The Divine Court of Heavenly Principles Is Established, Its First Night Scout!

Chu Yuan gazed quietly at the black-clad girl kneeling at his feet, her posture respectful and devout. A flicker of satisfaction passed through his deep black eyes.

Although Douluo Continent was merely an anchor world for him to reshape the authority of Heavenly Principles, taking such a sharp hidden blade into his service would spare him considerable trouble, whether he gathered intelligence on the continent or swept away petty scoundrels in the future.

"Very good. Remember what you said tonight."

Chu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his majestic, indifferent voice sounding slowly:

"My name is Chu Yuan. The force you will serve is called the Divine Court of Heavenly Principles. Within the Divine Court, we care nothing for one's origins in mortal sects, much less this continent's foolish distinctions between noble and lowly Martial Souls. From this day forth, you shall be the first Night Scout under my command, responsible for gathering intelligence and purging threats in the shadows."

"The Divine Court of Heavenly Principles..."

Zhu Zhuqing's heart trembled slightly. Merely repeating those words to herself, she seemed to feel a radiant pressure that towered above both great empires and Spirit Hall.

She lowered her head even further and answered respectfully, "Your subordinate Zhu Zhuqing respectfully obeys your command, my lord!"

"Rise and release your Martial Soul."

Chu Yuan raised his right hand slightly and said in an even tone:

"Now that you have joined the Divine Court of Heavenly Principles, today I shall grant you a wisp of Heavenly Principles lightning-shadow power and wash away these shackles completely."

Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled at his words. Though she did not understand what "Heavenly Principles lightning-shadow power" was, her near godlike reverence for Chu Yuan and absolute obedience to him left her without the slightest hesitation. She immediately rose as instructed, stepped back twice, and focused on circulating her Soul Power.

Two bright yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings silently rose from beneath Zhu Zhuqing's slender legs.

Immediately afterward, the phantom of a lithe, long-limbed Hell Spirit Cat, black as ink from head to tail, appeared behind her.

As she activated Martial Soul Possession, Zhu Zhuqing's long black hair stirred without wind. Her cool eyes turned into vertical, eerie green cat pupils, and sharp cat claws an inch long extended from her ten fingertips, flashing with a chilling gleam.

Chu Yuan's gaze swept over the Hell Spirit Cat phantom behind her.

Under the Crown of Heavenly Principles' vision of laws, the civet Martial Soul was keen and agile, but deep within its origin lay an exceedingly faint gap that drew yin and yang together. Under the rules of Douluo Continent, that was precisely what caused her Martial Soul to resonate with Dai Mubai's.

"Dispel the gloom, fuse lightning into shadow."

Chu Yuan slowly raised his right hand and flicked a finger, sending a purple-black divine mark across the space between them and into Zhu Zhuqing's brow and the Hell Spirit Cat phantom behind her. It fused the extreme speed of Violet Firmament lightning with the spatial laws of the dark night!

"Mm...!"

The violent, pure power of lightning and shadow instantly swept through every inch of Zhu Zhuqing's bones, tempering her body!

An ordinary Soul Grandmaster of level twenty-something, washed over by lightning-shadow power containing a trace of divine authority, would likely have screamed in agony and fainted on the spot.

She clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists, forcing herself not to let out even the faintest whimper of pain!

Keqing watched from the side, and a flicker of approval appeared in her eyes. "What incredible endurance. Her resolve truly is impressive."

In the dark alley, countless fine purple-black arcs of electricity danced and leaped across Zhu Zhuqing's taut, shapely body.

The black cat's body, originally somewhat slight and cold, grew longer and more agile. The edge of every strand of shadowy fur was coated in mysterious, noble dark-purple lightning markings.

Its originally eerie green cat eyes became deep, icy dark-purple lightning pupils. Even the ten Nether claws extending from Zhu Zhuqing's hands were wreathed in a purple-black lightning-shadow edge, silent and imperceptible, yet capable of easily tearing through refined-iron heavy armor!

As her Martial Soul Origin underwent a complete transformation and ascension, the Soul Power within Zhu Zhuqing, which had only just broken through to level twenty-eight, surged once more like a river bursting its banks. It smashed through the peak of level twenty-eight with unstoppable momentum, carrying her straight into the realm of a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster!

Only after more than ten breaths did the purple-black lightning arcs surrounding Zhu Zhuqing gradually recede into her body.

Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes. A flash of lightning vanished in her dark-purple vertical pupils.

She looked down at the purple-black shadow claws flickering at her fingertips, feeling the lightness of her body, as though she had shed her mortal frame and bones.

A mere wisp of power bestowed with a casual flick of his finger had not only sent her Soul Power soaring to the peak of level twenty-nine in one leap, but also transformed the Nether Civet Martial Soul, passed down for hundreds upon hundreds of years, into the Hell Thunder Shadow Cat, which possessed both supreme concealment in shadow and explosive lightning power!

Now, never mind performing some Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Dai Mubai. Once she broke through to level thirty and acquired her Third Soul Ring, she was absolutely confident that her own lightning-shadow claws alone could tear apart Dai Mubai's prized White Tiger Protection Barrier head-on!

"Thank you, my lord, for granting me this art and remaking me!"

Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her Martial Soul and knelt on one knee once more. For the first time, her cool voice was tinged with excitement and fervent awe that she could scarcely conceal.

"This is only the beginning. As long as you devote yourself to your duties, the Titled Douluo of this continent, and even its so-called gods, may one day be beneath your notice."

Chu Yuan nodded calmly, then glanced at the five dead men on the ground. His fingertip moved slightly, and a wisp of blazing white elemental purifying flame drifted down, burning the five charred corpses completely into nothingness.

Keqing, standing nearby, saw that Zhu Zhuqing's black leather fighting outfit was torn in several places. Although her wounds had healed, her clothing scarcely covered her body, so Keqing took a spare dark-patterned black cloak from the storage space she carried and handed it to her:

"Now that you have entered our lord's service, walking the streets in those torn clothes would hardly be proper. Put this cloak on for now. You can change and freshen up when we return to the hotel."

"Thank you, Lady Keqing."

Zhu Zhuqing respectfully accepted the cloak with both hands and draped it over her shoulders, concealing her torn leather clothing and shapely, alluring figure beneath the voluminous black garment. Then, with utter naturalness, she concealed her entire presence, stepped back half a pace, and quietly took her place in the shadows to the side and behind Chu Yuan's group, instantly settling into her role as a Night Scout.

Mona blinked her large eyes and looked at Zhu Zhuqing, whose presence had completely blended into the night, even the sound of her footsteps having vanished entirely. She nodded in satisfaction:

"Not bad! The trajectory of her Star of Destiny has now become completely independent, turning into a cold dark-purple star with its sharp edge fully revealed!"

Chu Yuan chuckled, took Mona's soft little hand, and turned toward the long street beyond the dark alley, where the lights were growing sparse:

"It's late. Let's return to the hotel and rest first. Tomorrow morning, we'll pay a visit to that Rare Treasures Auction House in Suotuo City. As for Shrek Academy, without this Hell Spirit Cat, I'd like to see what tricks that sick cat and Tang San can still pull."

"Yes, my lord."

The night air was slightly cool. Clad in a black cloak, Zhu Zhuqing followed silently three paces behind. She looked up at the tall figure ahead, with two breathtakingly beautiful girls from another world nestled against him. Not a trace of gloom remained in her icy eyes, only loyalty as firm as a rock and a keen edge.