The saying "misfortune does not befall one's family" has a premise: benefits do not extend to one's family either.
Whether actively or passively, since Xu Tianzhen had accepted the benefits brought by her father's rebellion and seizure of the throne, she should naturally pay the corresponding price.
The reason Xu Zihuang changed his mind was that he saw the most genuine thoughts deep in Xu Tianzhen's eyes from her pupils. Xu Tianzhen, like him back then, could not decide her own fate.
But the difference between him and Xu Tianzhen was that he was born with unparalleled talent. After breaking free, he could rely on his own power to shatter the shackles of fate and in turn, become the one who controlled the fate of others. Xu Tianzhen, on the other hand, would be bound by her identity for her entire life.
Although the identity of Xu Tianzhen as the princess of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family was noble, at best, she was just a higher-grade canary in a golden cage.
It could not be denied that Xu Tianran indeed doted on Xu Tianzhen greatly. But the greater reason was that Xu Tianzhen posed no threat to his position and could even be used as a tool for political marriage to further consolidate his rule.
"You're letting me leave?" Xu Tianzhen stared blankly at Xu Zihuang's back. She, who had already made up her mind to go to her death willingly, now felt somewhat lost.
Xu Zihuang turned around and met Xu Tianzhen's gaze directly.
"Isn't that what you've always longed for?"
Xu Tianzhen's pupils contracted slightly, and the look in her eyes toward Xu Zihuang changed instantly. She murmured, "You knew all along? When?"
"Four years ago, during that encounter at the All-Continent Young Soul Masters Elite Competition."
Xu Tianzhen fell silent. The people present listened to the conversation between Xu Zihuang and Xu Tianzhen, each harboring their own thoughts.
Although there was an element of acting, Ju Zi had always had a very good impression of Xu Tianzhen. Compared to Xu Tianran, who was always scheming with a dark heart, the straightforward and uninhibited Xu Tianzhen was simply the complete opposite. She could tell that it wasn't entirely an act on Xu Tianzhen's part.
Xu Tianzhen ultimately ending up like this was something Ju Zi could accept in her heart.
At this moment, Kong Deming couldn't help but remind Xu Zihuang in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, Tianzhen is the only inheritor of the Sun Martial Soul among the direct line of the imperial family."
Although Kong Deming was not skilled in the ways of human relations, he also understood the principle of saying just enough. He could indirectly express his thoughts, but he could not point fingers at the future ruler of the Sun Moon Empire.
Everyone present could naturally hear the implied meaning in Kong Deming's words. The Sun Martial Soul was the legitimate lineage of the imperial family, and the inheritance of the Sun Martial Soul could not be severed in the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family.
In the end, it seemed Xu Tianzhen still could not escape the bonds of her birth and fate.
Xu Zihuang looked toward Kong Deming with a calm expression, his eyes like an ancient well without ripples. The profound depth in his gaze gave people a feeling as if they were falling into an abyss.
Kong Deming's body stiffened, but the emotion in his eyes was only frankness. He had no selfish motives in saying these words; it was entirely for the sake of the Sun Moon Empire's inheritance.
If the timing was right, the Silver Moon Martial Soul, which had been extinct in the imperial family for many years, might even have the possibility of returning to the imperial family.
Suddenly, Xu Tianzhen returned to her usual carefree and bold demeanor, speaking up to break the slightly heavy atmosphere.
"Hmph! You tell me to leave, and I have to leave? I won't. I'm going to stay in the imperial palace. If you want to kill me, you can do it anytime."
After saying this, Xu Tianzhen turned and walked away without a care. The luxurious crimson palace dress flowed elegantly with her movements, like a flame spirit dancing in the night.
What no one noticed was the trace of lightness deep in Xu Tianzhen's eyes, as if she had completely vented the depression in her chest.
From Xu Tianzhen's behavior, it could also be seen that she truly did not have much affection for Xu Tianran.
Ever since Xu Tianran had executed his own direct brothers one by one, his image in Xu Tianzhen's eyes had changed, and an invisible barrier had quietly appeared between the two. It was just that Xu Tianran himself had never noticed it.
Including Xu Tianyuan, the members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps all looked at each other, then turned their gazes toward Xu Zihuang. Seeing that Xu Zihuang never spoke up, they did not stop her and allowed Xu Tianzhen to leave.
Xu Zihuang silently closed his eyes to rest, as if he did not care about Xu Tianzhen's matter at all. Meanwhile, Ye Guyi and Ju Zi exchanged a tacit glance.
The turmoil in Mingdu lasted for several full days, but with the Five Great Soul Mentor Corps of the Protectorate of the Nation stepping in, the overall situation remained relatively stable.
