Chapter 357 Counterattack

t.She had the closest relationship with Zhao Yanzǐ and was also one of the first to meet Hǎo Rén among the three friends. Although she wasn't very familiar with the development of Zhao Yanzǐ's relatio...Chapter 357: Counterattack!!

Hao Ren returned to the lobby on the first floor and saw Elder Lu, Elder Sun, and Star Moon Elder standing inside.

Beyond the dragon palace, Star Moon Elder wore a black long dress and a suit jacket, which gave her an elegant yet cold appearance. To be honest, she was quite pretty.

Elder Sun, short but refined, always dressed in traditional Chinese attire; today he wore Tang-style clothing. Elder Lu Qing usually wore suits; his white hair and eyebrows made him stand tall and upright.

Standing together, the three of them created a striking visual impact, like the cover of a fashion magazine.

"Elder Sun, Elder Lu, Star Moon Elder!" Hao Ren greeted them as he approached the door.

"Let's go; I'll take you back to school," said Elder Sun with a warm smile.

"Ah You were waiting for me" Hao Ren was slightly surprised.

"Yes, after this, Elder Lu and I have to handle some matters in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Star Moon Elder needs to return to the East China Sea as well; we'll give you a ride there first," said Elder Sun with a nod.

Since they couldn't fly freely within the city, they usually traveled by car like ordinary people.

Hao Ren didn't want to be impolite since Elder Sun offered him a ride; he walked out of the building with them.

The car was still the Bentley Arnage from before, spacious and luxurious.

Hao Ren could tell that Star Moon Elder, Elder Sun, and Elder Lu all had good relationships with each other, they were close to Zhao Guang. They also tended to be closer to Hao Ren as a result.

"This time the old Dragon King's return will probably cause quite a commotion," said Elder Sun as he started driving, opening up conversation.

"We'll see how the South China Sea and East China Sea respond next," nodded Elder Lu.

Star Moon Elder furrowed her brows but remained silent.

In today's era without Zhao Kuo, the Eastern China Sea seemed to lack its previous confidence. Zhao Haoran was powerful but elderly; besides, both the South and East China Seas had several middle-rank Heaven Realm experts... "Over these past two hundred years, Dragon God Temple has risen far faster than we imagined. Now it's on par with our four dragon palaces, and if they get involved, things will be even more complicated," continued Elder Lu.

Dragon God Temple was established by the five dragon tribes after human cultivators relocated to the Fifth Layer of Heaven, aiming to prevent a recurrence of their previous conflicts where dragon cultivators fought each other and allowed humans to take advantage of the situation.

Hence, Dragon God Temple’s main role was twofold: defending against human cultivators and monitoring activities above the Fifth Layer of Heaven; and constraining dragon cultivators and overseeing various factions.

Because Dragon God Temple was comprised of the most outstanding cultivators from the five dragon tribes, its development was rapid. In just two hundred years, it had reached parity with the four sea palaces that each had thousands of years of heritage, even showing dominance in some areas.

The conflicts between the four sea dragon palaces would indeed become complicated if the Dragon God Temple were to intervene.

"How is Su Han's injury" Senior Elder Sun suddenly asked.

"She hasn't fully recovered. This time, the Dragon God Temple sent Qin Shaoyang over just to keep a close eye on our East Sea Dragon Palace," Star Moon Elder finally spoke up.

Previously, since Su Han was in charge of Donghai City, there wasn’t too much pressure from the East Sea Dragon Palace. However, with Qin Shaoyang's appearance, it cast a shadow over the situation in Donghai City.

Including Hao Ren, everyone knew that Qin Shaoyang leaned towards the West Sea Dragon Palace. In other words, the Dragon God Temple was generally biased toward the West Sea Dragon Palace regarding this matter.

However, Zhao Haoran's return disrupted this balance.

The East Sea Dragon Palace would rather face the North and South Sea Dragon Palaces, as well as even the Dragon God Temple, than back down!

No diplomacy; they would take a direct war route!

"The old dragon king has his plans. We'll just wait and see," Star Moon Elder said before closing her eyes slightly and crossing her hands to form a hand seal, entering into a meditative state.

She seized every moment for cultivation even while sitting in the car without relaxing. This obsession with training was almost exactly like Su Han's.

The car proceeded steadily forward as Senior Elder Sun and Lu Elder no longer engaged in discussion. They needed to go to the North and South Sea Dragon Palaces to issue declarations of war, which was enough to make them look gloomy.

When the car entered Donghai University, it immediately drew attention from some students.

The thick coffee-colored glass windows prevented outside students from seeing inside, but Hao Ren in the car could see the surprised looks on some of the students' faces.

"Senior Elder Star Moon, please tell Su Han that we all hope she will come back," Hao Ren suddenly said to Star Moon Elder.

"Alright, I'll pass it along," Star Moon Elder replied calmly.

Hao Ren had a wish for Su Han to return and resume attending classes. Even though this meant nothing to her, the campus of Donghai University seemed incomplete without her presence.

The car slowly pulled up by Building D as Hao Ren got out, immediately attracting several students' gazes.

After today's events, he was sure that he would again be in the spotlight among the student body.

But... it didn't matter anymore… Hao Ren sighed softly and waved to the three elders inside the car.

He could imagine the endless love letters and seemingly coincidental romantic encounters coming his way with the revelation of his "background."

However, at this stage, Hao Ren would never linger in school; his goal was to reach the Gèn (艮) level, and even higher up, the Duì (兌) level!

