"All right. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."
Gu Sheng smiled faintly, his eyes full of tenderness.
"But first, you'll have to deal with your ministers."
Qian Renxue playfully stuck out her tongue at him, then, with the maids' help, resumed her usual imperious empress's bearing.
Yet the instant she turned to look at Gu Sheng, the tenderness and affection in her eyes were impossible to conceal.
"Then I'll be off. Wait for me in the bedchamber."
"Go ahead."
Gu Sheng smiled and nodded, watching her stately yet alluring figure slowly leave the bedchamber.
Only after the doors had slowly closed did he look away, leaning lazily against the headboard.
The Limit Douluo Soul Power within him flowed slowly through his meridians, brimming with vitality.
He gazed at the bright sunlight outside the window, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"The Divine Realm, huh..."
"Soon, we'll meet."
He murmured to himself, a faint glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.
But for now, he just wanted to savor this rare moment of tenderness.
After the morning court.
Qian Renxue didn't even have time to change out of her heavy dragon robe before hurrying back to the bedchamber.
As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Gu Sheng sitting at the table, leisurely drinking tea.
"Why are you back so soon?"
Gu Sheng looked at her in surprise and rose to greet her.
Qian Renxue tiredly rubbed her temples, then collapsed into Gu Sheng's arms.
"Those ministers are so annoying. They'll argue endlessly over even the smallest matter. They've given me a splitting headache."
She grumbled. In front of Gu Sheng, she didn't need to put on any masks or keep her guard up.
With a heart full of concern, Gu Sheng carried her to the chaise longue, placed both hands against her temples, and gently began to massage them.
Mild golden Soul Power flowed from his fingertips into Qian Renxue's head, instantly sweeping away her exhaustion.
"That feels much better."
Qian Renxue closed her eyes in contentment and let out a satisfied sigh.
"If you find it tiring, you don't have to sit on the throne. We could go travel the mountains and rivers instead. Wouldn't that be more enjoyable?"
Gu Sheng spoke half-jokingly.
Qian Renxue opened her eyes and looked at him seriously.
"That won't do. We worked so hard to win this empire, and I want to help shoulder some of your burdens, too."
She knew that Gu Sheng's future enemy was the Divine Realm. She had to grow stronger as quickly as possible and seize control of more resources so that she could help him in the coming divine war.
Seeing how earnest she was, Gu Sheng was touched. He lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips.
"With you saying that, everything your husband does is worth it."
Qian Renxue smiled sweetly, wrapped her arms around his waist, and nestled her head against his chest.
"Then tonight, do you still want to..."
She lowered her voice shyly, but couldn't bring herself to finish.
Seeing the tips of her ears turn red, Gu Sheng grinned mischievously and leaned close to her ear, blowing a soft breath against it.
"Of course I do. How could I refuse when my wife commands it?"
"You rascal..."
Laughter rang through the bedchamber once more, filling the cold imperial palace with warmth.
The last traces of warmth from their tender embrace still lingered in the bedchamber.
Qian Renxue was already dressed. The bright yellow dragon robe made her look even more regal and aloof.
Standing before the bronze mirror, she made one last adjustment to the imperial crown on her head, then turned around and gazed reluctantly at Gu Sheng, who was lying on the bed.
"Hubby, I'll head to the morning court first. If you're tired, rest here a while longer."
Her voice was gentle; there was none of the authority she usually commanded when surveying her ministers from above.
With his hands pillowed behind his head, Gu Sheng gazed at his beautiful wife and nodded with a smile.
"Go ahead. I'll be fine. Just come back soon."
Qian Renxue answered sweetly, then finally walked out of the bedchamber with unhurried, graceful steps.
They had kept her up late last night. Even now, her legs still felt weak when she walked.
As the doors slowly closed, the tenderness in Gu Sheng's smile gradually faded, replaced by a deep, unreadable look.
The situation in the Heaven Dou Empire had stabilized, Slaughter City had been reduced to ruins, and he had slain Asura God's projection with a single sword strike.
There was hardly anything left on the Douluo Continent that could threaten him.
But in the end, some things still had to be settled.
"Tang Hao."
