Chapter 218: The Heaven Soul Emperor Who Follows His Heart!
"Your Majesty," said Sima Jinchi seriously, "to be frank, with the current strength of the Douluo Federation, conquering Xingluo is only a matter of time. The Federation has already deployed a god-slaying weapon, annihilated the traitorous Tang Sect, and expelled Shrek Academy."
"If the Federation wished, it could dispatch troops at any moment. I fear your nation would not be able to resist."
"However, the Douluo Federation has always cherished peace, never driven by conquest. It will never take the initiative to invade another land."
The Heaven Soul Emperor's lips twitched.
Did this man actually expect anyone to believe that nonsense?
Was he supposed to place his empire's survival on the integrity of a foreign promise?
Of course, he knew the Federation had no interest in this barren continent… but as Emperor, he had to defend the sanctity of his sovereignty.
"This…"
Sima Jinchi interrupted smoothly. "If the Heaven Soul Empire declines, perhaps the Douling Empire would be more… interested."
A threat?
The Emperor's temper flared—but then he caught himself, forced a smile, and sat down again.
No use getting angry at a youngster.
"Very well," he said at last, "I agree!"
The truth was, the moment Sima Jinchi mentioned the evil soul masters and the Abyss, the Emperor knew he had no choice.
Whether he approved or not, the Federation would act.
If he refused, they might label him a collaborator of the Holy Spirit Cult—and destroy him for good measure.
All because his country was too weak.
He swallowed his pride with bitterness.
But when Sima Jinchi handed him the investment plan from the Spirit Transmission Tower—particularly the allocation of high-grade spirit souls—his mood instantly brightened.
"Splendid! Excellent! Wonderful!" the Emperor exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.
"I fully agree! The Heaven Soul Empire supports this completely!"
Then, adopting his most righteous tone, he declared, "The Spirit Transmission Tower and the Federation shall have our full cooperation in eradicating the evil soul masters and restoring peace to Heaven Soul!"
"I will personally hand over every spy and agent of the Holy Spirit Cult within our borders to the Spirit Transmission Tower!"
Douluo University – Girls' Dormitory
Huo Ling'er stared blankly at the ceiling, lifeless, hollow-eyed, as though her soul had gone wandering.
"Where did Ancestor go? Did Ancestor abandon me? Wuwuwu… I failed the task the patriarch gave me—I lost him!"
Ever since arriving at the university, she and her "ancestor" had grown distant.
No more forge practice under his supervision. No more guidance.
Ironically, the things she had once dreaded—being forced to hammer metal day after day—were now the things she missed.
Back then, she'd complained, What kind of girl smashes iron all day?
But now that he was gone, her whole routine had fallen apart. She stopped training, stopped studying, stopped caring altogether.
She'd gone soft.
"Ancestor… I want my ancestor back…"
In contrast, Xu Xiaoyan was perfectly at peace.
Where Huo Ling'er despaired, Xiaoyan basked in blissful laziness.
She was finally free—free from family control, free to live her life.
Life had never felt this beautiful!
Yawning, she glanced over at the crying mess beside her and muttered, "Ugh, you're worse than Tang Wulin."
"At least he chases after his crush. You just cling to fantasies—calling your ancestor 'brother' and claiming no one else can have him."
To Xiaoyan, Huo Ling'er was hopelessly delusional.
Could she not see he treated her like a child?
And then there was the other one…
Xiaoyan snuck a quick peek at their icy roommate and immediately looked away. That one she didn't dare tease.
"Honestly," she whispered under her breath, "what's so special about Jiang Chen? He's just a bit strong, a bit high-status—and fine, maybe a bit handsome…"
Boom!
At that moment, the temperature in the room plummeted.
A freezing aura radiated from Xue Di, crystallizing the air itself. The frost spread across every surface, making both Huo Ling'er and Xiaoyan shiver violently.
"B-big Sister Xue! Calm down!"
"Y-yeah! Ling'er already said it—Ancestor's mine! Stop dreaming!"
Bang!
A single punch shattered the desk beside Xue Di into snow and shards of ice.
The two girls didn't even flinch anymore; they'd seen this too many times.
Shivering, Xiaoyan murmured, "Sister Xue, maybe Jiang Chen and Gu Yue just had something important to do. They'll be back soon. Please, rest a bit."
But Xue Di sat silently, unmoving.
Like a statue.
Like her mind had closed itself off entirely.
Truthfully, this wasn't just about Gu Yue—Na'er had gotten under her skin too.
They'd once promised each other: We'll become gods together and stay by each other's side forever.
And yet somehow, another woman had entered the picture.
She remembered the first time she visited Jiang Chen's house—his closet filled with women's clothing.
"Damn it…"
Na'er's smug words echoed in her mind, breaking what calm she had left.
When I knew Jiang Chen, you weren't even born yet!
"Damn it all!" she snarled.
"It was supposed to be me first!"
Elsewhere, in the villa district.
Jiang Chen suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine but quickly brushed it off as he looked around in awe.
"This is the exchange students' dorm? Then what was our old dorm, a stable?"
Even Douluo University had luxury housing like this?
"Which room's mine?"
Na'er pointed upstairs. The first floor held the kitchen, training hall, forge, and lab—everything one could need.
The second and third floors had the bedrooms.
"Which floor are you on?" he asked.
"Third."
"Then I'm staying on the third too."
"Why?" she frowned.
"I'm scared."
Na'er: "…"
She knew exactly what kind of "fear" he meant. Narrowing her eyes, she muttered, "Men and women shouldn't share quarters."
"Oh? You suddenly care about propriety—and yet you still brought me here?"
"If you don't want to stay, leave!"
With a huff, Na'er strode upstairs, ignoring him.
Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she'd let this troublemaker live with her.
Maybe… to protect him? Yes, that was it. She was protecting him—from Gu Yue's temper.
Yes, that sounded reasonable.
Except she didn't believe it herself.
She turned to check on him—only to see him hefting his suitcase.
Na'er: "???"
She'd been bluffing! He wasn't actually supposed to leave!
"Where are you going!?"
"Out," Jiang Chen said casually. "If men and women shouldn't live together, I'll go visit Xue Di instead."
"Oh, that reminds me—send her a message, will you? Tell her I'm back."
Na'er froze, eyes wide.
"You stop right there!" she snapped.
"I said—you're not leaving!"
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/LightKira10