Qian Renxue had been undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire for twenty years, primarily focusing on infiltrating various factions while simultaneously strengthening the Prince's Mansion's power.
The Prince's Mansion continuously recruited Guest Ministers and young Soul Masters. Though the annual increase seemed small, over more than a decade, the cumulative number had reached three thousand.
Most of these people were actually Soul Masters provided by the Spirit Hall, completely loyal to Qian Renxue.
It was precisely by relying on the formidable strength of the Prince's Mansion that Qian Renxue could take control of the overall situation after Xue Ye the Great fell seriously ill.
These three thousand Soul Masters, plus the original four thousand from the Royal Soul Master Legion, already made seven thousand Soul Masters.
The remaining three thousand Soul Masters mainly came from two sources. One was support from various factions led by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, just as the Dugu Family also provided a portion.
These Soul Masters numbered nearly two thousand, with the largest contingent being eight hundred Soul Masters provided by Ning Fengzhi.
Another one thousand Soul Masters were from the academy faction. As the Soul Master Competition was about to begin, it also meant another year's graduation season was arriving.
Having seized power early this time, Qian Renxue directly recruited all the graduating Soul Masters from every Spirit Master Academy to bolster the strength of the Royal Soul Master Legion.
Thus, by scraping together from various sources, they finally assembled a Ten Thousand Soul Master Legion.
At this moment, the Ten Thousand Soul Master Legion was slowly approaching the foot of the palace walls.
Their movements weren't particularly fast, nor were they perfectly uniform, but the aura they displayed was incomparable to that of an ordinary army.
All the various factions of Heaven Dou and Salas, who were seeing this Ten Thousand Soul Master Legion for the first time, turned pale with shock.
The number of Soul Masters on the continent was not large. Being able to assemble ten thousand was absolutely awe-inspiring.
"Release Martial Souls!"
Qian Renxue gave a clear shout.
Brilliant light erupted from the Soul Master legion below.
Ten thousand Soul Masters simultaneously released their Martial Souls. The majestic aura unleashed soared straight into the clouds.
Countless Spirit Rings, predominantly white, yellow, purple, and black, interweaved, creating a dazzling and surreal spectacle before everyone's eyes.
Among these ten thousand Soul Masters, the lowest cultivation was at the Great Soul Master level with two rings.
The highest was a Soul Emperor with six rings.
Excluding the highest and lowest, most Soul Masters had between three and five rings.
Averaging four rings per person meant forty thousand Spirit Rings in total.
This terrifying aura from the Spirit Rings made everyone's breathing quicken.
Even Dugu Feng's eyes flickered.
The grandeur was simply astounding.
After releasing their Spirit Rings, the Soul Masters did not stop but continued marching forward.
They continued until they had completely moved away from the vicinity of the palace gates.
Only then did the spectators on the city walls react. This was a Ten Thousand Soul Master Legion; it was their first time seeing so many Soul Masters gathered together.
Salas grew even more worried. The Heaven Dou Empire's foundation was too profound. The previous Xue Ye the Great simply hadn't had the ability to consolidate this power.
But Qian Renxue was different. She had a powerful background and strength. Once she consolidated the forces of Heaven Dou, she would likely pose a threat to the Pope.
Regardless, he had to report everything about this military parade to Bibi Dong.
Qian Renxue was naturally fully aware of this.
A significant purpose of her parade of strength was precisely aimed at Bibi Dong.
She wanted Bibi Dong to see that she had successfully taken control of the Heaven Dou Empire. Although she had received support from Spirit Hall, she had also built this enterprise independently.
She had single-handedly laid the foundation for the Heaven Dou Empire.
What are you, Bibi Dong? You merely inherited your father's position!
Just wait. Once my power grows further, I will seize the position of Pope as well.
Qian Renxue sneered inwardly.
The military parade concluded amidst this shocking scene.
Next was the grand banquet prepared by Qian Renxue, inviting all the honored guests to gather and discuss the future together.
During this time, Dugu Feng remained by his father Dugu Shuo and Ning Fengzhi, keeping a low profile.
In reality, his two Emerald Dragon Snakes were carrying out a major task.
That was theft.
Beside the bedchamber of Xue Ye the Great in the imperial palace stood the royal treasury, also known as the emperor's inner treasury.
It had now been taken over by Qian Renxue and was heavily guarded.
However, after Xue Ye the Great's death, Qian Renxue had focused all her efforts on ascending the throne, controlling the court, and commanding the military.
She had not yet found the time to inventory the royal treasury.
Moreover, given Qian Renxue's status, what treasures had she not seen? No amount of gold or silver could catch her eye.
She had not noticed that the Heaven Dou royal family possessed a national treasure beyond anyone's imagination.
This worked to Dugu Feng's advantage.
One of the two Emerald Dragon Snakes patrolled the surroundings while the other slipped into the treasure hall unnoticed.
The hall was encased within walls lined with steel plates a meter thick, almost like an iron house—not even a fly could get in.
But it was no challenge for the Emerald Dragon Snake.
From the roof, the Emerald Dragon Snake released its Corrosive Poison.
Corrosive Poison could erode anything.
Dugu Feng's Fourth Soul Skill, Icefire Poison Erosion, had exceptional penetrating and corrosive power, nearly ignoring all defenses.
After the Emerald Dragon Snake reached fifty thousand years, its toxins had evolved into equally potent Corrosive Poison.
Silently, a hole the width of a finger was corroded into the roof.
The Emerald Dragon Snake slipped inside like a swimming fish.
Its green eyes darted around, quickly locking onto the innermost part of the treasure pavilion.
There stood a wide shelf.
On the top shelf rested a brocade box wrapped in red silk cloth.
The Emerald Dragon Snake's eyes gleamed as it leaped over, using its tail to flick away the red cloth.
"Pfft!"
It then sprayed Corrosive Poison again, corroding a hole in the golden box.
Instantly, a blue treasure light shone from the hole.
The light confirmed to the Emerald Dragon Snake that the contents were what its master sought.
It used its head to lift the red cloth and wrap it around the box, concealing the glow entirely.
Then, stretching its body, it coiled around the brocade box and headed back the way it came.
Before leaving, it contacted the other Emerald Dragon Snake. Together, the two snakes enlarged the hole in the roof to a size large enough for a person to pass through.
After using poison to corrode the hole, the two Emerald Dragon Snakes expanded their bodies and used their hard teeth to scrape the edges.
In moments, the edges became smooth, appearing as if they had been cut by a sharp tool.
It clearly looked like the work of a Weapon Soul attack.
The two Emerald Dragon Snakes glanced at each other.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"
They were snickering.
No one would suspect that the hole had been created by corrosive poison.
They were experts at covering their tracks after mischief.
The two Emerald Dragon Snakes soared into the sky and vanished without a trace.
No one knew that the national treasure of the Heaven Dou Empire had already been stolen.
According to Dugu Feng's speculation, it would take some time for Qian Renxue to discover the theft of the nation-guarding treasure. By then, although she would fly into a rage, she would not take any action over it.
The main reason was that Qian Renxue did not understand t
he true value of the nation-guarding treasure.
After all, even though Qian Renxue had been the crown princess while Xue Ye the Great was alive, she still had not been qualified to come into contact with the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover.
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