Douluo Continent: Angel Saint Huo Yuhao

Chapter 259 Long Xiaoyao Reappears
The sudden and earth-shattering upheaval was drawing to a close. The Sun and Moon Empire, having failed to capture the attackers, could only silently clean up the mess, while an invisible power struggle quietly unfolded.

Unfortunately, those court affairs were no longer of much concern to Jing Hongchen.

With such a huge mess, more than half of the Mingde Hall, which took dozens of generations of hard work to build, is now ruined. Not to mention the investment needed for later repairs, the direct losses alone have already reached tens of figures.

His departure from the stage is now a foregone conclusion.

unless--

"Master... Number Zero..."

The level-nine Soul Master, who had just finished inspecting the secret experimental field, rushed back, crushing Jing Hongchen's last chance: "Number Zero is missing!"

"Ah~"

Jing Hongchen, whose breathing was already disordered, couldn't help but sigh, her face growing even paler: "Xu Tianran... Heh! Is this what you wanted?"

The initiator of Project Zero was the previous head of Mingde Hall, the number one soul guide in the entire Sun Moon Empire for thousands of years. Twin martial souls and royal relatives all paled in comparison to the brand-new soul guide system he built.

In a sense, this experimental object was the Imperial Seal of Mingde Hall. It was because this plan was handed over to Jing Hongchen to continue its advancement that he was able to take control of the entire force.

"Don't call me Hall Master anymore, I can't accept that title."

Jing Hongchen patted the soul master's shoulder heavily, then staggered away, his injured body swaying, his back filled with desolation: "Mingde Hall suffered such a calamity in my hands, I cannot shirk my responsibility..."

However, in the instant he turned around, the coldness and scrutiny in his eyes sent a chill down the spine of the soul master.

'He...he found out?'

The Soul Master's expression changed several times, and he felt that the Crown Prince's token in his arms was burning hot.

but--

"After this is done, you'll serve as Ye Yulin's assistant. The Starry Sky Douluo has been away from the Mingde Hall for a long time, and he desperately needs someone like you who's familiar with the environment to help him."

Faced with Xu Tianran's promise, he resolutely chose the former over his own future and his integrity.

When the Body Sect launched their attack earlier, he secretly disabled the protective shield that served as the last line of defense, allowing the bandits to successfully loot the place...

"Since His Highness the Crown Prince dared to devise such a plan, he should have a way to retrieve those items, right?"

Standing there hesitantly for a while, the soul master was also somewhat flustered and belatedly realized what he had done.

This behavior is tantamount to treason...

From now on, his life and fortune are tied to Xu Tianran's wheelchair. Whether he flips over or takes off depends entirely on how well the Crown Prince handles things.

……

"His Royal Highness!"

Inside the imperial palace located in the heart of Mingdu, an elderly man in military uniform stepped into the palace without fear, casually surveying the furnishings before finally fixing his gaze on Xu Tianran, who had been waiting there: "Long time no see... How have you been?"

"Thanks to the Prince, it doesn't affect my ability to handle government affairs. Apart from the inconvenience in daily walking, I don't have any other problems."

Xu Tianran calmly closed the document, a smile on his face, as if the grudges between the two had vanished. However, the sharpness hidden in his eyes subtly pierced the guy who had always been against him.

"Heh~ Your Highness is mistaken... It should be thanks to His Majesty's good fortune!" Having fought to this point, Xu Guozhong was too lazy to pretend anymore. He met the other's gaze without changing his expression and retorted with a sarcastic remark about Xu Tianran's scheming, causing the other's expression to change abruptly.

Then, the prince, who clearly had the blood of the previous dynasty's royal family, revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Enough of pleasantries, I've come here specifically to get an answer—"

Xu Guozhong's eyes sharpened slightly, displaying the demeanor of a loyal minister and a valiant general: "With foreign enemies clearly approaching, why has His Highness, who is in charge of affairs in the palace, been so slow to send troops? Why are all those Soul Master Corps members so late, causing our Sun and Moon Sect to suffer heavy losses? ... Today's events seem rather strange to me."

"Oh?"

Xu Tianran's lips twitched slightly; he was almost amused by the traitor's acting skills.

Before he could give any indication, Orange, who had been standing guard behind him, spoke up for him: "Since Your Highness is so concerned about the affairs of the country, why are you staying at your own post and not moving your troops?"

"Hmph... what could a mere maid like you possibly know!"

Xu Guozhong's eyes flashed with anger: "I am guarding the armory on His Majesty's orders. I cannot move it without the Emperor's order! Forty percent of the Sun Moon Empire's military equipment is under my care. How can it be treated like a child's play?"
"You, Xu Tianran, are free from heavy responsibilities and have no other matters to worry about! You manage the affairs of the entire Mingdu and even half of the empire, yet you allow a mere sect from Douluo to come and go as they please—how do you respond to this!"

Although Xu Guozhong was unwilling to break off relations now, considering that the emperor, who had been bedridden for many years and was likely already mentally unstable, wouldn't last much longer... if he didn't find a way to cause trouble for the crown prince now, he would have no chance to stop him in the future.

"Free entry and exit?"

Xu Tianran seemed to have heard a joke, and threw the document in his hand onto the table: "Then you can watch carefully and see if those soul masters can really act 'at will'!"

"you……"

Xu Guozhong first frowned subconsciously, then suddenly thought of something and glanced at the outside of the hall with a look of panic.

His confidence to come here and cause trouble wasn't just based on being in the right; the fundamental reason he felt at ease was that the court, represented by Xu Tianran, had broken ties with that group of evil soul masters.

But now it seems...

'Have they reached an agreement again?'

……

Jingyang Mountains, outside Mingdu.

The perfect density of soul beasts here is just right to mask the soul power fluctuations of the Body Sect and dilute their aura, without having to worry about spawning a group of 100,000-year-old soul beasts to cause them trouble.

However, just because spirit beasts don't cause trouble doesn't mean humans won't.

"Do not be nervous."

With his aura contained, Long Xiaoyao strolled out of the forest, his gaze sweeping calmly across the clearing. He nodded to the Soul Masters who were about to make their move, saying, "I will not harm your lives. I am only here because I was asked to do so."

This guy actually escaped all of their senses?
Several elders exchanged surprised glances, and even Poison Undying, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground recovering, was startled from his meditation and stared at the unfamiliar old man with a solemn expression.

"wrong…"

Without giving him a second glance, Du Busi recognized some familiar features on his face. Sensing the fluctuations of soul power within the other man, his pupils dilated in shock: "Dark Dragon Emperor... You are Long Xiaoyao! You're still alive?"

(End of this chapter)