The sun set and rose again, and several more days passed.
At this time, in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Within the Crown Prince Eastern Palace of Heaven Dou City.
While Shui Wu You was working hard to make Yunxiao sing his surrender, Qian Renxue had just finished handling her workload.
"Ah, after several days of work, I've finally processed all these documents."
On the table before Qian Renxue lay piles of documents.
These were all files that Xue Ye had assigned to Crown Prince "Xue Qinghe" for handling—documents that weren't particularly critical.
Of course, whether this was truly meant to cultivate the Crown Prince "Xue Qinghe" or simply a way for Xue Ye to slack off was a matter of perspective.
"Uncle Shelong, please deliver these documents."
Although Crown Prince "Xue Qinghe" had already processed the files, royal protocol dictated that all finalized documents be forwarded to that old man Xue Ye for review.
If Xue Ye found no issues with "Xue Qinghe's" handling, the documents would be officially enacted.
Naturally, if there were problems, Xue Ye would make revisions.
Only after his approval would the documents take effect.
This was the daily routine between Emperor Xue Ye and Crown Prince "Xue Qinghe" regarding official paperwork.
"Yes, understood."
Upon hearing Qian Renxue's instructions, She Long entered directly from outside the door.
She Long, also known as the Spirit Hall's Serpent Spear Douluo, was currently disguised within the Heaven Dou Empire as the Eastern Palace's steward, She.
With practiced efficiency, She Long gathered all the documents on the table and promptly carried them out.
After She Long left the Eastern Palace, Qian Renxue seemed to recall something and turned toward Ci Xue's direction, her red lips parting lightly.
"Uncle Cixue, has anything interesting happened in Heaven Dou City these past few days?"
Though she hadn't left the palace recently, the nervous reactions of the eunuchs and maids suggested something noteworthy had occurred outside the city during her busy days.
"Young Mistress, something rather amusing did happen a few days ago."
Ci Xue then relayed the intelligence he had gathered.
For instance, Ye Lingling of the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family had not only evolved her Martial Soul but also gained combat-enhancing abilities.
Subsequently, news of Ye Lingling's breakthrough leaked, prompting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to take action.
Ning Fengzhi, accompanied by Gu Rong, immediately sought the Ye Family to demand the secret behind the Martial Soul evolution.
Their confrontation was coincidentally witnessed by Dugu Bo, who happened to be visiting.
What followed was, without a doubt—
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Dugu Bo, the Old Poison, directly clashed with the Nine Hearted Begonia Ye Family.
Of course, Dugu Bo's Soul Power Level had also successfully broken through to Rank 95.
Not only that, but something even more shocking was that this Old Poison, Dugu Bo, had unknowingly managed to gather a complete set of Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.
It could be said that among the higher-ups in Heaven Dou City, these events had long been the talk of the town. In this city, only some minor nobles and small family sects remained unaware of the full details of the incident.
Although those minor nobles and small factions didn't know the complete story, that didn't stop them from enjoying the spectacle.
Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, along with Bone Douluo Gu Rong, had openly confronted Dugu Bo and the Nine Hearted Begonia Ye Family.
A battle of this magnitude, capable of shifting the power dynamics of Heaven Dou City, was truly a once-in-a-century spectacle.
"Oh, interesting. Very interesting," someone mused.
"That old fox Ning Fengzhi has finally gone head-to-head with the Nine Hearted Begonia Ye Family? What surprises me is that Dugu Bo, the Old Poison, has also chosen to get involved."
"Hah, should I say it's just like the unpredictable yet honor-bound Dugu Bo?"
When it came to evaluating Dugu Bo, there was no denying that Yunxiao's earlier assessment had been spot-on.
As for the evolution of Ye Lingling's Martial Soul, she had heard Yunxiao mention it in passing before. However, she hadn't paid it much mind. After all, no matter how powerful the Nine Heart Begonia Spirit's abilities were, could they really compare to Yunxiao's Life Control?
It was worth noting that Yunxiao's Life Control was not only backed by a top-tier 100,000 Year Soul Ring configuration but also an utterly broken rule-based Soul Skill. A mere evolved Nine Heart Begonia Spirit wasn't worth her scheming over.
Of course, regarding Dugu Bo's sudden and dramatic transformation, while others in Heaven Dou City might not know the reason, she—as Yunxiao's closest confidante—knew exactly what had happened.
Out of the six Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones Dugu Bo now possessed, four had been gifted to him by Yunxiao. With a complete set of Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, it was only natural that Dugu Bo, whose Soul Power Level had originally been Rank 92, would break through to Rank 95.
At this moment, Ci Xue seemed to recall something. Stroking his chin, he added, "Ah, right, Young Miss. It seems Lord Yunxiao has chosen to intervene in this matter. According to current intel, the Nine Hearted Begonia Ye Family is preparing to relocate to Lord Yunxiao's Elf City."
An entire family moving from Heaven Dou City to Elf City was hardly something that could be kept under wraps.
Hearing this, Qian Renxue fell into thought. "Oh? The Ye Family is moving to Elf City? If I had to guess, this must be related to Dugu Bo, right?"
In just an instant, Qian Renxue had pieced together the likely reason. After all, Yunxiao had no personal ties to the Ye Family. She was certain that unless absolutely necessary, Yunxiao wouldn't bother with such a troublesome and thankless task.
"Ah, perhaps. According to the reports, a few days ago..."
"Dugu Bo did indeed go to Elf City to find Lord Yunxiao."
Upon recalling this piece of intelligence, Ci Xue also nodded in agreement.
"In that case," Qian Renxue said with a chilling smile, "let me add fuel to the fire."
"Uncle Cixue, I need you to thoroughly expose everything that's happened these past few days."
"Of course, in the process," she continued, her voice dripping with malice, "you should embellish the details a bit more."
"I want the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Ning Fengzhi to be branded as a ruthless faction that murders for treasure and commits every imaginable crime."
"Then, let them taste what it's like to be universally condemned."
As she finished speaking, a cold smirk played at the corners of Qian Renxue's lips.