Chapter 206: Su Yu—"I Don't Think It's a Big Deal!"

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"Your Majesty, have you considered my proposal?" Zhongli Wu's voice carried barely restrained anger.

It was unclear whether he was truly enraged by Huo Yuhao's astonishing feat—defeating seven evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Cult in succession—or if he was simply using this as an excuse to press Xu Tiannan once more about his previous proposal.

The Snow Empress—A 700,000-Year-Old Ferocious Beast.

Zhongli Wu wasn't entirely sure whether others could absorb her soul ring. After all, even a ninth soul ring of such immense age would normally cause a soul master's body to explode upon absorption.

However, finding a soul master who met the necessary conditions wasn't impossible.

One option was possessing twin martial souls, which would allow the second martial soul to be considered.

And beyond twin martial souls, there were other potential methods as well.

As a leader of the Holy Spirit Cult and an evil soul master, Zhongli Wu was inherently selfish. He was also unaware of his mother, Ye Xishui's, twin martial souls. Naturally, his desire to capture the Snow Empress stemmed from his own ambitions.

Had he already absorbed nine soul rings?

That wasn't a concern.

There were always ways to make use of the Snow Empress's soul ring.

As an evil soul master, Zhongli Wu's thought process defied conventional logic.

Despite only having known about the Snow Empress's identity for a few days, he had already devised numerous ways to exploit her soul ring.

The most effective method, of course, was to forcefully absorb her soul ring upon reaching Rank 99 and attempt a breakthrough to Rank 100. However, since he lacked the confidence to reach Rank 99 in the short term and fully refine his soul power, this wasn't the approach he placed the most hope in.

Aside from using her as a potential tenth soul ring and relying on external forces to push himself beyond Rank 100, Zhongli Wu had also conceived various other strategies. He could, for example, destroy one of his existing soul rings to make room for hers, or shatter the Snow Empress's soul ring and extract its "spirit" to enhance his current rings. Another option was to imprison her soul and absorb its essence to strengthen his existing nine soul rings.

Although breaking the Snow Empress's soul ring would inevitably result in some spiritual energy dissipating, as long as he could harness a portion of it, Zhongli Wu wouldn't consider it a loss.

Even if he could only utilize 300,000 years' worth of her 700,000-year cultivation, he would still be satisfied.

Moreover, there was her spiritual form and her soul bones—these alone made the risk worthwhile.

Now that Zhongli Wu had once again brought up his previous request, Xu Tiannan found it difficult to continue brushing him off.

He could feel the barely contained fury radiating from Zhongli Wu.

Huo Yuhao's rampage in the arena had been possible not only because of his own strength and the lack of pressure from the audience but also because the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire—Xu Tiannan himself—had refrained from exerting any influence.

At the time, Xu Tiannan had been considering using Jing Hongchen to counterbalance the Holy Spirit Cult. Since he saw nothing inherently wrong with Huo Yuhao's actions, he had chosen not to intervene.

Now, with Zhongli Wu seething with anger, he could easily shift some of the blame onto him.

Xu Tiannan was a madman—after being crippled, he had lost his sanity.

By working with evil soul masters and engaging with the Holy Spirit Cult, he understood all too well that they were lunatics—perhaps even more unhinged than himself.

Zhongli Wu, in particular, was highly unpredictable.

"The Grand Preceptor speaks the truth," Xu Tiannan finally responded. "There is no room for reconciliation between human soul masters and soul beasts. Since the Snow Empress has taken human form and entered the human world, it is only natural that we hunt her down. However—"

"You needn't worry about her strength, Your Majesty," Zhongli Wu interrupted. "Even if she has ways to recover after taking human form, there are still many limitations upon her. Not to mention, outside of the Extreme North, she cannot unleash her full power."

Ice Attribute.

"Ice attribute—the most environment-dependent attribute of all."

With the right surroundings, ice-attribute soul masters could unleash attacks far beyond their own level.

However, without environmental support, every bit of ice they conjured had to come from their own power, making an immense difference in effectiveness.

This was especially true for the Snow Empress, whose strength was deeply tied to the Extreme North.

The Snow Empress's Ultimate Ice, combined with the Extreme North's perpetually frozen landscape, created a perfect synergy.

But now, the Snow Empress had left the Extreme North!

Long Xiaoyao might not have any personal interest in the Snow Empress, but once a true battle broke out, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by.

Besides, Zhongli Wu was well aware of the power currently held by the Sun Moon Empire.

"Your Majesty, we will need the cooperation of the ninth-tier soul engineers from both the Sun-Moon Hall and the Worship Hall," Zhongli Wu stated.

Since Huo Yuhao had already displayed mid-tier battle armor, it meant Sun-Moon Hall's research had likely progressed to high-tier battle armor—perhaps even perfected it. They might even be exploring the next stage of development.

This aligned with the intelligence Zhongli Wu had gathered.

Regardless of how far high-tier battle armor had advanced, he was determined to see it for himself today.

As the Hall Master of Sun-Moon Hall, Jing Hongchen undoubtedly possessed the most cutting-edge battle armor.

