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

Chapter 361 411412—Physics and Principles, You Should at least Explain One of Them (Part 2)

Just as Qian Lingyun was about to mention money, the Golden Body Douluo rushed over in a rage, letting out a terrifying growl as he cursed:

"Even if it belongs to my own sect, what does it have to do with the Heavenly Soul Empire?! It's you who dares to treat my disciples with such insidious methods; you're no different from an evil soul master! Prepare to die!"

"You audacious old thief! Don't hurt my son!" Yuma roared, stepping aside to block Qian Lingyun. Her left hand transformed from a palm into a claw, aiming straight for the Golden Body Douluo's crown.

"Damn it, you think you're so great?! I talked to you about compensation, and you played dirty tricks on me. I played dirty tricks on you, and you wanted me to be reasonable? I was reasonable, and now you're doing this!"

Who would have thought that even with solid evidence, getting compensation would be so troublesome? Qian Lingyun simply stopped pretending.

She took out the level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell named "Big Boy," slammed it heavily into the hall, and cursed angrily:

"You're asking for it, aren't you! If we can't reason with you, let's talk about physics!"

"Don't you dare move! If anyone moves again, I'll detonate this level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon! Then I'll drag your entire Heavenly Soul Royal Family and all the civil and military officials in the palace down with you!"

"Calm down, calm down!" The Heavenly Soul Emperor was startled when he felt the terrifying aura emanating from the Level 9 Fixed-Position Soul-Guided Cannonball.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his inner clothes. He never expected that the Empress of the Sun and Moon Empire would have such a fierce personality!

It is said that a wealthy family's children would not sit under the eaves of their house, even when they were enjoying the cool air, for fear of being hit by falling tiles.

How could a queen of such high status come here carrying a level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell and become a suicide infantryman?

"Your Majesty, don't be frightened by her, she's just bluffing..."

The Heavenly Soul Emperor's personal guard had just leaned in and whispered words of comfort to the Heavenly Soul Emperor...

The next second, they saw Qian Lingyun pull out another timed explosive soul tool and set the timer right in front of them.

With a click, it was attached to the level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell.

Without the slightest hesitation, she pressed the countdown button.

As the red light flashed, the timer's numbers slowly ticked, fifty-nine...fifty-eight...

Holy crap, this crazy woman is serious!

The Heavenly Soul Emperor's heart, which had finally been calmed down, began to pound nervously again. Faced with this clear threat of death, his instinct was to turn away and run away.

But as soon as he stood up, Qian Lingyun sped up the countdown by fifteen seconds. She said, "Try moving again! Next time, I'll speed it up by twenty seconds! I want to see if you can run faster or explode faster!"

Thirty-seven...thirty-six...

Staring at the relentlessly ticking countdown on the timed explosion soul tool, the Heavenly Soul Emperor roared in near-collapse, "What exactly do you want?!"

"It's simple! Your Heavenly Soul Empire will compensate me 1.5 billion! That'll settle the matter!" Qian Lingyun casually fiddled with the counter button on the timed explosion soul tool.

"Fifteen billion! Why don't you just rob someone?" Upon hearing this astronomical figure, Emperor Tianhun's blood pressure soared.

pat!

Qian Lingyun sped up the timer on the soul tool by five seconds. She looked up and laughed, "Oops, my hand slipped! What did you just say? I didn't hear you!"

"I...I say...1.5 billion is a bit expensive, but...it's not out of the question..."

Staring intently at the counter on the explosive soul tool, the Heavenly Soul Emperor was anxious, but he didn't dare to even breathe loudly, for fear that the woman's hand would slip again.

"Look at you! You can talk nicely now! If only you'd done this sooner, things would be so much better now, we're at each other's throats, how unfriendly!" Qian Lingyun smiled, closing her eyes, and pressed the pause button on the timed explosion soul tool. She soothed her with a smile:

"Don't be so nervous. I know 1.5 billion gold soul coins is a lot, but I won't take all of it. Things like soul bones, soul tools, rare metals, and common metals are all acceptable to me!"

"As long as the amount exceeds 1.5 billion, it's fine! You can send people to prepare now, but from this moment on, you are not allowed to leave your chair, and all the civil and military officials outside the door are also not allowed to move!"

"No more than five of you are allowed to leave the palace to raise money! Anyone who dares to break the rules will be detonated."

"At that time, your Heavenly Soul Empire, from royalty to officials, will all say goodbye to this beautiful world!"

"No problem! Everything's fine! I agree!" Emperor Tianhun nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice, agreeing to everything. He nudged the guard beside him and urged:

"Hurry, hurry and gather the compensation money, pack it up in a storage soul tool and send it over!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! This old servant will go immediately!"

