Someone suddenly said something that jolted most people awake.
Everyone was suddenly enlightened; all the previous mysteries now had answers.
This undoubtedly fueled everyone's resentment even more.
However, just as they were about to take action...
"Buzz--"
The entire space they were in suddenly froze!
Within this space, everything was eerily frozen in mid-air. Jing Hongchen's fingers seemed to be bound by an invisible force, and even the slight tremor in his pupils froze for that instant.
All the Level 9 Soul Engineer were horrified to discover that they couldn't even move a single finger!
"Tap, tap, tap."
Slow, heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness.
A tall figure shrouded in black robes slowly approached. With each step he took, the ground cracked silently, and a suffocating dragon's might seeped from the dark fissures.
As the shadow beneath the hood lifted slightly, a pair of abyss-like dragon eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"He's right, you really can't kill him. Leave now, I won't kill you."
The moment he uttered those words, all the Level 9 Soul Engineer were struck as if by lightning. The terrifying pressure descended upon them, and they all coughed up blood.
Fine beads of blood instantly seeped from Jing Hongchen's seven orifices, and the level nine Soul Shield on his body shattered silently. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string!
What terrifying pressure!
This is absolutely... a Level 99 Limit Douluo!
When Jing Hongchen dealt with those Level 98 immortals, he was almost in no way afraid of their existence.
Yet this person before us, without even lifting a finger, was able to inflict such terrifying damage.
Only Limit Douluo can explain this clearly.
"Old Dragon...?" Zhongli Wu coughed up blood and laughed maniacally, "Is that you, Elder Long?"
Upon hearing Zhongli Wu's address to this person, Jing Hongchen seemed to recall the old legends and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"You are Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao?!"
Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao!
His Martial Soul is the Dark Holy Dragon, which possesses the dark attribute.
This terrifying being, hailed as one of the strongest Limit Douluo of our time, has now descended in his true form.
Long Xiaoyao did not respond, but merely glanced indifferently at the mess on the ground, his black robe fluttering without wind.
With a deafening dragon roar, a jet-black dragon over a hundred meters long suddenly rose behind him, coiling in the sky, its might crushing down like a tsunami.
The black dragon suddenly unfurled a pair of jet-black wings that blotted out the sky, and pure dark elements condensed into a physical form.
"Roar!"
In a single exchange, Long Xiaoyao forced back all the Level 9 Soul Engineer present.
Long Xiaoyao raised his dragon claw and grabbed at the air, enveloping the heavily injured Zhongli Wu in dark power, which then lifted him into the air.
"Stop him!" Jing Hongchen roared, struggling.
Several Level 9 Soul Engineer struggled to activate their strongest Soul Tool, but as soon as the Soul Tool were activated, Long Xiaoyao exerted his strength again, and the giant dragon in the sky suddenly swung its sharp claws.
"Boom!"
All the Soul Tool exploded on the spot, not only failing to stop this Limit Douluo, but also allowing Long Xiaoyao to turn around and walk through the air, leaving the scene in the blink of an eye.
The darkness that filled the sky receded with him like the tide.
When the darkness completely dissipated, among the unconscious Soul Engineer scattered on the ground, only a few of the strongest Level 9 Soul Engineer, including Jing Hongchen, remained, clutching their shattered Soul Tool tightly and staring in the direction where Long Xiaoyao had disappeared.
"Is this... the power of Limit Douluo?"
A Level 9 Soul Engineer said in a deep voice.
"We lost our combat capability in just one encounter."
"Don't overestimate your opponent and belittle yourself," Jing Hongchen rebuked him. "The incident happened so suddenly that we didn't prepare any other powerful Soul Tool. If we had had time to plan carefully, even Limit Douluo would have no chance against our Soul Tool."
"At least, with our careful preparations, even if he manages to break through, it won't be as easy as it is today. He'll be badly injured, if not killed!"
"..." The level Level 9 Soul Engineer lowered his head.
As the eerie silence continued, a clear, cold voice rang out, causing everyone to pause and turn to look.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
Xu Tianran was seen sitting in a wheelchair, being slowly pushed in by two guards.
His face was pale, but his expression was unusually calm, and his gaze swept over each of the Level 9 Soul Engineer present.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
The group nodded slightly in acknowledgment, but did not perform a formal bow.
In the Sun Moon Empire, Level 9 Soul Engineer hold a highly respected position, and even members of the royal family are not required to perform grand salutations.
Xu Tianran didn't mind. Instead, he took the initiative to bow to everyone from his wheelchair, his voice gentle yet undeniable:
"Thank you all for your hard work."
Xu Tianran pushed the wheelchair forward slowly, the sound of the metal axles rolling over the gravel was particularly clear in the silent ruins.
His gaze swept over the unconscious Soul Engineer scattered on the ground, finally settling on Jing Hongchen:
"Master, are you injured?"
Jing Hongchen wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth:
"Thanks to Your Highness, I'm still alive."
His tone was clearly sarcastic.
"Your Highness, you've arrived just in time."
An invisible tension immediately filled the air, and several Level 9 Soul Engineer also turned their gazes to Xu Tianran.
Xu Tianran clearly noticed their gazes as well, his brows furrowing slightly as he lightly tapped the armrest of his wheelchair with his fingers.
Why did they suddenly become wary of me?
Could it be that they knew about my collaboration with the Holy Spirit Cult?
However, what Xu Tianran didn't know was that Jing Hongchen's distrust of Xu Tianran stemmed entirely from Toji's matter.
"Such a fierce battle suddenly broke out in Mingdu; we must give the people an explanation," Xu Tianran said calmly. "Don't kill the surviving Evil Soul Master at the scene yet; that's our explanation to the people."
"Should we just tell the people that this battle was fought to eliminate Evil Soul Master?" a Level 9 Soul Engineer asked instinctively.
"Isn't this a bit...?"
"Otherwise, how will we explain this?" Xu Tianran said. "If any of you here have a better idea..."
Jing Hongchen had been observing Xu Tianran:
"It seems the only option left is to cover up the failure of our operation."
"But I'm still very curious, why would this Evil Soul Master come to Mingdu for no reason? Moreover, they've infiltrated so deep into Mingdu, almost reaching the imperial palace."
"What if these Evil Soul Master silently infiltrate the palace and threaten His Majesty's life?" Jing Hongchen said coldly, "What are the guards doing?!"
Xu Tianran tapped the armrest of his wheelchair so slightly that the rhythm was slightly off-beat.
His voice remained steady.
"The leader is right, the guards have indeed failed in their duty."
"After this matter is resolved, I will thoroughly investigate what happened to allow these vile Evil Soul Master to infiltrate such a deep part of our country without a trace, even approaching the palace and threatening His Majesty's life."