In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

The following day, a bombshell announcement spread throughout the entire Douluo Continent: the Heavenly Soul Empress issued an edict of self-reproach, declaring that she was unworthy of her position, relinquishing the throne of the Heavenly Soul Empire, and declaring her abdication.

Before stepping down, Ye Xishui did not abdicate the throne, nor did she name the next heir. Instead, she left the Tianhun Empire's nobility with a mess.

The various Soul Master families of the Heavenly Soul Empire originally intended to support Vina's ascension to the throne. In terms of status, she was not only a former royal princess, but also Ye Xishui's disciple and younger sister. Her succession to her master was entirely legal.

Vina declined the nobles' support, citing her marriage, and led the original royal family to join the Body Sect.

There was no other way; no one wanted to take on this mess. The major Soul Master families in Tiandou City discussed the matter and decided that the Lion Family, Blazing Sun Blade Family, Dark Thunder Family, Azure Phoenix Family, and Heavenly Ice Sword Family would take the lead, and that the strongest member of the five families, Dark Thunder Douluo Xiao Zhan Kui, would be the Grand Commander. Instead of establishing an emperor, the five families would jointly rule the Heavenly Soul Empire.

With that, the matter of Tianhun was settled. There was no turmoil within the empire due to the change of power. The common people were unaware that Ye Xishui's departure from power would cause the agricultural association system to cease functioning, and the hard-won qualification to awaken a martial soul for free would be lost. At least in the short term, nothing would happen within the Tianhun Empire, but it was hard to say what would happen in the long run.

……

"Sir, you...you're not dead?"

Inside the Jiuyang Pawnshop next to the Mingyue Hotel in the Sun and Moon Empire, Mingdu City.

The moment Hongling saw Zhu Ningyu and Xiaolongniang Wang Dong'er's faces clearly, she was immediately... stunned. She was very surprised... how did the two of them survive the cleansing by the Asura Goddess Xiaowu?

Zhu Ningyu sneered, "Death is inevitable for everyone, but some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a feather. Even if we die, we should die gloriously, not be killed by the demonic energy on the Asura Demon Sword."

"Oh, by the way, Hongling, I heard... the Tang Sect is going to hold some kind of Soul Tool Exhibition. What's the reaction of the Sun Moon Empire's higher-ups? Are they planning to follow the Tang Sect's lead and revive Soul Tools?"

Hong Ling frowned and said, "Recently, I've heard some rumors that the current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire seems to intend to divide Mingde Hall in two. One part will study the new soul tools proposed by Huo Yuhao of the Tang Sect, and the other part will study the various weapons and cultivation systems left over from the time of Zhu Ningyun."

"Zhu Ningyun is dead. The legacy she brought has left the Douluo World, but in the past two hundred years... all the cultivation systems that transcend this world have lived on forever in the hearts of Soul Masters. What is important is not the so-called legacy, but experience and vision."

"Given enough time, the Soul Master world will surely be able to bypass the God Realm and create a path to break through the limits of mortals..."

"These are the original words of Xu Tianran, the current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. They sound... quite inspiring."

As she spoke, Hongling's gaze unconsciously fell on Little Dragon Girl Wang Dong'er.

"My lord, if I'm not mistaken, this young lady should be a member of the demon beast race, right?"

"Yes and no." Zhu Ningyu said expressionlessly, "Let me introduce you. Her name is Wang Dong'er, and her original name is Tang Wutong. Tang is the Tang of Haotian Sect, Wu is the Wu of the 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit Xiao Wu, and Tong is... cough cough, that's not important. What's important is that she is the daughter of the Sea God Tang San and the Soft Bone Douluo Xiao Wu. From today onwards, she will be your Hong Ling's personal secretary."

Ah this...

Upon hearing this, Hongling scratched her head awkwardly, unsure whether to accept it or not.

She is the daughter of the sea god, a goddess! How can you give her a mortal as her secretary? Isn't that blasphemy against the sea god?

Thinking of this, Hong Ling composed herself, bowed slightly to Zhu Ningyu, and said, "Please rest assured, my lord, I will teach Miss Dong'er with all my heart and pass on all my knowledge to her."

Zhu Ningyu nodded, then took out disguise props to disguise herself and Wang Dong'er.

The scene shifts to Mingde Hall, where Zhu Ningyu... no, now it should be Bai Yu, dressed in a business suit, approaches Yin Hongchen, the then deputy head of Mingde Hall.

"Vice Hall Master, I heard... that Mingde Hall is recruiting people to represent the Sun Moon Empire at the Soul Tool Exhibition hosted by the Tang Sect in Shrek City. Well, I've been in Mingde Hall for a while now, but I've only ever held a sinecure and received a salary. I feel a bit guilty about it, so I thought I'd join the delegation to Shrek City and do my part for Mingde Hall and the Sun Moon Empire."

"You've put your heart into this." Yin Hongchen looked at Bai Yu, whose face was somewhat apprehensive, and said calmly, "Serving the country isn't just empty talk. There's only one hard requirement for the members of the delegation that's going to Shrek City this time—that they be true Soul Masters, with a certain level of understanding of Soul Guidance technology. At the very least, they must be able to independently carve a complete Soul Guidance Array."

"What's so difficult about that?"

Zhu Ningyu, playing Bai Yu, grabbed the metal and carving knife on the table and began to carefully carve the soul guidance array.

In less than three minutes, a very simple soul-guiding array was officially created!

Due to good habits formed in his previous life, Qin Yi is best at dealing with these formulaic things. No matter how complicated the soul guidance array is, as long as he has the blueprints, he can perfectly replicate it.

Zhu Ningyu's practical skills did surprise Yin Hongchen somewhat, but she quickly returned to normal.

"In that case, you, Bai Yu, will serve as the deputy head of the delegation on this mission to Shrek City. You will be responsible for maintaining the discipline and conduct of the delegation. If necessary, you may act first and report later."

As she spoke, Yin Hongchen pushed a token in front of Zhu Ningyu.

"Since its inception, Mingde Hall has been under the jurisdiction of the Hongchen family. The Hongchen family seems to have gained the trust and favor of the royal family and control the lifeline of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master Legion. However, everything has a saying that prosperity must eventually decline. Even if His Majesty doesn't care, there are always villains who are envious of the Hongchen family's status and gossip behind their backs."

"When it comes to the research of soul tools, the Hongchen family is definitely at the forefront of the Douluo Continent. In order to avoid a rift between the Hongchen family and the royal family, you, Bai Yu, will represent the Hongchen family fully on this mission to Shrek City."

Zhu Ningyu: "..."

She really wanted to say, "Your Hongchen family is overthinking things. The Sea God Pavilion and Huo Yuhao don't have the brains to sow discord between the Hongchen family and the Sun Moon Royal Family. They're only thinking about reviving the Tang Sect and crushing the Sun Moon Empire. There's no need for them to avoid suspicion in this way. Even if Jing Hongchen and his family were to join the Tang Sect, they might not be willing to accept them."

However, Zhu Ningyu ultimately didn't say these words aloud. This was for the best; in this way, the identity of "Bai Yu" was firmly established within the Hongchen family, making things much easier later on. (End of Chapter)