Xue Hen, Royal Brother, I am Xue Qinghe

Qian Renxue gazed in the direction where Xue Hen had departed, her face filled with annoyance, yet also a hint of excitement.

He was in Heaven Dou City; he was actually in Heaven Dou City!

Although she had not fully regained her memories, over the past few days, fragments of the past had indeed surfaced in her mind, all concerning her and Yuan Qi.

She really did know him. Back then, they had watched soul fights together in Martial Soul City, shared pastries, studied the art of tea, and read books together. He... he truly was her playmate, perhaps even...

Thinking of the look in his eyes when he first saw her on the Sky Screen, a flush of shyness involuntarily crept onto Qian Renxue's face. Combined with her earlier annoyance and excitement, her expression appeared incredibly complex.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." At this moment, a guard stepped forward and reminded her, "That Prince Xue Tian is still alive. How should we proceed?"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue snapped back to reality.

That was right; she was currently Xue Qinghe, not Qian Renxue. That was why Yuan Qi had not stopped earlier—he had not recognized her.

Forget it. As long as he is in Heaven Dou City, we will certainly meet again, Qian Renxue told herself inwardly.

She took a deep breath, quickly adjusting her state of mind and smoothing the complex expression from her face. By the time she turned back, she had returned to the gentle and refined Crown Prince.

"The person just now must be the Yuan Qi who appeared on the Sky Screen. He possesses Innate Full Soul Power of level twenty and has a highly mysterious background; even the previous Pope had to treat him with respect. His arrival in Heaven Dou City is no small matter. Report this to the Emperor immediately," she instructed the guard.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"As for Xue Tian, you lot take him and follow me," Qian Renxue said to the remaining guards, glancing at the stunned, tearful Xue Tian.

"Yes."

They then split up; one went back to report the situation to Emperor Xue Ye, while the rest, led by Qian Renxue, headed toward the inn where Xue Hen was staying.

The onlookers, seeing this display, were all incredibly nervous, not daring to make a single sound.

Terrifying, simply too terrifying.

They had actually just seen the super-mysterious figure who appeared on the Sky Screen—the big shot whom even the Pope of Martial Soul Hall had to treat with reverence—Yuan Qi!

The Sun Martial Soul was truly terrifying!

However, why did this Lord Yuan Qi only have one soul ring, and a hundred-thousand-year one at that?

They couldn't fathom it.

Of course, it was natural not to understand. This lord possessed Innate Full Soul Power of level twenty, and the Sky Screen had shown him participating in some "Sun God God Trial." For someone related to a god, it was perfectly normal for his soul ring configuration to differ from the common understanding of ordinary people.

In a dark corner not far away.

"Ning Fengzhi, what should we do? Xue Hen didn't come, but it drew in someone potentially even more formidable, and he killed Ning Pianpian. Now that Xue Hen cannot take revenge with his own hands, will he feel dissatisfied once he learns his enemy is dead and continue to cause trouble for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Chen Xin asked Ning Fengzhi with concern.

It wasn't just Chen Xin; Ning Fengzhi shared this worry.

If Xue Hen had been able to kill his enemy himself, their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could have turned a blind eye, not seeking trouble with him, nor avenging Ning Pianpian, and their grievances would likely have ended there.

But now that Ning Pianpian was dead, leaving not even a corpse behind, how was Xue Hen supposed to take his revenge?

If he couldn't swallow his past resentment and, considering he could no longer retaliate against Ning Pianpian, decided to take it out on her family—his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—then... the consequences would be unimaginable!

Facing a Super Douluo who might be level ninety-eight, even if Uncle Bone and he joined forces, plus his own support, their chances of victory would be at most fifty percent. Not to mention the opponent possessed Twin Martial Souls and so many soul bones. By that logic... they simply couldn't win.

He couldn't exactly use human-wave tactics, having the three of them entangle the opponent while thousands of disciples swarmed in, relying on sheer numbers to exhaust him to death, could he?

If they did that, even if they succeeded in killing him, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would likely be crippled.

Contemplating this, Ning Fengzhi was silent for a moment before saying helplessly, "Things have reached this point; there is no other way. Xue Qinghe coming here must be under the orders of Emperor Xue Ye to meet Xue Hen. He had Xue Tian taken into custody, likely intending to hand him over to Xue Hen for disposal. Let us see if Xue Hen's anger subsides after he kills Xue Tian. If not, we can only take things as they come."

"Sigh~" Ning Fengzhi let out a heavy sigh.

Neither he nor Chen Xin mentioned one question by tacit agreement.

That was why they hadn't stepped out to stop Yuan Qi and save Ning Pianpian just now.

After all, she was merely a sacrificial pawn they had intended to leave for Xue Hen to finish off.

In the inn room.

"Hum~" Xue Hen, having returned quietly, felt a burst of light emerge from his body. Immediately after, his appearance and aura changed rapidly.

Soon, he shifted from Yuan Qi back into the form of Xue Hen.

Name: Xue Hen
Age: Twenty-one
Soul Power: Level 97
Martial Soul: Imperial Power Sword / Emerald Swan
Soul Ring Configuration: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Red, Red / Red, Red, Red
Fused Character: Super Douluo - Xue Hen
Realization Rate: 99.21%
Available Character: Descendant of the Sun God - Yuan Qi (Realization Rate 47.29%)

Standing before the mirror, looking at his reflection and seeing that even his clothing had returned to his original pure white martial attire, Xue Hen nodded with satisfaction.

He released his spiritual power to perceive his surroundings, and sure enough, he discovered a group of people approaching him. One aura belonged to Xue Tian, and the other was the youth in the gold-red finery he had encountered earlier.

The Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe.

Or rather, the Young Master of the Martial Soul Hall—Qian Renxue!

"Hmph." Xue Hen let out a soft snort, walked to the table to sit down, poured himself a cup of tea, and waited patiently.

Not long after, a knock sounded at the door.

Xue Hen glanced at the door, and with an invisible ripple of soul power, the bolt slid open on its own.

"Enter," Xue Hen said indifferently, then took a sip of his tea.

Hearing the voice from within, Qian Renxue, who had already adjusted her mindset and reverted to the persona of Xue Qinghe, gently pushed the door open. She did not enter immediately, but stood outside the threshold and peered in.

When she saw the figure in white sitting by the table sipping tea, her pupils constricted slightly.

It really was him, exactly the same as on the Sky Screen.

Xue Hen!

Qian Renxue's breathing grew slightly heavier for a moment, then a friendly expression appeared on her face, accompanied by a calculated sense of intimacy. She spoke politely to Xue Hen, "Royal Brother Xue Hen, I am Xue Qinghe, your cousin. I heard from the Emperor that you were staying here, so I came specifically to visit."

"Xue Qinghe?" Xue Hen murmured the name once, then turned his head to look toward the door.

"So it is the Crown Prince. Your Highness has mistaken the person; there is no royal... hm? Xue Tian!"

Xue Hen's words trailed off halfway, his expression changing abruptly the moment he caught sight of Xue Tian being held captive behind Qian Renxue.