Chapter 153: Nan Feihuang

The sensation caused by Dugu Bo lasted for a very long time.

After all, this period was still an era of peace, and usually nothing major happened; a battle between Title Douluos was naturally the topic most relished and yearned for by all Spirit Masters.

The Poison Douluo's power in taking on two opponents alone aroused the yearning of many.

The Spirit Hall's two ten-thousand-year soul bones were also sent over; one was a poison-type left leg soul bone, and the other was a power-type left arm soul bone, both of which could be considered quite good. Dugu Bo gave one to his granddaughter to absorb, and the other, he prepared to give to Nan Feihuang.

Dugu Yan had been so proud lately at school that her nose was almost pointing to the sky, and Yu Tianheng had even been ordered by his grandfather to try and invite Dugu Bo to visit the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.

Yu Yuanzhen wanted to finalize the marriage between Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan once and for all, in order to completely win over the Poison Douluo.

But at this moment, the Poison Douluo had suddenly disappeared, and no one could find him. In fact, he was currently inside the Gulei Royal Palace.

In the Imperial Study, several pivotal figures of the Gulei Kingdom—Nan Tianchen, Lan Xue, Elder Zhang, and Nan Feihuang—were gathered there at this moment.

Because of certain objectives, Nan Tianchen had even specifically called Xu Rong over as well.

"Haha, Old Poison, you really are amazing; even stronger than I thought. I originally thought you would at most defeat the Chrysanthemum Douluo and then retreat unscathed from the hands of the Ghost Douluo, but I didn't expect you to even cripple the Ghost Douluo and swindle a soul bone from him. You are worthy of being my brother; this attribute of fleecing wool is truly in my style," Nan Feihuang laughed loudly.

"Hmph, you little fellow, aren't you also full of secrets? I hid my strength a little; how about it, feeling surprised? From now on, with me around, I guarantee no one will dare to provoke your Gulei Kingdom again," Dugu Bo said with feigned arrogance. He had deliberately not told Nan Feihuang just to give him a big surprise.

At this moment, Nan Feihuang's expression made him very satisfied.

"Brat, do not be disrespectful to His Excellency." Nan Tianchen patted his son's head. Calling a Title Douluo 'Old Poison' to his face—even he wouldn't dare to be so rude.

"Gu Lei King, this is what I told him to call me. Do you need to question it?" Dugu Bo looked at Nan Tianchen with dissatisfaction. In truth, the side he had truly joined was always Nan Feihuang's, not for the sake of the Gulei Kingdom.

"I dare not, Your Excellency Poison Douluo, it was my slip of the tongue." Nan Tianchen noticed Dugu Bo's displeasure and hurriedly tried to remedy it.

Lan Xue, standing to the side, wore a smile that was not quite a smile and did not come out to help Nan Tianchen speak. Who told him to bully her son? Now he had tried to curry favor only to end up kicking the horse's leg.

The two people most shocked at this moment were Elder Zhang and Xu Rong, who had been called over together.

They were puzzled in their hearts: what exactly was the situation before them? Why was this Poison Douluo, who had just defeated the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos, on such good terms with their Crown Prince? And listening to the meaning of his words, it seemed as if he intended to join the Gulei Kingdom.

If Elder Zhang, who was loyal to the country, was filled with surprise mixed with joy, then Xu Rong was both shocked and worried.

He had already secretly joined Bibi Dong's side in the Spirit Hall, but he had not expected that just after he chose to betray them, the Gulei Kingdom's strength would skyrocket several times over in just a few short years. Such big news must not be known to the Spirit Hall yet; he had to notify the Pope as soon as possible.

Just at this moment, Dugu Bo suddenly said, "Little Flying General, King, now that I have made a name for myself, this should win us quite a bit of regard for our future joining of the Spirit Hall, right?"

Nan Tianchen nodded, "Exactly so. With my wife and you here, I believe that once our Gulei Kingdom attaches itself to the Spirit Hall in the future, our status will certainly not be low."

"Wait, King, Your Highness the Crown Prince, what did you just say? You are preparing to attach yourselves to the Spirit Hall?" Elder Zhang asked in confusion. The Gulei Kingdom had always supported the Heaven Dou Empire; he had never heard that they were preparing to join the Spirit Hall.

