Whoosh~
Crash!!!
The moment Xu Nian'an finished speaking, a wave of people suddenly hit the ground with a clatter of knees.
He turned to look. The officials, held under the control of the Holy Spirit Cult's many Evil Soul Masters, were panicking. One by one, they knelt and begged for mercy, their faces deathly pale.
"Spare us, spare us, Your Majesty! None of this was my intention."
···
"That's right, that's right! Wei Kun forced us to do all of it!"
Whoosh~
Hearing the civil and military officials around him, Wei Kun's face instantly turned ashen.
"You... bastards! What do you mean by this?"
"You think betraying me will let you live?"
"Keep dreaming! The Gulei Kingdom's army is right outside, and the Tiandou forces are watching like tigers waiting to pounce. You're all as good as dead!"
···
"Presumptuous!!!"
The fury lodged in Xu Nian'an's chest refused to fade. He hadn't expected this—he truly hadn't expected it.
With death staring him in the face, Wei Kun was still threatening him.
Xu Nian'an lifted his head, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
Buzz~!!!
The next instant, a series of icy system notifications rang out in Xu Nian'an's mind.
[ Ding! The system has detected rampant rebels within the host's kingdom and will autonomously awaken the host's Martial Soul: Dragon Emperor Sword! ]
[ Kingdom side quest activated: Suppress the rebels, purge the remnants, and restore Zhengchao Steel... Rewards will be issued based on the difficulty of the quest. ]
A golden light suddenly descended from the sky, and a golden pillar of light enveloped Xu Nian'an.
Within it, a domineering energy lifted his body into the air.
On the King-Sealing Platform,
Xu Nian'an slowly raised his hands.
His hands looked tiny—about half the size of his own hands had been before. They were the hands of a child under ten.
And that was only right. Xu Nian'an was just six years old.
Buzz, buzz, buzz~!!!!
Powerful golden rays scattered in every direction.
The Holy Spirit Cult's nearby stewards and envoys immediately backed away.
"What... what's happening? His Martial Soul awakened on its own!"
A steward stepped forward in shock.
"Imperial might in full force... the aura of an Emperor!"
Long Xiaoyao narrowed his eyes.
Staring at the long sword before him, its entire body wreathed in brilliant golden light and covered in intricate dragon patterns, Xu Nian'an's face lit up.
"So this is the Dragon Emperor Sword."
Whoosh, whoosh~!!!
Just as Xu Nian'an was about to grasp the sword, a blazing orb shot out of his right hand.
A silver-white full moon flew from his left. The instant the silvery moon appeared, the temperature at the scene plunged to freezing.
Those things flying from his hands weren't fireballs at all. They were... the Sun and the Moon!
Were these his original Martial Souls?
Had he always possessed Twin Martial Souls?
Sun and Moon Shining Together · Dragon Emperor Sword... Triple Martial Souls... Wahahaha~!!!!
"I want the heavens to no longer hide my eyes, the earth to no longer bury my heart, all living beings to understand my will, and every kingdom to vanish into smoke!"
After crossing into another world and becoming ruler of a kingdom, Xu Nian'an might have been young, but his soul and mind were already those of an adult.
The shackles were slowly coming undone. He had a system, and his kingdom now possessed powerful figures like the Holy Spirit Cult and Long Xiaoyao.
The difficulties before him would no longer be difficulties.
But... the Holy Spirit Cult, Long Xiaoyao, the Sun and Moon Martial Souls.
Wasn't this the lineup of the Sun-Moon Empire ten thousand years from now?
Could it be...
Xu Nian'an knew what he had to do.
"From this day forward, I shall be the ninth king of this land. I hereby change its name to... Ming!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Nian'an raised his hand, and the Sun and Moon Martial Souls flew back into his body.
Xu Nian'an hadn't changed the kingdom's name to Sun Moon. The Sun-Moon Empire belonged to ten thousand years in the future. This was his era.
Though he hadn't named the kingdom Sun Moon, he had fused the two characters and changed its name to Ming—the name he knew best.
Turning around, Xu Nian'an's gaze fell on Wei Kun once more.
The mood had been set. If he didn't kill someone, he'd be letting down the Dragon Emperor Sword in his hands.
Clang~!!!
"Let me wield the Dragon Emperor Sword in my hands and crush you traitors, who dream of overthrowing the dynasty and seizing the throne by force!!!"
In Long Xiaoyao's grip, Wei Kun had lost control of his body. He was a Soul Saint, but even if he had been a Titled Douluo today, he might not have been able to summon his Martial Soul.
This was the absolute power of a Level 99 Limit Douluo.
Splurt~!!!
Thud!
Scalding blood sprayed across Xu Nian'an's face, and his eyes twitched despite himself.
What a head. It came rolling right off.
Looking at the pale flesh before him, still twitching and spasming, Xu Nian'an's knees went weak. He nearly collapsed on the spot.
"Damn it, why isn't this like a game, where you just beat up some weak mobs? This disgusting feeling... I shouldn't have tried to look cool."
The intense nausea nearly made Xu Nian'an throw up.
Fortunately, it was only the initial wave of revulsion. As long as he didn't keep staring at the scene, it became much easier to bear.
Once he recovered, Xu Nian'an even felt the faintest trace of excitement.
He turned to look at the civil and military officials being held down by the Holy Spirit Cult's stewards and envoys.
Thump!!! Thump!!!
"No... please, Your Majesty! I beg you, I really, truly didn't mean to do it."
···
"That's right, Your Majesty, we know we were wrong. We can change! We only made the same mistake anyone could make."
"Forgive me! I'm willing to atone. I'll go to court without taking a salary for ten years!"
Xu Nian'an paid them no heed. In his eyes, they were already a bunch of dead men.
Make one mistake and you're done for life. Trousers don't fall down by themselves, and bottoms don't stick out on their own.
If they dared to do this, they should have been prepared for their entire clans to be wiped out.
"Xu Yi, I order you to raid these rebels' homes!"
"Every rebel found within the nine degrees of kinship—seize them all and bring them to justice!"
Hearing Xu Nian'an's words, Xu Yi cupped his hands and withdrew.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I guarantee that not a single rebel who dared to overthrow the Great Ming Kingdom will escape."
Crash~
Hearing Xu Nian'an's words, another large group of officials collapsed to the ground.
Xu Nian'an looked at one of the Holy Spirit Cult's stewards.
"Kill them all too, and hang their bodies outside the palace gates to bake in the sun for seven days, as a warning to everyone!"
"I'll make them understand the price of betraying me!!!"
At Xu Nian'an's command, the Holy Spirit Cult steward's lips curled into a broad grin.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
···
"No! You mustn't, Your Majesty!"
"If you kill all the civil and military officials, how will Tianxing—no, how will the Great Ming Kingdom function?"
Xu Nian'an frowned as he looked at Xu Fu, who was pleading desperately before him.
If Xu Fu weren't the chief eunuch who had raised him, and if he didn't still need someone to care for him, he would have had him dragged out and beheaded for daring to defy his orders.
"My word is the command!"
"My word is the law!"