#634 - Douling Palace Change

"If there really is a way to turn ordinary people into Soul Masters, it's no wonder the Tang Sect and Spirit Transfer Pagoda are suppressing them."

Xue Yuntian frowned, muttering to himself as he paced back and forth in the spacious study, his footsteps hurried and heavy.

"However, the truth of this news is still a big question mark." He suddenly stopped, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. "Perhaps, I can send some capable subordinates to probe the Apocalypse Church."

At this moment, Xue Yuntian was driven by the anxiety in his heart, like a traveler lost in the dark and clutching at straws. Once this thought popped into his head, it grew wildly like weeds and could no longer be dispelled.

If there wasn't, it would just be considered as contacting the Apocalypse Church to foster goodwill.

If there really was, then he would have to use any means necessary to obtain this method.

Even if this so-called method might have hidden dangers, like shortening lifespan, so what?

In Xue Yuntian's heart, the common people of Douling Continent were like wild grass covering the mountains and plains, one crop after another. As long as the empire's rule could be as solid as a rock, a little sacrifice was just insignificant dust.

"But the top priority is to find out if there really is such a method." Xue Yuntian secretly made up his mind and immediately ordered loudly, "Someone, quickly invite Aponia of the Apocalypse Church to the palace!"

The loud voice echoed in the empty palace, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, without a trace of response.

"..." No response.

"Someone!" Seeing this, Xue Yuntian's brows instantly knitted together, a trace of anger flashing across his face. He lowered his voice again, with some majesty and impatience, and shouted.

"..." But strangely, a deathly silence still enveloped the surroundings. Not to mention a figure, there wasn't even a breeze.

Something's wrong!!!

Xue Yuntian instantly tensed up, like a cheetah sensing danger, his hair standing on end.

He was, after all, the emperor of a country, usually surrounded by close attendants, like stars surrounding the moon. Now that he had called out several times in a row, but no one responded, it was simply too abnormal!

Xue Yuntian suppressed the panic in his heart and slowly closed his eyes. His mental power was like an invisible tide, cautiously spreading around.

As the Emperor of Douling, even though he was usually burdened by mountains of official duties, under the full accumulation of massive resources, his cultivation had already reached the peak of level eighty-nine.

"Buzz--"

Just as Xue Yuntian's mental power extended to a certain range, it suddenly touched a faint film. Immediately afterward, a powerful rebound force slammed his mental power back, causing him to groan and his face to turn pale instantly.

"This is an isolation shield?!"

Xue Yuntian's eyes widened, and an unbelievable look appeared on his face. He was naturally very familiar with isolation shields. This thing was often used as a Soul Power shield, and advanced mechas and warships were basically equipped with it.

As the name suggests, the isolation shield was like an airtight cage, which could not only silently isolate the transmission of Soul Power, but even trap the sound inside, making it impossible to transmit even a little bit.

The Douling Imperial Palace, as the residence of the Douling Emperor, was the heart of the empire. Over the years, countless Soul Guidance arrays had been carefully engraved here, and naturally there were many isolation shields.

After generations of careful arrangement and improvement, the current Douling Imperial Palace itself was like a super-large Soul Guidance device, indestructible.

Even if several powerful level-nine fixed-installation Soul Guidance shells roared in at the same time, with the Douling Imperial Palace's heaven-defying defense array, it could easily block them out.

This had always been one of the most solid reliance of the past emperors of the Douling Empire.

But now, in this heavily guarded palace, he, as the emperor, was isolated without even realizing it!

This made Xue Yuntian both surprised and angry. He was surprised by the opponent's skillful means, being able to complete such an operation under his nose; he was angry that this isolation array was actually the Douling Imperial Palace's own defense array. It was like someone stole the keys to his house and locked him inside, which was simply a great humiliation!

"Could it be that someone is betraying me and colluding with outsiders?" Several princes' faces instantly appeared in Xue Yuntian's mind.

