Douluo Dalu 2: Heavenly Eyed Douluo

Lang Ya, one of the intermediate ranking elders of the mysterious and domineering Body Sect. However, unlike his sect brothers and sisters, he held a quite special status among his peers.

For he possessed a rare spiritual-type martial soul!

If a soul master was one in a thousand, having a spiritual-type martial soul was once in a million; it's even more rare when it's also in the "Body" category of martial souls! A chance that was one in a thousand in soul masters.

Simply put, he was born as a heaven's chosen! Though that was simply Lang Ya's opinion, it was one without merit and many in the Body Sect shared.

He was 42 years old and a Soul Douluo, he still hasn't hit his full potential yet. Given time, he would become a Titled Douluo!

His spiritual-type martial soul gave him powerful mental abilities, including hypnosis and control over weaker minds. It was this very innate ability, and add with the complimentary soul skills, that had given him an edge in countless encounters. In the same cultivation realm, he was unbeatable!

He and his brother, Yu Tao, came to Star Luo City in order to witness the tournament and look out for any promising talents to recruit into their sect.

They didn't really have much expectation, Body Martial Souls are pretty rare in the soul master world and they're typically hidden by any sect or organization, excluding the Body Sect, in order to cultivate them into their full potential without anyone poaching them.

But who would've thought, they'd actually managed to find a very promising talent! And with a spiritual-type Body Martial Soul at that!

That talent was Huo Yuhao and his martial soul was his eyes called the Sharingan, they had found out about him after some digging.

Top tier martial soul, cultivation speed and combat prowess...This boy had potential similar to the body sect heir! No, he might even be more talented!

They had to recruit him, not only for the benefit of their sect, but also because Lang Ya and Yu Tao would receive great rewards for their contribution.

And so, they decided to confront Huo Yuhao in the hotel to recruit him diplomatically...at first. But if he didn't accept their generous offer, well, they would be forced to take drastic measures and simply just take him away.

In Lang Ya's mind, there was no one in the Star Luo City that could stop him and his brother from doing whatever they wanted. Of course, unless they encounter a Transcendent Douluo, but what are the chances of that happening?

Sure Huo Yuhao was from Shrek Academy, one of the most powerful behemoths in the continent that even their sect master respected, but Lang Ya and Yu Tao had observed their group for a while now and found no traces of other teachers aside from that weak Soul King.

Initially, they were supposed to wait until they left the city for extra measure.... but after Huo Yuhao's spectacle earlier, there was no way they could hold back anymore.

And so, everything was going to go according to plan.

Or at least, that was what Lang Ya had thought before the world around him seemed to warp and he suddenly found himself strapped onto a wooden cross, his arms and legs bound tightly.

'W-What's happening? What? Huh?!' His eyes widened in shock.

The sky above was a swirling mix of dark clouds, his entire body was a shade of black and white, as if he had been pulled into a twisted monochrome nightmare.

The air was thick, heavy with an oppressive silence, it was even more eerie with a clear red moon with the three-tomoe Sharingan pattern glowing ominously in the sky. The crimson light from the moon bathed the entire landscape, casting long, distorted shadows that seemed to move and twist unnaturally. Lang Ya's heart pounded in his chest as panic set in.

He struggled against the bonds holding him to the wooden cross, but his movements were futile. He tried using his martial soul, but it seemed to have been sealed.

The cold, unyielding wood pressed into his back, and the eerie silence amplified the sound of his own ragged breathing.

"What...is this place?!" Lang Ya gasped, his voice echoing strangely in the oppressive stillness.

Whistle~

(AN: Think of Negan's whistling[The Walking Dead])

The silence was broken by a slow, haunting whistle echoing through the desolate landscape. It was a chilling, almost mocking sound that sent shivers down Lang Ya's spine.

Lang Ya's eyes darted frantically around, trying to locate the source of the sound. "Who's there?! What do you want?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear and frustration.

The whistling grew louder, more deliberate, as slow, deliberate footsteps echoed towards him.

"You—!"

Lang Ya's head jerked up, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he saw a familiar face walking slowly towards him.

In front of him stood Huo Yuhao, his expression cold and detached. The ominous red of his Mangekyou Sharingan gleamed, casting an eerie glow in the dim surroundings.

"Welcome to Tsukuyomi," Huo Yuhao's voice echoed, calm yet carrying an edge of menace. "Here, time moves differently. What may seem like hours will pass in mere moments outside. And in this world, I control everything."

Lang Ya's eyes widened in terror. He tried to struggle, to summon his spiritual power, but found himself completely immobilized. "W-What is this?! How....how did you—?"

His thoughts run wild, the first thing that came to his mind was that Huo Yuhao's martial soul had undergone a second awakening!

The Second Awakening is something unique to a Body Soul. It refers to an evolution in the Spirit. It also means that a Body Soul can evolve one level higher than others.

There are even different levels of this Second Awakening. The Body Sect categorizes them into four levels. After the Second Awakening is completed, light projections formed from the individual's Martial Soul/s will appear behind him as he unleashes his evolved abilities.

The color of this projection is very key to understanding the level of one's Second Awakening:

•Iron-ranked: A black projection carrying a metal glow appears during an Iron-ranked Second Awakening. After this Awakening, the fighting strength of the individual's martial soul will increase by thirty percent or more. This is the most common one among the Body Sect members.

•Bronze-ranked: A bronze glow represents a Bronze-ranked Second Awakening. After this Awakening, the fighting strength of the individual's martial soul will increase by sixty percent. This level is considered rare to find.

•Silver-ranked: One level higher is Silver. Such an Awakening will only appear in more important body parts, such as the skeleton or head. Once the Awakening is completed, one's fighting strength can double. Some can even increase their fighting strength by a level. A Soul King can temporarily possess the offensive abilities of a Soul Emperor. This is already very rare, with not more than 10 members possessing this talent.

