A Dangerous Situation

Following this, Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and the others followed Elder Kong out of the hall to welcome Xu Tianran.

Outside the Soul Hall Offering Hall!

Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and the others saw Xu Tianran arriving with Ju Zi, Jing Hongchen, and Xu Tianyuan, whom they had met not long ago.

"Tianran pays his respects to the two Crowned Ones!"

Xu Tianran took the lead, bowing before Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi could.

"Hehehe~"

As he spoke, Xu Tianran could not stop himself from coughing.

Standing behind him, Ju Zi kept patting his back, seemingly trying to soothe his discomfort.

Feeling the warmth on his back, Xu Tianran immediately grabbed Ju Zi's hand with his right, patting it gently to signal that he was fine.

Xu Tianran then continued, speaking to Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi.

"My legs are inconvenient, so I cannot properly perform the full rites for you two Crowned Ones!"

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi frowned slightly.

The two exchanged a glance, both thinking: It has only been a year, yet this Majesty has aged so severely! And he appears to be suffering from grave injuries!

Qian Daoliu's gaze fell upon Xu Tianran, instantly discerning his poor condition, though he could not pinpoint the exact nature of his wounds.

Qian Daoliu turned to look at Bo Saixi, their eyes meeting.

Bo Saixi instantly understood Qian Daoliu's signal.

She exerted a sliver of her life force to probe Xu Tianran, immediately sensing wisps of death energy swirling within his body; his vitality was draining away at an alarming rate.

The symptoms were similar to those Bo Saixi had suffered when struck by the Death God Ray, though Xu Tianran's injuries were not as severe as what she had endured.

At the same time, Bo Saixi also sensed another toxin-like substance within him, which was also consuming his life force.

It could be said that the combination of the two had already sealed Xu Tianran's fate.

However, Bo Saixi was no longer the person she once was.

She secretly transmitted her voice to Qian Daoliu: "Qian Daoliu, this Xu Tianran is shrouded in death energy!"

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu's expression turned cold.

Qian Daoliu exchanged a look with Elder Kong, who nodded in confirmation.

Qian Daoliu then let out a long sigh, his expression returning to normal.

Qian Daoliu said to Xu Tianran, "Your Majesty, I am quite curious about the situation on the Douluo Continent!"

"Would you be willing to explain it to me in private?"

Qian Daoliu's words were veiled.

To be able to poison Xu Tianran right under Elder Kong's nose, the culprit had to be someone close to him.

Qian Daoliu's gaze swept past Elder Kong, ruling him out first.

Next was Xu Tianyuan; Qian Daoliu could not be certain.

Then came Jing Hongchen; Qian Daoliu remained uncertain.

Finally, there was Ju Zi, who had been guarding Xu Tianran's back; Qian Daoliu still could not be sure.

In the end, Qian Daoliu decided to speak with Xu Tianran in private to help him restore his vitality.

After all, Bo Saixi now possessed the Life Scepter, the super-divine artifact of the Life God King.

Furthermore, this was not merely a minor loss of vitality, but the disability of Xu Tianran's legs and lower body.

If Bo Saixi wished, she could resolve it all for him.

Beside them, Xu Tianran was incredibly excited to hear that Qian Daoliu wanted a private audience.

He had already lost hope for his own body.

But the arrival of Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi had reignited his hope for survival.

"Tianran would naturally not dare to refuse!"

Suppressing his coughs, Xu Tianran signaled for Elder Kong to push his wheelchair.

Ju Zi, standing behind him, tried to stop him: "Your Majesty, your body is unwell!"

"Why not let this concubine push you instead?"

But Xu Tianran stopped her: "Ju Zi, you and Jing Hongchen and the others stay outside the hall!"

"Angel Crowned One, Sea God Crowned One, please lead the way!"

"Elder Kong! Let us go!"

Outside the hall, only Ye Guyi, Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, Jin Lin, Guang Yao, as well as Ju Zi, Jing Hongchen, and Xu Tianyuan remained.

Inside the Soul Hall Offering Hall.

Kong Deming had just pushed Xu Tianran into the Offering Hall, following Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi inside.

