Does he even have that kind of brain?

Chapter 96 Does he even have that kind of brain?

Back on land, Fang Yuan raised his hand to pull his hat brim even lower, and then lightly applied a special powder to his face. His originally handsome and fair face immediately turned mediocre and sallow, and even his temperament was greatly diminished, making him look like an ordinary soul master that could be seen anywhere.

Fang Yuan mingled with the crowd and entered the city. As soon as he stepped onto the main street, his eyes subconsciously swept over the notice wall at the city gate.

His portrait was prominently displayed in the most conspicuous place on the missing person notice—although the angle and the artist's skill were slightly off, anyone with a discerning eye could immediately recognize him by his features.

Fang Yuan didn't stop walking, pondering to himself.

Sure enough, it was the right decision to come back and disguise myself; they hadn't given up looking for me all this time.

During this trip back to the mainland, Fang Yuan plans to visit his hometown in Douluo Continent, Grass Chicken Village.

From the time he awakened his martial spirit in Grass Chicken Village to his return to the mainland, more than four years have passed in the blink of an eye.

To be honest, Fang Yuan had always disliked the name "Caoji Village"—it sounded rustic and unpleasant, and you could tell it was a poor, run-down village in a remote area.

But having experienced so much, looking back now, he feels a sense of relief.

In small places, choosing a name that's commonplace and extremely ordinary is the true wisdom of survival.

............

On the contrary, those whose names are too pleasant to hear, too flamboyant, or who accidentally share the same name with certain important people, often attract the attention of others and thus bring about unforeseen disasters.

Just like in the original story, when Shrek Academy members went out to hunt for spirit rings for the first time, they encountered a girl in a hotel whose name sounded the same as Xiao Wu's. Just because of her name, the Shrek Academy members took the opportunity to mock and attack her, and she was humiliated for no reason.

In this dog-eat-dog world, if you're not strong enough, sometimes being mediocre and ordinary is the safest option.

On his journey from Hanhai City to the inland, Fang Yuan gradually learned about the dramatic changes that had taken place on Douluo Continent during his trip to Seagod Island.

The first thing to be affected was the turmoil within the royal family of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

The eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, has completely disappeared without a trace, as if he had vanished into thin air.

The Heavenly Dou Empire only had one seemingly qualified and capable heir, and now that he has disappeared, Xue Beng is the only remaining heir to the throne.

Emperor Xueye was old and frail, and his health deteriorated even further after this incident.

Having been missing for so long, and with all his guards gone, Emperor Xueye considered Xue Qinghe practically dead.

Amidst the grief, the emperor's suspicions resurfaced.

He couldn't help but wonder if Avalanche had been playing dumb all along, secretly plotting against his brothers in an attempt to seize the throne.

However, with no competitors around, Xue Beng's performance completely disheartened Emperor Xue Ye.

The avalanche is no longer disguised.

Of course, the so-called "no longer pretending" does not mean becoming smart and capable, or amazing the world. Rather, it means adding attributes such as tyranny, dictatorship, and stubbornness to the already spoiled, lecherous, bullying-the-weak-and-cowardly nature.

He got carried away.

In the entire Heaven Dou Empire, he was the only prince left, and the sole heir to the throne.

What I once dreamed of is now within my grasp; it's like an avalanche—it's hard to avoid being swept away even if I wanted to.

Of course, Xue Beng also wanted to accomplish some feats to stabilize people's hearts, win the emperor's favor, and prove that he was no less capable than Xue Qinghe in the past.

However, he was impatient for quick success and instant benefits, greedy for credit and rash, short-sighted and stubborn. Every time he took action, things went against his wishes. Not only did he fail to achieve any merit, but he also created a mess.

This makes Xue Qinghe seem even less worthy of comparison.

The Snow Night Emperor watched all this, feeling his vision darken and darken, repeatedly asking himself questions.

With Xue Beng's mind, temperament, and methods, does he really have the ability to eliminate Xue Qinghe silently?

The neighboring Star Luo Empire had already seen all of this.

The Heavenly Dou Empire was embroiled in internal strife, its royal family in decline, and its princes incompetent. To the Star Luo Empire, this was like a piece of meat delivered right to their mouths. The Star Luo Empire's army began to move frequently, and border clashes continued, giving the impression that it might launch a northward invasion at any moment.

Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Dou Empire, from the royal family and nobles to the court officials and generals, they remained immersed in their past comforts, indulging in debauchery and living a life of decadence.

They remained completely calm.

In their established understanding, the Spirit Hall has always been a peace-loving entity and a maintainer of order on the continent. They believe that if the Star Luo Empire dares to launch a large-scale invasion, the Spirit Hall will definitely send a Title Douluo to mediate and prevent war from breaking out.

That was indeed the case in the past.

But this time, it surprised everyone.

