Haagen-Dazs Royal City.
While Su Changge and Pufferfish Douluo were away, the forces that had pledged themselves to the Thirteenth Princess fell into turmoil. With Su Changge, their backbone, gone, and no way to bring the Thirteenth Princess, Rose, out of the palace to take command, they were left in disarray.
If he hadn't known that a Titled Douluo had their backs, Su Changge wouldn't have withdrawn so readily.
The Thirteenth Princess's faction would have scattered long ago.
And on the night of the ninth day after Su Changge's departure, the turmoil erupted into chaos.
The old king was dead.
He had died several days earlier than expected.
But those few days had thrown everyone's plans into complete disarray.
The Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Princess!
The three strongest candidates vying for the throne immediately ordered their armies to march on the Royal Capital.
Since none of them would yield to another,
they would settle the matter in a dirge of iron and blood, and rebuild the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom.
"Kill... kill the Thirteenth Princess. Once our king ascends the throne, you'll be made an Earl."
Without the old king's protection, the Thirteenth Princess was like a helpless little chick, exposed to the claws of the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Princess's minions.
If the Thirteenth Princess's faction hadn't arrived in time, that little white flower, the Thirteenth Princess, would have been blasted into a bloody pulp by several Soul Skills the moment she stepped out of the palace gates.
"Hold them back! Even if every last one of us dies here, get the Thirteenth Princess out safely!!!"
Under the protection of more than a hundred Soul Masters and several thousand soldiers, the Thirteenth Princess and her party fought their way south.
As for the Princess's residence, it was surely already a death trap. Going back now meant just one thing... death!
But this escape route was paved with blood and bones.
Almost every minute, loyal Soul Masters and soldiers fell in battle.
Every step came at an unimaginably terrible cost.
By the time the Thirteenth Princess and her party had crossed half the Royal Capital and reached its southern gate, nearly all of the several thousand ordinary soldiers had been killed. Only a little over thirty Soul Masters remained, along with a few high-ranking officials guarding her.
"Your Highness Rose, it's impressive that you made it this far."
"Unfortunately, your road ends here."
Just as the remnants of the Thirteenth Princess's faction prepared to make a desperate stand and escort Rose out of the Royal Capital, several terrifying auras spread from above the city gate. In the blink of an eye, they were before Rose and the others.
The emblems of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects, were embroidered on their chests. Beneath their feet floated seven Soul Rings, all arranged in the same pattern: two yellow, two purple, and three black!
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Spirit Saints had arrived.
"Is my Seventh Royal Sister trying to kill me!?"
The Thirteenth Princess, Rose, was pale and weak with fright.
Though she was a little white flower, after more than a month of trials, she had come to understand the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Princess all too well.
The top force standing behind her Seventh Royal Sister was none other than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"No, Your Highness Rose. That's not quite right."
"The Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Princess stationed heavy forces at all four gates of the Royal Capital. By sheer chance, you escaped to the southern gate, which is under the Seventh Princess's control. More accurately... you walked right into her hands."
Despair! Fear! Helplessness! A tide of dark emotions surged through them.
Facing several Spirit Saints from one of the Upper Three Sects, these battered survivors had no chance of breaking through.
Not even the slightest chance.
"Don't kill me! I'm a Soul Emperor. I'll surrender... I'll swear my loyalty to the Seventh Princess!!!"
In an instant, nearly half the Soul Masters switched sides.
But they forgot that during a decisive struggle for the throne, the first to die were always the fence-sitters.
Under the Soul Skills of several Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan Spirit Saints, the turncoats died one after another within minutes. Not one of them even left behind an intact corpse.
"Let's fight these Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan bastards! We'll protect Her Highness to the death!!!"
Seeing that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Spirit Saints would spare no one, the remaining Soul Masters and high-ranking officials hardened their resolve and launched a desperate counterattack.
But this seemingly heroic last stand... was utterly useless.
Fifteen!
Ten!
Five!
Three!
In the end, only the Thirteenth Princess remained, bewildered and paralyzed with fright.
"Your Highness... Lord Changge... where are you?"
"Come quickly... save Rose!"
Watching the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Spirit Saints approach, the Thirteenth Princess collapsed in the rain and let out a heart-wrenching cry.
The moment her words fell, the Spirit Saints' calm expressions changed.
On the distant horizon, a terrifying aura swept across half the city, bearing down like the vault of heaven.
"Attack! Kill her."
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Spirit Saints looked terrified.
Who could have imagined that the weakest of the four candidates for the throne, the Thirteenth Princess, had such a terrifying figure standing behind her?
But before they could make a move, Pufferfish Douluo and Su Changge appeared before them.
Pufferfish Douluo's nine Soul Rings floated in the air. Several Soul Skills roared forth, leaving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Spirit Saints on the brink of death.
Beside him, Su Changge swung the Ruyi Staff, conjuring a thousand overlapping shadows. He followed up with blow after blow... nearly killing and devouring the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Spirit Saints.
The whole sequence was smooth as silk, just as they had planned.
Rumble!
Lightning raged deep within the clouds, illuminating Su Changge's profile with startling clarity.
The moment the Thirteenth Princess, Rose, saw Su Changge, she could no longer hold back her emotions. Like a river bursting its banks, she threw herself into his arms... and wept without stopping.
"They're dead... they're all dead, Lord Changge. They all died protecting me."
"Thousands of them were killed by my royal siblings' minions... Rose is so scared. I'm really scared."
Feeling Rose's delicate body tremble with fear, Su Changge sighed and put an arm around the Thirteenth Princess. "Your Highness, I'm sorry... I came too late."
"But don't worry. With me and Senior here, no one will ever hurt you again."
Seeing Su Changge's hand wandering over the Thirteenth Princess, Pufferfish Douluo pursed his lips and silently turned away.
He wondered which deep-scheming, shameless black-hearted bastard had staged that whole charade, sacrificing every last minion of the Thirteenth Princess's faction to seize control of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom.
After a long while, seeing that Su Changge still wasn't stopping, Pufferfish Douluo finally couldn't resist reminding him, "Your Highness, we should go."
"If we don't leave now, the reinforcements your Seventh Royal Sister sent will be here."
"Huh!?"
At Pufferfish Douluo's reminder, the Thirteenth Princess seemed to come back to herself, but her hands still clung tightly to Su Changge.
As if only that could make her feel truly safe.
"It's time to go!"
"But we'll be back. When we return, you'll be the new ruler of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom... my noble Princess Rose!"
Su Changge's peripheral vision discreetly swept over the Thirteenth Princess's almost submissive gaze, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.
It seemed it wouldn't be long before he became the queen's man.