Soon after, Qian Daoliu released his Martial Soul alongside Bo Saixi, then flew high into the sky and hurried toward Ming Capital.
Along the way, Qian Daoliu noticed that the Sun Moon Empire seemed to have changed.
Every city they passed was bristling with sentries and under tight security. Soldiers patrolled back and forth, and the atmosphere was tense.
There were few leisurely figures on the streets. From dawn until nightfall, the common people worked without pause, hurrying along as they went.
The entire Sun Moon Empire had shed its former appearance, and a taut, oppressive air hung everywhere.
"Qian Daoliu, what's going on? Why do I feel like the Sun Moon Empire is in a state where the whole populace is ready for battle?"
Seeing this, Bo Saixi couldn't help muttering to Qian Daoliu.
Of course, Qian Daoliu could see what Bo Saixi had seen.
Qian Daoliu furrowed his brow slightly and said softly to Bo Saixi, "Something may have happened on Douluo Continent!"
"Saixi, we need to hurry!"
For the rest of the journey, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi didn't stop.
They sped toward Ming Capital.
After rushing all the way, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi finally arrived above Ming Capital.
Ming Capital was on the highest alert. Soul Tool Turrets of all kinds lined the city walls, while elite Soul Engineers and the imperial guards were deployed in layers. Even the airspace was divided into tightly monitored zones.
The moment the two entered Ming Capital's airspace, dozens of nearby detection Soul Tools lit up with eerie glimmers, and alarms suddenly rang out across the sky.
In an instant, a large group of Soul Engineers in uniform armor surrounded them in midair, sealing off every avenue of retreat.
The man at their head fixed them with a sharp gaze and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you trespass in the airspace above Ming Capital? State your names at once, or don't blame us for attacking!"
Qian Daoliu glanced over and recognized the man leading them.
He wore golden armor, and his aura was deep and powerful. Soul Power rippled faintly around him—he was clearly a Titled Douluo. He stood tall, with the distinctive pride of a royal warrior between his brows. Behind him, the Soul Engineer Legion stood in neat formation, radiating a murderous air. He was no ordinary garrison commander.
Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi exchanged a glance. Their suspicion that something major had happened in the Sun Moon Empire grew stronger.
Qian Daoliu didn't answer at once. Instead, he reached into his Soul Tool and felt around for something.
The move gave the commander a serious fright. He immediately activated the defensive shield around himself and brought his own high-grade Soul Tool weapon to bear. At the same time, he ordered the Soul Engineer Legion behind him to activate their linked defensive shields and aim their high-grade Soul Tool weapons at Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi.
Just as both sides stood on the brink of an all-out clash—
Qian Daoliu took out a token from his Soul Tool and tossed it to the commander.
The commander's first reaction, however, was to activate his Soul Tool weapon and order the Soul Engineer Legion behind him to open fire on Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi.
Dense beams of Soul Tool energy and energy shells roared toward them, crashing down right in front of the pair. But Soul Power flowed around Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi, and an invisible barrier blocked every attack. Neither of them was harmed in the slightest.
Only the token flying through the air was left unprotected. Under the violent energy blast, it instantly crumbled to dust.
The Soul Engineer Legion's recklessness greatly annoyed Qian Daoliu. At the same time, his strength left the commander and the other members of the Soul Engineer Legion shaken.
Unable to contain his anger, Qian Daoliu roared at the Ming Capital garrison commander, "I am Qian Daoliu, an Imperial Enshrined of the Sun Moon Empire! The Great Enshrined of the Soul Hall! How dare you stop me!"
The commander was visibly shaken by his words.
He began searching his memories for anything he knew about Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu had appeared briefly in the Sun Moon Empire a year ago, becoming an Imperial Enshrined and founding the Soul Hall. He had been missing from Douluo Continent for a year.
The commander instinctively wanted to apologize to Qian Daoliu, but a Soul Engineer beside him suggested, "Your Highness, be careful. It could be a trap!"
"Douluo Continent is in turmoil right now. We should err on the side of caution!"
The commander felt he had a point, so he addressed Qian Daoliu with a hint of deference. "I am Xu Tianyuan, Prince of the Sun Moon Empire and commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Legion. May I ask if you have any proof of your identity?"
Qian Daoliu's mouth twitched. "I did—until you and your men destroyed it with your Soul Tools. There's not even a speck of it left!"
"Not a scrap remains!"
Xu Tianyuan's mouth twisted wryly. "Then I must apologize. Do you have any other proof of your identity? Otherwise, we'll have to ask the two of you to surrender and come with me into Ming Capital."
At this, Qian Daoliu furrowed his brow even more deeply.
Xu Tianyuan had already begun signaling his men to tighten the circle around Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi.
Qian Daoliu could no longer restrain himself. He released his fully manifested Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, then poured Soul Power into his voice and roared toward the imperial city of Ming Capital, "Kong Deran, I, Qian Daoliu, have returned!"
The imperial city of Ming Capital!
Xu Tianran, Kong Deming, Ju Zi, Ye Guyi, Jing Hongchen, and the other key figures of the empire were discussing the current situation on the continent.
Suddenly, they heard a voice calling for Kong Deran from outside the imperial city.
Kong Deming was the first to react. He murmured to himself, "Brother Qian!"
Then he gave Xu Tianran a slight apology before vanishing from the spot. Ye Guyi, who had been standing nearby, vanished with him.
As Kong Deming carried Ye Guyi away, she asked him, "Teacher, is the old ancestor back?"
Kong Deming nodded happily in response to Ye Guyi.
Seeing this, Ye Guyi shed tears of joy. "That's wonderful! The old ancestor is still alive!"
Inside the palace, the others reacted in different ways.
Xu Tianran, for one, shed the gloom that had hung over him. The upheavals on Douluo Continent over the past year had made him seem to age considerably.
Now that he had heard Qian Daoliu had returned, he felt as if he had grown ten years younger.
As for Ju Zi, her expression suddenly turned unnatural, but she quickly recovered and said to Xu Tianran, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The empire has regained two peak combatants!"
Jing Hongchen, standing beside her, also watched his expression change again and again. Deep apprehension showed in his eyes, and his hands clenched into fists almost involuntarily.
The Soul Hall's growth over the past year had put immense pressure on Mingde Hall.
Outside Ming Capital!
Xu Tianyuan's Imperial Dragon Soul Master Legion was facing off against Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi.
When Qian Daoliu called out Kong Deming's name—
Xu Tianyuan had already become ninety percent certain that Qian Daoliu was who he claimed to be.
But his duty still compelled him to block Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi's way.
At the same time, he was unwilling to completely offend them.
So Xu Tianyuan merely ordered the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Legion to keep Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi surrounded.
He had no intention of capturing them by force.
Of course, Qian Daoliu could see that Xu Tianyuan was giving way.
So Qian Daoliu was willing to do Xu Tianyuan the courtesy of waiting.
The two sides maintained an unspoken understanding, waiting quietly for Kong Deming to arrive.
"Brother Qian, Sister Bo Saixi! It really is you!"
A hearty, excited voice rang out from afar.
"Old Ancestor! Aunt Bo!"
Beside that voice came a resolute woman's call.
The newcomers were none other than Kong Deming and Ye Guyi.
Qian Daoliu didn't even raise his eyes. He simply spoke toward Kong Deming's position. "Brother Kong, when it's time for you to act like a sensible person, why do you have to be so unreasonable?"
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