When Du Busi met his gaze, he instantly understood.
The monstrous disciple before them possessed a body seemingly forged to its limit by the forces of heaven and earth, devoid of even the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power —pure, zero Soul Power. In this world where Soul Power reigns supreme, this was once a fatal flaw, but in certain specific situations, such as infiltration, assassination, or evading all Soul Power detection...
This very absence becomes the most perfect form of invisibility, Tianran disguise that no Soul Master can match.
A ghost walking among humans.
"Alright." Du Busi said no more, neatly and efficiently putting away all the Storage Soul Tool, his body slightly tense. "Be careful. Come back as soon as you're done, don't keep me waiting too long."
He gave Toji a deep look, then without further delay, a flash of dark green light appeared, and he shot into the sky like a cannonball. In a few blinks, he disappeared into the deep darkness of Mingdu, speeding towards the Heaven Dou Empire.
He needed to bring these Core Flame back to the Heaven Dou Empire as soon as possible and hand them over to Xuan Ziwen, that tech fanatic, so he could get to work properly.
I watched as my teacher's powerful figure completely disappeared into the night, Toji stood still for a moment.
A night wind swept by, carrying an overwhelming stench of blood and the acrid smell of burnt Soul Tool, ruffling a few unruly strands of black hair on his forehead.
He closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, the last trace of human emotion in his eyes had completely subsided, leaving only Ice Seal calm.
Toji's figure swayed, without making a sound, as if he had melted away on the spot, and he silently sneaked into the palace.
Towering palace walls, heavily guarded soul-guided patrols, and ubiquitous Soul Tool...
These defenses, which would be insurmountable for ordinary people, were rendered useless in the face of his extraordinary perception and Soul Power.
Toji like a true shadow, silently moving through the gaps between moonlight and lamplight, precisely avoiding all possible sightlines and soul-guided detection waves, following the hidden path deep in her memory, stealthily heading towards the Empress's palace.
The Empress's palace was brightly lit, yet it exuded an air of luxury.
The maids moved quietly, holding their breath, lighting the last calming incense lamp, then bowed silently and withdrew.
The heavy, carved palace doors slowly closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the outside world and leaving the room empty and silent.
Ju Zi, dressed in magnificent robes, the young empress of the Sun Moon Empire sat at the pinnacle of power. The moment the palace doors closed, her straight back relaxed almost imperceptibly.
She gazed out the window at the deep night of the palace gardens, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold windowpane.
Her elaborate palace dress trailed on the ground, making her figure appear even more slender, yet she seemed trapped by the magnificent attire, revealing an indescribable weariness.
In the stillness of the night, when even breathing could be clearly heard, the image of a man suddenly entered her mind.
He was the one who pulled her family back from the brink of hell, and he was also the one who personally pushed her into the center of this larger, more complex, and more dangerous vortex of power.
A complex mix of emotions welled up inside Ju Zi —gratitude?
Perhaps.
fear?
There is also an indescribable sense of bewilderment, as if manipulated by the giant hand of fate.
"Sigh." A very soft sigh escaped from her lips, almost inaudible, filled with thoughts that even she herself could not understand.
Why are you sighing?
A deep, calm voice, yet as loud as thunder, exploded in Ju Zi's ears without warning, right behind her.
The Ju Zi seemed to freeze instantly in her blood; her heart pounded wildly in her chest, almost bursting out of her throat.
She turned around abruptly, her movement so fast that the heavy hem of her skirt made a soft rustling sound, knocking over a delicate glass vase on the low table beside her.
The crisp cracking sound was particularly jarring in the silent bedchamber.
But Ju Zi couldn't care less; her pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size as she stared intently at the figure that seemed to have appeared out of thin air in the shadowy corner of the room.
It was him.
She was still wearing the same outfit, which accentuated her sharp, cheetah-like physique.
It was still that same handsome face with sharp features and a touch of wildness and unruliness.
However, compared to back then, the invisible, murderous aura emanating from him, like a drawn blade, was now more restrained and more... unfathomable.
He stood there, as if a part of the room's shadow had come alive, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.
The astonishing willpower honed over years of court life came into play at this moment.
Ju Zi forcefully suppressed the scream that was about to burst from her throat, and even forcibly controlled the instinctive trembling of her body.
She took a deep breath, the icy air rushing into her lungs, barely suppressing the churning, turbulent emotions within her.
Ju Zi straightened her back, trying her best to maintain the demeanor of an empress, but her slightly white knuckles and the sudden tension in her jawline betrayed her inner horror.
She suppressed her racing heartbeat, trying her best to keep her voice steady, but an unavoidable tension and surprise crept in, uttered in a very low voice, almost a whisper:
Why are you here?
Her gaze was fixed on Toji, filled with shock and disbelief, and deeper still, a suppressed, yet unnoticed, ripple of excitement from the depths of a distant memory.
Inside the bedchamber, a deathly silence returned, with only shards of glass reflecting a cold light in the moonlight. Ju Zi's question hung in the air, trembling almost imperceptibly.
Toji's gaze fell on the Ju Zi, calm as if he were examining an object, yet more profound than that.
Time and power are the best sculptors.
The woman before me was dressed in a magnificent empress's palace gown, with intricate gold threads and gemstones outlining her exquisite curves, every inch of which exuded a carefully nurtured beauty.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a cool, jade-like glow on her fair profile. Her long eyelashes cast small shadows beneath her eyelids, and her tightly pursed lips exuded a stubborn yet alluring beauty.
It is indeed beautiful, beautiful enough to captivate the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, beautiful enough to become the sharpest weapon.
But deep within those eyes, which were now fixed on him and trying to appear calm, lay that familiar wariness, like that of a wounded animal, and... a hint of barely perceptible vulnerability.
This vulnerability was completely concealed by her empressly majesty, yet it was easily detected by Shen'er's eyes, Toji could see through falsehood.
Ju Zi felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously turned to the side, trying to avoid that overly direct and emotionless scrutiny.
She spoke again, her voice even lower, tinged with embarrassment and an eagerness to break the silence:
"You... how did you suddenly appear in this palace? Is there anything I can do for you?"
She proactively offered a way out, adopting a very humble posture, with an almost instinctive tendency to ingratiate herself.
Awe of the person who changed her destiny, and of the unfathomable power.