"Oh, I see you're angry!"
Yuwen Tuo smiled faintly. Seeing Xu Tianran's bloodshot eyes, he thought that for a man like this, a quick death would be too merciful. Forcing his every ambition to fail and leaving him with nothing that would be the ultimate punishment.
He was curious to see what Xu Tianran's expression would be when the secret of his emasculation was spread across the entire continent.
"Silence!" the Sun Moon Emperor barked, interrupting the two squabbling brothers. He looked at Yuwen Tuo. "It seems you were raised by commoners; you have absolutely no grasp of royal etiquette. Yuwen Tuo, considering your past hardships, I will forgive you this once. You are not to be disrespectful to your brother again. Kneel now and beg for his forgiveness!"
Compared to the long-lost son raised in the mountains, the Sun Moon Emperor naturally favored his Crown Prince.
Yuwen Tuo turned to face the Emperor. "Your Majesty, since you were the one who sent this cripple to find me, I have to ask: did you know his men were a bunch of Evil Soul Masters who slaughtered my entire village?"
"I knew," the Emperor replied, "but that has nothing to do with Tianran. The men he sent were not Evil Soul Masters; by the time they arrived, your village had already been massacred."
The Sun Moon Emperor could never admit in open court that his empire was collaborating with Evil Soul Masters. It was too early for such an announcement. Evil Soul Masters were the enemies of the entire continent. If word got out, the other three nations would have a legitimate excuse to invade the Sun Moon Empire.
With their soul tools not yet fully prepared, they were not ready for a war on three fronts.
"You would offend your elder brother for the sake of a few peasants from the Heavenly Soul Empire? And another thing you should not call me 'Your Majesty,' but 'Imperial Father'! Since it is your first offense, I shall forgive you again. Now, kneel and beg for mercy!" the Sun Moon Emperor shouted, intent on cowing Yuwen Tuo.
Beside him, Meng Hongchen was almost moved to tears from anxiety. What on earth was Yuwen Tuo doing? They had agreed before coming here that the Emperor and the Crown Prince were not to be trifled with, yet he seemed to be going out of his way to offend them both.
Now, it wasn't just the royals; the entire court of civil and military officials was glaring at him with fury.
"Yuwen Tuo, just apologize!" Meng Hongchen urged frantically.
"Apologize? To this cripple?" Yuwen Tuo smiled slightly. "I can endure many things, but I will never yield to this cripple. Your Majesty, I have never lived with you, and I cannot bring myself to call you 'Imperial Father.' If you cannot stand my insolence, then banish me or kill me. But I will not sit idly by and wait for death!"
As he spoke, five black soul rings emerged one after another around him. His soul power flared, no longer hidden. Level 58 a high-rank Soul King.
Yuwen Tuo had regained his composure. He knew a fight wouldn't break out today. The reason lay within these five soul rings; they would make people realize many things.
Meng Hongchen was shocked. Only a year and a half ago, she had fought Yuwen Tuo. At that time, she was a new Soul King, yet she had been utterly defeated by him when he was only in the thirties.
But in just eighteen months, how had this guy jumped nearly twenty levels? Not only had his level surpassed hers, but his soul ring configuration was terrifying all of them were black, 10,000-year soul rings. There wasn't a single purple ring to be seen.
This made no sense. Weren't his first and second soul rings 100-year and 1,000-year rings respectively? How had they suddenly evolved into 10,000-year rings?
The Sun Moon Emperor was equally stunned. He knew his son had been brilliant in the soul fighting tournament, defeating Soul Kings and Soul Emperors as a mere Soul Elder. But in a year and a half, he had already become a Soul King. Was the cultivation speed of someone with Innate Soul Power Level 20 truly this illogical?
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen's previous suspicions were finally confirmed. "Prince Tuo, you truly have Twin Martial Souls, and your second one is a Body Martial Soul, isn't it?"
The level increase could be explained by his domineering cultivation speed, but the evolution of his soul rings pointed to only one thing: a Golden Level Second Awakening of a Body Martial Soul.
However, he hadn't expected the second awakening to be even more powerful than the rumors suggested. It didn't just boost the Body Martial Soul; it even influenced and strengthened the soul rings of his other Martial Soul.
It seemed their research on Body Martial Souls was still far from complete.
Yuwen Tuo nodded. "That's right. I have Twin Martial Souls. My Body Martial Soul is my soul itself, and it has achieved a Golden Level Second Awakening!"
As he spoke, everyone present felt as though they were staring into a vast, boundless Sea of Spirit.
Yuwen Tuo hid the true form of the Xuan-Yuan Sword. After his second awakening, his fusion with the Xuan-Yuan Sword Soul had intensified, achieving a state where body and soul were one.
