Chapter 306: The End of a Prince and the Rise of a Soul
Ju Zi clenched her teeth. "What do you want me to do? Let the prince go—I can do anything."
Xu Tianran looked at her, visibly moved. Despite knowing in his heart that he would never tolerate the slightest disrespect from Ju Zi if he survived, at this moment, her unwavering loyalty stirred something in him.
But Xiao Qiang showed no sympathy.
He slapped Ju Zi away.
"Don't block the way. Or I don't mind letting Xu Tianran die slowly."
With Ju Zi knocked aside, no one remained between Xiao Qiang and Xu Tianran. Now facing his impending doom directly, Xu Tianran completely panicked.
"Elder Kong! You're just going to stand by and watch the royal family vanish?!"
But before Kong Deming could say a word, Meng Hongchen stepped forward, her eyes cold.
Smack!
She kicked Xu Tianran across the face, knocking him from his wheelchair. Then she stepped on his face and growled:
"You? A prince who colluded with the Holy Spirit Church? You're not worthy of representing the royal family. Once you're gone, another prince will ascend. This is an imperial purge, not a rebellion."
Those words sent chills down Xu Tianran's spine. It wasn't a coup—they weren't overthrowing the empire. Just removing him.
As he glanced toward the many loyal ninth-level soul engineers in the hall, he saw no support in their eyes—only silent relief. Clearly, they were only opposed to him, not the institution itself.
"Wait, there must be a misunderstanding," he stammered. "I was forced—ah!"
Before he could finish, Xiao Hongchen drove a kick into his gut.
Thanks to Meng Hongchen holding his head in place with her foot, Xu Tianran couldn't even be flung away.
"Misunderstanding?" Xiao Hongchen growled. "You plotted with the Holy Spirit Church, tried to kill my grandfather and Xiao Qiang… and you think we don't know what you did two years ago?"
The searing pain in his face and stomach faded into the background as Xu Tianran processed the horror of Xiao Hongchen's words.
"You… you know… what happened two years ago?!"
"Of course," Meng Hongchen said coldly. "My grandfather tried to help you. And how did you repay him? You betrayed him."
She activated her martial soul—Zhu Qing Ice Toad—and venomous toxins began leaking from her palm, seeping into Xu Tianran's body.
In desperation, Xu Tianran tried to resist. As an eight-ring Soul Douluo, he still had some power left. He thought to take Meng Hongchen hostage—maybe then he could buy his life.
But before he could act, Xue Di stepped on his back, effortlessly sealing his soul power.
It was over.
All that remained was to wait for death.
Then Xiao Qiang turned toward the gathering of Sun Moon officials.
"Everyone, the explosion at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy has been traced. It was caused by a Grade-9 fixed soul guide shell obtained by a Shrek Academy student—Huo Yuhao—through the black market."
"This incident has little to do with the original Douluo Three Kingdoms. Of course, they are not completely innocent… but if you don't want to be manipulated into blind revenge, feel free to investigate yourselves."
"As for Xu Tianran—this is a personal matter. My grudge with him does not extend to the royal family. You may choose any other prince to ascend the throne. I have no objections—as long as you do not make an enemy of my teacher."
There was no one who dared disagree. Everyone in the room understood that with Xiao Qiang's current power—and the strength of his allies—he could take anything he wanted by force.
Among the figures standing behind Xiao Qiang were Xiao Sheng, Xue Di, Mu Qingxue, and Kong Deming—each one a towering figure in their own right. It was no longer about politics. It was survival.
And so, when Xu Tianran's mangled body was finally pronounced dead, no one objected.
Cause of death: a sudden illness.
Symptoms: infection, ulceration, respiratory failure.
Official report: perfectly reasonable.
The ninth-level soul engineers and court physicians all nodded. "Makes sense."
Two and a half months later.
"I didn't expect all this to happen while I was in seclusion," said Jing Hongchen, stepping into the light of day once more. "I wanted to break through, become a tenth-level soul engineer… but I never imagined the war would end before I even got the chance to fight."
He sighed heavily. "Had I known Shrek would throw everything into a suicide attack, I'd have delayed my retreat."
But the Holy Spirit Church was destroyed. Xu Tianran was dead. And Shrek… was crippled.
He had intended to join forces with Xiao Qiang and eliminate his enemies, but now…
Du Bu Si? Dead.
Xuan Zi? Missing.
Shrek? Only Yan Shaozhe, a level 95 control-type Douluo, and a healing-type Super Douluo remained. Two Body Sect elders lingered as well, but their spirit power hadn't even reached level 93.
Their fall was complete.
"Still," Jing Hongchen muttered, "the outcome is not bad. That brat Huo Yuhao actually snuck into the Academy and used a Grade-9 fixed soul guide shell. It's insane."
Xiao Qiang nodded.
"I already cleared the underground arsenal. But I underestimated Huo Yuhao's madness. He didn't disguise anything this time—he went all in. Even his actions seemed… inhuman."
The past few years had seen a major shift. The emergence of soul spirits had drawn most mid- and low-level cultivators toward the soul master path. Huo Yuhao, lacking elite soul master credentials, had turned to the underground arena—won the championship—and struck a fatal blow.
The butterfly effect was immense.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy couldn't escape its fate. But unlike the original timeline, the Hongchen family survived completely intact—thanks to Xiao Qiang.
The positions of Dean and Master of Mingde Hall were preserved. Assets and soul guides could be replaced. Even talent could be cultivated again. And with many of the Hongchen family's loyalists now working within the Soul Palace under Meng Hongchen, their influence had only grown.
For Jing Hongchen, who had now reached Level 10, it was bittersweet—but also a rebirth.
"It's a pity about Xuan Ziwen," he said. "But let's not dwell on it. What's your next move? Have you chosen your ninth soul ring yet?"
"I have," Xiao Qiang replied calmly.
"My next target… is the Evil Emperor. He's lived for 790,000 years."
Jing Hongchen raised a brow. "Why him?"
"Because he's too powerful. If left alone, he could unbalance everything. He must be sealed."