The news released from the imperial palace was that Xu Zihuang, the only son of the Purple Radiance King, had cleared his father's name, executed Xu Tianran who had colluded with evil soul masters, and, with the support of Mingde Hall Hall Master Jing Hongchen and others, would hold the heaven worship and ascension ceremony in the southern suburbs of Mingdu seven days later. Xu Zihuang had also directly removed the Holy Spirit Cult's status as the state religion and immediately announced that after ascending the throne, he would mobilize the entire nation's power to encircle and annihilate these evil soul masters.
For a time, the whole world was in an uproar.
In the Sun Moon Empire, some were happy while others were worried. The nobles and officials in the south of the Sun Moon Empire who had old ties with the Purple Radiance King were extremely excited. Those who had clearly taken a stand in support of Xu Tianran were constantly worried about being purged.
Five days passed quickly. This news had almost spread to every corner of the three original empires of the Douluo Continent.
This morning, the high-level figures of the three empires and Shrek Academy all received invitations to go to Mingdu to observe Xu Zihuang's heaven worship and ascension ceremony.
Shrek Academy, Soul Tool Department dormitory building.
Normally, when He Caitou was researching and making soul tools at the outer academy's Soul Tool Department, he would basically stay in this dormitory building, which was not far from the Soul Tool Department experimental area.
What was very rare was that He Caitou had stayed in the dormitory these past few days without going out. He neither drew soul tool design diagrams nor started making soul tools; instead, he just sat blankly on the bed in the dormitory, staring up at the ceiling.
Xu Zihuang had so easily completed his revenge against Xu Tianran, and He Caitou couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality.
When he first learned that his great revenge had been achieved, He Caitou had also frantically vented his emotions. But afterward, he instead became dazed, and only today did he clearly recognize his own heart.
He discovered that the only obsession in his heart was that hatred. The current him no longer cared about his identity as the former crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire and hoped even more to remain at Shrek Academy as He Caitou.
The belatedly enlightened He Caitou suddenly stood up, then smiled bitterly and sat back down again.
"Zihuang, so you already saw it long ago."
It was precisely because Xu Zihuang knew his thoughts that he had not come to find him.
"Your ascension to the throne is also a good thing for the academy and for the three original empires of the Douluo Continent. At least during the time you control the Sun Moon Empire, this peace will continue."
But what He Caitou did not know was that Xu Zihuang's ambitions went far beyond that.
At the same time, on the first floor of Sea God Pavilion, in the conference hall.
At the long table sat a group of Sea God Pavilion elders. The four deans, Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and Cai Mei'er, were also present. Sitting at the very bottom positions on both sides of the long table were Zhang Lexuan and Beibei.
According to Elder Mu's instructions before his death, the Tang Sect would occupy one seat among the Sea God Pavilion members.
Beibei was now already a high-level Soul Saint. At his cultivation speed, he would be able to break through to the eight-ring Soul Douluo realm in another one to two years, which could be considered having entered the hall. The Tang Sect's Sea God Pavilion member seat would naturally be taken by him.
But unfortunately, even with the full support of Shrek Academy, the development of the Tang Sect was still extremely limited.
Upon learning of the upheaval in the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace, Elder Xuan's mood had clearly eased considerably.
Elder Xuan waved his hand and looked at everyone with some helplessness as he said, "To be honest, the development of events has completely exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect that the only son of the former Purple Radiance King of the Sun Moon Empire would survive and successfully assassinate Xu Tianran. Everyone, share your opinions."
After a moment of hesitation, Elder Song said in a deep voice, "I have also heard of that Purple Radiance King of the Sun Moon Empire. Under his rule, the south of the Sun Moon Empire was once prosperous and flourishing for a time. Back then, he also restrained his troops and never harassed our original Douluo Continent. Combining these circumstances, the circulated news should be correct. That Purple Radiance King was most likely persecuted by Xu Tianran's collusion with evil soul masters. But the most important thing is the attitude shown by that only son of the Purple Radiance King. Returning the occupied territory to the Heavenly Soul Empire shows that he does not have the same wolfish ambitions as Xu Tianran."
"I agree with Elder Song's view." Yan Shaozhe nodded in agreement, then changed his tone and said,
"But I think that the only son of the Purple Radiance King returning the territory to the Heavenly Soul Empire is perhaps more out of consideration for the current situation. He has already taken such a hard stance against the Holy Spirit Cult and is under enormous pressure; he certainly does not want our three original empires of the Douluo Continent to take the opportunity to counterattack. Rather than being forced to spit out the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory, it is better to return it proactively and sell a favor."
