Above the Imperial Court

Above the imperial court.

The civil and military officials stood in ranks on either side.

Xue Qinghe stood alone at the very front of the line.

His cold gaze swept across the opposing ranks.

Prince Xue Xing watched his nose, his nose watched his heart, his expression composed, as though the mountain of corpses and sea of blood outside the Crown Prince's Residence last night had never existed.

Xue Qinghe stepped forward and presented a memorial with both hands.

"Father Emperor! Your son has a matter to report!"

"Last night at midnight, several thousand death warriors joined forces with Evil Soul Masters to launch a night assault on the Crown Prince's Residence, attempting to assassinate me!"

"The retainers in my residence fought desperately, sparing me from harm. Every one of the criminals has been executed!"

"And the mastermind who led troops to surround the Crown Prince's Residence and, after the plot failed, blew a bone whistle to summon the Evil Soul Masters was Prince Xue Xing!"

The court erupted in an uproar.

Xue Ye sat high upon his throne, his gaze unfathomable, his emotions unreadable.

"Xue Xing, do you have anything to say in response to Qinghe's accusation?"

Prince Xue Xing immediately stepped out of the ranks and dropped to his knees with a thud, his face full of grief and indignation.

"Your Majesty, please see the truth! Your younger brother has been wronged!"

"Last night, I received an urgent report from the City Defense Army that a large group of bandits had infiltrated Heaven Dou City and were heading straight for the Crown Prince's Residence."

"I feared for the Crown Prince's safety and worried he might be in danger. That was why, without time to seek permission, I mobilized the City Defense Army's elite troops and rushed to his aid!"

"Yet when I arrived, the rebels had already been completely wiped out by the experts of the Crown Prince's Residence."

"I was already ashamed for arriving too late to protect him. Who could have expected the Crown Prince to pin the crime of treason on me instead!"

Xue Qinghe's eyes were icy.

"Rescue? If you truly came to rescue me, why did you refuse to enter while the gates were shut, only forcing your way in after the fighting had ended?"

"And that eighty-ninth-rank Evil Soul Master—was he not acting under your command?"

Prince Xue Xing repeatedly knocked his head against the floor.

"What Evil Soul Master? I know nothing of this!"

"I only saw corpses scattered everywhere and was about to investigate when the people of the Crown Prince's Residence accused me in harsh tones. I have no way to defend myself!"

Xue Ye lightly tapped the armrest of his dragon throne with his fingertips.

His gaze lingered on Xue Qinghe for a moment.

Information from his spies surfaced in his mind.

Three thousand elite troops, several Soul Saints, and one Soul Douluo.

All had been slaughtered within half an hour by that six-year-old child the Crown Prince had recruited.

Such strength was far too terrifying.

If the Crown Prince held such a weapon in his hands, how could imperial authority remain secure?

Xue Ye raised a hand, suppressing the discussion in the court.

"Enough."

"I have already investigated the full circumstances of this matter."

"The ones who caused trouble last night were bandits who had infiltrated from outside the city, intending to undermine the Empire's foundations."

"The retainers of the Crown Prince's Residence are rewarded ten thousand gold coins for protecting their master."

"Prince Xue Xing was deeply concerned for the Crown Prince's safety. Though he did not cause any grave consequences, privately mobilizing the City Defense Army violated protocol. His salary is to be docked for half a year, and he is to reflect behind closed doors for three days."

"This matter ends here!"

The officials knelt in salute.

Xue Qinghe clenched his fists tightly.

A capital crime of treason had been casually turned into a misunderstanding.

Crown Prince's Residence.

The study door was pushed open.

Xue Qinghe's face was dark as water as he strode to the desk and sat down.

Su Chen was flipping through a dossier.

"You're back. You look awful. Did they turn the tables on you?"

"You predicted it."

"In court, that old fox Xue Xing flatly denied everything. He insisted he had gone to the Crown Prince's Residence to rescue me and claimed to know nothing about the Evil Soul Masters or death warriors."

"The identities of those bandits, with no one left alive to testify, became the perfect shield."

Su Chen set down the dossier.

"The Emperor believed him?"

"Father Emperor not only believed him, he defined the matter on the spot."

Xue Qinghe's tone held barely concealed fury.

"Docking his salary for half a year and confining him for three days. What kind of punishment is that?"

"Three thousand death warriors surrounded the Empire's Crown Prince, and it was simply raised high and set down gently."

"Father Emperor is openly shielding Xue Xing!"

Su Chen chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

"As expected."

"The evidence of treason was right in front of him, and you still call that expected?"

Su Chen raised his eyes to Xue Qinghe.

"What evidence? Those corpses? Without any mark from the Prince's Residence, they're just piles of rotten flesh."

