"Kindly" Netherworld Duke, Scapegoat Song Wuyou

Pei An's "gentle" smile fell upon Song Wuyou and the other Imperial Supporters like the icy chill of midwinter, sending a shiver through their hearts.

Song Wuyou's expression darkened.

The execution of an Imperial Supporter of equal standing was not only a slap in the face of the Star Luo Royal Family, but also in the face of all Imperial Supporters.

Watching from afar, Dai Weisi was even more relieved that he had chosen not to involve himself and had instead waited to see how things unfolded.

Anyone who dared kill an Imperial Supporter so openly within the Star Luo Empire likely would not hesitate much before killing a prince like him.

"Pope, he was still an Imperial Supporter. He merely said a few words. Isn't the Pope's response somewhat excessive?"

Though he had no desire to make an enemy of Pei An, the other party had already struck them across the face. There were eyes everywhere outside the Great Soul Arena.

If he showed no reaction, both the Imperial Supporters and the Star Luo Royal Family would lose all face!

Even if Pei An did not kill him, the Star Luo Emperor would certainly hold him accountable once he returned to the royal court.

"Pope, there is more than one Imperial Guard in Star Luo City now."

Song Wuyou offered the reminder. In the end, he was still afraid that Pei An would attack him, and could only say this to make Pei An wary.

Your strength as the Judgement Douluo was indeed unmatched, but if powerful Soul Masters from every side and a Large Army besieged you, surely even you would struggle to cope?

Song Wuyou did not ask for much, nor did he intend to avenge the Imperial Supporter who had just died.

He only needed Pei An to take a slight step back and give the Imperial Supporters and the Star Luo Royal Family some face. Then he would be able to report back.

But...

"So what? Is Supporter Song threatening This Seat?" Pei An dismissed this so-called Large Army with utter contempt.

Even if he could not wipe out every one of those soldiers, as long as he wished to leave, not a single person in the Star Luo Empire could stop him—even with Ning Rongrong at his side.

An army of ten thousand being able to kill a Title Douluo was nothing more than theory.

In truth, even if a Title Douluo could not defeat an army, an army could never keep him if he wanted to leave.

Pei An had originally come to Star Luo City merely to have some fun with Ning Rongrong. He had no hostile intentions, so even after noticing all the watching eyes around them, he had ignored them.

Yet there were always people who loved to run their mouths and insisted on making him shed some blood.

Backing down was out of the question.

If Pei An yielded now, the prestige he had built over the years would be all but ruined.

Once one's status reached a certain height, what seemed like a simple concession became extraordinarily difficult.

Song Wuyou's face went pale. He clearly had not expected Pei An to have no misgivings whatsoever.

At the same time, several squads of armored knights rushed in from all directions, surrounding Pei An and Ning Rongrong.

It was clearly another show of pressure from the Star Luo Emperor.

Faced with such a formation, Pei An remained utterly unafraid.

He bent slightly, stroked Ning Rongrong's pink hair at his side, and asked gently, "Rongrong, are you afraid?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head without the slightest hesitation. Her somewhat childish voice rang out. "I'm not afraid. With Teacher here, Rongrong isn't afraid of anything."

"Such a good girl." Pei An smiled and gently patted her Little Head before straightening again.

The Sword of the Living Judgement slowly materialized in his right hand. Its razor-sharp Sword Qi made the knights' breathing turn hurried and strained.

The atmosphere instantly became taut with tension.

Seeing that things were going wrong, the onlookers scattered and fled.

A spectacle was all well and good, but it was hardly worth dying for.

Dai Weisi also hid inside the Great Soul Arena.

If a fight truly broke out, killing a prince like him would be no more than a convenient afterthought.

Song Wuyou and the other Imperial Supporters swallowed nervously.

Today, this battle seemed unavoidable...

"Stop! Stand down!"

Just as Song Wuyou was about to give the order to attack, an urgent shout rang out.

A middle-aged man dressed in black transformed into a streak of black light and rushed over from nearby.

The people on Star Luo's side were visibly stunned upon seeing him.

Song Wuyou asked in surprise, "Netherworld Duke, why are you here?"

The Netherworld Duke was the Star Luo Empire's foremost Powerful Minister, his status even above that of the royal family members gathered here.

Even Song Wuyou, with his considerable seniority, had to address him as "my lord."

With the Netherworld Duke's arrival, Song Wuyou visibly relaxed.

Before the Netherworld Duke arrived, he had held the highest status among this group, so naturally, he had borne the greatest pressure.

If this was mishandled, he would undoubtedly be the one to shoulder the greatest responsibility in the end.

But once the Netherworld Duke arrived, the person everyone looked to changed.

Under normal circumstances, Song Wuyou might have competed with the Netherworld Duke for power, but at a time like this, he decisively chose to step back.

The Netherworld Duke wore a solemn expression. In response to Song Wuyou's words, he merely cast him an indifferent glance.

"This Seat happened to be passing by. Supporter Song, what is going on here?"

"Did His Majesty permit you to be so disrespectful toward the Pope?"

Hearing this, Song Wuyou hurriedly explained, "I absolutely did not mean that. It was the Pope..."

Song Wuyou pointed to the severed head on the ground. His meaning was obvious.

He had never intended to provoke Pei An, but with an Imperial Supporter dead at Pei An's hands, he could not simply stand by and do nothing.

The Netherworld Duke understood the full sequence of events without Song Wuyou needing to explain.

He had been observing from the side for quite some time. If he had not seen the situation about to develop beyond expectations, he would not have stepped in to stop it.

As for the cause, did that matter?

He only cared about the outcome.

The Netherworld Duke casually glanced at the Imperial Supporter's head on the ground. "I sympathize with this Supporter's fate."

"However, I believe the Pope is certainly not an unreasonable man. Since he acted, there must have been a reason."

"Supporter Song, I believe this matter developed to this point because of your improper handling. What do you think?"

The Netherworld Duke's words made Song Wuyou's expression grow even uglier.

After speaking to Song Wuyou, the Netherworld Duke shifted his gaze to Pei An.

He bowed slightly. "Pope, my apologies. Our Imperial Supporters mishandled this matter. I hope the Pope can forgive us."

The Netherworld Duke was not of the radical faction. He did not wish for relations between the Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall to deteriorate further, so he chose to yield.

In any case, from his personal standpoint, lowering his head cost him nothing of substance.

Pei An said nothing, merely studying the Netherworld Duke before him with amused interest.

This old fox really knew how to spend other people's capital.

No matter how this matter ended, it would have nothing to do with him. The ones losing face would be the Imperial Supporters, not the Netherworld Duke.

If he gave things a little push behind the scenes, the Netherworld Duke might even earn a reputation for single-handedly easing the relationship between the two great powers.

Though Pei An had seen through his Thoughts, he could not be bothered to care.

As long as it did not harm his interests, he did not care about such petty schemes.

Only Song Wuyou's face looked awful.

The Netherworld Duke's words did nothing more than place all responsibility on his head, saddling him with the charges of mishandling the matter and failing in his duties.

Though His Majesty surely understood the truth of the matter, he would most likely pretend not to know and tacitly accept the Netherworld Duke's arrangement.