Douluo: Wuhun Longyuan Sword, I have become the scabbard

Chapter 143 Suspicion
The Heavenly Dou Imperial City was abuzz with excitement as the Heavenly Dou Empire's elite troops slowly entered the city.

The Heavenly Dou Emperor sat atop his chariot, protected by Soul Masters clad in fine armor. These Soul Masters were extremely powerful, almost all of them at the Soul Emperor level.

Soul Masters already hold a very high status on the continent, and this army is indeed powerful. The strength of the front part is roughly at the Soul King level, which is enough for them to serve as city lords on the Douluo Continent.

It's no wonder that the major kingdoms surrendered directly when the army was pressing in. Facing such a Soul Master army, not just anyone can confront it head-on.

The Heavenly Dou royal family is indeed capable of training such an army, though its numbers must be limited, primarily consisting of the Imperial Guard.

A Soul Saint next to him seemed to have noticed something. His expression was not as joyful as the others; instead, it was grave. Suddenly, he realized that someone was watching him. He was taken aback when he saw that it was a heroic-looking man. He then nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

Ding Quan watched from the city wall as the Soul Saint left. Was he from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?

"That's the person you were talking about. I can't see through her at all. Something's not right!"

"Hmm, Snow Empress, what's wrong?" Sensing the anomaly in her spiritual sea, had the Snow Empress discovered something?
"There's a powerful expert inside, whose strength is no less than Bing'er's." In her mind, Xue Di warily reminded Ding Quan, who was observing.

"what!"

The Ice Queen that the Snow Queen was referring to was not Shui Bing'er, but rather the Ice Queen herself.

Ice Emperor possesses 390,000 years of cultivation, which, in terms of Soul Master levels, places her at the peak of level 97. In addition, she possesses extreme attributes, making her strength comparable to level 98.

Soul Masters capable of defeating Hyotei are extremely rare.

There are indeed such powerful figures in the Spirit Hall, and only a few are no less powerful than the Ice Emperor.

"He's near the person you're looking for."

"Is that so?" Ding Quan's gaze was fixed on the carriage at the front. There was indeed Qian Renxue's soul power on that carriage. Without a doubt, she had advanced to the Soul Douluo level.

That head soul bone, which is 99,909 years old, is indeed powerful. Ding Quan's Xuanhuo Eyes are now nearly 100,000 years old, but he still can't see through Qian Renxue's disguise. That's right, this soul bone is a divine artifact. Although it is less than 100,000 years old, its function is probably greater than that of an ordinary 100,000-year-old soul bone.

However, everyone around him was wearing tall armor, and their soul power was roughly the same.

"Stop looking. Although your eyes are very strong, they are not far from my previous level. You can't see it now," the Snow Empress reminded her in her spiritual sea.

"Understood." Ding Quan withdrew his gaze upon hearing this, but he also roughly knew who the other party was—the one in the original work who could withstand a god-level attack without losing his fighting ability.

It was actually Golden Crocodile Douluo who helped Qian Renxue hunt down the 100,000-year-old soul beast. Well, if he had taken action, hunting down the 100,000-year-old soul beast would have been a piece of cake. However, since he had already obtained the soul ring, he actually followed Qian Renxue to the Heaven Dou Imperial City and did not return to the Spirit Hall.

As the only level 98 being in this era, Golden Crocodile should be over two hundred years old. He has been at this level for too long, and he is indeed only one step away from level 99.

He was truly confident. After all, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was also in the Heavenly Dou Imperial City. As Xue Qinghe's nominal teacher, he naturally knew about Xue Qinghe's triumphant return and came to the Heavenly Dou Imperial City.

Ning Fengzhi always had a guardian Douluo by his side, most likely Sword Douluo Chen Xin, a level 96 Super Douluo.

The gap between level 98 and level 96 might be bigger than I expected, otherwise Golden Crocodile wouldn't have dared to appear like this.

"When are you going to see her?" Xue Di's tone became calm. This powerful person surprised her, but she didn't care much.

Xue Di knew about the deal between Ding Quan and the Heavenly Dou Emperor, who was a member of the Spirit Hall. What concerned Xue Di was that the woman had already inherited the divine position, and if nothing unexpected happened, she would be able to become a god in the future.

Becoming a god—that's why the Snow Empress sacrificed herself for Ding Quan.

“Now that I’ve shown myself, she must know. I just need to wait. It won’t take long,” Ding Quan replied, then headed straight for a pharmacy in the Heavenly Dou Imperial City.

