Douluo Dalu: The Legend of The Spider Emperor

"Where is he?"

"Not here!"

"What about your side?"

"Nothing!"

"Where could that kid have gone this time?"

At Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, chaos erupted early in the morning. The reason?

Ye Hao was missing again!

Everyone knew Ye Hao was no ordinary student. Wherever he went, trouble followed.

Qin Ming wiped the sweat from his brow, exasperated. "Where could that rascal have gone? Yan'er, any luck on your end?"

Dugu Yan arrived a little later and shook her head. "Nothing on my side either. I even contacted my grandfather, and he said..."

"Said what?" Qin Ming, growing impatient, interrupted.

Dugu Yan hesitated briefly before answering in a soft voice, "He suspects... Ye Hao might have gone to look for his parents."

"Parents?"

This puzzled Qin Ming. Everyone at the academy knew Ye Hao was an orphan. What parents were they suddenly talking about now?

"What do you mean?"

Dugu Yan was just as confused. She had seen Ye Hao the previous day, and now he had disappeared by morning. News of his absence quickly spread, and by midday, the entire academy was frantically searching for him, with no results.

Dugu Yan had even suspected her grandfather, Dugu Bo, of abducting Ye Hao after his previous refusal to become his disciple. Given her grandfather's eccentric personality, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

But what shocked her was Dugu Bo's firm denial. He claimed he hadn't even left his residence since his return and couldn't have possibly abducted Ye Hao.

"Do you think I'd stoop to such petty, underhanded tricks? I'm Poison Douluo, not some thief!"

It was clear Dugu Bo had nothing to do with Ye Hao's disappearance.

That evening, Dugu Bo had been especially wary of Ye Hao, sensing something unusual about his identity.

An orphan? Dugu Bo didn't buy it.

A young man with a Death Spider Emperor martial soul who bore a striking resemblance to the current Pope of Spirit Hall—how could there be no connection?

So when Dugu Yan told him about Ye Hao's disappearance, Dugu Bo concluded after a moment's thought:

"His family must have come for him."

When Dugu Yan pressed for more details, Dugu Bo simply said:

"Some things are not for you to know. Ye Hao's identity is far more extraordinary than you imagine, beyond even my reach. Don't worry—he's not someone who can simply vanish. He'll come back when the time is right."

Qin Ming was skeptical as he processed Dugu Yan's explanation but reluctantly nodded.

"Fine. But if he has such an extraordinary background, why didn't he just ask for leave instead of making us waste so much effort searching for him?"

"Probably because Ye Hao was too embarrassed to ask," Dugu Yan suggested.

Qin Ming raised an eyebrow. Embarrassed? Him?

"Come on, Qin Teacher! Ye Hao just came back from leave a few days ago. If he asked for more now, it'd look bad. So instead, he just... left quietly," Dugu Yan explained.

Qin Ming sighed and rubbed his temples. "Enough. Yan'er, tell everyone to stop searching. I'll go report this to the three deans."

With that, Qin Ming walked off, grumbling. Ye Hao had a way of doing things his own way. He wouldn't be surprised if the boy came back with his "family" in tow someday.

"What? Ye Hao is missing?"

Xue Qinghe shot up from her seat, visibly shaken after hearing the report.

"Yes, Your Highness. Ye Hao disappeared yesterday, and the entire Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is in disarray."

Xue Qinghe frowned, her mind racing. How could he just vanish like that?

Moments later, a shadowy figure entered the room.

"Your Highness, a directive has come from Spirit Hall."

"Speak."

"The Pope has decreed that any branch of Spirit Hall across the continent must immediately report any sightings of Ye Ritian. Failure to do so will result in severe punishment."

Hearing this, Xue Qinghe scoffed coldly.

Ye Ritian was an unfamiliar name to most, but to her, it was all too familiar. It was an alias for Ye Hao—a fact she had confirmed herself.

"Got it. Keep your mouth shut about this," Xue Qinghe ordered with a wave of her hand.

The shadow bowed. "Understood, Your Highness. But what about Ye Hao?"

Xue Qinghe felt her heart sink.

That brat! How could he just disappear without a trace?

"Could he have gone to Spirit Hall?"

She immediately dismissed the idea. Ye Hao had caused trouble there previously, and although the name Ye Ritian was used to cover up the incident, Spirit Hall's network of informants would ensure no one escaped its grasp.

With a heavy sigh, Xue Qinghe walked to her window and picked up the Blue Silver Emperor plant Ye Hao had gifted her. She gently traced its leaves, her mind lingering on her "brother."

"Where have you gone, little rascal?"

The recently materialized Death God Temple had vanished again without a trace.

Ye Hao sat cross-legged before it, shrouded by the "Dark Shroud" ability of the Death God's Heart, which concealed him entirely.

He was channeling the Death God's Heart to merge it with the Death God Temple. A whole night had passed, and yet he had barely made any progress.

This is going to take forever... Ye Hao thought with a sigh.

Meanwhile, the Inferno Cerberus snoozed lazily nearby, while the Death Spider Emperor stood stiffly, motionless, too terrified to move.

According to the Cerberus, it had been alive far longer than the Death Spider Emperor could imagine. Having slept for so long, it couldn't even recall its own age.

The hierarchy was clear:

Ye Hao > Cerberus > Death Spider Emperor.

The Cerberus opened one eye, watching Ye Hao with faint admiration.

"No wonder the Death God chose him. Such determination is rare."

"Hey, Spider, come over and rub my back again," the Cerberus suddenly ordered.

The Death Spider Emperor hesitated but ultimately obeyed, gingerly extending a leg for what could only be described as a half-hearted massage.

"And be careful with your legs! If you stab me, I'll roast and eat you!"

The Death Spider Emperor shuddered.

Demonic spider legs really don't taste good, especially when roasted over fire!

Why did I end up like this?