Commander of the Shadow Guard

"What? A hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast! Heavens, Kong, you are far too..." Xu Yuanding was completely stunned. As his cousin, he never expected that his own cousin—the Dean of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool Research Institute and the empire's strongest powerhouse—would actually know a hundred-thousand-year soul beast! And a transformed one at that!

If this were to spread, the entire Sun Moon Empire would likely be thrown into an uproar. However, Xu Yuanding was well aware of the gravity of this matter and would naturally keep it a secret.

Although Xu Mochen was also quite shocked, he remained relatively calm by comparison: "Then I shall leave it to you, Great-Uncle. I am willing to go in person a year from now. But before that, I also wish to learn about the knowledge regarding soul tools; perhaps it will be of some help to the future development of the Sun Moon Empire."

"His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to study soul tools? But Your Highness should know that learning soul tools requires a not-insignificant foundation in basic academic subjects." Kong Dehan was slightly surprised.

Truth be told, in the Sun Moon Empire, the study of soul tools generally did not begin until intermediate academy, which was at the age of twelve. But the Crown Prince was only six years old; wanting to learn soul tools now truly smacked of pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

Yet, Xu Mochen insisted: "Great-Uncle need not worry. I have self-studied for a time, so mastering the basic academic knowledge should not be a problem."

Seeing Xu Mochen so resolute, Kong Dehan found it difficult to say anything more. Although he did not want to believe that someone of Xu Mochen's age could handle soul tool studies, he figured it would be easy enough to let him hit a wall and retreat on his own.

Thus, Kong Dehan agreed: "Then I invite Your Highness to grace the top floor of the Soul Tool Research Institute after tomorrow's morning court. I shall make the necessary preparations to welcome Your Highness."

Xu Yuanding, meanwhile, felt a sense of helplessness in his heart: Could it be that the Crown Prince has some other plan? Forget it, I really am finding it harder and harder to keep up with the Crown Prince's train of thought. Could it be that I am truly getting old?

Night, the Crown Prince's study:

The bright moon hung in the sky, and not a cloud was in sight. The Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace was long since quiet, yet the Crown Prince's study remained brightly lit. Sitting on a meditation cushion, Xu Mochen had just finished his daily cultivation, faint beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

Although his rank had not significantly increased after several hours of cultivation, Xu Mochen could still clearly feel that the soul power within his body was much more stable than before.

Just as Xu Mochen intended to find some books on soul tools and store the knowledge via his Smart Brain, he suddenly sensed an unusual, faint movement outside the door.

"Who? Who is there?" Xu Mochen became instantly alert. His martial soul manifested instantly, and a yellow soul ring appeared around him. It had to be said, if the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King martial soul were to be ranked by level, it would absolutely fall into the category of a god-level martial soul! The spiritual power and danger perception it granted Xu Mochen were far beyond that of a normal martial soul.

Channeling his soul power to the fullest, Xu Mochen's expression grew increasingly grave. With his current cultivation, he might have a slim chance of resisting a soul master of the twentieth or thirtieth rank, but clearly, for someone to reach his study without alerting the palace guards and imperial troops, the intruder's strength was likely at least that of a Titled Douluo. Trying to resist such a powerhouse at his current level was nothing short of a pipe dream.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has impressive skills. Although this old servant intentionally caused the disturbance, for Your Highness to detect such a slight anomaly is truly remarkable. I can rest easy now; surely the late Emperor, if he knows in the afterlife, would be gratified by the Crown Prince's performance."

An aged, ethereal voice reached Xu Mochen's ears. Then, under Xu Mochen's tense gaze, the door slowly opened, and a black shadow instantly appeared before him.

Xu Mochen acted decisively. His first soul ring lit up, and with a wave of his right hand, a phantom of a dragon claw glowing with a bright purple light was instantly flung out, rushing toward the black shadow accompanied by an overbearing aura and a terrifying dragon roar! Simultaneously, he secretly flicked his left hand behind his back, and a dark purple dragon claw phantom also took advantage of the night to strike at the shadow from the flank.

This was Xu Mochen's first soul skill! Chaos Dragon Claw! This skill had two methods of activation: the Purple Sun Dragon Claw and the Purple Yin Dragon Claw.

When the Purple Sun Dragon Claw was activated, the claw phantom appeared bright purple. Its indestructible effect could tear through an enemy's defenses to a great extent. Moreover, the Chaos Dragon Qi contained within the claw upon activation could immediately suppress those with a lower martial soul bloodline, causing the target's defense and speed to plummet, making it difficult for them to parry or dodge!

When the Purple Yin Dragon Claw was activated, the claw phantom appeared dark purple. Its characteristics were high attack speed and strong stealth. While its direct damage was not as great as the Purple Sun Dragon Claw, once it hit, the target's internal soul power would become disordered, preventing them from flexibly mobilizing their martial soul, soul power, or soul skills. Furthermore, the Chaos Dragon Qi injected into their body would continue to inflict damage!

Xu Mochen launched both skills simultaneously, not in the hope of killing the black shadow, but to stall it for a second or two, buying time to trigger the alarm soul tool bell placed beside him.

But in the next moment, something that shocked Xu Mochen occurred: his attacks landed on the figure, yet it was as if he had struck empty air, passing straight through.

The figure did not seem annoyed. Instead, under Xu Mochen's astonished gaze, it bowed slightly and smiled: "I did not expect the Crown Prince to be so vigilant and possess such extraordinary strength. I am Mo Wuying, Commander of the Shadow Guard, the intelligence agency under the late Emperor. I hope Your Highness will forgive me for the disturbance just now!"

