Yue Xuan? Then I'll choose Tang Yuehua!

In less than fifteen minutes, two hundred fallen ones clad in black armor lined up below the stage. Each was burly, their Blood Fiend Energy incredibly dense. Their heads were bowed, hands at their sides, awaiting orders.

Chen Chu stood and slowly walked to the front of the formation. The two hundred figures in black armor remained motionless, only the Blood Fiend Energy within them slowly circulated, like dormant beasts.

"Lift your heads." Chen Chu's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally penetrating.

The fallen ones raised their heads in unison. Within their eyes, hidden by black cloth, was bloodthirsty madness, excitement, and a hint of confusion. They could feel that the blood energy emanating from Chen Chu was more terrifying than the King of Slaughter's, and it felt familiar—it was the Blood Scythe Slaughter God!

Someone recognized him.

The blood-red Soul Power in Chen Chu's hand reappeared and slowly rose into the air, transforming into two hundred blood threads as fine as hair, hovering above each fallen one's head.

"This is a Blood Contract," he explained word by word. "From today on, your lives belong to me."

As his voice fell, the blood threads suspended in the air suddenly descended, precisely piercing the center of each fallen one's brow.

There were no screams, only neat, muffled groans. The moment the blood threads entered their bodies, they could clearly feel a force coiling around their internal organs, like an invisible shackle being placed upon them.

"With the Blood Contract, you live; if the Blood Contract shatters, you die." Chen Chu's voice carried the coldness of blood energy. "Ao Tian is your commander. His orders are my orders. Dare to disobey, dare to desert, dare to kill innocents, and you won't need me to act; the Blood Contract will shatter your hearts, making you understand what it means to wish for death rather than life."

In the formation, a particularly burly Soul Emperor couldn't help but look up, a flicker of unwillingness in his eyes. He had a good life in Slaughter City and was part of the management in the legions. He felt he deserved different treatment. "My lord, if Commander Ao Tian's order... is for us to die? Are we really obligated to do so?"

As soon as he spoke, the surrounding fallen ones held their breath. Even the King of Slaughter broke into a sweat. How dare this fool openly question Chen Chu!

Chen Chu looked at the Soul Emperor, his expression and tone unchanged. "We will not let you make futile sacrifices. But if there is truly an order to die, then execute it. You will die with purpose; if you don't, you will die even more miserably."

He raised his hand, and the blood thread above the Soul Emperor's head suddenly tightened. The Soul Emperor's face instantly turned pale. He clutched his chest and knelt on the ground, his body convulsing. "My lord, spare me! Your subordinate knows his mistake!"

"You must understand that here, you have no so-called human rights. You are merely my servants, my tools. Perform well, and I will give you the chance to procreate, to protect your children. Perform poorly, and I will show no mercy!"

Chen Chu moved his palm slightly, and the blood thread loosened. The Soul Emperor collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, his back drenched in cold sweat. In that instant, he had truly felt as if his heart was about to shatter. That near-death terror was more frightening than any life-or-death battle he had experienced in the Slaughter Arena.

"Does anyone else have questions?" Chen Chu swept his gaze across the formation and asked sternly. No one dared to look up now.

"Very good." Chen Chu nodded and sent a message to Ao Tian. "Come to the entrance of Slaughter City and bring the people away."

Ao Tian's voice came from the other end of the communication Soul Tool: "Coming immediately, my lord."

Seeing this, the King of Slaughter quickly stepped forward and bowed. "My lord, I will send people to meet them right away."

Chen Chu nodded. Once everything was prepared, he withdrew his consciousness and exited Slaughter City.

He opened his eyes. The sky was already faintly bright. Time in Slaughter City was slightly different from the outside, seemingly a bit faster.

Chen Chu got up, washed up briefly, and then went to the Imperial Guard camp outside the city for his routine inspection. After checking everything, he clocked out.

"Earl, there's an invitation for you." As soon as he returned to his residence, the butler walked over with a silver-edged, silk-blue booklet and presented it to Chen Chu.

Chen Chu took the invitation. When his fingertips touched the silver edge, he felt a faint fluctuation of Soul Power. It was a sealing technique unique to nobles, which only those with Soul Power could unravel.

He opened the booklet. Six golden characters, "Moonlight Pavilion Graduation Ceremony," appeared on the paper, followed by the signature "Tang Yuehua" in elegant, noble handwriting.

"Who sent it?" Chen Chu asked calmly, his gaze sweeping over a small slip of paper tucked inside the invitation.

The butler bowed. "A maid from Moonlight Pavilion. She said that His Highness the Crown Prince specifically instructed that you must attend the banquet three days from now, at the hour of Chen. She also said... that only you yourself can see the contents of this invitation."

Chen Chu nodded in understanding. He unfolded the slip of paper, skipping over the messy content.

He directly saw a few small characters at the very bottom: "We hope Mr. Chen Chu can meet privately in the rear courtyard's Orchid Pavilion after the ceremony." The handwriting was sharper than the signature, carrying an undeniable tone of authority.

He held the slip of paper in his hand, his Soul Power flowing slightly. The paper instantly turned to ashes.

"Understood. Keep it. Remind me to attend in three days," Chen Chu handed the invitation back to the butler, gave the instruction, and turned towards his study.

He wasn't too surprised by Qian Renxue's reaction. After all, he had taken food from her bowl. It would be more problematic if she didn't come to find him.

"She wants me to go to Moonlight Pavilion? What does she mean by that?"

"Moonlight Pavilion is where imperial noble children learn etiquette, with a majority of females."

Chen Chu recalled the specifics of Moonlight Pavilion, a slight smile forming on his lips. It seemed Qian Renxue wanted to test what he truly desired.

If he wanted power, he would join the Crown Prince's faction. If he wanted resources, then he and she would be in a cooperative relationship.

If he wanted pleasure, then presumably, whoever he chose from the women in Moonlight Pavilion, the Crown Prince would send to his residence, at his disposal.

"Since that's the case, I'll play along," Chen Chu sneered. If he remembered correctly, the master of Moonlight Pavilion was a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect Master, Tang Hao's own sister, and held considerable status in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Among all of Moonlight Pavilion, she was probably the most difficult to deal with. He would specifically give her a difficult task: he wanted Tang Yuehua. He wanted to see how the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would choose, and how Qian Renxue would act.

As for Tang Yuehua, Chen Chu didn't feel he owed her anything. A woman teaching etiquette to girls under the emperor's nose? If you said this woman was benevolent, he wouldn't believe it. She had likely selected countless innocent girls from commoners and noble families to send to the imperial family for the pleasure of nobles.

Tang Yuehua, a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect and Tang Hao's sister, opening Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou City to teach etiquette—this in itself was suspicious.

The Clear Sky Sect had been in seclusion for many years, yet she remained in the secular world. Rather than seeking seclusion, it was more like keeping an eye on Heaven Dou's movements for the Clear Sky Sect, or perhaps using certain means to maintain good relations with Heaven Dou.

"If I can trick her over... Hmph," Chen Chu's lips curled into a cold smile. Clear Sky Sect, I'll see if you hate Qian Renxue or not. After all, Martial Soul Hall claims Tang Hao is your father's killer.

Will you endure it for the sake of your plan, or will you offend them for your father, making Xue Ye suspicious? We shall wait and see!