Douluo: The Holy Radiance of the Dragon King

Chapter 236 Cao Dezhi: Let the reclusive sects suffer, I'll bear the infamy.

The Amorous Sword and the Ruthless Sword possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and their masters, Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi, can sense each other. The moment the Martial Souls malfunction, Cao Dezhi knows that Zang Xin has met with misfortune.

But what could possibly happen if he takes the Seven Heavenly Kings back to the Federation's Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?

Unable to understand, Cao Dezhi stabilized his injuries and soared into the sky, his sword energy enveloping him as he charged into Shrek Academy.

Upon finding Yun Ming, Cao Dezhi saw the Sea God Pavilion Master and Ya Li watching the fireworks display over Star Luo City. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, he shouted, "You possess unparalleled cultivation, yet when will you do something worthwhile?!"

Yun Ming suddenly turned his head and saw that his old friend's expression was both angry and sad, and his breathing was uneven. He knew something was wrong, so he relaxed his furrowed brows and asked, "What happened?"

Seeing that Cao Dezhi's blood and qi were agitated, Ya Li disregarded his temper and said, "Your blood and qi are outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Has something gone wrong with your cultivation? It would be best to rest quietly for ten days to half a month and observe the effects."

"My heart, once so cold and icy, can no longer find peace!"

Cao Dezhi screamed wildly, recalling the misfortunes that had befallen the Tang Clan over the years, with the situation deteriorating day by day. Now, even his companions with the Martial Soul Fusion Technique were suspected of having suffered a tragic fate. Overwhelmed with grief, he burst into loud sobs, his sorrow overwhelming.

"Zang Xin, Zang Xin—Tang Clan—"

Yun Ming had never seen Cao Dezhi so out of control in his life. He thought that Cao Dezhi's ruthless cultivation lay in the ruthless heart of the Ruthless Sword, and that his current emotional agitation must have greatly damaged his mental state.

If the Heartless Ice Heart were to shatter, it's entirely possible that Cao Dezhi's cultivation level would drop below the Quasi-God realm, and his physical vitality would be severely damaged.

Thinking of the terrible consequences, Yun Ming no longer hesitated. He floated up behind Cao Dezhi and struck him with a palm strike, knocking him unconscious.

"Yali, take him back to heal his wounds." Yun Ming picked up Cao Dezhi, his leisurely mood gone. Cao Dezhi was the pillar of the Tang Clan. If something happened to him, the Tang Clan would be dead in name only.

"Um."

Ya Li returned with Yun Ming and treated Cao Dezhi. Her expression was extremely grave. She said, "His ruthless sword has been trembling, conveying grief, as if he has lost something most important. Could it be—that something happened to Zang Xin?"

The Tang Clan's Twin Swords were originally a pair. Everyone knew that Zang Xin was a womanizer but never got a result. Only those close to him knew that their brotherhood was somewhat strange.

Yun Ming was quite surprised to hear this and said, "What could possibly happen if he brings the new Seven Devils back to the Federation's Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?"

"Moreover, his domain is special. Although his combat strength is not strong, even a quasi-god would find it difficult to keep him here."

Zang Xin is the only control-type Limit Douluo. His Soul Skill of the Amorous Sword is all about being as disgusting as possible. Yun Ming doesn't want to give him a chance to use his Soul Skill when sparring with him.

Of course, all of this only applies to one-on-one battles. If it comes to a group battle, even if the Amorous Sword can influence emotions, it will not have a chance to unleash its power.

Yali pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say whether something bad has happened. It could be that he is seriously injured, but it's definitely not a good thing."

"A storm is brewing, and there aren't many people in this world who could put Zang Xin in such a predicament."

Yun Ming pondered. A large number of experts from the Federation were staying on the Star Luo Continent and refusing to leave. Among those who remained on the Douluo Continent, only Chen Xinjie, Le Zhengyang, and Qian Gu Die Ting were absolutely confident in defeating Zang Xin.

But none of these three people should have any reason to make a move.

The Holy Spirit Cult was being hunted down so relentlessly that they had nowhere to hide, let alone have the strength to hunt down Zang Xin.

