The explosion had created a deafening roar that carried far, smoke and dust swirling in the wind, lingering for a long time.
The Mad Ox Douluo, Wang Yiheng, frowned and waved his hand. Soul power swept through the area, blowing away the dust to reveal a huge crater beneath.
Inside the crater, there was nothing but rubble and dirt.
"Mission complete. Let's return and report," Wang Yiheng said.
At the captain's command, the entire Evil Lord Soul Tutor Corps once again leveraged their speed advantage as a corps, quietly and swiftly leaving the site.
They left behind only the massive crater created by the eighth-level stabilized Soul Device shell.
Xu Tianran had immense "respect" for Xu He. As a royal family member, even in death, Xu Tianran ensured Xu He had a dignified send-off. Using an eighth-level stabilized Soul Device shell, a one-time consumable of tremendous power, to bury him was incredibly… excessively luxurious.
Sending Xu He off with such a device meant his remains were truly reduced to dust.
The destructive power of an eighth-level stabilized Soul Device shell is comparable to a ninth-soul skill of a titled Douluo.
The difficulty of creating such a one-time consumable is immense. Even Fan Yu, a semi-skilled eighth-level soul tutor, would have been incapable of producing it. Dying under such a weapon meant Fan Yu truly experienced "a life fulfilled."
If not for Xu Tianran's insistence, Wang Yiheng would have been reluctant to expend such a high-level resource on a soul斗罗 and a soul宗—it was a waste.
But… since Xu Tianran would reimburse the expense, Wang Yiheng didn't mind. Using royal property for fun was satisfying.
The explosion of the eighth-level shell was also spectacularly rhythmic. Wang Yiheng, as the leader of the Evil Lord Soul Tutor Corps, had at his disposal only up to eighth-level shells. Only the Royal Dragon Soul Tutor Corps had ninth-level shells that could be used freely; other corps would need to apply for permission.
Having the highest-level shell at hand was one reason Wang Yiheng was willing to use it. Opportunities like this were rare.
In high spirits, Wang Yiheng returned to the Sun and Moon Empire, reported to Xu Tianran, and then went drinking with several ninth-level soul tutors, boasting about the massive explosion he had set off that day.
Xu Tianran, upon confirming that Xu He had been utterly obliterated—bones and even ashes gone—finally relaxed.
Shrek Academy was truly diabolical, daring to use remnants of the former royal family to subvert the Sun and Moon Empire. Xu Tianran genuinely wanted Xu He reduced to dust.
If not for mobility issues, Xu Tianran would have acted personally.
"It seems… the plan needs to be accelerated."
…
Meanwhile.
Lin Yun still didn't know that Xu Tianran had PTSD from being terrified by a book, even using eighth-level stabilized Soul Device shells. But Lin Yun did know that once Greedy Ambition was published, Shrek Academy would certainly become a target for assassination by Xu Tianran.
No emperor would tolerate a malicious power acting brazenly under their nose, let alone one that intended to kill him and inherit his legacy.
Even though Xu Tianran was not yet emperor, his personality was no less tyrannical than an emperor's—perhaps even more so.
Full paranoia, full lust for power, full desire for control, ambitious, and formidable in every way.
The only thing missing was a harem of three thousand; even if he had one, he could only watch. Not very emperor-like in that regard.
But none of this concerned Lin Yun. Whether Xu Tianran was an emperor or not had no impact on Lin Yun pursuing girls. He was currently heading toward the Xiao family, and it had been several days since Xiao Xiao had returned home. It was time to bring her over and reveal his true identity.
He was truly curious how the little girl would react upon learning he was the Sovereign of Soul Beasts…
Heh heh heh heh~
At that moment…
Soto City, Xiao Family.
In the reception hall, Xiao Xiao sat at the tea table, frowning slightly as she looked at the elegant, ethereal older sister sitting across from her. Both had cups of steaming hot tea in front of them. The question marks above Xiao Xiao's head seemed to bubble up like the steam, tinkling continuously.
She recognized the person before her. When Zhang Lexuan became vice dean of the Martial Soul Department, Xiao Xiao had not yet withdrawn from Shrek Academy, so she had naturally met Zhang Lexuan.
At that time, Zhang Lexuan's royal bloodline from the Sun and Moon Empire had not yet been exposed. She was still a highly respected senior in the inner academy.
Even during her tenure as vice dean of the outer academy, she had caused quite a stir at Shrek Academy. Beautiful, kind, talented, and powerful—she had been the dream girl of countless naive youths.
Lin Yun simply hadn't mentioned it, as he didn't care about such matters.
So, the question remained:
Why had she come to see her?
"Senior, did you come to see me for something?" Xiao Xiao asked first, as Zhang Lexuan remained silent.
"No need to call me Senior. I am no longer affiliated with Shrek," Zhang Lexuan said softly, eyes lowered. "I've come to visit because there is a matter I need to ask your help with."
After leaving Shrek Academy, Zhang Lexuan had once fallen into a state of confusion, unsure where to go or what to do.
The filters in her mind regarding Shrek had shattered like shards of glass, especially after learning that Mu En was the true culprit behind her family's annihilation, and that she had been used as a tool to fulfill Shrek Academy's ambitions. Her feelings toward Shrek had turned entirely to hatred.
In moments of helplessness, one subconsciously seeks a pillar of support to survive.
Now, for Zhang Lexuan, that support was personal vengeance. But she understood that no matter how talented she was, even with a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bones, she was still only a soul斗罗. Facing multiple titled Douluos at Shrek Academy, rash revenge would be suicide.
So, she thought of another person:
Lin Yun.
"If it's him, it should work, right?" Zhang Lexuan thought to herself.
With that hope, she sought out Xiao Xiao.
"Lexuan-senior, please tell me. If it's something I can do, I will help you," Xiao Xiao said after a brief hesitation.
"Can you tell me… where Lin Yun is?" Zhang Lexuan looked into Xiao Xiao's eyes earnestly. "I need his help, but I don't know where he is. Can you tell me?"
"You two are a couple. If I can find him, perhaps you can help me."
End of Chapter)
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