Besides confirming Qian Renxue's return, the purpose of this trip to Tiandou Imperial City was also to purchase some medicinal herbs to make preparations for the future.

Dugu Bo's herb garden has many medicinal herbs, but not many varieties. In addition, there is a medicinal herb that can greatly improve physical fitness that is not available in the herb garden.

At this moment, a burly man in armor changed his expression slightly. He felt as if he had been targeted by some terrifying being. The feeling was fleeting, but he was certain that he was not mistaken. At his level, his perception of his surroundings had reached a level that was unimaginable to ordinary people.

On this continent, besides the Grand Elder, who else could threaten me and make me unable to sense their presence?

Could it be Tang Chen, who has been missing for a long time?

But if it were Tang Chen, then the Haotian Sect wouldn't have gone into seclusion.

As the procession moved forward, a fast horseman quickly rode up and handed a note to Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe took it, glanced at it, and then a wisp of soul power appeared in his hand, turning it into ashes. A smile then appeared on his lips.

He actually arrived so early. Well, that's fine too. I also want to test his current level. A 100,000-year soul ring is indeed a treasure that soul masters dream of. Its power exceeded my expectations.

"Lord Sect Master!"

"how?"

"That army doesn't seem to be the same group that went to war before." In a huge courtyard not far from the city gate, there were many nobles and officials of the Heaven Dou Empire. They were there to welcome the triumphant return of the Heaven Dou Empire's emperor. Of course, as the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the emperor's teacher, Ning Fengzhi had a very large room. A Soul Saint came from outside and came directly to Ning Fengzhi to report.

"Are you sure!?" Ning Fengzhi stood up instantly, his expression a mixture of disbelief and relief.

“I am absolutely certain that I saw them depart with my own eyes in the Kingdom of Imfell and I made a point of noting the characteristics of many of them. But now most of them are gone and have been replaced by other faces.”

"Is that so?" Ning Fengzhi sighed, his expression becoming extremely serious. "You've made this trip, so go and rest."

"Sect Master, there is one more thing. I just saw the Demon Sword at the city gate."

"The Demon Sword? He appeared at this time." Ning Fengzhi's expression turned ugly. Did he come here specifically to wait for Xue Qinghe? They did keep in touch often before and had a good relationship. If it were the Xue Qinghe of the past, Ning Fengzhi would have no objection and would even be happy to see it happen, since Xue Qinghe was his disciple.

But now, Xue Qinghe...
"Fengzhi, we need to confirm whether those people are really from the Spirit Hall," Chen Xin said to Ning Fengzhi, who was deep in thought, after the Soul Saint left.

“Uncle Jian, this matter is probably true. Not just anyone can produce such an army, especially so quietly.” Ning Fengzhi shook his head. Even the three upper sects could not produce many high-level soul masters. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was the second largest sect in the world, but it only had a few thousand soul masters.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School couldn't afford to build an army with so many Soul Masters.

The same applies to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan; it is said that their sect has only about two thousand members.

Although the Heavenly Dou Empire had the capability to build such an army, the sudden appearance of these troops aroused suspicion among various forces. "Fortunately, Rongrong told us," Chen Xin said, then fell silent.

“It was Rongrong’s former teammate who reminded her, otherwise I wouldn’t be sure now.” Ning Fengzhi said with some relief, “If Rongrong hadn’t helped her before, she might not have met Rongrong.”

"Yes, but why would Feng Zhi and Xue Qinghe do this? That's the Spirit Hall."

The relationship between the two great empires and the Spirit Hall is quite tense, with both sides wary of each other. Xue Qinghe is now the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, yet someone from the Spirit Hall has infiltrated his ranks, which Chen Xin finds inconceivable.

"Xue Qinghe is almost here. Let's go see him first and then make a decision."

Ning Fengzhi looked at the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace beside him and said in a deep voice.

"And what was the purpose of Ding Quan and his group coming to the capital? He has some connections with Xue Qinghe, so it seems..."

“Indeed, what happened in the Snowfall Mountains and the Kingdom of Yinfeer shouldn’t be as simple as a few people seeking revenge.” Ning Fengzhi nodded. There were too many coincidences between those events and the information he had just gathered.

The major kingdoms that were originally able to resist the Heaven Dou Empire fell apart because of the appearance of Ding Quan and his group. The news about Ding Quan and Xue Qinghe was also known to the public, which was very likely spread by Xue Qinghe. Fearing retaliation, the royal families of those kingdoms were defeated by the Heaven Dou Empire's army with little resistance.

