Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Ten Ferocious Heavenly Horned Ant

Liu Erlong didn't waste a single drop of food either. She tilted her head back slightly, opened her red lips, and drank the salty tofu pudding at the bottom of the bowl in one gulp. Finally, she returned the bowl to the tofu pudding vendor.

They weren't talking loudly, and since they were on a busy street, no one would pay any attention to their conversation.

Most importantly, from the moment they arrived, Dong Qing and Liu Erlong had been sitting on the steps beside the street, surrounded by a lot of noise, chaos, and disorder.

If they weren't standing so close together that they couldn't even hear each other, there would be no need to worry about their conversation being overheard.

You could even say that the bustling city is the best place to discuss top-secret information, while quiet rooms are the most likely place to be overheard by eavesdroppers.

“It’s a huge plan. Do you want to join?” Dong Qing didn’t mind having another member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan involved, since his wife, Qian Renxue, would ultimately be the one to obtain the Heaven Dou Empire.

For these three sects...

Their support for Xue Qinghe [Qian Renxue] was not for money. Now that they are considered one of the top three sects, they certainly wouldn't be as destitute and short of money as the Min clan was in the past.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, in particular, is not short of money, nor is it for power. What they value more is strength, soul power level, and how many Title Douluos the sect has.

They did it for the sake of the sect's thousand-year legacy. And for the sect to continue to exist, it needs people, it needs fresh blood, and it needs generation after generation of outstanding Soul Masters to join the sect.

However, they lack the ability to govern a country, which is a technical task that cannot be accomplished by force.

Bibi Dong once naively believed that force could govern a country, but fortunately, through Dong Qing's subtle influence, she gradually realized that force was not suitable for governing a country.

An emperor with great military power but poor governance may not need to worry about his empire being destroyed by external enemies, but it will gradually collapse due to internal strife.

Under the rule of Emperor Xueye, the Tiandou Empire is now in decline, with both its military and people's livelihoods visibly deteriorating.

If left unchecked, the Heaven Dou Empire will never have a powerful emperor ascend the throne. Even if the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire do not intervene, the Heaven Dou Empire will be plunged into internal strife within twenty years at most, and the empire will be torn apart into multiple vassal states.

This is absolutely not in the interest of the three upper sects. The dozen or so vassal states are destined to start war after war, and in the end, they will be swallowed up by the neighboring Star Luo Empire.

However, the Star Luo Empire's royal family values ​​power, and they would not allow a sect of the caliber of the Upper Three Sects to stand within the empire's borders.

Therefore, the three upper sects need a Heavenly Dou Empire that can rival the Star Luo Empire so that they can obtain the sect benefits and fresh blood they want.

........

"Forget it, I'll go back and ask. Only you men like to think about these power struggles." Liu Erlong shook her head and said. She didn't like power struggles; she preferred to be a dean of an academy who taught and nurtured students.

Upon hearing this, Dong Qing nodded slightly, glanced at Liu Erlong, and said in a calm tone, "Okay, but you must give us your answer before the end of the preliminary rounds of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. Otherwise, just pretend you know nothing."

Not long after they finished speaking, the two of them stood up, dusted themselves off, looked at each other, said nothing, turned and left in two different directions without looking back.

Chapter 261, I won't be drained dry, will I?

Just now.

On the bustling street, the tofu pudding vendor slapped his forehead, but as he watched Dong Qing's figure gradually disappear into the crowd, he murmured, "I remember now... He is the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, His Highness Dong Qing."

He was holding a brand-new newspaper tightly in his hand. He had bought it that morning, but business had been so good that he hadn't had time to read it.

By the time Dong Qing and Liu Erlong left, it was already dusk. He could finally pick up the brand-new newspaper and see what major events had happened in the world over the past week.

However, the headlines in the newspapers featured clear images of Dong Qing releasing his Martial Soul Possession, his body radiating the aura of a Tenth-Rank Ferocious Heavenly Horned Ant, which stunned 80,000 spectators at the Heaven Dou Grand Arena.

"Oh dear! If I had known he was Prince Dongqing, why would I have taken his money? I should have given him a few bowls of sweet tofu pudding instead," the tofu pudding vendor said, sounding extremely frustrated.

He knew that this was probably the last time he would see Dong Qing, since such an important person couldn't possibly eat street food every day.

It seems that he has completely missed the opportunity to curry favor with the important person this time. In fact, it wasn't just him; many people on the street recognized Dong Qing as well.

