Douluo Dalu: Immortal Dragon Clan

A small battle is taking place at Shrek Academy, while the situation on the Sun Moon Empire's side is quite different.

Inside the Mingdu Hall.

At this moment, only Kong Deming was in the hall. The other elders were all in seclusion cultivating, while he had just completed his breakthrough and came out specifically to guard the place.

He was standing by his desk, organizing his past notes on level 10 soul tools and those seemingly fantastical design drawings.

Just then, the door to the offering hall was pushed open from the outside.

Upon hearing the noise, Kong Deming immediately gathered the things on the table, looked up, and saw that the visitor was Jing Hongchen. He couldn't help but ask, "Master Jing, what brings you here today?"

"Master Kong..."

"Hmm?" Kong Deming interrupted Jing Hongchen directly, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable meaning: "I said, this is office time, and besides, the royal family has given me special privileges now, so you should address me by my title."

"Yes, Kong, that's the position!"

"..."

Kong Deming's lips twitched involuntarily; it would be better to call him "Old Kong".

How come he only realized now that Jing Hongchen is indeed just like Xiao Hongchen? No wonder they're father and son.

"Jing Hongchen, don't you know how your father died?"

"I know, he was just too arrogant and ended up getting beaten to death."

"..." Kong Deming was even more speechless. "Then why are you still acting like this? Aren't you afraid of repeating the same mistakes?"

Before Kong Deming could finish speaking, Jing Hongchen interrupted him directly: "Elder Kong, my father ended up like that because he lacked strength, but I, Fatty, am different. I have strength!"

Forget arrogance, he'd dare try even if it were a toad lusting after a swan, unlike him, who's become a complete waste.

Upon hearing Jing Hongchen's words, Kong Deming, the most senior member of the Offering Hall, was momentarily speechless and unable to find a reason to refute them.

As Jing Hongchen said, his student Xiao Hongchen, apart from his amazing talent in soul tools, had really little talent in other areas. Like his newly accepted student Cheng, he seemed to be stuck at the level of an eighth-level soul master and could not break through.

"Alright, alright, just say what you mean, stop beating around the bush."

Kong Deming, too lazy to argue with Jing Hongchen any longer, went straight to the point and asked about the important matter.

Seeing this, Jing Hongchen stopped talking and said seriously, "Those 'rats' seem to be coming back."

"Hmm?" Kong Deming narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Jing Hongchen, as if to say, "Are you sure you're not kidding me?"

Jing Hongchen seemed to understand his gaze and immediately explained, "Those guys have been in contact with some members of the royal family recently. This is intelligence reported back by our spies." As he spoke, he took out a piece of intelligence from his storage ring and placed it on the table.

Kong Deming reached out and picked up the intelligence report, flipping through it. After a moment, he sighed and rubbed his forehead, saying, "I'm already so old, can't these royal family members just behave themselves?"

"Do they only give up the fight for the throne when the royal family is dwindling in number?"

“There’s nothing we can do. They’re like jackals smelling meat now,” Jing Hongchen chuckled. “They’ve realized that the current emperor is probably not long for this world, and they also know that the crown prince has severed ties with the Holy Spirit Cult.”

They were wary of the power behind the Crown Prince from the beginning, and now that they know that power is the Holy Spirit Cult, how could they not be tempted?

He paused, then added, "Besides, everyone knows how the current emperor ascended the throne."

He quelled the controversy back then with an iron fist, but now that he's terminally ill, who wouldn't want the throne?

Kong Deming did not refute.

He knew better than anyone how many members of the royal family coveted the throne of the Sun Moon Empire.

Even among his own faction, there were quite a few with active minds, but he had always suppressed them.

Although there are not many close relatives in that lineage now, he never wanted to give up this lineage for the sake of the Silver Moon Martial Soul's inheritance.

But if they insist on courting death...

"Does Jin Tianming know about this?" "Of course he knows, and he's even happy to help those people!"

"Help them?" Kong Deming suddenly laughed, then stared intently at Jing Hongchen. "Isn't he planning to use this opportunity to wipe out all the members of the royal family in one fell swoop?"

Jing Hongchen fell silent.

Jin Tianming does indeed have such plans, and it seems he intends to use this opportunity to implement reforms.

Seeing Jing Hongchen remain silent, Kong Deming sighed and rubbed his forehead again: "Back then, we agreed that the emperor must be surnamed Xu, and this guy did listen to that. But I didn't expect him to be so radical, actually trying to take this opportunity to eliminate all members of the royal family."

"So, Master Kong, what are you planning to do?"

"What can I do?" Kong Deming glared at Jing Hongchen with annoyance. "I've already boarded this pirate ship with you. If I want to get off now, I'll only face death."

"Forget it."

Kong Deming finally resigned himself to his fate and said, "Then let's use those 'rats' to clean things up properly!"

He finally figured it out.

He was already tied to Jin Tianming, and if he withdrew now, just as Jin Tianming had predicted, he would only face certain death.

Instead of doing that, why not give it a push and see how it develops?

He was also quite curious whether Jin Tianming wanted to be an ordinary emperor or had greater ambitions.

He could even guess that once Jin Tianming had consolidated the internal affairs of the Sun Moon Empire, he would probably begin preparing for a continental war.

He was equally curious about this.

Inside the Crown Prince's residence...

Jin Tianming suddenly received a sealed letter.

He picked up the envelope, glanced at it, and instantly fell silent.

The envelope was shrouded in a dense aura of annihilation; it was obvious who had sent it.

He was puzzled as to why the other party would send him a letter.

That person clearly knew how to use mental linking, yet they chose this method instead.

No, that person's mental link seems to have always been closed.

After thinking for a few seconds, Jin Tianming finally opened the envelope to see what the other party had written.

After reading the contents of the letter, he immediately understood the other party's intention.

He still couldn't understand why the other party would help Hei and Baiyu instead of Moyan.

This struck him as particularly strange.

He put the envelope aside, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, and fell into deep thought again: The Holy Spirit Cult forces that appeared on the royal side must be that person's doing, but what is the motive behind Shrek Academy's actions?

"Heh~" Jin Tianming suddenly chuckled, as if he had figured something out, and then called Ju Zi over.

"My lord, what are your orders?" Orange asked respectfully.

Jin Tianming took an item out of the drawer, put it into his storage ring, and then handed the ring to Ju Zi: "Ju Zi, have someone send this to the Body Sect. Tell them that Jin Tianming of the Sun Moon Empire sends his regards to the Sect Master of the Body Sect."

"Yes, I will arrange it immediately!"

Orange took the storage ring, turned around, and quickly went downstairs to make arrangements.

Jin Tianming sat alone in the chair, and couldn't help but laugh helplessly, "The main body itself isn't in a hurry to urge us, but you're the one who's already in a hurry. Are you so eager to show your loyalty to the main body?"

...(End of chapter)