Star Luo Empire Tremors

Over the course of several days and nights, the Star Luo Empire was thrown into tremendous turmoil.

The deaths of En Ci and Hu Jie meant little to Di Tian and the Demon Empress—not even worth wasting a few extra words on—but it was an entirely different matter for the Star Luo Empire and the Tang Sect.

En Ci was the dean of Monster Academy in the Star Luo Empire, the Imperial Preceptor, and the master of the Royal Offering Hall. Calling him a pillar that held up the heavens and supported the seas would not have been an exaggeration.

That day, Star Luo's ruler, Dai Tianling, was in the imperial palace, having just finished the morning court session.

The deputy master of the Royal Offering Hall, a Super Douluo, disregarded the Imperial Rules. At top speed, he forced his way through the Imperial Guard and stormed into the palace.

"Your Majesty, the hall master... he, he has fallen!"

Dai Tianling, who had been wondering why the deputy master of the Offering Hall had dared force his way through the palace's strict prohibitions, was struck dumb by the news of En Ci's death.

Bang!

He slapped the table and sprang to his feet, crying out in disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible!"

"My teacher En Ci is invincible beneath the heavens!"

"He is a Limit Douluo, and the only Four-Word Battle Armor Master in our Star Luo Empire!"

"You are deceiving me!"

"Do you think that just because you are the deputy master of the Offering Hall, I would not dare punish you for the Crime of Deceiving the Emperor?!"

Facing Dai Tianling's extraordinary fury, the deputy master of the Offering Hall wore a bitter expression. He, too, had refused to believe the news at first, but after the numerous offerings of the hall verified it, En Ci's death had become an undeniable fact.

"Your Majesty, Hall Master En Ci has been confirmed dead."

"He accepted the invitation of Smiling Douluo Hu Jie, the person in charge of the Tang Sect's Star Luo branch, and went to Dragon Valley. In the end, he and Smiling Douluo Hu Jie both perished there."

"The Tang Sect has also confirmed this news and informed us that this was by no means a deliberate scheme by the Tang Sect. The Tang Sect's deputy sect master, Amatory Douluo Zang Xin, will soon come to the Star Luo Empire to meet with Your Majesty."

Dai Tianling's last shred of composure suppressed his furious emotions, restoring his rational judgment. He knew that no one would dare commit the Crime of Deceiving the Emperor, much less joke with him about En Ci's death.

This established fact was like an enormous hammer crashing heavily onto Dai Tianling's head. His mind went dizzy, his vision darkened, and he collapsed back into the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Seeing this, the deputy master of the Offering Hall turned pale with fright and immediately flew forward.

He was truly terrified. If anything really happened to Dai Tianling, this Super Douluo who had forcibly entered the palace would never be able to clear his name, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Fortunately, Dai Tianling's next reaction made the heart that had leapt into his throat settle again.

Dai Tianling had not fainted. Instead, he suddenly grabbed him and endured his grief as he said:

"Teacher En Ci once left me several brocade sacks. He told me that I could only open them in times of crisis. One of them, he instructed me to open only after his death."

"Th-then that's wonderful!"

"Deputy Master, I must trouble you to guard the palace gates. Without my Imperial Decree, no one is to enter!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Once the imperial palace had been completely sealed off, Dai Tianling took a brocade sack from a hidden compartment beneath the dragon throne. Inside was a sheet of letter paper.

Tianling, when you open this brocade sack, your teacher has most likely already fallen.

All men must die. There is no need for sorrow or grief.

I left behind this brocade sack only because I worried about what would come after my death. If I were to die unexpectedly, I would surely have died at the hands of a powerful enemy. Without the deterrence of a Limit Douluo, the empire and the capital would inevitably be in danger.

But what Your Majesty does not know is that our Star Luo Empire actually possesses a second Limit Douluo: my eldest disciple, Qilin Douluo Tong Yu.

When he read this, Dai Tianling frowned in astonishment, but he immediately continued reading.

I know that Your Majesty has long been dissatisfied with Tong Yu, an imperial criminal who has lost the people's support.

However, there were many buried truths behind what happened back then.

Tong Yu loved a girl from childhood, but ultimately could not win her heart. Heartbroken, he took poison in an attempt to kill himself, causing a beneficial mutation in his martial soul. Rebuked by his family, he went alone to study at Monster Academy.

Tong Yu's mother was unable to contact him, so she repeatedly asked the now-married girl about him. She annoyed the girl so much that the girl eventually had her hamstrings cut.

That was why Tong Yu killed that girl.

But Tong Yu had only cut that girl's hamstrings at the time. He had not actually killed her, much less tortured her to death as the rumors claimed. The girl died because she did not receive timely treatment and bled excessively.

Whether Tong Yu had intended to kill that girl or not, I, as his teacher, do not believe he was in the wrong.

But Tong Yu did not see it that way. He believed that killing a girl who had already become a mother in front of her son was an unforgivable crime. He offered no defense and willingly accepted the punishment of imperial law to atone for his sins.

Sigh~ As his teacher, I could only lament that he had failed to live up to expectations.

I must trouble Your Majesty to pass a message to Tong Yu for me: Being a simp for a woman who did not have even the slightest affection for you, while betraying the mother who loved you—you have utterly disgraced eighteen generations of the Tong family's ancestors!

The truth of those events is enough to clear Tong Yu's name. Your Majesty may employ him without reservation.

Tong Yu's mutated Five Elements Qilin Soul, like my Light Sacred Dragon, possesses the bloodline of a divine beast. It can nurture four-word battle armor, and with the joint forging efforts of several master craftsmen of the empire, he can become another Limit Douluo and Four-Word Battle Armor Master.

Moreover, Tong Yu's talent surpasses mine. He is in the prime of his life and can fully strip away the false to preserve the true at the Limit Douluo realm, ascend to the realm of a Quasi-God, become invincible across the continent, and serve as the Star Luo Empire's new guardian deity.

However, Tong Yu is a stubborn child. If you wish for him to sincerely serve the empire, you must never invoke past favors to demand repayment—not even in my capacity as his teacher.

Tianling, you must show Tong Yu the care one would show family, so that he willingly chooses to remain and assist you. Only sincerity can earn sincerity. Otherwise, the departure or stay of a Limit powerhouse is not something you can decide.

A thousand words could not express what filled his heart. Tianling, your teacher was gone.

"Drip, drip..."

Dai Tianling's fierce eyes brimmed with tears, his nose stinging. Sitting on the ground and leaning against the dragon throne, he remained dazed for a long while.

En Ci had no children. Though he and En Ci called each other teacher and student, they were truly more like father and son. Beyond their roles as ruler and subject, they shared a rare father-son bond.

Who knew how much time passed before the responsibility of the empire resting on his shoulders forced Dai Tianling to pull himself together.

Looking at the dense mass of figures outside the palace gates, he used the cuff of his bright yellow dragon robe to wipe away his tears.

"Deputy Hall Master, all of you, come in."

The clamor outside abruptly fell silent. The next moment, a crowd surged inside all at once.

His empress, his children, loyal ministers of the empire, royal consecrated experts... Voices of concern and consolation rose without end.

Dai Tianling raised a hand and pressed down, signaling everyone to quiet down.

His gaze swept over the many royal princesses again and again as he continually weighed his options.

Alas... all the older princesses are already married.

This one won't do. She isn't from my branch.

This one won't do either...

In the end, his gaze settled on...