Douluo Continent: The Peerless Tang Sect, Angels and Rakshasa Return

Chapter 347 383384—Qian Renxue: I believe this world should belong to us!

Xue Chen straightened up, revealing his nine spirit rings, and flew into the air. From his vantage point, he looked down at the group of spirit masters and earnestly tried to persuade them:

"The Fourth Prince is plotting a rebellion to usurp the throne—a crime that cannot be forgiven! Are you all going to remain obstinate? His Majesty has said that those who surrender will be pardoned! You'd better think carefully!"

"Don't listen to him! He's not the kind of person who's forgiving; he'll settle scores with you later!"

After hearing these words, the Soul Masters exchanged glances, and some of them were already having the urge to lay down their weapons and surrender.

Even worse, some of them were already looking at the Fourth Prince with ill intentions, seemingly planning to offer him to His Majesty the Emperor as a pledge of loyalty!

"Your Majesty of Shrek Academy, please make your move quickly!"

Seeing that the situation was turning against him, the Fourth Prince panicked and took a few steps back. He grabbed the hem of the green-robed expert beside him and pleaded repeatedly:

"Your Majesty, please act quickly! Slay them for me!"

"Don't be silly, I can't beat those two!"

Bai Yuan, the "Movie Emperor of the Holy Soul Hall," glanced coldly at the Fourth Prince and casually broke free from his grasp.

She cupped her hands in a respectful gesture towards Xue Chen and his companion from afar, and said calmly, "Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! I'm just here for the banquet today. I know nothing about what they're doing! I'm just passing by!"

"Holy crap!"

And so, amidst the Fourth Prince's despairing gaze, Bai Yuan and Zhang Peng patted their behinds and left, leaving Xue Chen watching him with malicious intent and cackling wickedly…

This situation occurred in almost every part of the palace.

Empress Dowager…

"Your Majesty, they've arrived!"

A maid dressed in a long purple palace gown walked along the long corridor with a group of beautiful girls dressed similarly, and stopped in front of the gate of Qian Lingyun's palace.

Upon entering the palace gates, she knelt on one knee and announced, "Your Majesty, please evacuate first. We can handle things here!"

After speaking, the woman in the long dress pulled a silver-gray curved knife from her back waist and turned to fight the rebels to the death.

Yes, since taking the throne as Empress, Qian Lingyun has been extravagantly recruiting three hundred female Soul Masters with cultivation levels of four rings or above from the Xi Shui Alliance, the Pingfan Alliance, the Holy Soul Hall, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Qian Lingyun has very high recruitment standards. In addition to being young, beautiful and having a great figure, she also requires them to have the potential to advance further.

The stringent requirements are accompanied by exceptionally high welfare benefits and logistical resources.

In the future, they will be under the direct command of Qian Lingyun as part of the reorganized Soul Master Corps, along with the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps under the Guardians of the Nation.

"Come back, all of you! They are not worthy to let me escape!"

After yawning, Qian Lingyun lazily sat up from the chaise lounge. She slowly stood up and walked out of the palace, standing quietly in front of the gate of the central palace's back garden, listening to the footsteps outside the wall.

"Royal sister-in-law! It's been a long time!"

A slightly unfamiliar, arrogant male voice came from the front door. Qian Lingyun glanced at the newcomer but didn't bother to lift her head. She simply picked up some pastries from the tray in the maid's hand and fed them to the colorful carp in the pond.

After a long silence, she finally said, "Who are you again? You look familiar!"

"Your Majesty, you really do have a bad memory! But it's alright, once things are over with my brother, we'll have plenty of time to visit the Prince's residence and strengthen our bond!"

The Fifth Prince licked his lips, his cloudy gaze sweeping over Qian Lingyun's shapely collarbone before slowly moving downwards...

Glug...

The Fifth Prince swallowed hard, feeling a bit irritated. For some reason, his hatred for Xu Tianran grew stronger.

Such a stunning beauty had been monopolized by that cripple for so long, he was just... furious...

"How dare you speak to the Empress like that? Have you never been beaten before?"

Among the maids, a figure emerged who was excessively burly. His arms, strong as steel, and his mountain-like body gave people a great sense of security.

Yes, she is Huyan Yunshan, the least like a maid among the Empress's maids!

"Yun Shan?!" Qian Lingyun coughed a few times in displeasure, raised an eyebrow to signal her to step back, and then shouted at the group of maids:

"The scene on horseback is terrifying; everyone cover your eyes!"

Upon hearing this, the maids all turned away and fell silent, except for Qian Lingyu, who blinked her big eyes and stared intently at Qian Lingyun, refusing to let go.

"You too!" Qian Lingyun added with a hint of helplessness.

