Deep within the Ming Capital Imperial Palace.
The once-majestic Imperial Zenith Hall had already been reduced to ruins, and the center of the imperial city remained tightly sealed off by the Royal Soul Engineer Legion.
The people and subjects of the Ming Capital knew nothing of what had happened within the imperial city. Anything concerning the Emperor had been subjected to the strictest lockdown by the Empire's upper ranks.
Yet everyone knew that the Empire's secrecy regarding His Majesty could not possibly be good news. During that explosion, the entire Ming Capital had seen the enormous phantom of a Radiant Holy Dragon within the blazing light.
How many Soul Tool artillery shells would it take to match that terrifying power?
What exactly had happened to their Emperor in that explosion?
Every citizen of the Ming Capital carried this lingering doubt in their hearts.
Within an underground secret chamber, dozens of top-grade life-healing Soul Tools operated simultaneously.
Every few breaths, the core formation on the walls lit up, channeling dense life energy into the metal bed at the center.
Sun Moon Empire Emperor Xu Tianran lay there silently.
His imperial robes had long since been cut open, and his chest and abdomen were wrapped in white bandages.
Below his waist was a heavy metal brace, holding his shattered bones and meridians in place, though he could no longer feel anything there.
Several healing-type soul masters had just finished a round of treatment and left the chamber with exhausted expressions.
Ju Zi sat beside the bed, still dressed in the orange-red military uniform she had worn when withdrawing from the front lines.
She had not closed her eyes for two full days. A thick stack of confidential reports from the Military Headquarters had piled up on the table, yet none had received