Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 628 Yang, disregarding his own virtue and abilities, sought to spread righteousness throughout the world (10,000 words per day)

Below the platform to the north, a special squad of soldiers was approaching at high speed. These soldiers were all dressed in gold, close-fitting uniforms, but they carried no weapons.

With Huo Yuhao's eyesight, he could even clearly see their expressions. These golden-clad guards looked to be at least thirty years old. Each of them was composed and exuded obvious soul power fluctuations.

The group of about five hundred people moved forward without making a sound. The rising sun shone on them, making them glitter and shine brightly.

Upon arriving below the platform, these people immediately dispersed, surrounding it. About fifty of them stood still, and with a clanging sound, transformed into soul-guided artillery platforms.

The menacing muzzles of the cannons were always pointed outwards. The other golden-clad guards also released different soul tools, forming somewhat strange formations. Among them, about ten heavy cannons attracted Huo Yuhao's attention the most.

With his keen eyesight, he could tell that these heavy cannons were at least at the level of seventh-tier soul tools.

Huo Yuhao tugged at Wang Dong'er's hand and whispered, "The Royal Soul Master Corps, this is one of the true core forces of the Sun Moon Empire."

"Hmm? The Royal Soul Master Corps, approximately how many people are there?" Wang Dong'er asked curiously.

He Caitou was also looking at him. At this moment, the dark-skinned, burly man was no longer the simple-minded man he had been before; a shrewd glint was flashing deep in his eyes.

"The Royal Soul Master Corps only has one thousand members. This is already half of their strength. They are all composed of Soul Masters of Level 5 or above, equipped with the most sophisticated Soul Guidance Devices. The corps commander is a Level 9 Soul Master. They only answer to the Emperor of the Empire."

"It's the trump card among trump cards. Its importance to the Sun Moon Empire's royal family is second only to the Royal Hall. This is what they told me during a casual chat a long time ago."

"They only accept the orders of the Emperor. Isn't the old Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire about to kick the bucket?" Wang Dong'er asked in surprise.

Just then, a procession arrived from afar. Also escorted by the Royal Soul Master Corps, a convoy of carriages came to the foot of the platform. This procession was entirely golden, with the lead carriage being a dragon palanquin pulled by thirty-two horned-scaled horses, resembling a small palace.

Following behind were guards and a large number of officials from the Sun Moon Empire, dressed in magnificent robes and official attire.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of the platform, and two maids standing on it lifted a curtain embroidered with anemone patterns. Immediately afterwards, a wheelchair was pushed out. Seated in it was a handsome young man.

"It's him!" Huo Yuhao was surprised to see that the person who came out of the dragon carriage was not the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, but Crown Prince Xu Tianran.

Commanding the Royal Soul Master Corps and traveling in a dragon carriage, it seems that with the help of the Holy Spirit Cult, Xu Tianran is seizing the core of power of the Sun Moon Empire faster than Shrek Academy and the three great empires had planned.

Immediately afterwards, Huo Yuhao's gaze froze again. He was shocked to see that the person pushing the wheelchair was none other than Ju Zi, dressed in palace attire.

Beside Ju Zi was another person, none other than Jing Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall. This influential figure in the Sun Moon Empire was also a powerful ninth-level Soul Master.

"Greetings to the Regent. Greetings to the Regent's Consort." Apart from the Royal Soul Master Corps deployed for defense, all the officials present knelt down and paid their respects to Crown Prince Xu Tianran.

"Hmph."

Huo Yuhao chuckled twice. Not bad. Although Xu Tianran was eager and coveted the throne, his desire to ascend the throne was obvious. But in the end, he didn't dare to overstep the bounds completely and only gave himself the title of regent.

However, what's the difference between this title and outright treason? If you just made yourself a regent and then forcibly bestowed upon yourself the title of King of Wu, what would you do?

It sounds better than the title of Regent, doesn't it?

Even Huo Yuhao knew that when the founding emperor of the Sun Moon Empire first rose to power, he was given the title of Wu. Such a title could express his ambition to the court officials without being too harsh. Now, Xu Tianran's title of regent was simply forcing all forces in the Sun Moon Empire to side with him!

That's an ugly way to eat.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. If Xu Tianran were strong enough to sweep through the entire ruling class, there would be nothing wrong with him doing this. But now, he has only gained such strength by making peace with the Holy Spirit Cult, and he has already shamelessly revealed his ambition. Huo Yuhao didn't know what to say.

To put it bluntly, even the Shogun, who wanted to unify Japan, at least knew to support the Emperor, while Xu Tianran...

Huo Yuhao tapped his fingers lightly on the seat, making a tapping sound.

Zhao Yang's uprising was too early. If he had started today to raise the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," written a proclamation against the traitors, but refrained from taking the initiative and instead held fast to his territory, he could have at least given Xu Tianran a hard time.

[Having been ordered to suppress the rebels, how can it be said that we have no official cause?]

Today, thieves are rampant and treacherous heroes are soaring. The nation is in grave danger, and the people are in dire need of help. Yet, Yang, disregarding his own virtue and abilities, wishes to spread righteousness throughout the world.

In the halls of power, rotten wood holds official positions; within the palace walls, beasts feast on their sustenance. Those with wolves' hearts and dogs' deeds throng to the court; sycophants and lackeys wield power in droves. As a result, the nation is reduced to ruin, and the people suffer terribly.

[This is what is meant by "There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two masters on earth; a virtuous woman marries one husband, a loyal minister serves one lord." Now, the chaos within the imperial court exists in the court, on the frontier, but most importantly, it resides within the palace!]

Those who purge the court of corrupt officials possess a loyalty as bright as the sun and moon; though they may be executed ten thousand times, how could they have any regrets?

At that time, princes and vassal kings from all over the country responded one after another, shouting slogans such as "Purge the court of treacherous officials and pacify the country before resisting foreign aggression."

"Are you getting impatient, Zhao Yang? If you slow down, you might actually steal the throne."

Huo Yuhao turned his gaze to Long Xiaoyao's position. If it weren't for the other party, even if Xu Tianran was arrogant, he wouldn't dare to do this. The other party was really good at adding fuel to the fire.

"quiet!"

A deep, aged male voice suddenly rang out, and a powerful aura instantly spread throughout the entire venue, making everyone feel as if dark clouds were covering their heads.

All the chatter vanished instantly, and the entire competition venue became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Dark Holy Dragon, Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao.

Ju Zi cleared her throat, her melodious voice amplified by her soul-guided device, reaching everyone's ears. If Long Xiaoyao's voice was a display of supreme strength, then Ju Zi's voice was a display of the Sun Moon Empire's advanced soul-guided technology.

"Fellow citizens of the Sun Moon Empire and distinguished guests from afar. On behalf of His Highness the Regent, I welcome you all. At the same time, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I hereby declare the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament to begin."

The opening remarks were remarkably simple, devoid of unnecessary words or flowery rhetoric. This was Xu Tianran's style. He believed in letting results speak for themselves, and in his view, wasting time on empty talk was simply a waste of time.

(End of this chapter)