"Tch!" Qian Lingyu nodded awkwardly and turned away in a rather childish manner.

"What is my sister-in-law doing? Is she trying to have a 'heart-to-heart' with me? Hahaha!"

Thinking he had the situation under control, the Fifth Prince made no attempt to hide his true nature and began shouting arrogantly.

But unfortunately... that was the end of his hawking!

A flash of sword light appeared, and the Fifth Prince began spitting blood from his entire body before shattering into small pieces. To onlookers, it seemed as if Qian Lingyun hadn't even drawn her sword.

"As expected of the leader! You're practically a human weapon with all your slashing skills maxed out. I can't even see when you draw your sword."

The Fourth Elder looked at Qian Lingyun with great shock, his eyes filled with reverence and admiration.

Hu Mei sat down on the threshold and chimed in, "That's nothing. What really surprised me was that she managed to kill that idiot at such close range without getting a single drop of blood splattered on her. No wonder even the vice leader is so loyal to her."

"It's just an inspection operation; there's no need for mutual flattery!"

Stepping across the pile of mangled flesh, Qian Lingyun addressed the group of Soul Masters who had completely surrounded her central palace, and whispered:

"My Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps is right here in the palace. Now that the ringleader has been eliminated, will you surrender and atone for your crimes, or do you wish to die?"

Although the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps has not yet appeared, the presence of this obstacle has put the Soul Masters surrounding the Central Palace in a dilemma.

Only when the figures of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Corps appeared in the sky not far away above the palace did these unfortunate creatures finally relax, throw down their weapons, and squat in the corner to await their fate.

"Go, take them down!"

At a command, the maids mischievously pulled out a whole bunch of strange and wonderful soul tools from their storage soul tools.

Some of them resembled ropes, while others looked like iron shackles. With the girls' skillful manipulation, these prisoners were locked in a small, dark room.

On the other side of the imperial city, ever since the Third Prince led his men to surround the palace where the Emperor Emeritus was preparing to hold a banquet.

A series of dazzling trails of flame, along with their owners, completely blocked the night sky above the imperial city.

"The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Corps is here to protect you! We will count to three; anyone who does not lay down their weapons will be considered a traitor and executed on the spot!"

There were eight high-ranking Soul Masters who led the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps to protect the Emperor.

The elderly man at the head of the group was very tall but somewhat thin, with deep-set eyes and dark skin. He even seemed to have some royal blood.

As a prince of the royal family, he mostly remained an observer in the competition between the princes.

But this morning, the seemingly unapproachable empress had already presented him with evidence of the princes' plot to rebel, and now he couldn't pretend to be blind to it anymore...

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps was renowned throughout the Sun Moon Empire. After the Title Douluo in the rebel team retreated, the Soul Masters wisely bound the mastermind behind the operation—the Third Prince—and sent him away.

"You unfilial son! I'm still alive! How dare you rebel! And collude with Shrek!"

When the retired emperor learned of this, he was so angry that he overturned the table and even took out a whip in court to lash his unfilial son.

Qian Lingyun, who rushed to the rescue, quickly stepped forward and pulled the Emperor Emeritus aside, saying, "Father, please calm down. Today is a joyous occasion; it's not a good day to lose your temper."

As she spoke, Qian Lingyun helped the Emperor Emeritus to sit down in a chair, looking every bit the dutiful daughter-in-law.

Even so, the Emperor Emeritus was still furious. He pointed at the Third Prince and said angrily:

"I never imagined you would collude with Shrek Academy to murder your brother."

"Father," the third prince said, his eyes brimming with tears, "It was my fault for being confused for a moment. Please forgive me, Father. I will definitely try my best to correct my mistakes in the future!"

"Forgive me?" The Emperor Emeritus sneered and said, "You've done such a thing, and you still expect forgiveness? Go ask your brother! See what he plans to do."

Arriving late, Qian Renxue looked bewildered at the mess on the ground. Feigning nonchalance, she stepped forward, glanced at her newfound brothers, and sneered:

"My brothers have quite the schemes, actually plotting to collude with outsiders to kill their brother and father!"

"Brother! It has nothing to do with us. It was the Shrek Academy people who instigated us!" the Sixth Prince argued repeatedly. Seeing that Qian Renxue was unmoved, he scrambled to his father and kowtowed several times.

"You and your companions colluded with outsiders to murder my elder brother, a crime that is unforgivable. However, out of consideration for your status as my own flesh and blood, I will strip you of your soul power, remove your noble titles, and demote you to commoners. Spend the rest of your lives reflecting on your mistakes," the Emperor Emeritus said with a hint of reluctance.

"No, Father, please don't treat me like this. I know I was wrong, and I will definitely change in the future," the Third Prince pleaded.

