Xu Tianran Explodes

"Assassins! There are assassins!!"

"Protect the Crown Prince!!"

The guards were caught off guard by the sudden attack, but as the Crown Prince's guards, they were formidable and well trained.

They quickly organized a defense, setting up layer after layer of Soul Tool defensive shields to protect the Crown Prince in the middle of the convoy.

Soul Engineers might not necessarily be stronger than Soul Masters in one-on-one combat, but in coordinated battles, they were far more powerful.

Especially when it came to defense, Soul Engineers possessed an inherent advantage.

Some Soul Tool defensive shields were not high-level, yet their defensive power was astonishing.

For example, an Invincible Shield—even a fifth-level Invincible Shield could block an attack from a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse for three seconds, making it extremely troublesome.

Fortunately, the rare metal materials used to make Invincible Shields were incredibly scarce and produced in very limited quantities. Even the Crown Prince's guards did not have many of them.

The five assassins wore loose Black Robes and specialized Soul Tool masks that concealed their appearances and auras. Every one of them possessed Soul Douluo-level strength.

The five were Wang Yan, head of the Wang Family; Song Zhan, the Second Prince's maternal grandfather; and Song Peng, the Second Prince's uncle.

The remaining two were Zhao Yuhang, Wang Yan's close friend, and Li Fei, Song Zhan's sworn brother.

Among them, Wang Yan, Song Zhan, and Song Peng had the highest cultivation and the greatest strength. Even the weakest, Song Peng, had reached Rank 85, so the three of them were responsible for the frontal assault.

Li Fei, Song Zhan's sworn brother, was an Agility Attack System Soul Douluo. He was the fastest among them; in terms of pure speed, even ordinary Titled Douluo might not be faster than him.

He was responsible for assassinating Xu Tianran with lightning-fast speed if the plan proceeded smoothly. Afterward, he would also take Wang Yan and the others away as quickly as possible.

Zhao Yuhang, Wang Yan's close friend, was a Soul Douluo skilled at concealing his tracks. He was responsible for assisting Li Fei in assassinating Xu Tianran, as well as handling the final cleanup to prevent the Empire's later investigators from finding any traces.

Beneath his loose Black Robe, Wang Yan wore a set of Soul Tool Armor. He held a close-combat Soul Tool longsword in one hand and a Level Eight Soul Cannon in the other, radiating murderous intent.

Song Zhan gripped an eighth-level Soul Tool halberd. Its blade gleamed with a sharp, chilling light, as though it could slice through space itself.

Song Peng specialized in long-range attacks. Amid metallic clanging and explosive booms, he transformed into a terrifying metal fortress in the blink of an eye. More than a hundred Soul Cannon barrels aimed coldly at Xu Tianran's guards and unleashed a fierce barrage.

The Agility Attack System Soul Douluo, Li Fei, flitted about like a ghost, searching for openings amid the chaos and ready to break through the guards' defenses at any moment to directly assassinate Xu Tianran.

Zhao Yuhang, meanwhile, did not attack. Instead, he drove metal pillars into the surrounding ground.

Those metal pillars quickly encircled Xu Tianran's convoy. Zhao Yuhang then injected Soul Power into them, and in an instant, the pillars linked together, enclosing Xu Tianran's convoy within. Clearly, this was to prevent anyone from escaping.

The five had clearly defined roles and formidable strength. The moment they attacked, they placed immense pressure on Xu Tianran's guards.

The layers of Soul Tool defensive shields set up by Xu Tianran's guards rapidly drained under Wang Yan and the others' savage assault.

Inside the layers of Soul Tool defensive shields, the two Soul Douluo responsible for Xu Tianran's safety and the many guards were working together at full force, activating all kinds of defensive Soul Tools to withstand the attacks.

Seeing the terrifying attacks of the five assassins, both Soul Douluo wore grave expressions.

Of the two Soul Douluo protecting Xu Tianran, one was tall and thin, while the other was short and fat.

