Chapter Eighty-Two: The Horns of War

After Ye Lingling finished absorbing the soul ring, with matters settled, Xiao Yu returned to the headquarters of the Nine Stars Hall.

This journey, especially the battle with the Titan Giant Ape in the Star Dou Forest, made Xiao Yu aware of his shortcomings. Although his soul power had grown rapidly over the years, he had become too obsessed with merely increasing his strength, neglecting the mastery of his soul skills. When facing the Shrek Seven Devils, his soul power, far surpassing the thirtieth rank, allowed him to suppress them completely, so no issues were apparent.

But when he confronted an opponent stronger than himself, like the Titan Giant Ape, the problems were revealed without a doubt. In the fight with the Titan Giant Ape, every time he released a soul skill, there was a brief pause before he could use the next one. This lack of real combat experience was even more obvious in Qian Renxue than in himself.

True experts, however, had honed their soul skills to perfection—there would be no pause, and those with keen insight could even switch between multiple soul skills seamlessly.

In the future, Xiao Yu could not always rely on overwhelming soul power to dominate. He would inevitably encounter opponents of the same rank or even with higher soul power. If nothing else, there was that madwoman, Bibi Dong, the Pope of the Spirit Hall, whom he would inevitably face one day.

Though this Pope was a hopeless romantic with an antisocial personality, her talent was exceptional. Unlike her daughter, who had spent twenty years in hiding at the Heaven Dou Palace, missing out on both cultivation and combat experience, Bibi Dong had survived hundreds of battles in Slaughter City and possessed rich practical experience. She could even switch between her twin martial souls without pause. If Xiao Yu could not correct his flaws, he was doomed to fail in the future!

After returning from the Sunset Forest, Xiao Yu began secluding himself, temporarily setting aside the pursuit of greater soul power to focus solely on mastering his soul skills.

This time, Xiao Yu did not enter a complete isolation. Having tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, he found himself craving it more and more, and it became natural for him to seek out Ye Lingling every so often for some in-depth discussion.

At first, the rather oblivious Huo Wu did not notice, and Xiao Yu and Ye Lingling were somewhat discreet. But as time went on, the two became more reckless, and soon enough, Huo Wu found out.

Learning that the two had already gone all the way behind her back, Huo Wu was furious and gnashed her teeth. She had thought that after they confessed their feelings for each other in the stone chamber at Saint Soul Village, she and Ye Lingling were starting from the same place. Who would have expected that after Ye Lingling went out to obtain a soul ring, she would seal the deal?

Bold at heart, Huo Wu immediately decided she wanted to turn fiction into reality as well. However, Xiao Yu was in seclusion most of the time, and when he was out, he usually spent half a day at most, with Ye Lingling almost always nearby. At night, he was certainly in Ye Lingling’s room. No matter how daring Huo Wu was, she couldn’t just barge into Ye Lingling’s room.

Thus, the days passed. Xiao Yu continued to familiarize himself with all his soul skills, integrating them and achieving true mastery.

…

“Whew!”

On this day, Xiao Yu finished performing a sequence of soul skills, sat down on the floor, and began to recall his moves, seeking inspiration.

Just then, Ye Lingling knocked at the door. “Brother Xiao Yu, are you available?”

Ye Lingling had actually arrived long ago, but sensing the intense fluctuations of soul power inside, she waited outside until the energy settled before knocking.

Hearing her voice, Xiao Yu immediately got up and opened the door. Seeing Ye Lingling standing outside, looking as demure as a little wife, his desire was instantly kindled. He pulled her into his arms and brought her inside, hooking the door shut behind him with his foot and grinning mischievously. “Lingling, you’ve delivered yourself right into the tiger’s den!”

With that, he lowered his head and kissed her red lips without hesitation.

“Wait, mmph… I need to… mmph…”

Ye Lingling’s protests were stifled by Xiao Yu’s kiss. Being held by the one she loved, she only resisted for a moment before responding fervently.

The two kissed passionately for a long time. Only when Xiao Yu’s hands began to fumble with her robe did Ye Lingling come to her senses. She pushed him away to stop him. “Wait, it’s important! Qian Renxue is here!”

“What is she doing here?” Xiao Yu was stunned, his hands pausing in confusion. That woman was supposed to be in Heaven Dou City as the crown prince—what was she doing all the way out here?

“Ouch!” A sudden pain at his waist brought Xiao Yu back to reality. Ye Lingling had used a woman’s ultimate move—her delicate hand pinched the soft flesh at his waist with impressive dexterity. Her lips pursed, all trace of shyness gone, she snapped, “Why do you think she’s here? Of course she’s here to see you! She named you as soon as she entered the sect. What, is your mind wandering now that you know she’s here?”

“Easy now, Lingling, let go. I swear on my honor, until today, there hasn’t been the slightest ambiguity between me and her!”

Until today, anyway. Who could say about the future? To be honest, Qian Renxue really was beautiful—any man unmoved by her wasn’t a real man.

Xiao Yu first soothed the jealous Ye Lingling, gently stroking her hair, then explained, “What I’m curious about is why she’s left Heaven Dou City and come all this way. With her status, something must have happened in either the Heaven Dou Empire or the Spirit Hall. By the way, is she here as herself or as Xue Qinghe?”

Ye Lingling was not one to make a fuss over nothing. She let go and replied, “She came as Xue Qinghe, with several royal guards. One of them was a senior from Heaven Dou Royal Academy—I recognized him.”

“So, something must have happened in the Heaven Dou Empire!” Xiao Yu nodded. “Let’s go, Lingling. Let’s see her first and then decide what to do.”

Moments later, Xiao Yu and Ye Lingling arrived at the reception hall, where Xue Qinghe was seated, calmly sipping fragrant tea.

“Greetings, Your Highness. Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner—I did not know you had arrived,” Xiao Yu said with measured respect as he entered.

Seeing Xiao Yu, Xue Qinghe set down the tea cup and stood with a smile. “No need for formality, Young Lord Xiao. It is I who intrudes and disturbs your cultivation.”

After some polite exchanges, they took their seats.

Once settled, Xiao Yu got straight to the point. “Your Highness, you are burdened with affairs of state. To what do we owe the honor of your visit to Xier City today?”

Xue Qinghe sighed. “To be frank, I am here to quell a rebellion. The lord of Hamos City, Ferreira, has plotted a revolt. The uprising has already spread to six or seven neighboring cities.”

“So that’s the matter. Then allow me to wish Your Highness a swift and resounding victory!”

So that was all, Xiao Yu breathed a silent sigh of relief. He had thought it was something significant. Though the Heaven Dou Empire had been in decline for years, even a dying camel was still larger than a horse. Suppressing such a minor rebellion was hardly a challenge.