The Only Way to Stop the War Is to Kill Mu Xuan!

Dead silence.

Everyone's eyes were wide, staring in disbelief at the still-warm headless corpse.

Time seemed to freeze for three seconds.

"Your... Your Majesty!!!"

A shrill scream shattered the dead silence, and the guards who had followed Xu Tianran in finally snapped back to their senses.

Panic spread instantly!

"Assassin! Secure the scene!"

"Hurry! Lock down the academy! Search every suspicious person!"

The guards erupted into chaos—some instinctively surrounded the wheelchair, raising their Soul Tools and scanning the surroundings warily (even though Xu Tianran was already dead, making the gesture meaningless), while others rushed out of the meeting room, trying to seal off the scene.

Kong Deming's gaze locked onto the direction the attack had come from.

On that sturdy alloy wall, in an inconspicuous corner, there was a tiny hole as fine as a strand of hair.

The hole pointed precisely at where Xu Tianran had been sitting.

"The attack came from outside."

Kong Deming's voice was low and calm, instantly injecting a dose of composure into the chaotic scene.

He made a quick judgment and gave orders to Jing Hongchen and the assembled teachers beside him.

"Hall Master Jing, you and I will give chase! The rest of you, begin an immediate investigation, seal off the scene, and don't let a single clue slip by!"

Though everyone loathed Xu Tianran and even wished him dead sooner...

But...

A newly crowned emperor, dying so inexplicably within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy—this was going to blow up into a massive incident!

More importantly, Xu Tianran was the puppet that Mu Xuan himself had propped up!

Now that the puppet was dead, no one could predict what insane actions that unpredictable, terrifyingly powerful man might take!

Before his words had even faded, Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen had already transformed into two streaks of light, flying out along the path of that tiny hole.

Even without being Soul Masters, they were both Titled Douluo-level powerhouses, moving so fast that ordinary people couldn't even react.

The moment the two vanished, waves stirred in the Seas of Consciousness of the three Huo brothers.

"King Ilai, did you find anything?"

Huo Hao asked urgently. At a time like this, the only ones they could rely on were the three powerhouses in their Seas of Consciousness.

"Hmph, a petty trick."

King Ilai's arrogant voice rang out, dripping with disdain.

The next second, a crystal-clear, dynamic three-dimensional map was branded directly into the three brothers' spiritual world!

On the map, a small red dot was moving away from the academy at great speed, heading toward the slums of Mingdu.

The terrain around the red dot, the buildings, even the pedestrians on the streets—all were clearly visible, as if the three of them were watching from ten thousand meters up with a god's-eye view!

The three brothers gasped in unison!

What... what kind of ability was this?!

To lock onto the enemy's position so precisely, and in real-time movement at that!

"This is a necessary tool for war."

King Ilai's voice carried a tone of utter certainty.

"If you can't keep track of the enemy's movements at all times, how can you fight? Just sit there and wait to be beaten?"

Their hearts shook with awe, and they were about to speak, to pass this crucial intelligence to Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen.

But when they looked up, where were the two great seniors?

"Damn it, Elder Kong and Hall Master Jing have already chased after him!"

Huo Yuhao said anxiously.

Just then, another gentle and steady voice sounded in their minds.

"No need to worry."

It was Venerable Ilai.

His aged, illusory figure waved a hand lightly.

"Rest assured, this Old Man has his ways."

Meanwhile, as Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen flew at breakneck speed over Mingdu, a voice—slightly childish yet exceptionally clear—suddenly rang out in their minds.

"Elder Kong, Hall Master Jing, the enemy is moving southeast, toward the slum district. Specific coordinates..."

The next moment, a dynamic map identical to the one in the Huo brothers' minds was projected directly into both of their spiritual perceptions!

The fleeing red dot was marked with absolute clarity!

The two figures suddenly halted, their faces filled with shock!

This is... Spiritual Detection Sharing?!

And with such a wide range, such high precision!

"...Is that Huo Yuhao's voice?"

Jing Hongchen said, somewhat uncertainly.

"This is my Martial Soul ability, Spiritual Detection. It can lock onto an enemy's position."

The voice sounded again, explaining everything.

Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen exchanged a glance, both seeing deep astonishment in each other's eyes.

They naturally knew that Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul was of the spiritual-type, but this level of Spiritual Detection ability... let alone a one-ring Soul Master, even a Titled Douluo specializing in spiritual power could absolutely not achieve this!

This child... just how many secrets was he still hiding?

However, now was not the time to dwell on it.

With such precise positioning, their pursuit efficiency would undoubtedly skyrocket!

"Well done, Yuhao! Keep it up!"

Jing Hongchen said approvingly. The two no longer hesitated, immediately adjusting their direction and racing toward the location of the red dot!

Inside the meeting room.

Huo Yuhao and his two brothers were once again utterly shocked by the means of their two teachers.

They could... they could actually transmit information directly to a Titled Douluo far away!

This had exceeded the bounds of their understanding!

They couldn't help but wonder in their hearts—if they were at their peak, just how strong would they be?

Perhaps they could truly have easily stopped this war sweeping across the entire continent?

A pity... there was no "if."

The three's gazes ultimately fell back onto the gruesome corpse.

A thick stench of blood rushed into their nostrils, instantly turning their faces deathly pale.

This was their first time seeing a corpse up close, and... one that had died in such a brutal manner.

The dual impact on their vision and psyche made their stomachs churn violently.

Fortunately, specialized personnel soon covered Xu Tianran's body, along with the wheelchair, with a white cloth, swiftly cleaning the bloodstains from the scene.

Yet the oppressive atmosphere in the air did not diminish in the slightest.

"If you are unwilling to participate in this war..."

Venerable Ilai's voice echoed in the minds of the three.

"Old Man can teleport the three of you to a safe place, far from this turmoil. As you are now, you have yet to grow strong. Other than throwing away your lives, there is essentially no other possibility."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao let out a cold laugh.

"Flee?"

His voice was soft, yet carried a clarity and coldness beyond his years.

"Right now, where can we flee to?"

"This war engulfs the entire continent. With the terrifying foundation of Soul Tools in the Sun Moon Empire, once battle begins, it will surely be indiscriminate bombardment across the entire range."

"By then, will there be any safe place left on the continent?"

Indeed...

When the whole world is ablaze with war, where can one flee?

The situation was far more dire than they had imagined.

The only way to stop all this was to kill Mu Xuan.

But...

That was even harder. It was said that man had the power to single-handedly Blood Wash the entire Sun Moon Empire.