A deep, icy chill flickered in Xu Tianran's eyes.
Second Brother, he thought grimly, I've returned. The pain you once gave me—I'll repay it a hundredfold!
There's a saying that goes, "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself."
During this time, Xu Tianran had been tirelessly investigating who exactly was behind the assassination attempt on him.
He only suspected two people: the Second Prince Xu Tianyu and the Third Prince Xu Tianshi.
Because among all the princes, only these two had enough strength and influence to orchestrate such an assassination.
According to his investigation, on the day of the assassination, the Soul Douluo-level expert under the Third Prince's command had a clear alibi.
However, none of the Soul Douluo experts under the Second Prince showed themselves. Some claimed to have gone out, others said they were in seclusion—
in short, every one of them was highly suspicious.
Although Xu Tianyu had covered his tracks cleanly, leaving no direct evidence,
Xu Tianran was certain—the one who ordered the assassination could only be his Second Brother.
Every night, when Xu Tianran thought of the ambush in the outskirts—
of the moment his legs were crippled, of how he barely escaped death with his life—
a searing, bone-deep pain flooded his body.
The only way to ease that agony, he believed, was to have Xu Tianyu executed by slow slicing (lingchi)—
only then could his hatred be soothed, even a little.
He hadn't sought revenge before because, after his Crown Prince title was stripped,
many of his subordinates had fled,
and even more had been absorbed by Xu Tianyu and Xu Tianshi,
causing his power to plummet.
Even if he wanted revenge, he had no means to act,
so he could only swallow his anger and bide his time.
But now, with the Holy Spirit Cult as his ally, Xu Tianran finally had the power to take revenge.
When he told Zhongli Wu earlier that they should first weaken Xu Tianyu and cut off his wings—
that wasn't only a political move. It was also personal vengeance.
Zhongli Wu nodded and said,
"Indeed. The old emperor, Xu Jing, is in poor health now.
If Xu Tianyu really becomes the Crown Prince, then within a few years, he'll likely serve as Regent.
Once that happens, he'll hold the reins of power in the Sun Moon Empire—
half an emperor already.
By then, even my mother may not be able to touch him."
Hearing that, Xu Tianran couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of regret.
Back then, after becoming Crown Prince, he had grown arrogant and careless.
He had left Mingdu and gone to the outskirts,
which had given Xu Tianyu the perfect chance to strike.
Had he remained in Mingdu,
no one would have been able to assassinate him.
After all, Mingdu was the capital of the Sun Moon Empire,
a city teeming with powerful experts.
If anyone dared attack the Crown Prince there,
a swarm of powerhouses would have arrived instantly—
even a Super Douluo assassin would have been doomed afterward.
With Xu Tianyu's strength, it would have been impossible to even touch a hair on his head.
If he had simply stayed in Mingdu,
patiently growing stronger while waiting for his father's health to decline,
he would have eventually inherited control over the empire.
Then, whoever he wanted to kill, he could kill.
Whoever he wanted to crush, he could crush.
Those so-called brothers of his would have been nothing but food on his plate.
If time could be turned back, Xu Tianran would never have acted so recklessly.
He would have stayed in Mingdu, steadily developing his power—never leaving the city.
Unfortunately, regret came too late.
Suppressing his remorse, Xu Tianran said to Zhongli Wu,
"You're right. Xu Tianyu's influence in the court grows stronger by the day.
At this rate, within half a year, Father will likely name him Crown Prince.
We must, within these six months, either cripple his power—
or eliminate him entirely."
Zhongli Wu frowned slightly.
At his current level—Rank 96 Title Douluo—he indeed had full confidence that he could assassinate Xu Tianyu even within Mingdu.
(According to the original story, later Zhongli Wu advanced to Rank 98 after surviving the Mingdu explosion and the ensuing war.)
But even if he succeeded, escaping the Sun Moon Empire's retaliation afterward would be extremely difficult.
Mingdu was filled with all kinds of detection-type soul tools.
Even Super Douluo could not fully evade them.
Once detected, the Soul Engineer Legions would immediately activate linked soul tool arrays to seal the area.
Unless his mother or Uncle Long (Long Xiaoyao) came to rescue him,
he would almost certainly die in Mingdu.
Zhongli Wu said,
"The price of killing Xu Tianyu in Mingdu is too great.
