Royal Audience! The Heaven Dou Empire's Plan?

Outside Heaven Dou City.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

In a courtyard filled with the fragrance of birds and flowers, Ning Fengzhi stood on the viewing bridge, hands clasped behind his back, his brows tightly locked.

Beside him, Ning Rongrong pouted with a haughty air, expressing her strong dissatisfaction with her father for keeping her confined at home.

"Fengzhi, something has happened again."

Just then, Sword Douluo Chen Xin descended from the air.

He appeared abruptly behind Ning Rongrong, his face heavy with gravity; one look told them it was not good news.

"Uncle Sword, please just tell me directly. Could it be that there is trouble at the Sunset Forest again?"

Ever since Bone Douluo Gu Rong went missing, Ning Fengzhi had appeared particularly haggard, his expression filled with worry.

"Yes, the Imperial family just sent word that the outer camp was hit by a large-scale attack, and they want us to head over immediately."

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi felt his scalp tingle.

He gave Ning Rongrong a few quick instructions and left the courtyard directly.

He traveled with Sword Douluo at top speed toward the capital, arriving at their destination shortly after.

Following an attendant into the palace hall, Ning Fengzhi looked up and realized he was already late.

Emperor Xue Ye, looking aged and frail, sat upon his throne, while Crown Prince "Xue Qinghe" stood obediently to the side.

Slightly surprised, he saw that the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, Yu Yuanzhen, had arrived even earlier, and his expression was currently quite ugly.

"Sect Master Ning has arrived. Shenji, repeat the situation once more."

Emperor Xue Ye waved his hand gently, his gaze falling upon Meng Shenji, who had returned to report.

"The situation is as follows: not long ago, a Title Douluo-level powerhouse appeared at the Sunset Forest camp..."

He recounted the detailed process, describing it as best he could, even using some exaggerated rhetoric to deflect responsibility.

Essentially, he painted Chen Zidian as an invincible freak; it was no wonder Yu Yuanzhen's expression was stiff—at level 95, his own strength was on par with Gu Rong.

"That mysterious existence should be the same expert who defeated Bone Douluo and Poison Douluo."

"But it is strange; he did not go on a killing spree. Otherwise, given the defenses of the Sunset Camp, the casualties would have been heavy."

"Therefore, I personally speculate that the other party has some reservations. He explicitly stated this was a warning, and it is very likely there will be a next time!"

Ning Fengzhi did not interrupt throughout the report, listening quietly and appearing lost in thought.

It had to be said, this situation was extremely wrong. What exactly was that mysterious powerhouse trying to do?

At first glance, he seemed very angry at the Empire's blockade of the forest and was carrying out retaliation.

But as a hostile force, he did not take the opportunity to kill; no matter how one analyzed it, it reeked of something bizarre.

Could it really be Martial Soul Hall? They captured two Douluo belonging to Heaven Dou, yet they don't intend to tear off the mask just yet?

Although that barely explains it, I always feel that things are not that simple. There is a conspiracy hidden within!

The more Ning Fengzhi thought, the more he veered off course, falling into deep contemplation.

Everyone voiced their own opinions, yet they could not reach a conclusion.

After a long while, the disguised Qian Renxue spoke with a smile, interrupting the discussion.

"Everyone, guessing blindly like this is no solution. Let us finalize a plan first—what should we do next?"

"At the very least, looking at the bright side, that mysterious powerhouse is not bloodthirsty. Perhaps Bone Douluo and Poison Douluo still have a chance of survival?"

This sentence struck a chord in Ning Fengzhi's heart. He looked up at "Xue Qinghe," clearly showing approval, completely unaware that it was Qian Renxue in disguise.

In reality, the reason the latter said this was simply to mobilize their enthusiasm, making it easier for the people of the Heaven Dou Empire to help her continue gathering intelligence.

After all, while others were unaware, she knew clearly that this matter had nothing to do with Martial Soul Hall. The strength and foundation of that mysterious force made her feel a sense of crisis.

"I suggest we continue to observe."

Yu Yuanzhen was clearly feeling a bit cowardly.

Currently, this matter did not have much to do with him.

Dugu Bo was an imperial guest, and Gu Rong was a veteran of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; why should he risk himself?

"Perhaps we could try talking to the other party? If it really is a misunderstanding, wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone?"

Suddenly, from the corner, Prince Xue Xing, who had been silent the whole time, proposed a new perspective. This was something they truly hadn't considered.

Everyone's eyes lit up, feeling there was some logic to it. Since the mysterious powerhouse hadn't gone on a killing spree, perhaps it really was open to negotiation!

However, how should they make contact? Sending someone weak would be impolite, but sending a powerhouse carried too high a risk, especially with Yu Yuanzhen's firm opposition.

"Then let us do this: maintain the status quo for now."

"Didn't the other party say there would be a second time?"

"As long as we don't withdraw the outer camp, that fellow will likely come again."

"When that time comes, the initiative will be in our hands. If he is willing to talk, that is best; if he is not, then..."

Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes slightly and made a throat-slitting gesture, an image that hardly befitted his status.

The meaning was simple: set an ambush and lure the prey into the trap; talk if possible, but if not, try to fight it out.

With Chen Xin and Yu Yuanzhen joining forces, supplemented by Ning Fengzhi's support, perhaps there was a chance to take the target down quickly?

It sounded a bit risky, but facing a completely unknown enemy, there was no better plan, so Emperor Xue Ye simply agreed.

Soon, everyone began to take action.

There was no need for preparation; they headed straight for the camp in the Sunset Forest.

Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, participated as the representative of the imperial family, secretly contacting her guardians.

In addition to the two elders, Pufferfish and Snake Lance, two more titled Douluo from the Elders Hall, Thousand Jun and Falling Devil, were present—a total of four Titled Douluo!

"When necessary, you are to strike in the name of Martial Soul Hall; just don't expose my identity."

"At present, everyone in the Heaven Dou Empire suspects that Martial Soul Hall is the one stirring up trouble behind the scenes."

"If it were actually us, that would be one thing, but since it clearly isn't, we have to shift this massive blame onto someone else."

Qian Renxue instructed them in secret, having made up her mind.

Compared to the Heaven Dou Empire, the mysterious enemy posed a far greater threat.

If Chen Xin and Yu Yuanzhen couldn't handle it, letting the elders and the members of the Elders Hall intervene was not a bad contingency plan.

With that in mind, Thousand Jun, Falling Devil, and the others lay in wait, fully prepared and simply waiting for the target to take the bait.

And clearly, they were not wrong in this regard.

Lin Feng's order was to constantly attract attention.

A single act of destruction, while shocking, was not enough to meet the requirements; he would certainly strike again.

One day, amidst the beautiful scenery of the sunset, Chen Zidian stepped through the air, replicating his previous routine.

From deep within the Sunset Forest, he released his spiritual energy from afar, deliberately alerting everyone that he was about to arrive at the camp.

With the experience from last time, both the official imperial troops and the freelance mercenary soul masters reacted immediately.

The former deployed their defenses on the spot, while the latter scrambled to hide, though they did not stray too far, still driven by curiosity to see what would happen today.

"Oh? It's quite lively today..."

Chen Zidian appeared to be posturing, but in reality, he was cautious.

He had long since pushed his perception to the limit, covering the surrounding area.

Thus, he detected the anomaly immediately: Chen Xin's aura was relatively obscure, while Yu Yuanzhen's was comparatively restless.

"Two Ninth-Rankers? No, there's someone even more deeply hidden! This is interesting; are they planning to ambush me?"