Chapter 554.1. Elder Kong

Ye Xishui said, “Shrek Academy will join the war sooner or later. What’s the difference if it’s now or if it’s later? Furthermore, this matter clearly has something to do with Shrek Academy. Attacking Shrek Academy is the most direct and effective option. Don’t tell me that you’re going to ignore the fundamentals? Do you have a better plan?”

The Chief Minister said, “We’ve already occupied the entire Heavenly Soul Empire. At this time, consolidation is key. We can ask the War God Empress to temporarily send some stronger individuals back. We can continue the war once we take care of things internally. At the same time, we can also consolidate our reign over the Heavenly Soul Empire, and use their wealth to further our research and manufacturing of soul tools. Stability should be our utmost priority. Your Majesty, it’s very important to stabilize our back! Without the War God Empress to protect you, I’m a little worried about your safety.”

Xu Tianran’s expression changed slightly. “I don’t need a woman to protect me. I have the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion. However, we need to find these enemies in our territories quickly. Does anyone have a good plan?”

He swept his gaze across all the senior officials. Most of them were silent.

Ye Xishui said coldly, “Your Majesty, my opinion is completely professional. Huo Yuhao relied on his spiritual power to conceal himself. If he has really cultivated to a Titled Douluo in a short few years, he’s likely to be a major threat to our empire as a Titled Douluo with an Ultimate martial soul. We need to get rid of him as quickly as possible. We’ve not even invented concealment-type soul tools yet, thus it’s impossible for Shrek Academy to have done so. In my opinion, that soul engineer legion that snuck into our territories is likely to have relied on Huo Yuhao’s concealment abilities. If we attack Shrek Academy, at least we’ll force him and his soul engineer legion to retreat. That’s the best way.”

“If Your Majesty wants to rule the entire continent, you’ll need to deal with Shrek Academy soon. The conflict between us and Shrek can never be resolved. A victor must be decided. Don’t tell me you want to wait until they become more powerful? As long as the War God Empress quickly destroys Shrek City, the world of soul masters would most certainly become divided. I believe that she can do this, given her military intelligence. As long as Your Majesty agrees, I’m willing to lead the Holy Ghost Church to coordinate with the War God Empress.”

The Chief Minister hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, you must not do that. Your Majesty, there’ll be no going back once you do that. If you don’t succeed, all our previous victories will have been for nothing! Please think it through. We are in an advantageous situation right now. It’s best to pursue stability.”

Ye Xishui finally became angry. An icy-cold chilly intent shot out from her eyes. The surrounding temperature fell dramatically, and she unleashed a terrifying oppressive force.

Once the Death God was infuriated, even the weather could change. Everyone could sense her terrifying aura, which threatened to tear their bodies apart.

At this moment, Elder Kong, who had been standing beside Xu Tianran all this while, took a step forward. Green lights flashed on his body, and a gentle force spread out. It reached towards Ye Xishui, clashing with her aura.

Ye Xishui snorted coldly, and Elder Kong also shook slightly. Although he was slightly disadvantaged, he didn’t suffer too greatly.

Elder Kong looked at Ye Xishui. He was now directly facing the Death God Douluo.

Both of them were pitting their auras against each other, and they didn’t give in at all.

When Ye Xishui erupted in anger, the Chief Minister immediately turned pale. However, everything returned to normal once Elder Kong made a move. Elder Kong was not completely overwhelmed when he faced the Death God Douluo by himself. If this spread, it would astonish the world of soul masters and soul engineers.

Ye Xishui groaned, “Kong Deming, do you really have to pit yourself against me?”

Elder Kong replied, “This is the Imperial Palace. Supreme Worshipped, please watch your behavior in front of His Majesty.”

Ye Xishui twisted her head to look at Xu Tianran, “Your Majesty, is this what you want?”

Xu Tianran coughed. “Supreme Worshipped, please calm down. I know you are only thinking for the empire. However, we need to really ponder this matter. It has too many implications. Where’s the Military Chief?”

The Military Chief rushed out from a corner. “Your Majesty, I’m here.”

“Tell me your suggestions,” Xu Tianran demanded.

Ye Xishui stood to one side and silently looked at Xu Tianran. She retracted her aura, but continued to look cold. She felt that he was straying out of her control.

Ye Xishui very well knew who Kong Deming was. He was the Master of the Worship Hall of the Sun Moon Empire. He was one-quarter royal blood, and was only loyal to the imperial family. He was also the top soul engineer in the Sun Moon Empire.

