Xu Zihuang's right hand gripped Xu Tianran's head, as if responding to his earlier action. Countless deep purple flames of destruction began burning from the void.
The entire study, constructed from special, rare metals, melted away completely within this sea of deep purple fire. Along with it, the Shadow Douluo Xue Chen, who had been hiding beside Xu Tianran, also melted away.
The Shadow Douluo Xue Chen's martial soul was the Shadow Dragon Dagger. This martial soul would also occasionally be passed down in later generations. The Shadow Dragon Dagger itself possessed spatial attributes, mysterious and unpredictable, and was particularly skilled in concealment and assassination.
It was precisely because of these abilities that Shadow Douluo Xue Chen had been valued by Xu Tianran and had always served as his personal guard. Unfortunately, he had encountered Xu Zihuang.
The moment Xu Zihuang entered Xu Tianran's study, he had already sealed the space around Shadow Douluo Xue Chen. Relying on absolute suppression in spatial control, Shadow Douluo Xue Chen's figure, hidden in the void, was instantly counter-imprisoned and could not move. This was what had left Xu Tianran in a state of isolation and helplessness earlier.
Of course, even if Shadow Douluo Xue Chen had taken action, it would not have changed the outcome.
Despair filled Shadow Douluo Xue Chen's eyes. Suppressed by the power of space, he could not even emit a sound. His soul and body turned into nothingness amid the burning of the destructive flames.
Shadow Douluo Xue Chen's miserable end made Xu Tianran feel even greater fear and dread.
At this moment, figures rose into the air one after another from within the imperial palace. Black humanoid soul tools emitted powerful soul force fluctuations. The astonishing oppressive force made both the sky and the earth seem to tremble.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Legion! The thumb among the Sun Moon Empire's protective hands, the true power of the emperor.
At the very front of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Legion, an elderly man quietly floated upward, gazing with uncertainty and surprise at Xu Zihuang and Xu Tianran, who were situated within the sea of deep purple flames.
Upon seeing Kong Deming arrive, Xu Tianran acted as if he had grabbed the last life-saving straw and roared hoarsely, "Elder Kong, these traitorous rebels are committing treason! Please capture them immediately!"
Kong Deming's gaze slowly settled on Xu Zihuang. He possessed one-quarter of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial bloodline, so how could he be unfamiliar with the special and domineering destructive attribute of the imperial family's inherited Purple Brilliance Heaven Extinguishing Dragon martial soul?
Xu Zihuang displaying such an ability was already enough to explain many things. This was not an assassination plot carried out by the original three empires of the Douluo Continent, but rather an internal conflict within the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family.
He had also never expected that Yu Tianhuang, who had once attempted to assassinate Xu Tianran, was actually a descendant of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family. Judging from the aura and quality of those destructive flames, the purity of his bloodline was extremely rare even across the Sun Moon Empire's royal family's ten-thousand-year heritage.
Seeing that Kong Deming still had not taken action, Xu Tianran could not help but call out urgently once more.
"Elder Kong!"
"Xu Tianran, shut your dog's mouth." Xu Zihuang's eyes turned ice-cold as he pressed Xu Tianran's face into the metal floor. The hard metal floor twisted, and Xu Tianran, kneeling on the ground, could only emit painful "wuu wuu" sounds from his mouth.
Xu Zihuang stretched out his right foot and stepped on Xu Tianran's back, then forcefully tore off Xu Tianran's remaining arm. During this process, the sounds of bones shattering and flesh tearing could be clearly heard.
At the severed stump, the flesh was a bloody mess. Warm, bright red blood continued to gush out endlessly.
"Wuu wuu wuu wuu—" The intense pain caused Xu Tianran's body to spasm continuously, and the whimpering sounds he made became increasingly rapid and shrill.
Ju Zi and Ye Guyi watched the scene before them with unchanged expressions, though Ju Zi held Xu Xiyan even more tightly in her arms.
Kong Deming frowned deeply and rebuked Xu Zihuang in a deep voice, "Enough. I have no intention of getting involved in the imperial family's internal strife. Since you have already achieved your goal, why must you torment him like this?"
Kong Deming was the typical type who minded his own business, devoted his entire life to soul tools, and rarely involved himself in other matters. In his view, for the Sun Moon Empire's emperor, Xu Tianran, to be humiliated in such a wretched manner would damage the dignity of the imperial family. He still hoped that Xu Zihuang could grant Xu Tianran a dignified death.
"When Xu Tianran's family exterminated my entire clan, did he ever show any mercy? And where were you pretending to be the voice of reason back then?!"
