Chapter 304: The Fall of a Hero, The Rise of a Storm
Xiao Qiang gently rubbed Meng Hongchen's head to comfort her.
"Don't worry. Shrek's debt will be repaid, and I've already moved Teacher to another location. He won't be harmed by the explosion at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"It's not about Grandpa's safety or Shrek…"
Meng Hongchen choked up, her voice low. At that moment, Xiao Hongchen walked in, his face dark and filled with suppressed fury.
Xiao Qiang frowned. "If it's not about the academy or Teacher's safety, then what could've made Senior Sister Meng cry like this?"
Before Xiao Hongchen could answer, Xiao Qiang's mind wandered for a second—
Just because an old minister failed to show him the proper respect, Xu Tianran ordered Juzi to have that man secretly executed, even though the minister had once saved his life. He had been given that permission directly by Xu Tianran himself, and that same cruelty pushed Juzi into turning against him.
Then came his betrayal of the Holy Spirit Church. He had used them, discarded them, and finally destroyed them, showing not even an ounce of respect for their contributions. One could argue evil soul masters deserved such treatment, but Jing Hongchen was no evil soul master. Without Jing Hongchen's support, Xu Tianran would never have solidified his rule, let alone reached the position of regent and transitioned power so smoothly.
A ruler who kills loyal ministers before the enemy is defeated, who hides his bow before the birds are all hunted—no wonder Juzi, who wasn't even of royal blood, managed to convince Kong Deming, once fiercely loyal to the Sun Moon Empire, to assist in assassinating the emperor.
Even Kong Deming, an evil soul master, had his own heart. Viewed from Jing Hongchen's experience, it was clear: people like him could not tolerate a ruler so ungrateful.
If Xiao Qiang were in Kong Deming's position, facing a paranoid emperor who killed loyalists without cause and had no genius descendants to ensure the clan's survival—he would've drawn his blade too.
After repressing his fury, Xiao Hongchen finally got to the point.
"Xiao Qiang, Grandpa isn't here now, and Meng and I really have no options left. Can you use your position as Soul Hall Master to help us? Convince Xu Tianran to retract his decision. At the very least, he should let Grandpa keep his posts as Dean of the Academy and Head of Mingde Hall. Those are everything to the Hongchen family. They're our last foundation."
Seeing the bitterness in Xiao Hongchen's eyes and the pleading look on Meng Hongchen's tear-stained face, Xiao Qiang nodded and gently rubbed Meng's head again.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You and Senior Sister Meng can rest easy."
The two finally relaxed, their tense expressions softening. Many of Jing Hongchen's old friends and disciples had died in the explosion. Xiao Qiang, now at the pinnacle of power, was the only person left who could protect their family's legacy. With his words of assurance, hope returned to their hearts.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Xiao Hongchen asked. "Is there anything Meng and I can help with?"
Xiao Qiang glanced at him, his expression suddenly sharp.
"Xiao, I heard you say 'ascending to the throne,' not 'ascended the throne'?"
Xiao Hongchen nodded. "The coronation is still being arranged. It'll happen in a few days."
"Perfect."
Xiao Qiang's voice turned cold. "Then he doesn't need to ascend the throne. Just find another prince to replace him."
Both Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"You… You mean…"
Xiao Qiang smiled faintly.
"There is no such thing as 'raising an army against the throne'… there's only one thing left—purging the emperor."
Xiao Hongchen clenched his fists tightly. "Xu Tianran!"
"Ah? Xu Tianran? What did he do this time? Explain clearly."
"The Douluo Kingdoms' surprise attack, the siege by the Holy Spirit Church, and the explosion at the Academy—all of that, the emperor couldn't bear it. He passed away not long ago. Xu Tianran is about to be crowned."
Xiao Qiang frowned. "So even the emperor couldn't survive this disaster…"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Go on."
"After coming to power, Xu Tianran did two things immediately. First, he pinned the explosion of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy on the former Douluo Kingdoms. Second, he removed Grandpa from all his positions—stripped him of his dukedom, relieved him of his post as Dean of the Academy, and kicked him out of Mingde Hall. When both are rebuilt, new people will take over."
Xiao Qiang's face darkened.
"No… He's insane!"
He dismissed Jing Hongchen the moment he assumed power. Did he think his throne was that secure?
"Who knows?"
Xiao Hongchen muttered bitterly. "Grandpa always said Xu Tianran was a hero… and he did help him early on."
Xiao Qiang was silent for a long while. Then he sighed.
"…Forget about heroes. The so-called heroes in Douluo Dalu are just narrative tools—one-dimensional, contradictory, or hollow."
There were three prominent examples:
First was the 'master,' praised as the theoretical genius of the soul master world—yet most of his 'theories' were already well-known among high-level soul masters or outright false. He didn't even understand the impact of a ten-thousand-year soul ring's spiritual shock.
Second was Dai Hao, the so-called God of War, who never once won a battle in the entire story. He was always getting rescued or waiting to be. He lectured his son on leadership while concealing the fact that he had three different baby mamas and more contradictions than a broken mirror.
And third… was Xu Tianran.
Portrayed as a great strategist, a unifier, a hero—but was he? What kind of hero kills loyal ministers without reason? What kind of emperor purges those who made his reign possible?
Behind the façade of power and ideals, Xu Tianran had become the very symbol of ingratitude and tyranny.
And that meant only one thing—
He must fall.