Yes, the strongest soul engineer in the Sun Moon Empire wasn’t the Death God Douluo Ye Xishui, but this person who only appeared to be inferior to her. Ye Xishui even had to admit that she was inferior to him.

Kong Deming was already more than one hundred and fifty years old. He was the chief of all the Class 9 soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire, and a Rank 94 Titled Douluo. However, very few people knew that he had twin martial souls. Not only was he the strongest soul engineer in the empire, but he was also a very strong soul master.

If not for the fact that he placed most of his energy on researching soul tools, he might not actually be inferior to Ye Xishui, Long Xiaoyao and any other Ultimate Douluo in terms of his cultivation.

He was also the closest to becoming a Class 10 soul engineer.

Ye Xishui’s knowledge of soul tools wasn’t very good. After all, she was a soul master. Her Death God was mainly constructed by Kong Deming. That’s why even Ye Xishui had to give in to Kong Deming a little too. She was well-aware of how strong he was.

If she had to appraise Kong Deming, she could only use the word ‘unpredictable’. This was because no one had seen Kong Deming make a move for at least fifty years. No one knew how powerful he actually was. Whether it was Long Xiaoyao or Ye Xishui, they had no confidence in beating him. This showed how strong he was.

Initially, Kong Deming rarely came out from the Worship Hall. He devoted all his energy to his soul tool research. It was only recently that he finally appeared in public after he successfully researched human-shaped soul tools.

What left Ye Xishui surprised was that Kong Deming actually fully supported Xu Tianran. He was completely on his side. Ye Xishui had no choice but to refrain from offending him, and her perception of Xu Tianran also changed. She knew that she couldn’t threaten his life.

When the explosion occurred, Kong Deming was researching soul tools in his own laboratory. If he were by Xu Tianran’s side, Xu Tianran wouldn’t have been hurt.

When Kong Deming stepped out, all the other soul engineers immediately unleashed their auras, which combined with his. This was power! He was the true number one soul engineer of the Sun Moon Empire. Even Jing Hongchen had to be respectful to him. The same applied to Ye Yulin.

Seeing that Ye Xishui had retracted her aura, Kong Deming also returned to Xu Tianran’s side, and his own aura returned to normal too.

As the Military Chief spoke, he also glanced at both of them occasionally, especially Kong Deming. Seeing that Elder Kong didn’t give any gestures, he continued speaking.

“Your Majesty, I think that both the Supreme Worshipped and Chief Minister are both right. However, both their ideas are flawed in their own way. Given the current situation, being overly aggressive or overly conservative is not ideal.”

“Oh?” Xu Tianran was a little stunned as he looked at the Military Chief. He had called him out to act as a balance between both the Chief Minister and Supreme Worshipped. Who knew that he actually had a constructive suggestion? This gave Xu Tianran a delightful surprise.

The Military Chief said, “The Chief Minister’s proposition is indeed apt, but we are doing very well now. If we call the War God Empress back right now, I’m afraid we’ll miss out on a good opportunity. But this is also not the time to attack Shrek Academy. That’s why both their suggestions are problematic.”

The Chief Minister snorted coldly and jibed, “Stop beating around the bush. If you have a plan, just say it.”

The Military Chief looked at the Chief Minister. Everyone knew that neither of them liked each other. The Military Chief was also usually the one that was constantly repressed. In terms of abilities or experience, he was inferior to the Chief Minister. His only advantage was his age.

The Military Chief confidently said, “Why not do it this way? We shall inform the War God Empress about the situation in the empire and let her decide what to do. Our enemies are very active right now, and their strategy is a little unclear. In terms of military matters, Her Majesty is the next best, apart from Your Majesty. Why don’t we let her judge the situation and give you suggestions? She’s at the front line, and thus she’s naturally more aware of the situation there. If she thinks it’s a good time to attack Shrek Academy, I think you can make a decision.”

The Military Chief was clever in the sense that he could correctly judge the relationship between Xu Tianran and Ju Zi.

As the Emperor, Xu Tianran would only pass the authority of the entire military to someone if he trusted that person. Moreover, the Crown Prince came from the Empress. No one would suspect her loyalty to the empire and Xu Tianran. Currently, no one challenged the Crown Prince for the throne. Given this, how could Xu Tianran not possibly trust his wife?