"Great Elder, my business here is concluded. Please return first," Yuwen Tuo said.
"I'm to return now? But what about your sixth soul ring? And aren't you worried about assassinations on the way back?" Jin Peng hesitated. He knew Yuwen Tuo could now summon the Evil Eye Tyrant and thus didn't fear ordinary Titled Douluo, but wouldn't his presence ensure an even higher chance of success?
Jin Peng's thought process clearly hadn't caught up. Indeed, if he were there, even if a Titled Douluo-level person came to assassinate them, their combined efforts could easily deal with them. But the problem was, would assassins be so foolish as to throw their lives away by showing up when Jin Peng was with Yuwen Tuo? They would only strike when Yuwen Tuo was alone.
"Great Elder, I'm not afraid of them assassinating me now; I'm afraid they won't come. As for my sixth soul ring, we can't return to the Demonic Forest right now. However, I believe the Sun Moon Empire is vast and surely has other soul beast gathering places.
I'll find a way to deal with it myself. And the Demonic Forest, I will return to it one day. I want to properly meet that Evil Emperor!" Yuwen Tuo said coldly.
He knew that a battle with the Evil Emperor was inevitable. If there was any soul beast that would make Yuwen Tuo defy the Ghost Valley Sect's rules and forcefully assimilate it, it would undoubtedly be the Evil Emperor.
Because the animosity between them was irreconcilable: Yuwen Tuo had killed its son, and it would surely kill Yuwen Tuo for revenge. And Yuwen Tuo also sought revenge against the Holy Spirit Cult, but he knew that the Holy Spirit Cult's trump cards, besides Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, actually included this Evil Emperor.
In the original work, Zhong Liwu even sought its help. The Holy Spirit Cult's main base was also located somewhere underground in the Demonic Forest, permitted by the Evil Emperor. In exchange, the Holy Spirit Cult had to offer it sacrifices periodically. Yuwen Tuo would spare no one who colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult, be they human or soul beast.
"Alright, then be careful on your journey!" Jin Peng nodded. He seemed to have understood Yuwen Tuo's intent, and flew off.
Yuwen Tuo immediately sat cross-legged to restore his soul power. Since he now possessed the strength to directly confront a Titled Douluo, he naturally intended to seize this opportunity to cripple Xu Tianran.
All along, Yuwen Tuo had known who Xu Tianran would send to deal with him. He had been cautious before, but now, he would cut him down as his first gift to Xu Tianran.
Only when his soul power and physical stamina were completely restored did he get up and head back towards Ming Dou. He deliberately chose to return along the same path he had taken earlier.
His earlier instruction for Meng Hongchen to return first had two purposes: not only did he not want her to know his secrets, but he also wanted to let the people in Ming Dou know that he was alone and outside the city. In that case, the road he took back would be the best time to ambush him.
If Yuwen Tuo had previously feigned obedience to Xu Tianran, Xu Tianran might have continued to tolerate him for a while, as Yuwen Tuo's death at this moment would surely make him the Sun Moon Emperor's prime suspect. But now, firstly, Yuwen Tuo had publicly exposed his greatest vulnerability being a eunuch which had completely ignited Xu Tianran's murderous intent.
Secondly, he had made a similar analysis to Jing Hongchen: Yuwen Tuo wanted to openly contend with him for the throne. Compared to himself, Yuwen Tuo was physically complete and possessed unparalleled talent.
If Yuwen Tuo stayed in Ming Dou for a year or so, cultivated a good relationship with his imperial father, learned a bit about politics, and befriended some court officials, his position would be in danger.
Hadn't Jing Hongchen, who had originally leaned slightly towards him, now all but handed her granddaughter directly to Yuwen Tuo? And if Meng Hongchen followed Yuwen Tuo, would Jing Hongchen not help his grandson-in-law,
but rather help him? And Jing Hongchen, as the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, held high authority. Once he made his choice, there would undoubtedly be many who followed suit.
Xu Tianran absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen. Yuwen Tuo had to die, and the sooner the better. Even if his imperial father blamed him afterward, what of it? Yuwen Tuo would already be dead; it would be a fait accompli.
Besides Yuwen Tuo, which other prince was more outstanding than him? There was no true family affection in the imperial family. The dead, after all, simply had no more value.
Xu Tianran had this much confidence: his imperial father would scold and punish him, but he would never truly do anything to him for the sake of a dead man.
Inside the Eastern Palace, Xu Tianran admired the beautiful moonlight, muttering, "My good brother, for your elder brother's great cause, for the future of the Sun Moon Empire, I ask of you, please, obediently go die."