Gu Sheng murmured the name softly, a faint trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
During the destruction of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao had been gravely wounded by him, yet still managed to escape with the unconscious Tang San right under She Long and Ci Xue's noses.
If you don't pull out the roots, the grass will grow again when the spring breeze blows. He understood that better than anyone.
Tang San was the child of destiny in this world, carrying immense fortune. Tang Hao, meanwhile, was the only emotional support and shield Tang San had left.
"Now that I've reached Level 99 Limit Douluo, it's time to uproot this threat."
Murmuring to himself, Gu Sheng slowly closed his eyes.
The vast, ocean-like Soul Power of a Level 99 Limit Douluo surged wildly through his meridians. At that moment, his divine sense spread in all directions like an invisible net.
It swept over the towering palace walls and the bustling Heaven Dou City, then crossed boundless wilderness and mountains.
Every stir within several thousand li came clearly into his mind.
His divine sense scoured the world, searching for the distinctive bloodline aura of the Clear Sky Sect and the traces of frenzied violence and weakness left behind by Ring Detonation.
A moment later, Gu Sheng's eyes snapped open, brilliant light flashing in their once-pure golden depths.
"Found you. So that's where you're hiding."
Gu Sheng rose, casually grabbed a white robe, and draped it over himself. His figure flickered, and he vanished from the bedchamber in a streak of golden light.
Only one or two faint ripples remained in the air.
Several hundred li outside Heaven Dou City lay a vast Soul Beast habitat known as the Sunset Forest.
In the deepest part of the Sunset Forest, within a secluded, shadowy valley shrouded in poisonous miasma that never lifted, a tiny flame flickered in the darkness.
It was a hidden cave, surrounded by jagged rocks, dark and damp.
Deep inside, a middle-aged man exuding the stench of decay and blood sat cross-legged on the wet ground.
He had only his right arm. The empty sleeve on his left side stirred gently in the cold draft blowing through the cave.
His face was deathly pale, and even his skin bore a faint, eerie grayness.
This man was none other than Tang Hao, once the famed Clear Sky Douluo who had shaken the continent.
But now, he had none of his former glory. He looked like a dying man with one foot in the grave.
"Cough, cough..."
Tang Hao coughed violently several times. With each cough, dark-red blood welled from the corner of his mouth.
Bracing himself against the ground with his one remaining arm, he struggled to turn his head toward the boy lying on a pile of straw nearby.
Tang San's eyes were still closed. His face was just as pale, but his breathing had steadied.
"Xiao San, you have to hold on. We can't leave the Clear Sky Sect's vengeance unavenged."
Tang Hao's voice was as hoarse as two sheets of sandpaper grinding together, sending a chill through anyone who heard it.
His eyes blazed with a mad, unyielding hatred, a fixation buried so deep that it would not fade even if he became a vengeful ghost.
"Spirit Hall, Gu Sheng, Qian Renxue... Just you wait!"
Tang Hao gritted his teeth, his one remaining fist clenching until his knuckles cracked.
"As long as Xiao San and I are alive, one day we'll make you pay in blood!"
But the instant the last word left his mouth, the wind howling outside the cave suddenly stopped without warning.
It wasn't only the wind. Every sound in the shadowy valley seemed to be erased at once by some invisible force.
The insects chirping in the soil and the birds roosting in the branches fell silent, as though their throats had been clamped shut.
A terrifying pressure, heavy as ten thousand mountains, crashed down from above.
Tang Hao's expression changed abruptly. He knew this oppressive feeling all too well.
"This power... How is this possible?"
Tang Hao struggled to stand, but his injuries were too severe. His meridians had been severed in several places, and less than a tenth of his Soul Power remained.
He had barely raised half his body when bile rose in his throat. He spat out another mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground again.
Golden light quietly illuminated the entrance to the dark cave.
It was pure and warm, yet in Tang Hao's eyes, it was like a death warrant from the depths of hell.
A tall, straight-backed figure stepped over the rubble and slowly entered the cave.
His long, pure-gold hair gleamed in the faint firelight. His peerlessly handsome face wore a faintly amused smile.
