Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

"I command you to forget everything you just saw!" Leng Yaozhu glared fiercely at Xia Yi.

Xia Yi ignored her and looked at Long Yali, cautiously asking, "There isn't a manga or anime adaptation of this book, right?"

Leng Yaozhu immediately realized the implication of his question and whipped her head around to stare at Long Yali.

She was in this book too.

Although she hadn't read it, she could guess it was probably no better than Yali's depiction.

If it were just a book, only words on a page, that wouldn't be so bad.

It would be embarrassing, but not nearly as terrifying as having it adapted into manga or anime.

After seeing the work Seagod's Lone Hero, she knew all too well how frightening Cun Ying's technical prowess was.

The characters he drew were nearly indistinguishable from real people.

This was evident from the cover of The Carefree Tale of the Heavenly Fox.

Fortunately, the characters on that cover were clothed.

Though the outfits were a bit revealing, they didn't cross the line into indecency.

But if Cun Ying actually turned every detail from the book into manga or anime…

Leng Yaozhu couldn't even bear to imagine that scene.

"There isn't one right now," Long Yali replied solemnly.

"What do you mean by 'right now'?" Leng Yaozhu asked with difficulty.

"The author's note by Cun Ying says this is just the 'Mortal World Arc.' Once he finishes the 'Divine Realm Arc,' he'll start working on the manga and anime adaptations," Long Yali said seriously.

"No way! We must find a way to stop it." Leng Yaozhu's face turned pale with fear. She looked urgently at Xia Yi and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Damn that Holy Spirit Cult… Damn that Cun Ying… When I'm powerful enough, they'll pay for this," Xia Yi cursed, ignoring Leng Yaozhu.

He knew this was all the Demon Emperor's doing.

One book poking fun at him was one thing.

There might be a Divine Realm Arc someday, but turning it into manga or anime? Highly unlikely.

After all, the book didn't just feature him—Gu Yue was in it too.

If it really did get an anime adaptation, Gu Yue would bring Di Tian to fight to the death.

The Demon Emperor wouldn't go that far as to make an enemy of the entire Star Dou Forest.

The author's note was probably just meant to scare people like Leng Yaozhu.

"I'm talking to you!" Leng Yaozhu glared at Xia Yi again. "Knowing you, you're probably secretly enjoying this. Stop pretending to be upset."

"What would I be happy about?" Xia Yi gritted his teeth. "Cun Ying is spreading lies. How dare he write nonsense without evidence!"

Leng Yaozhu looked at Xia Yi as if he were an idiot. Obviously, even a three-year-old could tell it was all made up.

Under Leng Yaozhu's scornful gaze, Xia Yi continued coldly, "Saying I'm only 20 centimeters… Unforgivable."

[T/N: Meaning 7 inches. Which bigger than average size in our world]

Though he'd only skimmed the book, he'd caught that critical detail.

Leng Yaozhu and Long Yali were stunned. Long Yali's eyes widened in shock.

He dared to say that in front of Leng Yaozhu?

Was he tired of living?

"Xiao Li, go out. And close the door behind you," Leng Yaozhu said, cracking her knuckles menacingly, just like Yali had done earlier.

Seeing the murderous look in her eyes, Long Yali shuddered.

She silently prayed for Xia Yi's safety before leaving the room.

The moment the door closed, Xia Yi's screams echoed, "Sis, it hurts! Go easy! Go easy…"

But the office was soundproofed. No sound escaped.

"Quit overreacting. I haven't even touched you yet," Leng Yaozhu said, her face dark.

"Oh… You didn't?" Xia Yi sighed in relief, slowly lowering his arms from his head.

"Such disrespect!" Leng Yaozhu finally smacked him on the head.

"Ow! You were just waiting for me to let my guard down!" Xia Yi said indignantly.

"You deserved it." She glared at him again. "So, what do you make of all this?"

