"Your… Your Highness!" Ju Zi was terrified, her shrill voice seeming to emerge from the depths of her soul. She was completely shattered. Anyone witnessing the person beside them have their heart ripped out would instinctively feel fear.
"Damn it!" Ye Xishui appeared on the main platform in an instant, her eyes blazing with fury, her body emanating a terrifying aura. She was immensely angry, never imagining someone could kill Xu Tianran right under her nose—it was a blatant mockery of her. Thus, she raised her hand, gray deathly energy gathering in her palm, striking toward the stunning woman who had pierced Xu Tianran's heart.
The Sun Moon Empire officials on the main platform collapsed to the ground in an instant. What had they seen? A beautiful woman in a black dress with purple hair, appearing out of nowhere behind the Regent, then ripping out His Highness the Regent's heart in one go. How terrifying!
The black-dressed woman showed no fear toward Ye Xishui's enraged strike. Her right hand, clutching Xu Tianran's heart, squeezed hard. With a "bang," the fresh heart shattered, blood splattering and staining the main platform's floor red. At the same time, she raised her left hand, her fair jade hand clashing with Ye Xishui's palm. Ye Xishui's expression changed, and she instantly retreated several steps.
"You… are not human!" Ye Xishui was utterly shocked, not because this woman could easily repel her, but because of the woman's aura—a wild, domineering, and untamed presence. Ye Xishui had only felt such an aura from the Evil Emperor, the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler. Thus, though this unfamiliar woman appeared as a human girl, Ye Xishui was certain she was not human, but a soul beast!
"Hmph!" The black-dressed woman ignored Ye Xishui. Her task was complete; there was no need to linger and waste time with this human. With a wave of her jade hand and a light laugh, she transformed into a wisp of black mist and vanished from everyone's sight.
Ye Xishui watched the black-dressed woman leave, with no intention of pursuing—not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't dare. The woman's strength was at least on par with the Evil Emperor's level of ferocious beast; she was no match. Even chasing would be futile and might cost her life. It wasn't worth it for a dead man.
Her thoughts were in turmoil now, as today's events were too bizarre, riddled with questions—especially that black-dressed woman, who was a ferocious beast!
From the woman's aura, she seemed to be a super ferocious beast with dark attributes, with cultivation of at least seven hundred thousand years. Such a powerful ferocious beast couldn't appear out of nowhere. Where had she come from? On the entire Douluo Continent, there was only one dark-attribute ferocious beast exceeding seven hundred thousand years: the Beast God Di Tian.
But Di Tian was male—that was common knowledge. Moreover, the woman's aura was mixed with a hint of deathly power, making it even more mysterious and intriguing to Ye Xishui.
Where had she come from? And why involve herself in human conflicts? Or rather, how had those assassins managed to enlist such a ferocious beast to aid them? It was eerie, strange!
"Your Excellency, what do we do…" Ju Zi cradled Xu Tianran's body, gazing at Ye Xishui in despair, pleading.
"No saving him," Ye Xishui said indifferently, without even glancing at Ju Zi. "Since Xu Tianran is dead, our cooperation ends here. Fend for yourselves. Farewell!"
Ye Xishui had no intention of getting involved in the Sun Moon Imperial Family's internal strife. It was foreseeable that Mingdu—or the entire Sun Moon Empire—would descend into chaos for some time. She planned to lie low until a new emperor emerged, then negotiate cooperation with them. As for now, hah! After realizing the black-clothed woman's identity, she had abandoned any plans to fish in troubled waters.
"Damn it!" Ju Zi watched Ye Xishui vanish, gritting her teeth. But she quickly composed herself and shouted to the ministers still lingering behind, "Let's go! Back to the palace—fetch His Majesty and Elder Silver Moon to take charge!"
"Yes!" The group lifted Xu Tianran's body and rushed toward the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace.
On the other side, Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao had witnessed everything that happened on the main platform clearly. Seeing the black-dressed woman successfully kill Xu Tianran, the two exchanged glances, revealing barely perceptible smiles. Then, they had no desire to linger. As the audience descended into panic, the two quietly departed.
When they reappeared, they were in a mountain range outside Mingdu. There, they met the Titled Douluo from Xu Tianran's faction who had pursued the assassins earlier—though they were in poor condition. Naturally, they also saw the ones being pursued.
"Ziyang, Xiaotao, you're here!" One of the pursued was none other than Zhang Lexuan. Upon seeing Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, she immediately approached.
"Elder Sister Lexuan, Elder Zhu, Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother." Zhu Ziyang smiled as he greeted them. Indeed, accompanying Zhang Lexuan were Shrek Academy's two deans: Xian Lin'er, Vice Dean Qian Duoduo, and one of the Heavenly Origin Pavilion elders, Elder Zhu. Beside them were Zhu Ziyang's soul spirits: Xue, Bing, Shuang, and Lu.
Oh, right—and the bound Mingde Hall Master, Jing Hongchen. He was the only survivor among the pursuers; the others had been swiftly dealt with by Zhang Lexuan and the group, aided by Zhu Ziyang's four soul spirits.
Why spare Jing Hongchen? Naturally, because of his unique value. As the Mingde Hall Master and head of the Hongchen Family, a living Jing Hongchen was far more useful than a dead one. If Zhang Lexuan wanted to seize control of Mingde Hall in the shortest time with minimal cost, Jing Hongchen would be an excellent entry point.
At this moment, Hall Master Hongchen had his eyes closed, pretending to be dead. He was lamenting his fate: if he had known this, he wouldn't have joined the pursuit. Who could have imagined that the assassins included four ferocious beasts? And each was at least a hundred-thousand-year soul beast! He had no resistance against such beings; if not for his value, he would already be dead.
