At that thunderous shout, a gentle, warm power enveloped Yun Chen protectively. He vanished from where he stood and reappeared at the main entrance of the Crown Prince's Residence.
Still badly shaken, Yun Chen gasped for breath, staring at the furious Bone Douluo in the distance with lingering fear.
Bone Douluo was surprised as well. He hadn't expected someone to suddenly rescue Yun Chen, but when he looked toward the source of the voice...
In the next instant, every hair on his body stood on end, and his pupils contracted sharply. Almost instinctively, he hurled Ning Rongrong into a spatial rift, sending her back to Ning Fengzhi's side.
The power locked onto him seemed to deliberately spare Ning Rongrong. It did not seal off the space through which she escaped, but it kept Bone Douluo firmly in its sights.
A dazzling blue trident came into view. Holding it was Emperor Xue Ye, clad in imperial finery, his very presence commanding awe without any display of anger.
Beneath his feet, eight soul rings appeared in succession: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.
"Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has gone too far! You dared attack a noble I personally appointed, here in my Heaven Dou City? Do you really think the Heaven Dou Empire is so easily bullied?"
Cold sweat poured off Bone Douluo. He didn't know what to say. He had only wanted to kill Yun Chen quickly. Even if the Heaven Dou Empire came demanding answers afterward, the genius would already be dead. Would the empire really fall out with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect over him?
More importantly, he now felt the threat of death—and its source was the azure trident in Emperor Xue Ye's hand.
"No, Emperor Xue Ye! This is all a misunderstanding! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect intended nothing of the sort!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ning Fengzhi's eyes. Although he wasn't a Titled Douluo himself, he could still sense the overwhelming power Emperor Xue Ye was unleashing. Bone Douluo's utterly grim, almost frightened expression also made one thing clear: the might Emperor Xue Ye was displaying was no weaker than that of any Super Douluo.
I've underestimated the great figures of this world. Emperor Xue Ye... no! The Xue Family. No wonder they've held the Heaven Dou Empire's throne so securely, standing as equals against Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire.
Qian Renxue's expression went through a remarkable series of changes. Her concern for Yun Chen gave way to utter dismay the moment she witnessed Emperor Xue Ye's overwhelming might.
That old bastard really did have something up his sleeve—and something this powerful, too.
At least on par with a Super Douluo.
The two Titled Douluos concealed in the shadows exchanged a glance, each seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes.
A moment later, they swiftly suppressed their auras to avoid being detected by Emperor Xue Ye or anyone else.
Clearly, Yun Chen was out of danger. They had also gained new intelligence: Emperor Xue Ye—or rather, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family—was nowhere near as simple as it appeared.
That trident was certainly no ordinary object. Both Titled Douluos felt the threat of death emanating from it, and even their martial souls trembled. That alone spoke volumes about its power.
Yun Chen stared blankly at the scene, utterly bewildered. Looking at that trident and Emperor Xue Ye, who resembled a god descended to earth, he began questioning everything he knew.
What the fuck? What's going on? Is that the Sea God Trident? No, wait, isn't the Sea God Trident supposed to be blue and gold?
Holy shit! If you're going to send me to another world, at least get it right! What is this? Is this really the same Emperor Xue Ye who was poisoned to death?
"Hmph! You wouldn't dare?"
"You tried to kill the Heaven Dou Empire's greatest genius in our own Crown Prince's Residence, and you still claim you wouldn't dare? I think there's very little you wouldn't dare do, Ning Fengzhi!"
"Nameless! Liu Gangjie! In my name as Emperor of Heaven Dou, I order each of you to take one hundred thousand troops and surround the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
"Take these tiger tallies!"
Two tiger tallies flew from Emperor Xue Ye's hand and landed in the hands of the two armored officers bowing behind him.
Only then did everyone notice the two men accompanying Emperor Xue Ye: General of the Left Nameless and General of Valiant Cavalry Liu Gangjie. These were the two military heavyweights responsible for defending the capital, a rank eighty-seven Soul Douluo and a rank eighty-six Soul Douluo, respectively.
