The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

The Hongchen family had held high positions in the Sun Moon Empire for generations, and he naturally knew some of the inside stories of the palace coup back then. Although he didn't know how Xu Zihuang had managed to escape imprisonment, the fact that he had been hiding his identity and enduring hardship at Shrek Academy for so many years, and was now approaching him again, meant that he must have something big on his mind.

Jing Hongchen already had some guesses in her heart.

"I will settle the score with Xu Tianran and me soon." Xu Zihuang's smile remained unchanged.

“I don’t need you, Master of the Red Dust Hall, to do anything for me. I’m just telling you this and then giving you two choices.”

At this point, Xu Zihuang's smile vanished instantly, and he continued expressionlessly, "Sect Leader Hongchen, you can reveal my identity to Xu Tianran, or you can keep this secret until I take back everything that is rightfully mine from Xu Tianran. The choice is yours. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and Mingde Hall hold extraordinary significance for the Empire. Even if it comes to that, I do not wish to do anything to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and Mingde Hall. Sect Leader Hongchen, you should understand what I mean."

"Of course, if you, Master Hongchen, choose the latter, then I think you are a trustworthy person. When I seize the throne, I can marry your granddaughter Meng Hongchen, just as you told me back then."

Jing Hongchen looked at Xu Zihuang with a complicated expression and said something inscrutable.

"Let me think about it."

“In that case, Master Hongchen, I shall take my leave.” Xu Zihuang smiled knowingly, noticing the change in emotion deep within Jing Hongchen’s eyes. He trusted that Jing Hongchen would make the right choice. Often, the confidence in negotiations is based on strength; empty words are meaningless. He had displayed his cultivation and talent before Jing Hongchen precisely for this reason.

Furthermore, Jing Hongchen wouldn't bear any risk with his proposed plan; he could simply remain on the sidelines. And once he seized the throne, the Hongchen family would reap enormous benefits.

Jing Hongchen's thoughts were similar to Xu Zihuang's, but he valued Xu Zihuang's terrifying talent even more. A Soul Douluo not yet nineteen years old, possessing such an astonishing Soul Ring configuration. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of this world in the future.

Moreover, Xu Zihuang is a direct descendant of the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire. Compared to Xu Tianran, who is partially disabled, a prodigy like Xu Zihuang is more capable of leading the Sun Moon Empire to its peak.

Whether for the country, the family, or himself, he preferred Xu Zihuang to take power.

Xu Zihuang's figure vanished from the spot, and the imprisoned space seemed to merge back into the outside world. Seeing this, Jing Hongchen was secretly alarmed. He had long since discovered that Xu Zihuang's previous ability was achieved through control of spatial power.

"Hehehe. Shrek Academy, Body Sect." After a moment, Jing Hongchen's small eyes were filled with mockery again.

"I wonder what your expressions will be when you learn that the so-called Yu Tianhuang is a direct descendant of the royal family of our Sun Moon Empire?"

After leaving Mingde Hall, Xu Zihuang did not seek out Kong Deming again. He knew that Kong Deming didn't care who the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire was; he only wanted to witness the Sun Moon Empire unify the continent and reach an unprecedented peak.

Once he breaks through to the Title Douluo realm and forcefully kills Xu Tianran, Kong Deming will naturally stand on his side.

Just as Xu Zihuang was preparing to return to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School, a bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart, and he looked towards the east as if sensing something.

The capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Heavenly Battle City.

The imperial palace in the center of Tiandou City was already a scene of devastation, its towering walls shattered. Rows of lights and shadows were neatly arranged above the palace. These lights and shadows shimmered with a dark golden light, their forms appearing extremely blurry. Moreover, a slightly distorted halo surrounded each of them.

Those were clearly Soul Masters shrouded in dark gold armor. And this dark gold armor wasn't ordinary Soul Guidance Armor; it was the latest humanoid Soul Guidance Device developed by the Sun Moon Empire.

Each of these humanoid soul tools is about three meters tall, completely covered in dark gold metal, with three pairs of flying soul tools spread out on their backs.

Three hundred people, a full three hundred people. The soul power fluctuations emanating from them all reached the level of an eight-ring Soul Douluo. This was the enormous amplification brought about by the humanoid soul tool.