Xu Zihuang glanced sideways at Kong Deming, smiling instead of getting angry. His eyes instantly turned a brilliant golden color. With a slight narrowing of his gaze, he coldly shouted:
"Get lost!"
Under Xu Zihuang's gaze, Kong Deming discovered that the surrounding space had begun to twist violently, forming a distorted golden-silver vortex. The center of this golden-silver vortex was positioned right at his chest.
Kong Deming felt his scalp go numb. Almost instantly, he subconsciously released his life-bound soul tool, the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield. As nine pitch-black soul rings rose from beneath his feet, a bright silver moon also hung high behind him.
A shocking scene unfolded. The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, which had once caused even Du Bu Si so much trouble, was torn into fragments in an instant under the eruption of the golden-silver vortex. Terrifying spatial power rampaged outward. Silver light flashed, causing countless bottomless spatial cracks to appear above the entire imperial palace. Through these slowly healing spatial cracks, the brilliant light of stars could even be seen.
Neither side had used soul skills; this was a pure collision of spatial power.
Kong Deming's figure fell awkwardly to the ground. In shock and terror, he quickly withdrew the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield to protect himself, and a strange silver armor suddenly lit up on his body. This silver armor was different from ordinary humanoid soul tools, appearing entirely mirror-like. On his chest was a large, bright silver gem that extended from his chest all the way to his abdomen.
All the light from the silver moon martial soul behind him naturally converged into it. Intense silver radiance bloomed within the crystal on his chest, making Kong Deming look like a small silver sun at this moment.
Cold sweat poured down Kong Deming's forehead. He had truly felt the threat to his life. If the golden-silver spatial vortex Xu Zihuang had released earlier had targeted his head instead of his chest, even if he did not perish on the spot, he would likely have suffered severe injuries.
Xu Zihuang's power far exceeded his expectations.
Xu Zihuang coldly withdrew his gaze, not even glancing at Kong Deming again. With another kick, he sent Xu Tianran flying, causing his body to sink deeply into one of the metal pillars inside the imperial palace.
Xu Tianran, who had lost all four limbs, looked extraordinarily horrifying. Blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth as he gasped frantically, his facial expression completely distorted.
Under Xu Tianran's ferocious gaze, Xu Zihuang merely laughed lightly and threw the left arm he had torn from Xu Tianran's body away like trash.
Deep purple flames of destruction burned once again from the void. The flesh on Xu Tianran's left arm was burned away completely, leaving only a silver-colored left arm soul bone floating in the air, refracting eight-colored halos of light.
The moment this soul bone revealed its full appearance, a rich surge of soul force fluctuations overflowed from it. All kinds of elemental energies within this space were uncontrollably drawn in, swirling around the soul bone.
Although the soul beast resources on the Sun Moon Empire's side were far inferior to those on the original Douluo Continent, the soul bone that Xu Tianran had favored was by no means ordinary.
This left arm soul bone came from a thirty-thousand-year-old Silver Moon Wolf King. Not only was the soul bone's integrity and quality excellent, but it also inherited the Silver Moon Wolf King's powerful attribute control abilities.
After all, Silver Moon Wolf Kings with ten-thousand-year cultivation or higher ranked among the top tier of all soul beast species.
During this process, Xu Zihuang walked unhurriedly to Xu Tianran's front once more and gave a cold smile.
"Xu Tianran, back then, it was you who exiled me, causing me to fall into an abyss without a shred of hope. Today, I will let you experience what true despair feels like."
As he spoke, massive spatial doors quietly appeared behind him.
Ever since completing his fusion with the Evil Eye Tyrant Lord, Xu Zihuang's spiritual power had already approached the true god level indefinitely. If he wished, his spiritual power could cover nearly half the continent in a single thought.
Connecting to the Brilliant Dragon Space no longer requires the external soul bone Brilliant Dragon Claw as a medium.
Well-ordered and excellently equipped soul mentor legions walked out through the spatial doors one after another. They were: the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion led by Xu Tianyuan, the Terrorclaw Soul Mentor Legion led by Liao Mengkai, the Fire Phoenix Soul Mentor Legion led by Luan Feng, and the original Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion led by Wang Xiao and Yao Yang.
Apart from the original Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion, the members of the other three legions showed varied reactions upon seeing Xu Tianran's miserable state. However, they quickly recognized the current situation.
Wang Xiao and Yao Yang gazed fervently at Xu Zihuang's back with excited expressions and led the original Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion in kneeling on one knee toward Xu Zihuang.
"Xu Tianran and his family colluded with evil soul masters to usurp the throne. They are traitorous rebels! Today, Prince Zihuang leads us in upholding justice and quelling the rebellion. May the glory of the Sun Moon Empire shine forever upon the continent! Long live Prince Zihuang! Long live Your Majesty!"
