Do you ants deserve to control this river?

The Sun Moon Empire, outskirts of Mingdu.

At this moment, the area was heavily guarded, the air thick with a murderous and oppressive atmosphere.

By the shore, several figures stood in silence.

Jing Hongchen bowed slightly, his expression reverent, as he reported something to an elderly man before him.

That old man had silver hair and a stooped frame, yet he stood as steady as the Pillar of the Sea. He was the master of the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Worship, the true controller of Mingde Hall, Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming, and also Jing Hongchen's teacher.

"Elder Kong, after repeated verification over this period, whether it's ordinary soldiers or Soul Masters of no mean cultivation, even death row prisoners—as long as they jump into the river, the result is shockingly consistent."

Jing Hongchen's voice was very low, carrying a barely concealed tremor.

"One guard jumps in, three guards come out. We tested it thirteen times, and it was the same every time, and moreover..."

He paused, pointing at several "copies" in the distance who were under tight surveillance, each with a different expression.

"The one who appears first from the river is the strongest, and their talent receives a terrifying boost. The second to appear is weaker, and the last to appear—the original body that jumped in—is actually the weakest of the three."

A sharp glint flashed in Kong Deming's murky eyes, but he did not speak, merely listening quietly.

Jing Hongchen took a deep breath and continued, "We also tried testing with death row prisoners. If they lied, that person would vanish instantly, their aura completely gone, most likely dying on the spot."

Jing Hongchen turned his head to look at the river's surface, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

After hearing this report, the silent Kong Deming still said nothing, but a contemplative look appeared in his deep, starry eyes.

Not far from them, on a wheelchair, sat the current Crown Prince, Xu Tianran.

Although Xu Tianran's legs were crippled, a smile always hung on his face, and behind him, a guard was pushing the wheelchair.

Beside Xu Tianran stood an old man—the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.

Though he was already in his twilight years, his face wrinkled like dried tree bark, the imperial majesty of one long seated in power still made it hard to look him in the eye.

"Hall Master Jing Hongchen."

The Old Emperor spoke slowly, his voice somewhat hoarse but carrying an unquestionable authority.

"This 'variable'—can it be completely controlled? If we throw our Sun Moon Empire's army into it, can we forge an invincible legion of Soul Masters?"

A fanatical light flickered in his eyes.

One becomes three! And stronger at that!

If it could be applied to the military, wouldn't the Sun Moon Empire's dream of unifying the continent be within easy reach?

Hearing the Emperor's question, Jing Hongchen's face showed some difficulty.

"Your Majesty... this matter is probably not that simple."

Jing Hongchen gave a bitter smile and explained.

"For now, it cannot be fully utilized. The people who come out of the river have vastly different personalities. Some become extremely greedy, others extremely brutal. Not every one of them can be controlled by us."

As he spoke, Jing Hongchen turned sideways and pointed at a pit not far away.

There, dozens of corpses were piled up.

Though these corpses were dead, their faces still bore twisted, manic expressions, sending chills down one's spine.

"Your Majesty, please look. Those are all failures whose personalities mutated, became extremely uncontrollable, harbored great resentment, and tried to turn on us. For safety's sake, we had no choice but to eliminate them."

"The number... is considerable."

Jing Hongchen sighed.

"Of course, there are also those with relatively stable personalities who can be used, but the proportion is not high."

Hearing this, the Old Emperor's brow furrowed deeply, a hint of displeasure appearing on his face.

"Too uncontrollable."

He muttered to himself, his scepter striking the ground heavily.

"Imperial We demands absolute obedience, an invincible army—not a pack of madmen who could go berserk at any moment!"

The Old Emperor suddenly raised his head, his murky gaze fixed firmly on Jing Hongchen.

"That person in the river—can he... be made to serve us?"

As these words were spoken, the temperature around them seemed to drop a few degrees.

Jing Hongchen's face changed color, and he hurriedly shook his head, recalling the Evil Qi Xuan Zi that had been created.

"That one never gives excessive responses to outside probing."

"To be able to casually create such a terrifyingly powerful being, and even have the Taotie Douluo of Shrek Academy toyed with in the palm of his hand—he is likely a Deity."

"Offending such an existence would do our Sun Moon Empire no good!"

Fine cold sweat seeped out on Jing Hongchen's forehead. He was truly afraid.

It was an instinctive fear of unknown power.

However, the Old Emperor was not intimidated.

As a nation's sovereign, watching his own lifespan dwindle, watching the chance to unify the continent dangle right before his eyes—his greed had already overwhelmed his reason.

"Nothing in return?"

The Old Emperor let out a cold laugh, a hint of madness surfacing on his aged face.

"As long as I can control this river, control this power to forge the strong—even if it's a God, Imperial We will make him bow his head!"

"No matter the cost, no matter the means, the Sun Moon Empire will take full control of this river! This is not up for discussion!"

The Old Emperor's voice echoed across the empty riverbank, filled with the overbearing tyranny of a despot.

"But Your Majesty..."

Jing Hongchen's brows were tightly knit. He was about to speak again to dissuade him.

Suddenly—

A change erupted without warning!

A terrifying suction force, enough to make one's soul tremble, burst forth from the void without any sign.

"Who goes there?!"

Kong Deming, who had been silent all along, paled drastically. Silver light exploded from his body as he moved to intervene.

But fast as he was, that force was faster!

Even a powerhouse of Kong Deming's level couldn't react in time.

"Mmh—!"

The Old Emperor let out only a short, stifled grunt. His entire body was seized as if by an invisible giant hand, instantly torn from the protective circle around him and hurled forward at tremendous speed.

Pshh!

The sound of flesh tearing rang out.

The Old Emperor's body now hung suspended in midair.

A pale, slender hand, wreathed in Thick Black Qi, stabbed viciously through his chest, piercing straight through his body and emerging from his back!

Blood dripped drop by drop from that hand, staining the ground below.

The Old Emperor's eyes bulged wide. Bloody froth gushed from his mouth. Life drained from his gaze at a terrifying speed. Even in death, he had no idea what had happened.

"Annoying."

An icy voice rang out.

The hand gave a sharp flick, and the Old Emperor's corpse was casually discarded to the side.

Only then did everyone get a clear look at the attacker's face.

It was an old man.

When he saw that face, Jing Hongchen felt as though a giant hand had seized his heart, nearly stopping it from beating.

That face...

It somewhat resembled Mu En, yet the aura around the eyes and brows seemed like Xuan Zi. This was none other than Mu Xuan!

And behind Mu Xuan, two figures slowly emerged—the Holy Spirit Sect's leader, Zhongli Wu, and... Xuan Zi?

Mu Xuan lifted his head slightly, his cold, clear eyes sweeping over everyone present.

"You want to control this river?"

"With you... ants?"