However, they couldn't believe that someone of such high status would come to eat food from a street stall, assuming that Dong Qing looked somewhat like the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall.

Moreover, a person of this caliber would probably be embarrassed to go out without dozens or even hundreds of guards accompanying them.

This is a true reflection of the inner feelings of many ordinary people.

...........

Whether Dongqing's encounter with Liu Erlong was intentional or unintentional is unknown.

Tian Dou City is so big, with four districts in the east, west, south, and north. Each district has countless streets and alleys. No one knows how she met Dong Qing by chance.

Although their encounter was uneventful and their conversation was rather casual, it brought them much closer together, giving them the feeling that they could become ordinary friends rather than strangers.

However, these ordinary friends are simply ordinary friends, and do not involve any romantic feelings between men and women.

For Dong Qing, Liu Erlong was just a beautiful older sister, but he already had a beautiful older sister like Lan Yinhuang A Yin by his side.

With the addition of Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuyun, Bai Chenxiang, and even Hu Liena and Qian Renxue, he had actually lost interest in Liu Erlong.

If nothing unexpected happens, he and she will not have any story.

For Liu Erlong, Dong Qing was a young man with extraordinary talent, but she had a strange feeling about him, as if he were her nemesis, and she always had an urge to beat him up.

But this feeling was wrong. She forced herself to control her impulse and didn't want to bully a young boy because of this inexplicable feeling, even though she couldn't beat him in the end anyway.

The reason Liu Erlong had this strange feeling was purely because her Fire Dragon Martial Soul had given her personality a combative side effect: when she encountered a powerful Beast Martial Soul, she wanted to try to fight it.

In particular, Dong Qing's Heavenly Horned Ant Martial Soul is completely different from other top-tier beast Martial Souls. The Heavenly Horned Ant Martial Soul is a magical product created by the laws of the Douluo Continent world, and it automatically evolved based on Dong Qing's own Heavenly Horned Ant pure bloodline.

Simply put, although both the Heavenly Horned Ant Martial Soul and the Heavenly Horned Ant Pure Bloodline belong to Dong Qing, one is something that already exists, while the other is something that evolved in this world based on his own bloodline.

The special nature of Dongqing, a divine-level beast spirit with unknown future potential, has always been a strong stimulus to Liu Erlong's combative fire dragon spirit, so she often can't help but want to beat him up.

Although Dong Qing had defeated Liu Erlong, the female tyrant, once, he was still unable to subdue the fighting spirit hidden within her Fire Dragon Martial Soul.

We must defeat it multiple times, and simply using fists and force will not suffice. Dongqing needs to sacrifice something else to truly subdue this female Tyrannosaurus.

......

Dong Qing returned to the Martial Soul Branch Hall of Tian Dou City and arrived at the secluded courtyard that had been arranged for him.

Gently pushing open the door, what came into view was an extra-large lacquered red peach wood armchair. Dong Qing stretched and lay down on the peach wood armchair, with a touch of Ge You's reclining posture.

Beside him were several simpler chairs, but still exquisitely carved and made of fine materials. On a small square table were several small porcelain cups with the same floral and bird decorations, surrounding a porcelain pot painted with flowers and birds.

"Xiaoqing, why are you so tired and listless as soon as you come back? You have no posture when you stand or sit," a gentle and pleasant voice rang out.

"Sister Ayin, can't you make me feel a little more comfortable in private? There's no need to be so formal and polite in front of family."

Dong Qing didn't even bother to raise his eyebrows; he knew that the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, had already transformed into human form.

Don't ask him how he knows. Even if he can't recognize the familiar voice of Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin, who else could be standing next to him right now besides her?

Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin thought to herself, "Family...so Xiao Qing already considers me family. Should I bear him a child of his own...?"

Just as Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin was lost in thought, a knocking sound suddenly came from the courtyard door.

"dong dong dong"

"Come in!" Dong Qing said weakly.

He felt immense pressure from the people around him, so much so that it made it difficult for him to breathe.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuyun pushed open the door and walked in. She glanced at Lan Yinhuang A Yin's slightly provocative gaze and pulled Dong Qing directly out of her arms.

She then said, "Your Highness Dongqing, His Highness the Crown Prince has invited you to a palace banquet. The carriage to the palace is ready and we can depart at any time."

A royal banquet?

Dong Qing suddenly remembered that during the day, in order to stop Qian Renxue from targeting Xiao Wu, he promised that the next five days would be all her business.

