When Qin Jiuxiao came to visit Xue Qinghe, Xue Beng received the news at the same time.
He immediately had someone investigate Qin Jiuxiao.
When he learned that Qin Jiuxiao had Innate Full Soul Power, his expression darkened at once.
Several of his elder brothers had died under very suspicious circumstances, and he suspected that Xue Qinghe was behind it.
After all, Xue Qinghe had benefited the most from those princes' deaths.
To keep Xue Qinghe from targeting him, he had no choice but to pretend to be a wastrel.
He made no effort to improve himself and spent his days frequenting brothels.
Now he saw a genius with Innate Full Soul Power getting along well with Xue Qinghe.
This was a seed for a Titled Douluo. No matter what, he had to ruin the relationship between them.
"I'm a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. It's your honor that I've taken a liking to your woman."
"Get them! Take her for me!"
Xue Beng wanted to provoke Qin Jiuxiao into attacking him. Right or wrong, if Qin Jiuxiao laid a hand on a prince inside the imperial palace, Xue Beng would have the law on his side.
Then, even if anyone questioned him, he could use the defense of the imperial family's dignity as an excuse.
Besides, she really was the most exquisite woman he had ever seen. If he succeeded, he could enjoy himself for a while, too.
Qin Jiuxiao knew perfectly well that Xue Beng was putting on an act.
But whether he was doing it on purpose or not, Zi Ji was his woman now.
He'd dared to put on his wastrel act right in front of him.
Then he couldn't blame Qin Jiuxiao for being ruthless.
Zi Ji clenched her fists, her gaze icy as a savage aura gradually spread from her.
As the nearly three-hundred-thousand-year-old Ferocious Beast and clan leader of the Hell Demon Dragon King clan, when had anyone ever dared treat her like a piece of merchandise?
Even Xiong Jun and Scarlet King didn't dare truly rile her.
She was a Pureblood Dragon. Any Soul Beast with the word "dragon" in its name was no ordinary creature; once they flew into a rage, they were terrifying.
Qin Jiuxiao noticed that something was wrong with Zi Ji.
He immediately took her clenched fist in his hand and stepped in front of her.
"Why should Your Majesty have to deal with these people herself? Let me clear out these minnows for you."
Qin Jiuxiao looked at her and gave a light chuckle.
The anger in Zi Ji's heart eased a little, and she understood that Qin Jiuxiao meant well.
If she made a move, she might draw more attention.
After all, she was a Ferocious Beast. If she attracted a Super Douluo or even more powerful foes...
That would be trouble.
"Very well. For now, I'll appoint you First Demon Dragon Guard. Teach those ants a good lesson for me."
Zi Ji lifted her chin, and the aura of a queen instinctively radiated from her once more.
"Your command!"
Qin Jiuxiao rolled his neck, but didn't reveal his Soul Rings.
As the guards charged at him, he simply clenched his fist.
Golden patterns slowly surfaced on his skin.
He swung his fist with all his might.
The punch scraped against the air, forming a terrifying air cannon.
The immense shock wave sent the charging guards tumbling. Even the refined iron shields in their hands were bent out of shape.
Each of them had at least several broken ribs. They lay on the ground, crying out miserably.
Xue Beng's pupils contracted at the sight. These guards were all powerful Soul Ancestors and even Soul Kings.
Yet they couldn't withstand a single punch from Qin Jiuxiao.
What kind of monster was he?
When he saw Qin Jiuxiao approaching, Xue Beng immediately panicked.
"Y-you... Don't come any closer!"
"I'm a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire! You dare lay a hand on a prince?"
His voice trembled as he stumbled backward.
"Ah!"
Qin Jiuxiao kicked him in the chest. He hadn't used his full strength, but still broke several of Xue Beng's ribs and drew a scream from him.
[ Ding! Contact with Xue Beng of the Heaven Dou Empire. Obtained the entry "Dragon King's Forbearance (Green)": Endure your enemies' humiliation without complaint. When three years are up, the Dragon King returns to his throne. Soul Skill power increased by 1%. ]
Qin Jiuxiao was speechless. This entry was utterly useless.