These three hundred men were none other than the most powerful Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps among the five guardians of the Sun Moon Empire. Led by Kong Deming, they launched a surprise attack on the Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial palace in the center of Heaven Dou City tonight.

The entire royal family of the Heavenly Soul Empire was wiped out!

Chapter 496 Eighth Soul Skill: Mirror Flower Water Moon

Although the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps is the most powerful of the five guardians of the nation, it has never directly participated in the war since the Sun Moon Empire started the war. It has always been responsible for protecting the safety of the Sun Moon Empire's palace.

Not only the Heavenly Soul Empire, but probably no one could have imagined that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps would suddenly launch a surprise attack on the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace. What's even more bizarre is that neither the Heavenly Soul Empire nor the Body Sect's experts had any prior warning; the entire Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps seemed to have descended from the sky, arriving at the center of the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps is far more powerful than the other four Soul Master Corps under the National Guard. With the amplification of their humanoid soul tools, each member of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps possesses the combat power of a Soul Douluo, and there are dozens of them with the combat power of a Title Douluo.

However, while possessing such terrifying combat power, there are also hidden dangers.

Humanoid soul tools require extremely strong mental power to control, something the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps simply couldn't do. Their individual strength was at most only at the fifth or sixth ring. The reason they could control humanoid soul tools was because they used a special secret technique. At the cost of consuming their life force, they forcibly boosted their mental power to a sufficiently strong level.

The resulting hidden danger is that their lifespan is much shorter than that of ordinary soul masters; they basically don't live past fifty.

Even so, such a terrifying elite force was not something the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family could withstand.

Furthermore, those who launched the surprise attack on the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace alongside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps were also evil soul masters from the Holy Spirit Cult. Among them were many powerful figures from the Hall of Offerings. It was precisely these Holy Spirit Cult members who held back the Title Douluo elders of the Body Sect, allowing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps to successfully purge the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family.

In a very short time, the Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial palace was completely breached by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps. All members of the royal family, including the Heavenly Soul Empire's emperor, perished in the battle. Currently, among the direct descendants of the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family, only Princess Vina, far away in Dragon City, has survived.

The sky above the palace seemed to have been torn apart by the aftershocks of the battle between the elders of the Body Sect and the worshippers of the Holy Spirit Cult. The terrifying energy ripples and soul power shone brightly, illuminating the sky as if it were daytime.

The battle between Title Douluo-level powerhouses was extremely fierce, as both sides were now locked in a life-or-death struggle. If their battlefield hadn't been in the sky, where they could have fought with unrestrained abandon, the entire Heaven Dou City would have been reduced to ruins in an instant.

Two battlefields were particularly intense, so intense that even ordinary titled Douluo dared not get close.

"Kong Deming, are you courting death?!" A deep, furious roar echoed from thousands of meters above the sky. A massive sound wave swept in, like a thunderclap.

A colossal, golden giant stood between heaven and earth. This golden giant was over a thousand meters tall and of immense size.

It was the true form of the Martial Soul of the Body Sect Master, Du Bu Si, and it was in the state of a second awakening of the Gold-level Body Martial Soul.

At this moment, Du Busi was practically a madman, charging recklessly towards Kong Deming. This battle not only resulted in heavy losses for the elites of their Body Sect, but the destruction of the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family also shattered all his pride.

Only now did he truly realize how ridiculous their Heavenly Soul Empire's deeply ingrained self-imposed isolationism was. The development of Soul Guidance Technology was now an undeniable force. Falling behind the times was the fundamental reason for the Heavenly Soul Empire's decline.

Suspended high in the sky, Kong Deming's eyes were also filled with solemnity. Stopping a crazed Limit Douluo was no easy task. If it weren't for his natal soul tool, the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, he wouldn't even be qualified to be considered an opponent who couldn't be poisoned to death.

This was also the biggest miscalculation for the Sun Moon Empire. Poison Undying had broken through to the Limit Douluo realm, and if such a person were allowed to live, he would surely become a major threat to their Sun Moon Empire.

Nine jet-black soul rings pulsed around Kong Deming, their deep black light making the space seem to slow down.

His seventh spirit ring shone, and a silver moon suddenly rose into the sky behind him. The true form of the Silver Moon.

