Chapter 223

Davis appeared at the front of the army; the Star Luo Empire Big Prince, once masculine and domineering, now had his features filled with resentment, and his voice carried a hint of femininity.

This is clearly Tie Li's method!

A casual little trick has ruined his foundation!

Ask yourself, can a prince who cannot produce heirs still become an emperor of an empire?

But with Davis's ambition, he will certainly not abandon his fight for the Imperial Seat.

Therefore, he must kill everyone who knows this secret.

The Team‑leading Teacher of the Star Luo Royal Team has already been secretly dealt with by him.

He is unsure whether this was Tie Li's deliberate act, but regardless, he must kill Tie Li—whether for revenge or to keep the secret, Tie Li cannot live.

Leading the army to intercept on the unavoidable route is solely to kill Tie Li.

"Oh? I actually want to see who has the nerve to dare kill my Tian Dou Royal Academy men before me," he said.

Du Gu Bo's figure hovered in midair, and the powerful pressure of his title Douluo fell upon Davis.

With only the cultivation of the Four Ring Soul Sect, he could not endure it and immediately fell off the carriage.

This army, over a thousand strong, has only non‑commissioned officers of rank ten or higher who are Soul Masters.

Even the general commanding this army is merely a fifty‑fourth‑level Soul King.

Using Du Gu Bo's method, a single Poison Fog can render this army's bodies and bones nonexistent.

"So it was... under the Poison Douluo crown, we were the ones who acted rashly," he said.

As a Soul Master, he fears the Poison Absolute Douluo before him, yet he is also a general of the Star Luo Empire, and his duty to protect the prince and general forces him to stand upright, albeit with difficulty.

"Today, you'd better give me an explanation," he demanded.

Du Gu Bo's right palm pointed at Davis; with a void grasp, Davis felt a suffocating chill seize him, his body bound by powerful soul power, drifting slowly toward Du Gu Bo.

Xu Li looked at the soldiers behind him; he was already battle‑ready, knowing that if the Big Prince were killed, even returning alive to the empire would not spare them from death.

One white, two yellow, two purple—five Soul Rings floated beneath him, and his martial soul was the Flame Gun now in his hand.

"Hmph!"

Du Gu Bo let out a cold hum; Xu Li instantly spat a mouthful of fresh blood, collapsed to his knees, his whole body becoming listless.

"Speak up then!"

"I am the Star Luo Empire's Big Prince; if you kill me, do you intend to spark a war between our nations?" Davis showed no fear, attempting to intimidate the Poison Douluo before him with the Star Luo Royal Family.

"I am a Guest Minister of the the Heaven Dou Empire's royal house; I cannot kill you, but I can make your life worse than death," a cold murderous intent flashed in Du Gu Bo's eyes, causing his body to shiver.

I had thought the Tian Dou Royal Academy would only have a few Soul Emperor‑level Team‑leading Teachers, yet in the escort convoy, there was Du Gu Bo, a title Douluo.

At that moment, the three Committee Members of the Dream Divine Machine also stepped out of the carriage.

As the Star Luo Empire's Big Prince, ambushing the Tian Dou Royal Academy here would have a huge impact on him if it spread.

Especially since Dai Mubai now possesses the strength to contest the Imperial Seat with him, any adverse effect could be amplified infinitely.

"Davis, you are the Star Luo Empire's Big Prince; why intercept my Tian Dou Royal Academy here?"

"I..."

Davis was momentarily at a loss for how to answer.

"Probably you lost a competition and are disgruntled; aside from this, our Tian Dou Royal Academy has no dealings with him," Zhi Lin said.

"I never expected the Star Luo Empire Big Prince to be so petty; after losing a competition, he became angry and sent imperial troops to ambush us. Doesn't he realize the consequences? Ridiculous; I will report this to His Majesty," Bai Baoshan said angrily.

Davis's forehead veins bulged; how could he not know the impact of such a matter?

"You are the Star Luo Empire's Big Prince; we will not kill you, but we cannot be sure that after releasing you we won't deliberately obstruct, so we have offended you," he said.

The Dream Divine Machine's soul power struck Davis's mind like a heavy hammer, plunging him into unconsciousness.

Seeing this, Du Gu Bo tossed Davis to Xu Li.

The general breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and swiftly left the place with Davis and the army.

The convoy continued onward, and Du Gu Bo entered the carriage where Tie Li was; just now he had found something amiss on Davis.

"You did it? It does you no good; if he truly inherits the Imperial Throne later, you'll hardly be able to eat or sleep in peace."

"But he is not yet the Star Emperor, and he dares not make this matter public; once this secret is uncovered, he will completely lose his right to inherit the Imperial Seat;"

"As for his future inheritance of the Imperial Seat, perhaps at that time I will also become a titled Douluo."

"Is it related to the little girl from the Zhu family?" Du Gu Bo guessed at a clue.

Tie Li's silence already gave the answer.

The moment they entered Tian Dou Empire territory, troops came to meet them.

The armor and battle flags they wore were genuine Tian Dou Empire soldiers.

Leading them was the Snow Avalanche Prince.

Compared with his earlier arrogance, he now exudes more princely bearing, his demeanor showing exceptional grace.

The three Dream Divine Machines exchanged glances, pleased with the changes occurring in the Snow Avalanche Prince.

After making polite conversation with Du Gu Bo and the three Committee Members, Snow Avalanche's real concern was undoubtedly Tie Li.

He wants to win over Tie Li as much as possible; he is still young, and Tie Li is also young, so when he eventually ascends the Imperial Seat, turmoil will surely surround him, and the court will be filled mostly with his father's old ministers.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, the first thing he usually does is gradually replace the powerful ministers with his own followers.

Court turmoil largely stems from this; it depends on how the new emperor handles it.

Unlike in the original timeline, when Snow Avalanche inherited the Imperial Throne in that timeline the situation was extremely dire; had he dared to move against the court's powerholders then, the already terrible state would have collapsed rapidly. All he could do at the time was maintain the status quo.

But now it is different; he has ample time, and the current situation is fairly good. Everything he does now is paving the way for his future self.

Winning over Tie Li, a potentially future titled Douluo, is what he most needs to do right now.

Fully drawing Tie Li into the Imperial House's camp and granting him a status above ten thousand, making Tie Li his own titled Douluo, will greatly solidify his rule.

It should be noted that, apart from Du Gu Bo as Guest Minister, the Tian Dou Imperial House has no titled Douluo at all.

This Soul Master Competition, thank you all for your hard work.

Snow Avalanche Prince, you're being modest, but this Grand Competition was indeed a bit regrettable, Bai Baoshan said.

In his view, if Tie Li had started on the main team, there might truly have been a chance to win the championship, especially with the format changes; that helpless sense of powerlessness left him feeling a deep regret.

(End of Chapter)