"Is everyone here?"
In the early morning, the winter sun was always cold and devoid of warmth.
The biting wind dispersed the gloom above Spirit Fighting City.
The numerous collapsed houses within the city, and the imperial city that had completely vanished from the world, proclaimed the result of this surprise attack.
The Amon family crushed the Spirit Fighting royal family with an absolute difference in strength.
Throughout the entire process, the Spirit Fighting royal family did not organize any decent counterattack.
The soldiers of Spirit Fighting City had no loyalty to the emperor or patriotism whatsoever, unlike those from Star Luo City.
Many of these soldiers had been owed several months' wages.
Even if they were paid on time, what was the point of risking their lives for thirty silver soul coins a month?!
Waving their spears at the sky a couple of times was enough to justify the job. If you wanted them to fight to the death, that would be a different story.
"Clan leader, everyone we could capture is here."
Sea Dragon Douluo pointed to the princes and ministers imprisoned on the ground below and said to Chen Hanhai, the patriarch of the Amon family, standing beside him.
There weren't many ministers; most of them had gone to the underworld during the raid.
It could be said that the entire royal family in Lingdou City had been sent to the underworld.
Chen Hanhai, wielding his golden trident, used the tip to lift a richly dressed minister at the front, saying,
"So, there are still some who escaped?"
"Who escaped?"
Hailong Douluo's lips curled slightly.
"A princess and a guard escaped."
"The princess has blue hair and blue eyes, and... well, she's not tall, you could even say petite."
"The guard beside her has long, dark purple hair, and several transparent fish scales on his face.
His martial soul is probably a sea spirit beast.
He used the sea spirit beast's aura to mislead us, and escaped with the princess under the cover of night."
"The Sea Demon personally went to capture them."
A minister below suddenly looked up and said,
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Where did the Douling Empire get a blue-haired princess? You just made it up to curry favor, didn't you?"
Chen Hanhai glanced at the minister, then with a swift slash of his golden trident, a head flew off, warm, scarlet blood leaving billowing steam in the cold wind, splattering the faces of the surrounding ministers.
"Who are you to speak here?"
"Dare to open your mouth before we ask your questions, and your head will be gone."
Then, he looked at Sea Dragon Douluo again and said,
"The guard's martial soul is a sea spirit beast? Can you determine which race it is?"
Sea Dragon Douluo shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
This so-called princess and guard were Amon using the power of the Sea God family to endorse Cerudela and Helequla.
The two of them had already arrived in the Douling Empire, and soon it would be announced to the world that they were wanted by the authorities as escaped princesses.
Even if Cerudela wasn't a princess of the Douling Empire, so what?
With this arrangement, everyone would believe that she was a princess of the Douling Empire, and who would doubt the Sea God family's infamy?
The Sea God family was already making a full-scale manhunt, so how could her identity be fake?
Those ministers' vehement denials were definitely to protect the escaped princess and preserve the bloodline of the Douling royal family.
Just then, the Sea Demon Douluo transformed into a streak of light and arrived atop the ruins of the imperial city.
Adjusting his monocle, he said to Chen Hanhai,
"I'm sorry, Clan Chief, the enemy guards were very strong. We couldn't capture them, and they escaped."
Chen Hanhai frowned and looked at the Sea Demon Douluo beside him, asking,
"You didn't capture them?"
"What was the enemy guards' cultivation level?"
The Sea Demon Douluo immediately replied based on his pre-prepared information:
"The guard with the long black-purple hair was a Title Douluo."
"His level should be level ninety-one, and his martial soul should be a mermaid, but his bloodline is very peculiar. He not only possesses spiritual attributes but also the ability to conceal himself."
"Any contact with their soul power will cause a feeling of emptiness, a feeling that all things in the world are meaningless."
"I almost fell for it."
Seeing the Sea Demon Douluo's lingering fear, Chen Hanhai was convinced.
He pointed his golden trident at the Douling Prime Minister at the forefront and said,
"Hmph! I thought you only had seven Title Douluos, but I didn't expect there to be an eighth."
"Quite good at hiding her abilities? A level 91 princess can fight against a level 95 opponent.
A princess protected by such a powerful being must have considerable talent, right?"