The silver moon hung high in the sky, its brilliance mingling with the silver moon divine light shield that Kong Deming had already released. The silver moon divine light shield expanded, forcefully enveloping Poison Undying's thousand-meter-tall martial spirit true form.

Poison Undying radiated brilliant golden light, attempting to tear apart the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield. However, the silver light shield was extremely resilient, expanding even as Poison Undying's Martial Soul True Body stretched it, yet it still couldn't break through.

This is the power of a level 10 soul tool.

"Kong Deming! If you can't kill me today, I'll come and visit your Sun Moon Empire's capital every now and then." Poison Undying continued to rampage wildly within the Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

"Since you dared to lead a raid on the imperial palace of my Heavenly Soul Empire, why should I bother with your bullshit rules?! I want to see if you can stop me from going mad! Sooner or later, I will raze your entire Mingdu to the ground!"

"Poison Undying, you dare?! Attacking civilians, aren't you afraid of divine retribution?!" Upon hearing Poison Undying's words, Kong Deming's expression changed drastically. This was exactly what he feared most.

If Du Busi were merely a level 98 Super Douluo, he was confident he could handle the situation calmly and protect Mingdu. However, Du Busi has now broken through to the Limit Douluo level, and if he truly goes berserk, it will be difficult for him to restrain him alone. In that case, the people within Mingdu will inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

"What wouldn't I dare to do?!"

Poison Undying arrogantly raised his head, his eyes full of mockery.

"So what if there is divine retribution? This sect master will accept it! But before that so-called divine retribution descends, I want to know if you can withstand the divine retribution I bring upon you?!"

Poison Undying, in a frenzied, desperate state, roared as his hands gradually turned silver, a bright silver light flickering within them. He then swept his hands outwards, and a black halo appeared around this silver light—clearly, the space itself had been torn apart.

To ordinary Soul Masters, Kong Deming's Silver Moon Divine Light Shield should be inextricably linked to his Martial Soul, Silver Moon. However, Du Busi, a Limit Douluo, discovered the secret within the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield: it didn't rely on the power of the Silver Moon at all, but rather on the power of space.

Only by relying on the miraculous power of space could the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield restrain a Limit Douluo like Poison Undying who was unleashing his full power.

Upon seeing this, Kong Deming couldn't help but sigh inwardly; he had finally discovered it.

Although Du Busi appeared to be blinded by rage, he had not lost his reason. He used his spatial power to counter Kong Deming's Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, breaking the stalemate.

Kong Deming waved his hand, and a burst of silver light shone in the air. He withdrew the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield before Du Busi could launch his attack. He then glanced down in the direction of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps. He knew that his wish to use the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps to kill Du Busi had failed.

But this is fine, since they've already achieved their goal. The Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family has been destroyed, and the Heavenly Soul Empire will be in chaos for at least the next few years. This gives their Sun Moon Empire enough time to prepare so that when they launch the next war, they can completely annex the three former Douluo kingdoms.

Moreover, he must also be wary of the Holy Spirit Cult and not reveal all his cards.

Under Kong Deming's control, another dazzling silver light flashed. But this time, the silver light appeared in the center of the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace, and all the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps were covered by the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield. With a flash of silver light, the figures and auras of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps members disappeared from the spot.

The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield is an unprecedented level ten spatial soul tool. Previously, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps was able to appear without warning above the center of the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace, which was achieved through the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield.

The abilities of the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield are essentially a weakened version of Xu Zihuang's Golden Eye Martial Soul True Body's innate ability, Void.

Having done all this, Kong Deming, while still fending off Poison Undying's attacks, made a move to retreat. Meanwhile, on another battlefield high in the sky, the two facing off were Death God Douluo Ye Xishui and Bone Dragon Douluo Gu Lao.

The hundred-meter-tall Blood Soul Demon Puppet's radiant form and the majestic, jet-black bone dragon clashed in a fierce battle of energies. The sky was sharply divided, one side a bizarre crimson, the other a deep, dark black.

Gu Lao stared at Ye Xishui with a grim expression. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School was not far from Tian Dou City, and he rushed over as soon as he noticed the unusual activity in Tian Dou City.

When he and Du Busi learned that Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming's abilities were enough to rival Limit Douluo, he sensed something was amiss. He never expected that Death God Douluo Ye Xishui, who had been severely injured by Yu Tianhuang earlier, would also participate in this operation with the evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Cult, and that Ye Xishui's injuries had fully recovered.