"No, please! Your Majesty, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to compensate you! I'll pay! A soul bone—a ten thousand year soul bone! And I'm willing to cede half the shares in our Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce to you... Your Majesty... please show mercy!"
Ning Fengzhi begged for mercy at once. He knew all too well what being surrounded today would mean. That was a full two hundred thousand troops! If fighting broke out, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would be destroyed under his leadership today.
What? Wasn't Sword Douluo still there?
Sword Douluo could indeed break out, but what good would that do? How many people could he take with him? What about everyone left behind?
Even with Sword Douluo's tremendous strength, he could fight until he died of exhaustion and still fail to kill all two hundred thousand soldiers.
And the Heaven Dou Empire had far more than two hundred thousand troops! If they truly did that, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would instantly become a target for all. The consequences of being hunted by an entire empire were unthinkable!
Even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sought refuge with another power, what would become of their martial soul?
With their core disciples slaughtered by the army, how could their lone surviving bloodline preserve the sect's martial soul? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's extinction would only be a matter of time, and other powers could easily swallow up everything they left behind.
Though Emperor Xue Ye was somewhat tempted, he could not let it show. He slowly descended to the ground and approached Yun Chen with the Sea God Trident in hand. Gently rubbing the boy's head, he spoke warmly.
"Good child, I'll see that justice is done for you today. Don't be afraid. No one will lay a hand on you. I, Xue Ye, keep my word."
Without question, Emperor Xue Ye had genuinely won Yun Chen's goodwill this time.
After all, his rescue could not have come at a better moment.
Still, Emperor Xue Ye's actions also deepened Yun Chen's curiosity. That trident in particular, radiating its strange energy, left him with a nagging sense that something was off.
Holy shit! Does the Heaven Dou Empire actually have the Sea God's backing?
The more Yun Chen thought about it, the stranger it seemed. After all, in the original story, the token to the Sea God's inheritance had been in the Heaven Dou Empire's possession—and it was even the empire's national treasure. That was decidedly suspicious.
"Heh. Does your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect think a little compensation can make up for our losses?"
Emperor Xue Ye chuckled, yet his smile seemed colder the longer one looked at it. Clearly, his fury had reached its limit.
Damn it. Spirit Hall pushes us around. The Star Luo Empire pushes us around. Now even your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect dares to do the same? Do you think we have no backbone?
"Your Majesty! Bone Douluo merely suffered a momentary lapse in judgment! Otherwise, how would he ever dare defy you?"
Ning Fengzhi had shuffled forward on his knees to Emperor Xue Ye's feet and was pleading desperately.
"Dad, Grandpa, what's wrong with you? He's just a mere Soul Douluo! Grandpa, you're a Titled Douluo. Why would you be afraid of him?"
Though still somewhat frightened after being tossed aside, Ning Rongrong was deeply dissatisfied. As far as she was concerned, Emperor Xue Ye was only a Soul Douluo, while her grandfather Gu Rong was a genuine Titled Douluo. No matter how she looked at it, he couldn't possibly lose.
"You little bitch, shut your mouth!"
Ning Fengzhi was truly beside himself with rage. He rounded his eyes on Ning Rongrong and shouted harshly.
His savage expression made Ning Rongrong shudder. She dared not speak again.
"Heh. Indeed, I, Xue Ye, am merely a humble Soul Douluo. What have I done to deserve such pleading from Sect Master Ning, who has two Titled Douluos at his command?"
"Qinghe, what do you think of this?"
Qian Renxue steadied herself, stepped forward, and stood beside Yun Chen.
Turning her head toward Emperor Xue Ye, she had never felt so bewildered. Now she felt as though she had never truly seen through him at all.
But this was no time to investigate that. The immediate priority was settling the matter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Father, I believe the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must receive some punishment. Otherwise, the imperial family's dignity will surely suffer."
"Well said. In that case..."
Emperor Xue Ye chuckled, a trace of coldness in his eyes as he looked at Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi. Clearly, he intended to teach them a lesson today.
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