"Have you guys heard? There have been protests in several places in Mingdu."
In the cafeteria, Ye Xiaosheng gathered everyone together for a meal, chatting about gossip as they went.
He Caitou asked curiously, "Protests? What happened?"
Everyone else also looked at Ye Xiaosheng, which pleased him; he was the center of attention at this moment.
Ye Xiaosheng said mysteriously, "I heard from some Sun Moon Academy students in class today that a large-scale riot broke out in several blocks of Mingdu last night. It's said that evil spirit masters were causing trouble, and the Sun Moon Empire's city defense army even found the remains of hundreds of murdered civilians in a building."
"Now everyone in Mingdu is in a state of panic, afraid that they will be captured and killed by evil spirit masters one day. So many residents of Mingdu have gathered together and launched a protest, hoping that the royal family can clean up the evil spirit masters hiding in Mingdu."
He Caitou's heart stirred slightly, "What did the royal family say?"
Ye Xiaosheng shook his head, "I don't know, there's no news yet."
This matter was not only being discussed among Shrek Academy exchange students. In the cafeteria, many Sun Moon Academy students were also gathered together to talk about it, but judging from their indignant appearance, they seemed to be extremely dissatisfied with the evil spirit masters.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. Evil Soul Masters are practically the common enemy of all humanity. Imagine suddenly discovering an evil Soul Master stronghold in your neighborhood. Even if you wipe one out, who knows how many more are lurking in the shadows? That's a potential danger. If your family is ever harmed, it'll be too late.
"Yuhao, over here." Suddenly, Ye Xiaosheng's eyes lit up as he saw Huo Yuhao carrying a tray of food.
Huo Yuhao smiled and walked over, putting down his tray and starting to eat.
"I was thinking of taking leave to go to Mingdu to see the parade and join in the fun, but now I think I'll pass. I don't want to cause trouble for Dean Qian and the others," Ye Xiaosheng said softly to everyone.
"Our identities are too special. We should try to stay in the academy if possible," He Caitou shook his head, changing the subject appropriately. "By the way, how's everyone's studying lately?"
The group started chattering about soul tools.
Only Huo Yuhao ate quietly, his mind replaying the parade people were talking about after he entered the cafeteria.
This march was definitely instigated by someone; it's unclear whether it was orchestrated by other underground forces in Mingdu or by the royal family. He hadn't expected that something that started yesterday would have such a result today.
This one event alone will likely cause considerable trouble for the Holy Spirit Cult, who lived a very comfortable life in Mingdu in the original story, especially since Xu Tianran hadn't yet become the Crown Prince Regent.
It's unclear how the Holy Spirit Cult plans to break this deadlock.
During his time in the Sun Moon Empire, he had done everything he could: replicated the soul tool technology and sent it back to the academy; established the Sun God Cult; stabilized the plan to hide Blackwater within the Holy Spirit Cult; subdued Ye Guyi, a genius with hidden divine power within him; and, at the same time, used the Holy Spirit Cult's stronghold to incite conflict among various forces.
The only thing left to worry about is when the Body Sect will arrive, or rather, whether they will come in this lifetime.
After all, Elder Mu had said that the Body Sect's interests in the far north had been infringed upon, and they needed to deal with it, so it was highly likely they would abandon the Mingde Hall.
"
Kill all the evil spirit masters, restore peace to the empire!"
Sunlight
streamed down through the different districts of Mingdu, bringing waves of heat that made the air feel scorching. While the city was usually bustling, this scene was unusual. As far as
the eye could see, countless crowds, holding signs and banners, gathered and shouted, their voices almost echoing through the sky.
Each procession likely numbered over ten thousand, stretching as far as the eye could see, filling the roads and leaving those riding in carriages feeling helpless.
Along the way, countless Mingdu residents watched, discussing the spectacle.
The blood-red skull light and wails that erupted over Mingdu last night had already spread far and wide; many residents of Sun and Moon City woke up to hear their neighbors talking about it.
The people, who had been bewildered, were terrified when they heard that evil spirit masters had established a stronghold in Mingdu and were indiscriminately assassinating civilians. What were evil spirit masters? They were a group of people who would devour others without spitting out the bones.
Legend had it that whenever an evil spirit master passed by, not only would people die, but eggs in houses would be shaken apart, earthworms in the ground would be cut in half, and even passing dogs would get slapped twice before it was over.
They had thought that evil spirit masters only attacked people in remote areas, but they didn't expect to see them in the capital.
The people marching still managed to keep order; no one took advantage of the situation to launch a free shopping event. They simply followed the main group, and even picked up litter along the way to throw it in the trash cans, making them textbook examples of exemplary marching.