Can you lure him out of the city?
As long as he leaves Mingdu, killing him will be as easy as crushing an ant."
Xu Tianran shook his head.
"After what happened to me, both Second and Third Brother will never leave Mingdu again."
Zhongli Wu's expression grew grim.
"In that case, the only option is to first destroy Xu Tianyu's faction—
cut off his wings so he no longer has the strength to become Crown Prince."
Xu Tianran thought bitterly to himself,
*If I still held the Crown Prince title, killing Xu Tianyu would have been so much easier.
He struck first; I'd simply be retaliating.
No one could say a word.
I could've used the Holy Spirit Cult to kill him
and then presented evidence of his assassination attempt to Father.
With my status as Crown Prince, I would at most receive a light punishment—perhaps confinement or a reduction in allowance.
Father might even take the opportunity to lecture me on how to use the Holy Spirit Cult more effectively.
But now… I'm a deposed, impotent Crown Prince—already discarded.
In Father's eyes, I'm now far beneath Second and Third Brother.
If I act rashly, it won't be confinement waiting for me—it'll be death.*
Xu Tianran gave a self-mocking smile, his resentment toward Emperor Xu Jing deepening further.
All the princes—scheming, fighting, plotting endlessly—
were still bound by that man's control, still dancing in the palm of his hand.
If the emperor told them to compete, they competed.
If he forbade them from recruiting Rank 9 Soul Engineers, they had to obey.
Even his cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult ultimately stemmed from the emperor's suppression and fear of them.
Xu Tianran suddenly thought back to years ago,
when he and his brothers—Second and Third—
had actually gotten along quite well.
How did things come to this?
Shaking off those distracting thoughts, Xu Tianran looked at Zhongli Wu and smiled.
"Cult Master, you're right. For now, we should focus on eliminating Xu Tianyu's supporters.
His two greatest backers are the Song Clan—his mother's family—
and the Wang Clan.
If we wipe out both of these families, Xu Tianyu's power will be crippled.
He'll have no chance of ever becoming Crown Prince."
Immediately, Xu Tianran and Zhongli Wu began discussing how to annihilate the Wang and Song families.
——————————————
Meanwhile, at the Ordinary Alliance headquarters—inside the main conference hall.
A group of elders, all at least Soul Sage rank or higher,
sat around the long table in silence, waiting for their leader Shangguan Weier to arrive.
Creak! The great doors of the hall opened.
A woman walked in—dressed in a dazzling crimson gown, her beauty breathtaking.
Her chestnut hair was coiled high in an elegant bun atop her head.
Every step she took swayed gracefully, her figure alluring,
yet her face radiated a pure and sacred aura—
a paradox of temptation and holiness, a living enchantress.
Her slender waist, full hips, and generous curves were mesmerizing to behold.
Though the elders of the Ordinary Alliance knew well that Shangguan Weier was a ruthless and domineering woman,
many of the male elders still couldn't help but steal glances at her.
Some with weaker self-control even flushed red and dry-mouthed,
their lustful expressions completely unmasked.
As the Alliance Leader, Shangguan Weier's strength was formidable—
rumor had it that her cultivation even surpassed An Litong,
the peak-level Soul Douluo and president of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce.
Countless powerful men had once fallen for her beauty,
but despite her youthful, alluring appearance—looking no older than twenty-five or twenty-six—
Shangguan Weier had already been the leader of the Ordinary Alliance for over forty years.
No one knew her true age, nor did anyone dare ask.
A woman's age is her greatest secret—
and for someone as vain as Shangguan Weier, it was an absolute taboo.
Anyone foolish enough to ask would surely regret it—if they even lived to regret it.
Today, however, the breathtaking beauty's expression was cold as ice.
Gone was her usual playful charm.
Yet the colder she was, the more stunning she appeared—
even several of the female elders couldn't help but secretly admire her.
With a faint scent trailing behind her, Shangguan Weier strode to the head of the table and sat down.
Her voice was melodious yet utterly chilling.
"This meeting concerns two matters.
First—Elder Zhao Yurou. Yesterday, she clashed with a Soul Saint from the Xishui Alliance and was grievously injured—her meridians shattered.
If rescue hadn't arrived in time, she would've died at the hands of that evil soul master."
At these words, anger erupted through the hall.
"The Xishui Alliance has gone too far!"