I can't figure it out, I just can't understand it.

Yali speculated, "Perhaps some experts from the Federation have secretly returned to the mainland during this time?"

"This is another big thing—" Yun Ming scratched his head in annoyance. How come the Tang Clan always manages to come up with something new every now and then?

Just then, Zhuoshi's voice came from outside the door: "Boss, the Star Luo Empire has sent an envoy to visit you. Would you like to go out and meet him?"

Yun Ming initially wanted to say "I'm busy," but after thinking for a moment, he asked instead, "Who's coming?"

"Holy Dragon Douluo, Grace."

"Then let's meet."

Upon hearing that this was the dean of the Monster Academy, now the nominal dean of the Shrek Academy branch and the nominal deputy head of the Sea God Pavilion, Yun Ming felt it was necessary to give him some face.

To Yunming's surprise, the first words he heard upon meeting Enci shocked him greatly.

"Your Majesty, the Star Luo Empire is doomed! We beg Your Majesty to save us!"

Grace's face was filled with sorrow, and her tone was mournful.

Yun Ming hurriedly asked why, but Enci only said that the Tang Sect did not have enough funds to develop the latest type of arsenal and soul-guided weapons.

Yunming asked again why, and Enci answered clearly this time: The number of people who followed Shi Tang to the Star Luo Continent for refuge is in the millions, and settling them has cost a huge amount of money, and the national treasury is about to run out of money.

"Then—how do we get the money?" Yunming asked.

"There's only one way: taxes." Grace took out a list and said, "Those with an annual income of over five million will be subject to huge additional taxes. And those wealthy merchants and tycoons among the refugees will also be asked to support the construction of the new home. What do you say?"

"this----"

Having never dealt with economic issues before, Yun Ming was greatly troubled upon hearing this. He frowned and said, "Wouldn't this be a bit inappropriate? After all, they came here to seek refuge with us—"

Enci said bitterly, "But the Sun and Moon Federation is sharpening its knives now. If our Star Luo Empire is gone, where can they escape to?"

"Here, we just collect taxes. But in the Sun and Moon Federation, Feng Zaixing's FBI and the Yu family's army can come over at any time, raid their homes, kill their entire families, and hang them on streetlights."

Yun Ming fell silent, finding the idea somewhat reasonable.

There is a play!

Enci's heart stirred, and he quickly continued to persuade her: "I guarantee that half of the tax revenue will be used for the Tang Sect's technological research and development and military construction, and two-fifths of the remaining half will be used to train students for Shrek Academy and build a new giant city. You don't have to do anything, as long as you don't object."

"How about we split the tax revenue 30/70? Star Luo Empire gets 30%, and you get 70%. How does that sound?"

Yun Ming was now genuinely tempted, and frowned, saying, "Wouldn't that be a bit much? If we actually did it this way, you'd be the ones putting in the effort—"

"Very good, very good, it's all for the empire, what's a little thing like this?" Enci laughed heartily.

At this moment, Cao Dezhi seemed to sense something. Hearing the two talking outside the room, he sprang to his feet and strode out.

"Brother Enci, why didn't you inform our Tang Clan officials about this beforehand? That's not very friendly."

Enci exclaimed in surprise, "If Brother Cao has any objections, we can discuss it further—"

"What opinions do you have? I have no opinions at all!"

Cao Dezhi's face was pale, but his voice was loud and strong as he said, "The Tang Clan has many technologies that are difficult to use due to a lack of funds. Your willingness to provide support would be wonderful!"

"Excellent, excellent. To be honest, Brother Cao, this method was only discussed and devised by His Majesty and me tonight."

Enci wiped the sweat from his brow without making a sound; he was genuinely afraid that this ruthless Douluo would strongly object.

Now it seems we were overthinking it. They were very good at judging people, or rather, that guy was very good at judging people. As long as the Tang Clan's appetite was satisfied, they would do anything.

Cao Dezhi smiled and whispered, his injuries appearing to have mostly healed: "I will personally visit and persuade those forces that should be taxed, and I won't make things too difficult for the Star Luo Empire."

