Douluo: Transforming Xiao Wu into a Zerg Queen Was Just the Beginning-Chapter 68 - 69 – The Royal Hunting Grounds, Building a Zerg Base!
Chapter 68 - 69 – The Royal Hunting Grounds, Building a Zerg Base!
After hearing the guard's report, the middle-aged emperor finally felt his anxiety ease.
He nodded with a composed expression and said, "Good. Since he's returned, summon him immediately!"
"This..."
The guard hesitated, casting a cautious glance at the Star Luo Emperor but saying nothing.
The emperor's brows furrowed, his tone darkening. "What is it? Is there something else?"
Beside him, Douluo Juexin also revealed a look of surprise, staring intently at the guard.
Feeling the oppressive weight of both their auras crash down on him like a mountain, the guard's knees buckled.
Thud!
He dropped to the ground, hurriedly explaining, "The Crown Prince and his entourage were ambushed. His Highness is currently resting due to exhaustion."
"What?!"
Bang!
The Star Luo Emperor slammed the armrest of his throne and rose abruptly, glaring at the kneeling guard.
"Was he injured? Didn't he have a personal guard unit with him? Where are they?!"
"The Crown Prince himself was unharmed, but the commander of his escort, Robert, was killed covering His Highness's retreat. One more guard was also slain, and the rest all sustained varying degrees of injury."
After a moment of grim silence, the Star Luo Emperor's eyes darkened. Without another word, he strode purposefully out of the throne room.
Douluo Juexin followed close behind.
A voice echoed back as they departed:
"See to the survivors. They are heroes. Tell them that once they've recovered, they will be rewarded generously."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Royal Back Mountain
The rear grounds of the imperial palace served multiple purposes. Half the space was used for palaces and leisure areas. The other half was a preserved stretch of untouched forest, extending into mountain ranges.
Together, they formed the Star Luo Empire's exclusive royal hunting grounds.
Aside from soul beasts specially captured and kept here by the imperial family, many wild ones also lived deep in this natural terrain.
However, the strongest soul beasts rarely exceeded the 10,000-year level, and even then, only a few existed.
Every few years, the Star Luo royal family would dispatch Title Douluo to thoroughly scour the area, hunting down any soul beasts that neared uncontrollable strength. New soul beasts would then be brought in and released to maintain the ecological balance.
The imperial family and their clans' younger generations were allowed to enter with hunting teams to kill suitable soul beasts and obtain spirit rings under supervision.
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Even Davis and Dai Mubai had obtained their first spirit rings here—those most suited to their cultivation paths.
This tradition was also a form of incentive used by the emperor to encourage competition among his heirs.
While the first spirit ring was granted, all future cultivation resources had to be earned through personal merit.
Only through competition and growth could one prove worthy of inheriting the throne—and ensure the empire's continued strength.
At this moment, Davis stepped into the hunting grounds accompanied by an armored personal guard.
The gate captain saluted him respectfully. "Welcome, Your Highness. I'll immediately assign a hunting squad to accompany you."
"No need."
Davis waved his hand calmly and gestured toward the guard beside him.
"He'll be enough. There's no real danger in these woods. I want to explore alone and sharpen my combat skills."
"This..."
The captain hesitated, eyeing the guard.
He was pale and dull-eyed, with a vacant stare—but his body was tall and robust. While the captain couldn't determine his spirit power level, a faint, inexplicable pressure seeped from the man's body that made him uneasy.
After a moment, the captain relented and bowed low. "As you wish, Your Highness."
He then handed Davis a small, orb-like crystal.
"If any danger arises, inject your spirit power into this communication crystal. We will receive the signal and rush to assist."
Davis nodded. "Much appreciated."
Without another word, he and the guard entered the forest, heading toward its depths.
The captain watched their silhouettes fade into the dense trees before sighing and returning to his post. But he diverted part of his attention to a second communication crystal on his side—linked to the one Davis now carried.
Even if the prince couldn't infuse it in time, simply breaking the crystal or if it was damaged in an attack would alert the hunting team instantly.
The hunting grounds might be mostly cleared of dangerous beasts and now served more as noble entertainment, but caution was still necessary.
The captain had no intention of losing his position—or his life—because of one careless oversight.
Crunch, crunch—
Davis walked silently across a carpet of fallen leaves and brittle branches, face calm, his personal guard following like a shadow.
Although the area was considered relatively safe, the deeper one ventured, the greater the chance of encountering dormant 10,000-year soul beasts.
That was why hunting teams were typically mandatory for nobles. The only reason the captain had agreed this time was that Davis was the Crown Prince—and he wasn't technically alone.
Davis glanced around as the terrain grew denser. The ground was layered with decaying foliage and scattered limbs. Every step required caution to avoid tripping.
Clearly, no one had visited this area in a long time.
Remaining vigilant, Davis scanned his surroundings. For a while, he simply stood still.
Only the occasional wind through the trees and distant soul beast cries broke the silence.
Then, he raised a hand and pointed to the ground in front of him.
The guard staggered forward like a puppet on strings.
His eyes were bloodshot, face expressionless, mouth slightly open—drool dripping down his chin. He moved mechanically, like something not entirely human anymore.
Frowning, Davis retrieved a small purple-black bead from his robes and gently placed it into the guard's mouth.
Gulp—
Moments after swallowing the bead, the guard's stomach let out a strange gurgling noise.
It sounded like fluid sloshing around—or something alive writhing inside him.
"Urgh... hkkhhh!!"
The guard's face turned crimson, eyes bulging as he clutched his throat and began violently retching.
A thick, unknown purple-black liquid spilled from his mouth, splashing onto the forest floor.
At the same time, his abdomen began to bulge grotesquely.
A large fleshy mass pushed upward from inside him, moving rapidly toward his chest...
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