Luan Feng immediately led the Fire Phoenix Soul Mentor Legion in echoing the chant.
"Long live Prince Zihuang! Long live Your Majesty!"
Xu Tianyuan and Liao Mengkai quickly reacted as well, leading the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion and the Terrorclaw Soul Mentor Legion in kneeling and paying respects to Xu Zihuang. The situation was already clear; anyone who was not a fool would choose to side with Xu Zihuang.
"Long live Prince Zihuang! Long live Your Majesty!"
The impassioned cheers echoed throughout the entire Sun Moon Empire imperial palace. The other guards within the palace had already begun gathering toward this location. What they saw was precisely the scene of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion, Terrorclaw Soul Mentor Legion, and Fire Phoenix Soul Mentor Legion swearing loyalty to Xu Zihuang right in front of Xu Tianran.
For a moment, these guards were all stunned where they stood.
"You dare betray me?!" Xu Tianran, his face deathly pale, roared with extreme anger and despair. However, his vocal cords had already been damaged when Xu Zihuang had pressed his face into the metal floor, and he could not produce any sound. This powerless feeling nearly drove him to collapse.
Not long after, a short and stout figure swept over from the sky and knelt before Xu Zihuang.
"Greetings, Prince Zihuang! Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The newcomer was none other than the Hall Master of the Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen. His small eyes flickered with excitement and shock. He had been able to arrive in time because he had received a voice transmission from Xu Zihuang beforehand.
Following behind him were the core members of the Mingde Hall.
The light in Xu Tianran's turbid eyes gradually dimmed. At this moment, he finally experienced what it meant to be abandoned by everyone. The betrayal of the Mingde Hall's Hall Master Jing Hongchen dealt him an even greater blow than that of the three great protective soul mentor legions.
Xu Zihuang turned around and calmly accepted the kneeling salutes from everyone. Then, with an expressionless face, he looked toward the direction of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Legion.
Everyone in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Legion trembled slightly. It was not only because of Xu Zihuang's powerful strength that they felt fear, but more so because they were pressured by the aura he currently displayed.
Aura was something mysterious and intangible, yet it truly existed.
"So you are Zhengxuan's son." Kong Deming said in a complicated tone. For the past several decades, he had been in closed-door cultivation, trying to break through to the tenth-level soul mentor rank, and had never concerned himself with worldly affairs. However, he had heard of that outstanding direct descendant of the imperial family and had even guided him on several occasions.
Although those several instances of guidance could not be considered a master-disciple relationship, Kong Deming had held high hopes for that junior.
Decades had passed. Seeing Xu Zhengxuan's son, Xu Zihuang, appear here as if in a cycle of karma, he felt some emotion in his heart.
After pondering for a moment, Kong Deming collected his emotions and waved his hand toward those behind him.
Without the slightest hesitation, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Legion also knelt and paid respects to Xu Zihuang, swearing their loyalty. This alone showed how high Kong Deming's prestige was within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Legion.
Xu Zihuang had anticipated all of this beforehand, which was why he had suppressed Kong Deming earlier. His goal was to establish his authority. Although he knew Kong Deming would most likely make the correct choice in the end, he wanted Kong Deming to clearly recognize his own position.
Xu Tianran was now completely in despair. The continuous loss of his life force and blood caused his own condition to worsen. Powerless to resist, he could only watch helplessly as Xu Zihuang took his place.
All of this was deliberately arranged by Xu Zihuang. He wanted to cruelly strip away everything Xu Tianran possessed in this manner.
Afterward, Xu Zihuang took the still-sleeping Xu Xiyan from Ju Zi's arms, allowing Xu Xiyan to receive the worship of everyone together with him. Although it was only a small detail, it touched the softest spot in Ju Zi's heart.
Xu Zihuang stood holding Xu Xiyan and finally began issuing orders.
"The original Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Legion shall be renamed the Demon Whale Soul Mentor Legion from today onward and will fill the vacancy left by the Evil Lord Soul Mentor Legion. Hall Master Hongchen, you will cooperate with the five great protective soul mentor legions to purge Mingdu. Finally, withdraw the armies currently stationed in the former Heavenly Soul Empire territory and return the land to the Heavenly Soul Empire as a show of sincerity. Seven days from now, I will perform the heaven worship and ascension ceremony at the southern suburbs of Mingdu. Be sure to invite the high-level figures from the three original empires of the Douluo Continent to attend and observe, especially those from Shrek Academy."
Xu Zihuang raised his head and looked toward the east, letting out a soft laugh.
"I wonder what expressions will be on your faces at that time?"
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master the novel is already finished on Patreon."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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