"Dummy Dad, look at my martial soul."
Ning Rongrong raised her hand and summoned her martial soul, leaving him to find out what was different himself.
Ning Fengzhi glanced carelessly at the little colored pagoda in her palm. Wasn't it just the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda with two extra stories? What was all the fuss about?
Wait...
What did he mean, two extra stories?!
Ning Fengzhi sprang to his feet, leaned closer to her martial soul, and counted again. His eyes hadn't deceived him. It really had nine stories.
Wasn't this the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda he had yearned for day and night, even in his dreams?
"Rongrong, tell Dad how on earth you managed this!"
Seeing his astonishment, Ning Rongrong tilted her little head up proudly. Hmph, hmph~ Little Ning Fengzhi, you never saw this coming, did you? To think you'd one day come begging this young lady for something.
"Oh, it was nothing, really. Xu Xiaoyan just gave me an immortal herb called aromatic silk beauty. After I took it, not only did my martial soul evolve, but my cultivation rose by a full six ranks."
"An immortal herb? My dear son-in-law, what exactly is that? How could its effects be so incredible?"
Ning Fengzhi turned to Ye Yan, who sat beside Rongrong, his face full of confusion. The world had already become something he no longer recognized.
The fish has taken the bait~
Ye Yan chuckled inwardly. Little Ning Fengzhi had best be a good boy and work for him.
"Father-in-law, immortal herbs are rare medicinal plants that grow in places where nature gathers its finest wonders. They're generally between ten thousand and a hundred thousand years old, with boundless benefits.
"I only obtained this aromatic silk beauty through a lucky encounter. If I come across any more in the future, I'll bring some back for you, Father-in-law."
"Wonderful, wonderful! How thoughtful of you, my dear son-in-law."
After hearing the explanation, Ning Fengzhi felt somewhat disappointed. Even as the master of the wealthiest sect in the world, he had never seen medicinal plants that old.
Still, with Ye Yan's promise, advancing another step someday was not entirely out of reach.
In truth, Ye Yan was thinking, Keep dreaming your grand spring-and-autumn dream, little kitty. Even if I find more, there's no way I'm giving you any. I still have so many future wives that there wouldn't even be one each for them, and you want a share?
No, now that I've dangled the pie in front of him, I need to put him to work. Otherwise, I'd have drawn that pie for nothing.
"Oh, right, Father-in-law. Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng will soon commit suicide by suffering seven stab wounds, and upon hearing this tragic news, His Majesty will cough up blood and unfortunately pass away.
"And the current crown prince, Xue Qinghe, is my elder brother, so sorry for the trouble, Father-in-law, but I'll be counting on you to help stabilize the situation."
Ning Fengzhi's expression froze. Well... what a coincidence. Wait, who taught you to stage a palace coup like this?
"My dear son-in-law, if the duchies and city lords notice something suspicious about this, I fear they'll seize the chance to stir up trouble."
Ye Yan waved a hand. You old fox, as if I don't know you. Behind the scenes, you're more ruthless than anyone. The most important thing in life is knowing the right heat-no, wait, I mean integrity.
I'm not even pretending to be a good person anymore, and you're still here preaching reason.
"Father-in-law, I understand all that. A few more purges will settle it. With the Ice and Snow Emperors here now, and the Sword, Bone, and Poison Douluos remaining even if we leave, Heaven Dou won't be able to fall into chaos."
Good grief.
Ning Fengzhi could only lament that he had stumbled into the imperial household. So this was the composure of a family with three Limit Douluos. In Ye Yan's eyes, the Heaven Dou Empire, which had dominated the continent for tens of thousands of years, was merely a component he could replace whenever he pleased.
"I understand. Rest assured, my dear son-in-law. Qinghe does call me his teacher, after all. After all these years, I know perfectly well who the loyal ministers are-the crown prince's faction-and who the treacherous ministers are-the other factions. I imagine the latter will follow the late emperor to the grave tonight, overcome by grief.
