Extreme Ice City, the governor's residence.
"Useless! Every last one of them! Fuck, what were those people even doing in the Northern Province? Four hundred people, including a hundred soul masters, and at most three attackers slaughtered them all afternoon without a single word getting out? Did they have no sense of danger whatsoever? Even a pig could smell blood, couldn't it? And they had a fucking Soul Emperor! All that cultivation went to the dogs!"
In the courtyard, a young man was cursing furiously. More than twenty people stood respectfully before him with their heads bowed, not daring even to breathe loudly.
"Governor Luo, I must remind you that these attackers came prepared. They carried soul tools capable of blocking odors, so by the time the caravans saw the murderers, it was already too late to escape." A young man among the group bristled at the accusations and argued back.
Luo Yuanji fell silent at those words, then glanced behind him. The guard standing there immediately took the hint and summoned three men to rush forward. Before the man who had spoken could react, they pulled a soundproof hood over his head, bound him with an iron chain, then lifted him and threw him into the nearby lake. The surface instantly churned as hideous aquatic soul beasts devoured him like demons from hell, leaving not even the chain behind.
The entire process took less than twenty seconds. Even the hood was soundproof, so the man never managed to scream. A living, breathing person vanished just like that, and the lake grew calm again, as though nothing had happened.
Everyone present had long since grown accustomed to this. Such scenes had clearly played out many times before. Though the governor was young, he was no guileless boy. His furious tirades were usually meant to vent his emotions-or simply put on a show for them. At times like this, they could only listen quietly. Anyone who interrupted with excuses met just one end: becoming the chicken slaughtered to warn the monkeys.
After killing someone, Luo Yuanji seemed to have vented his anger. He took a sip of the tea a maid offered him, and his tone grew calmer. "Enough. I know this had little to do with you, but after what happened, we can hardly brush it aside and follow the old rules."
"To prevent another tragedy like this, I have decided to expand the governor's military forces and establish patrols along the roads. Each of your families will pay one million Gold Soul Coins as compensation for this incident, and the trade tax will rise by ten percent. As for that insolent fellow, remember to tell the family behind him to pay ten million Gold Soul Coins."
Rather than complain, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Inventing pretexts to collect money was nothing to fear. After all, they had all made their fortunes by relying on the governor's residence, so losing a fraction of their wealth was no great matter. If this governor refused to take their money, that would be truly terrifying.
"Get out, all of you."
Having settled the matter, Luo Yuanji waved impatiently. Everyone scattered like birds and beasts, and within three seconds, not a single person remained.
"All right, Dark Night Douluo. Time to discuss business. Who do you think was responsible?" Once everyone had left, Luo Yuanji addressed the empty air around him.
As his words fell, a black-robed figure gradually appeared, speaking in an extremely hoarse voice. "You have already reached a conclusion, Governor. Why ask me?"
Rather than answer directly, Luo Yuanji picked up a bullet that a servant had brought him not long before. Ignoring the blood on it, he turned it over carefully in his hand.
The bullet was exceptionally well made. Only hundred-forged steel felt like this, and something so small was especially troublesome to manufacture. Even this tiny piece would cost upward of fifty Gold Soul Coins.
Yet it had taken the life of a powerful, high-level Soul King.
"In the world today, only one power produces these things. You and I both know which. But these newfangled devices were low-grade, after all, hardly fit to enter the grand hall. Now, though, they have actually developed to the point of killing a Soul King instantly. I fear your endeavors will face considerable obstacles from here on."
"What you say is true, Governor, but you underestimate our capabilities somewhat." The black-robed figure continued, "We have already investigated the source of these objects. They were developed by the disciple Bibi Dong took in five years ago. But do not forget that she is still only a child, and children are the easiest to lead down an evil path. Even if we must pay a heavy price, it will be worth it as long as we can draw her into our Eternal Night Council."
"Heh. Snatching someone from Spirit City? I honestly don't know whether you're genuinely formidable or simply foolish." Luo Yuanji gave a mocking smile, but did not dwell on it. "In any case, this wouldn't be the first or second time you lunatics stirred up something big. If you truly enrage Spirit Hall, I'm afraid we'll all die together. I advise you to show at least a little restraint."
"You need not trouble yourself over that, Governor. Farewell." The black-robed figure swept the cloak aside and gradually dissolved into the air.
Luo Yuanji stared at the spot where the black-robed figure had stood. His expression suddenly darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. The white jade cup in his hand shattered under his grip, yet he seemed not to notice.
"Eternal Night Council... one day."
Leng Xiyue did not yet know that someone had set their sights on her, but she knew her actions were bound to anger certain people. She therefore dirtied her clothes, blended into the crowd, and let Tian Meng lead the way.
With so many people in tow, all of them young, beautiful women, they were unsurprisingly surrounded by soldiers almost as soon as they approached the checkpoint gate. "Halt! What are you doing here?"
Tian Meng sat on a stolen white horse without so much as looking them in the eye. He merely produced the waist token Leng Xiyue had given him and said haughtily, "Spirit Hall business. You dare stand in our way?"
The waist token Bibi Dong had given Leng Xiyue was of a very high rank, equivalent to that of a Soul Emperor. After all, she was not yet truly the Saintess. A Saintess would have her own special waist token, ranking above an ordinary Titled Douluo elder's. Giving this one to Tian Meng was perfectly appropriate.
"Well..." The soldiers exchanged troubled glances. None dared step forward again, afraid of offending some important figure from Spirit Hall.
The soldiers stationed on the northern frontier were little better than laborers. Their compensation and conditions were poor, and serving here was like being imprisoned. No one wanted to offend important people for the Heaven Dou Empire's sake. To keep their bellies full, they generally did whatever the officers above them ordered, making them almost indistinguishable from private troops.
Those officers were backed by nobles, so even if the emperor knew what was happening here, there was little he could do. Even if he punished a few, other officers nominated by the nobles would fill their positions. As for the emperor's own trusted men, there was no chance he would send them to the bitterly cold northern frontier.
The officer on the city wall had also assumed this was an ordinary slave caravan. Naturally, his men would not seriously stop it; they had surrounded it only to solicit a little something for themselves.
But the moment he saw the other party produce a Spirit Hall token, the officer's face drained of color. He hurried down with his attendants, came before Tian Meng, and said with utmost respect, "My lord, these subordinates of mine don't know any better. Please do not hold it against them. Men, open the gate at once and let this lord through!"
With Spirit Hall's position as the continent's dominant power, who would dare demand favors from its people? This frontier officer was a slippery fellow, too. To him, anyone from Spirit Hall was a god of pestilence: all he needed to do was attend to them properly and send them away as quickly as possible.
"Hmph. At least you know what's good for you." Tian Meng snorted coldly, then waved a hand and led the group through the checkpoint, heading south.
Before you continue