"If that's the case, Ding Quan and the others may really be here to see Xue Qinghe."

"Indeed, there might be some kind of deal between them."

As the two were talking, a servant knocked on the door and entered.

"Sect Master, His Majesty the Emperor is almost here."

“Okay, I’ll set off now.” Ning Fengzhi nodded to Chen Xin, they exchanged a glance and then he stood up. “Also, send a message to Rongrong and ask if her friend Zhu Zhuqing needs any soul beasts. My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School can help find one. Also, Ding Quan has appeared in the Imperial City.”

As Ning Fengzhi stepped out the door, he remembered something and spoke to his attendant.

Zhu Zhuqing's fourth spirit ring was found with the help of people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, at Ning Rongrong's request. Given the time it took for her to advance to the Spirit Master level, her current strength is definitely no less than Ning Rongrong's.

According to Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing came to Tiandou Imperial City this time to obtain a soul ring in Sunset Forest.

Thinking about it this way, the other party's strength is probably close to the Soul Emperor realm. To have such cultivation at such a young age, he is also a top genius.

None of the members of the Shrek team are ordinary people, but Zhu Zhuqing's current strength is already far ahead of the current members of Shrek.

"teacher,."

Xue Qinghe noticed that Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were both looking at the army beside them. Although their actions were not obvious, Xue Qinghe was now a Soul Douluo.

It seems my teacher has already guessed what's going on.

That's true; it would be abnormal if they didn't notice anything at all.

Xue Qinghe glanced at Chen Xin before looking away. Level 96 strength was indeed strong, but it was not enough in front of the Spirit Hall.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is a force to be reckoned with, as is the Blue Dot Tyrannosaurus School; their reputation among Soul Masters is immense.

Surrounded by numerous nobles and officials, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi entered the Heavenly Dou Imperial City and headed towards the Imperial Palace.

"Quan, she's back." Ling asked Ding Quan as she returned that night.

"Yes, we've seen her. Now let's see if we can complete our deal." In a courtyard of the Heavenly Dou Imperial City, Ding Quan and Ling came here after emerging from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

"A 100,000-year-old soul bone, even if it's not the left leg bone, it's fine."

"If it's not the left leg bone, then it's a bit of a waste."

“That’s true.” Ling nodded. If it wasn’t the left leg bone, then it was only the torso bone, and fire-attribute torso bones were not suitable for the group.

"Hopefully it's a left leg bone, otherwise it will waste a lot of my time." Ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts are not common in this era, and fire-attribute ones are even rarer. I can indeed go and search for them later, but it will take a lot of time.

"Then we'll wait for her here?"

"Yes, it won't take long." Ding Quan nodded. Although he could go to the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, there were many powerful figures there, and there were probably many spies from various forces there now, so it was not advisable for him to show himself there.

Especially now that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is present.

Ling and I are strong enough to face Qian Renxue, but when we think of the person beside her, it seems like we are powerless to help.

Wei'er and Shui Bing'er did not come along. They are now at a critical moment for their breakthrough. With the help of some herbs in Dugu Bo's herb garden these past few days, their soul power has increased rapidly. They believe that they will be able to break through to Soul Saint soon.

"Huh?" Ding Quan stopped and looked in a certain direction with some surprise. In Ding Quan's perception, he sensed the auras of two people. He had seen one of these auras not long ago.

Ding Quan was very familiar with both of these auras.

"It's them?" Ling heard Ding Quan's questioning voice, realized something, and was also somewhat surprised.

Zhu Zhuqing, whom she met a few months ago, and the other one, who was her partner in the Great Soul Arena more than ten years ago, and also a member of the Shrek Academy team.

More importantly, this person is from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the three upper sects, and is also the young sect leader. He had tried to recruit me several times before.

"It seems the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is still looking for us." Ding Quan looked in the direction the two had come from. He had just arrived here today, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was indeed well-informed.

"A low-level Soul King?" Ling instantly realized Ning Rongrong's level. Such soul power was indeed extremely rare at this age. However, he had already become a Soul Saint. Among the Shrek Academy team members, only Tang San's strength was comparable to theirs. Ning Rongrong's level had already surpassed his.

The talent of having twin martial souls is indeed powerful.

"Bingling, and Ding Quan, it's been a long time." Just as Ning Rongrong was about to knock on the door, it suddenly opened. Ning Rongrong smiled instantly when she saw Ding Quan and Ling.

"I wonder what business you have with us?" Ling said, looking at Ning Rongrong. It seemed that she had brought her people with her.

(End of this chapter)