"Which family are you from? Of all the paths you could take, you just had to sneak in through the back door?"

"You...!"

Hu Liena was furious, but she had no choice. To complete her mission, she had resorted to this desperate measure. Otherwise, how else could she get close to Ye Ritian?

The figure stood atop the roof, blending seamlessly with the sunlight. Squinting against the glare, Hu Liena could only make out a vague silhouette.

Then, the figure leaped down...

"A dog?" Hu Liena exclaimed in shock. "I could accept a talking spider, but now even dogs can talk?!"

Xiao Hong: I have a feeling you're insulting me.

"Ahem, let's cut the nonsense and get to the point."

Xiao Hong stepped forward and removed the conical hat from Hu Liena's head. Upon seeing her face, its dog eyes widened in admiration.

"Now this is a beauty, though not as stunning as that Miss Qian." It grinned, showing its sharp teeth.

"Qian...? Who are you people? Let me go at once!" Hu Liena demanded.

At this moment, the Death Spider Emperor spoke:

"That's exactly what we should be asking you—who are you, and why are you sneaking into our home?"

"Your... home?" Hu Liena was taken aback. "Isn't this Ye Ritian's—"

Realizing her slip, she quickly shut her mouth. Damn it!

"Hehehe..." Xiao Hong grinned. "I knew it! You're here to gather information on Ye Hao, aren't you? Otherwise, why would you sneak in through the back door instead of using the front? Good thing this garden is my territory. If I weren't here, you might have been devoured by Spidey and Zhu'er by now."

The Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor bared their terrifying fangs, making Hu Liena shiver involuntarily.

"Since you came all this way, it would be rude not to return the favor. Let's take you to meet Ye Hao and see what your true intentions are."

With that, the dog and two spiders dragged Hu Liena towards Ye Hao's room.

...

"You came all this way just to ask me this?"

Ye Hao looked at Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, barely able to hold back his laughter.

After returning from watching the Titan Giant Ape at Spirit Hall, the first thing they did wasn't returning to the academy but traveling straight to Heaven Dou City—just to ask whether he was Ye Ritian.

Ye Hao smirked. How should he answer? Should he just admit it outright?

Now that the two had already left Shrek Academy, they could be considered part of his faction. There was no harm in telling them.

Besides, even if exposing his identity provoked Tang Hao's revenge, Ye Hao wasn't afraid. If Tang came, he'd make sure he never left.

"Fine, I admit it. I am Ye Ritian. Happy now?"

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong beamed with satisfaction. She glanced at Zhu Zhuqing—she had been right!

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head helplessly before warning, "Ye Hao, whether you're Spicy Rabbit Head or Ye Ritian, you need to be careful of Tang San's retaliation. That guy is not easy to deal with."

Better to deal with the king of hell than his little minions.

Ye Hao chuckled, "You two don't need to worry about that. Since I dared to challenge him head-on, I'm not afraid of exposure. And even if my identity is revealed, what can that weakling do to me?"

"Just a few nights ago, I single-handedly beat five Shrek members. I left them sprawled on the ground, teeth scattered everywhere. Even that little wimp Tang San—I pinned him down and gave him a proper beating!"

Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled. "You really beat Tang San that badly? Did you give him a good thrashing? Back in Shrek, I always felt that guy was no good. He pretended to be kind and friendly, but the moment Xiao Wu got hurt, his true colors showed. He even took revenge in secret...

"People like him are the worst."

Zhu Zhuqing sighed, "Rongrong, we're still young. Watch your language."

Then she turned to Ye Hao. "Ye Hao, the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament is coming up soon. When will you return to the academy and join us?"

The Emperor Team belonged to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. They had an automatic pass to the finals, skipping the preliminaries.

The finals would be held in Spirit Hall, with Xue Qinghe personally leading the delegation.

As a member of the Emperor Team, Ye Hao would travel with them.

But there was a dilemma.

Ye Hao had already joined Spirit Hall. Technically, he was on their team.

Winning the tournament with his strength wouldn't be difficult.

But the real question was: should he help the Emperor Team win, or switch to Spirit Hall and secure the championship for them instead?

That was what troubled Ye Hao.

After a moment of thought, he said, "There's still time before the tournament. I'll return for it."

"Now that you know my identity, keep it a secret. Understood?"

Ye Hao's tone was serious. The two girls nodded solemnly, swearing to keep his secret.

After escorting them to the door and saying farewell, Ye Hao returned to his room.

The moment he opened the door, he was startled.

Because—there was an unexpected guest in his room.

