Chapter 493.1. Juzi, Seed

Wei Na tilted her head slightly and reached into her pockets, retrieved a small pouch, and gave it to Huo Yuhao. “This is the highest-tier signal soul tool from our side. If you have this, you will never be attacked by friendly forces.”

Huo Yuhao naturally understood the princess’ intentions, and he didn’t reject her gift as he took it and placed it in his own pocket.

Wei Na stared at him deeply and said, “Yuhao, gratitude cannot be voiced for the great favors that you have given us. I will remember that. I need to hurry back so that I can log what I’ve seen today. Intelligence like that is far too precious.”

“Alright.”

Huo Yuhao turned around and walked into his own courtyard after watching Wei Na leave. He contemplated his experiences in the air as he walked.

Such powerful linked offensive soul tools! An attack like that would probably severely injure even a Titled Douluo. Fortunately, I had imitation to conceal myself continuously so I didn’t have to suffer continuous attacks. Otherwise, the consequences could have been disastrous. At the least, Princess Wei Na wouldn’t have returned with her life.

However, Huo Yuhao was starting to feel that the Beast God’s reverse scale had its benefits, and increasingly so. At least, it provided protection for him in his most perilous moments. Otherwise, he would need quite some time to recover if he returned with severe injuries, even though his own body was quite tough.

What can we do to find Teacher Xiao Ya? The Sun Moon Empire’s camp is like a metal plate. It’s just too difficult.

Huo Yuhao returned to his room with those questions, and removed his outer shirt as he crossed his legs and meditated.

Huo Yuhao reported the results of his investigation to Elder Song and Yan Shaozhe at daybreak. However, he didn’t mention that Princess Wei Na went with him, and only told them that he discovered the linked offensive soul tool’s attack and evaded it before he hurried back.

Everyone’s faces grew solemn when they heard Huo Yuhao’s description. Elder Song lowered her voice and said, “Why don’t I accompany you tonight? That attack is powerful, but I should have no problem protecting you.”

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and said, “That’s perfect. But, Elder Song, there is something else I want to do.”

“Eh?” Elder Song glanced at Huo Yuhao confusedly.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes sparkled. “I want to see just how far the Sun Moon Empire’s ground-based aerial surveillance soul tools can reach. We can only win our battles if we understand our enemies fully.”

Elder Song nodded. She believed that with her around, the Sun Moon Empire’s linked offensive soul tools couldn’t possibly hurt Huo Yuhao no matter how powerful they were.

Huo Yuhao didn’t obtain any accurate information, but he could guess that the Sun Moon Empire’s advances in ground-based aerial surveillance soul tools likely occurred because of the multiple losses that he had caused them one after another. Their ground-based aerial surveillance soul tools were probably developed specifically for him. Furthermore, he could be sure that they were oscillation detectors.

To be able to target oscillation detectors so high up in the sky was extremely astonishing, even if their waves were compressed. The Sun Moon Empire had an absolute advantage in their industrial capabilities.

……

The Sun Moon Empire’s Radiant City, inside the royal palace.

There was a silent, very large room. It was almost two hundred square meters, while it was ornamented with the luxury and spectacle that only the royal family could have.

A handsome youth was sitting next to a table and eating some delicious food, and he seemed like he was really enjoying himself.

“Dum, dum, dum!” A soft knocking could be heard at the door.

The youth’s eyes immediately lit up as he swiftly stood up and glanced in the door’s direction. “Please come in.”

The door opened, and a beautiful lady dressed in palace clothes walked in. Her hair was tied into a bun above her head, and her luxurious golden dress made her seem even more noble and elegant. Her skin was fair and almost translucent, like water would come out if someone squeezed her skin.

The door closed, and the room’s atmosphere instantly became a lot more pleasant with such a gorgeous lady inside.

“Royal sister.” The youth discreetly swallowed some saliva as he called out softly.

“Yes.” The girl blushed a little, and she seemed shy and bashful as she gradually walked towards the table. “Aren’t you going to ask me to sit down”?

“Oh, oh. Please sit down.” The expensively-dressed youth spoke a little awkwardly.

The girl gradually sat down as she lowered her head and said embarrassedly, “I’m a little nervous, royal brother.”

“I’m a little nervous, too. Why don’t you eat something first, sister?” The youth stared at the girl’s neck, which resembled that of an elegant swan, and the passion in his eyes was slowly sparked as even his voice began to tremble a little.

He had been pining after this girl for a long time, but had never had the guts to do anything about it. Who knew that such a fantastic opportunity would befall him today? This was much more wonderful than a snack from the gods! This snack wasn’t just a snack, it was also absolutely delicious.