"I'll give you one chance. Tell me everything about the other party—their surname, given name, martial spirit, and level—everything without missing a word."
"If there's even the slightest discrepancy in the information, I'll send you and your entire clan to the underworld for a reunion!"
The tip of Chen Hanhai's golden trident gleamed, causing the air to tremble.
The golden light was aimed at the Prime Minister's throat, and the pressure of a Limit Douluo caused the surrounding earth to crack.
The Prime Minister, pinned to the ground, wore an expression worse than if he'd eaten shit. What blue-haired princess?
Where did this Title Douluo come from?
How could he, the Prime Minister of the Empire, not know of such a person?
When did such a figure appear in the royal family?
The Prime Minister, staring at the golden trident pointed at his throat, was speechless at the intruders' attack.
He didn't know what to say.
How could he possibly have any information about someone who didn't even exist?
An eerie silence fell over the arena. Chen Hanhai waited for a long time without receiving the information he wanted.
He frowned and said,
"Heh, I always thought your Douling Empire was full of spineless cowards. I didn't expect to have a loyal minister like you."
"Everyone here, whoever voluntarily reveals information about that blue-haired princess, I can release him."
The ministers looked at each other, bewildered.
None of them knew that the royal family had a blue-haired, blue-eyed princess, let alone a hidden eighth Title Douluo. It was simply a fantasy.
The ministers chattered on and on without reaching a conclusion.
Chen Hanhai grew impatient. He slammed his halberd on the ground and shouted,
"What's all this fuss about?"
"Did I let you discuss this?"
"I've changed my mind. If you don't reveal anything in three minutes, then take the secret to the Underworld!"
All the ministers trembled. No one doubted Chen Hanhai's words.
He not only dared to send them to the Underworld, but he also feared that their families would be sent down with them.
Under immense pressure, a resourceful minister inevitably emerges.
At the very back of the assembly, a minister seemed to have a sudden inspiration and hurriedly shouted,
"Your Excellency! I...I might know!"
"A long time ago, Princess Xue Lingxun ran away from the palace and disappeared without a trace!"
"More than ten years ago, Princess Xue Lingxun suddenly returned. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that His Majesty was furious that day."
"But...perhaps that blue-haired princess was Princess Xue Lingxun's illegitimate daughter."
The Prime Minister couldn't hold back any longer and roared at the minister behind him,
"Nonsense!"
"That's because Princess Xue Lingxun eloped with someone from the Xuanming Sect, allowing outsiders to defile the royal bloodline. That's why His Majesty was so angry!"
Driven by a survival instinct, the minister at the back stubbornly argued back, his cheeks flushed.
"So you didn't deny the princess's escape, did you?"
"There are so many princesses in the empire, who knows if only Princess Xue Lingxun ran away."
"With so many people, there must be illegitimate daughters, right?"
"We low-ranking officials don't know, but you're a prime minister of three reigns! You must know relevant information!"
The other ministers around instantly realized what the guy behind them was trying to do. None of them knew whether the blue-haired princess actually existed.
But whether she existed or not didn't matter; survival was what mattered.
The only way to survive now was to push all the blame onto the prime minister.
With great power comes great responsibility; let's make the prime minister suffer a little more.
"Yes, yes!"
"The prime minister must know the relevant information!"
"I've heard the prime minister talk about a princess and her exceptional talent before; it must be this one!"
All the ministers present transformed into fictional historians, starting to fabricate stories.
As the saying goes, many opinions make a forest.
Chen Hanhai looked at the prime minister and said,
"You still won't tell?"
The prime minister was speechless. What could he say? What did he know? These bastards were clearly trying to shift all the blame onto him.
"I...I really don't know anything about this blue-haired princess!"
"There's no such person in the royal family!"
Chen Hanhai laughed in exasperation, pointing at the ministers behind him:
"Your colleagues all acknowledge the existence of the blue-haired princess, so what are you insisting on?"
"It seems this princess and that guard are your Douling Empire's last trump card."
"I acknowledge your loyalty, Hailong! Throw this guy in jail and give him the severe punishment!"
"Remember, don't let him die. We won't stop until he confesses!"
(End of Chapter)
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