Both being Limit Douluo, Ye Xishui broke through to this realm a full century earlier than Gu Lao, and her understanding of spatial power was clearly much deeper. Coupled with the advantage in the ratio of martial soul and soul rings, Gu Lao was almost completely suppressed by Ye Xishui.

However, it won't be so easy for Ye Xishui to defeat Gu Lao in a short period of time.

The ancient figure withdrew his hand, wary of the one lurking in the shadows, yet to reveal himself. Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao.

"Clang!" As if drawn by the energy, a giant black bone dragon claw burst forth from the void in front of the ancient figure, blocking a barely perceptible line of blood.

The terrifying airflow spread wildly outwards, with the point of collision as its core, black and blood-red surging simultaneously, wave after wave invading outwards.

The ancient bone dragon claw was knocked back, but it was not harmed in any way. It stared at Ye Xishui expressionlessly.

Hovering in front of the Blood Soul Demon Puppet's light and shadow, Ye Xishui's equally blood-red eyes were filled with resentment as she shrieked coldly.

"I never expected that an old man like you, nearing the end of his life, could reach this point, but you are still no match for me. Hand over that little thing, or I will surely slaughter your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School!"

Gu Lao ignored Ye Xishui, his deep gaze shifting to the void behind her, his voice noticeably colder.

“Long Xiaoyao, I thought you had your own reasons for protecting this madwoman. But I never expected you to be so unable to distinguish right from wrong. As a citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire, you stood by and watched as the Sun Moon Empire colluded with these evil soul masters to destroy the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family. Do you feel even a little bit ashamed?”

After a brief silence, Long Xiaoyao's figure appeared out of thin air behind Ye Xishui, his expression extremely complex. He opened his mouth, but all the words in his heart ultimately turned into a sigh.

“Old Bone Dragon, there’s no point in saying anything more now. I don’t want to defend myself. What I owe Xi Shui is something I can never repay.”

At this point, Long Xiaoyao came to Ye Xishui's side again, and said with a pained expression, "That's enough, Xishui. Stop."

"Shut up!" Ye Xishui reacted exceptionally strongly, glaring at Long Xiaoyao with her chest heaving.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! You keep saying you love me, but in the end, you still want to protect that little beast. If you don't want to stay by my side, you can leave, and I won't stop you. Otherwise, shut up!"

After being severely injured by Xu Zihuang, Ye Xishui revealed the truth about what happened back then to Long Xiaoyao during her recovery. Although she was also coerced by Zhongli Laogui, the leader of the Holy Spirit Sect at that time, she had deliberately deceived Long Xiaoyao and was in the wrong from the start.

However, she insisted on using her moral high ground to mentally suppress Long Xiaoyao, forcing him to feel guilty towards her.

As it turns out, Long Xiaoyao, Ye Xishui's loyal admirer, really fell for it and was completely manipulated by Ye Xishui from beginning to end.

Just then, a brilliant golden eye suddenly appeared directly above the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace. Xu Zihuang stepped out from the golden eye and swept it with his spiritual power, instantly understanding the current situation.

He looked at Kong Deming, who was fleeing into the distance, with a slightly somber expression.

Although Xu Zihuang's mental strength had reached the demigod level, there was still a possibility that he could be detected if he tried to spy on a Limit Douluo-level expert. Therefore, when he was in Mingdu, in order to ensure that his plan with Ju Zi would not go wrong, he did not thoroughly investigate the situation of the Sun Moon Empire's palace.

He subconsciously believed that Kong Deming would be deep within the Sun Moon Empire's palace. After all, in his memories from his previous life, Kong Deming and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps only joined the war in its later stages.

Kong Deming and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps' surprise attack on the Heavenly Soul Empire's palace was also unexpected.

“We were still careless.” Xu Zihuang frowned. In that instant, he seemed to realize something, and a hint of mockery and coldness flashed deep in his eyes.

The ancient figure high in the sky underwent a dramatic change in expression, immediately unleashing his Martial Soul True Form. Standing atop the head of the thousand-meter-tall Bone Dragon King, he rushed towards Xu Zihuang.

"Tianhuang, watch out!"