Lin Huiqun glanced down at the storage bracelet on her hand, her heart pounding with panic. The stolen goods were in her possession; once inspected, she would inevitably be exposed.
The other henchmen were also in a panic, feeling that disaster was imminent.
Just then, Yan Shaozhe made an unexpected move. He led his group out, his expression calm.
Before leaving, Yan Shaozhe once again instructed everyone, "Remember, we are here to appease the people."
The Royal Soul Master Legion slowly approached, and the next moment, Yan Shaozhe's group of less than ten people pushed open the door and stepped out.
Xu Tianran's face was cold. Shileike, it was those bastards Shileike again. A thousand years ago, it was these bastards who ruined the empire's cause.
Months ago, they were humiliated by the Heavenly Court, losing face and suffering severe damage.
Now they actually jumped out to cause trouble again, do they really think they are invincible?
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is unconcerned with trivialities, humbles himself, and shows compassion for the common people; this is a blessing to the empire!" Yan Shaozhe seemed completely oblivious to the menacing soldiers around him.
He spoke words of flattery, yet his back remained ramrod straight, displaying an air of unyielding pride.
"Shilake, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation. Didn't you already return? Why are you here?"
Xu Tianran, seeing these murderers, wanted nothing more than to devour their flesh and drink their blood, and had no interest in arguing with them.
Shilake, due to his infamous reputation, had fallen out of favor, ranking below the top ten in this Soul Master Competition.
This was almost the worst result Shilake had ever achieved, and his team naturally had no face to stay, having already slunk away from Mingdu before the semi-finals.
Xu Tianran was actually secretly pleased with this turn of events.
If it weren't for this stimulus, his ascension to the throne would have been delayed by several more years. In that respect, he should thank Shilake.
As for the civilians killed in the explosion, he didn't really care. They were just some human resources; the Sun Moon Empire was vast and rich, and had no shortage of people.
If it weren't for the Heavenly Court's coercion and enticement, he wouldn't have bothered with this staged petition.
What truly enraged Xu Qi was the loss of the five major soul guide warehouses.
If you steal things, you steal things, but why destroy the warehouses? The Sun Moon Empire was still resisting the Abyss Plane; those weapons were crucial war supplies. How could he not be furious that Shilake had destroyed them?
Thousands of eyes stared intently at Yan Shaozhe and his group, their eyes burning with rage. At this point, everyone could guess that Shilake was the culprit.
Yan Shaozhe was flustered, but he was a seasoned veteran. He forced himself to remain calm, slightly cupped his fists towards the east, and said, "We uphold the will of the Sea God, and to comfort the wounded, we should offer our meager strength."
The people from the Sun Moon Empire were slightly stunned. How could Shilake be so shameless and hypocritical?
If they hadn't known Shilake well enough, they would have been completely fooled by Yan Shaozhe's words.
Looking at Yan Shaozhe's old face, with its compassionate expression and pained tone, he was a true actor!
"You're talking nonsense! You cult remnants! Mingdu City is completely isolated from the outside world; no one can enter or leave. You clearly sneaked in beforehand, it was premeditated! The Heavenly Court should have wiped you out back then to prevent future trouble!"
A general from the Royal Soul Master Corps couldn't contain his anger and jumped out, shouting loudly. His son had died in the explosion, so he naturally hated Shilake intensely.
The linked soul guidance array had already been activated during the Mingdu explosion; once activated, it was impossible to enter or leave.
In other words, Yan Shaozhe and his group were already in Mingdu City before that. So why did they return? Everyone already knew the answer.
Yan Shaozhe stared at the young general with a grim face, exuding an intimidating aura. He avoided the main point, saying, "Watch your words. Don't make baseless accusations. There are gods watching over you. The Sea God is not someone a mere mortal like you can blaspheme and slander."
Ever since the Heavenly Court's war against the Six-Party Alliance, people had been constantly bringing up the fact that he was Ye Xishui's son. The Heavenly Court had even publicized it extensively, wanting the whole world to know. Yan Shaozhe hated these guys to the core.
Now someone was pointing fingers at him and calling him a remnant of a cult. If it weren't for the fact that the other side had more people, he would have strangled that guy.
"Heh!" The general wasn't intimidated by Yan Shaozhe. Instead, he sneered and mocked, "Shitlake, you're a habitual fraudster. You really think you're something special. Have you thought about how many people are left in your shitty academy?"
These words stung. Yan Shaozhe's body trembled violently, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Especially since the other party deliberately emphasized the word "shit."
Feeling that such an argument was pointless, and that he couldn't win anyway, Yan Shaozhe turned his gaze to Xu Tianran and said, "Your Highness, oh no, Your Majesty now, I'll take my leave first. Your Majesty shouldn't waste your time here; you should be more considerate of the people's plight, that's what a wise ruler should do."
Xu Tianran replied indifferently, "How I act is none of your concern. Right now, you and the rest of the Shilaike group still need to cooperate with our investigation."
As Xu Tianran spoke, the Soul Master Legion raised their Soul Tools, aiming them at Yan Shaozhe and his group.
Yan Shaozhe frowned and said, "What does this mean? Are you going to investigate us?"
Xu Tianran said, "According to our tests, a large number of Soul Tools were stolen from the destroyed warehouse."
"Does Your Majesty suspect that we did it?"
Yan Shaozhe asked again, his tone already filled with anger, as if he had been wronged.
"I didn't say you did it, but to clear up any suspicion and avoid criticism, let us inspect it. What does the Dean think?"
"That's impossible!"
Yan Shaozhe refused decisively. "You're making baseless accusations! Do you think you can search us just because of a mere suspicion?
If I suspect you took our lost Heart of the Sea God, can I search your royal treasury too?"
Yan Shaozhe began to argue irrationally, his attitude extremely resistant.
"So, you're resisting law enforcement?" Kong Deming stepped forward, his soul power surging.
Yan Shaozhe shook his head, avoiding the main point, repeatedly emphasizing that he was there to comfort the disaster-stricken people.
Seeing this, Xu Tianran impatiently waved his hand, and immediately a group of people eagerly surrounded him.
Yan Shaozhe's expression changed drastically, and he said with a fierce but weak voice, "What are you doing? Do you intend to start a war?
Your Majesty, I advise you to think carefully. I, Shilake, am not someone to be bullied!"
"The truth will be known after we investigate. If we have indeed wronged you, I will apologize to you. Now, I ask Dean Yan for your cooperation."
====================
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