Douluo Jueshi: Who let him join Shrek!

How to do?
For the Sun and Moon Empire, the next deployment is of great importance.

The plan against the Douling Empire has failed, and all future plans will need to be significantly altered.

After a few seconds of silence, Ju Zi observed Xu Tianran's expression before slowly saying, "Your Majesty, perhaps the situation is not as bad as you imagine."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianran's eyes narrowed slightly, and he tapped his fingers on the armrest of his wheelchair, saying softly, "Tell me about it."

Orange began to analyze: "Although the Heavenly Soul Empire is going to merge with the Fighting Spirit Empire, the Fighting Spirit Empire is, after all, an empire that has existed for thousands of years. Even if there is a lineage between them, this merger is ostensibly a merger, but in reality, it is an annexation."

In this situation, there will inevitably be dissenting voices within the Douling Empire, which we can utilize. Furthermore, the Tianhun Empire has gained such a significant advantage that the Xingluo Empire is unlikely to be content with it; this can also be taken advantage of.

However, we can't put too much pressure on them if we want these things to escalate."

The annexation of the Douling Empire by the Tianhun Empire had a significant impact on all parties involved.

On the surface, the return of the two empires to the Heavenly Dou Empire is a historic event, but in reality, the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire have been divided for thousands of years!

Over the course of thousands of years, the conflicts and other aspects between the two empires have changed significantly.

It's clearly impossible for the Douling Empire to seamlessly merge into the Tianhun Empire.

Meanwhile, the Star Luo Empire, facing the merged Heaven Dou Empire, will certainly feel pressure.

At this point, as long as the Sun Moon Empire does not continue to exert pressure, these conflicts will intensify over time and as people's hearts waver.

That was when the Sun Moon Empire had a new opportunity.

Conversely, if the Sun Moon Empire exerts significant pressure at this time, forcing the other side to unite, it will become very troublesome and may even promote the integration between the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Fighting Spirit Empire.

After all, the Douling Empire's royal family was destroyed by the Sun Moon Empire.

"Don't put too much pressure on them."

Xu Tianran murmured to himself, his expression unreadable.

He had thought of this, and he knew that what Ju Zi said was right.

However, there is one issue that needs to be noted here, which is...
time!

Even if the Sun Moon Empire doesn't put pressure on them, it would still take a long time for the conflict between them to erupt.

What he lacks most right now is time!

He hadn't forgotten that Jiang Ming had threatened to kill him within a year.

Now, several months have passed. If he cannot complete his plan in a short period of time, he may not be able to get past Jiang Ming.

Even though he had some countermeasures, Jiang Ming was just too outrageous!

He wasn't entirely confident he could stop Jiang Ming. If he couldn't, and he died, given the current state of the Sun Moon Empire, let alone unifying the continent, it would be good enough if they could avoid being invaded by the newly merged Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire.

He doesn't put pressure on the two great empires of Tiandou and Xingluo, but Jiang Ming is constantly putting pressure on him!
"I'll think about it some more."

As he spoke, Xu Tianran waved his hand, and Ju Zi pushed him around in the Imperial Garden.

Having just vented his anger in the palace, he was now in a period of emotional calm, but the blood-red and ferocious look deep in his eyes had become even more intense.

Xu Tianran seemed to realize his problem, but he didn't seem to try to suppress it; in fact, he seemed to be indulging in it.

Meanwhile, in Mingdu, besides the imperial palace, the high-ranking officials of the Sun Moon Empire also knew about the news coming from the front lines.

The royal family members all looked very grim when they saw the intelligence.

They are on Xu Tianran's side. In fact, over the years, all those in the royal family who were not on Xu Tianran's side have died.

Therefore, their interests are tied to Xu Tianran's.

But now, as Xu Tianran's condition becomes increasingly unstable, and with frequent reports from the front lines that are detrimental to the Sun Moon Empire, they have begun to feel anxious, and have even started to have some other ideas!
"His Majesty smashed up the palace again yesterday and even killed a soldier."

Inside the meeting room, a young man holding a position in the palace, belonging to a collateral branch of the royal family, spoke in a deep voice.

