"Third Prince, just give up. You can't escape anymore!"
"If you don't want to die, there's another option. The sacrifice that 'precious treasure' of yours. As long as you're no longer a threat to our Crown Prince, we can let you live."
Standing at the top of a towering waterfall, hundreds of meters high, Dai Mubai found himself cornered. Leading the charge was the Soul Hunter Team's commander, the Fierce Lion Soul Master, Lin Lie, who stepped closer with a mocking smirk, offering an ultimatum.
"Never!"
Dai Mubai's face was filled with fury, his fists clenched tightly, his resolve unbroken. Sacrificing that treasure? What would be the point of escaping if he did that?
"Hmph! Since you refuse, Third Prince, we have no choice but to use the harshest method!"
With a cold snort, Lin Lie signaled his team to advance, gradually forcing Dai Mubai further into a desperate situation.
In front of him was certain death. Behind him, only the deadly drop of the waterfall remained.
In this hopeless situation, Dai Mubai had only one option left.
He could either die at their hands or risk his life by leaping into the waterfall. There was a chance—albeit a small one—that the water below would save him.
If the pool was deep enough, he might survive. Otherwise, the fall would undoubtedly be fatal.
But even then, he'd rather take his chances with the fall than be mutilated by them.
With gritted teeth and a fierce determination, Dai Mubai made his decision. Under the watchful eyes of the Soul Hunter Team, he leaped from the cliff, diving headlong into the raging waters below.
In moments, his body crashed into the water, disappearing from view.
"Damn it! After him!"
Seeing Dai Mubai take the plunge, Lin Lie cursed in frustration. He barked orders to his team, quickly leading them down the side of the waterfall to continue the pursuit.
They needed to find him, dead or alive. No matter what.
…
Did Dai Mubai die?
Of course not!
Though the fall had nearly killed him—leaving him bruised and unconscious—he was still clinging to life as the river swept him downstream.
Meanwhile, downstream of the waterfall, Tang San and his group had set up camp, taking a short break to rest and recover.
In the original story, everything would have fallen to Tang San to handle alone, but this time, with Tang Hao around, hunting for food and protecting the group was taken care of.
Yu Xiaogang, the master, took it upon himself to manage the daily chores, while Tang San was responsible for fetching water.
As Tang San made his way to the riverbank with his water container, he suddenly noticed something floating down the river.
A white figure, drifting in the current.
Was it a person? Or a corpse?
After a moment of hesitation, Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Spirit and extended it out into the river, pulling the figure onto the shore.
Given their current fugitive status, saving a stranger might not be the wisest move. There was always the chance that the person could report their whereabouts to the Spirit Hall.
But Tang San had a strong sense of justice, an inner code of conduct from his previous life as a martial artist in another world. He had to help.
Despite the risks, he chose to intervene, pulling the unconscious figure from the river.
Upon closer inspection, Tang San quickly realized that this person was not a stranger at all.
It was none other than Dai Mubai, someone he'd seen during a previous broadcast!
"Wait... this is Dai Mubai?"
Recognizing him, Tang San was both surprised and thrilled.
Ever since being declared enemies of the Spirit Hall, it seemed like the whole world had turned against them. Even his sect, the Clear Sky Clan, had been fractured, with only his uncle Tang Xiao standing by his side.
Among those who might still ally with him, there were only a handful of individuals he could rely on—those represented by the seven statues he had seen during a previous broadcast, all destined to ascend to godhood with his help.
Dai Mubai was one of those seven.
If he could support Dai Mubai's rise to power, perhaps he could even help place him on the throne of the Star Luo Empire. If that happened, the empire might become a powerful ally against the Spirit Hall.
So, seeing that he had saved Dai Mubai, Tang San hurriedly brought him back to the group.
There, Yu Xiaogang, ever the scholar and master of all trades, took it upon himself to perform CPR. Slowly, Dai Mubai began to cough up water, and after a few tense moments, his eyes fluttered open.
However, as soon as Dai Mubai realized that it was a man giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he was horrified, immediately recoiling in disgust and instinctively throwing a punch, sending Yu Xiaogang flying.
"You're awake!" Tang San quickly approached, relieved to see Dai Mubai regaining consciousness.
"Who are you?"
Still in a daze, Dai Mubai quickly assessed his surroundings, realizing he had been saved by strangers.
After some conversation, he learned that his saviors were none other than Tang San and his companions, the very people he had been hoping to meet through his connection with Shrek Academy.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Dai Mubai could hardly contain his excitement.
According to the future broadcasts, his comeback would rely entirely on Tang San. It was Tang San's help that would eventually lead him to godhood.
Grateful and eager to forge this alliance, Dai Mubai quickly joined Tang San's group.
Soon after, the Soul Hunter Team caught up with them, but they didn't stand a chance—Tang Hao effortlessly wiped them out.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu, who had returned to the northwestern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, remained unaware of Dai Mubai's fate.
But even if Lin Yu had known, he wouldn't have cared.
Dai Mubai's eventual success depended on the immortal herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. But now, with Lin Yu's interference, Tang San was unlikely to ever find it.
Lin Yu intended to claim the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for himself. Tang San would be left with nothing but regret.
…
One month had passed since the last live broadcast.
Finally, the fourteenth broadcast was about to begin.
On the appointed day, as always, everyone across the continent was eagerly awaiting the show to start.
Lin Yu, too, was waiting patiently in his hotel room.
As the clock struck ten, an invisible wave swept across the Douluo Continent, pulling everyone into the live broadcast room once again.