This is the safe distance stipulated by Xu Tianran.
If he took a few more steps forward, Xu Tianran's guards would attack him.
Nangong Wan slightly raised his head, his voice still hoarse:
"Your Highness, it's been a while since I last saw you; you seem... to have lost quite a bit of weight?"
Nangong Wan's tone carried a subtle hint of sarcasm.
Xu Tianran ignored his greeting and asked in a sharp voice:
"What brings you here? Has something changed at the front? Or... is there news about that person?"
He didn't even dare to mention Toji's name directly, only referring to him as "that person".
Nangong Wan's lips twitched slightly beneath his hood, a twitch that resembled a smile or the wriggling of some reptile, "At the front lines, the Heaven Dou Empire's resistance is stronger than expected. The Body Sect doesn't seem to have made a move yet, and of course, we haven't seen Du Busi or Toji personally taking action."
Upon hearing the word " Toji," Xu Tianran's body visibly trembled, his fingers gripping the armrest tightly until his knuckles turned white.
"However, Toji you dared to kill our Holy Spirit Cult elders and severely injure our leader, you are naturally our greatest enemy."
Nangong Wan said in a deep voice:
"We'll notify you as soon as we find him."
"However..." Nangong Wan shifted, carrying a sinister warning, "With Your Highness so easily alarmed and paranoid, I'm afraid you'll wear yourself down before you Toji make a move."
"A mentally unstable crown prince is of no benefit to the empire or to cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult."
Is he really that scary?
"Insolence!" Xu Tianran's face flushed a sickly red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his eyes bloodshot. "How I, the Crown Prince, act is none of your business. Nangong Wan, mind your own business, your Holy Spirit Cult."
His threats sounded weak and ineffective, and his voice even cracked from excessive excitement.
Nangong Wan bowed slightly, his posture remaining respectful.
"Yes, Your Highness. From this day forward, the Holy Spirit Cult will fully join the war against the Heaven Dou Empire. I have finished reporting and will now take my leave. I hope Your Highness... will take care of your health."
He emphasized the last two words, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm.
Watching Nangong Wan's figure disappear behind the re-closing palace doors, Xu Tianran felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped back into the hard wooden chair.
Cold sweat had soaked through his back.
The outburst had exhausted his last remaining energy, leaving him with even deeper fatigue and boundless fear.
"He's mocking me, and the Holy Spirit Cult is laughing at me too..." Xu Tianran muttered to himself, his nails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood without him noticing. "But once the war is almost over, you... will be useless too!"
Compared to the Toji threat posed by the Holy Spirit Cult, Xu Tianran valued the latter more.
The Holy Spirit Cult and the like can be dealt with using Soul Tool.
For the latter, the Soul Tool was completely useless to him.
This is what terrifies Xu Tianran the most.
" Toji... where are you? When will you come? You... come out here!"
He practically screamed the last sentence, his voice echoing in the empty hall, carrying a despair on the verge of collapse.
He suddenly grabbed a beautifully crafted teacup inlaid with gemstones and smashed it hard on the ground!
"Crack!" The crisp sound of shattering was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.
The flying debris mirrored his shattered nerves.
Xu Tianran was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes were filled with ferocious bloodshot veins.
He slowly and nervously surveyed the cold, empty chamber, which resembled a giant tomb, where every shadow seemed to conceal the demonic figure.
As long as Toji is not eliminated, or not proven to be gone, he will not be able to sleep peacefully, nor will he be able to get rid of this clinging maggot that is constantly devouring his reason and Life —this extreme fear.
This ambitious prince, under the shadow of real human weapons, had become a frightened bird, enduring days of torment in boundless fear.
The words of threat Toji had spoken to me in the past echoed in my ears once again.
This is the greatest enemy of those in power.
An elusive killer is enough to inspire lifelong fear.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study of the Heaven Dou Empire's palace.
On the heavy desk, urgent military reports were piled up like a small mountain.
Emperor Vikes of the Heaven Dou Empire, a monarch in the prime of his life, appeared unusually haggard at this moment.
His brows were furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously pressed against his throbbing temples. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to the anxiety and sleeplessness he had endured for days.
A pair of fair, delicate hands, carrying a faint floral fragrance, gently rested on his shoulders, kneading his taut muscles with just the right amount of pressure.
Princess Vina, the most dazzling jewel of the Heaven Dou Empire, had also suppressed her usual liveliness and brightness, her delicate face bearing an unyielding worry.
She wore a well-tailored, moon-white court dress, the hem adorned with tiny star-blue sapphires, like the soft glow of moonlight.
Her long, flowing hair cascaded down like a waterfall, with a few playful strands brushing against her smooth forehead and Swan -like neck.
Those eyes, so similar to His Majesty the Emperor's, were now filled with worry for his father and a heavy burden for the affairs of the nation.
"Father, you haven't had a proper rest for days." Vina's voice was gentle, with a reassuring tone, but it couldn't hide her deep worry.
Emperor Vikes let out a long sigh, the heavy sigh echoing clearly in the quiet study.
He closed his eyes wearily, feeling the warmth from his daughter's fingertips, his voice hoarse and low:
" Vina, the situation is worse than we thought. The Sun Moon Empire is determined to devour my Heaven Dou this time."
"Their Soul Engineer Corps is advancing too fast. Two of the three border defense lines have fallen in just seven days. The soldiers on the front lines are fighting valiantly, but the power of their Soul Tool far exceeds our expectations, and there are also those Evil Soul Master from the Holy Spirit Cult..."
He suddenly opened his eyes, which were bloodshot and filled with helplessness.
"Without strong reinforcements, the empire alone might not even last a month."
Speaking of reinforcements... Vikes ' gaze involuntarily drifted out the window, towards the direction where the Body Sect was located.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, a thought churning in his mind.
Turning his head to look at his graceful daughter beside him, his eyes held a complex expression, a hint of probing and an unspoken hope:
" Vina, I know this is unfair to you."
"But now that the empire is on the verge of collapse, perhaps the only way to bring our National Guardian Sect and the Body Sect closer together is through a marriage alliance."
"That young sect leader is Toji talented, possesses unfathomable strength, and has a limitless future. He is destined to become a top figure on the continent. If you could..."
"Father!" Vina paused slightly, interrupting the emperor.