"Yan Shaozhe, at such an old age, I didn't expect you to still be so petty, judging a gentleman with a villain's heart." Xian Lin'er did not give Yan Shaozhe any face at all and snorted coldly.
"Leaving aside whether your speculations are true or not, just the fact that the only son of the Purple Radiance King dares to announce that he will mobilize the entire nation's power to purge the evil soul masters is enough to show his upright and majestic character. If it were you, would you dare to directly confront the Holy Spirit Cult, which possesses two Limit Douluo?"
Yan Shaozhe frowned and was about to retort when he was interrupted by Elder Xuan.
"Lin'er, then what is your suggestion?"
When facing Elder Xuan, Xian Lin'er's attitude was unlike before. She sat up slightly straighter and said seriously, "Elder Xuan, I think that if the only son of the Purple Radiance King is truly willing to quell the war, it would not hurt for our academy to send people to attend the ceremony. Even if we take a step back, the Holy Spirit Cult has been wreaking havoc on the continent for so many years and has harmed countless lives. The Sun Moon Empire's willingness to purge these evil soul masters is undoubtedly a good thing for the entire continent. Even if our academy does not provide help, we cannot take advantage of the situation to add insult to injury."
"Lin'er, haven't you heard the saying 'one must always guard against others'?" Yan Shaozhe still couldn't help but remind her.
"That only son of the Purple Radiance King remained silent for so many years without leaking any information. This kind of endurance and boldness is already extraordinary. A person like that is definitely not as simple as you think."
Zhang Lexuan and Beibei were still junior in seniority and obviously would not participate in such a debate. The other elders occasionally expressed their own opinions.
In the end, Elder Xuan made the final decision, causing the conference hall on the first floor of Sea God Pavilion to become quiet again.
"Both Shaozhe and Lin'er make sense. One must always guard against others, but the Sun Moon Empire's purge of the evil soul masters from the Holy Spirit Cult is indeed in line with righteousness. To deal with these evil soul masters, the Sun Moon Empire will not have the spare capacity to launch invasions against our original Douluo Continent for a long time in the future. Coupled with the return of the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory, it has at least shown considerable sincerity toward our original Douluo Continent. Let's do this: I will personally lead people to take a look and see what kind of person the future ruler of the Sun Moon Empire is. Barring any accidents, the three empires of our original Douluo Continent should have all received invitations. When the time comes, with so many powerhouses from our original Douluo Continent gathered together, the one who should be worried is the Sun Moon Empire."
Since the Sea God Pavilion Master Elder Xuan had spoken this way, no one would object. Moreover, what Elder Xuan said was indeed very reasonable. Under those circumstances, the Sun Moon Empire would definitely not be foolish enough to clash with so many powerhouses from the original Douluo Continent near their capital. After all, a battle of this level could very likely affect the entire Mingdu.
Before the meeting ended, Zhang Lexuan asked Elder Xuan with some concern, "Elder Xuan, is there still no news of Tianhuang?"
She genuinely cared about this outstanding rising star, Yu Tianhuang, who made even her feel somewhat ashamed of her own inadequacy. Moreover, she had promised Elder Mu back then that she would guard Shrek Academy together with Yu Tianhuang in the future.
Elder Xuan shook his head, then smiled comfortingly and said, "Tianhuang slaughtered Zhongli Wu and a group of titled Douluo evil soul masters in Dragon City. He must have cultivated the second soul core with yin-yang complementarity to possess such terrifying combat power. With a yin-yang complementary dual soul core plus titled Douluo-level cultivation, I'm afraid there will no longer be anyone on the entire continent capable of threatening him. Don't worry. With Tianhuang's personality, he must have been delayed by other matters. Perhaps this kid is thinking of completing the soul rings for his second martial soul, which is why he hasn't returned to the academy in time."
"Speaking of which, that only son of the Purple Radiance King is also a person of outstanding talent, actually able to successfully assassinate Xu Tianran. Although we don't know his specific cultivation level, he probably still can't compare to Tianhuang." Beibei was also deeply moved, his expression filled with emotion.
Ever since they met ten years ago, Yu Tianhuang had gradually pulled away from him. He had personally witnessed Yu Tianhuang's growth.
At the same time, the imperial families of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Star Luo Empire, and Dou Ling Empire had all received invitations from the Sun Moon Empire.
In the main hall of the imperial palace in Heavenly Dou City.
Wearing a purple-gold royal crown and a luxurious and elegant palace dress, Wei Na sat on the throne, with civil and military ministers standing on both sides of the hall.
At this moment, Wei Na was flipping through a personal letter from the 'only son of the Purple Radiance King.' There was only one sentence in the letter, but upon seeing it, she suddenly stood up as if struck by lightning.
"Wei Na, now you can tell me your choice again."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)