Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu, the Crown Prince's bedroom in the Imperial Palace.
This place, once the most vibrant and ambitious heart of imperial power, is now permeated with a suffocating gloom and tension.
Several years have passed, and Xu Tianran, the heir to the imperial throne known for his profound wisdom and ruthless methods, is now deeply mired in an unprecedented and profound fear.
He did not sit behind the magnificent desk that symbolized his status as the crown prince, but instead curled up in a hardwood chair in the far corner of the room, with his back against a cold, heavy wall.
This location minimizes potential attack angles from windows, doorways, and even the ceiling.
His bright yellow prince's robes remained impeccably tailored, but the tight fabric beneath and the deep, almost impenetrable dark circles under his eyes betrayed his extreme exhaustion and panic.
For Xu Tianran, this period was like being in purgatory.
" Toji...?"
This name, like the most vicious curse, gnaws at the nerves of the person being portrayed day and night.
That name, repeatedly mentioned in intelligence reports and feared by even the elders of the Holy Spirit Cult.
In particular, his feat of leading the entire Body Sect to annihilate Shrek Academy has spread throughout the entire Douluo Continent.
Seeing that the Sun Moon Empire had lost Shrek Academy, and that the three kingdoms that once ruled Douluo Continent Empire would not be able to unite against them.
Xu Tianran then personally orchestrated the full-scale war and promised to donate all the casualties and souls lost in the war to the Holy Spirit Cult.
He only wanted them to form an alliance with him.
Faced with such enormous benefits, even the Holy Spirit Cult, which had a rift with Xu Tianran and had been attacked and killed by Toji on several occasions, finally agreed to the terms.
They joined the war alongside the Sun and Sun Moon Empire.
However, Xu Tianran still dared not attack the Heaven Dou Empire, a sentiment shared by people from other factions within the imperial palace.
The Body Sect, capable of wiping out the Shrek Academy, is located in the Heaven Dou Empire and serves as its guardian deity. If we weren't prepared, we might have been attacked by the Body Sect.
However, not long ago, the armies of other factions in the Sun Moon Empire suddenly turned their spearheads towards the Heaven Dou Empire, seemingly gaining immense confidence from the war with the Star Luo Empire.
Thus, they set their sights on the Heaven Dou Empire Heaven Dou Empire marched towards it.
This news truly terrified Xu Tianran.
The reason is simple: in the Heaven Dou Empire, there is not only the Body Sect, which everyone fears, but also an existence that makes all those in power feel immense fear.
That was Toji was already known by everyone as the number one assassin on the mainland.
What's most terrifying about him isn't his combat prowess, but his fearsome infiltration techniques.
Now that he has offended the Heaven Dou Empire, Toji is no longer just a cold text description in an intelligence file, but has become a Damocles' sword hanging over Xu Tianran's head, ready to fall at any moment.
What if he dislikes me, and my actions of having the Sun Moon Empire attack the Heaven Dou Empire make him think that I made the decision?
Could this prompt him to assassinate me again?
This thought Entanglement Xu Tianran like a leech.
Given Toji's terrifying infiltration abilities, it seems not impossible for him to break through the palace's multiple defenses and take his life.
Thus, the entire sleeping quarters became a huge, suffocating cage and fortress.
Xu Tianran ordered that all the windows be fitted with heavy fine gold bars and special crystal plates to block Soul Power detection, leaving only narrow gaps for ventilation.
The originally spacious palace gates were transformed into narrow passages that could only accommodate one person at a time, and as many as seven soul-guided barriers and trigger traps were set up inside and outside.
All unnecessary decorations, screens, and curtains inside the hall were removed, leaving it so empty that you could hear your own heartbeat echoing, eliminating any possibility of hiding.
His personal attendants were reduced from twelve to two, and they had to be ordinary people with no Soul Power. Each time they entered, they had to undergo three body searches and Soul Power tests.
All palace Soul Engineer and guards on duty must wear specially made soul guide identification tags, and their passwords must be changed every half hour. Any hesitation or mistake will result in them being immediately locked onto by Soul Guidance Ray hidden in the shadows.
Xu Tianran no longer trusted any fixed escort routes or shifts; all defensive deployments were temporary and random.
Even every food and every cup of water he ate had to be tested by at least three different factions of Soul Engineer using different methods before being presented to him, and then tasted by a death row inmate for half an hour to ensure there were no problems before he would eat it.
Long-term insomnia, extreme mental stress, and paranoia caused Xu Tianran's once handsome face to rapidly become gaunt, his cheekbones to protrude, his eye sockets to sink, and his eyes to be filled with bloodshot veins and a neurotic sharpness.
He became irritable and easily angered, and even the smallest things could trigger his hysterical outbursts. After beating several "suspicious" servants to death, the entire palace fell silent, and everyone lived in fear.
Some say Xu Tianran Xu Tianran mad after becoming disabled, while others praise his cautious attitude.
After all, he already has crippled legs. If he were to be attacked again, wouldn't he be dead?
This cautious attitude left those who secretly plotted against him with no opportunity and forced them to give up.
Many people have also sided with Xu Tianran. Now, Xu Tianran only needs a throne to become the official emperor.
Just as Xu Tianran was pondering, a deep, hoarse voice, like the hiss of a venomous snake, rang out from outside the hall, carrying a hint of barely perceptible chill.
"Your Highness, Nangong Wan requests an audience."
Xu Tianran's pupils contracted sharply, and his body tensed instantly, like a frightened wild beast.
People of the Holy Spirit Cult, Nangong Wan?
What is he here for? Is he here to deliver a message?
Or... was he just Toji imposter?
Or Toji it's hidden behind Nangong Wan?!
Countless suspicions and fears surged into my mind in an instant.
He subconsciously pressed a cold button on a Soul Tool hidden in his sleeve; it was an emergency switch that directly connected to the strongest defensive soul tool array in the palace.
"Come in." Xu Tianran's voice was dry and hoarse, with a noticeable tremor. He tried hard to maintain the dignity of a crown prince, but his tense nerves and fear were exposed.
The heavy palace doors slid open silently, leaving only a crack through which one person could pass.
Nangong Wan, dressed in a black robe with his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, slowly walked in.
His footsteps were very light, but to Xu Tianran's exceptionally sensitive ears at that moment, they sounded like thunder.
Xu Tianran's gaze was like a poisoned hook, fixed on Nangong Wan. His Spiritual Power swept over her frantically, trying to confirm the authenticity of the person in front of him, and whether she had been replaced by illusion or disguise.
He even activated the Soul Tool deployed within the palace, and invisible scanning beams repeatedly probed Nangong Wan's body.
Nangong Wan seemed accustomed to all this vigilance, or rather, completely unconcerned. He stopped a good ten feet away from Xu Tianran.