"Sigh, a banquet... five days... I'm not going to be drained dry, am I?" Dong Qing sighed, then took Zhu Zhuyun out and boarded a carriage heading to the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace.

As for Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin, he had already transformed back into his original form as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate. A small blade of grass, no bigger than a palm, flew to his chest and stuck to him.

It's unclear whether all plant-type soul beasts possess this sticking ability, or if it's a unique ability of the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, who can basically stick to any spot and remain there indefinitely.

There was a small blade of grass, about the size of a palm, on my chest. How to describe the feeling? It made me feel incredibly cool and refreshed, as if I had a portable air conditioner and an air purifier with me.

The Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, the Crown Prince's Hall.

Golden cups and jade goblets, beaded curtains and embroidered screens, and a long table laden with delicacies and countless fine dishes and wines.

Every table and chair was arranged with ingenuity, and extremely precious incense burned in the incense burners inside the hall. All the palace maids were doing their work in an orderly manner.

Xue Qinghe [Qian Renxue] stood upright, with her queen Li Qiyun beside her. When she saw Dong Qing enter the hall, her eyes lit up slightly, but when she saw Zhu Zhuyun, her expression immediately darkened.

However, she quickly realized that Zhu Zhuyun was just a follower, and judging from the charm in her eyes, she didn't seem to have been taken advantage of by a man yet.

Chapter 262, Are you serious?

Furthermore,

This woman's identity, status, and looks are completely incomparable to mine, so why should I be angry with her?

Thinking of this, the coldness in Xue Qinghe's [Qian Renxue] pupils gradually disappeared, and then her gaze towards Dong Qing returned to its former gentleness.

If Zhu Zhuyun could hear Xue Qinghe's (Qian Renxue's) inner thoughts, perhaps she would refute him with the following statement.

Zhu Zhuyun: You didn't mention a word about my amazing figure... You're just trying to play to your strengths and hide your weaknesses, aren't you?

The Crown Prince's Hall, a side hall, and the venue for a royal banquet.

The hall was filled with noise. As it was a palace banquet, there were naturally many people. A rough estimate, not including the palace maids, suggested there were more than a hundred people.

In the bustling main hall, there are nine rows of tables of various sizes, each with a chair arranged neatly, and the dishes on them are exquisite, delicious, and appealing in color, aroma, and taste.

Meanwhile, there was a palace maid every five meters inside the main hall, and they were all doing their jobs diligently, such as helping the guests at the banquet to add wine and serve tea.

As for other things, no one dared to think about them. After all, this was the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, and no matter how lowly a palace maid's status was, she was not someone that ordinary people were qualified to touch.

As Dong Qing slowly stepped into the palace banquet hall, before he could even get used to the noisy place, everyone in the hall was already casting their gazes at him. Clearly, they knew that Dong Qing was also one of the main characters of this palace banquet.

next moment.

Several middle-aged men, all over forty, walked towards Dong Qing. Their clothes were incredibly luxurious, and upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were all high-ranking figures in the Heavenly Dou Empire.

"Your Highness Dongqing, I am the person in charge of Tiandou Auction House. Would you be interested in learning about the rare auction items we have recently acquired?" a middle-aged fat man with a round belly asked enthusiastically.

He appears to be a kind-faced, round, fat man, but in reality, he is a ruthless and vicious individual who controls the Heavenly Dou Auction House, the golden goose that lays the golden eggs.

"I don't have time now, but I'll go take a look if I have time later," Dong Qing replied casually. Whether he actually went or not depended entirely on his mood.

In fact, auction houses are places that, to say the least, hide many dark aspects of human nature, but there's nothing that can be done about it because this is a world where slavery exists.

In the Douluo Continent, apart from the Spirit City and the Spirit Branch Halls in major cities, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire both have their own imperial laws, which naturally favor the aristocratic class.

As a Soul Master organization, the Spirit Hall is a sacred place in the hearts of Soul Masters. The only thing it can do is to restrain the emergence of evil Soul Masters and protect ordinary people from being slaughtered by Soul Masters and treated like pigs and sheep.

“Your Highness Dongqing, would you be interested in discussing the newspapers? I am fully confident that I can increase the profits by another third,” a middle-aged man with a pointed face and monkey-like features stepped forward and said.

This is a prince surnamed Xue in the Heavenly Dou Empire. The power he secretly possesses is much stronger than that of Prince Xue Xing. He can be considered a seasoned veteran who knows how to grow his power.