Jing Hongchen naturally understood what Kong Deming meant.
Ever since the late emperor had arranged the betrothal between Xu Tianyao and Meng Hongchen, the Hongchen Family had been bound to Xu Tianyao for good.
From the very beginning, this marriage alliance had never been merely a matter of romance. It was a typical exchange of interests.
What the late emperor truly valued was the power of Mingde Hall.
He wanted to use Mingde Hall and Kong Deming's prestige to leave the imperial heir he valued most a trump card that could save his life in the future.
After all, no one understood his son better than he did.
Back then, Xu Tianran and Xu Tianyao might have seemed like brothers on good terms, with the court at peace.
But the saying that there was no family affection in the imperial house was no empty phrase.
Once the throne was at stake, even the deepest brotherly bond became insignificant in the face of power.
As it turned out, the late emperor had not been wrong.
After Xu Tianran ascended the throne, he relied on the Holy Spirit Cult's covert support, along with the backing of a large number of newly risen nobles and young officials at court, to gradually consolidate imperial power. He sought to eliminate his rivals and rule alone.
But that was simply unrealistic. The court's factions had long since taken shape. Some forces, some people, could not be eliminated. To move against them would be to shake the foundations of the empire.
That was how things had come to this: factions clearly divided, officials at odds with one another. How many years had Xu Tianran been on the throne? He had merely used Mingde Hall and the Holy Spirit Cult to temporarily keep the factional struggle in check.
The court now seemed calm on the surface, but beneath it, undercurrents were already surging.
He had only just achieved a few results, yet he was already so impatient to move against Xu Tianyao. Just how ruthless he was could be seen from that alone.
Therefore, even if Kong Deming had not gone out of his way to explain things today, Jing Hongchen understood what he meant. In the future, he would stand by Xu Tianyao without reservation.
Because they had long since lost any way out.
However, compared with all that, what concerned Jing Hongchen more at that moment was Kong Deming's sudden announcement that he would enter seclusion.
He immediately stood and refilled Kong Deming's teacup. A hint of anticipation showed in his eyes.
"Elder Kong."
"Your seclusion this time... is it because you've gained new insights in your cultivation?"
"Could it be that you've already touched that realm?"
Jing Hongchen's voice dropped without him realizing it.
That realm was not the one people knew as Limit Douluo. It was only the realm of Super Douluo.
The reason this had Jing Hongchen so excited was that Kong Deming already possessed combat strength comparable to a Limit Douluo by relying on Soul Tools alone. If his Soul Power rose further, no one could imagine how much stronger he would become.
If Kong Deming really could overcome the flaw in his Martial Soul and enter the ranks of Super Douluo...
Then the balance of power across the entire continent would change.
Even if one set that aside, and Kong Deming merely advanced one level further, taking a step forward despite already having reached the summit...
With his Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, his Life-Bound Soul Tool,
how many people in the world today could still stand against him?
By then, if Kong Deming publicly supported Xu Tianyao,
then no matter how deep Xu Tianran's schemes ran or how far-reaching his plans were, they would ultimately amount to nothing before overwhelming strength and prestige.
As long as Xu Tianyao inherited the throne and Meng Hongchen became empress,
the Hongchen Family would enter an era of unprecedented glory.
Kong Deming gently lifted his teacup, blew away the steam rising from its surface, and let a faint smile cross his face.
"Though I can't say it's a sure thing yet,"
"...I've already seen the door."
"If my seclusion goes well, then it'll be time to settle a lot of scores."
As he spoke, his gaze gradually turned cold. He thought of some things that had happened over the past few years—things he had simply chosen not to deal with.
Just because he had left them alone did not mean he was unaware of them. It was only that the time to settle those scores had not yet come.
"Some people have grown more and more unruly over the years. Their wolfish ambitions are plain for all to see!"
"And those Evil Soul Masters hiding in the sewers..."
"It's time to clean them out for good."
His words were calm, yet they held a terrifying killing intent that made one's heart quail.
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen felt a storm rise in his heart.
He knew that Kong Deming never made claims unless he was confident.
If he dared to say this, it meant he was at least seventy to eighty percent certain of success this time.
At that thought, Jing Hongchen immediately rose and solemnly promised him,
"Please rest assured, Elder Kong."
"Before you emerge from seclusion, I'll stake my life on it: I won't let anyone threaten Tianyao or Mengmeng."
Kong Deming nodded lightly and said no more.
Meanwhile.
At Shrek Academy, on Sea God Island.
Beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, in an exceptionally special cultivation area,
Heaven and earth's energy, so dense it was almost tangible, surged toward Xu Tianyao like a rising tide.
Behind him, a Sunlight Martial Soul and a Bright Moon Martial Soul rose together.
One gold, one silver; one yang, one yin.
Rather than taking turns being released like ordinary Twin Martial Souls, the two Martial Souls reflected one another, forming an incredibly wondrous cycle.
Golden and silver light wove together without end.
After the vast energy of heaven and earth entered his body, it did not immediately turn into Soul Power. Instead, the forces of the sun and moon first blended, compressed, and purified it.
In the end, it became even purer and more powerful Sun-Moon Soul Power.
That Soul Power constantly tempered his bones, meridians, and flesh, washing through every inch of his body and repeatedly battering the bottleneck in his cultivation.
And standing beside him
was none other than Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion Master,
Dragon God Douluo Mu En.
This old man, who rarely spoke in ordinary times, was now like a true teacher, constantly pointing out the finer details of Xu Tianyao's cultivation.
Under his guidance, Xu Tianyao's control over his own power and his use of Soul Power and spiritual power improved almost every day.
If outsiders saw this scene, they would probably doubt their own eyes.
The dignified Sea God Pavilion Master,
one of the strongest people on the continent,
was personally guiding a prince from the Sun Moon Empire in his cultivation.
He had even allowed him to use the Golden Ancient Tree for cultivation over an extended period.
Not to mention the students of the inner courtyard,
even Bei Bei, the junior Mu En cherished most, had never enjoyed such treatment.
So, although not many people knew about this, it still caused an uproar among Shrek's upper ranks.
A group of Sea God Pavilion Elders led by Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe discussed the matter incessantly. Almost everyone was baffled by Mu En's intentions.
In their eyes, what Mu En was doing was no different from aiding the enemy.
He had not only allowed a prince of an enemy nation to cultivate in the inner courtyard, but had also opened the academy's treasure trove, the Golden Ancient Tree, to him—and personally taught him how to cultivate.
How was that raising a student?
He was plainly raising a future enemy of Shrek and the Three Great Empires with his own hands.
No matter how they looked at it, they could not understand.
What exactly had Mu En and Xu Tianyao discussed that afternoon?
What could have made this old man, who had spent his whole life protecting Shrek, make such an astonishing decision?
Mu En never explained.
It was not that he could not explain, but that the time for an explanation had not yet come.
Some things were safer for both sides if fewer people knew about them.
Even the Sea God Pavilion Elders, and even his own personal disciple, had not heard a single word from him.
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