On both sides of the road, there were many soldiers in armor, carrying swords, who were specifically sent to maintain order.
In a bustling, seven-story restaurant in a prime location, Xu Tianming stood by the window, silently watching the procession below. The parade, like a dragon, moved forward, its roar echoing in waves.
"Second Prince, are you really planning to do this?"
In a luxurious suite, a group of people sat together. They were all members of the Royal Guard.
Men and women, all under thirty-five years old, came from families with at least the title of Earl. Their families
were involved in every industry in the empire: land rent, trade, handicrafts, agriculture, animal husbandry, metal mines, and soul-guided device manufacturing.
The nobles, united, formed a vast and powerful force, even venturing into the underworld. They were not to be underestimated, which was why, despite the strength of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial power, it remained subject to the control of the nobility.
Even if Xu Tianran were to win the final victory and become emperor, he would still need to win over various nobles. He wouldn't even have the authority to wage war; there would be many within the empire who wouldn't support it, creating immense resistance. Ultimately, it was Huo Kaoyu's bombing of Mingdu, killing at least a million people, that enraged all the commoners and doves of the Sun Moon Empire, finally allowing Xu Tianran to successfully launch the war.
In a sense, if Huo Kaoyu hadn't bombed Mingdu, the war might have been delayed by many years.
Even if Xu Tianran had found other reasons to start the war.
Xu Tianming lowered the curtain, turned to look at the crowd, and said, "The Holy Spirit Sect has occupied Mingdu for many years, its influence is widespread, and it controls a great deal of resources. I can say with certainty that even if your families collectively consume these resources, you can still feast."
"The royal family only needs 10% of these resources; the rest are all yours."
"Hiss." Hearing Xu Tianming's affirmative answer, the expressions of these noble descendants changed slightly.
Xu Tianming pressed his advantage, saying, "Besides, if we use this opportunity to give the Holy Spirit Cult a good dressing down, then if I ascend the throne in the future, you will all have contributed to my success. You all know my character; I will never fail to repay those who have helped me." The word "
ascend the throne"
carried a strong impact, causing a slight stirring in the hearts of everyone present, while they exchanged glances.
However, the wise ones didn't ask further questions.
The Crown Prince was disabled, and although he still held the position, who knew what might happen in the future?
Of course, they weren't fools. Their intervention this time, helping the Second Prince indirectly, wasn't considered taking sides, so they weren't afraid of trouble if the Crown Prince remained in power in the future.
"Your Highness, what's next?" The speaker was a handsome young man, whose father was the Duke of Tianhan of the Empire, a man of considerable status.
Xu Tianming glanced at him and smiled faintly, "We'll act when the protests expand further. During this time, we'll be responsible for investigating the various strongholds of the Evil Soul Masters and the resources and industries controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult. When we take action, we
'll destroy the strongholds and seal off the resources and industries, which will then be divided up in the future." "Of course, the Evil Soul Masters aren't made of clay; they will retaliate. Your families must also be prepared to defend themselves. If you're afraid, then withdraw. Remember not to gossip, or you'll bear the consequences."
Certainly, no one would withdraw. If they were afraid, they wouldn't deserve to be hailed as the future generation of the Empire.
Nobility is earned, not given. No one would give up this opportunity; who knows if it would allow their family to advance even further?
If Huo Yuhao were here, he would definitely shake his head. Although the Holy Spirit Cult's reputation was widespread among the nobility, it was clear that many people didn't have an accurate understanding of the Holy Spirit Cult's true strength.
Strangely, the royal family seemed unwilling to reveal that the Holy Spirit Cult possessed at least one Limit Douluo.
Given the Holy Spirit Cult's strength, even if the entire Shrek Academy were to attack, they would be no match for them.
With the emperor's secret support, the terrifying machine of the noble class quickly began to operate, with a large number of Soul Masters and even Soul Instructors mobilizing.
Mingdu was vast, and its dark side was astonishing. While the Holy Spirit Cult's strongholds might be difficult to locate, the various resources and industries they controlled were relatively easy to find.
Currently, among the three major underground forces in Mingdu, the Ordinary Alliance and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce both had cooperative relationships with the royal family and the noble class. From them, it was easy to pinpoint at least 80% of the Holy Spirit Cult's industries.
Therefore, while the protests were raging, people disguised themselves and discreetly entered the strongholds of various underground forces throughout Mingdu to investigate.
From the lowest rank of Earl to the highest rank of King, the number of noble families involved in this matter exceeded thirty, each wanting a share of the spoils.
To avoid alerting the enemy, the Soul Masters and Soul Instructors mobilized were at least Soul Saints and above at level seven.