•Gold-ranked: The rarest and scariest rank is a Gold-ranked Second Awakening. The light projection created will be golden. Such a soul master possesses great explosive power, but this will vary between different soul masters depending on the strength of their martial soul. When they undergo their Second Awakening, their offensive strength might even increase up to three times their normal standard. However, at the Gold-ranked level, one's life power might be completely drained! It has only ever been achieved by the Body Sect leaders in the past.

Lang Ya had only managed to get a Bronze-ranked Second Awakening, which is why he was confident he could hold himself against Titled Douluos.

It was this very reasoning that he came to the conclusion that Huo Yuhao had attained Second Awakening! He clearly recalled seeing five soul rings, with the fifth being a hundred thousand years old.

That might be the explanation for why the boy was so strong.

The rank shouldn't be lower than silver...or it even be Gold!?

'But how?! I thought only we had the method on initiating a second awakening among our members. Did someone leak it? Is there a traitor among us?!'

Huo Yuhao stepped closer, his gaze never leaving Lang Ya's panicked and confused face. "You thought you could control me? That you could manipulate my mind? Heh, big mistake on doing that to me."

Ling Ya snapped out of his thoughts quickly and frantically said,

"I-I didn't mean to control you! I just wanted to have a private and peaceful talk with you. Listen, my brother and I—"

"Save it. I already saw through your memories. So lying won't help you now," Huo Yuhao interrupted coldly.

He raised his hand and a katana appeared in his palm, its sharp pointy edge was pressed against Lang Ya's abdomen—specifically where his liver was. "You and your brother planned to take me by force if I didn't comply. Private and peaceful? Don't make me laugh."

Lang Ya's face contorted with anger and desperation. "Y-You dare harm me?! Don't you know who I am? Even the Sea God Pavilion doesn't dare come after the Body Sect! You even put a scratch on me and we'll raze the entire academy to ashes!"

"Hahahaha!"

To Lang Ya's surprise however, Huo Yuhao laughed, a cold and chilling sound that echoed through the desolate landscape.

His expression remained calm, but his eyes...he looked at Lang Ya in a mix of contempt and amusement.

"You think your threats scare me?" Huo Yuhao said, his voice was low and menacing. "The Body Sect might be powerful, but they aren't untouchable. And as for razing Shrek Academy? You'd be signing your own death warrant, the price would be too steep."

He then slowly pierced Lang Ya's liver, eliciting a painful groan.

Huo Yuhao leaned forward and said, "Do you really think they'd take revenge for a single elder who is well past his prime?"

"You—! Gah! What the..." Just as Lang Ya was about to cuss the boy out, he was once again stabbed, but this time, it was from behind.

But how was that possible? Huo Yuhao was still standing right in front of him, with the blade still lodged in his body!

"No..." He then looked up and his entire face went deathly pale.

As dozens of Huo Yuhao, wielding numerous weapons: swords, daggers, knives, bats, brass knuckles, etc. appeared before Lang Ya.

"Don't worry, all of this isn't real. Tsukuyomi is merely an illusion. This is all in your head, so you don't have to worry about bleeding out or anything," Huo Yuhao explained as he pulled out before stabbing straight at Lang Ya's stomach.

"Gah! Aaaaahh!"

Huo Yuhao smiled coldly, "However....you will still feel pain. And so for the next 72 hours, you'll experience every ounce of agony you would ever think of...and I'll be the one to inflict it on you."

He pulled the sword out, before stabbing Lang Ya once more.

"I hope you don't break. Cause I still have a...few experiments I wanted to enact, and you're the perfect test subject."

"N-No. No! No! NOOOOO!!"

.....

"—kuyomi!" Huo Yuhao blinked, blood dripping from his right eye, his vision became hazy for a short while.

"Huh? What just happened?" Wang Yan muttered as he and the rest shook their heads, having been freed from the influence of Lang Ya.

Thump!*

"B-Brother?!"

Meanwhile, Lang Ya dropped to the ground; his eyes completely white and he started foaming from the mouth.

Yu Tao quickly rushed to his brother's side, his face a mask of panic and disbelief. "Lang Ya! What happened?!" He shook him violently, trying to rouse him from his stupor, but Lang Ya remained unresponsive, his body convulsing slightly as foam continued to bubble from his mouth.

The sight sent chills through everyone present. Even the most hardened members of the Shrek team were taken aback by Lang Ya's condition.

Huo Yuhao wiped the blood from his eye, his expression calm but weary. "He overestimated his abilities and paid the price," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the fatigue evident in his posture.

Yu Tao's face contorted into complete anger and he looked up at Huo Yuhao with a murderous glare. "I'll kill you! Aaarrgh!!" His unnaturally long and bulky right arm grew larger, eight soul rings shimmered around his arm.

Purple, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, and black soul rings rhythmically floated around his arm.

He then threw a punch at Huo Yuhao, some of his soul rings shone and his arm started radiating powerful undulations of soul power.

"Yuhao!!" Wang Yan and the rest called out in fear. Ma Xiaotao, Xi Xi, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Xuu Sanshi quickly started to move to defend him.

Staring at such a large fist, which would surely turn him to paste if he doesn't use his Susano, Huo Yuhao smiled.

"Well, are you going to show up now or not...Elder Xuan?"

Then, out of nowhere, Elder Xuan appeared before the large fist and used his gourd to stop the punch.

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AN: Aight, last chance of the week to get an extra chapter. If this story gets either 10 new reviews or 100 power stones within 24 hours, you guys get an extra chapter.

Btw, I got a code here: 97397 for 50% on membership~ C'mon now, feel the spirit of Christmas~