Douluo Continent: Starting from Awakening the Vermilion Bird Martial Soul

The vassal kingdoms were becoming increasingly disobedient, maintaining an ambiguous relationship with the Spirit Hall, and he was powerless to stop them. In addition, the emergence of a genius like Di Hong in the royal family of the Silves Kingdom, as well as the blows dealt to him by the Star Luo Empire, almost caused him to lose his composure.

The vassal kingdoms are full of geniuses, and even the enemy countries are producing geniuses frequently. The Spirit Hall is also getting stronger and stronger. Even if it suffers setbacks, it is not to the point of being crippled. It is not that the Heaven Dou Empire does not produce geniuses, but the problem is that those genius spirit masters are either from various sects and families or are free spirit masters.

Their royal family's most talented member was their second son, Xueyu.

He supported Xue Yu and Xue Ye in their struggle to become emperor, hoping to make his son, who had a high talent in martial spirit, the emperor. However, he never expected that, with his support, Xue Yu would be no match for Xue Ye and would be utterly defeated.

Even Di Hong, the kingdom's genius, stood on Xue Ye's side. The dignified prince of the kingdom, a peerless genius, actually protected Xue Ye like a guard.

This made him start to reflect.

"How did things get to this point?"

"Perhaps I really was wrong."

The palace maids and servants behind him lowered their heads and dared not utter a word. The emperor said he was wrong, and they dared not agree.

"Let's go."

After looking at himself in the mirror for a while, he set off.

In preparation for today's Royal Hunting Tournament, he not only endured the unpleasant smell while drinking medicine last night, but also specially sought out a Soul Master to treat him, all so that he could look more energetic today.

When the emperor travels, his entourage is naturally large. In addition to tens of thousands of imperial guards, there are many soul masters, ministers and generals accompanying him, and of course, the nobles in the city also have to go.

Xueye and Xuexing were also well prepared. Although they didn't wear armor, they changed into a set of close-fitting clothes for easier riding.

Nobles of all ranks in the city rode in luxurious carriages to the hunting grounds, forming a long and impressive procession that stretched as far as the eye could see.

People on both sides of the road looked at the procession with different expressions. Some were envious, some were jealous, some were resentful, and of course, some were indifferent. In particular, the Soul Masters, the lower-level Soul Masters naturally envied these people, but the higher-level Soul Masters were disdainful of it.

In their eyes, what are nobles anyway? Power is what matters.

If they wanted titles, the emperor would gladly bestow them upon them, but they didn't care.

Di Hong was dressed in a fitted brocade robe as red as flames, embroidered with a vermilion bird pattern. He had a long sword at his waist and rode a fine horse. He was tall and straight, full of energy and exuded a heroic spirit. He was a handsome young man with a confident aura.

It's eye-catching.

Inside the carriage next to them, Xueye sat holding a book and flipping through it.

Tang Yuehua did not attend the hunting competition but stayed at the Earl's mansion. After all, Xue Yu was going to rebel, and she couldn't help him with anything.

The emperor's carriage was located in front of the horse-drawn carriage.

Xueye peeked out and waved to Di Hong.

Di Hong rode up to his carriage.

"To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Sect Master Ning also brought disciples from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but I'm still a little worried."

"Is Your Highness worried that the Second Prince will secretly replace the guards at the hunting grounds?" Di Hong asked.

Xueye nodded slightly: "Yes."

"Rest assured, Your Highness, the hunting grounds are directly guarded by the Royal Knights. The Imperial Guards cannot replace them unless there is His Majesty's decree or token. Otherwise, it is simply impossible."

Di Hong felt that the possibility of replacing the guards was extremely slim, and if the knights of the hunting grounds were replaced, they would definitely know, and the emperor had already taken precautions.

“That’s right, Father Emperor was prepared long ago.” Xueye also felt that she had worried too much. Although the 30,000 Imperial Guards had been transferred away, there were still 70,000 Imperial Guards and 50,000 Royal Knights guarding the hunting grounds. Attacking the hunting grounds was simply wishful thinking.

Of the current 70,000 Imperial Guards, 50,000 are stationed at the hunting grounds for protection. Apart from the 10,000 Royal Knights stationed at the hunting grounds, the rest are on standby, ready to be dispatched to quell the rebellion as soon as the Emperor's order arrives.

Moreover, there's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Ning Fengzhi didn't bring many people, only about twenty, but they were all direct descendants. They were all support-type Soul Masters, and they only needed to stand in the back to amplify the other Soul Masters. There wasn't a need for too many people.

Moreover, Ning Fengzhi alone can amplify the power of seven Soul Masters.

The procession left Tiandou City in a grand procession. After they left, the city gates were closed and martial law was imposed. People inside the city were not allowed to leave, and people outside the city were not allowed to enter, until today.

The large-scale military mobilization has weakened the defenses within Tiandou City, making it necessary to impose martial law to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the rebellion to cause trouble.

On top of a building tens of meters high, Yin Xuan, dressed in black, watched the large procession leave. He then released a crow to deliver a message: he had secretly sneaked back to Tiandou City the night before.

