The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Under cover of darkness, Wei Fan, dressed in black stealth clothes and a mask, darted across the palace rooftops like a black panther.
When he reached a fork, he took out a rough map, studied it, and resolutely chose the path to the left.
He had drawn it overnight based on Xue Ke's description yesterday. It was crude, but he had no trouble reading it.
After avoiding a mounted patrol and traveling a little farther, Wei Fan increasingly felt that something was wrong.
This was nothing like what Xue Ke had described!
Wrong way!
He reached that conclusion at once.
The map was definitely right, so there was only one possibility.
Xue Ke had lied to him!
At that thought, he instinctively made his decision.
Time to scram!
Just then, a powerful rush of air howled behind him. A fist the size of a vinegar jar rapidly grew larger before his eyes.
With a dull thud, his body flew backward. After landing, he stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.
He shook his slightly numb arms. Luckily, he had reacted in time, or he would have taken that punch squarely.
Wei Fan's eyes narrowed as he saw his attacker.
The commander of all three branches of the Heaven Dou Empire's armed forces, hailed as the empire's strongest man.
The Nine-Life Divine Dragon-Ge Long!
A squad of mounted patrolmen stood behind Ge Long.
Wei Fan had done his research. Ge Long was an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo.
What rotten luck. He had barely sneaked into the palace before running into this old bastard.
"Petty little thief!"
Ge Long sneered, clenched his fists, and charged. The fierce force of his punches sent a string of explosive cracks through the air.
Wei Fan pushed off hard and flipped down from the palace roof. Under cover of darkness, a gleaming silver Trident appeared in his hands, with five black Soul Rings encircling its shaft.
Wei Fan's second martial soul-the Trident!
This was why his strength had kept increasing even though he appeared to be a Soul Elder.
After obtaining three Soul Rings for his first martial soul, he had stopped adding more.
Instead, he had applied every reward from the system to his second martial soul, the Trident.
Bang!
With a sweeping strike, the Trident made intimate contact with Ge Long's fist.
Ge Long staggered back two steps, his eyes filled with nothing but shock!
The thief who had infiltrated the palace was actually a Soul King. More terrifying still was his Soul Ring configuration.
What the fuck!
Five Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?!
They had to be fake, right?!
A Soul Master whose very first ring was ten thousand years old? Did a freak like that really exist on the Douluo Continent?
While Ge Long stood dumbfounded, Wei Fan's second Soul Ring rapidly expanded beneath his feet. Gripping the Trident in both hands, he thrust it forward.
A gleaming silver beam erupted from the Trident and shot toward Ge Long with lightning speed.
Ge Long crossed his arms in front of his chest. The instant eight Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet, blue-green dragon scales covered his body.
Boom!
Violent energy exploded in front of Ge Long, making every bone in his body feel as though it were trembling.
Luckily, he had activated his martial soul while defending himself. Otherwise, that blow really could have knocked him flat.
There was no fucking way this guy was just a Soul King!
Such incredible strength!
Five Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings were too fucking insane.
After the clash, he looked over again, only to find no one there.
"Trying to run?"
Ge Long roared.
As the Heaven Dou Empire's marshal and an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, he would suffer an utter humiliation today if he could not even catch a petty thief who had sneaked into the palace.
Wei Fan pushed his speed to the limit. If he did not run now, was he supposed to wait around and spend New Year's in prison?
He was not stupid enough to fight a Soul Douluo inside the imperial palace.
If he fought for even another few minutes, half the palace's mounted guards would probably surround him.
The Crown Prince's Palace.
Qian Renxue had changed into women's clothes and sat before a mirror.
After spending these past few years impersonating Crown Prince Xue Qinghe in the Heaven Dou Empire, she had almost forgotten what she looked like.
Today, she had sent everyone in the Crown Prince's Palace away just so she could take a good look at herself.
"Qian Renxue, oh, Qian Renxue. Do you still recognize yourself?"
Looking at her straight nose and slightly slender, phoenix-shaped eyes in the mirror, she felt an inexplicable melancholy.
Just as she was lost in thought, the window suddenly opened, and a dark figure slipped inside.
"Who's there?"
Qian Renxue's expression changed abruptly. She had clearly sent everyone in the Crown Prince's Palace away, so why had someone appeared?
Moreover, this person seemed stronger than her. Otherwise, she should have detected him before he entered.
She had let her guard down!
Would all these years undercover end in failure today?
After putting in so much effort, she refused to accept that!
"Oh-ho, quite a beauty!"
"And who are you?"
Wei Fan slowly emerged from the shadows. Judging by the fluctuations of Soul Power coming from her, she was clearly a Soul Master.
Did the Heaven Dou Empire have a female Soul Master like this?
Even if it did, she wouldn't need to dress like this, would she?
A thief?!
After seeing Wei Fan's attire, Qian Renxue felt she still had a chance.
She had thought the person who slipped into her room was a Soul Master from the Heaven Dou Empire. It turned out he was merely a petty thief.
From that alone, she could tell her identity had not yet been exposed!
"I am the empire's crown princess. Get out right now, or I'll call the guards."
Qian Renxue hoped this threat would make Wei Fan leave immediately. As for actually calling the guards, she did not dare.
If she really brought the guards here, her undercover plan would vanish like a burst bubble.
The corners of Wei Fan's mouth rose. He had already guessed who this woman was.
The crown princess?
She didn't look the part at all!
This woman was far too badass.
From what she had just said, he could tell this was the Crown Prince's Palace. If another woman could appear here and was also a Soul Master, there was only one person she could be.
Qian Renxue!
Just then, a squad of mounted guards appeared outside the door. Wei Fan and Qian Renxue both hid almost instinctively.
And the hiding place they both chose was... the bed!
Looking at the somewhat panicked Qian Renxue pinned beneath him, Wei Fan knew he had guessed correctly.
He just did not quite understand why Qian Renxue had changed into women's clothes at this hour.
Qian Renxue was furious and mortified, her phoenix-shaped eyes blazing as though they might spit fire.
Her years-long undercover plan might collapse completely because this bastard had appeared. What enraged her most was that the bastard was actually lying on top of her.
Though furious, for the sake of her undercover plan...
She endured it!
"Your Highness, this humble general, Ge Long, requests an audience."
Ge Long's voice came from outside the door.
Qian Renxue was now riding a tiger with no way to dismount. If she answered in Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's voice, it would be tantamount to telling the man on top of her that she was Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, exposing her identity.
If she did not answer, Ge Long would barge in with his men, and her undercover plan would end in failure.
What should she do?!
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