Xu Tianxi suddenly understood why the former emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, He Caitou's father, and his entire household were massacred by an Evil Soul Master in the palace, and why Kong Deming and the other Hall of Worship members, with their Ninth Level Soul Guided Devices, along with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion, whose duty was to guard the emperor, stood by and did nothing.
Judging by Xu Tianran's security team later on, even if Ye Xishui herself had acted, it would have been incredibly difficult to silently kill the former emperor's entire family. The only explanation was that everyone had deliberately stood aside.
If any of the Hall of Worship, the imperial clan, or the military had been willing to intervene and protect him, the former emperor would not have suffered the fate of having his entire household wiped out overnight.
As emperor, he had lost power and disgraced the nation externally, insisted on peace, exiled a group of pro-war military figures, and even forced several military giants to their deaths. How could the military, which had long-standing grievances with the three original nations, not hate this bastard to death?
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To force a Ninth Level Soul Engineer, who came from the imperial clan and was deeply rooted in the military, to his death right in front of the palace—what face did the imperial clan have left? How many people's interests were harmed? They would have to be insane to continue supporting this dog emperor.
What? The emperor's brother, unable to stand the boredom, wants a coup? Excellent! Hurry up and kill him! Such a "Wanyan Gou" should die sooner rather than later; even if a tyrant replaced him, he couldn't be worse!
Kong Deming, the guardian deity of the Sun Moon Empire, was also a pro-war faction. Now, this is good! You all hurry up and get rid of this peace-loving bastard. I'll just focus on researching Soul Guided Devices and nothing else!
Forget about this fantastical world where power belongs to oneself; even in his previous life, if the mighty Qin was about to expand eastward, and the person on the throne insisted on peace talks, he wouldn't escape being overthrown!
"According to you, my mother's family were loyal subjects harmed by the former emperor. Now that the dog emperor is dead, would it be appropriate for me to go to the Sun Moon Empire to avenge my mother?"
Xu Tianxi thoughtfully considered his current identity. From this perspective, his going to the Sun Moon Empire would no longer be defecting from the three nations, but returning to his motherland, his mother's ancestral country.
Yue Lao wiped away his tears and said in a hoarse voice:
"Yes, after the new emperor ascended the throne, in order to gain the military's support, he has pardoned all the families who were exiled back then and restored the reputation of your old master and his people."
With that, he took out an ancient-looking Purple-Gold Token from his Storage Ring, bent down, and respectfully presented it to Xu Tianxi.
"This was left by the old master back then. It's the token he used to command the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, and it represents his identity. Young Master, Miss only said to keep this as a memento, but now this old servant is entrusting it to you."
"Don't worry, Yue Lao. Since it's an heirloom, I will cherish it well." Xu Tianxi gazed intently at the luxurious token carved with a purple dragon pattern, knowing this was the image of the Purple Blaze Annihilation Heavenly Dragon. He took it and put it away carefully.
"Mm..." Yue Lao was overcome with emotion, unable to control himself for a moment. He excused himself from Xu Tianxi and left.
It was already noon.
Xiao Changfeng looked at the sky and smiled, "Little Junior Nephew, let's go eat first. After we're done, I'll tell you my story. My experiences are also quite extraordinary, but I was luckier than your mother."
"Okay, I'm quite curious about your experiences, Senior Martial Uncle."
Xu Tianxi let out a long breath, assented, and followed Xiao Changfeng to the dining hall. Various delicious and visually appealing dishes were served, almost all seafood, some of which Xu Tianxi had never seen before.
"The elixirs refined by the Sect require a large amount of essence and vital blood from water-attribute plant and animal Soul Beasts. That's why the Black Tortoise Merchant Guild's headquarters were built here in Vast Sea City. There are plenty of good things here, Senior Uncle, eat as much as you like, don't be shy."
Xiao Changfeng raised his hand and patted Xu Tianxi's shoulder, signaling him to sit down. He then pointed out dishes to Xu Tianxi, such as shark oil refined from the body fat of a thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark, whale brain from a thousand-year Evil Demon Orca, and nourishing soups made from Whale Glue and scaled turtles. These were all great tonics for Spiritual Power and the body.