The old man who was just panting as he walked disappeared in a flash, leaving the bewildered emperor staring blankly at the Golden Douluo and Yuma in the hall.

Of course, those civil and military officials outside the door, lying on the ground like teppanyaki grills, were in even worse shape.

They heard everything Qian Lingyun said clearly. Even His Majesty the Emperor sat on the dragon throne without daring to move, so how could they dare to move?

Putting aside the possibility that making a move at this time might provoke that crazy woman into being blown to bits, the mere charge of attempting to put His Majesty in danger is enough to send their entire families to their graves!

Perhaps due to the emperor's preferential treatment, the Heavenly Soul Empire raised funds at an astonishing speed.

In the morning, they raised money, and by evening, the old servant, who was at the Title Douluo level, rushed in carrying a whole sack of storage soul tools.

"The compensation has arrived! Please release His Majesty!"

The loyal old servant pushed the sack forward, seemingly afraid of upsetting Qian Lingyun. He even explained repeatedly, "There's a lot of stuff inside. Compared to the 1.5 billion you asked for, it's definitely more than enough!"

"Huh? How much?! What are you talking about?! What kind of robber are you talking about?! Do you think I'm some kind of outrageous robber?!" Qian Lingyun angrily patted the level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell beside her, which could explode at any moment, and roared:

"Now, give me the money in person, and I demand 1.5 billion in compensation! Not a single copper soul coin more! Not a single copper soul coin less! This is a matter of principle!"

"Ah?!" The emperor's guard instinctively turned around and glanced at the emperor. Emperor Tianhun's eyes showed pain as he slammed his fist on the table and roared hysterically:

"What are you looking at me for! Didn't you hear what she said! Call someone over to count the money!"

And so, Emperor Tianhun sat on the dragon throne all night, feeling extremely uncomfortable, while the civil and military officials slept on the floor outside the hall all night!

Until the early hours of the next day, Qian Lingyun looked at the 1.5 billion gold soul coins—not too many, not too few—and nodded with satisfaction.

As a reasonable person, Qian Lingyun recorded the entire process of accepting compensation.

With a level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell blasting his face, the Heavenly Soul Emperor suppressed the urge to curse and smiled as he handed the money to Qian Lingyun, repeatedly expressing his "sincere" gratitude:

He voluntarily paid the compensation because, as the ruler of a country, he knew that if he was wrong, he had to admit it and stand up straight when he was being punished!

It's only right to pay compensation for mistakes! Paying compensation is entirely 'voluntary,' and he doesn't feel pressured at all!

In response, Qian Lingyun generously stated that she would not hold a grudge... She said:

"Thank you for your understanding and cooperation, Your Majesty. I'll take my leave now; there's no need to see me off!"

After speaking, Qian Lingyun carefully accepted the large sum of compensation, carried the level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell out of the main hall, and rushed out of Tiandou City with lightning speed.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, the guard whispered, "Your Majesty, it's alright, they've gone far away!"

"It's finally over!" Emperor Tianhun slumped onto his dragon throne, gritting his teeth as he said:

"My 1.5 billion! 1.5 billion! That bitch, she better pray she doesn't fall into my hands. If she does, I'll make her wish she were dead!"

"Oh, right! There's one more thing!"

Qian Lingyun, who had returned, rushed into the main hall and chuckled maliciously at the cursing Emperor Tianhun.

"I've already given you the money, what more do you want?" Emperor Tianhun's face was solemn. He was so angry at Qian Lingyun's sly smile that he almost ground his back teeth to powder!

"Compensation is an official matter; I forgot to give you a receipt!" Qian Lingyun took out two copies of a sheet of white paper, signed her name at the bottom without hesitation, and said, "Here, sign yours too!"

"You!" Under the recording of the soul-guided device, the Heavenly Soul Emperor reluctantly signed his name on the receipt...

Some people might think that Emperor Tianhun is cowardly and not like an emperor, but you should think of it this way!

Qian Lingyun only wanted money, but he was doing a good job as emperor, so he couldn't possibly risk his life!

Qian Lingyun is so arrogant, she might have a way to survive the explosion, but he doesn't!

Money can be earned back, but if you lose your life, who can you complain to?

Qian Lingyun is gone. This time, she's really gone...

After a long while, seeing that she kept returning, the emperor finally abandoned his pride. He left his court officials behind and, clutching his stomach, ran towards the nearest toilet to the main hall…

Afterwards, not only the emperor in the main hall was furious and cursing, but the civil and military officials outside the gate were also so angry.

Surprisingly, they weren't cursing Qian Lingyun, who had made them sleep on the floor all night, but rather the emperor's guard who was responsible for raising money for Qian Lingyun.

