Body Sect.
Long Aotian, the Young Sect Master, hooked Yuwen Tuo's shoulder, his face flushed red as he stammered, "Y-Yuwen brother, I'm telling you, the brothers in our sect are all really good people, it's just... their strength is too weak. Today, with you here, I'm so happy! Come on, let's drink!"
Xiao Xiao looked at her stuttering Elder Brother and asked confusedly, "Tuo Tuo, is Elder Brother Long drunk on milk?"
"Looks like it!" Yuwen Tuo looked at the milk in his hand speechlessly. "But this is pure milk!"
Getting drunk on milk was already a huge oddity. Sour milk or sweet milk might be understandable, but pure milk, with such a bland taste, could make him drunk?
Long Aotian, you have the physique of a burly Northeast man, yet your alcohol tolerance... no, your milk tolerance is only at the level of a pretty boy.
It seemed Yuwen Tuo could consider creating a "Drunken Milk Fist" style for Long Aotian in the future.
Xiao Xiao was even more speechless. Among the younger generation, it was her first time seeing someone who could fight Yuwen Tuo to a draw. Although her Tuo Tuo clearly hadn't used his full power, at least in the application of his Fire Elephant martial spirit, he hadn't held back.
Long Aotian's combat power was evident. She also greatly admired this strong Elder Brother, thinking he must be a great hero. But now, she felt a sense of déjà vu, as if her illusion was shattering.
Just then, Vina entered the room. Seeing Long Aotian's state, she asked the two, "Is he drunk on milk again?"
Yuwen Tuo and Xiao Xiao nodded innocently. Who knew this Long Aotian would get drunk on milk? Otherwise, they definitely wouldn't have come with him.
Vina walked over and sat in a seat beside them. Perhaps smelling the sweet snow lotus fragrance on Vina, Long Aotian's eyes glazed over, and he leaned towards her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Na Na... once I become a Titled Douluo, I'll help Heavenly Soul conquer the entire world, then... I'll propose to you."
"Alright, alright, I'll wait for you." Vina, surprisingly, didn't show her usual helplessness towards a milk-drunk Long Aotian. Instead, she was somewhat doting and loving.
It seemed her heart had long softened due to Long Aotian's persistent pursuit. Usually, it was just a girl's shyness, and towards this muddle-headed Long Aotian, she no longer put up her guard.
Allowing Long Aotian to rest his head on her shoulder until he let out soft snores, Vina then looked at Yuwen Tuo. "Junior Brother Yuwen, I heard about your fight with Aotian today. To be able to suppress Aotian, a Soul Emperor, with the strength of a Soul King without using your full power, Junior Brother's combat prowess is indeed extraordinary."
Yuwen Tuo smiled, "Senior Sister, you flatter me."
"I'm not flattering you, just stating the facts. No wonder you've caused such a huge debate in the court. Junior Brother, do you know that while you and Aotian were leisurely drinking milk, the Heavenly Soul Empire's court was in a huge uproar because of you?"
Yuwen Tuo's eyes narrowed. "Senior Sister, what happened?"
"The Sun and Moon Empire dispatched Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen as an envoy to our Heavenly Soul Empire, using the pretext that you possess their Sun and Moon Imperial Family bloodline. They hope to take you back to the Sun and Moon Empire to meet your Imperial Father," Vina said.
Yes, the reason Jing Hongchen did not go to Shrek Academy as in the original story, besides their new Sea God Pavilion Master being undecided and no one being able to converse with him as equals, was for this more important matter.
Their Emperor had given him a death order: he must bring Yuwen Tuo back.
"Jing Hongchen, huh? Perhaps it's related to my killing of the Gluttonous Douluo, leading to my unacquainted Imperial Father being greatly pleased, or perhaps he wants to use my Innate Level 20 soul power to cultivate a supremely powerful soul master for the Sun and Moon Empire's future." Yuwen Tuo took a sip of milk. "What did the court say?"
"Alas, it's not good. Jing Hongchen went all out to exchange for you, putting in a huge sum: three Rank 9 Soul Tools. Although our country doesn't value soul tools that much, at Rank 9, the situation is completely different.
After all, our country also experienced the power of such soul tools in a war several thousand years ago," Vina said. "So, many people in the court, including my Imperial Father and all my Imperial Brothers, suggested that you go back with Jing Hongchen."
"Are they crazy?" Yuwen Tuo said angrily. "Are three Rank 9 Soul Tools more precious than an Innate Level 20 soul master? Let me go back? Aren't they afraid that the Sun and Moon Empire will produce
an Ultimate Douluo in the future to attack the Heavenly Soul Empire? And now I belong to the Body Sect, which is known throughout the continent, right? What right do they have to bypass the Sect Master and me, deciding my whereabouts?"
"The Sun and Moon Empire came prepared," Vina said, clenching her fists in anger. "During the time you and Xiao Xiao were hunting for soul rings, for some unknown reason, rumors spread within the country that Imperial Father wanted to appoint me as the Crown Princess.
And you, Aotian, and Elder Brother Jiang Peng are all part of my faction. This immediately scared my Imperial Brothers. They were already fiercely competing for the Crown Prince position; how could they tolerate me, a woman, taking the final prize?"