"If only you had known this would happen! Let's go! Go to the countryside and be rich men!" The Emperor Emeritus sighed. He pushed away Qian Lingyun's support and walked to the side of his unfilial sons, wanting to take one last look at them.

Unexpectedly, the Fourth Prince pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and, in full view of everyone, stabbed the Emperor Emeritus in the chest!

"Holy crap!" ×n

The dramatic shift in the scene was so unexpected that even Qian Lingyun couldn't help but swear, while the other princes knelt on the ground, stunned, watching everything unfold.

That's too much torture!

They could have lived a peaceful life in a remote mountain village, but now it seems like it's all over...

It's not the formidable opponents you should fear, but the incompetent teammates!

Everyone froze on the spot, but Qian Lingyun was the first to react. She growled at the dumbfounded guards beside her, "What are you all standing there for! Kill them!"

"Someone, summon the imperial physician!" Qian Renxue roared hysterically.

It has to be said that this couple is truly complementary; one calls for people to kill, and the other summons the imperial physician to save lives.

When the imperial physician arrived, after only a brief examination, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened."

The imperial physician's face was filled with grief. Qian Lingyun frowned and angrily shouted, "What's wrong? It's all because of your curses, you bunch of bastards! Hurry up and save the person!"

"Your Majesty! The Emperor Emeritus has... passed away!"

This farcical palace coup ended with the heads of several princes falling to the ground. Qian Renxue stared at the corpse of the retired emperor, gritted her teeth, and suddenly cried out, "Father, Father, why did you leave us like this!" Two lines of tears, whether from grief or helplessness, instantly slid down her cheeks.

The next day, Qian Renxue went to court dressed in plain clothes, and the entire Sun and Moon Imperial City was immersed in grief over the passing of the Emperor Emeritus.

In the main hall, Qian Renxue announced the unfortunate news of the Emperor Emeritus's passing in a dark voice.

The ministers demanded a thorough investigation into the mastermind and severe punishment for Shrek Academy!

Qian Renxue disagreed with Pu Daxi's idea, but instead, with a sorrowful expression, she questioned the court officials with three soul-searching questions:

"Yesterday, did you leave behind a Shrek Academy thief?!"

"Without evidence, words are meaningless. What can we do if Shrek Academy refuses to admit it?"

"Does the current Sun Moon Empire possess the strength to simultaneously contend with the three kingdoms of the original Douluo Continent and Shrek Academy?"

After the three questions, the entire room fell silent. Although everyone was dissatisfied, Qian Renxue's questions were all spot on.

"We can't let Father Emperor pass away so hastily; we must make Shrek Academy pay for their crimes in blood!"

As the main hall doors slowly opened, Qian Lingyun, also dressed in plain clothes, gracefully walked in from the doors.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right! We must do something!"

The marshal of the Western Garrison stood up indignantly and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Your Majesty! I request an expansion of the Western Garrison!"

"No! His Majesty is in mourning; it is not the right time to resort to force!"

The old minister, his head full of white hair, spoke breathlessly. Seeing how he was struggling to breathe even when he spoke, Qian Renxue was genuinely worried that the old man might suddenly die in the main hall…

"It's alright. In my opinion, Your Majesty can bring the other princesses into the palace to bring good fortune!"

"..."

Qian Lingyun's words silenced the entire court. This move was simply... outrageous! Opening the door for something so outrageous was outrageous to the extreme!

But this is indeed a solution. Originally, the families of those princes' wives were worried that they might be implicated in the palace coup, but now it seems that they are safe.

Whether favored or not, an imperial concubine is always more practical than a prince's wife.

For a time, the civil and military officials of the court had differing opinions, and no one was willing to concede to anyone else!

Some of them agreed, but most of these people were unlucky enough to have been implicated in yesterday's palace coup.

The emperor's taking concubines conveyed an attitude of "forgiving past transgressions," which served as a safety net regardless of whether there would be repercussions later.

There were those who opposed it; they were the old fogies in the court, and they were the biggest obstacle to starting a war.

Of course, there are also those who never speak; they... they might just not like to talk...

"Enough! Stop arguing! Let's do as the Empress says!"

Forced by circumstances and due to certain considerations, Qian Renxue finally agreed to Qian Lingyun's suggestion, and the effect of this decree was very obvious.

Most of the other princes' original supporters have switched sides to him, especially the families of the princes' wives, who now act as if they follow His Majesty's lead without question.

This fawning obsequiousness was a stark contrast to the previous insincere compliance...it was simply incomparable.

Only Qian Lingyun watched these people who changed their flags overnight with a blank expression, but she couldn't help but laugh inside.

No wonder Boss Cao, with his Wei Wu-style devotion, loves people so much; it turns out this method really can effectively garner more support!

(End of this chapter)