Those with weaker strength weren't even qualified to participate in the preliminary investigation.
But...
in the Eastern Palace that night, Xu Tianran was staring intently at the Douluo Continent map, while behind him, Ju Zi massaged his shoulders with her soft little hands.
"Your Highness, it's getting late, shouldn't you rest earlier?"
Ju Zi asked softly.
Xu Tianran's eyes regained their focus, and he glanced heavily at the Shrek Academy's location, smiling as he said, "I still have someone to wait for, how can I go to sleep so early?"
Upon hearing this, Ju Zi's eyes flickered slightly, and she respectfully said, "Then Ju Zi will take her leave."
Xu Tianran patted Ju Zi's small hand, "You can stay here, there's no need to leave. Do you think I don't trust you?"
"Yes, Your Highness." A subtle smile appeared on Ju Zi's lips as she kneaded her hands, a gesture that pleased Xu Tianran. "By the way, Your Highness, what do you think of the protests currently taking place in Mingdu?"
"What do I think? Don't you already have a guess?" Xu Tianran said with a faint smile, "Tell me your opinion."
"As expected, I can't hide anything from Your Highness." Ju Zi chuckled, then analyzed, "In my opinion, this might be because His Majesty deliberately destroyed a Holy Spirit Cult stronghold, thus triggering this series of disputes, with the aim of weakening the Holy Spirit Cult's power within the empire. At the same time, he's using the anger of the common people as a pretext for action."
"As for the protests, although it wasn't explicitly stated, the person behind all of this is most likely Xu Tianming. Otherwise, how could the evil spirit master incident have occurred just last night, and how could there be protests before noon the next day, even escalating to the ridiculous claim that the evil spirit masters would destroy Mingdu?"
"But that's not the key point..." Ju Zi paused, then said inexplicably, "Your Majesty's move is intended to kill two birds with one stone."
Xu Tianran's eyes lit up. "Continue."
Ju Zi nodded. "Xu Tianming controls the Royal Guard, and he will definitely unite with the noble descendants within these guards to wipe out the Holy Spirit Cult. These people's family power will most likely help, after all, the Holy Spirit Cult controls considerable resources. Even if there are many noble forces, they can all be well-fed after dividing it up. But this will also make the Holy Spirit Cult immediately hostile to all noble forces, leading to a struggle between the two sides."
"Since it's a struggle, there will inevitably be losses, and who will ultimately benefit? Naturally, it's Your Majesty."
"Hahaha, Ju Zi, I'm liking you more and more." Xu Tianran couldn't help but laugh as he listened.
"My second brother is probably beaming with joy right now, little does he know, the Emperor entrusted him with this task: to weaken both sides, minimize the involvement of the royal family, and maximize their gains."
"If he does well, my position as Crown Prince will be in danger; but if he botches it, well, he'll just have to take the blame."
"Ju Zi, do you think my second brother succeeded or failed?"
A freebie.
Ju Zi answered without hesitation, "Definitely failed. Within the Empire, I only believe Your Highness can become Emperor, and I only believe you can lead the Empire's soldiers to conquer the Douluo Continent and achieve an unprecedented unification."
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes. It's a pity he's impotent; otherwise, he would definitely pamper Ju Zi.
So cunning, so beautiful, such a lovely woman—she's quite to his liking.
The thought of not being able to enjoy such a beauty turned Xu Tianran's satisfaction into a chilling coldness. He subconsciously grasped Ju Zi's hand, the soft touch captivating him, and he unconsciously increased his grip.
The bones rubbed together, making a cracking sound.
"Your Highness," Ju Zi cried out in pain, her delicate body trembling.
Xu Tianran snapped back to reality, a hint of apology on his face. "It was my fault. Did you hurt me?"
Ju Zi didn't answer whether it hurt or not, but instead asked with concern, "Is something troubling Your Highness? Tell Ju Zi. Perhaps I can't help you, but I can at least be someone to confide in."
Xu Tianran was taken aback for a moment, but looking into Ju Zi's sincere eyes, his heart softened. Just as he was about to say something, suddenly, a soul force transmission appeared—it was Shadow Douluo Xue Chen.
"Your Highness, the Holy Spirit Cult Master requests an audience."
Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow, abandoning his plan to embrace Ju Zi, and replied telepathically, "Let him in. If he comes any later, I should go to sleep."
"Yes, Your Highness." The voice fell.
A short while later, an extremely concealed crimson mist began to spread in the center of the hall, gradually transforming into a figure.
Xu Tianran's gaze immediately met his.
"Your Highness," Zhongli Wu spoke calmly. "
Cult Master Zhongli," Xu Tianran said with a faint smile.
.....
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