The short, fat Soul Douluo gritted his teeth. "Five Eighth-Level Soul Engineers with Soul Douluo cultivation—what an outrageous lineup. Have they lost their minds? They actually dare to commit the heinous crime of assassinating the Crown Prince? That is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations!"

The tall, thin Soul Douluo cursed, "Fuck, forget about how outrageous this is. We should be figuring out what to do first.

"We only have a limited number of Soul Tool defensive shields. These five assassins are too strong, and their attacks are too fierce. We won't last long.

"Once all the Soul Tool defensive shields are used up, we're finished. Other than the two of us, the entire convoy is made up of ordinary Soul King-level guards.

"Even if we count His Highness the Crown Prince and that Female Soul Sage, we still can't take on five Soul Douluo. Let me make this clear in advance—if we really can't hold them off, I'm not risking my life."

The short, fat Soul Douluo said, "It won't come to that. We only need to hold them back. This is the outskirts of Mingdu. Such massive Soul Power fluctuations will definitely be detected by Mingdu's Soul Power detectors. Mingdu's powerhouses should arrive to support us soon."

After discussing the matter, the two Soul Douluo tasked with guarding Xu Tianran felt somewhat relieved. As long as they held on for a while, they would be saved.

Whether it was one of the five Hand of National Protection Soul Engineer Legions arriving or a major figure from the Palace Worship Hall who was a Ninth Level Soul Engineer—

As long as even one of them came, these five assassins would die without a burial place.

At the center of the convoy, inside a carriage resembling a miniature palace, Xu Tianran was embracing the beautiful Soul Sage he had met half a month ago.

Several maidservants beside them kept their heads lowered, their eyes fixed on their feet as they waited respectfully.

When the sounds of battle reached him from outside, Xu Tianran was startled. He shoved the Female Soul Sage away, his gaze turning icy and his expression becoming incomparably ugly.

An assassination? Was it the second or the third?

Xu Tianran's Soul Power erupted, and he immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. Seven Soul Rings rose in succession, while a purple dragon appeared behind him.

The Purple Emperor Annihilation Heavenly Dragon martial soul was extremely powerful. Although Xu Tianran was only a Soul Sage, with this formidable martial soul, he could fight a Soul Douluo.

Therefore, Xu Tianran was extremely confident in his own strength. Even when faced with an assassination attempt, he did not panic.

After all, there were only so many Ninth Level Soul Engineers in the Sun and Moon Empire, and none of them would come to assassinate him. The assassins could be no stronger than Soul Douluo.

Xu Tianran immediately stepped out of the carriage. Through the layers of Soul Tool defensive shields, he looked at the five assassins in Black Robes. Their faces were covered by masks, their figures blurred, and even their auras were strange and difficult to identify. For the moment, he could not determine their identities.

Xu Tianran was shocked. Five Soul Douluo, and all of them are Eighth-Level Soul Engineers. Two of them are even among the stronger Eighth-Level Soul Engineers. This lineup is dangerous.

Hmph. My dear brothers truly cannot wait to kill me.

Xu Tianran stared coldly at Wang Yan and the others. Killing intent surged within him, and he did not even ask who the assassins were or who had sent them.

He knew that asking would be pointless. These assassins would never answer.

Besides, there was no need to ask. Xu Tianran did not need to guess to know that it had to be one of his dear brothers.

Either the second or the third. Once he killed both the second and third in the future, then wiped out all the forces behind them in one sweep, that would be enough. Why waste his breath?

However, that depended on whether he could survive this assassination attempt.

For the sake of his own life, Xu Tianran immediately promised the guards protecting him lavish rewards. "Today, Tianran's life and death rest in your hands.

"Your loyalty and bravery will be remembered in Tianran's heart. If Tianran returns safely today, all survivors will be promoted three ranks, rewarded with one high-grade pill each, and given an additional 500,000 Gold Soul Coins. The dead will be granted noble titles, hereditary for all generations. Your families will be supported by me!!"