Chapter 68. The Hunting Tournament (Part 68)

Chapter 68 Hunting Tournament (Part 2)

Inside Tiandou City.

Inside an inconspicuous building.

Xue Yu, clad in gleaming silver armor, sat there with her eyes closed.

Taking troops out for training was naturally a pretext, but he did indeed leave with his troops, specifically the 30,000 Imperial Guards. However, that didn't mean he couldn't return. He had secretly sneaked back to Tiandou City the day before yesterday.

There were many generals waiting in this building, all of whom were local military commanders.

Since he dared to rebel, he naturally couldn't rely solely on those 30,000 Imperial Guards.

He wasn't stupid. For 30,000 royal guards to think they could succeed was wishful thinking. If he was going to rebel, he naturally needed to be well-prepared. He had originally hoped that the two kingdoms that supported him would help him, but now the two kingdoms were ignoring him completely.

He also knew that he could no longer rely on these two kingdoms, and that they had even betrayed him.

"It seems my father has given up on me too."

"He already knows I'm going to rebel."

A general behind him asked, "Should we make our move now?"

The local army of 50,000 men, who had been secretly advancing by day and hiding by night, had now reached a forest outside Tiandou City and were concealed there. As soon as Xue Yu gave the order, they could take action and then cooperate from within and without to capture Tiandou City.

By taking hostage the families of the nobles, ministers, and generals in the city, Xue Yu could gain the upper hand. Most importantly, the families of the Royal Knights and the Imperial Guards were also mostly in Tian Dou City.

By taking these people hostage, the Royal Guard and the Royal Knights dared not act rashly.

The generals who rebelled with him couldn't wait any longer. This was a matter of life and death, and they had to succeed. If they failed, not only would they be doomed, but the city lords and nobles behind them would also die without a burial place.

But if they succeed, then countless riches and honors, and a high status await them.

"No rush, let's wait a bit longer. Father and the others have just left Tiandou City. If we make a move, they will immediately turn back, and then we'll be finished."

The more things happen, the less he can rush things; he must remain calm. This is the weakest point in Tiandou City's history, and also his only chance.

His target was never the royal hunting grounds.

Xueye was wrong, Dihong was wrong, and even the old emperor was wrong.

Everyone was wrong.

His goal has always been Tiandou City.

At noon.

A procession of tens of thousands of people arrived at the royal hunting grounds.

The hunting ground gates opened, and the procession entered in an orderly fashion. The old emperor Xue Tang rode a white Heavenly Soul Horse, his armor making him appear majestic and extraordinary.

Looking at his rosy complexion, Di Hong frowned slightly. As a Soul Master, he could tell at a glance that the Emperor's health was not good and he was just putting on a brave face.

On a snowy night, Xuexing and other members of the royal family, along with other nobles, waited with their horses.

Di Hong dismounted and came to Ning Fengzhi's side.

"Brother Ning."

He bowed to Ning Fengzhi, who nodded slightly in return. Behind him, twenty disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School stood in orderly formation.

"What's the Second Prince up to?" he asked Di Hong telepathically.

The voice transmission reached Di Hong's ears, and he responded in kind with a slight movement of his lips.

"No."

He was unaware of Xue Yu's movements; perhaps the person who knew Xue Yu's movements best was Emperor Xue Tang.

The hunting grounds were filled with flags, and some soldiers led hunting dogs that barked incessantly. At the same time, horns and drums sounded from time to time. Thousands of cavalrymen waited around, and in the distance was a dense forest.

After a brief speech, the emperor announced the start of the hunting competition, and naturally, he would be the one to shoot the first arrow.

He took out his royal longbow, then drew the bow and nocked an arrow, pulling the bowstring taut like a full moon. However, if you looked closely, you could see that his hands were trembling slightly, clearly indicating that simply drawing the bow had already taken a lot of his strength.

Soon, the Imperial Guards released a rabbit.

After locking onto the rabbit running ahead.

With a 'whoosh', Xue Tang released the bowstring, and the arrow shot through the air, hitting the fleeing rabbit squarely.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

With shouts of encouragement from the Imperial Guards and others around them, the hunting competition officially began. Xueye, Xuexing, and other members of the royal family rode out on horseback, followed closely by other noble scions.

Dozens of people dispersed and ran towards the nearby mountains and forests, accompanied by cavalry. These cavalrymen were responsible for not only tallying the spoils but also protecting them.

Of course, cavalry alone is not enough; there are also flying Soul Masters patrolling and monitoring in the air, and many Soul Masters in the mountains and forests as well.

Di Hong did not participate in the hunt. There were no soul beasts here, and no one would be tempted to assassinate him, so there was no need for him to continue following Xue Ye.

The arrow seemed to have exhausted Xue Tang's strength, and he was almost helped back to the camp.

Di Hong and Ning Fengzhi followed him back to the camp. Inside the camp, some noble ladies and royal princesses were chatting and laughing. Many people glanced at Di Hong from time to time, but no one dared to step forward.

Everyone knows that his relationship with Tang Yuehua is unusual.