203: Chapter 203 The Soul Palace Strikes Again: Joining Forces with the Heavenly Court to Apply Pressure

The next morning.

Tianyuan City remained as prosperous as ever, and within the Xu Family Imperial Palace, a joyful atmosphere prevailed.

After all, the news that the Young Master had been blessed with twins possessing the Dragon-Phoenix Divine Demon Physique had already spread throughout the entire clan as if it had grown wings.

Demon Empress's Bedchamber, Side Hall.

Sunlight spilled through the window lattice onto the cradle, where two little ones, carved like pink jade, were sleeping soundly.

Xu Chen held a rattle-drum in his hand, a mischievous grin on his face as he gently poked the cheek of his newly awakened son, Xu Moye, trying to wake him up to play.

"Young Master..."

Mo Han, who was folding diapers nearby, couldn't bear to watch any longer and whispered a reminder, "The Little Young Master only fell asleep fifteen minutes ago. If you make him cry, Mistress Hongyi will come at you with a blade."

"Tsk, what's there to fear?"

Xu Chen curled his lip and retracted his mischievous finger, but his eyes remained glued to the child, unable to look away. "I'm his father; I'll play with him whenever I want. Besides, this kid has a demon mark between his brows; he's a born troublemaker, he's not that fragile."

Mo Han shook her head helplessly.

After last night's "heart-to-heart," although her reverence for this Young Master remained, it was now joined by an indescribable sense of closeness.

In her eyes, the current Xu Chen was no longer that unattainable Divine Son of an Imperial Clan, but more like... a somewhat childish father.

However, this rare moment of quiet warmth was soon shattered.

"Report—!"

A sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out, followed by a black-armored hidden guard descending outside the side hall like a falling star. He knelt on one knee, his voice carrying suppressed urgency and killing intent:

"Reporting to the Young Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"Urgent news from the Eastern Barrens! Three of our Xu Family's top-grade spirit stone veins in the Eastern Barrens were suddenly attacked by unknown forces last night! Of the three Saint-level Elders stationed there... two are dead and one is heavily injured!"

"What?!"

The smile on Xu Chen's face vanished instantly, and the rattle-drum in his hand was crushed into powder with a 'crack.'

He spun around abruptly, those eyes that were originally full of doting affection now seemed to turn into a ten-thousand-year-old frozen pond, radiating a suffocating chill.

"Who did it?"

This question was terrifyingly calm, yet it made the kneeling hidden guard tremble all over, as if he were being stared down by an ancient primordial beast.

"In response to the Young Master... the opponent's methods were extremely cruel and hidden. At the scene, traces of the 'Soul-Summoning Banner' were left behind, along with... the 'Heavenly Court's' Kill Order!"

"Soul-Summoning Banner? Heavenly Court's Kill Order?"

Xu Chen narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into an extremely cruel arc:

"Good, Soul Hall, Heavenly Court... you really don't know what's good for you."

"To dare spill blood on my day of great joy... you must be tired of living!"

...

Xu Family Imperial Palace, Discussion Hall.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the hall was so heavy it felt as if it could drip water, and the air was filled with the scent of gunpowder ready to explode.

The Xu Family Head, Xu Changsheng, sat upon the Dragon Throne that symbolized supreme power, his face as dark as water. Below him, dozens of core family elders were lined up on both sides, every face etched with fury.

"Bang!"

The most hot-tempered Third Elder slammed his palm onto the armrest, and the ten-thousand-year-old profound iron chair, capable of withstanding a blow from a Saint, instantly twisted and deformed.

"This is too much! They are practically shitting on our necks!"

The Third Elder's beard and hair bristled as his roar echoed deafeningly through the hall:

"That pack of rats in the Soul Hall usually just pulls small stunts, but this time they actually dared to join forces with the 'Heavenly Court' to strike a death blow against our Xu Family's industries! Two Saints! Those were the pillars of our Xu Family! Gone just like that?!"

"I can't swallow this! Family Head, give the order! I'll take men and level their branch halls right now!"

"Third Brother, calm down."

The First Elder, though also full of killing intent, maintained a sliver of reason. "This matter is strange. The Soul Hall and the Heavenly Court have always minded their own business, and the Heavenly Court is an assassin organization that only recognizes money, not people. For these two great powers to suddenly join forces against us, there must be a reason behind it."

"What other reason could there be? They just see our Xu Family's momentum is too strong lately and want to suppress us, don't they?"

The Second Elder said sinisterly, "Our Young Master became a Saint and then fathered Divine Demon Physiques; those old fogies couldn't sit still anymore."

"No, it's not that simple."

Xu Changsheng shook his head, his finger lightly tapping the table with a 'thud, thud' sound. Each tap seemed to strike at everyone's heart.

"When the Heavenly Court acts, there is always a cause. They rarely take the initiative to provoke an Imperial Clan unless... someone broke their rules."

Just then, a lazy yet bone-chilling voice came from the hall's entrance:

"Dad is right, they came for the 'rules.'"

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look.

They saw Xu Chen dressed in snow-white robes, hands behind his back, as he strode into the hall.