After offering such lavish rewards, Xu Tianran felt a pang of pain. It might be only 500,000 Gold Soul Coins per person, but he had brought fifty guards with him this time. Altogether, that came to 25 million Gold Soul Coins.

That amount was enough to buy a high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.

And there was no need to mention the high-grade pills. Though far less precious than Spirit Pills, each one was still worth hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coins.

Even though the Sun and Moon Empire had medicinal gardens specifically for cultivating high-grade herbs, their annual output was fixed. It was not as though they could have as many as they wanted.

But compared to his own life, things that could be measured in money were insignificant.

As for the two Soul Douluo guards, there was no need to say anything to them. Their fortunes had long been tied together. Once he ascended the throne and became Emperor, the two of them would naturally enjoy glory, wealth, and every kind of high-level resource.

Hearing Xu Tianran's words, the guards immediately became fired up, and even the Soul Tool shields shone more brightly.

Seeing their morale rise, Xu Tianran's rage over the assassination eased considerably.

In another five minutes, powerhouses would definitely arrive to support them.

Xu Tianran estimated the rate at which the defensive Soul Tool shields were being consumed, along with the strength of himself and his guards, and concluded that holding out for five minutes would not be a problem.

A cold smile appeared on Xu Tianran's lips. He made a throat-slitting gesture at Wang Yan and the others. "You dared to assassinate me. After this, all of you will die!"

Wang Yan and the others looked at Xu Tianran within the Soul Tool defensive shields, their eyes erupting with chilling killing intent.

They immediately attacked the Soul Tool defensive shields even more frantically. For a time, the shields shattered at an even faster rate.

However, the Soul Tool defensive shields were truly troublesome. If not for them, with the strength of Wang Yan's five Soul Douluo, they would have already slaughtered Xu Tianran's guards and Xu Tianran himself.

But the gap in raw strength still remained. Three minutes later, Xu Tianran's guards had very few defensive Soul Tools left.

Seeing this, Wang Yan transmitted his voice, "Their Soul Tool defensive shields are almost depleted. Brother Song, it's time for us to act."

Xu Tianran's maternal grandfather, Song Zhan, and Wang Yan each took out a cannon shell radiating a terrifying aura of destruction from their Storage Soul Tools.

These were no ordinary shells. They were the most powerful and most difficult-to-make of all Soul Tools: Fixed Soul Cannon Shells.

The difficulty of crafting them was so high that it could be said that Soul Engineers could almost never create Fixed Soul Cannon Shells of the same level.

And the Fixed Soul Cannon Shells in Song Zhan and Wang Yan's hands were Level Eight!

Fixed Soul Cannon Shells were the Sun and Moon Empire's most terrifying weapons.

Among them, ninth-level Fixed Soul Cannon Shells possessed power capable of destroying heaven and earth, even obliterating an entire city.

Their power was so immense that Titled Douluo would undoubtedly die upon contact, while even Super Douluo would suffer grievous injuries.

Although Level Eight Fixed Soul Cannon Shells were less powerful than ninth-level ones, they could still inflict massive damage on Titled Douluo-level powerhouses. One shell would inevitably cause injury; two shells would leave them dead or severely wounded.

How could Wang Yan and the others possibly come to assassinate Xu Tianran without preparing high-destruction Soul Tools?

The short, fat Soul Douluo, the tall, thin Soul Douluo, and Xu Tianran all turned deathly pale upon seeing the two Level Eight Fixed Soul Cannon Shells in the assassins' hands.

The short, fat Soul Douluo and the tall, thin Soul Douluo immediately scattered and fled. They knew far too well just how terrifying those things were.

They supported Xu Tianran, but they could not support him with their lives. In the face of mortal danger, glory, wealth, and resources were all bullshit.

When Xu Tianran saw the two Eighth-Level Soul Engineers fleeing, he was about to curse them out.

But before he could open his mouth, two small mushrooms soared into the sky...

Long Chapter