Qian Renxue has secretly helped Zhu Zhuqing and the Dark Hall so many times.
Xiao Yan and Zhu Zhuqing naturally remembered this kindness.
As for finding Qian Renxue herself, that might be a bit difficult.
However, if one wants to find the Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the mighty Heaven Dou Empire, it is a very simple matter in Heaven Dou City.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, the eldest son of the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire and the future heir to the throne, is known to everyone in the entire Heaven Dou City.
He did not live in the palace. This was a tradition of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Every adult prince had his own independent residence outside the palace to show that he was capable of standing on his own.
His Highness the Crown Prince's residence is located in the most prominent position in the central area of Heaven Dou City, only two streets away from the Imperial Palace.
Any passerby in Heaven Dou City can point you in the direction of the Crown Prince's residence.
Xiao Yan was aware that Qian Renxue was impersonating Xue Qinghe.
He never expected that the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall would be far away in a foreign land, and even sit on the throne of the Crown Prince of an enemy country.
Qian Renxue has been infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire for over a decade, and now she has become the rightful heir to the throne.
The planning, forbearance, and scheming involved are chilling to even think about.
Once the Heaven Dou Emperor passes away, wouldn't the Heaven Dou Empire essentially fall into the hands of the Spirit Hall without a fight?
By then, with the Spirit Hall possessing one of the two great empires, coupled with its own power, who on the entire Douluo Continent could rival it?
But whatever her motives, the fact remains that she helped the Dark Hall.
If you owe someone a favor, you should repay it.
This is Xiao Yan's bottom line.
That night, a pitch-black shadow silently emerged from the courtyard where the Dark Hall was located.
The shadow was initially just an inconspicuous mass of ink, but it quickly expanded and took shape, transforming into a human-shaped silhouette.
The Soul Division Martial Soul is entirely black, its features indistinct, like a silhouette cut from the deepest night, with a faint, ethereal glow flowing across its surface.
It had no breath, no heartbeat, and none of the physical signs a living person should have. More importantly, it had no Soul Power fluctuations.
This is the greatest advantage of the Soul Division Martial Soul, and also Xiao Yan's greatest reliance in daring to send it alone to the Crown Prince's residence.
The Soul Division Martial Soul continued to speed away into the distance under the moonlight, without emitting the slightest energy fluctuation.
It thrives even more in the shadows, where the moonlight is cut into countless lines of light and shadow by the eaves and courtyard walls.
The Soul Division Martial Soul silently glided along the edges of those shadows, like an inkfish swimming in the dark currents of the deep sea.
From the secluded alley in the north of the city where the Dark Hall is located to the Heaven Dou City, the route passes through several bustling commercial streets and several patrol posts of the Spirit Hall.
If you don't look closely, no one will notice that there is such a dark figure.
Although there are many powerful individuals in Heaven Dou City, the white-robed bishop Salas, who is stationed at the Heaven Dou City branch of the Spirit Hall, is a Soul Douluo- level expert. Among the representatives of various sects stationed in the city, there are also many Soul Saint- level figures.
However, relying on the terrifying characteristics of his Soul Division Martial Soul, Xiao Yan easily controlled his Clone Martial Soul to arrive outside the Crown Prince's residence.
Along the way, he sensed at least three auras of Soul Emperor or higher, but none of the owners of those three auras noticed his presence.
The mansion is only two streets away from the palace and is a very large and secluded residence.
The courtyard wall is over ten feet high, built of blue bricks, and topped with glazed tiles that gleam with a cold luster under the moonlight.
The two white marble lions in front of the main gate of the mansion are ten feet tall, exquisitely carved, baring their teeth and claws, and lifelike.
The main gate, painted in vermilion, is inlaid with eighty-one gilded copper nails, nine in each direction, and above the lintel hangs a plaque inscribed with the words "Crown Prince's Residence" by the emperor himself.
Even in the dead of night, four fully armed guards stood watch at the gate, their postures as straight as pine trees, the swords at their waists gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Xiao Yan controlled his Soul Division Martial Soul and made his way outside the mansion.
He chose a relatively secluded side wall, outside which was a narrow alley with several bundles of firewood and empty wine jars piled up, indicating that it was rarely visited.
Under his control, the Soul Division Martial Soul easily crossed the mansion's wall, silently drifting in like a wisp of black smoke.
Those blue bricks and glazed tiles posed no obstacle to it.
The mansion was more heavily guarded than he had imagined.
The courtyard features winding corridors, layered rockeries, and pavilions arranged in a harmonious and orderly manner, but beneath this elegance lies a rigorous and almost harsh defense system.
There were many powerful guards patrolling the mansion.
Xiao Yan roughly sensed that there were no fewer than fifty guards patrolling in the open, with five people in each team, led by a Soul Ancestor and the other four being Soul Elder.
The two teams patrolled alternately, with intervals not exceeding the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
Several other hidden presences lurked in the shadows, with sentries concealed in the rock caves, the hidden passageways, and the canopies of several ancient trees. Each of them was a highly trained individual.
In addition, there are several Soul Power detection arrays in the mansion.
Those formations are embedded in the gaps between the bricks and stones of the courtyard wall. They are usually dormant, but they will be activated immediately as long as someone uses their Soul Power to activate them.
Such a defensive force would not be an easy task even for Soul Douluo- level powerhouse to force his way through.
