Hen'er?

Below, the scout who had come to deliver the intelligence hesitated for a moment upon seeing Emperor Xue Ye in such high spirits, but still reminded him, "Your Majesty, Poison Douluo... he is currently furious. He has vowed to fight Prince Xue Hen to the death, swearing that he will sacrifice his life to avenge his granddaughter."

Emperor Xue Ye's wild laughter stopped abruptly.

"Oh, is that so?"

His expression gradually returned to calm as he looked down at the scout and said coldly, "Then let him go throw his life away. That granddaughter of his knows neither the height of the sky nor the depth of the earth; she understands nothing of status or propriety. She dared to offend my nephew—let alone being severely injured, even if she had been beaten to death, she would have deserved it! He wants revenge? Let him go. My nephew is a dignified Super Douluo; he could flip that old man ten times over with a single hand. Would he fear him? Hmph!"

Xue Ye felt immensely proud, as if Xue Hen were his own beloved, intimate nephew, rather than a convenient relative born to a cousin, someone who had been expelled from the family and whom he had never even met in reality.

"This... as you command." Seeing that Emperor Xue Ye would discard Poison Douluo so thoroughly without a second thought, the scout's mouth twitched, and he lowered his head to acknowledge the order.

"Oh, right, Xue Beng also offended my nephew, didn't he?" At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye suddenly recalled the cause of the incident mentioned in the report, and his brow furrowed.

"Replying to Your Majesty, it cannot exactly be called an offense. It was just that the Fourth Prince was bullying... or rather, disciplining a commoner at the time. Prince Xue Hen saw it and perhaps felt the Fourth Prince was too... somewhat overbearing, so he intervened slightly. However, the Fourth Prince's injuries are not severe; the palace physicians say he will recover after resting for a period of time," the scout reported.

"Hmph, bullying commoners, ignorant and incompetent—how could I have such a son? Issue an edict: Xue Beng is arrogant and unruly; dock his salary for one year and confine him for three months!" Xue Ye decreed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Also, issue an edict to restore the status of Kundera's original wife, Queen Wang, to that of Queen. Place her spirit tablet in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to receive offerings. Open the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the public for three days; all citizens of the Heaven Dou Empire may enter to pay their respects." Emperor Xue Ye continued.

"Your Majesty, according to the rules, only members of the Imperial Family may enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This..."

"The people of the Heaven Dou Empire are all my subjects, and they are also the subjects of the emperors of the past. What is wrong with letting my own people enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple?" Emperor Xue Ye said with a serious expression.

At the same time, he thought to himself: My biological mother's status as Queen has been restored, and her spirit tablet has been placed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As her son, surely that child won't refuse to even come and take a look?

Yes, he intended to lure Xue Hen out.

As long as Xue Hen appeared, he, as the uncle, would immediately rush to pull him close, offer him warm concern, and then use earnest words to persuade him, appealing to the ancestral legacy and the bonds of blood to convince him to stay and assist in the struggle against Martial Soul Hall.

If he could secure his assistance, what would there be to fear in the future?

What of it if Bibi Dong possessed the inheritance of the Rakshasa God?

Hmph, it sounds intimidating, but on the Sky Screen, she was easily struck down by that Yuan Qi. Conversely, look at my nephew: he crossed paths with Yuan Qi in the Star Dou Great Forest, and the composure he displayed, that bearing, plus the tone Yuan Qi used when speaking to him...

All signs indicated that his nephew was far stronger than Bibi Dong.

Perhaps his nephew also possessed a divine inheritance!

Yes, he must have one; otherwise, how could he have surpassed everyone else so much, reaching this realm in his early twenties! Emperor Xue Ye firmly believed in his heart.

Then, he waved his hand, signaling the scout to hurry and deliver his edicts.

This scout, who was also the Chief Attendant of the palace, hurriedly withdrew to carry out the orders.

The two edicts quickly spread throughout the entirety of Heaven Dou City.

In the Great Soul Arena, in the spectator stands.

Xue Hen, who was sitting there watching the soul battle, smiled as he listened to the people in the neighboring seats discussing the edicts of Emperor Xue Ye.

This Emperor... he has some level of competence, actually thinking of using this method to win my favor while luring me out.

Very well, since that is the case, I shall go along with your wishes.

It is time to officially step onto the stage!

Xue Hen stood up and walked directly toward the exit.

"Hey, friend, the soul battle isn't over yet," someone reminded him as they saw him leaving.

"It is already over; the 'Ice Phoenix' has won," Xue Hen said indifferently, his footsteps not faltering as he continued toward the exit.

"Where is it over? It's clearly still evenly matched," the person muttered, then continued to watch the match on the soul battle stage.

But as he watched, his expression gradually began to change.

Because as the battle continued, the female soul master nicknamed 'Ice Phoenix' began to gain the upper hand, suppressing the female soul master nicknamed 'Blazing Fire Dance' on the opposite side.

This... it was clearly evenly matched at the beginning, and 'Blazing Fire Dance', you are a fire-attribute soul master; you have the advantage against an ice attribute, so why are you now at a disadvantage?

A while later.

"Boom!" On the soul battle stage, 'Ice Phoenix' unleashed her fourth soul skill, successfully defeating 'Blazing Fire Dance'.

A burst of excited cheering erupted from the spectator stands.

The audience member who had previously reminded Xue Hen did not cheer for 'Ice Phoenix' like the others. He stared at the scene on the soul battle stage, his expression dazed, and muttered, "She really did win..."

The next day.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Because Emperor Xue Ye had issued an edict to open the grounds, many commoners had come to visit and pay their respects.

Xue Hen, still wearing his silver mask, followed the crowd through the temple gates.

He first scanned the surrounding environment, then, following the signs indicating the areas where the spirit tablets of the various branches were placed, he walked straight to the area for members of the Balaque Royal Family. There were few visitors here, and in this place, he saw a very conspicuous new spirit tablet.

Balaque Kingdom - Queen Wang's Spirit Tablet.

It was the spirit tablet of his biological mother in this life.

Xue Hen stepped up to the spirit tablet, took a look at it, and then slowly lowered his head to bow.

Afterward, he stood up, gazed at it for a moment longer, and turned to walk toward the exit.

At this moment, just as he had anticipated, someone emerged to block his path.

"Hen'er, where are you going now?"

Hen'er?

Xue Hen suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

He had long guessed that someone would be waiting here like a rabbit waiting for a stump, but this form of address...

Xue Hen frowned, stopped in his tracks, and looked toward the source of the voice. He saw an old man dressed in imperial robes, clutching a scepter, hurrying out from behind with several others in tow.

Emperor Xue Ye.

He had actually come to stand guard here himself!

Emperor Xue Ye rushed toward Xue Hen at the fastest speed of his life, dropped his scepter, and grabbed him directly with both hands.

Wearing a silver mask, coming here to pay respects to Queen Wang, plus this height and this build—it was exactly the same as on the Sky Screen. There could be no mistake; he was his precious nephew, the Qilin son of the Xue family, Xue Hen!