"Besides, the Emperor does not care whether Xue Xing rebelled or not."

"What the Emperor truly cares about is the Crown Prince's Residence."

Xue Qinghe froze.

"The Crown Prince's Residence?"

"A six-year-old child slaughtered three thousand elite troops within half an hour and killed an eighty-ninth-rank Evil Soul Master with a single sword strike."

"With such strength, who in all of Heaven Dou City could stop him?"

"The Imperial Knights Corps? Or those pampered City Defense Army soldiers?"

"If one day the Crown Prince's Residence wanted to replace the Emperor, could the palace gates stop them?"

Xue Qinghe's breathing halted.

In an instant, he understood the stakes.

"One's achievements overshadowing the ruler."

Su Chen nodded.

"In the arena of power, balance is everything."

"The Emperor is old and deeply suspicious. How could he sleep peacefully after seeing the Crown Prince holding a blade that could take lives at any moment?"

"If the Prince's Residence fell, there would no longer be any force in court capable of restraining the Crown Prince."

"So no matter how great Xue Xing's crimes were, the Emperor would spare his life. He would keep the Prince's Residence to balance the Crown Prince's Residence and buy room for imperial authority."

Xue Qinghe gave a bitter laugh.

"So that was it."

"Years of disguise and endurance had instead become the reason for Father Emperor's suspicion in the face of absolute power."

"The calculations of emperors are truly laughable."

"The schemes of the court are merely games of the mundane world. They are not worth mentioning."

"There is something more important at hand."

Xue Qinghe composed himself and looked up at the young man in green across from him.

"What is it?"

"That hand last night."

A sharp glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes.

"It tore through space and forcibly took Xue Xing away."

"It precisely locked onto its target beneath the sword formation and divine lightning, then escaped without a sound."

"Such methods are not something an ordinary Title Douluo could achieve. Even a Super Douluo above rank ninety-five might not wield space so skillfully."

Xue Qinghe frowned deeply.

"To think such an old monster is hidden within Heaven Dou City... it truly is frightening."

"The Hall of Consecrated Elders' intelligence never mentioned a powerhouse like this in Heaven Dou Imperial City."

Su Chen set his teacup back on the table.

"That is precisely the strangest part."

"A mysterious person capable of tearing through space is lurking within the imperial city."

"There was such a massive disturbance in the front courtyard last night. An eighty-ninth-rank Evil Soul Master even unleashed the Blood Fiend Domain, its baleful aura shooting into the sky."

"Were all the hidden guards of Heaven Dou Imperial City blind?"

"The Royal Academy's education committee, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, and the imperial family's Poison Douluo."

"With so many powerhouses, there was no way they could have failed to sense the aura of an Evil Soul Master."

Xue Qinghe sucked in a cold breath.

"Exactly."

"The Blood Fiend Domain's evil fluctuations were so obvious, yet the palace did not send a single soldier to investigate."

"Even Ning Fengzhi's side was strangely quiet."

Su Chen rose to his feet, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

"The Emperor did not mention the Evil Soul Masters at all in court today."

"He treated them as nothing more than ordinary bandits."

"What does that tell you?"

Xue Qinghe walked to the window and stood beside him.

"It means Father Emperor is pretending to be ignorant. Or rather, he knows that force exists and does not dare provoke it."

Su Chen looked in the direction of the imperial palace.

"It is more than pretending to be ignorant."

"The mysterious person who saved Xue Xing was also cooperating with this performance."

"That person had the power to kill, yet only rescued someone and did not strike."

"He incited Xue Xing to counteraccuse us in court, using the Emperor's desire for balance to preserve the Prince's Residence."

"That does not seem like the way an unparalleled powerhouse would act. It seems more like someone deliberately maintaining a certain balance in Heaven Dou City."

A chill rose in Xue Qinghe's heart.

For years, he had moved carefully through Heaven Dou City, believing he had control over the whole situation.

Now, it seemed that this vast imperial city was shrouded beneath an invisible hand.

"What exactly does this mysterious person want?"

Su Chen turned around.

"Whatever he is plotting, we will respond to change with constancy."

Xue Qinghe looked at the youth.

For some reason, his unsettled heart calmed.

"What should we do next?"

"Lie low."

Su Chen turned and returned to the desk.

"Since the mysterious person wishes to maintain balance, let the imperial city retain this false calm."

"After this incident, Xue Xing will not dare provoke us again anytime soon."

"Use this time to master the Void Illusion Divine Art. As long as your cultivation rises, any schemes and tricks will crumble like worthless clay dogs and straw chickens."

Xue Qinghe nodded.

"Good. For the next few days, I will refuse all visitors and focus on refining my bloodline."