Previously, working in the palace was a relatively well-paying job, but now, with Xu Tianran's increasingly violent mood swings, working in the palace has become a high-risk profession.

Even if he is from a collateral branch of the royal family, and even if he doesn't directly confront Xu Tianran, who can guarantee that Xu Tianran won't go crazy one day and kill him?

"His Majesty is becoming increasingly cruel. I feel he is completely different from before."

An elderly man with white hair said in a deep voice.

He is one of the more senior members of the royal family, and his status is quite high. He is considered one of the core members of the royal family.

He had been a member of Xu Tianran's faction for a long time. Even after Xu Tianran was assassinated and became disabled, he did not switch sides but continued to support Xu Tianran.

He always believed that Xu Tianran would be the one to make the Sun Moon Empire great again!
But now, his thinking has begun to subtly change.

Xu Tianran is becoming increasingly unfamiliar to him.

Although the original Xu Tianran was physically disabled, he was not so violent in nature. Even if he occasionally went crazy, it was not a frequent occurrence.

But now, people kill people and cause destruction at the drop of a hat.

This is definitely the look of a tyrant!

"Yes, ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, he's been like a different person, constantly suspicious and paranoid. I suspect... perhaps the Holy Spirit Cult did something to His Majesty?"

Someone suggested an idea.

They were unaware that Jiang Ming had told Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming that he would kill Xu Tianran within a year, so they couldn't understand why Xu Tianran's emotions had changed so drastically during this period.

"Perhaps. I told His Majesty long ago that he should not get too close to those evil spirit masters!"

An old man said in a deep voice.

"All right!"

At this moment, a middle-aged man spoke up.

He was the person in the Sun Moon Empire's royal family who was closest to Xu Tianran, and also Xu Tianran's most staunch supporter.

"His Majesty's current situation is indeed very strange, but we must trust him; he will surely be able to turn things around."

At this point, someone else asked, "But if His Majesty's current state continues, it will cause serious problems! The policies His Majesty has implemented, constantly increasing taxes and forcing people to mine, will eventually lead to this."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man frowned.

"I will speak with His Majesty."

These words shocked everyone present.

Talking to Xu Tianran face-to-face now would be extremely risky!

Meanwhile, somewhere in Mingdu.

Mingjiang, who had been lurking in Mingdu, has found the place where Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were in seclusion.

It was called a closed-door retreat, but in reality it was just confinement.

Of the top three level-nine soul masters in the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran distrusts Jing Hongchen the least.

After all, Jiang Ming was brought into Mingde Hall by Jing Hongchen. If Jing Hongchen hadn't done such a thing, Jiang Ming would never have become so strong in such a short time!

At least, Jiang Ming is not a level nine Soul Master now!
Moreover, Jing Hongchen had said he would groom Mingjiang to be the next head of Mingde Hall, and this was with his consent.

Even the Mingjiang that Jiang Ming had transformed into was so close to him back then!

If Jiang Ming had acted directly back then, he might be dead by now!
Under these circumstances, it's impossible for him to completely trust Jing Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen was aware of this as well.

Therefore, he cooperated almost entirely with Xu Tianran's surveillance over the past few years, without showing the slightest abnormality, for fear that Xu Tianran would think he was going to defect.

Even when Xu Tianran removed him from his position as the head of Mingde Hall, he did not complain at all.

There's nothing to say about the mistakes we made back then.

But what he cares about most are his grandchildren.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen are what he worries about most.

Jiang Ming, having spent so much time by Jing Hongchen's side, naturally knew this.

Therefore, in the plan targeting Jing Hongchen, sowing discord between Jing Hongchen and Xu Tianran was only the first step.

He wanted to gradually cool down Jing Hongchen's loyalty to Xu Tianran, and wear down some things in Jing Hongchen's heart.

Then, through the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, Jing Hongchen was completely separated from Xu Tianran's core group!
Of course, this approach is somewhat despicable.

Yes, this is indeed the best method.

"Are you sure?"

Mingjiang looked at the Star Luo Empire's spies in Mingdu and asked in a deep voice.

The other party nodded and said, "Confirmed! Xu Tianran had the elders of the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Hall take Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen to a secluded cultivation place in a mountain villa east of Mingdu!"