The girl gradually lifted her head as she bit down on her lower lip and said gently, “Do you really dare to, royal brother?”

The youth was momentarily stunned before he snickered and said, “Of course, I wouldn’t normally dare to. But this is an order, and is something that my royal brother wants me to do. What else should I be afraid of? My brother has already shut me in for so many days to keep this secret. But I felt that everything was worth it no matter what price I had to pay when I saw you. You’re so beautiful, royal sister.”

The girl smiled plainly and said, “Since you know that he wants to keep this secret, aren’t you afraid that once the thing is done, he will kill you for it?”

The youth laughed and said, “How is that possible? We are cousins, and in the family hierarchy, I’m ranked among the first few who will be heir to the throne. Without the family’s order, who dares to touch me? My brother hasn’t been on the throne for too long, and even though he seems quite stable up there, if he dares to touch me, hmph!”

The young girl heaved a faint sigh and said, “You’re thinking too much, royal brother, and you have underestimated your brother’s methods. If he were so merciful, how could he become emperor?”

“Eh?” The youth’s expression changed a little as he lowered his voice and said, “What do you mean, royal sister?”

The young girl smiled and shook her head. “I don’t mean anything. I just want you to understand before you die.”

“You!” The youth suddenly stood up. Suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness come over his head as he stared at the girl in front of him with an incredulous look in his eyes.

The girl slowly stood up, and the faint but fragrant aroma on her body dampened as she made a grab at the youth. The youth’s body immediately flew backwards and landed on the bed as he lost consciousness.

The young girl’s face, which originally had a faint smile on it, immediately turned cold. “I’m sorry, royal brother. Blame your brother if you wish to blame someone.” She held a sharp spike-shaped object in her hands as she spoke and walked towards the bed.

Fifteen minutes later.

The girl appeared inside a royal hall.

“It’s done, Your Majesty.” The girl spoke gently. The person sitting on the throne was none other than the Sun Moon Empire’s emperor, Xu Tianran, while this luxuriously-dressed girl was Ju Zi.

“Thank you, Ju Zi. Please stand up.” Xu Tianran waved his hand at her with a smile on her face. However, one could see upon closer inspection that his smile contained a kind of awkwardness and bitterness that was hard to detect.

Xu Tianran said, “Go and prepare. You have to begin as soon as possible to maintain activity. The royal doctor is already prepared.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ju Zi nodded gently as she turned to leave.

She had just walked out of the hall when a dark shadow soundlessly appeared where she was before. He knelt down on one knee toward Xu Tianran and said, “Prince Tianhe has passed away, and it’s confirmed that the empress did it herself. His life was taken in one hit, his heart was pierced, and he died.”

“Alright, you may leave. Tell the royal doctor to see me after his inspection,” Xu Tianran answered coldly.

“Yes!”

The dark shadow departed soundlessly as Xu Tianran gradually stood up and paced around the room with his prosthetic legs.

His face was overcast. Prince Tianhe’s blood was very pure, and even though he was lazy and didn’t have a high cultivation rank, he was the most suitable target.

Xu Tianran felt as if his heart had been cut by a knife. Even though he had always treated Ju Zi as one of his most important chess pieces, they had spent so many years together, so how could he not develop any feelings for her? However, he couldn’t do what normal males could, and the royal family needed an heir. Thus, he had to devise such a devious plan.

Ju Zi didn’t need to have any physical contact with Prince Tianhe even if she wanted his seed. That could be accomplished with the Sun Moon Empire’s technology. What was amusing was that Prince Tianhe thought he had taken the advantage. His death by Ju Zi’s hands was also Xu Tianran’s order.

The reason why Xu Tianran chose to do this was simple. Ju Zi couldn’t go back once she killed Prince Tianhe, because her life would be over if this piece of news was spread. At the same time, Prince Tianhe would become the future heir’s true father if she was taking his seed. How could Xu Tianran allow such a person to live in the world? He wouldn’t be afraid of Ju Zi telling her crown prince anything in the future if he died at her hands. At the same time, this was a measure to tie Ju Zi even closer to himself.

Xu Tianran knew that his actions were very selfish and very cruel, and that was especially so for Ju Zi, who had always been loyal to him. However, he couldn’t rest if he hadn’t done all this. He was one of the most ambitious and ruthless characters of his time, he would never let anything escape his grasp.

I’ll compensate Ju Zi slowly in the future! But before that…

Xu Tianran’s eyes flashed coldly as his thoughts stopped there.

It didn’t take long before an elderly royal doctor walked in from outside and knelt down in front of Xu Tianran.

“How is it?” Xu Tianran asked coldly.

The royal physician deliberately lowered his voice and said, “Your Majesty, the empress is still perfect.”