"That's right, Elder Zhang. This is the Gulei Kingdom's greatest secret, and it also involves future state policy. That is why I specifically called you and Mr. Xu here today; you are the two ministers I trust the most," Nan Tianchen said. "According to my observations, there are already many kingdoms that have secretly attached themselves to the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall's heart to unify the continent is self-evident. They are powerful, and I believe the continent will sooner or later be in their pocket. Therefore, boarding their ship early is what is most beneficial to our country."

"In fact, Mr. Dugu's actions were at my instruction. Even if we are to join them, we must obtain a certain amount of say, so we must first flex our muscles; that is also the capital for them to value us."

"So that's how it is. Has the King decided? This is a risky move," Elder Zhang asked with a grave expression. He clearly truly believed Nan Tianchen's rhetoric.

Nan Tianchen chose the former between the two possibilities: the Spirit Hall defeating the Two Great Empires in the future, or the Two Great Empires resisting the Spirit Hall's invasion.

He had never thought that Nan Tianchen, or rather Nan Feihuang, had the ambition to stand on his own, because the Gulei Kingdom's national strength was simply too weak. Even with two Title Douluos as top-tier combat power, they were still short of soldiers and generals, and had no capital to contend for hegemony.

They had to attach themselves to a larger force.

Nan Tianchen shook his head, "Actually, it hasn't reached the point of a final decision yet. I am currently placing bets on multiple sides. Elder Zhang, Mr. Xu, let me ask you a question: which forces do you think are the strongest on the continent?"

"The Spirit Hall, the Two Great Empires, the Upper Three Sects!" The two said almost in unison. This was beyond doubt; the strongest were naturally the one hall, two empires, and the Upper Three Sects. Other kingdoms, duchies, or the Lower Four Sects were nothing compared to these three forces.

"Correct, it is exactly the one hall, two empires, and the Upper Three Sects. Therefore, I had my son marry Princess Xue Ke of the Heaven Dou Empire; after Mr. Dugu joined, his granddaughter married Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family; my wife Lan Xue was a good friend of Pope Bibi Dong back in the day, and Mr. Dugu has shown enough value, so..."

There was no need to say everything. By the time Nan Tianchen said this, Elder Zhang and Xu Rong had already understood: Nan Tianchen actually wanted to leave a way out among all three of these forces.

"But, isn't this behavior..." Elder Zhang hesitated. Everyone knew what he wanted to say: wasn't it just being a fence-sitter? Placing bets on three sides, and then leaning toward whichever side held the advantage when the time came.

"Elder Zhang, there is no other way. You also know that although our country's agriculture is developed, our military strength is weak. In the eyes of any force, we are a piece of fat meat. To survive in the cracks, we can only prepare more backup plans," Nan Tianchen sighed. "However, among the three forces, the one I am currently most inclined toward is the Spirit Hall, because they are the strongest."

"Furthermore, Elder Zhang, you may not know yet, but my son has already fallen in love with Qian Renxue, the Saintess of the Offering Hall within the Spirit Hall. As a father, I also want to find a way to fulfill his wishes. Only by joining the Spirit Hall can there be a possibility of success for my son and that Qian Renxue, right?" Nan Tianchen changed the subject, indicating that this decision of his had both the planning of a king for the future development of the kingdom and the love of a father for his son.

It sounded indeed reasonable and well-founded.

"The King, he actually wants to join the Spirit Hall!" Xu Rong felt his brain was about to burn out. Didn't he choose to betray the Gulei Kingdom and join the Spirit Hall just to strengthen the Glory Shield?

But the result was that Nan Tianchen actually told him he was preparing to take the Gulei Kingdom and join together. Then what was the point of his betrayal?

But now, he could not reveal that he had actually already joined the Spirit Hall, so he could only remain silent.

Lan Xue said at this time, "Elder Zhang, Mr. Xu Rong, this is our country's greatest secret. Even if we are to join the Spirit Hall, it will not happen overnight, but rather we must wait for a time when we have more confidence. Before that, you must not let this secret spread, do you understand?"

"This subject will strictly obey the Queen's decree!" The two immediately agreed.

Elder Zhang would naturally truly keep the secret, while Xu Rong was thinking of going back immediately to write a letter to inform Bibi Dong, little knowing that this was exactly what Nan Feihuang wanted him to convey.

The wonderful use of a traitor who has already been discovered is to conversely use them to pass on the intelligence you want your opponent to know. During the Battle of Red Cliffs back then, Zhou Yu had designed the trap for Jiang Gan in exactly this way.

(End of chapter)