"But what should we do about the government affairs those treacherous ministers handle?"
"Oh, that's simple. Qinghe will set the overall direction. The deputies and subordinates do all the actual work anyway. We only need to send a few Soul Saints and Soul Douluos to supervise."
Ye Yan wore an expression of approval, as though his pupil could indeed be taught. He reached to stroke his beard, only to realize he didn't have one. To avoid embarrassment, he smoothly rested his hand on Ning Rongrong's silky hair instead.
"Come on, Rongrong. I'll take you to send the Xue Family on their final journey."
Huh?
Ning Rongrong bristled at once, pounding his chest with her little fists. Other people went on dates to admire flowers beneath the moon, rosy dawns, and sunsets, yet he insisted on taking her out to kill people!
Once their horseplay ended, Ye Yan called the Snow Empress and the others over and headed for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Come to think of it, hadn't he once been a student here?
He had only attended for half a day, though. After getting close to Dugu Yan, he had never returned. Thinking back, it did make him rather nostalgic.
Not because he had any attachment to the place. He simply remembered his earlier plan to turn it into his own back garden. Yes, he would arrange that as soon as Xue'er took the throne.
Upon reaching the sky above the academy, Ye Yan summoned the Blue Silver Domain to search for Xue Beng. He soon pinpointed him in a teaching building to the west. His old acquaintances Yu Tianheng and Qin Ming were nearby, too.
Tsk, tsk. Caught them all in one net.
"Third soul skill: Blue Silver Overlord Spear!"
As Ye Yan raised his hand, a golden spear took shape. Even from several meters away, its tip's piercing edge was palpable. With a faint hum, the spear became a distorted blur and vanished.
Xue Beng's and Yu Tianheng's heads burst like watermelons. Even Qin Ming, whose cultivation was the highest, only had time to summon the Blazing Fire Wolf to possess him.
But that was all he could manage. The Blue Silver Overlord Spear, a soul skill over eighty thousand years old, was already an ultimate single-target attack, never mind that its wielder was Ye Yan, an existence who exceeded all limits.
With a bang, Qin Ming followed Yu Tianheng to the grave. Red and white matter splattered everywhere, while the noble students in the same classroom screamed and scattered.
"Who dares run wild in my Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
Three figures swept onto the rooftop and faced Ye Yan's group from afar. A count of their soul rings revealed that all three were Soul Douluos. They were clearly Meng Shenji and the other members of the academy's education committee.
Honestly, the moment Meng Shenji leaped out, he regretted it so deeply that he wanted to slap himself across the face. His opponent was standing in midair without even summoning his martial soul. He might as well have pasted the words "Titled Douluo" across his forehead.
Ye Yan glanced over them. Hmm, they're not on the must-kill list. They're a decent enough fighting force, so let's try reasoning with them first.
"Committee members, let me ask you something. Are you willing to submit to His Highness the Crown Prince, or would you rather submit to Prince Xue Xing?"
Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin exchanged bewildered looks. Wasn't this man an invader? Why was he asking them to choose sides?
In the end, their leader, Meng Shenji, stepped forward and asked who he was.
Excuse me, am I asking you, or are you asking me? Insolent commoner, you dare question your emperor!
"Sister Ling Yuan, if they keep dithering and can't make up their minds, let's join forces and send them to the next world. Rongrong, sorry for the trouble, but I'll need your support in a moment."
"No problem, little Xu Xiaoyan~"
Ling Yuan cast a flirtatious glance, then summoned her Vermilion Bird martial soul to possess her. Scorching waves of fire swept across the sky. The nine soul rings surrounding her-two yellow, two purple, and five black-frightened Meng Shenji and the others into retreating several steps.
"Don't worry, Xu Xiaoyan. I'll do my best."
Ning Rongrong also summoned the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Although her two yellow soul rings fell far short of Ling Yuan's, they still gave the girl a greater sense of participation.
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