Chapter 50: First Encounter with Xu Tianran

This power was overwhelming, capable of dominating anywhere on the entire continent except for a few special places.

Even an ordinary Soul Emperor could become an elder in a typical sect, let alone a Soul Saint.

Zhongli Wu led ten Titled Douluos, more than forty Soul Saints, and over fifty Soul Emperors—a display of sheer force that left no room for mistakes.

Jiang Jue looked at his master beside him, and suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

He recalled that in the original storyline, his master was the kind of ruthless person who dared to lead a group of evil soul masters into the Star Dou Forest after the Beast God Di Tian was injured, intent on refining him into his own beast spirit.

The Body Sect was already reckless enough, forming hunting groups to hunt hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest. But compared to the Holy Spirit Cult, which directly went after the Beast God Di Tian, the Body Sect's actions seemed far less audacious.

After all, the Star Dou Forest was Di Tian's home turf. Zhongli Wu had dared to charge in without restraint. Though he was ultimately outmaneuvered by Di Tian and had to retreat, he was still a man bold enough to challenge the Beast God head-on.

Compared to that, the Ice Emperor was lacking.

"Master, I'm fine, but the Second Elder... he died saving us..."

"And Elder Wuyun... he went missing…"

Jiang Jue suddenly choked up, shedding two tears.

He was playing the part of someone grief-stricken, filled with regret.

He seized this opportunity to bring up Nangong Wan's death as soon as possible, ensuring it was exposed early.

At the same time, he deliberately placed the blame on himself. After all, he had been the one to lure the Ice Jade Scorpion. Everything had started because of him.

Of course, Jiang Jue's main concern was that Wuyun might not actually be dead. If Wuyun returned early and reported everything to Zhongli Wu, Jiang Jue would have a hard time explaining himself.

"Sigh, the Second Elder died for the Holy Sect. The Sect will not treat his sacrifice lightly."

"However, he had no heirs or other relatives. We will build a worthy monument in his honor."

Zhongli Wu patted Jiang Jue's shoulder, signaling for him not to grieve too much.

Hearing this, Jiang Jue immediately felt relieved.

Zhongli Wu had not placed the blame on him but had instead acknowledged that Nangong Wan had died for the Sect.

That meant this matter would soon be put to rest.

"As for Wuyun, he is not dead. He is simply... recuperating elsewhere."

When Zhongli Wu spoke of Wuyun, he hesitated for a moment, and his tone became unnatural.

After all, during the days Jiang Jue had been missing, Wuyun had suffered greatly.

Jiang Jue was Zhongli Wu's personal disciple, whom he planned to groom as his successor. Now that Jiang Jue had returned, Wuyun was safe. If Jiang Jue had not come back, Wuyun's fate would have been grim.

"Let's go back to the Sect first."

Zhongli Wu lifted Jiang Jue with his soul power and flew toward the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters, with the other members of the Cult following closely behind.

Not far from the Evil Demon Forest, a burly man with a rugged face let out a deep breath, cursing under his breath.

"Crazy bastards, making such a big scene."

He was clad in fiery red soul armor, radiating the aura of a Titled Douluo. Floating behind him were 365 burning Tianluo Pearls, emitting an intense heat.

He was Wang Yiheng, the Mad Bull Douluo, and the leader of the Evil Sovereign Soul Engineer Legion—one of the four great Beast King Soul Engineer Legions of the Sun-Moon Empire.

The old emperor of the Sun-Moon Empire had recently noticed unusual activity from the Holy Spirit Cult. As a ruler who had killed his own brother to seize the throne, he was certainly not senile.

He was well aware of the Cult's involvement in the imperial succession struggle, but he had chosen to ignore it.

After all, anyone who became emperor had to fight for it. The weak could never sit on the throne in a world where strength ruled.

However, the Holy Spirit Cult's recent large-scale search for Jiang Jue had made the old emperor uneasy.

The Cult was a force he couldn't afford to overlook.

Thus, he had sent the Evil Sovereign Soul Engineer Legion, stationed outside the Evil Demon Forest, to investigate.

This responsibility fell on Wang Yiheng's shoulders. Keeping an eye on the Cult's evil soul masters made him uneasy.

Fortunately, things had settled down now.

But just moments ago, he could tell that Zhongli Wu had already noticed his presence—he had simply chosen to ignore him.

"Letting these people get involved in the imperial family… is that really a good idea?"

Wang Yiheng furrowed his brows, a hint of worry in his eyes.

This matter concerned him directly, so he had to take it seriously.

"Sigh, the old emperor can still live for a few more years. There's no point in worrying about it now. I should focus on perfecting the Blazing Tianluo."

Wang Yiheng sighed and turned to leave.

Back at the Holy Spirit Cult, Zhongli Wu did not say much and simply instructed Jiang Jue to rest and recover.

He did not mention anything about the Extreme North. Instead, he kept the Masked Douluo and Zhang Peng behind for questioning.

Zhang Peng had long since pledged allegiance to Jiang Jue, so his answers were flawless.

As for the Masked Douluo, he wasn't particularly intelligent and simply echoed Zhang Peng's words.

Not that it was his fault—after being knocked out cold by the Ice Emperor, he truly had no idea what had happened.

When he finally woke up, his mind was still hazy, and he hadn't done anything except eat.

Three days later, Zhongli Wu came to find Jiang Jue again.

"My disciple, come with me to the Sun-Moon Empire's imperial palace."

Zhongli Wu looked at Jiang Jue with satisfaction.

Jiang Jue's soul power had already reached level 38. And he had only just turned eleven.

At the same age, Zhongli Wu himself had not reached this level.

"Don't push yourself too hard. Cultivation should be done step by step. Your current strength already surpasses all your peers."

Zhongli Wu advised Jiang Jue.

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master."

Jiang Jue replied respectfully.

"Hmm~"

Zhongli Wu hummed in approval, his lips curling into a smile.

He liked hearing that.

"Let's go."

Zhongli Wu picked up Jiang Jue and headed for Mingdu.

Jiang Jue remained silent, but he had a feeling that something unexpected awaited him on this trip.

The Sun-Moon Empire's imperial palace was at the heart of Mingdu, surrounded by luxurious halls and palaces.

At the entrance, Zhongli Wu revealed an Eight-Clawed Fire Dragon token.

The guards immediately bowed in respect.

This token held immense authority, allowing unrestricted access to the palace.

Zhongli Wu led Jiang Jue past the main hall and deeper into the palace.

Along the way, he encountered no obstacles—everyone stepped aside upon seeing the token.

Soon, they arrived in front of a palace with its doors already open, as if awaiting their arrival.

A servant hurriedly came out, bowing respectfully.

"His Highness is in the study. Please follow me."

The palace was grand yet elegant, decorated with Eight-Clawed Fire Dragon motifs everywhere.

Inside the study, a young man dressed in white sat behind a desk. He appeared to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven, his attire simple yet refined.

His sharp eyes exuded authority, and though he wasn't particularly handsome, he had the undeniable presence of a ruler. His dark skin glowed with a healthy luster.

Beside him, a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl was eating pastries, looking innocent and carefree.

Upon seeing Zhongli Wu, the young man tried to rise in greeting—

But his lower body was completely missing.

Before he could speak, Zhongli Wu's calm voice rang out:

"Your Highness, since your legs are inconvenient, there's no need to trouble yourself."

The young man's expression stiffened, his lips twitching.

Jiang Jue, who had been following behind, saw this and inwardly smirked.

Master, you really have a way with words.