She Long Makes His Move

When Ci Xue and She Long knelt, Qian Zong felt an inexplicable flicker of satisfaction.

He was no saint. He had desires and emotions like anyone else, and being thrust into a display of authority before everyone...

How could he put it? Words hardly did it justice. He could only sum it up as exquisite beyond description.

No wonder so many people wanted power.

Qian Zong's expression did not change. He merely nodded, pointed at Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, and said in a deep voice:

"Spare that prince and the woman in the black bodysuit. Cripple everyone else."

Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun still had important uses. They were worth more alive than dead.

As for the others, they were of no use.

"Yes."

Ci Xue and She Long accepted the order, rose, and advanced on the Star Luo Empire's people.

No one thought the Star Luo Empire's people had done anything wrong. Nor did anyone think Qian Zong was in the wrong.

In the Soul Master World, strength had always done the talking.

And backing was part of one's strength.

Not a sound could be heard. Every gaze fell on Ci Xue and She Long.

Ling Yuan turned to bow, but an invisible force held her up. Ci Xue and She Long then gave her a slight nod.

Neither man knew exactly what Ling Yuan's relationship with Qian Zong was, but they had watched the entire confrontation and could tell the two were close.

Ling Yuan paused, nodded back, then retreated to Qian Zong's side.

With Titled Douluo taking action, she had no need to join the fray. Protecting Qian Zong was enough.

Ci Xue stepped forward and stood before the Star Luo Empire's people.

Nine Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—surged from his body and descended one after another to circle beneath his feet.

She Long walked beside Ci Xue, Azure-Purple Snake Lance in hand. He planted it on the ground, and nine Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—settled beneath his feet.

She Long was no slouch. His Soul Power Level was 92, the same as Ci Xue's.

But because his fifth Soul Ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, its deficiency had held him back, and he cultivated far more slowly than Ci Xue.

Unless he encountered a tremendous opportunity, he would never advance beyond level 94.

After revealing their Soul Rings, Ci Xue and She Long did not deliberately exert any pressure. They simply stood before the Star Luo Empire's people.

But their levels and the number of rings at their feet spoke for themselves. Even without doing a thing, they frightened the empire's people badly.

Some Soul Masters with Soul Power levels only in the twenties or thirties stared at Ci Xue and She Long, their heads swimming.

Looking down at them, Ci Xue said coldly:

"Will you do it yourselves, or shall we help you?"

Dai Weisi's face shifted from green to white. As he counted the Soul Rings beneath Ci Xue's and She Long's feet, he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He had only wanted to watch Dai Yan test the Martial Soul Library's limits. Instead, she had flushed out two Titled Douluo at once. To whom could he even complain?

What frustrated him more was that after all this commotion, not a single patrolman or guard responsible for keeping order had appeared.

If the patrolmen and guards had intervened earlier, things would never have reached this point.

Dai Weisi looked up at Qian Zong. He was beginning to wonder whether he had been lured into a trap.

But he and Dai Yan had both acted on impulse. Judging by Qian Zong's bearing and expression, he did not look as though he had planned this in advance.

What rotten luck!

Dai Yan could not summon the slightest thought of resistance. All color had drained from her face, replaced by deep fear.

The look Qian Zong had given her earlier was savage and ruthless, like a god of slaughter. It had chilled her to the heart.

That was not a look any normal person should have.

And she had not only attacked Qian Zong; afterward, she had insulted and slandered him as well.

Judging by his attitude, he plainly had no intention of letting her go.

The Titled Douluo before her had nothing but contempt in their eyes. She had no doubt that once they acted, they really would cripple her.

Despairing, Dai Yan cast an imploring look at Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi.

Zhu Zhuyun had no time to worry about Dai Yan. She cursed the fool inwardly for daring to throw a princess's tantrum on Spirit Hall's turf.

Now she had landed them in a fine mess.

Fortunately, Qian Zong had specifically spared her and Dai Weisi. Though uneasy, she was not quite so afraid.

Su Yu placed a hand before his chest, bowed slightly, and said:

"Your Excellency, we are guards of the Star Luo Imperial Family, ordered to protect His Highness. Please, let harmony prevail and show us mercy."

With matters at this point, Su Yu had no better option. He invoked the Star Luo Imperial Family as his backing, hoping to put a stop to the needless conflict.

"You don't know what's good for you!"

She Long had no patience for Su Yu's words. Seeing that the empire's people refused to cripple their own Soul Power and were even trying to bargain, he gathered Soul Power in his palm and struck toward Su Yu's abdomen.

Feeling the immense Soul Power She Long unleashed, Su Yu's forehead broke out in fine beads of sweat.

He had not expected the man to be so overbearing in full view of the crowd, moving to cripple him without hesitation.

He was a Soul Douluo of the empire, after all. Did the man care nothing for his dignity?

Su Yu's expression darkened, then wavered.

At that moment, resistance would amount to confirming that their side had tried to assassinate the Spirit Hall Young Hall Master. That was an open provocation against Spirit Hall.

But if he did not resist, he would be a cripple the next moment.

In that split second, Su Yu chose to save himself. Soul Power surged through him, and eight Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—appeared beneath his feet.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Ten-Thousand Vine Prison!"

Su Yu was a level 83 plant-type control Soul Master. As he activated his Soul Skill, eighteen black-purple vines burst from the ground around him.

The vines wound around one another. In the blink of an eye, they formed an impregnable cage that enclosed him tightly.

She Long's Soul Power slammed into the cage, unleashing a powerful shock wave.

Following the contours of the vines, the shock wave split into dozens of streams of force before fading into a gentle breeze.

Once Su Yu had neutralized the attack, the vines contracted and sank back into the earth.

Su Yu apologized at once. "Your Excellency, I think there's been a misunderstanding between us. Could we talk?"

Defending against She Long's attack was one thing. Attacking him was another.

Su Yu could neutralize She Long's attack, but that did not mean he dared strike back.

A Titled Douluo was not someone a plant-type Soul Douluo like him could contend with.

"You're courting death!"

She Long looked down on the Star Luo Empire's people from the bottom of his heart. Seeing Su Yu dare to resist, he swept a cold gaze over him and channeled Soul Power into his lance.

Gripping the long lance, he aimed at Su Yu's chest, drove his feet into the ground, and lunged forward.

If the lance struck, it would certainly leave Su Yu gravely wounded.

Wei Cang's feelings were tangled. He flicked a glance at Qian Zong, met those eyes as still as an ancient well, and felt his heart sink to the bottom of the sea.

There was probably no reconciling this.

He was loyal to the imperial family because, in the end, they could provide him with the resources to cultivate and rise above others.

But asking him to cripple his own cultivation and become the kind of useless wretch he had once looked down on? He could not do it.

"So be it. It's all fate."

Wei Cang did not think Dai Yan and Dai Weisi had done anything wrong. He simply felt unlucky.

A seemingly worthless boy had turned out to be the Spirit Hall Young Hall Master.

To whom could he even complain?