Upon hearing this, Mingjiang's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Alright, that's all for you now. Mingdu has been cracking down hard lately, so be careful."

After saying that, Mingjiang's figure disappeared from the spot.

He only needed to know that Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were there; he didn't intend to involve them in anything else.

In fact, acting alone is far more discreet and convenient than acting in a group.

He was just an avatar.

Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Mingde Hall.

In one of the laboratories deep inside Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen stopped what she was doing.

He has been here for over a month, constantly making soul tools.

To be precise, they are manufacturing level nine fixed-position soul-guided projectiles!
This strategic resource is extremely important to the Sun Moon Empire. The level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells that Jiang Ming stole need to be replenished by these level-nine soul masters.

Of course, making level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells is very tiring!
Despite being one of the best among level nine soul masters, crafting level nine fixed-position soul guide shells is still very time-consuming, laborious, and extremely dangerous.

When he was the head of Mingde Hall, he was basically not required to do such dangerous work.

But now, he has to do it himself.

There was nothing he could do; he had lost Xu Tianran's trust, and his grandchildren had been confined by Xu Tianran.

Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to do this dangerous work here.

Of course, Jing Hongchen was, after all, the former head of Mingde Hall and the dean of Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Even after being removed from the list, there are still some preferential treatments.

He has time to rest, and when he's tired, he can leave these incredibly oppressive laboratories.

Today, just as he stepped out of Mingde Hall, intending to go home, a loud explosion rang out in the eastern part of Mingdu!

The moment the explosion occurred, martial law was declared in the entire capital! Countless Soul Masters, Soul Instructors, and soldiers flew towards the site of the explosion.

Even though Xu Tianran has sent out all five national guardian soul master groups, the Mingdu region still has a powerful force protecting it, thanks to the Sun Moon Empire's foundation.

Inside the palace, when Xu Tianran saw that the explosion was coming from the eastern part of Mingdu, his expression changed slightly.

"Ju Zi, go and bring Jing Hongchen over."

The eastern part of Mingdu was the residence of the imperial family's patrons.

He wasn't worried about the safety of the worshippers over there, as they were mostly level nine soul masters and titled Douluo-level powerhouses.

But what he was worried about was Jing Hongchen!
Laughing at the mortal world, dreaming of the mortal world—it's right there!
It's hard to say whether such a big commotion was aimed at the ancestral hall or at Meng Hongchen and his sister.

Ju Zi understood what Xu Tianran was worried about, and immediately headed towards the eastern part of Mingdu under the protection of a level nine soul master.

As for where Jing Hongchen was, because it was quite far away and he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, he didn't rush over.

Until Ju Zi found him and took him to Xu Tianran's place, he was still unaware of what had happened in eastern Mingdu.

"His Majesty!"

Jing Hongchen bowed respectfully.

Xu Tianran nodded slightly and said softly, "Master Hongchen, how have you been lately?"

Jing Hongchen looked up at Xu Tianran, her face expressionless.

Don't you know whether I'm good or not? Even in the lab, there are people watching him.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am well. However, I am no longer the head of Mingde Hall, so please do not address me as head. Also, I would like to see my grandchildren. Your Majesty promised me that I could see them once a month."

Xu Tianran put Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen in solitary confinement. To ensure their safety, Jing Hongchen had naturally tried to persuade them.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Hehe, Jing Hongchen, you are very dissatisfied with me? Do you harbor resentment?"

Jing Hongchen sighed softly and said, "Your Majesty, I know my own situation perfectly well, and I dare not harbor any resentment. Now, I only hope to watch my grandchildren grow up peacefully."

Xu Tianran waved his hand and said, "I understand, but Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen are still in seclusion. The enshrined monks in the Hall of Offerings said that they are both very diligent and have made great progress, so you don't need to worry."

Jing Hongchen: "But..."

Xu Tianran frowned: "What, do you think I would lie to you?"

Jing Hongchen: "I wouldn't dare."

Xu Tianran: "Alright, let's go back first. You'll see it when Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen finish their seclusion."

Jing Hongchen had no choice but to leave.

After Jing Hongchen left, Xu Tianran opened his right palm, revealing a slip of paper inside.

"Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen have been kidnapped!" (End of Chapter)