Emperor Xue Ye Doesn't Want to Endure Anymore!

Dugu Yan's movements as she toyed with her nails came to a sudden halt, and she froze in place.

This person... what did he just say?

I'm poisoned?

What a joke. I am the granddaughter of the renowned Poison Douluo, whose name strikes fear into the soul master world. It has always been me poisoning others; how could I possibly be poisoned myself?!

This guy is just spouting nonsense to disrupt my battle intent so he can seize a chance to escape. What a cunning fellow.

"Stop playing those little tricks. I won't let you leave. Surrender obediently, and you might suffer less." Dugu Yan lowered her arms and activated her Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul. Two yellow and one purple soul rings emerged from beneath her feet. Looking at Xue Hen before her, she licked the corner of her lips and spoke.

"You are too weak. You are no match for me." Watching the young girl who had completed her Martial Soul Possession, Xue Hen's tone remained unchanged, flat and indifferent.

"Hmph, arrogant!" This was the first time in Heaven Dou City that she had been looked down upon like this. Dugu Yan felt a surge of irritation and let out a cold snort.

Immediately, she leaned forward slightly and launched herself toward him with incredible speed.

"Third Soul Skill, Jade Phosphor Purple Poison!"

Because this person was so brazen, and given that he had sent Xue Beng flying from a distance earlier, she assumed he must have some strength. Dugu Yan went straight for her strongest soul skill, hoping to take him down in one blow.

However...

"Too slow." Facing her as she charged, Xue Hen remained perfectly composed. He raised his right arm, and in an instant, he activated his Martial Soul. A dazzling golden light flashed, and a long sword radiating immense pressure—engraved with mountains and rivers on one side and the sun, moon, and stars on the other—appeared in his hand. Simultaneously, nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red—emerged from beneath his feet.

"This Martial Soul, these soul rings... you are..."

"Wait, wait!"

Dugu Yan, still mid-lunge, stared at the scene before her. Her eyes widened, and her brain nearly short-circuited.

A Title Douluo?

And a Title Douluo with two hundred-thousand-year soul rings at that!

Plus this Martial Soul.

Xue Hen, is this guy really Xue Hen?

Once Dugu Yan realized the truth, she hurriedly tried to call for a stop. Unfortunately, Xue Hen was not her grandfather; how could she stop him just by asking? Without even using a soul skill, he simply swung his sword forward casually.

"Boom!" A wave of sword pressure was unleashed.

"Pfft!" Unable to dodge in time, the toxins she had been preparing were instantly annihilated into nothingness by the sword pressure. Dugu Yan felt as if she had been struck by a galloping horse; she spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward at a speed even faster than her approach.

Not only that, but under the scouring of the sword pressure, her skin split open and her muscles were shredded, causing blood to gush out. In the blink of an eye, she transformed from a fair-skinned beauty into a blood-soaked mess.

"Bang!!!" Finally, just like Xue Beng, she slammed into a wall, collapsing it and burying herself under the rubble.

Xue Hen lowered his sword-wielding arm, and with a hum, the Imperial Power Sword vanished into specks of golden light.

He placed his right hand behind his waist, looked at the spot where Dugu Yan was buried, and said indifferently: "Those who aid evil deserve this retribution!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

After a few steps, he stopped, paused for two seconds, then turned back around and continued walking forward.

Hmm, why did I turn around?

My route was already forward!

Xue Hen strode ahead, passing by the ruins of the shattered wall.

Not long after he left, a blood-stained hand trembled as it reached out from the rubble, and a faint, weak cry for help emerged from within.

"Grandfather... save me..."

Xue Hen did not kill Dugu Yan; he had merely used the sword pressure to severely injure her and, in the process, severed several vital meridians to ensure she could no longer use her soul skills at will.

This was not out of soft-heartedness. Her original intent had been to capture him and hand him over to Xue Beng. If his strength had been inferior to hers and she had succeeded, he could imagine the fate that awaited him without even needing to think.

For someone who wanted to take his life, Xue Hen wouldn't even blink if he had to tear her limb from limb.

However, her appearance could actually help him accomplish one thing.

Letting those people know: he had arrived in Heaven Dou City!

It was for this reason that Xue Hen had activated the Imperial Power Sword. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to use his Martial Soul at all to deal with a Dugu Yan. He did it specifically so she would recognize his identity.

Of course, he could have just taken off his mask and let any passerby recognize him, but that wouldn't fit his persona.

Xue Hen... should hate trouble!

Being recognized by many and attracting attention wherever he went was not something he would enjoy.

As Xue Hen continued walking through the city, he pondered how many days it would take, at this rate, for him to reasonably step into the public eye.

Several hours later.

In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Emperor Xue Ye received a report from a royal scout.

He opened it, and upon reading the contents, his old eyes instantly lit up. He stood up from his seat, exclaiming excitedly: "Is this true?"

"Absolutely certain, Your Majesty. This is what Dugu Yan said after she was revived," the scout replied, bowing his head.

"Hahaha! Wonderful, this is truly wonderful! The unicorn son of my Xue family has arrived in Heaven Dou City!"

Emperor Xue Ye laughed toward the heavens, pacing back and forth in the hall while muttering, "Why has he come here? He is here to find me, isn't he? He wants to beg me to restore his royal status, to restore the honor of his birth mother, and to appoint him as the heir to the Balaque Kingdom! Yes, that must be it!"

As he spoke, Emperor Xue Ye whipped his head around to look in the direction of the Martial Soul Hall, his face filled with smug triumph. "Martial Soul Hall, I am no longer afraid of you! You have many Titled Douluo, is that it? I have Xue Hen! My nephew possesses a dragon-like appearance and phoenix-like grace, with talent unparalleled throughout history. He wields two top-tier martial souls, the Imperial Power Sword and the Emerald Swan, and possesses Innate Full Soul Power. Barely over twenty, he is already a Super Douluo. His first martial soul has two hundred-thousand-year soul rings, his second already has three, and the remaining six can all be imbued with hundred-thousand-year soul rings. He is far stronger than your Pope, Bibi Dong!"

"Come then! If you have the guts, send your Titled Douluo to challenge us, and we will show you what true terror is!"

"Hahahaha!"

The more Emperor Xue Ye spoke, the more agitated he became, spreading his arms wide and laughing toward the heavens once more.

There was no helping it; as the ruler of a nation, he had been suppressed by the Martial Soul Hall for far too long. Not only did the Martial Soul Hall establish Martial Soul Branch Hall and Martial Soul Main Hall in every city across the Heaven Dou Empire, but they also frequently interfered in domestic affairs. Concerned by the many Titled Douluo at their command, he had been forced to endure it all.

Now, he no longer wished to endure!

He would make the Martial Soul Hall understand what an empire truly was, and what it meant to be an emperor!