As soon as he finished speaking, the sixth spirit ring of the general named Zhang lit up. Instantly, it split into four figures, each brandishing a long saber, charging toward Zhao Ling at lightning speed.
When Zhao Ling was appointed as an royal protector, very few ministers had ever seen him in person. At most, after his appointment, Emperor Xue Ye had distributed portraits of him to some of the ministers.
Because of this, many ministers felt that Zhao Ling looked familiar but couldn't recall his exact identity right away.
This General Zhang had just been exposed by Prince Xue Xing for possibly being a subordinate of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and was already shaken by Emperor Xue Ye's imperial pressure.
Now, seeing someone boldly intruding upon the Court Hall where the ministers were deliberating, he saw a chance to earn merit. With rage ignited in his heart and courage born from recklessness, he unleashed his martial soul and activated the spirit skill "Phantom Blade Slash," charging at Zhao Ling.
Zhao Ling curled his lips in disdain. A mere Soul Saint of just over seventy ranks dares to cause me trouble? Ridiculous.
Facing the first two shadowy figures rushing at him, Zhao Ling didn't even bother to lift a hand. He let the two blades slash through him—only for them to pass through his body like phantoms.
When the third figure reached Zhao Ling, he casually reached out and grabbed its throat, lifting it clean off the ground. With a crooked smile, he said:
"Idiot. Trying to use illusions in front of me? Are you stupid? A measly Spirit Saint? Crushing you is no harder than crushing an ant."
With that, he tightened his fingers, snapping the opponent's neck. There wasn't even time to struggle, not even a scream.
General Zhang's head lolled to the side—he was dead. The remaining three phantoms vanished immediately.
Seeing Zhao Ling kill a high-ranking Spirit Saint in a single move, the civil and military officials fell completely silent.
Even the elderly minister, who appeared to be in his seventies and had been kneeling in an attempt to advise Emperor Xue Ye, shrank back into a corner, trying to minimize his presence.
Damn... A dignified Spirit Saint, instantly killed with such clean efficiency. This young man—he looks barely in his twenties—is terrifying.
Emperor Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing both frowned slightly at the fact that Zhao Ling had killed someone in the Court Hall.
To them, even though Zhao Ling was a royal protector, executing the commander of the Imperial Guard in front of over a hundred ministers and officials seemed rather excessive.
But then again, this situation had been the commander's own fault. He had charged forward seeking death.
Given Zhao Ling's status as a Titled Douluo, if he didn't retaliate, others might mistake him for someone easily bullied.
With this in mind, the two brothers relaxed their brows—but their reactions had already been clearly observed by Zhao Ling.
He tossed the corpse of the commander aside like trash.
Then he reached into his storage space and pulled out a black card containing five million gold soul coins. Without even looking at Emperor Xue Ye, he said indifferently:
"Your Majesty Xue Ye, I returned only to hear that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was nearly assassinated—and that the plot was allegedly orchestrated by me. Clearly, someone thinks I'm unfit to be your royal protector and set a trap for me."
He smiled slightly, unconcerned, and added:
"That's fine. Since your Heaven Dou Empire no longer welcomes me in this role, there's no need for me to force myself. I never really cared about being an royal protector anyway."
"This is the five million annual salary you gave me. I'm returning it without using a single coin. As for the royal residence you granted me—I'll vacate it within three days."
In fact, Zhao Ling had already spent part of that five million gold soul coins—about 300,000 each to Ah Yin, Bo Saixi, and Liu Erlong as pocket money.
So he didn't actually have the full amount to return. That's why, the night before, he went to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and requested ten million gold soul coins from them.
Of course, he didn't ask for it without offering something in return. Don't forget, the system had given him the Xuan Tian Skill, and his understanding of three aspects—especially hidden weapons and their countermeasures—had been maxed out.
So, in front of the current clan master Ning Fengzhi and the two guardian Douluo, Zhao Ling sketched out designs for several hidden weapons—such as the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, Flying Claw, and Shadow Sand Shooter.
With their expertise, how could they not see the brilliance of these creations? Besides, Zhao Ling was the famous Zhen Mo Douluo (Demon Suppressing Douluo). How could anything he produced be mediocre?
True to their generous nature, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan directly gave Zhao Ling ten million gold soul coins as startup capital to help them develop these hidden weapons.
They believed that if their entire clan could be equipped with such ingenious weapons, perhaps they could one day surpass the Clear Sky Clan and become the number one sect.
Thinking of this, Ning Fengzhi and his father were overjoyed.
This Demon Suppressing Douluo is truly remarkable. Everything he creates is exquisite. We can't wait to see these weapons realized.
The scene shifts back to the Court Hall.
Emperor Xue Ye caught the black card and immediately frowned deeply.
"Demon Suppressing Douluo , why go to such lengths? I have never doubted you. I've always believed you were perfectly suited for this role."
Prince Xue Xing nodded rapidly and tried to persuade him:
"Demon Suppressing Douluo, my brother and I have always trusted you. We never believed you would harm Qinghe. After all, you're his godfather..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Ling raised a hand and interrupted:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, there's no need to say more. I never intended to truly become anyone's godfather. It was you two who forced that title onto me."
"Since the people of the Heaven Dou Empire don't want me as the royal protector and don't think I'm worthy of being the Crown Prince's godfather, that suits me just fine. Let's part ways here."
"Oh, and about the Seagod's Boundless Barrier—it's useful to me, so I can't return it. But I can promise that if Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is ever in danger, I'll step in to save him—once. After that, we owe each other nothing."
Finishing calmly, Zhao Ling walked straight out of the hall without looking back—his departure smooth and resolute.
This caused the faces of Emperor Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing to darken instantly. The two brothers had spent great effort and resources to bring the Demon Suppressing Douluo in as their royal protector.
Now, because of the foolishness of others, he had cut ties with them. What was once a promise to save Qinghe three times had now been reduced to only once.
Most importantly, the Crown Prince's identity as Zhao Ling's godson—was now completely gone.