"Tang Hao, hiding in a damp, dark rat hole like this hardly suits the reputation of the Clear Sky Douluo you once had."
Gu Sheng looked down at Tang Hao, who lay collapsed on the ground, his voice as calm as if he were catching up with an old friend.
Tang Hao glared at the young man before him, his teeth grinding so hard they nearly cracked. His eyes were bloodshot.
"Gu Sheng! You beast!"
Summoning all his strength, Tang Hao spat a mouthful of blood-flecked saliva at Gu Sheng.
"You destroyed my sect, killed my uncle, killed my brother! Even if I die today, I'll drag you down to hell with me!"
Gu Sheng shifted slightly to dodge the blood. His expression didn't change.
"Hell?"
Gu Sheng shook his head in amusement.
"Sorry, but Asura God, the master of hell, had his projection slain by my sword not long ago."
"Hell probably won't take you anymore."
At those words, Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply.
Asura God? His projection had been slain?
How was that possible? He was a god!
"You... Stop spouting nonsense!"
Tang Hao didn't believe him, but as he felt the pressure radiating from Gu Sheng—countless times more terrifying than it had been at the Clear Sky Sect—his heart sank.
Level 99 Limit Douluo.
This young man had truly reached that level.
Gu Sheng paid no mind to Tang Hao's shock. His gaze passed over him and settled on Tang San, lying on the pile of straw.
"So this is your precious son, Tang San?"
Gu Sheng strode toward Tang San.
At the sight of Gu Sheng moving, Tang Hao went mad. He struggled to crawl across the ground, putting his body between Gu Sheng and Tang San.
"Don't touch my son!"
Tang Hao roared, digging his remaining hand into the earth. His nails split, and blood ran freely.
"If you want someone, take me! Xiao San is only a child. He knows nothing. I did everything myself!"
Gu Sheng stopped and looked at him with pity.
"A child? A genius with Twin Martial Souls, inheritor of the Clear Sky Sect bloodline, and even a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Do you think I'd let him grow up and come after me for revenge?"
As he spoke, Gu Sheng slowly raised his right hand.
Golden light gathered in his palm, and the Sword of Holy Spirit appeared out of thin air. Its boundless, holy aura instantly swept away the cave's gloom and stench of blood.
"But you got one thing wrong."
Gu Sheng looked at Tang Hao's ashen face, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
"I don't intend to kill him today."
Tang Hao froze, staring at Gu Sheng in bewilderment.
"Why? If you know his talent, why not kill him?"
"Because killing him would be far too boring."
Gu Sheng's voice was soft, yet carried a teasing arrogance.
"I'll let him live. I'll let him watch as I crush everything he prides himself on, piece by piece, and watch Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire reach the very peak under my rule."
"I'll make him spend the rest of his life in despair."
At those words, a chill shot straight from Tang Hao's feet to the crown of his head.
The young man before him wasn't a Soul Master. He was a demon—one a hundred times more terrifying than any fallen being!
"You madman!"
Tang Hao shouted. Black light began gathering wildly in the palm of his one remaining hand.
A massive Clear Sky Hammer appeared out of thin air, but it was now covered in cracks like a spiderweb, as if it might shatter at any moment.
"Nine Absolutes of Clear Sky, Sumeru Hammer!"
A look of grim resolve flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.
He knew he had no chance of surviving today. If so, he would use what remained of his life to carve a path of escape for his son!
He began frantically burning the last of his life force and soul. Even his already shattered meridians began breaking one by one.
Violent black currents rampaged through the cave, whipping Gu Sheng's long hair and robes into a frenzy.
"Die!"
Tang Hao swung the enormous Clear Sky Hammer one-handed, charging forward with a fierce, unstoppable momentum as he brought it crashing down toward Gu Sheng's head.
This strike was the culmination of all his life's cultivation, and the final crescendo of his life.
Faced with this desperate blow, Gu Sheng's expression remained calm as still water.
"You overestimate yourself."
Gu Sheng uttered the four words coolly. He didn't even swing the Sword of Holy Spirit in his hand, merely raising his left hand slowly.
He spread his five fingers and casually reached toward the enormous Clear Sky Hammer.
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