"It was at their instigation that the ministers loyal to my Imperial Brothers in the court hoped that you would leave with Jing Hongchen. Their aim is to cripple me. It seems that for my Imperial Brothers, one thing is more important than the country's future: whether this country belongs to them. If not, they would rather perish with the country than be subservient to me, their Imperial Sister."
Yuwen Tuo scoffed disdainfully, "How short-sighted. The position of Emperor is actually more important than the country itself. To this extent, turning things upside down, willing to perish with the country? It seems the Heavenly Soul Empire's court is actually quite corrupt. All of them... wait, all of them?"
"No... something's wrong." Yuwen Tuo suddenly found something strange: the word "all" was the most unusual part.
If Vina had said that a large portion or a small portion of people agreed, Yuwen Tuo wouldn't have sensed anything amiss, but "all" was absolutely impossible.
In the original story, the Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial family's abilities might not have been remarkable, but they showed a very strong trait: unyielding determination!
In the later continental war,
the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling allied army was defeated at Heavenly Spirit City by the Sun and Moon Empire. The Dou Ling Empire's imperial family either died, surrendered, or fled, but as for Heavenly Soul, apart from Vina, who was taken away by the Body Sect, all the rest, whether emperor or princes, uniformly chose death.
Vina had not yet experienced this event, which was why she made such a judgment about those princes.
But Yuwen Tuo knew that even if they weren't all as hot-blooded as in the original story, a good portion of them would certainly love this country more than their own lives. And the Emperor himself, who twice personally went to the battlefield and fought until his country's demise, only had Vina taken away by the Body Sect to preserve the last shred of Heavenly Soul's bloodline.
How could such a person betray their country and be so ignorant?
Unless, this was precisely the Emperor's command.
Yuwen Tuo speculated that the Heavenly Soul Emperor probably didn't truly want to drive him away but rather wanted to cooperate with him to turn the tables.
If he guessed correctly, His Majesty would definitely find an opportunity to meet him later.
Thinking of this, Yuwen Tuo's anger subsided, and he asked with a smile, "But I'm still a member of the Body Sect. How will they resolve that?"
Vina said, "Because you haven't revealed your true martial spirit, people on the continent now believe that the Sect Master took you in merely to use your grudge with Shrek as a legitimate excuse to attack Shrek. Now that your usefulness has ended, Jing Hongchen's intention is that since you've already joined the Body Sect,
he naturally won't ask you to betray your sect, as that's a taboo on the Douluo Continent. However, remaining a Body Sect disciple and returning to your family are not contradictory. He just hopes you can first go back to meet your Imperial Father, and if you miss the sect someday, you can return."
"So that's how it is, boiling a frog in warm water." Yuwen Tuo immediately saw through Jing Hongchen's plan. He intended to trick him back first, no matter what.
Moreover, they firmly believed that the Body Sect was only using him, with no genuine affection, and therefore wouldn't become enemies with the Sun and Moon Empire for his sake.
It seemed that sometimes, hiding one's strength too deeply wasn't without its drawbacks.
If his true martial spirit were revealed to the world, Jing Hongchen probably wouldn't be so unconcerned.
Vina continued, "Additionally, a few of my Imperial Brothers found another excuse: you killed Shrek Academy's Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Zi, and even incited the Sect Master to kill Dragon God Douluo Mu En, creating a sworn vendetta with Shrek. And Shrek Academy is the top academy on our Douluo Continent,
having contributed to the continent and even showing kindness to the three great empires. By completely offending Shrek, they suspect you were sent by the Sun and Moon Empire specifically to disrupt the peace of the Douluo Continent, and therefore demand your expulsion."
Yuwen Tuo listened, secretly thinking that they indeed wanted to stir up trouble, even using Shrek as an excuse.
His conflict with Shrek was a personal grudge, known to all.
The point about Shrek's kindness to the three great empires was not false. After all, if not for Shrek, Heavenly Soul would have been destroyed by the Sun and Moon Empire thousands of years ago.
But the problem was that their beneficence and achievements came precisely from defeating the Sun and Moon.
How could these people truly want to send an Innate Level 20 genius back to the Sun and Moon Empire?
Yuwen Tuo dared to say that if he really returned to the Sun and Moon in a fit of anger, within ten years, the Sun and Moon Empire's army would press forward, he would undoubtedly be the vanguard, and Heavenly Soul would surely perish.
Moreover, regarding Shrek, Yuwen Tuo did not believe that these great empires harbored only respect and gratitude in their hearts, without any apprehension or dissatisfaction.
Their past act of saving the three nations was undeniable, but it also implied the extent to which they had brainwashed the continent's soul masters.
One must remember that back then, the more than sixty Titled Douluo summoned by Shrek Academy's dean originally came from the three great nations. Yet, when their own countries were in peril, they didn't act. Instead, a single word from Shrek Academy's dean sent them all charging out.
This indicated that Shrek Academy, seemingly just an academy, was actually a force that controlled the continent's strongest military power.
Now that Yuwen Tuo had dealt with Mu En and Xuan Zi, it was Shrek's weakest moment. If he were the emperor of one of the three great empires, the most crucial thing to do right now would be to seize this opportunity to rectify the country, promoting truly loyal individuals.
How could he, out of fear of Shrek, send an Innate Level 20 genius away, especially to the greatest hostile power, the Sun and Moon Empire?
If the Heavenly Soul Emperor had no ulterior motives, Yuwen Tuo would absolutely not believe it!
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