Behind him followed a pale and complex-looking Mo Han, along with a similarly solemn-faced Hua Jieyu.

"Chener?"

Xu Changsheng's brow smoothed slightly. "What do you mean by what you just said?"

Xu Chen walked to the center of the hall. He didn't rush to explain but instead pulled over a chair, sat down casually, and then pointed to Mo Han behind him:

"Let me introduce her to the elders. This is Mo Han, the assassin who came to 'visit' our home a few days ago—Shadow Kill."

"What?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room went into an uproar.

The gazes of several elders instantly became as sharp as knives, locking onto Mo Han. Especially the Third Elder; his Saintly pressure exploded instantly, and he was about to strike:

"Good! So the assassin was right here! Young Master, let me execute her!"

"Wait."

Xu Chen raised his hand and gave a light wave. A surge of gentle yet domineering Hongmeng Purple Qi instantly neutralized the Third Elder's pressure.

"Third Grandfather, don't be so hot-headed. She is my person now, which means she's a member of our Xu Family."

Xu Chen's protective attitude was extremely obvious. "Furthermore, this joint effort between the Soul Hall and the Heavenly Court is on the surface to clean house, but in reality... they're just using her as an excuse."

"An excuse?" The Third Elder was taken aback and withdrew his aura.

"Exactly."

Xu Chen sneered, "The Heavenly Court has a hard rule: if an assassin fails a mission and doesn't commit suicide, it's considered betrayal and they will be hunted across the world. Mo Han failed to assassinate me, and not only did she not die, but she also became my maid. To the Heavenly Court, this is a humiliation beyond compare."

At this point, Xu Chen looked at Mo Han, who had been keeping her head down and trembling behind him:

"Mo Han, tell the elders what the consequence of betraying the Heavenly Court is."

Mo Han bit her pale lips, her voice raspy yet clearly reaching everyone in the hall:

"Eternal pursuit until death. Extermination... of nine generations."

"Did you hear that?"

Xu Chen spread his hands. "They are here to 'exterminate' our Xu Family."

"Absurd!"

The First Elder laughed out of pure anger. "Extermination of nine generations? What bold words from the Heavenly Court! Our Xu Family has stood tall in the Central Region for countless ages; no one has ever dared to say those words to us!"

"Mo Han girl!"

Xu Changsheng suddenly spoke, looking at Mo Han with a majestic gaze.

Mo Han's body jolted, and she fell to her knees with a 'thud.' "This subordinate... has brought disaster upon the family. Please punish me, Family Head. I am willing to..."

"Willing to what?"

Xu Changsheng cut her off directly, his tone overbearingly dominant:

"Since Chener says you are a member of the Xu Family, then you are a member of the Xu Family. Our Xu Family has only one rule—we protect our own!"

"Never mind the Heavenly Court; even if the Heavenly King himself came, if he wants to touch a member of my Xu Family, he'll have to ask the Imperial Weapon in my hand first!"

"Family Head..."

Mo Han looked up abruptly, her deadened eyes instantly filling with tears.

She had thought that because she had caused such a great disaster, she would be handed over to appease their anger. But she never expected that from the Family Head to the elders, not a single person blamed her. Instead... they were backing her up?

Is this... a home?

"Alright, enough with the crying."

Xu Chen stood up, walked to Mo Han's side, and pulled her up. He then turned to face the elders, the laziness in his eyes completely gone, replaced by a world-disdaining arrogance:

"Elders, since the matter is clear, it's easy to handle."

"The Soul Hall wants to test our foundation, and the Heavenly Court wants to maintain their rules."

"Then we shall show them what the real—rules are!"

Xu Chen pulled a token from his robes—the 'Imperial Son's Token' used to mobilize the family's strongest armed forces—and tossed it onto the table with a crisp clatter.

"Hear my command!"

Xu Chen's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an irresistible magic:

"First, mobilize three thousand Imperial Guards of the 'Divine Mechanism Camp' and head to the Eastern Barrens immediately! Every force that participated in the attack on our Xu Family industries, regardless of size, shall have neither chicken nor dog left alive!"

"Second, First Elder, I'll have to trouble you to take a trip. Carry the decrees of the three Ancestors and visit the Heavenly Court's branch. Tell them they want Mo Han's head? Fine! Let that number one assassin on their 'Tian Sha List' come and get it himself! I'll be waiting for him at the Xu Family!"

"Third..."

Xu Chen's lips curled into a bloodthirsty arc as he looked into the distance:

"Mo Han, since you are Shadow Kill, you should know how to lure them out, right?"

Mo Han was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Xu Chen's meaning. The tears in her eyes evaporated instantly, replaced by a piercing killing intent:

"This subordinate understands. Since they want prey, then I shall be the bait."

"Very good."

Xu Chen nodded with satisfaction.

"Since they want to play a hunting game, we'll play a big one with them."

"Young Master, what do you plan to do?" The Third Elder rubbed his hands excitedly, his face full of anticipation.

Xu Chen smiled slightly and uttered two words:

"Go fishing."