Mingdu, the imperial palace.
Today was the Enthronement Ceremony of the New Emperor, Xu Tianran. The ceremony did not go smoothly. When Xu Tianran announced that Mu Xuan of the Holy Spirit Cult had put him on the throne, the opposition was deafening.
Since when did an Evil Soul Master organization get to choose a nation's emperor? And Xu Tianran even wanted to declare war on the Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou Empire, Dou Ling Empire, and Shrek Academy all at once. Was this a war? It was suicide!
For a time, objections rang out one after another.
But Zhongli Wu soon eliminated every dissenter. As far as he was concerned, those people were nothing but useless rabble—as long as Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen didn't intervene.
So, despite the many objections, Xu Tianran successfully ascended the throne and became the new emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.
But... this was no joyous celebration. It was stained with blood.
Meanwhile, in a conference room at Sun Moon Royal Academy.
Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming sat there with a group of teachers from Sun Moon Royal Academy. As for the students, only the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were present, along with the three brothers Huo Yuhao, Huo Hao, and Mu Xuan.
Jing Hongchen had simply told the rest of the students to stay put at the academy and focus on making Soul Tools. They weren't to go out without permission.
The atmosphere was tense. Everyone present wore troubled, complicated expressions.
Launching an all-out war against the Original Three Empires on Douluo Continent and Shrek Academy... The burden that would place on the Sun Moon Empire was beyond imagination! This wasn't about unifying the continent. It would drag everyone into war and leave countless dead!
Every person there was an elite of the empire. They understood better than anyone what a war sweeping across the entire continent would mean.
Countless deaths. Countless families torn apart.
In the corner, Xiao Hongchen and his sister Meng Hongchen were just as pale.
They had less than two days to grow stronger. Even if they were both geniuses, what did that matter? They hadn't had enough time to develop, and... Xu Tianran had already issued his declaration of war after ascending the throne.
If they refused to cooperate, Mu Xuan would slaughter the entire Sun Moon Empire first. They had no way to resist—not even the strongest among them, Kong Deming, could fight back.
Now... following orders would only delay their deaths.
Not far from them, the three Huo brothers looked just as grim. They had witnessed everything with their own eyes, yet they were powerless to stop it.
Hadn't things changed a little too quickly?
Not long ago, the three of them had been planning to study Soul Tools and work hard to grow stronger. And now, how much time had even passed? War was about to break out!
And every Soul Master would have to fight, even those with just one ring. How cruel.
"King Ilai, is there any way we can stop this?"
In the Sea of Consciousness, Huo Hao couldn't help asking King Ilai.
"A way? Of course. But... you can't do it."
"The best way is to kill the man called Mu Xuan, then uproot the entire Holy Spirit Cult. The war will stop on its own."
King Ilai's voice rang through the spiritual worlds of all three brothers. He sounded perfectly matter-of-fact, as if he didn't think he'd said anything absurd.
"..."
The three Huo brothers could only sweat awkwardly at his words.
What he said was the absolute truth, but... they were only one-ring Soul Masters, and they'd only become Soul Masters a few days ago. He wanted them to defeat a Limit Douluo?
And this Limit Douluo was someone even Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming couldn't handle. Asking them to fight him was giving them far too much credit.
It was pure fantasy!
If Venerable Ilai acted himself, he could surely stop this. But... he was only a Remnant Soul now. He probably couldn't do anything either.
The three of them sighed helplessly.
"Don't worry. This old man will keep you safe."
Venerable Ilai assured them. Even with war about to break out in the Sun Moon Empire, he seemed perfectly calm.
"Is there really... no way to stop this?"
Xuan Ziwen couldn't help speaking up, breaking the silence in the conference room. His eyes were full of compassion.
Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming exchanged a look. In the end, all they could do was shake their heads helplessly.
The Holy Spirit Cult now held all military and political power in the Sun Moon Empire, and that mysterious Mu Xuan controlled the cult.
They simply had no power to oppose him. If they could deal with Mu Xuan, the rest would be easy to handle. After all, the Holy Spirit Cult had only a few powerful figures, and they were nowhere near as intimidating as Mu Xuan.
The conference room sank once more into heavy silence.
Just then—
"Creak—"
The conference room door swung open.
Surrounded by guards, the newly enthroned New Emperor Xu Tianran was wheeled inside in his specially made wheelchair.
A feverish smile played across his face, completely at odds with the heavy mood in the room.
"Hall Master Jing, Elder Kong, how are the preparations for the task I gave you coming along?"
Xu Tianran's voice was shrill and excited.
He had finally become emperor!
He had finally taken the throne he'd dreamed of for so long!
As for the war? As for how many people would die?
So what?
He wouldn't have to fight on the front lines himself! As long as he could hold on to the throne and enjoy supreme power, he wouldn't care if the whole continent was reduced to ashes!
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen stood and bowed. "Your Majesty, preparations are still underway."
"Then hurry! Otherwise... if we delay that person's plans, we'll all suffer!"
Xu Tianran nodded, but still urged them on. After all... even though he was now the new emperor, his life was still in that person's hands.
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. If he got the chance, he would have to eliminate Mu Xuan too. What kind of emperor had to live at someone else's mercy?
"The war is about to begin. There can be no delay in supplying Soul Tools to the front lines!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Everyone answered in unison, but their voices were tinged with helplessness.
Xu Tianran nodded and was about to say more.
But at that very moment—
Pfft!!!
A dull, eerie sound rang out without warning.
As everyone watched in utter horror, Xu Tianran's head suddenly exploded!
Blood splattered across the guards around him, leaving them stunned.
The New Emperor, who had ascended the throne less than half a day ago and was still basking in his dream of supreme power, died on the spot without even managing to scream.
His headless corpse sat rigidly in the wheelchair, an utterly bizarre sight.
A single strike had killed him.
Someone had attacked the new emperor of the Sun Moon Empire?
And... they had used a Soul Tool.
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