The Imperial City, the emperor's bedchamber.
The emperor sat behind his desk, with Kong Deming standing one step to his left.
From this distance, he could react in time to protect the emperor from harm, no matter who tried to make a move against him.
The desk was completely bare. The memorials that had once piled up like mountains were nowhere to be seen. The emperor had no affairs of state to attend to today. Whether he would ever have to manage them again, he didn't know.
Xu Tianran sat across the desk, with Xue Chen beside him. The brightly lit bedchamber held only the four of them.
Father and son stared at each other across the room. The old emperor's expression was calm, while a faint smile played on Xu Tianran's lips. Neither paid any attention to the commotion in the distance.
"Everyone's gone. Say what you came to say," the emperor said.
He sat upright, both hands resting on his thighs, holding a yellow box.
"Father, I'll be frank. I secretly brought a hundred thousand elite troops to the outskirts of Mingdu."
Xu Tianran wore a confident smile as he said mildly, "I know the Imperial City is guarded by ten thousand Imperial Guards, and the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion is stationed in Mingdu. Do you really think they can hold out?
"What's more, I've already taken control of the four High-Energy Compression Array Soul Tools in Mingdu. They've been storing Soul Power for decades."
Xu Tianran clenched his right hand into a fist, then opened it in an instant. "All it takes is a little push—one 'bang'—and the entire imperial palace will be reduced to nothing. Even Elder Kong won't be able to stop it."
He looked ready to take everyone down with him.
"Many people