"You burned the book. What's left to analyze?" Xia Yi muttered under his breath. But seeing her icy stare, he straightened up and asked, "First, who are all the women on the cover?"

"They include the royal empress, the matriarch of the Holy Family, the sister of the Yuanen Family's patriarch, the powerful women of the Seagod Pavilion (except for Yali), and influential members from major families in the Federation's government. Basically, besides Mu Xi and Gu Yue, who are related to you, they're all big names," Leng Yaozhu explained.

Xia Yi nodded and said, "Mu Xi and Gu Yue were probably included to drive the plot. Their connection to me got them involved. But the Holy Spirit Cult's real targets are the powerful figures. The Holy Spirit Cult is despicable, but they wouldn't go as far as making anime and manga of you all. That note at the end was likely just to scare you."

"Why do you think that?" Leng Yaozhu asked.

"The Holy Spirit Cult is strong, but not strong enough to take on the entire Douluo Continent. Before, none of you really united against them—Spirit Pagoda, Federation, and Shrek Academy were all divided. The Seagod Pavilion meeting three years ago looked powerful on the surface but was actually fragmented. But this time is different. The Carefree Tale of the Heavenly Fox attacks their families' honor. If the Holy Spirit Cult actually made anime or manga, they'd face a continent-wide backlash, and they'd lose more than they'd gain."

"That analysis makes sense." Leng Yaozhu nodded. "But why would Cun Ying try to scare us then?"

"I think the Holy Spirit Cult wants to force you to compromise," Xia Yi said.

"Compromise?" Leng Yaozhu frowned.

"Exactly. Mentioning the Divine Realm Arc buys them time. If they finish writing and you haven't given in, they might actually start making the anime. They don't need to offend everyone at once. They could start by targeting a smaller family, uploading the anime online, or broadcasting it on TV. If anyone retaliates, they'll release their anime. In that scenario, you'd have no choice but to yield."

Leng Yaozhu fell silent. After a long pause, she muttered, "So, we're just going to be led by the nose by the Holy Spirit Cult?"

"Unless you're ready to face public humiliation like the Battle Royale incident, you'll have no choice," Xia Yi replied.

Leng Yaozhu shuddered. She'd rather die than face such humiliation.

Leng Yaozhu fell silent. If it really came to that, it would be more unbearable for her than death itself.

"Think it over quickly. Who knows when Cun Ying will finish the Divine Realm Arc," Xia Yi said again.

"Are you not worried at all? Don't forget, you're the male protagonist. No matter who the Holy Spirit Cult targets, you'll be dragged into it too," Leng Yaozhu said in a low voice.

"What can I do about it? I can't exactly force you to surrender to the Holy Spirit Cult," Xia Yi shook his head.

At this point, he only hoped that if the Demon Emperor really had to go that route, the male protagonist would be changed.

Some mild mischief would be enough.

Leng Yaozhu fell silent again. She couldn't surrender to the Holy Spirit Cult, but she didn't want to be turned into manga or anime either.

Unfortunately, she couldn't push the Holy Spirit Cult too hard at the moment.

If you stick your head out, you'll get shot. If she didn't give the Holy Spirit Cult some leeway, they might be able to force a confrontation.

"Do you think if I leave the Spirit Pagoda now, I'll get beaten up by a mob?" Xia Yi asked fearfully.

Although he was also a victim, no one could guarantee that the families or clans of other victims wouldn't vent their anger on him.

"Don't worry. I guarantee that anyone over the age of fifteen won't openly attack you," Leng Yaozhu's eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent.

Although everyone knew Xia Yi was innocent, without someone powerful standing up for him, there were still people who would take their anger out on him.

"That's still too terrifying." Xia Yi shook his head frantically, his scalp tingling at the thought of a crowd of teenagers pinning him down and beating him senseless.

...…

Deep in the Extreme North, the Demon Emperor smiled faintly, "See? I told you, you'll thank me for this."

(End of Chapter)