"A Body Martial Soul... with a Golden Level Second Awakening!" The Sun Moon Emperor inhaled sharply.
He knew his son was gifted, but he hadn't realized the boy was a god-tier monster.
To have one's soul as a Martial Soul was undoubtedly the most powerful form of Body Martial Soul. Combined with a Golden Level Second Awakening the highest tier of awakening rumored to have been achieved by only a handful of people in the history of the Body Sect it was staggering.
Everything made sense now. It explained why his soul rings could evolve and why Du Busi cherished him so much, going so far as to have the sect's Titled Douluo escort him home.
Any sect would protect such a genius like their most precious treasure.
Xu Tianran gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. He knew that from this moment on, his father would not punish Yuwen Tuo.
Because the Emperor, at his core, was just like him a man driven solely by profit.
The value Yuwen Tuo now displayed was simply too high.
First was the boy himself: Twin Martial Souls, a top-tier Body Martial Soul with a Golden Level Second Awakening, Innate Soul Power Level 20, and incredible combat prowess. He was a monster destined for a seat among the Limit Douluo.
Second was the power behind him: the Body Sect. One of the three great powers of the continent, it was no less influential than the Illustrious Virtue Hall and boasted numerous Titled Douluo. Their Sect Master, Du Busi, had recently broken through to become a Limit Douluo and had even killed the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
Everyone on the continent knew how fiercely protective Du Busi was of his disciples. Now that it was confirmed Yuwen Tuo possessed a Body Martial Soul, if they touched him today, Du Busi would fight them to the death tomorrow. The Sun Moon Empire wasn't ready for war, and offending a Limit Douluo who could kill Mu En was asking for trouble.
Third, no matter how insolent he was, Yuwen Tuo was still the Emperor's biological son. Currently, the Body Sect was in a state of semi-seclusion. Having recently killed Mu En and Xuan Zi,
they had deeply offended Shrek and were likely unpopular with the other empires. If they could use Yuwen Tuo as a link, it might be the perfect opportunity to bring that powerful sect under their wing.
The Sun Moon Empire had always lacked truly top-tier experts; otherwise, they wouldn't have risked collaborating with the public enemy that was the Evil Soul Masters. Yuwen Tuo and the Body Sect were exactly what the empire needed to fill its gap.
"Your Majesty, what is your decision? Will you tolerate me, banish me, or kill me?" Yuwen Tuo asked again.
He could guess the Emperor's thoughts. The secret that the Body Sect had become the guardian sect of the Heavenly Soul Empire had not yet been revealed to the world, leading to this misunderstanding. And this misunderstanding was exactly what Yuwen Tuo wanted.
"Enough. You are a stubborn child," the Sun Moon Emperor said, his tone suddenly becoming very gentle. "Sigh, I can understand your anger. Your elder brother did indeed handle things poorly. If his men had found you sooner,
your village wouldn't have been slaughtered, and you wouldn't have suffered for all those years at Shrek. A few harsh words are fine. Tianran, do not hold it against your brother. He is young and has had a hard life; it is normal for him to be lacking in etiquette. As his elder brother, you should guide him more in the future."
The Emperor had no other choice among Yuwen Tuo's three options.
Banish him? To where? He couldn't just hand this monster with Twin Martial Souls, a Golden Level Second Awakening, and Innate Level 20 back to the three nations of the Douluo Continent. That would be aiding the enemy.
Kill him? Not only was he reluctant to throw away such an excellent son, but he also feared that Du Busi would wage a relentless war against the empire. No one wanted a Limit Douluo breathing down their neck all day and night.
Thus, the only choice left was tolerance.
Yuwen Tuo had only insulted his brother, not the Emperor himself. The Emperor told himself that children often squabbled. As the eldest brother and the Crown Prince, Tianran had to show brotherly love and royal benevolence.
At the end of the day, in this world, strength brought status, and a powerful background brought even more!
Yuwen Tuo now possessed both.
"Yes, Imperial Father," Xu Tianran said, forcing down his rage. "My brother has suffered for many years; how could I possibly blame him? I will certainly guide him well from now on."
The Sun Moon Emperor nodded with satisfaction and looked at Yuwen Tuo. "That's the way. Tuo'er, you have done a great service by removing Shrek's Dragon God Douluo and Taotie Douluo. Today, I title you the Prince of Yan, with Yan City as your fief.
I know you do not feel close to me yet and are unwilling to call me 'Imperial Father.' That is only because we have been apart for so long. I do not blame you. Come to the palace often when you have time. I truly hope that one day, you will call me 'Imperial Father' from the heart!"
Realizing that force and intimidation were useless against Yuwen Tuo, he had switched to playing the emotional card.
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