Faced with the Star Luo Empire's constant provocations, frictions, and small-scale conflicts on the border, the Spirit Hall remained completely unresponsive.

The Heaven Dou Empire is still waiting, pinning its hopes on the Spirit Hall taking action.

They didn't know that the Spirit Hall was no longer the Spirit Hall it once was.

The border disputes are escalating.

Finally, the entire Heavenly Dou Empire was truly in a state of panic.

Left with no other choice, the Heaven Dou Empire finally humbled itself and sent an envoy with generous gifts to the Spirit Hall to request assistance in the most tactful and subtle way possible.

His words implied nothing more than a plea for the Spirit Hall to intervene and stop the Star Luo Empire's invasion, out of consideration for past relationships.

But they had no idea what Bibi Dong, who was now sitting on the throne of the Spirit Hall, was planning.

She had already embarked on the path of the Rakshasa God's test, which required endless killing, resentment, pain, and chaos to nourish her divine power.

Under such circumstances, how could Bibi Dong possibly step in to help the Heaven Dou Empire quell the trouble?

Faced with the Heavenly Dou Envoy's desperate pleas, Bibi Dong only gave cold and perfunctory responses, either refusing to see him or giving vague answers. From beginning to end, she did not make any substantial promises, nor did she send a single Soul Master or Elder to the border.

The Spirit Hall's clear attitude of standing by and watching the tigers fight has completely driven the Heaven Dou Empire to the brink of destruction.

Without the suppression of the Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire had no more scruples and its offensive became even more ferocious. Small-scale battles broke out one after another at the border between the two countries, but the army of the Heaven Dou Empire lost more than it won, and it could be said that it had hardly won any battles at all.

Lax military equipment, chaotic command, and apathetic soldiers, coupled with rampant corruption at the highest levels, meant that such an army would be utterly vulnerable against the disciplined and highly motivated Xingluo Army.

Just as they were suffering defeat after defeat, Xue Beng, eager to establish his authority and prove himself worthy of the throne, once again stepped forward.

Ignoring the advice of his court officials, he was full of vigor and volunteered to Emperor Xueye to personally lead the army to the border to defend the country and wash away the defeat.

Emperor Xueye was already exhausted, and with no one else available on his sickbed, he looked at his only son and finally gritted his teeth and nodded, assigning him to the army and letting him go and command.

Fang Yuan knew exactly what kind of avalanche it was.

He is brave but lacks strategy, is impatient for quick success and instant benefits, is stubborn and self-willed, and only knows how to talk about war on paper.

Upon entering the battlefield, he was eager for quick success and, ignoring his subordinates' advice, insisted on leading his troops in pursuit. As a result, he fell right into the enemy's trap and was lured into a pre-laid ambush.

The most absurd battle has come to an end.

The Heaven Dou Empire's 20,000 elite troops were utterly routed by the Star Luo Empire's mere 3,000 soldiers, suffering heavy casualties and fleeing in disarray.

In this battle, the one who led the Star Luo army to victory against overwhelming odds was none other than Davis, the eldest prince of the Star Luo Empire, who had also rushed to the border to accumulate military merits and solidify his position as crown prince.

Davis had only set up the ambush tentatively, intending to win a small match and gain experience.

He never expected that the commander of the Heavenly Dou Empire would be so foolish as to so easily fall into the trap.

Davis was overjoyed after the resounding victory.

This battle brought him immense military achievements, national prestige, the support of the imperial court, and a wealth of resources. No one in the Star Luo Empire dared to question his abilities anymore.

When the news reached the Heavenly Dou Empire, it caused an uproar.

And this news landed precisely on one person's head—Dai Mubai, who was currently hiding in Soto City, living a life of debauchery and carefree existence.

He is Davis's younger brother, the second prince of the Star Luo Empire, and possesses the Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul, which is the inherited Martial Soul of the Star Luo royal family. This is no secret on the continent.

Previously, in order to escape the struggle for the throne, he did not hesitate to flee Xingluo and hide in the territory of Tiandou Empire, thinking that the emperor was far away and he could live a peaceful life.

But now, relations between the two countries are extremely tense, and war is imminent. If his identity as the Star Luo Prince is exposed, not only will he not be able to live a peaceful life, but he might also be captured by the Heavenly Dou Empire and killed as a sacrifice to boost morale.

.............

In an instant, Dai Mubai, who used to be unrestrained and carefree, became completely obedient.

He hid in the small village where Shrek Academy was located, and didn't even dare to easily reveal his martial spirit, for fear of being recognized.

In the stillness of the night, he couldn't help but feel deep regret.

If I hadn't been so impulsive as to abandon my fiancée and hadn't stubbornly fled Xingluo to end up in this quagmire of Tiandou, I wouldn't be in such a predicament now, filled with anxiety and unable to move forward or backward.

But now, it's too late for regrets.

He could only pray that war would not break out and that his identity would not be discovered.

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