Chapter 529 - Chapter 529: The New King Ascends, the Old Emperor Falls - Part 13

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Though the Blue Silver Grass surrounding Ma Xiaotao resisted for a moment against her overwhelming ultimate fire, it eventually turned to ash, creating a small patch of barren ground around her. 

However, this was only a tiny portion of the battlefield. 

Looking around, Ma Xiaotao realized she had been completely surrounded by Blue Silver Grass at some point. 

"The sheer quantity is ridiculous!" Ma Xiaotao exclaimed, though she wasn't entirely surprised. 

Blue Silver Grass was notorious for its low energy consumption. While it lacked significant combat power even in later stages, its rapid proliferation ability was impressive. Under the enhancement of that peculiar armor-like soul tool, achieving such an effect at Level 70 Soul Sage-level cultivation didn't surprise Ma Xiaotao. 

Though she could incinerate all the Blue Silver Grass with brute firepower, doing so would drain too much of her soul power. 

And since Ma Xiaotao believed her opponent intended to use a war of attrition to deplete her soul power, she naturally wouldn't let them have their way. Flapping her fiery wings, she activated her third soul skill—Phoenix Wings Soaring Skyward—and ascended into the air. 

Though rudimentary prototypes of flying soul tools existed in this era, they were primarily used for flight and couldn't achieve sustained hovering in mid-air. Thus, soul masters capable of flight still held a significant advantage before reaching the Title Douluo level. 

However, this advantage would soon be overturned. After all, Ye Wen had already disseminated the training method for Moon Step. 

From the air, Ma Xiaotao quickly pinpointed Tang Ya's location based on the growth patterns of the Blue Silver Grass. 

In truth, Tang Ya herself hadn't intended to hide within the Blue Silver Grass to continuously drain Ma Xiaotao's power. Though the arena seemed large, finding someone within it was relatively straightforward. 

When Ma Xiaotao caught sight of the armor-like soul tool adorning Tang Ya, even her eyes flickered with admiration. 

Unlike Huo Yuer's ancient-style armor or Jiang Nannan's Kamen Rider design, Tang Ya's soul-guided armor resembled a ceremonial robe. 

However, unlike the typical bulky robes, Tang Ya's outfit was sleek and form-fitting, dominated by shades of blue and gold. It accentuated her youthful, energetic figure without appearing overly seductive, instead exuding an aura of dignity. Suspended behind her was a massive circular soul tool of unknown purpose, which, when paired with the armor, clearly indicated it was no ordinary creation. 

In Shrek's competitor lounge, Bei Bei—who had just moments ago stopped Xu Sanshi from ogling Jiang Nannan—now found himself similarly entranced. After all, Tang Ya was his former lover, and he had yet to let go of her.

Seeing Tang Ya in this state made her appear even more enchanting, further deepening Bei Bei's attachment. 

Coming back to his senses, Xu Sanshi noticed Bei Bei's dazed expression and smirked mischievously, quickly covering Bei Bei's eyes. 

"Hey now, Bei Bei! You can't fall into the same trap as me and get lost in lust!" 

!?

"Let go! Don't block my view of Tang Ya!" Bei Bei protested indignantly. 

These two love-struck fools, deceived by Ye Wen, still clung to the hope that the objects of their affection would one day return to them after they became more accomplished in the future. 

But when their future selves realized they could never catch up to those they once loved… 

One could only say: Simps truly suffer. 

As Ye Wen's disciples continued to showcase their armor-like soul tools with maxed-out capabilities, the factions present finally began to sense something amiss. 

After all, the users of these soul tools, capable of achieving Soul Sage-level strength, generally possessed cultivation levels below Level 50. 

If all their soldiers could wear such soul tools, wouldn't that mean they could field an entire army of Soul Sages? 

Every ambitious soul master in attendance entertained this possibility. However, faced with Ye Wen's overwhelming strength, none dared to provoke him or entertain thoughts of forcefully seizing the armor-like soul tools worn by Huo Yuer and the others. 

There was one exception, however. 

The Star Luo Emperor forcibly suppressed his urge to directly question Ye Wen and instead summoned a servant, ordering them to fetch his sister, Xu Jiujiu. As for the reason, he trusted his clever attendant to come up with an appropriate excuse. 

Xu Jiujiu easily returned to the Star Luo Emperor's side. Suppressing his excitement, the emperor warmly greeted his sister. 

But both siblings were intelligent, and the Star Luo Emperor saw no need to beat around the bush. He cut straight to the chase: 

"Jiujiu, do you have any news about that soul tool?" 

Xu Jiujiong naturally knew what her brother referred to. Sitting elegantly in her seat, she replied calmly: 

"Your Majesty, there's no need to rush regarding this matter. Master has decided to grant this soul tool to me and my senior sister from the Heavenly Soul Empire. However, it seems Master is withholding something important—he doesn't intend to hand it over directly but instead wants us to make our own decisions. 

If we choose to deeply bind ourselves to him, he will bestow this soul tool upon us. I suspect he might even reveal the crafting method for it within the academy in the future. 

However, based on Master's tone, even if we don't enter into a deep bond with him, he will still teach us. Our relationship would then remain superficial—a mere formality. I spent the entire night pondering this last night and still haven't reached a decision. Since Your Majesty asked, I'd like to consult your opinion." 

Hearing Xu Jiujiu's words, the Star Luo Emperor furrowed his brow. 

If Xu Jiujiu represented an ordinary top-tier faction, forming a deep bond with a transcendent Douluo like Ye Wen would be a no-brainer—an opportunity not to be missed. 

But Xu Jiujiu represented the Star Luo Empire, so such a decision couldn't be taken lightly. 

After all, the Xu family had seized power through opportunism, and they needed to maintain vigilance toward outsiders. 

Because of this, the Star Luo Emperor cherished and admired his youngest sister even more. After all, no one would reject a loyal ally who would never betray them. 

After much deliberation, the Star Luo Emperor decided to encourage Xu Jiujiu to agree to a deep bond with Ye Wen. 

The Star Luo Empire differed from the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Spirit Empire—it stood on the frontlines against the Sun Moon Empire, bearing the brunt of their assaults. This made it a thankless position. 

In recent years, the Sun Moon Empire had been making continuous moves, and though the Star Luo Emperor didn't know their exact plans, the pressure weighing on him grew daily. If they could obtain soul tools capable of elevating a Soul Honored master to Soul Sage-level strength, even if there were drawbacks, the benefits would outweigh the costs. 

Though the Star Luo Emperor had mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario—that Ye Wen might attempt to usurp the Xu family as they had done in the past—as long as the Xu family could withstand the Sun Moon Empire's onslaught, even a transcendent Douluo wouldn't dare defy public opinion and seize their hard-earned achievements.

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