That capable guard was so shameless that he used their safety as an excuse to plunder their property and then gave it to Qian Lingyun.

You're so high and mighty, you're the one who saved the emperor, using my name to plunder my family's wealth!

It's so numb! You old bastard, you deserve to die!

In the Ming capital, Qian Renxue listened to Qian Lingyun recount the entire process of the Heavenly Soul Journey in the imperial study, laughing so hard she could barely stand up straight.

She patted Qian Lingyun's shoulder teasingly, "That old man was actually scared by you, hahaha! As expected of my Empress! Of this 1.5 billion, you can allocate a portion to Mingde Hall, and keep the rest for yourself!!"

"The news of me demanding 1.5 billion from the Heavenly Soul Empire has spread like wildfire. You're telling me to keep so much for myself? How are you going to explain this to those old fogies in the court?" Qian Lingyun's smile faded, and she clung to Qian Renxue's shoulder like a koala, whispering:

"Knowing them as I do, they'll definitely bother you again with those ridiculous excuses about the harem interfering in politics!"

"So, you mean..." A sly glint flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes as she and Qian Lingyun said in unison, "We can use something to distract them!"

"Aren't those powerful nobles with fiefdoms always outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant towards me, the emperor?!" Qian Renxue drew on the map of the Sun Moon Empire with her finger, indicating:

"The illustrious Grand Duke of the North was one of those who caused quite a stir a few years ago. Consort Ye's father would frequently submit accusations against them to me!"

"What do you think is the best way to deal with them, given this charge..."

"The most useful charge is, of course, the all-powerful charge of treason! Do you remember the mission I gave the Internal Affairs Inspection Department before I went to sea?"

"So...you wanted them dead all along!" Qian Renxue laughed self-deprecatingly, then asked, "What if the entire court is filled with fear and insecurity upon seeing this situation? What will you do then?"

"Simple!" Qian Lingyun said softly, pointing to the Brilliant Grand Duke and several other nobles with fiefdoms.

"We must transform the act of weakening the old aristocracy into securing titles for the sons of court officials and rewards for key ministers!"

"As long as all the officials in the court can benefit from this, these vested interests will definitely stand wholeheartedly on our side!"

With that, Qian Lingyun stood up and sneered, "Give the credit and fiefdoms to the meritorious officials; I want the people under these old nobles!"

"Cai! Just do it! I'll clean up the mess for you!" Qian Renxue nodded slightly and drafted an imperial decree for Qian Lingyun.

Overnight, three powerful noble families, led by the Brilliant Duke, and more than a dozen lesser noble families were all beheaded by the Holy Spirit Church's powerful members of the Offering Hall.

Meanwhile, the Soul Masters under their command secretly withdrew from their original residences with their families. Qian Lingyun waved her hand and properly arranged for these Soul Master families to move into her own fiefdom.

As for those loose-willed Soul Masters, they were reorganized into the Central Army Group after their equipment was upgraded.

There's nothing we can do about it; our Empress has plenty of money, though!

Let alone arranging private courtyards for the families of these 1,000 or 2,000 Soul Masters, even if the number of these Soul Masters were doubled, she could still afford to provide this benefit!

In the early days of the Central Army Group, the second-line units of the Southern Army Group and the Northern Army Group were essentially defunct in terms of organization.

This also gave the Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire some opportunities before the suppression campaign ended.

These two countries were actually creating friction on the border of the Sun and Moon Empire, trying to probe the Sun and Moon Empire's strengths and weaknesses.

Just as Lin Hai and Ye Tianchou were about to teach these scoundrels who were planning to take advantage of the chaos a lesson, Qian Renxue sent a secret order from Mingdu with the words "Show weakness to the enemy and hold back!"

The following day, the powerful figures of the Hall of Worship declared a rebellion in the name of the deceased nobleman.

Without the support of their spiritual mentors and with the Holy Spirit Cult deliberately shirking its duties, these rebellious nobles were utterly powerless against the pacification army led by the sons of high-ranking officials in the court.

The army that quelled the rebellion advanced with unstoppable momentum, and within a month, it had quelled all the rebellions within the Sun Moon Empire.

The downfall of the old aristocracy led to the birth of a new one, and these new nobles were naturally grateful to His Majesty the Emperor who secretly supported them.

Amidst the heated discussions among the court officials, the fiefdoms and spheres of influence of these old nobles were redistributed to these young new elites.

In this battle, the sons of court officials received titles, the officials themselves received fiefdoms, His Majesty the Emperor gained a good reputation, and the Empress received wealth.

Everyone seems quite satisfied!

(End of this chapter)