The Soul Power it gave him was negligible, practically worthless.
As Qin Jiuxiao kept approaching, Xue Beng finally began to feel afraid.
He hadn't expected Qin Jiuxiao to actually dare attack him here. He struggled to crawl backward.
He was pretending to be a wastrel, but that didn't mean he wanted to die!
"W-wait..."
"I can apologize to you, and to that beautiful woman. Please, don't come any closer!"
Xue Beng was truly terrified.
"I hate people who apologize after the fact."
Qin Jiuxiao walked up to him and slowly crouched down, his voice as cold as ice.
"You can pretend to be a wastrel, but doing every wastrel's deed under the pretense of an act is called being a hypocrite."
"Hypocrites are the people I hate most."
Lightning flickered at Qin Jiuxiao's fingertips. He flicked his finger, and a thread of Lightning Tribulation power burrowed into Xue Beng's body.
Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt!
Xue Beng's body convulsed violently. His eyes rolled back, and pale yellow liquid flowed from his trousers. The electric shock had made him lose control of his bladder.
Qin Jiuxiao naturally couldn't kill Xue Beng in the imperial palace, but he could still take away the source of his pleasure.
From then on, if he ever tried to do it again, he wouldn't stay hard for more than three seconds.
A rush of hurried footsteps sounded.
Qin Jiuxiao looked up. Prince Xue Xing had arrived with a group of guards.
Seeing Xue Beng lying on the ground, his expression changed drastically.
He immediately ordered the guards behind him.
"Seize these criminals who attacked a prince!"
"Take that woman to my palace. I'll question her myself."
Prince Xue Xing looked at Zi Ji with undisguised lechery.
Anyone could tell what he intended to do.
These guards were nothing like Xue Beng's. Every one of them was a Soul King, and some were even Soul Emperors.
Qin Jiuxiao's expression finally darkened.
He didn't provoke others, yet they kept coming after him.
Just as he was about to make a move, Xue Qinghe and the others hurried over at the sound.
"Uncle, is it appropriate for you to attack a guest I invited?"
The guards all stopped when they saw Xue Qinghe.
Prince Xue Xing, however, gave Xue Qinghe no friendly look. He pointed at Xue Beng, who was still twitching on the ground, and coldly challenged him.
"This man attacked a prince inside the imperial palace. He has shown utter contempt for the dignity of the imperial family."
"My attempt to arrest them is entirely justified."
"Does the Crown Prince intend to shield someone who has insulted the dignity of the imperial family? If so, I'll have to report you to my imperial brother."
Xue Qinghe narrowed his eyes. The old man never passed up a chance to make trouble for him.
This matter could be made either big or small. He had only just taken charge of some of the empire's affairs, and his work in the shadows had reached a critical point. If someone pinned a charge on him, it would have a considerable impact.
But his gaze swept across the scene, and he immediately spotted the Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings lying on the ground, groaning.
He had only just received word that Qin Jiuxiao had recently obtained his Second Soul Ring.
A Soul Grandmaster with only his Second Soul Ring had managed to defeat so many opponents of higher rank.
There was no question about Qin Jiuxiao's talent and strength.
Someone like him had to be brought into his own camp.
"Uncle, my friend must have had his reasons for acting."
"If Xue Beng hadn't gone looking for trouble, he wouldn't have been forced to take such measures."
"Perhaps I should find the time to give my good little brother a proper lesson."
Prince Xue Xing's pupils shrank.
The only ones left in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's bloodline were Xue Beng and Xue Qinghe.
If Xue Beng suffered another violent death, all the arrangements he had made before would go to waste.
Today, he could only swallow this bitter pill and suffer the loss in silence.
Prince Xue Xing had the guards lift Xue Beng. He swept his sleeve, gave a cold snort, and turned to leave.
"I'll make sure to report this to my imperial brother!"
Only after Prince Xue Xing and his men had completely disappeared from sight did Xue Qinghe turn to Qin Jiuxiao.
He rubbed his forehead and gave a wry smile.
"Jiuxiao, you've really caused me no small amount of trouble."
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