"That's good, that's good—" Enci and Cao Dezhi chatted happily, and couldn't help but recall what Feng Zaixing had said to her and Dai Tianling when he offered their advice.

"The Tang Clan can sell massive amounts of weapons to betray the Federation, so they can naturally betray those reclusive families and wealthy merchants for profit. Shrek Academy is fond of fame; as long as the two of you handle things properly, everything will be fine."

Enci thought to himself, "Are we supposed to use your name to enrich the country and strengthen the military, and then you can go back and use our reputation to force the Federation to drastically increase taxes? You're really leaving those people no way out."

A moment later, the two leaders, Grace and St., finalized the details and took their leave.

Cao Dezhi looked at Enci's back for a long time, then slowly sighed, "The person who killed Zang Xin should not be Feng Zaixing."

Yun Ming asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"This underhanded yet effective method was something that Dai Tianling and Enci couldn't come up with. Only Feng Zaixing could. This was the idea he gave to Dai Tianling and Enci."

"Since he persuaded Dai Tianling and Enci, he certainly wouldn't have had a direct connection with Zang Xin's accident during the day."

Cao Dezhi sighed and said, "On the night of the assassination, he didn't kill all the powerful members of the hidden families, and he couldn't use force again, so he used this method to cut flesh with a dull knife."

Yun Ming asked intently, "Then why did you agree to Enci's request? Isn't that selling out the hidden families?"

Cao Dezhi's expression instantly turned cold. He sneered twice and said, "Our Tang Clan can't even take care of ourselves, how can we care about them? Just like Enci said, if we don't take drastic measures now, we're all finished!"

"This is Feng Zaixing's open scheme. Whoever can deal more ruthlessly with the wealthy merchants and ancient families will have a chance to win; because he simply hasn't given these people a chance to surrender!"

"That's it then. Let the reclusive sects suffer a bit, and I'll bear the infamy."

Yun Ming paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "I heard from some Shrek graduates who stayed on the mainland that the mainland is planning to introduce a 79% tax rate for those giant enterprises. It's going smoothly through the parliament, so it should be implemented soon."

"Parliament? Isn't it just a hawkish monopoly now?"

Cao Dezhi snorted, sat down on the spot to regulate his breathing, and sighed, "I have to admit that if all of Feng Zaixing's plans can be completed, the Sun Moon Federation and the Star Luo Continent will develop at an unprecedented speed. Turning the blade inward has indeed had a miraculous effect."

"It's a pity, our paths are fundamentally different; once I recover from my injuries, I will personally return to the Federation to find out the truth behind Zang Xin's accident."

After delivering a treacherous plan to the Star Luo Imperial Palace, Feng Zaixing quietly arrived outside Dragon Valley and sealed his soul power aura.

A few days later, an elder from the Tang Clan arrived and used a special method to open the Dragon Valley passage, sending in a group of elite disciples below level 50 for training.

"So that's how it's opened. I've learned something new." Feng Zaixing secretly observed the Tang Clan elder's technique, concealing his figure with his transcendent spiritual power and instantly disappearing into the spatial rift.

The Dragon Valley Small World prevented him from using his soul power, but this did not significantly affect Feng Zaixing's speed. He strode a thousand miles, absorbing countless bright dragon clouds along the way.

Practice makes perfect. When Feng Zaixing rushed into the Dragon Graveyard for the second time, the dragon soul of the Bright Dragon King was the first to emerge, exclaiming in surprise, "Why are you here again?"

"I will go into seclusion to cultivate." Feng Zaixing smiled at the Dragon Soul of the Light Dragon King, then drew a circle on the ground and said loudly, "From today onwards, I will collect four dragon bones for you every day, and I will use your precious land to cultivate in seclusion. I promise not to disturb you; it is good to have a dragon soul as a gift, but it doesn't matter if you don't."

As soon as he finished speaking, the thousand dragon bones trembled, the dragon souls raised their heads, and countless gazes were fixed on the young man.