MTLNOVEL Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The Secret Chamber
Zhou Sheng'an had misjudged the situation. He thought that by keeping his distance from his followers, he could sever their connection and prevent them from establishing any forces in his name.
But in reality, his followers had united on their own, completely outside of his control.
They followed Zhou Sheng'an with unwavering fanaticism.
In their hearts, Zhou Sheng'an was the one and only true god.
How could such an existence bow beneath others, let alone be humiliated by the Star Luo Emperor?
Thus, his followers began preparing for a coup. While Zhou Sheng'an traveled across the land to give lectures, they refused to remain idle, gathering soul masters who shared their fervor for him.
In this world, many soul masters also held noble status, so they extended their influence toward the nobility as well.
Step by step, they amassed a formidable force.
This force had long been known to Empress Zhu. Yet, instead of informing the Star Luo Emperor, she suppressed the intelligence and even made arrangements to assist them.
With the various parties steering the situation in their favor, the coup turned into an overwhelming success!
However, before the followers could even bask in the joy of victory... Zhou Sheng'an vanished.
Yes, Zhou Sheng'an had quietly disappeared, and no one had noticed how he left.
Panic spread among his followers, leading to an internal split into two factions.
One side believed the Star Luo Emperor was responsible and demanded an even harsher retaliation against the Star Luo Empire.
The other side believed the coup had been too radical and that a softer approach should have been taken instead.
Neither side would back down, and internal strife only worsened.
Externally, most of his followers were soul masters, their combat strength far exceeding ordinary troops. But with Zhou Sheng'an missing, their leader gone, and internal discord raging, how could they possibly maintain their victory?
The Star Luo Empire launched its counterattack.
At this time, with the emperor dead and most of the royal family wiped out, the crown prince had perished on the spot, while the second prince was gravely wounded. Only the empress remained to take charge of the empire.
Displaying remarkable skill and decisiveness, Empress Zhu swiftly quelled the chaos.
The Heaven Dou Empire hadn't even had time to organize a large-scale army before the Star Luo Empire had already restored order!
...
[Douluo Calendar, March 30, 2024—The coup initiated by Zhou Sheng'an's followers has officially ended. This rebellion, recorded in history as the 'Sealing of the Nation' turmoil, involved over forty thousand soul masters, resulted in the fall of eighteen cities, and severely weakened the Star Luo Empire.]
[Douluo Calendar, April 11, 2024—The Heaven Dou Empire launched a full-scale invasion of the Star Luo Empire under the banner of avenging the Grand Sage Master, only to suffer a devastating defeat!]
[Douluo Calendar, April 23, 2024—The Star Luo Empire declared that the Grand Sage Master's disappearance was closely linked to the Heaven Dou Empire and refused to bear the blame for his presumed death.]
[From this moment on, rebellions frequently erupted across both empires, all carried out in the name of avenging the Grand Sage Master.]
...
In the real world, within the Zhu Manor of Star Luo City, Zhu Zhuqing's small face stiffened as she packed her luggage. The corners of her lips were still raised—she hadn't been happy for long before the situation took a drastic turn!
She had just become Zhou Sheng'an's disciple!
This change had happened way too suddenly!
"Why would something like this happen? Could it be Big Aunt's doing?" Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her brows. In this coup, the greatest beneficiary had been her aunt.
She had stepped from the shadows into the spotlight, becoming something akin to an empress.
'Forget it, forget it! I need to find my teacher as soon as possible! Only by learning from him can I have a chance to defeat Zhu Zhuyun!'
Determination flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. She gritted her teeth and slipped away under the cover of darkness!
...
"Why did Sheng'an suddenly disappear?"
In a certain room atop Pope Mountain, Qian Renxue was equally stunned.
She had been closely monitoring the changes in the entry logs, but since she wasn't the one who initiated this simulation, she couldn't see Zhou Sheng'an's log entries.
Aside from the major historical records, she had no way of tracking his movements.
All she knew was that Zhou Sheng'an had vanished during the coup.
"This must be Bibi Dong's doing! Everything is ready! I might as well make my move now!" Qian Renxue snorted coldly and immersed her consciousness into the simulation. It was time to take action!
She had been lying low for so long in this simulation...
All for this moment!
...
"In terms of Titled Douluos, what force could possibly rival the Spirit Hall? If I want to take Zhou Sheng'an, who can stop me?" Bibi Dong sneered.
The secret chamber she had long awaited had finally arrived.
"Next, Zhou Sheng'an will surely reveal his true nature. He will either succumb... or upon hearing news of Spirit Kite Douluo, he will undoubtedly fall into despair!"
A cruel smile spread across Bibi Dong's lips.
Just then, the logs updated again.
[Douluo Calendar, May 12, 2024—An internal rebellion erupted within the Spirit Hall. The Angel Clan's young master, Qian Renxue, accused you of abducting the Grand Sage Master and launched a coup!]
"???" Bibi Dong was dumbfounded.
'Did Qian Renxue just stumble upon the truth by sheer luck?'
'How could she possibly be so accurate?'
After all, Zhou Sheng'an really was in her hands!
Still, for her to use this as a reason to start a coup... Bibi Dong had to admit, Qian Renxue was quite bold.
'But does she actually think this will work? Without any proof, if she succeeds and still can't find Zhou Sheng'an, the Spirit Hall will be in complete chaos!'
The missing Grand Sage Master was like a ticking time bomb. Anyone suspected of involvement would face a disastrous fate!
After all, the Grand Sage Master was the hope of the entire soul master world. Whoever harmed him would be doomed!
Even Qian Daoliu, who doted on his granddaughter, would never allow Qian Renxue to succeed in this.
...
The scene shifted.
Qian Renxue's coup surged forward with great momentum, but the moment she revealed her reasoning, her forces began to waver.
Her supporters and the Spirit Hall's worshipers quickly realized the problem.
At a time like this, even the Spirit Hall couldn't afford to shoulder the consequences of the Grand Sage Master's fate!
Even in the best-case scenario, where the coup succeeded and the Grand Sage Master was rescued, what would become of the Spirit Hall?
No, those enraged followers wouldn't care about Qian Renxue's noble intentions. All they would see was that the Spirit Hall had abducted the Grand Sage Master, causing the Star Luo Empire's coup to fail!
In the end, Qian Renxue's coup collapsed.
She was captured by Spirit Kite Douluo and brought before Bibi Dong.
Inside the grand hall, three women faced off, an icy tension filling the air.
"Bibi Dong! Did you kidnap Sheng'an?!" Qian Renxue flung Spirit Kite Douluo's hand aside and glared coldly at Bibi Dong.
"No." Bibi Dong shook her head.
"You dare do it but won't admit it?! Bibi Dong, and you call yourself the Pope?! If you have the guts—"
Qian Renxue's furious words were abruptly cut off as Qian Daoliu appeared.
He placed a hand on Qian Renxue's shoulder and sighed.
"That's enough, Xiaoxue. Stop this nonsense."
"But, Grandpa, Sheng'an was definitely taken by her!" Qian Renxue protested indignantly.
Qian Daoliu shook his head slightly. "It wasn't her."
"And besides, how well do you even know the Grand Sage Master?" His brows furrowed.
Qian Renxue quickly denied, "I don't! I only admire his greatness... I started this coup just because I despise that woman!"
"Enough." Qian Daoliu shook his head and led Qian Renxue away.
Watching their departing figures, Bibi Dong chuckled and turned to Spirit Kite Douluo below the stage.
"Come with me..."