Under the same moonlight, Yuwen Tuo, equipped with his flying soul tool, swiftly flew through the air.
Approximately thirty li short of Ming Dou, a dark shadow suddenly appeared, rushing towards Yuwen Tuo. The shadow had observed Yuwen Tuo for a long time, ensuring that he was truly alone before decisively making its move.
Yuwen Tuo's eyes narrowed. He was already prepared. He immediately extended his left hand and chopped down with a hand blade: "Flame Emperor Blade!" A hundred-thousand-year soul skill, infinitely powerful.
Although Yuwen Tuo was only a Soul King, his strength was already on par with a Soul Sage who had activated their Martial Soul Avatar. This single chop, even a Titled Douluo, could not ignore.
The assailant clearly hadn't expected Yuwen Tuo to casually unleash such a powerful attack. The black shadow paused for a moment, then shot out a black light, colliding head-on with Yuwen Tuo's blazing blade-light.
The two forces exploded in the middle. The black shadow remained motionless, but Yuwen Tuo was forced back a hundred meters. Fortunately, he was unharmed, just feeling a slight surge of blood and qi.
Yuwen Tuo clutched his chest and asked with a laugh, "Heh heh, after all, I'm just a mere Soul King. Compared to a Titled Douluo, I'm indeed far inferior. Am I right, Shadow Douluo, Senior Xuechen!"
"Brat, how did you know it was me?" The dark shadow condensed in front, gradually forming a human figure. Dressed in black robes, with white hair and a white beard, he appeared to be a fifty-year-old middle-aged man.
But in reality, he was much older than Jing Hongchen. When he broke through to Titled Douluo, Jing Hongchen was only a Soul Douluo. Yet now, Jing Hongchen had long since surpassed him.
Jing Hongchen had reached Level 94, while he was only at Level 92. In all these years, he had only advanced by one level. This showed that his potential had reached its limit, and it would be very difficult for him to make any further breakthroughs in this life.
However, he was also a soul engineer, and his level might even have reached Level 9. With the augmentation of soul tools, his strength was not much inferior to a Super Douluo.
"I only know that among the Sun Moon Empire's Titled Douluo, you are the one who supports Xu Tianran the most. Even Jing Hongchen might not know about this, but unfortunately, it didn't escape my notice.
After the court affairs, I was certain Xu Tianran would want to kill me as quickly as possible. Among the people he can directly assign, the strongest is none other than you, isn't it?" Yuwen Tuo explained.
Xuechen was a very special Titled Douluo in the Sun Moon Empire. He did not belong to the Imperial Household's Consecration Hall but pledged allegiance only to Xu Tianran. Only he was suitable to be Yuwen Tuo's stepping stone to deter Ming Dou.
"Yuwen Tuo, you truly deserve to die!" Xuechen's eyes were stern. Not only was Yuwen Tuo's cultivation talent terrifyingly high, but he also possessed formidable intelligence-gathering abilities, decent intellect, and the Body Sect as his backing. With so many advantages concentrated in one person, wasn't he His Highness's most formidable opponent?
"If you want to fight, come!" Yuwen Tuo said coldly.
"A mere Soul King dares to boast before me!" Xuechen said, his entire body turning pitch black, quickly merging into the darkness. His martial soul was Shadow, allowing him to merge with darkness. In terms of assassination skills, at the same rank, no one in the world surpassed him. It was now late night, making it his ideal battlefield.
"First Soul Skill, Shadow Clone!"
From within the darkness, an aged voice echoed all around. Four clones condensed in front, behind, to the left, and to the right of Yuwen Tuo. All four simultaneously raised their hands and moved their feet, rapidly charging towards Yuwen Tuo.
Clearly, his clones couldn't fight independently; they could only use the same soul skills and perform the same movements as the main body. This type of clone skill couldn't be compared to Divine Fire Clones.
Yuwen Tuo opened his Yin-Yang Demonic Eyes. From a god's perspective, he instantly saw through all of Shadow Douluo's movements. However, Shadow Douluo's speed was too fast. Yuwen Tuo knew he couldn't keep up, so in this situation, he unhesitatingly took out the Evil Eye he had prepared long ago.
Just one second before the four figures were about to attack Yuwen Tuo, a soul power and spiritual fluctuation comparable to a Titled Douluo's suddenly emanated from Yuwen Tuo's body. That fluctuation, like a tidal wave, instantly annihilated all of Shadow Douluo's clones.
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