"Your Majesty only needs to mobilize the Royal Soul Engineer Legion to surround this Grand Soul Dueling Arena."

Consult Jing Hongchen in advance?

Zhongli Wu thought the chances of him agreeing to cooperate were slim. Instead, approaching him directly might alert him and cause him to act cautiously, perhaps even secretly interfering.

It was better to force the situation into motion first.

Xu Tiannan had originally intended to discuss the plan with Jing Hongchen, but after hearing Zhongli Wu's words, he felt a wave of helplessness.

How could he possibly be sincere about helping the Holy Spirit Cult grow stronger?

Jing Hongchen had already shown clear hostility toward the Holy Spirit Cult. Xu Tiannan naturally wanted to use him to sabotage Zhongli Wu's plans.

At that moment, Xu Tiannan vaguely realized—cooperating with the Holy Spirit Cult was like making a deal with a tiger.

Even as the emperor, he was beginning to feel like he was being manipulated. When their interests didn't align, he might even have to endure it and comply with Zhongli Wu's demands.

While this particular situation was unique, Xu Tiannan didn't like the feeling one bit.

Now, he was riding a tiger with no way to dismount.

"The Holy Spirit Cult must be suppressed. Jing Hongchen has already shown hostility toward them—after this event, I need to ensure both sides engage in full-scale conflict. The more intense, the better. I must also obtain battle armor technology from Sun-Moon Hall and use it to arm my own forces. Power must remain in my hands."

Xu Tiannan reflected on his position.

"The deployment of the soul tool formation must also be expedited."

The emergence of battle armor had greatly reduced his reliance on the Holy Spirit Cult.

In terms of sheer strength, he no longer had to worry about lacking power.

Unfortunately, when battle armor technology first surfaced, he had already set foot on a path of no return. Until he was capable of completely eliminating the Holy Spirit Cult's threat, he couldn't afford to cast them aside.

---

"Quarterfinals, Match Two—Aojian Sect versus Xuemozong!"

The political scheming on the VIP stage did not interfere with the tournament's proceedings.

Or rather, it was the tournament itself that served as the foundation for their political maneuvers.

The Sun Moon Imperial Battle Team had long since left the preparation area and returned to the resting zone. Meanwhile, only Zhang Peng remained from the Holy Spirit Cult's side, his face dark and brooding as he silently exited the arena.

Huo Yuhao's battle had inflicted significant damage on the arena. Even though this soul tool-based dueling platform had self-repair capabilities, restoring it still required time.

With several soul engineers working together, they completed the repairs as quickly as possible. Only then did Zheng Zhan announce the start of the second match.

Both the Xuemozong and Aojian Sect teams entered the preparation area.

Meanwhile, Su Yu remained focused on observing the situation on the VIP stage.

"I wonder if Zhongli Wu can resist the temptation."

If he could, then Su Yu would have to admit the man had impressive restraint. If not—then the real climax was about to begin.

Aojian Sect was continuing their challenge to push past their limits, hoping to gain insights for further breakthroughs through combat.

Meanwhile, Xuemozong played along, choosing not to send Snow Maiden into battle right away.

Or rather, whether Snow Maiden—the Snow Empress herself—would take the stage wasn't Xuemozong's decision to make. It depended entirely on whether she was willing to fight.

But as the match progressed, the Snow Empress ultimately stepped onto the stage.

"Your Majesty." Zhongli Wu leaned in with a reminder.

Watching the breathtakingly beautiful girl exuding an aura of pride and majesty, Xu Tiannan finally spoke:

"Wait a moment!"

At his command, the Unbreakable Douluo, who was just about to announce the start of the match, had no choice but to halt the proceedings. He turned toward the VIP stage with a puzzled expression.

Jing Hongchen also turned to Xu Tiannan, waiting for an explanation.

He had not been informed of Xu Tiannan and Zhongli Wu's plans.

However, everything that had happened today had been orchestrated by Su Yu. Because of this, Jing Hongchen could more or less deduce what was going on.

That said, with Su Yu's foresight and planning, Jing Hongchen might not be as easily forced into cooperating with the empire as Zhongli Wu had anticipated.

The audience's attention was now fully drawn to Xu Tiannan's abrupt interruption.

What was happening?

The tournament had been halted.

The spectators were confused, but some individuals had already begun to piece things together.

Among the factions aware of the Snow Empress's true identity, many had already made their own speculations.

Xu Tiannan rose from his imperial chariot, fixing his gaze on the Snow Empress standing in the arena. Then, he spoke.

"Are you the Snow Empress? The leader of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, the third-ranked among the Ten Great Beasts!"

What began as a question became a firm declaration as he continued.

The Snow Empress on the stage remained calm, showing no reaction to Xu Tiannan publicly revealing her identity.

Boom.

The entire Grand Soul Dueling Arena erupted into chaos.

Even those unfamiliar with the Snow Empress's name understood the significance of what had just been said.

The third-ranked among the Ten Great Beasts—a soul beast with 700,000 years of cultivation!

And she had come all the way to Sun-Moon?

A transformed soul beast!

As murmurs spread like wildfire through the crowd, the shock only intensified. Instead of subsiding, it grew even more heated.