"Ziyang, we'll leave Hall Master Hongchen to you. He's a cunning old fox; don't let him escape," Zhang Lexuan said.
"Don't worry, Elder Sister Lexuan. I'll handle him properly," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile.
"Ziyang, can you lend me Quan'er? I need someone to protect me," Zhang Lexuan said, looking at the soul spirit Quan'er.
"Sure. Quan'er, stay by Elder Sister Lexuan's side," Zhu Ziyang said to Quan'er.
"Yes." Quan'er nodded in agreement. Due to Zhu Ziyang's increased strength, his soul spirits could now exist independently from him for a certain time and within a certain space. This time was about a year, and the space encompassed the Douluo Continent. In other words, if Zhu Ziyang wished, he could leave his soul spirits anywhere on the continent.
"Ziyang, we're heading out first!" Zhang Lexuan took Quan'er's hand and said, then led the way, flying toward the southwest of Mingdu.
"Ziyang, we're leaving too!" Xian Lin'er and Elder Zhu also said.
Qian Duoduo walked at the rear, carrying the feigning-dead Jing Hongchen. He grinned at Zhu Ziyang and said, "Ziyang, bye-bye!"
"Bye-bye!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, watching Qian Duoduo carry Jing Hongchen. He couldn't help but sigh: after today, would this Mingde Hall Master, whose status rivaled a Shrek Academy Heavenly Origin Pavilion elder, have the courage to face Shrek Academy again?
Zhu Ziyang gazed in the direction Zhang Lexuan had left, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The direction events would take next depended on Zhang Lexuan and the others making the right choices at critical moments. Killing Xu Tianran was only the first step toward her ascending the throne and controlling the Sun Moon Empire. She had much more to do, and Zhu Ziyang couldn't help with those.
If she couldn't handle those matters well, even if she ascended the throne, she likely couldn't control the entire Sun Moon Empire!
He hoped everything would go smoothly for Elder Sister Lexuan, Zhu Ziyang thought.
Ma Xiaotao, standing behind Zhu Ziyang, watched his actions and couldn't help but step forward, hugging his arm. "Ziyang, let's go too. Elder Sister Lexuan and the others will surely be fine."
"I hope so!" Zhu Ziyang first nodded in agreement with Ma Xiaotao, then shook his head. "No rush to leave. Wait for news from the Body Sect and Star Luo Worship Hall."
Soon, Du Bushi arrived with the Body Sect's Titled Douluo, and Xu Luo with the Star Luo Worship Hall's Titled Douluo. After meeting Zhu Ziyang, they briefly reported their results: everyone on the list had been eliminated. The Mingdu military district was now in chaos, leaderless. If no high-level intervention occurred soon, a mutiny was likely.
Du Bushi, Xu Luo, and the others were delighted, believing the Sun Moon Empire would take at least a year to stabilize—precious time for the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul Empires.
The assassination operation had ended perfectly, with all involved parties achieving their desired outcomes. Who would ultimately be the true winner could only be revealed by time.
Zhu Ziyang parted ways with Du Bushi, Xu Luo, and the others. He and Ma Xiaotao sped toward the northern part of the continent. He planned to enter the Heavenly Soul Empire from the Sun Moon Empire's northern border, visit his parents in Anyang City, and then return to Shrek Academy. For the next year, he intended to seclude himself in cultivation, breaking through to level 95 soul power and reaching the Super Douluo realm.
Less than a hundred miles from Mingdu, as Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao departed, a astonishing energy erupted from a mountain range named Sun Moon, directly west of Mingdu City. This energy immediately caught Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao's attention.
"It's divine power!" The two exchanged glances, stunned. They recognized the energy's origin at once, which was why they were so surprised—such divine power clearly couldn't be unleashed by someone like them, who were merely undergoing divine position assessments.
Something was wrong!
"Let's go check it out!" Zhu Ziyang decided immediately. "There might be a divine miracle there!"
"Yeah! Let's go!" Ma Xiaotao had no intention of backing down. Thus, the two changed direction and sped toward the Sun Moon Mountains.
However, before leaving the area, they felt an inexplicable pressure assailing them from all sides. Neither was a novice; they immediately realized they were being ambushed.
Without hesitation, both released their martial souls, and the pressure on them lessened considerably.
"Come out," Zhu Ziyang said, holding the Life-Death Scythe of Serenity, his expression slightly cold, his voice icy.
"Very perceptive!" A voice emerged, accompanied by a long-haired burly man standing before them. His hair was green, his figure tall and slender, emanating a bone-chilling aura. His face was expressionless, unfazed by Zhu Ziyang's exaggerated soul ring configuration. His voice was filled with indifference, as if addressing ants.
"Who are you? You dare ambush us alone?" Ma Xiaotao was furious, shouting at the burly man.
"Elder Sister Xiaotao, this man is no ordinary person. Be careful," Zhu Ziyang said. The burly man gave him an unfathomable feeling, and combined with his actions, Zhu Ziyang had to be cautious. He pulled Ma Xiaotao to his side, ready to send her into the Holy Law Demiplane at any moment.
"Sigh!" The burly man sighed, muttering to himself, "I didn't want to trouble you, but alas, you've angered him, so you must die today."
"Him?" Zhu Ziyang keenly caught the hidden meaning in the burly man's words and immediately asked, "Who is he? And who are you, sir?"
"Very well, I'll let you die knowing," the burly man said with a helpless expression. "My name is Niu Tian!"
As Niu Tian's words fell, a powerful shockwave erupted from his body. Then, soul rings rose behind him that left Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao in shock.
Black, black, black, black, red, red, red, red, red, red!
Ten soul rings!
God-level!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10