"The Shadow Guard! You are the Commander of the Shadow Guard?" Thinking of this, Xu Mochen felt a sense of relief. No wonder he had the ability to sneak to his study without a sound. As for doubting his identity, there was no need; if a powerhouse of this caliber truly wanted to harm him, he would have already reported to the King of Hell.

Regarding the Shadow Guard, Xu Mochen only knew what he had gleaned from his predecessor's memories: it was an intelligence and secret service agency in the Sun Moon Empire, similar to the Ming Dynasty's Brocade Guard, directly controlled by the imperial family. The people within were not only formidable soul masters but also agile, skilled in concealment and assassination, and had always been an invisible blade in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire's Emperor.

As for the Commander of the Shadow Guard—the head of this intelligence agency—even his father had never mentioned him to his predecessor. But to be the strongest secret guard by the Emperor's side, his strength must be terrifying!

"Replying to Your Highness, I am indeed the Commander of the Shadow Guard. Although the late Emperor may never have mentioned me to Your Highness, Kong Dehan and Xu Yuanding recognize me. If Your Highness is concerned, you may summon them now to confirm. Now that the late Emperor has passed, we of the Shadow Guard naturally serve the Crown Prince and are ready to offer our humble services."

Mo Wuying did not hide these facts; with his capabilities, he certainly could not be kept in the dark about the late Emperor's passing. Currently, Xu Mochen was indeed in urgent need of an intelligence agency that could provide useful information and a top-tier powerhouse who could protect him at any time.

Therefore, regarding Mo Wuying's pledge of loyalty, Xu Mochen was quite pleased: "No need, I trust you, Senior. But may I ask, are you a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse?"

"Titled Douluo? What is a Titled Douluo?" To his surprise, Mo Wuying was stunned by Xu Mochen's question. Xu Mochen was also slightly startled. No way? Could it be that powerhouses above level ninety in the Sun Moon Empire are not called Titled Douluo?

Then, Xu Mochen seemed to realize something and slapped his forehead, realizing he had made a serious mistake: Right, "Titled Douluo" is a term from the Douluo Continent! The "Douluo" in "Titled Douluo" comes from the names of the two great empires on the Douluo Continent: the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Since the Sun Moon Continent has not yet encountered the Douluo Continent, such a term naturally would not exist.

According to the memories of his predecessor, the powerhouses of the Sun Moon Empire generally divided the major ranks of soul masters into one to nine rings or one to nine tiers. It had to be said that cultural differences were truly a headache. Fortunately, the names of most other things on the Sun Moon Continent were the same as on the Douluo Continent, otherwise, he would have been driven mad.

Thus, Xu Mochen had to rephrase his question: "My apologies, I meant to ask, what is your martial soul, and what is your cultivation level?"

Mo Wuying finally understood what Xu Mochen meant, so he did not hesitate: "Replying to Your Highness, my martial soul is the Black Demon Shadow, and I am currently at level ninety-five."

Level ninety-five? That was not weak! Even on the Douluo Continent, he would definitely be considered a powerhouse. Xu Mochen nodded inwardly and then instructed: "As it happens, I have a matter I would like you to investigate. It concerns the Ten Great Families of the Sun Moon Empire. I want to know the power and foundation of these families within the empire. Also, keep an eye on whom they have been associating with lately."

"Yes, Your Highness may rest assured. In fact, the late Emperor had long ago ordered me to secretly monitor and investigate all the circumstances of the Ten Great Families. I have collected quite a bit of relevant information over the years. Your Highness only needs to wait a few more days, and I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer." After Mo Wuying spoke respectfully, his figure flashed and disappeared, leaving Xu Mochen sitting on the meditation cushion, lost in thought.

The Ten Great Families, including the imperial Xu family, were the most powerful entities in the Sun Moon Empire at present. According to the memories of his predecessor, the establishment of the Ten Great Families could be traced back more than a thousand years.

Long before this time, the idea of the divine right of kings was very strong in the Sun Moon Empire and on the Sun Moon Continent. The church organization led by the imperial Xu family and the Kong family—the Sun Moon Cult—was the only legal religion in the Sun Moon Empire. At that time, the status of the Sun Moon Cult was very high, with hundreds of millions of believers, and the status of the Pope even once surpassed that of the Emperor, causing the imperial family to be reduced to a mere puppet for a period of time.

In fact, if one were to calculate, the establishment of the Sun Moon Cult was even earlier than the Sun Moon Empire. The purpose of the Sun Moon Cult's establishment at that time was to proclaim that this continent was created by the Sun God and the Moon God, and that the Xu family and the Kong family were the descendants of the Sun God and the Moon God, respectively, sent to rule this continent and bring happiness and peace to the people of the Sun Moon Continent.

Only by uniting under the leadership of the descendants of the Sun God and the Moon God could the people find guidance and salvation for their lost hearts, live a peaceful and happy life, and obtain the qualification for reincarnation after death. Otherwise, it would be a violation of the gods' will; the living would suffer the gods' punishment and curses, and the dead would suffer eternal heavenly retribution, never to be reborn!

Due to the Sun Moon Cult's constant brainwashing and dissemination of these ideas, coupled with the secret persecution of dissenters and the use of superstitious means to bewitch the public, and the fact that the Xu and Kong families had obtained knowledge imparted by the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King, other opposing forces were simply no match for them and were defeated one after another.

Thus, the creed that "the Xu and Kong families are descendants of the gods, their rule over this continent is heaven's mandate, and those who resist are devils who will suffer divine retribution" became increasingly legendary. The number of believers in the Sun Moon Cult grew, and the Xu and Kong families, relying on the Sun Moon Cult and the teachings of their ancestors, eventually unified the entire continent, established the Sun Moon Empire, and named the continent the Sun Moon Continent.