But all of this was rendered useless by Xiao Yan's powerful perception.
His spiritual perception, like a rising tide, silently swept across the entire mansion, clearly imprinting in his mind every visible sentry post, every hidden sentry post, every array formation, and every passageway.
He controlled his Soul Division Martial Soul to move silently through the shadows, avoiding the two patrol teams that were changing shifts.
They bypassed a Soul Power detection array that was in operation, slid into a crevice in a rockery, and then followed the shadows of the corridor deeper and deeper.
The Crown Prince's residence was very large. The front courtyard was where he held meetings and received guests, the middle courtyard was where the Crown Prince handled his daily affairs, and the back courtyard was his sleeping quarters and private resting place.
Xiao Yan walked along the corridor through the front yard, past a courtyard filled with lush bamboo, and through a hanging flower gate into the middle courtyard.
In the very center of the courtyard was a spacious study. The door to the study was ajar, and dim light shone through the paper windows.
Just as Xiao Yan was controlling his Soul Division Martial Soul to approach Xue Qinghe's study courtyard, a powerful pressure suddenly appeared in the air.
The oppressive aura arrived extremely suddenly, without any warning, like a sharp sword hanging in mid-air suddenly falling, enveloping the entire courtyard in its sharpness.
The oppressive aura contained an extremely cold and sharp energy, like countless fine, poisonous thorns aimed at every inch of the Soul Division Martial Soul's body.
The source of that aura was in a side room behind the study, only a few feet away from Xiao Yan.
Titled Douluo!
Xiao Yan was startled, but quickly regained his composure.
The Soul Division Martial Soul has no fluctuations in Soul Power, so even if an ordinary Titled Douluo senses its existence, it is difficult to pinpoint its exact location.
However, this Titled Douluo is clearly Qian Renxue's personal bodyguard, and his duty is to protect the Crown Prince's safety at all times.
He was extremely sensitive to any non- Soul Power fluctuations that came near Qian Renxue.
This is an instinct honed through long-term service as a bodyguard; it doesn't rely on sensing Soul Power, but rather on being alert to every subtle change in the environment.
Moreover, although the Soul Division Martial Soul is formless and intangible, it is still an external energy body, and it inevitably disturbs the original energy balance in the air when it approaches this courtyard.
That Titled Douluo had precisely detected this slight disturbance.
But just as this oppressive aura emerged, a gentle and magnetic voice rang out from the study, instantly dissolving the sharp pressure like a spring breeze.
"Elder Pufferfish, you are a guest. There's no need to be so tense."
As Qian Renxue finished speaking, the pressure of the Titled Douluo that had appeared in the air suddenly dissipated, retreating rapidly into the side room behind the study like the receding tide.
That Porcupinefish Douluo was clearly extremely obedient to Qian Renxue, almost to the point of obeying her every command.
However, Xiao Yan could still feel that the other party's attention was still firmly locked on him, like a cheetah lurking in the grass, ready to pounce the moment its prey made any dangerous move.
If he makes the slightest move, this Titled Douluo will likely attack without hesitation, giving him no time to react.
"Now that you're here, why not show yourself openly and honestly?"
Qian Renxue pushed open the door to the study, slowly stepped out, and entered the courtyard.
She was still wearing a bright yellow prince's court robe, her long hair tied up on top of her head and secured with a white jade crown.
Moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the old plum tree in the courtyard, falling on her and illuminating her exquisitely beautiful face in a half-light, half-shadow.
A calm and gentle smile played on her lips, Xue Qinghe's signature expression.
Neither arrogant nor humble, neither cold nor warm, possessing just the right amount of friendliness and just the right amount of authority.
It was as if they had known Xiao Yan would come all along, but they hadn't expected him to choose this particular time.
With Titled Douluo present, Xiao Yan had no intention of hiding his identity.
He didn't come here for a fight, and besides, with his level 67 Soul Emperor cultivation, it would be tantamount to humiliating himself to fight in front of a Titled Douluo.
Therefore, he made no attempt to hide his identity and slowly emerged from the shadows of the courtyard wall, controlling his Soul Division Martial Soul.
The dark shadow gradually solidified under the moonlight, stretching from a blurry ink blot into a human shape, and finally stood steadily under the old plum tree in the center of the courtyard.
Moonlight shone through its translucent body, casting a very faint shadow on the bluestone pavement.
"Elder Pufferfish, you may leave now."
Qian Renxue waved her hand, her tone still displaying the composure and authority of His Highness the Crown Prince.
But Xiao Yan noticed that her gaze did not leave her Soul Division Martial Soul when she said this, and her bright eyes sparkled with an undisguised curiosity.
The Porcupinefish Douluo hesitated for a moment.
He is Titled Douluo, an elder of the Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, and was Qian Daoliu to protect Qian Renxue's safety.
In his eyes, the strange black shadow before him was of unknown origin. Although he couldn't discern its specific cultivation level, it exuded an aura that made him extremely uncomfortable.
But he also knew his young master's temper; Qian Renxue never liked anyone disobeying her orders.
He eventually withdrew the oppressive aura that had enveloped Xiao Yan and disappeared back into the shadows of the side room.
However, before completely disappearing, he still gave Xiao Yan a cold glance, his eyes full of warning.
If you dare touch a single hair on the young master's head, I will make you vanish into thin air.