The palace he used to handle official business had a defense array as dense as a spider web. The only people who knew how to activate it, and could quietly activate the array while he wasn't paying attention, were those princes who were eyeing the throne.

Of course, even these princes only knew a few basic defense arrays.

As for other more core and powerful arrays, he would have to wait until they decided the winner and officially inherited the throne before he would unreservedly teach them.

In this situation, could it be that a certain prince couldn't wait and wanted to seize power in advance?

It shouldn't be. After all, the Federal army was about to attack. There shouldn't be any fools who would engage in internal strife at this time, right?

Xue Yuntian was originally certain of this, but after a second thought, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The Douling Continent had a history of consanguineous marriage, so it was possible that there were a few princes who acted absurdly and recklessly.

Thinking of this, Xue Yuntian didn't dare to delay any longer. He immediately operated his majestic mental power to establish a connection with the token that controlled the palace's array. He wanted to unlock the isolation shield in front of him as quickly as possible.

The moment the isolation shield was released, a deafening "Kill! Kill! Kill!" sound poured into Xue Yuntian's ears like a surging wave, his footsteps suddenly stopped, and his expression instantly became extremely solemn.

"Let me see who has the guts to do this!" Xue Yuntian's voice was low and cold, with undisguised anger and majesty.

Without time to think, he quickly injected his own majestic Soul Power into the token. In the blink of an eye, the monitoring array in the palace was successfully activated.

Soon, vivid pictures slowly rose in front of Xue Yuntian.

The once magnificent and solemn palace was now in chaos and bloodshed. Strange-looking figures, exuding a strange aura, were fighting to the death with the palace guards.

These figures were twisted and hideous, and didn't look like humans at all.

"These are Oxes?! How did they get in?" Although these creatures had strange appearances, Xue Yuntian still managed to barely identify their identities with his limited knowledge.

Oxes, mysterious and strange creatures that had occasionally appeared in the Douling Continent in the past year. Their origins, habits, and other specific information were all a mystery. The little information that the Douling royal family knew about the Oxes was provided by the Tang Sect and the Spirit Transfer Pagoda.

Unlike the Douluo Continent, the Douling Continent knew almost nothing about the Oxes. They didn't even have a clue how they appeared. The only thing that was certain was that these creatures had a strong desire for destruction, and wherever they went, it was a mess.

In this chaotic battlefield, a group of soldiers in white robes was particularly eye-catching. They were neatly uniformed, with as many as a hundred people. Each person was surrounded by five Soul Rings, shining brightly.

Under their impact, the palace attendants were retreating steadily, without any power to fight back. Even more strangely, some Oxes would take the initiative to avoid them when they saw them, giving them a passage.

"Snow Cake Army! It's Zhong'er's guard." When Xue Yuntian saw the clothes of this group of white-robed soldiers, his face instantly turned as black as ink, and the bad feeling in the depths of his heart finally turned into reality.

Xue Yuntian's eldest son, Xue Zhonggao, had the Snow Cake Martial Soul, and was a food-type Soul Master. Although the probability of Martial Soul mutation was extremely low, it still happened to Xue Zhonggao.

However, even with the Martial Soul mutation, Xue Zhonggao still had accompanying Soul Power. Now thirty-five years old, his cultivation had reached level sixty-six. Among the princes, his talent was not top-notch, but it was also mediocre. He usually did things steadily and reliably, and was quite trusted by Xue Yuntian.

"Why is Zhong'er doing this! At this moment when the Federation is about to attack, he is still engaging in internal strife."

Xue Yuntian's heart was full of anger and incomprehension. He clenched his fists unconsciously, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

The Snow Cake Army was a private army secretly raised by the eldest prince Xue Zhonggao, with as many as a hundred people. Xue Yuntian was not completely ignorant of this. However, in his opinion, as long as this private army did not pose a substantial threat, there was no need for too much intervention.

After all, other princes also had similar private armies. From a certain point of view, this was also a test of the princes' abilities.

Being able to recruit soldiers and make them obey orders loyally, and stand out among the many princes, was undoubtedly a manifestation of ability.