Having eaten these things for two years, their effects were naturally not as pronounced as the first time, but the nutrition they provided was still immense. Xu Tianxi never stinted on "eating."
Without much conversation, Xu Tianxi almost treated eating as cultivation and combat, fully immersing himself in it. He decided to write a letter to Xu Sanshi tonight to share his experience.
He had to let Xu Sanshi feel a sense of participation in such a good thing, like looking at plums to quench thirst.
A year ago, Xu Sanshi had already broken through to Soul Elder. Now, he was thriving at Shrek, known as the strongest defensive Soul Master in the outer courtyard. Xu Tianxi had to put some pressure on him, so he wouldn't become complacent.
After eating and drinking his fill, Xiao Changfeng began to tell his story. Xu Tianxi sat upright, listening attentively, his expression changing repeatedly from surprise to understanding, and then to endless emotion...
The story wasn't too unusual. Like Kong Xiyue, Xiao Changfeng was from a collateral branch of the imperial family. However, Kong Xiyue was from the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family, while Xiao Changfeng was from the Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial family.
His father was an Old Prince of the Heavenly Soul Empire, an imperial uncle to the current Tian Hun Emperor. His mother was of humble origin, a cook in the Wangfu surnamed Xiao. Xiao Changfeng was conceived when the Old Prince was drunk.
The Princess Consort was not prone to jealousy; she merely despised all such "lowly offspring" who tainted the imperial bloodline, treating them all with equal disdain and sending them to work as kitchen servants. Young Xiao Changfeng's only hope was to awaken a strong Martial Soul so he could gain some resources and improve his and his mother's situation.
At this point, his Grandmaster appeared again—Xu Xiaoyun, who loved to eat, had snuck into the Old Prince's kitchen like a cat burglar. After tasting a few delicious dishes, he found them to his liking and sought out Xiao Changfeng and his mother.
After understanding the situation, Xu Xiaoyun didn't hesitate much. He directly took the pitiful mother and son out of the Wangfu and brought them back to the Xuanming Sect.
Afterward, Xu Xiaoyun found Xiao Changfeng intelligent and likable. He gave him some elixirs to improve his constitution, and Xiao Changfeng lived up to expectations. At the age of six, he not only awakened with innate full Soul Power but also awakened a mutated Martial Soul, the Ice Crystal Phoenix.
The power of the Phoenix Martial Soul was undeniable. Xu Xiaoyun, delighted by the discovery, immediately took him as a disciple. After teaching Xiao Changfeng for nine years, he sent him to the Star Luo Royal Soul Master Academy for cultivation. Xiao Changfeng transformed himself at the Star Luo Royal Academy, reaching the high-level Soul Emperor stage before the age of twenty. He led his team to sweep through all the teams in the Heavenly Soul Empire. That particular competition happened to be held in Heaven Dou City.
After the war, he returned to the Xuanming Sect for secluded cultivation. After breaking through to Level 96, his strength reached its peak. Upon emerging, he secretly crippled the Old Princess who had made things difficult for him and his mother back then, and then came to the Black Tortoise Merchant Guild to become its president.
This experience was a textbook case of Huo Yuhao's successful revenge!
Excellent, it seems that his Grandmaster's lineage has a special tradition: specifically collecting imperial nobles from the major empires and sending them to cultivate in rival nations or factions.
It doesn't matter if there are no exceptionally talented disciples; just go to the imperial families of the empires! Except for those useless ones from the Dou Ling Empire, the other three families can all produce talent.
"So, Senior Martial Uncle, you must be the most outstanding genius in the history of the Star Luo Royal Soul Master Academy, right? Didn't the Star Luo Empire offer you benefits back then and try to persuade you to stay?" Xu Tianxi teased.
"They did offer quite a few benefits, but I wasn't very interested," Xiao Changfeng said calmly, taking a sip of tea. "What they could give, my teacher could give. What they couldn't give, my teacher could also give. With my teacher's strength, they wouldn't dare to force me to stay."
"Among the three great empires, the Star Luo Empire has the strongest military and Soul Guided Device technology, but in terms of Soul Master power, it's significantly weaker than the Heavenly Soul Empire. The gap isn't large for Titled Douluo, but it's substantial at the Super Douluo level."