"Do those evil soul masters think our Ordinary Alliance is easy to bully?"
"Those monsters deserve death! We must avenge Elder Zhao Yurou!"
"…"
Shangguan Weier said coldly,
"Since you're all so enraged, who among you will go and cripple the evil soul master who injured Elder Zhao Yurou?"
At once, the room fell silent.
All of them had dealt with Xishui Alliance's evil soul masters before—
they knew too well how terrifying those people were.
Their methods were strange, their combat power extraordinary.
Unless one's martial soul was overwhelmingly strong,
it was nearly impossible to fight them at the same level.
To defeat a Soul Saint-level evil soul master,
a Soul Douluo-level expert was required at minimum.
Seeing her subordinates struck dumb, Shangguan Weier's frosty expression grew even colder—
though she didn't scold them.
After all, in her heart, she also disliked fighting evil soul masters of equal rank.
She thought grimly,
The Xishui Alliance's evil soul masters constantly provoke conflicts,
encroaching upon the territories and profits of my Ordinary Alliance and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce.
They're a persistent headache.
The Xishui Alliance was ambitious,
seeking to extend its rule over all of Mingdu's underground forces.
If not for the support the Ordinary Alliance and Aodu Chamber received from powerful nobles and the military,
the Xishui Alliance's sinister yet powerful evil soul masters
would have long since unified the entire underworld of Mingdu.
The Ordinary Alliance had existed for ages,
controlling all of Mingdu's entertainment and pleasure industries,
as well as most of the city's catering businesses—
a position secured because the great nobles loved luxury and indulgence.
Shangguan Weier, as a Title Douluo-level expert,
wasn't anyone's subordinate, but rather a business partner to those nobles—
receiving annual shares and cultivation resources in return.
Born to a viscount's family, her martial soul had mutated, granting her exceptional talent.
Obsessed with cultivation—because the stronger she became,
the longer she could maintain her youth and beauty—
she joined the Ordinary Alliance after reaching Soul Saint rank,
eventually becoming its leader.
With the alliance's income and resources, she broke through to Title Douluo ten years ago.
Now, she said coolly,
"The evil soul master from the Xishui Alliance who crippled Elder Zhao Yurou—I will not let him go.
I'll send assassins to kill him.
As for Elder Zhao Yurou, she has long served the Ordinary Alliance faithfully.
We will ensure she receives protection and compensation.
Anyone who serves the Ordinary Alliance will not be forgotten."
Her words reassured the gathered elders.
If the alliance still honored and cared for a crippled elder,
then even if they were injured or killed one day,
their families would not be abandoned.
That loyalty meant a lot.
Shangguan Weier continued,
"The second matter concerns Elder Song Yu (Wang Chen's fake identity).
He disappeared a month ago, and after investigation, we discovered his identity was falsified.
His true identity and purpose are unknown.
If you encounter him in the future—be on guard."
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
A quarter of an hour later, the meeting ended.
Shangguan Weier rose gracefully,
her long, round legs moving rhythmically as her hips swayed hypnotically,
and made her way toward Zhao Yurou's residence.
As the leader of the Ordinary Alliance,
it was only proper for her to personally visit a seriously injured high-ranking elder.
——————————————
At that same moment—Zhao Yurou's home.
Ye Guyi's tear-filled eyes gazed at Zhao Yurou,
whose body lay broken and whose meridians were completely severed.
For soul masters, meridians were essential for channeling soul power.
Once they were shattered, soul power could no longer flow—
not only were soul skills unusable, even basic body reinforcement became impossible.
Zhao Yurou lay motionless on the bed, despair written all over her face.
For a soul master who had once wielded great power,
losing that power was worse than death itself.
Unless treated with a miraculous heavenly treasure,
or by a healing-type Title Douluo or higher,
there was no hope of recovery.
If not for her concern for Ye Guyi,
Zhao Yurou would have already taken her own life.
She gently said,
"Guyi, I'm a cripple now. From here on, you'll have to rely on yourself.
I've served the Ordinary Alliance for many years—they'll protect you for a while.
But once I'm gone, who knows how long that protection will last.
With your talent, people will seek to use you—so be careful."
Hearing those words, which sounded like a final farewell,
Ye Guyi buried her head and sobbed uncontrollably.
"Aunt Zhao, you can't leave me… Wuuu…"