Taking Xue Qinghe as a Slave

The night was as dark as ink.

Around the residence of Xue Qinghe, shadows flickered; Martial Soul Hall soul masters had already quietly taken control, sealing the area so tightly that not even a bird could fly in or out.

Qian Renxue walked with her hands behind her back, her golden pupils shining strikingly in the night, with Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo following closely on her left and right.

The three walked with steady steps, making no attempt to hide, and strode through the main gate of the residence. The patrolling guards stood in place with dull eyes, as if they could not see them at all, having long since been suppressed by the mental interference of the Martial Soul Hall soul masters.

Passing through several courtyards, they soon arrived outside the study. The room was brightly lit, and the faint sound of conversation could be heard from within.

Qian Renxue raised her hand, and the door opened silently, revealing the scene inside—Xue Qinghe was sitting behind a desk, with a Soul Saint dressed in Martial Soul Hall attire standing on either side, clearly the moles arranged in advance.

Seeing the three who had suddenly broken in, Xue Qinghe stood up abruptly, his hands pressing against the edge of the desk until his knuckles turned white.

He feigned composure, struggling to maintain the dignity of a crown prince, though his voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling: "Who are you? This is the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. Have you considered the consequences of trespassing into these forbidden grounds?"

He stared fixedly at Qian Renxue, his gaze lingering for a moment on her golden pupils, and his heart tightened inexplicably. "If you leave now, I can pretend that today's events never happened."

Qian Renxue's lips curled into a cold arc, and she said, "Qian Renxue, Young Mistress of Martial Soul Hall."

"Martial Soul Hall?" Xue Qinghe's pupils shrank, the color draining from his face as he looked at the girl who appeared to be of similar age to himself.

"Do you want to start a war? Although the Heaven Dou Empire is not as powerful as Martial Soul Hall, we do not fear a fight!"

"Start a war?" Qian Renxue laughed, her smile tinged with mockery.

"I would never do something so meaningless." She took a step forward, her golden pupils staring directly at Xue Qinghe.

"I want you to submit to me, and I will help you seize the Heaven Dou imperial power."

Xue Qinghe's face turned livid, his eyes instantly sharpening as he glared at Qian Renxue: "You want me to be a puppet?"

"You can understand it that way," Qian Renxue said indifferently.

"Impossible!" Xue Qinghe slammed his hand onto the desk and roared.

"I, Xue Qinghe, am a prince of Heaven Dou; how could I ever be someone else's puppet? You can give up on that idea!"

"That is not for you to decide." Qian Renxue's hands moved rapidly, forming seals, and a faint golden light flickered at her fingertips. A contract radiating strange patterns appeared out of thin air, dark purple energy flowing across it, exuding a heart-stopping aura. "Slave Contract, descend."

Following her soft command, the contract transformed into a stream of light, ignoring the barriers of space, and plunged directly into Xue Qinghe's mind.

"What... what have you done to me?" Xue Qinghe felt a sharp pain in his mind, as if something had taken root there. He clutched his forehead, his face turning deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror.

Qian Renxue walked slowly to his side, looked him in the eye, and suddenly asked: "If I were to fall into your hands, what would you do?"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Xue Qinghe's eyes, and he gritted his teeth: "Need you ask? I would..."

Before he could finish, a heart-wrenching, agonizing pain exploded from his mind, as if countless steel needles were piercing his nerves.

"Ah—!" He let out a miserable scream, his body rolling uncontrollably on the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his skin flushed red from the pain. He clutched his head tightly, cold sweat seeping through his fingers.

Inside the study, Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo exchanged glances, both seeing a chill in the other's eyes.

The two Soul Saints also clenched their fists involuntarily, feeling as if that invisible pain were spreading to them as well, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on their backs.

"Empty your mind, let go of all distracting thoughts." Qian Renxue's voice was like a clear spring, capable of soothing the heart.

Xue Qinghe subconsciously obeyed, his chaotic mind gradually calming, and the tearing pain dissipated along with it.

He staggered to his feet, his body drained of strength, gasping for air as he looked at Qian Renxue with eyes full of fear.

"What exactly did you do to me?" His voice was hoarse, trembling with the aftermath of the ordeal.

"I have planted a Slave Contract within you," Qian Renxue said calmly. "From this day forward, as long as you harbor even the slightest thought against me, even if you speak in your sleep or intentionally lead others to attack me, this contract will make your life a living hell."

"You bastard!" Xue Qinghe's eyes were wide with rage, and just as he was about to curse, the heart-piercing pain struck again.

He collapsed to his knees with a thud, clutching his head as his body convulsed violently; only after several breaths did the pain slowly recede.

He lay slumped on the floor, his eyes unfocused, stripped of his former arrogance.

"What do you want me to do?" Xue Qinghe's eyes were vacant, his voice hollow, like a puppet that had lost its soul.

Qian Renxue looked at him, her tone arrogant: "Obey. I need an obedient puppet."

She paused, then added, "As long as you are obedient, the Heaven Dou throne will eventually be yours, and I will even make you a Title Douluo—a Title Douluo belonging to Heaven Dou itself."

"Is that true?" Xue Qinghe looked up abruptly, a glimmer of light returning to his eyes. The bloodshot veins had not yet faded, but his gaze flickered with desire.

As a prince, his progress in soul power had been slow due to his limited talent; becoming a Title Douluo was something he had never dared to even imagine.

"This Seat speaks with the weight of gold," Qian Renxue said with certainty. "As long as you obey, what you gain will far outweigh what you lose." After saying this, she snapped her fingers.

Brilliant light flared from her fingertips, and the origin of her level 35 soul power was released without reservation. Two yellow and one purple soul rings exploded within her body, transforming into energy and stirring the surrounding power of the laws.

An invisible energy circle expanded from the study as the center. Wherever it passed, everyone in the residence who was not from Martial Soul Hall felt their eyes glaze over and collapsed into a deep sleep—their memories of this night had been completely erased.

Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo felt a stir in their hearts, vaguely sensing a strange power flowing through the air, as if touching the very essence of the world, yet they could not grasp the trace of it and could only suppress their doubts.

"Let's go." Qian Renxue turned and walked out.

Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo hurried to follow, with the two Soul Saint elders trailing behind.

A moment later, everyone from Martial Soul Hall had withdrawn from the residence as if they had never appeared, leaving behind only the sleeping guards and palace servants.

Inside the study, Xue Qinghe sat slumped on the floor, then slowly lay down, looking at the rafters of the ceiling with complex eyes.

"Coming and going as they please... and this is the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace..." he muttered to himself.

A strange smile suddenly curled the corners of his mouth. "Perhaps, listening to her wouldn't be so bad. I could even become a Title Douluo, a Title Douluo of Heaven Dou itself..."

He began to laugh, his laughter growing louder, filled with a touch of madness and self-mockery, while tears flowed down his cheeks unnoticed, dripping onto the cold floor.

A Title Douluo of Heaven Dou itself... that was his obsession, and the obsession of Heaven Dou, yet now it had to rely on the promise of a Young Mistress of Martial Soul Hall to be realized.