Xu Tianxi's eyes darted around, and he asked curiously, "What do you mean? I heard my Grandmaster say that the Star Luo Empire has a Worship Hall specifically for Titled Douluo and Super Douluo, and the Medical Immortal Douluo, the world's foremost healing-type Soul Master, is right there with them."
"No matter how great Medical Immortal Douluo's abilities are, he can't save the life of the Worship Hall's master, so what's the use?" Xiao Changfeng shook his head and said, "The current master of the Star Luo Empire's Worship Hall is an old ancestor of the Star Luo Royal Family. The Xu family of the Star Luo Royal Family was originally from the reclusive Star Crown Sect. Their inherited Star Crown Martial Soul surpasses most top-tier Martial Souls in quality, and that Star Crown ancestor also has a Level Ninety-Seven cultivation, with impressive combat power."
"But time spares no one. He's even older than my teacher and Mu En, and has long since stopped moving about outside. It's said he's been in seclusion in the Worship Hall for many years. My teacher speculates that the Star Crown ancestor's current condition is probably very poor. Whether he can even act is a question, and he might have even reached the end of his lifespan, but the Star Luo Royal Family has kept his death a secret."
"Is that so? No wonder Old Xuan was so arrogant in the Star Luo Empire, and no one from the Star Luo Empire came out to put him in his place. It seems that even if the Star Crown ancestor isn't dead, he's probably in a similar state to Mu En..."
Learning these secrets about the Star Luo Empire from Xiao Changfeng, and recalling how Xuan Zi openly threatened everyone in the Star Luo Empire in the original work, saying, "If anything happens to my Shrek disciples, this old man will go mad here," and confidently declaring, "It seems no one here can stop this old man from going mad," Xu Tianxi suddenly understood. A faint sense of sorrow arose within him for the Star Luo Empire.
Might makes right; without top-tier powerhouses in your family, your words carry no weight.
"Aside from the Star Crown Ancestor and the Medical Immortal Douluo, there aren't many other noteworthy individuals in the Star Luo Empire's Hall of Worship. At the Super Douluo level, they might not even be able to suppress our Xuanming Sect, so there's no need to pay them too much mind."
Xiao Changfeng's expression was calm, with a hint of effortless confidence in his brows.
Xu Tianxi couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Of course, Senior Martial Uncle, you're a Level 96 Super Douluo with the Ice Crystal Phoenix Martial Soul, and your Soul Ring configuration is strong. Even a Level Ninety-Seven Super Douluo might not be able to reliably defeat you."
Hearing this, Xiao Changfeng's eyes showed contemplation as he tapped his knuckles on the table, seemingly weighing the odds:
"There are only two Level Ninety-Seven Super Douluo widely known in the Soul Master world: Heavenly Sun Douluo of the Dou Ling Empire and Azure Shadow Douluo of Shrek. I haven't fought them, but their Martial Souls aren't as good as mine, and their vital energy isn't as abundant..."
Xu Tianxi's mouth twitched. He's really calculating it, he thought. Those two are old seniors in the Soul Master world, of course they're not as young and vigorous as you.
"I think, instead of considering that, you should calculate when you can advance further," Xu Tianxi said sincerely. "If you break through to Level Ninety-Seven, they definitely won't be a match for a rising star like you."
Xiao Changfeng shook his head seriously upon hearing this, sighing, "That's really not easy. Even ten years might not guarantee a breakthrough for me."
"That's normal, just take your time..." Xu Tianxi kindly encouraged him.
"Unless I stop bothering with external affairs and go into isolated cultivation from now on, then there's a good chance, but that's impossible," Xiao Changfeng added after some thought.
"You really are..."
Xu Tianxi's eyelids twitched, and he was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Seemingly realizing his words were difficult to follow, Xiao Changfeng laughed heartily to break the awkwardness, saying loudly:
"Little Martial Nephew, you don't need to envy me. Although your Ultimate Martial Soul will cultivate very slowly after Level 30, we will do our best to help you progress quickly. Once you become a Titled Douluo and begin cultivating your Second Martial Soul, that's when you'll truly exert your power. At that time, catching up to or even surpassing me will be just around the corner."
Xu Tianxi's eyes flickered. "I've had some ideas about combat methods after Deep Meditation. Senior Martial Uncle, could you give me some pointers?"
"Alright, come on."