Qian Daoliu immediately manifested his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, releasing his Angel Domain to shroud the surrounding space.

Once this was done, Qian Daoliu took the lead, addressing Xu Tianran, "Brother Kong, tell me, what exactly happened to His Majesty's injuries?"

Seeing Qian Daoliu act with such caution, Xu Tianran and Kong Deming both breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Following a signal from Xu Tianran, Kong Deming began to speak.

He addressed Qian Daoliu, "Brother Qian, half a year after you disappeared!"

"The Holy Spirit Cult launched more than one assassination attempt against His Majesty!"

"During the most frantic of these, the upper echelons of the Holy Spirit Cult initially—!"

"His Majesty was attacked by Ye Xishui and Zhong Liwu during that very same desperate assault!"

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu roughly understood the full scope of the situation.

He then added, "Brother Kong, did the Holy Spirit Cult ever deploy a Death God Ray?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Deming's pupils constricted as he replied to Qian Daoliu, "Brother Qian, how do you know about the Death God Soul Guidance Device?"

Qian Daoliu did not hide the truth, telling Kong Deming, "Because Bo Saixi and I were struck by Ye Xishui and the Death God Soul Guidance Device that very day, which is why we fell into a canyon!"

"What?"

Hearing that Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi had survived being struck by the Death God Ray, Kong Deming's mouth fell open, wide enough to fit a goose egg.

No one knew the terror of the Death God Soul Guidance Device better than he did.

This device was the ultimate weapon of the Holy Spirit Cult, a forbidden Soul Guidance Device that approached the tenth level.

The Death God Ray it fired not only possessed the terrifying destructive power of a Limit Douluo, but it also carried a tyrannical, frigid essence of death.

Once the ray pierced the flesh, it would take root in the meridians and bones, constantly devouring the victim's vitality and entangling them in deathly energy. It was nearly impossible to eradicate; even if one were lucky enough to survive, they would be permanently crippled, their vitality left to wither away.

Thinking of this, Kong Deming, amidst the shock on the faces of Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi, knelt before them and pleaded, "Brother Qian, on behalf of the billions of citizens of the Sun Moon Empire, I beg you to save His Majesty!"

"The situation on the Douluo Continent is treacherous and unpredictable! The Holy Spirit Cult, Shrek Academy, the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Xingluo Empire are all eyeing the Sun Moon Empire like tigers stalking their prey!"

"The Sun Moon Empire cannot afford to lose His Majesty!"

Kong Deming remained on his knees, his words sincere and heartfelt.

Qian Daoliu found it hard to believe that this old fox, Kong Deming, could ever look so earnest.

Originally, he had intended to tease the old man, but it seemed that was no longer an option.

For the sake of the Soul Hall's continued stable development, and for the sake of the billions of people in the Sun Moon Empire, Qian Daoliu decided to have Bo Saixi save this ambitious ruler, Xu Tianran.

Qian Daoliu decided to let Bo Saixi save the ambitious ruler, Xu Tianran, who stood before them.

Beside them, Xu Tianran, seeing that Kong Deming would go to such lengths for him, felt tears welling up in his eyes, though he did not cry out.

He simply looked at Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi with a gaze full of hope.

At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu found it difficult to make things hard for Kong Deming.

Thus, in front of Kong Deming, Qian Daoliu said to Xu Tianran, "Xu Tianran, This Seat can save you today!"

"But I do so for the sake of the billions of lives in the Sun Moon Empire!"

"And for the sake of my Soul Hall's elder, Kong Deming!"

"I hope that once you are reborn, you will govern with diligence and bring prosperity to your people!"

Having said this, Qian Daoliu turned to Bo Saixi, "Xixi, do it."

Hearing this, Kong Deming's body trembled slightly.

Hope ignited in Xu Tianran's eyes as he began to swear and promise, "Your Excellencies, I swear to the heavens, if I can be reborn this day!"

"I will treat you both as my own father and mother!"

"At the same time, I guarantee that I will govern with diligence and benefit the people!"

"I shall never forget the grace of your rebirth!"