Because they dared to fight and always went after the toughest opponents, the Dragon Elephant Sect had an incredibly extensive network within the military. Even the Five Guardians of the Nation had to show them some respect.
As for Mingde Hall, it was the Sun Moon Empire's foremost Soul Engineer research institute. A great many of the Sun Moon Empire's high-level Soul Engineers were either members of Mingde Hall or had come from its ranks.
Aside from his status and strength, Jing Hongchen's skill as a Soul Engineer was also extraordinarily high. He could be called the person closest to being the Sun Moon Empire's second-ranked Soul Engineer.
With Kong Deming living in seclusion, Jing Hongchen was effectively the ultimate authority in the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Engineer world.
His brain might not work too well, but he was no fool. If things spiraled out of control and both families turned against the Fourth Prince, then forget fighting for the position of Crown Prince—he would probably even lose the Emperor's favor.
Just as the man was preparing to throw out a few threats, withdraw while preserving as much dignity as possible, and then secretly leave the matter to people who were better at thinking, two figures came flying through the air and crashed down like meteors.
One had an elephant's head and a human body, with a gemstone atop his head, two pairs of tusks protruding from his mouth, and a body over four meters tall, like a walking iron tower. The other was short and round, his skin covered in golden bumps, with a third eye reflected in the center of his brow.
Who else could they be but Chen Li and Jing Hongchen?
The moment Chen Li appeared with Soul Power erupting from his entire body, terror immediately appeared on the Fourth Prince's face.
Facing two Titled Douluo, one furious and the other enraged, he no longer dared to conceal his Martial Soul or Soul Power. A blazing sphere of fire filled with dense light energy appeared in his hand. It was the Sun Martial Soul, one of the sources behind the Sun Moon Empire's name.
As his Martial Soul was summoned, his Soul Rings naturally emerged.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black.
A set of Soul Rings that did not belong to a Titled Douluo—and was not even the optimal Soul Ring configuration—appeared beside the man. Chen Li and Jing Hongchen sensed him carefully and discovered that his strength was only Level 85.
At that moment, not only did Chen Li's expression turn savage, but even Jing Hongchen, who had appeared relatively calm before, wore a savage expression. However, his fury was not aimed at the Fourth Prince or his uncle, but at his cousin—the chief steward of Hongchen Mansion.
Others might not have known, but Jing Hongchen knew very well that his cousin had broken through to Level 88 five years ago.
Although his poor talent and excessive use of medicine during cultivation meant that he would find it difficult to advance any further in this lifetime, with no chance at all of becoming a Titled Douluo, his strength was still not weak among Soul Douluo when paired with Soul Tools. At the very least, he stood above the Sun Moon Empire's average level.
Yet a Level 88 Soul Douluo had been intimidated by the aura of a Level 85 Soul Douluo...
Don't blame it on taking too many pills and becoming unstable.
Yes, he had taken too many pills. Yes, his foundation was unstable.
But the problem was that the Soul Douluo opposite him was hardly any better. His foundation was just as unstable. They were both complete frauds.
The other man's Sun Martial Soul did not even have the optimal Soul Ring configuration, while his own was genuinely optimal. Looking closely, his strength should have contained even less of a hollow foundation.
Under those circumstances, a hollow Level 88 Soul Douluo had been forced back by a similarly hollow but weaker Level 85 Soul Douluo?
Jing Hongchen's cousin, Qian Hongchen, took a step back, cold sweat dripping continuously from his head. He wanted to explain, but he did not know how to begin. It was not as though he had not considered running, but the instant he so much as shifted his feet, he could feel the countless Soul Tools locking onto him.
"I'm finished." Qian Hongchen wanted to cry, yet he did not dare explain himself.
Because the matter of Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen taking Chen Ming out today had indeed been handled by him. He had then secretly sent someone to inform the Fourth Prince.
Even the earlier clash of auras had been deliberately staged by him as a loss, giving the Fourth Prince an opportunity to approach them.
Originally, he had thought this was merely some Prince trying to recruit the Hongchen Family for his own interests. Whether it succeeded or failed did not matter; surely nothing major would happen.
He had obtained a fine treasure. Even if he was scolded later for failing to protect them properly, it would be nothing.
After all, if he returned and properly refined that Treasure Herb, perhaps it could offset the side effects caused by the dormant medicinal toxins within him, allowing him to advance another step. Perhaps he might even have a chance to attempt touching the realm of Titled Douluo in the future.
Compared to that, what did a little scolding and punishment matter?
But he had never imagined things would develop to this extent. That muscle-brained brat had punched a Prince through the air in the middle of the street, and both sides had become so tense that they were nearly about to start fighting right there.
More importantly, Jing Hongchen had caught him deliberately holding back...
Emotionally, Qian Hongchen wanted to complain that Chen Ming and Chen Li had appeared at the wrong time, and that Chen Ming had handled things badly. Since the Prince liked him, couldn't he have simply given himself to the Prince?
Even if he truly could not accept it, couldn't he at least have avoided acting so violently?
But rationally...
Qian Hongchen felt that he should give up thinking for now and not allow even the slightest malice to remain in his heart. Otherwise, he would absolutely be grabbed by the legs and torn in half down the middle.
Jing Hongchen glared at Qian Hongchen for a long time. In the end, he gave this cousin who had followed him for twenty years a little dignity.
"I'll deal with you after we return. You'd better pray that what you did wasn't too outrageous." Jing Hongchen sent the words through Soul Power before shifting most of his attention to the Fourth Prince.
But Qian Hongchen knew that even if Jing Hongchen appeared not to care about him, if he tried to run, he would still be blasted to the point that not even his corpse remained within three seconds.
At this moment, the Fourth Prince's dark-skinned uncle was being held in Chen Li's hand like a chick. The Sun Martial Soul he had just released had been effortlessly crushed in Chen Li's single hand without Chen Li even using a soul skill.
Though the destruction of his Martial Soul caused severe backlash, sending his Soul Power rampaging through his meridians and battering every corner of his body while blood began pouring from his seven orifices—
—facing Chen Li, who looked as though he wanted to eat someone alive, the middle-aged man, also born into one of the Sun Moon Empire's great noble families, did not dare show even the slightest resentment or displeasure. He could only force out a smile uglier than tears and repeatedly explain that it was all a misunderstanding.
The gap in strength between a Titled Douluo and a Soul Douluo was enormous. For someone like Chen Li, who specialized in the physical body, even without using Soul Power, he could easily tear the man apart like shredded chicken.
As for the Fourth Prince?
His mere Soul Emperor cultivation was enough to bully children, but before a Titled Douluo, there was no need to even lift a hand. A single burst of aura could crush him to death.
Before you continue