Wrapped tightly in spider webs, a beautiful woman with short golden hair and captivating eyes smirked at him.

"You... are?"

Ye Hao felt like he had seen her before but couldn't quite remember.

Hu Liena grinned. "Ye Ritian, I finally found you."

Ye Hao: "..."

Tied up like that, yet still smiling so happily. Only you could pull this off.

Glancing at the webs restraining her, Ye Hao instantly knew who was behind this.

"Zhu'er, hurry up and take this woman away! Why did you leave her in my room?"

At that moment, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor slowly crawled out from under Ye Hao's bed and said:

"This woman was looking for you. She ignored the main entrance and sneaked in through the back, so we captured her. Sister Hong told me to hand her over to you. Good luck."

With that, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor turned and left, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Ye Hao: "..."

He looked at the bound woman in front of him.

"Miss, who are you?"

Ye Hao reached out and untangled the spiderwebs restraining Hu Liena. Once freed, she instantly felt a wave of relief wash over her. Stretching her sore arms, she let out a small sigh.

"I'm from Spirit Hall. My teacher sent me to find you." Hu Liena smiled.

He looks just like him… just like my teacher.

His aura, his appearance, even the way he moved—it was as if they had been cast from the same mold.

It seemed her teacher's words were coming true...

"You're from Spirit Hall?" Ye Hao frowned slightly. "Who's your teacher? And why is she looking for me?"

Hu Liena chuckled. "Don't ask about my teacher just yet. Answer my question first."

Good grief, who's the one in charge here?

Ye Hao raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what do you want to ask?"

"Are you really Ye Ritian?" Hu Liena asked, eyes filled with anticipation.

Ye Hao rolled his eyes. "This is the second time I've been asked this today. Yes, yes, I am Ye Ritian!"

"Happy now? Now tell me—who is your teacher, and why is she looking for me?"

Upon hearing his confirmation, Hu Liena's face lit up with excitement. Finally! The mystery that had weighed on my heart for so long is solved.

Back then, only Yan, herself, and a select few Spirit Hall disciples had seen Ye Ritian's true face. Naturally, when it came time to track him down, they were the best people for the job.

But as fate would have it, Ye Ritian had seemingly vanished from the world, leaving them searching in vain.

Now, after all this time, she had finally found him. Her eyes reddened as emotions welled up inside her—this journey had been too difficult.

"Don't cry." Ye Hao sighed. "I can't handle it when girls cry."

Hu Liena quickly wiped her tears and grinned. "We've met before in Spirit Hall. Don't you remember?"

"We have?"

Ye Hao studied her carefully. As she spoke, a vague memory surfaced in his mind. He was almost there.

Hu Liena prompted him further. "Back then, you were eating noodles at a stall when someone suddenly kicked your table over, and then—"

"Ohhh—"

It clicked. Ye Hao instantly recognized her.

"You were the woman standing next to that guy! I totally forgot. Whatever happened to him?"

Hu Liena smirked mischievously. "Yan was exiled to the Death Canyon by our teacher. He still hasn't returned. I have to say, you hid yourself well."

Then, her expression turned slightly bitter. "Why did you disappear so suddenly? We searched for three whole days and nights but couldn't find a single trace of you. It was exhausting! On top of that, I still had to handle Spirit Hall's daily affairs the next day—it was stress on top of stress!"

Ye Hao let out a helpless chuckle. "I originally planned to stay in Spirit Hall for another day."

"But who could've expected Spirit Hall to suddenly launch a large-scale operation? And the funniest part was—"

"Some idiot shouted in the middle of the street—"

'Ye Ritian, you're surrounded! Come out now!'

Ye Hao shook his head in disbelief.

Hearing this, Hu Liena couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"So that's why you left Spirit Hall?"

She wiped away the last traces of her tears, still chuckling.

Ye Hao rolled his eyes. "What do you think?

"If I had stayed, would I be here talking to you right now? Back then, I assumed that the guy I beat up had gone and tattled on me. Turns out, you were behind all of this."

His expression turned serious. "Now, tell me—who exactly are you? Who is your teacher? And why does she want to see me?"

Hu Liena's playful demeanor faded. She straightened up, adjusting her appearance.

"Nice to meet you, Ye Ritian—no, I should call you Ye Hao."

"I'm Hu Liena, from Spirit Hall. My teacher is none other than the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall."

Ye Hao's eyes flickered with realization as he muttered, "Hu Liena... Spirit Hall... teacher… Supreme Pontiff?"

Then, a thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"Your... your teacher is... Bibi Dong?!"

Ye Hao's face showed unmistakable shock.