Anyway, no matter how the princes competed secretly, as long as the emperor controlled the Empire's Consecration Group, the imperial power would be as solid as a rock and as stable as Mount Tai.

But at this moment, Xue Yuntian was full of doubts. He couldn't understand why his eldest son, whom he had high hopes for, would dare to attack the palace.

Did he think that he could easily take down the impregnable palace with just these unknown Oxes and a mere Snow Cake Army?

You know, the elders of the Empire's Consecration Group were all extraordinary people, and the Soul Guidance arrays in the palace were even more powerful and indestructible. Where did he get the courage?

Xue Yuntian's mind was a mess. Anger, doubt, shock and other emotions were intertwined, making him a little at a loss for a while.

"Bang!"

With a loud noise, the palace door was slammed open, the air surged, bringing up a cloud of dust. A young man walked in with a seemingly leisurely, but actually hidden sharp momentum, as if strolling in a courtyard.

"Father." The young man's mouth was slightly raised, with a seemingly respectful smile on his face, and he greeted Xue Yuntian.

Although Xue Yuntian's heart was full of anger, like a volcano about to erupt, the stability and forbearance he had cultivated over the years in a high position did not show any emotion on his face. He asked calmly and peacefully, "Zhong'er, why are you doing this?"

After the words fell, he slowly shook his head again, as if denying his previous question, and then said, "No, it's not important to discuss this now. Since you have done such a rebellious thing, have you thought about the consequences?"

"Consequences?" The young man, Xue Zhonggao, curled the corner of his mouth, with a bit of self-deprecation and resentment in that smile. He said coldly, "I already knew the consequences."

"But if I don't fight, then wouldn't my efforts over the years be wasted? I have been doing things carefully and cautiously for so many years, for fear of making a mistake, but in the end, I have to make a wedding dress for the fourth, how can you make me willing?"

Xue Yuntian shook his head again, trying to explain: "Make a wedding dress for the fourth, how could you think that way, I have always treated you equally."

"Humph! Equal?"

Hearing this, Xue Zhonggao couldn't help but snorted coldly, "Do you think I will believe this kind of nonsense? If you really treat me equally, then why did you grant Lao Si a marriage and let him marry the only daughter of the Nutrisco family, isn't this partiality?!"

The Nutrisco family is one of the most powerful nobles in the empire. Most of the entertainment industry in the Douling Empire is firmly controlled by this family, and its wealth and influence permeates every corner of the empire.

And Xue Yuntian's fourth son, Xue Rengui, was extremely talented in Soul Master cultivation. At only twenty-five years old, his cultivation had reached level sixty-five.

Ten years younger than the eldest prince Xue Zhonggao, his cultivation was on par with him, and he had already become one of the best among the younger generation of Soul Masters in the empire.

Not long ago, Emperor Xue Yuntian personally arranged a marriage for Xue Rengui, allowing him to marry the only daughter of the Nutrisco family.

In Xue Zhonggao's view, this was undoubtedly a clear signal that his father intended to pass the throne to Lao Si. With the position of crown prince not yet established, his father was so eager to strengthen Lao Si's power, wasn't this partiality?

Driven by this idea, coupled with the secret promotion of interested people, the balance in Xue Zhonggao's heart finally tilted completely. He gritted his teeth and made this risky decision.

Now, there was no turning back once the bow was drawn. Things had developed to this point, and it was impossible to turn back.

Xue Zhonggao straightened his back and said calmly: "Father, you don't have to try to mobilize the palace's array. Since I dare to do this kind of thing, how can I not be prepared. At least within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, you don't want to mobilize the palace's array."

He paused slightly, and added: "In addition, I have also sent people to stop the royal consecration group, so they will not come to support."

Hearing this, Xue Yuntian's heart sank. He never expected that his eldest son, whom he had high hopes for, would have such a meticulous strategy, and this strategy would eventually be used on himself.

At this moment, his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He could only sigh secretly, what a great "filial" son!