A Return Through Time

The other side of the Imperial Palace.

Even though it was the height of summer, with the sun blazing outside, the bedroom was still cold and gloomy.

Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, gazing through the window at the ripples in the distant sky. His face was expressionless.

"They acted quickly, but unfortunately, they were too stupid."

He had never expected these people to succeed. He shook his head, tapping his fingers against the armrest of his chair.

"What did they say?"

The shadow behind him hesitated, seemingly unsure how to respond.

"They said they were willing to cooperate, but added a condition: once the deed was done, we would have to make their faith the empire's state religion, support them, allow them to build churches, and spread their doctrine."

"Hmph. A bunch of rats from the gutter, yearning for sunlight? Aren't they afraid it'll blind them?"

Xu Tianran's gaze turned icy. His fingers stilled as he gripped the armrest tightly, then let go.

"There's no harm in agreeing, but first, make them show some sincerity. Go."

"Yes."

Though he spoke of those repulsive people with utter contempt, he had to admit that they were powerful.

Once he became emperor, and even united the Douluo Continent under his rule, he would become master of the world. Then he would deal with those people and make them understand that a monarch's dignity could not be challenged.

In a clean, tidy bedroom, Xu Lanqing lay on the bed, hoping to get some rest, but he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

He suddenly sat up. After thinking it over, he decided to go see the female assassin.

The more he endured it, the angrier he got. Every step back only made him feel more cheated. He'd been attacked for no reason and had nearly lost his life. How could he possibly swallow that?

A single Martial Soul proved nothing. He had awakened his Martial Soul just yesterday, and today he'd been attacked. The assassin had somehow avoided the detection Soul Tools spread across nearly the entire Imperial City, slipped past the patrolling guards, and found his room with pinpoint accuracy. He would never believe it if there hadn't been a traitor who'd sold him out.

If the Star Luo Empire's spies were that damn good, they'd have gone straight for the emperor. Wouldn't killing him be far more effective than killing a prince?

This meant the person behind it might have given the assassin only the route from outside the Imperial City to his bedroom.

He had a special way to get the information he wanted from the female assassin. And if he wanted revenge later, he'd have to make sure he went after the right person, right?

On the way to the dungeon under the Royal Law Enforcement Team's jurisdiction, he saw few of the palace maids and servants who usually filled the halls. Most of the people around were guards, their faces grim. There were also far more detection Soul Tools in the air.

When the emperor learned that Xu Lanqing had been attacked, he flew into a rage and ordered a thorough investigation of the Imperial City. Many spies from the other three empires had even been caught in Mingdu.

They traveled in silence. The person assigned to protect Xu Lanqing had become Zheng Zhan, a Rank Nine Soul Master known as Bupo Douluo. As an imperial retainer, he had been stationed in Mingdu for years. After the incident, he had been brought in to protect Xu Lanqing temporarily.

"Where is the assassin being held? I'd like to see her. Can you take me in?"

Xu Lanqing looked at the two law enforcement officers on duty. Though he phrased it as a request, his tone brooked no refusal.

"Your Highness, Fourth Prince. Your Excellency, Bupo Douluo."

The two hurriedly bowed, then exchanged a glance. One of them smiled ingratiatingly at Xu Lanqing. "Your Highness, Your Excellency, she's in the interrogation room. This way, please. I'll show you in. Old Li, keep watch here. I'll take them inside."

They had no written order, but Xu Lanqing was far too important for them to offend. Besides, it was only reasonable for the victim to check on the interrogation.

They entered the dungeon, which had been built entirely of alloy, and wound their way through its twisting corridors until they reached a closed iron door. Through the sealed door, they could faintly smell something strange.

The law enforcement officer leading them took out a key, hesitated, then said to Xu Lanqing, "Your Highness, she's a tough one. We've tried all sorts of methods, but we haven't managed to pry a single word out of her. It may not be a pretty sight inside, so please bear with it."

Xu Lanqing raised an eyebrow. "Open the door."

The iron door swung open, and an indescribable stench flooded out, thick with the smells of blood, filth, and urine.

"Ugh."

Xu Lanqing covered his nose and mouth, his brows knitted tight. His face turned pale at the horrific sight before him. Even Zheng Zhan silently shut off his senses.

The room was brightly lit and packed with various instruments of torture. The assassin sat in a chair in the center, her body a bloody ruin. There wasn't a trace of Soul Power left in her; every meridian had been shattered, and she had been crippled.

Her body was covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone. Her fingers and toes had been pulled off, and rusted nails had been driven into their stumps. Her face was unrecognizable, and her eyes had been gouged out. The law enforcement team's drugs were the only thing keeping her alive, leaving her to suffer a fate worse than death.

Xu Lanqing didn't feel sorry for her. If not for Electrolux's warning and his Martial Soul's alert, she would have killed him. Was he supposed to feed her well and treat her like a guest?

Forcing down his discomfort, he stepped inside and turned to Zheng Zhan. "Elder Zheng, I'd like to ask her a few questions alone. Is that all right?"

Zheng Zhan glanced at the helpless assassin and asked no questions. He nodded, then shut the door with a bang.

Xu Lanqing approached her, but the assassin didn't react.

"Teacher, she may be crippled now, but she was a Soul Douluo. Her spiritual power is far greater than mine. Sorry for the trouble."

"No problem. I'm only going to search her soul."

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Xu Lanqing's form appeared, and he let Electrolux take control of his body.

Xu Lanqing's eyes turned from black to gray, and gray currents coiled around him. The already cold interrogation room grew even more eerie and terrifying, though a sacred, holy aura lingered within it. A gray barrier spread out, blocking any probing from outside.

Outside the door, Zheng Zhan's eyes narrowed. He raised an arm to push his way inside, but after a moment's thought, he changed his mind.

A language obscure and incomprehensible, one that did not belong to this world, spilled from Xu Lanqing's lips. He slowly raised a hand, and gray currents filled the air before slipping into the female assassin's head through her seven orifices.

The female assassin seemed to sense the danger. Her head swayed, and then her entire body began to convulse violently.

Necromancy, Time Regression.

It could read the memories buried deepest in a soul, or the memories from a specific period of time.

Fragmented scenes flashed through Xu Lanqing's Sea of Consciousness. Under Electrolux's control, the assassin's memories from the past few days appeared in sequence.

He saw the assassin meet a dark figure. The person gave her a sheet of paper and a map of the Imperial City. Unfortunately, the figure was cloaked in black, and their face was impossible to make out. But they were certainly someone from inside the Imperial City, and they held a high position.

Who could it be?

Xu Lanqing felt a headache coming on as he thought it over.

The memory ended, and the room returned to normal. Xu Lanqing paid the assassin no further attention and hurried out of the revolting place.

"Elder Zheng, let's go."

Xu Lanqing strode away. He had to go see his father.

"Mm."

Zheng Zhan took a long look at Xu Lanqing's calm face. As expected, none of the imperial family were simple. Even this six-year-old child was surrounded by a fog he couldn't see through.