Deep night. The stars and moon dimmed.
The courtyard lay pitch-black, desolate save for a few lanterns under the eaves, their tassels swaying in the wind. Shadows of nearby plants stretched long and ghostly, amplifying the chill.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Fourth Prince Xu Tian pushed open his window, eyes fixed on the crow perched on a branch. A sudden chill ran down his spine—something's wrong.
"Why is there a crow here?" he muttered, frowning as he walked to the door. "Guards!"
"Your Highness." A guard appeared instantly.
"How's the perimeter?"
Xu Tian watched clouds swallow the moonlight, his anxiety sharpening. Recent events had left him deeply unsettled.
It wasn't just him. All imperial princes felt it—the massacre of officials' households reeked of a sinister pattern. They'd fortified their residences with personal guards and even military backing. Yet hope lingered…
Resistance?
Impossible. They'd finally grasped the Crown Prince's true power. Petitions vanished; even pleading with the Emperor yielded no response.
"Your Highness," the guard assured, fists clasped. "With us guarding you, all will be well."
"Good, good…"
But before relief could settle, Xu Tian's pupils dilated—his face froze.
So did the guard's. Every sentry tensed.
Above them, a soul-engineered barrier descended, sealing the estate from the outside world.
Not even a mosquito could escape.
Aaah—!
A scream tore from the front courtyard.
Remembering the ministers' gruesome fates, Xu Tian scrambled backward like a terrified rabbit, shoving the guard before him. At least he wasn't utterly spineless.
The guard's brow furrowed. Beyond that initial scream—silence.
No news is good news, he told himself. Maybe the intruders were eliminated?
His seven rings flared—Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Purple, Black, Black—as he gripped an Grade-8 defensive soul tool shield.
Meanwhile, in the front courtyard—
Soul masters and engineers lay dead, faces twisted in terror. Even battle-hardened soldiers trembled. Some clutched throats; others clutched guts. Crimson blood snaked between fingers; intestines spilled onto the ground.
The air grew colder. Souls extinguished in the dark.
All soul-engineered lamps had been shattered at the outset.
Survivors formed a defensive circle: soul tool wielders outermost, defensive soul masters in the middle, attackers innermost. They inched toward the rear courtyard gate, eyes locked on approaching shadows—faces obscured, but origins unmistakable.
That chilling aura belonged to only one group.
"These bastards truly harbor wolfish ambitions," a squad leader growled. He'd never touched high politics—this was clearly an evil soul master uprising. The empire let them compete, and this is their gratitude?!
As the shadows closed in, inner-circle fighters unleashed barrages of attacks.
But golden shields blocked every strike.
"Invincible Barriers! Wait—that's—LOOK OUT!"
The leader's eyes widened at the incoming artillery shell. Too late—he barely raised a basic defense.
BOOM—!
Fire engulfed everything.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
Explosions muffled by silence. Flames spread, yet not a single evil soul master was scorched.
Once the circle shattered, figures darted out, finishing off the dying.
The squad leader tried to rise—but froze. A sharp tail pierced his chest, draining his blood like a river. No matter how he screamed, no sound escaped.
"You think we'd dare slaughter princes and officials without orders from above? That'd be suicide."
The leader understood—then his eyes went dark.
Killed with his mind shattered, dying with unfulfilled vengeance.
"Keh keh keh—only the main target remains," cackled the tail-wielding attacker, yanking it free. "Let's send the Fourth Prince to hell."
Led by this Soul Douluo-level evil soul master, they marched into the rear courtyard.
The front yard was a sea of blood and corpses—though the blood volume seemed oddly low.
Moments later—Aaah—!
The Fourth Prince's death cry marked the purge's end.
But as they exited the rear courtyard, still within the barrier—
Whoosh!
A gray hexagram flashed beneath their feet.
Before they could react, gray light engulfed them—vanishing without a trace. Only blood and bodies remained.
"The fourth household," Chen Junting murmured, plucking the barrier soul tool from the air. "Now for the Fifth Prince. Old Gu."
A spatial gate swallowed him, erasing him from the estate.
—
Fifth Prince's Residence
"What's happening out there?!"
Xu Tianhe paced his room. Escape was impossible—his Soul Elder cultivation couldn't breach the barrier trapping the estate. He could only pray that his guards held.
But the earlier battle cries had ceased. No one came for him.
Am I just a condemned man awaiting the blade?
"I can't wait!"
He'd go mad if he did!
Damn you, Xu Tianran! My dear brother!
Jaw clenched, he threw open the door—
—and froze.
The courtyard was a bloodbath. A figure lay trussed like a dumpling by vines. Seated atop him was a disheveled old man, flanked by two others—one elderly, one young.
He recognized the youth—Chen Junting, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's vice-captain.
"Oh? Finally showing yourself?" the old man—Elder Xuan—called out.
"You… your Three Great Empires really did this?!" Xu Tianhe blurted. The scene defied logic—why would they make such a reckless move? And who benefited most? His dear brother, of course.
"Of course not," Elder Xuan scoffed. Chen Junting answered instead: "This Title Douluo-level evil soul master is the real attacker. As for the mastermind… you princes know exactly who it is."
"My wonderful, big brother!" Xu Tianhe spat, teeth grinding. Chen Junting's words matched their suspicions. And this captive? No savior—he was trouble.
Chen Junting didn't confirm. "Did you know? Besides you and Crown Prince Xu Tianran, no other princes remain alive."
Xu Tianhe's head snapped up—You saved only me?—but realization dawned fast. This wasn't charity.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"Dealing with smart people is easy," Chen Junting said, studying him. Unlike other princes, Xu Tianhe's fair skin marked him as strikingly handsome. "Xu Tianran ordered you spared. Why? Because he's not just crippled—he's a eunuch."
Elder Xuan and Zhi Yong's eyes bulged.
That explosive?!
Xu Tianhe gaped—then burst into manic laughter. "HAHAHA! Xu Tianran! My dear sister! You're a eunuch?!"
"HAHAHA! You wanted to borrow my seed? You castrated cuckold!"
His laughter echoed, bitter and hollow. We normal princes lost to a eunuch?
Chen Junting let him laugh it out. When silence fell, Xu Tianhe's gaze turned resolute. "What do you want? Overthrow Xu Tianran? Make me emperor to stop the war? Or puppet me for your factions? Speak—there's no free lunch."
"Good," Chen Junting nodded. "But not now. First, Xu Tianran needs your… seed."
Ah, Douluo Continent—the Land of Love!
Xu Tianhe's face twisted. Even Elder Xuan and Zhi Yong looked away, ears straining.
When Chen Junting finished, Xu Tianhe sighed. No choice. "Fine. But him—" He eyed the captive Title Douluo. If left alive, Xu Tianran would kill him despite needing his seed.
Chen Junting patted his shoulder. "I'll give you a bodyguard—strong enough to die for you anytime. Grade-9 soul engineer, Level 93 Title Douluo. Rivals Level 98 Super Douluos."
He glared at the evil soul master. "Your life's on loan—for now."
Turning to Elder Xuan: "Sorry, Elder Xuan."
Elder Xuan nodded knowingly. "I'm off." He vanished.
Chen Junting tossed Xu Tianhe a contract. "Sign."
No hesitation. Xu Tianhe signed—then realized he'd just forfeited future objections.
What followed stunned him.
Moments later…
"Master."
The evil soul master—Bloodthirsty Douluo Yang Yuan, Holy Spirit Cult's Grand Elder—knelt, devout as a disciple.
"Your task: take full blame for guarding Xu Tianhe. If a crisis strikes, ensure one thing—he lives. Your life? Expendable."
"Yes."
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