"Xu Tiannan is planning to strike against the Snow Empress," Yan Shaozhe muttered, his expression grim.

Could he truly not wait any longer?

Moments ago, there had been unusual movements from the Soul Engineer Legion outside the arena. As expected, it was all for the Snow Empress.

But why now?

There were only two days left until the tournament's conclusion.

Could Xu Tiannan truly not hold back for just that long?

Winning the championship and securing a decisive victory over Shrek Academy—was that really less important than capturing the Snow Empress?

Yan Shaozhe exhaled slightly.

Let it escalate.

The bigger, the better.

If this turned into utter chaos and disrupted the tournament completely, that would be ideal.

If the Holy Spirit Cult moved against the Snow Empress, Shrek Academy would have a justifiable reason to intervene and help her escape.

After all, while Elder Xuan was injured, he carried a core branch of the Golden Tree, which could stabilize his condition.

Moreover, this was not the heart of Sun-Moon—only an area planned for future expansion. Its defenses were not nearly as formidable as the imperial city's inner perimeter.

Considering these factors, Yan Shaozhe realized that if Xu Tiannan acted now, it might actually be the most favorable outcome for Shrek Academy.

Su Tong gazed at the Snow Empress on the stage, momentarily lost in thought.

For most people, the revelation of the Snow Empress's identity was nothing short of shocking.

Xu Tiannan's voice rang out once more.

"As a soul beast, you have illegally infiltrated the capital of my Sun Moon Empire. If we do not take you down, we would be failing the many academies and sects that have gathered here for this tournament!"

"Your very presence is a threat to the safety of Sun-Moon."

"Along with you, the countless sects and academies participating in this tournament are also under threat. Therefore, we must take you down."

As Zhongli Wu released his soul power, an overwhelming pressure instantly engulfed the entire Grand Soul Dueling Arena.

At the same time, Zhang Peng also unleashed the terrifying aura of a Super Douluo.

Outside the arena, the soldiers of the Royal Soul Engineer Legion knelt on one knee, massive soul cannons mounted on their shoulders.

At minimum, they wielded Rank-7 Soul Guidance Laser Cannons.

Their positioning was meticulous, sealing off every possible escape route. Moreover, their formations were interconnected—each soldier's cannon could merge its attack with others, forming a devastating converging laser.

At the front line stood a linked soul laser array, capable of firing at a Rank-9 Soul Cannon level.

Behind them, additional soldiers had already activated stationary soul cannons, equipping Rank-8 stationary soul cannon shells and locking onto the arena's general vicinity.

"So this is the power humanity has achieved?"

The Snow Empress felt a strong sense of danger—but not enough to make her despair.

Beyond the arena, three Rank-9 Soul Engineers revealed their auras, each activating their strongest soul tools. The air was thick with tension, their weapons poised to unleash devastating attacks at any moment.

On the eastern side of the arena, soul cannons from Sun-Moon's inner city had also been activated. Long-range artillery had already taken aim at their location.

At this moment, a hidden figure among the spectators finally stepped forward—Long Xiaoyao.

As the terrifying aura of an Ultimate Douluo erupted from his body, the Snow Empress's expression grew solemn.

This was true danger.

Yet, to her, the greatest threat wasn't Long Xiaoyao or the other human powerhouses.

It was the soul tools.

A formless sense of danger locked onto her. If she wanted to escape, it would come at a heavy price. And the biggest obstacle to her freedom would be those soul cannons.

The raw destructive power of the human powerhouses might surpass that of the cannons, but the soul cannons were the true hindrance to her retreat.

Then there was that terrifying presence emanating from a great distance—one that sent chills through her very soul.

"Could this be the Rank-9 stationary soul cannon shell Su Yu mentioned?"

At least three Rank-9 stationary soul cannon shells had already locked onto her position.

On the main stage, Jing Hongchen's expression darkened.

"Xu Tiannan has mobilized such an overwhelming force?"

Was he truly helping the Holy Spirit Cult capture the Snow Empress?

Or was it something else…

"Could it be that, unknowingly, the Holy Spirit Cult's influence over the empire has already reached this level?"

Jing Hongchen's heart trembled as he turned his gaze toward Xu Tiannan.

And there—deep within Xu Tiannan's eyes—he caught a fleeting glimmer of fear.

Perhaps the decision to deploy such a massive defensive force still rested in Xu Tiannan's hands, but it was no longer his alone to make.

The Holy Spirit Cult had infiltrated the empire, securing control over a substantial portion of its power.

A cancer.

A festering, malignant tumor.

Jing Hongchen couldn't help but feel relieved that Su Yu had devised this plan.

"This is the perfect chance to suppress the Holy Spirit Cult."

"How many soul masters have fallen at the hands of the Snow Empress? Our Sun Moon Empire must seek justice for them!"

Zhongli Wu spoke with unwavering authority, his voice carrying across the arena.

As the Imperial Preceptor, personally appointed by Xu Tiannan, he had the right to make such declarations.

However, hearing these words, Xu Tiannan's expression turned dark.

"Hahahahaha!"