The true nature of the Dragon God Temple as a mysterious organization could only be known by him once he became an official examiner.

He still showed up at school every day to attend classes, indicating that he was alive and not missing; this would prevent Zhou Liren and others from becoming overly concerned about his whereabouts and reporting it to the police...

"That must be the guy who always brings Bái Zǐ to the library."

"Yeah, didn't expect him to come from such a wealthy family; they even have a Bentley to pick them up..."

"See I told you, that Bái Zǐ has to be an expensive dog..."

"In fact, he looks quite refined. He'd make a good boyfriend, especially with his wealth..."

A few girls in the shadows of a nearby building were gossiping about Hao Ren as he got out of the car.

Hao Ren's hearing was sharp; he immediately overheard their conversation and smiled dismissively before walking towards his dormitory.

"Quickly, follow him! Xiao You, go confess your feelings now. I think she has a good impression of you..."

"What I just think he's okay..."

The girls pushed each other and hurried over to Hao Ren.

However, once Hao Ren entered a shady path in the school, they couldn't find him anymore.

Hence, these few girls looked at one another, puzzled as to how Hao Ren could disappear so quickly.

Meanwhile, Hao Ren was walking confidently around them with a red barrier activated. He released Bái Zǐ from his necklace and in an instant, the dog flew towards the Fifth Heaven.

The only way he could get rid of these girls'糾纏at this time was to do this; otherwise, who knows if they might follow him back to the villa by the sea.

During this period when Hao Ren was cultivating in the Fifth Heaven, Mingri Group was also meticulously preparing for their commercial counterattack.

This time, accompanying Zhao Haoran's return were a professional acquisition team trained overseas by Zhao Yanzi's uncle. They were all top-notch operators, and with abundant funding at their disposal, they systematically dismantled each of the West Sea Dragon Palace's strategic points in China without much difficulty.

The business layout and terrestrial position painstakingly cultivated by the West Sea Dragon Palace for over a decade would be easily disintegrated within days by Mingri Group’s overseas commercial team.

With Zhao Haoran, who had fought fiercely among global financial giants, now back to initiate his first wave of commercial retaliation, he wouldn't show any mercy!

The hours passed; the surrounding skyscrapers fell into darkness while the Mingri Group building remained brightly lit. All employees worked overtime to respond promptly to emergencies and assist Zhao Haoran's team in launching a comprehensive offensive against the Tyrant Corporation.

Meanwhile, after meditating for half a day in the Fifth Heaven, Hao Ren exhaled with a heavy breath.

In the valley, it was silent and still. Only Xiao Bai's den emitted a faint snore.

Hao Ren lightly jumped over Xiao Bai, like a martial arts expert moving without leaving any trace, heading for the flat ground in the center of the valley via the steep cliff face.

The cultivated fields here were thriving with spirit grass. A thin layer of mist had condensed on some leaves, while some pretty buds were zealously absorbing the surrounding fog.

Dada… Soft footsteps approached Hao Ren from his side. He turned around and saw Xie Yujia holding a night pearl walking towards the field from her cave residence.

Under the smooth glow of the night pearl, Xie Yujia seemed to carry an aura of sanctity. When she saw Hao Ren, there was a slight pause in her movement.

"You're here as well" She asked softly.

"Yeah, I came up for some cultivation practice. Did you borrow flying magic tools from Zhen Cunming again" Hao Ren inquired.

"Yes, I don't want to trouble you and Xiao Bai every time," Xie Yujia nodded.

Hao Ren knew that Zhen Cunming's treasures and magical equipment were extremely practical and easy to use even with a slight amount of mana. Since the array formation was reinstalled by Zhen Cunming, it would be very simple for him to give Xie Yujia a key to activate it.

"It’s still not safe to go up to the fifth level alone; call me in the future," Hao Ren said.

“Mm-hmm…” Xie Yujia held the night pearl and slowly squatted down, checking on the growth of these spirit grasses.

Clearly, she had also been cultivating until midnight but was unable to calm her mind. Thus, she came out here to observe the plants and clear her thoughts a bit.

"Who picked you up today with Bentley" Xie Yujia touched a spirit grass that retracted its leaves like a shy plant, asking casually.

“Oh, it was Zhao Yanzi's grandfather. He returned from abroad and wanted to see me.” Hao Ren replied.

"I see… How did the visit go" Xie Yujia asked offhandedly as she moved on to examine another spirit grass.

“Everything’s fine,” Hao Ren smiled.

"The whole school is buzzing with talk about you," Xie Yujia said softly as she walked over to check the other spirit grasses.

The valley was pitch black, yet one could see the bright moon and stars hanging on the peaks. With Xie Yujia holding a night pearl, her face alone was illuminated, making her look very beautiful.

Recently, she had been continuously taking Foundation Establishment Pill to forcefully elevate her cultivation from Eighth Stage to Ninth Stage.

Of course, such a practice of consuming one Fourth Tier Foundation Establishment Pill every day would make practitioners from Fifth or Sixth Level sects jealous into vomiting blood if they knew about it.

"Speaking of which, Zhen Cunming is in a relationship now," Xie Yujia suddenly turned and said to Hao Ren.hind her shouting. He couldn’t help but smile.He then turned his head to look at Xie Yujia, seeing her face flushed red as if it were a ripe apple."You're the bad guy!" Seeing Hao Ren tacitly agreeing...