At the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Xue Ye called his ministers together.
"Have any of you come up with a solution to the matter the Thunder Demon brought up a few days ago?" Xue Ye sat in the high seat and asked calmly.
Below, the ministers whispered among themselves. One stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, I believe that since Spirit Hall hasn't said anything, we don't need to react either. We can simply pretend we didn't hear it."
"Exactly. The demon is nothing but a clown. Spirit Hall has a Peerless Douluo among its ranks, invincible beneath the gods. They'll surely protect us." Another man hurried forward to say, standing tall and proud as if he deeply admired Spirit Hall.
Upon the throne, Xue Ye's expression remained impassive, giving no hint of his thoughts.
Ever since he had lost his beloved son, he seemed to have become a different person. He was no longer despondent or distracted, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to being the Heaven Dou Great Emperor.
Some of the older ministers looked at the emperor, tears brimming in their eyes. Their former emperor had finally returned.
Xue Ye remained expressionless, gazing down at them.
He could see clearly which ministers were loyal to him and dedicated to their country, and which were lapdogs who had thrown in their lot with Spirit Hall.
Before, he had turned a blind eye. But now, whenever he saw someone from Spirit Hall, he couldn't help flying into a rage. Fury burned in his heart, making it pound wildly without cease.
After a while, the discussion in the court died down. Everyone looked nervously toward the throne, awaiting his decision.
"Since Spirit Hall hasn't made a move, then let's leave it at that. You may all go." Xue Ye waved his sleeve coolly and rose to leave, every movement radiating the bearing of an emperor.
The ministers below hurriedly cried out in unison, "We respectfully see Your Majesty off!"
Atop the mountain in Thunder City, Zhong Su plunged down from the sky amid crackling lightning, smashing a huge crater into the plaza.
Rumble—
The lightning dispersed, and Zhong Su strode forward with a muffled grunt. Every member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan present dropped to one knee.
"Where are the others?" Zhong Su swept his gaze around, displeased. Why were there still only this many people?
Yu Luomian and Yu Yuanzhen exchanged glances, then nervously stepped forward and spoke together. "Old Ancestor, perhaps they live too far away and haven't arrived yet!"
"Impudent!" Zhong Su struck them both with lightning, sending them flying.
They fell to the ground, clutching their chests and coughing up blood, shock written across their faces. Zhong Su had actually grown even stronger.
"How dare you defy me, the Thunder Demon! I'll make them all taste the power of lightning! Lightning, come!" Zhong Su reached out and beckoned. A bolt of lightning shot toward him, and he rode the purple lightning into the distance.
He had descended the mountain.
At the summit, Yu Yuanzhen watched the demon in the distance, his face full of worry.
This was going to be difficult!
After leaving the mountain, Zhong Su headed straight for the ground below and launched indiscriminate attacks.
"Lightning, unleash your power!"
Violent thunderbolts struck the earth, blasting crater after crater into the ground. The blackened craters held not a trace of life.
As he rampaged onward, Thunderous Fury swept across cities, leaving broken bridges and shattered walls, corpses strewn everywhere. For thousands of miles, the wilderness had not a speck of green left; it was all scorched black.
The grief-stricken people were helpless and pitiful, able only to stare at the lightning and weep.
Every one of their screams had once been heard by the gentle world, which had answered them in turn.
"Crack—crack—"
A sharp sound of shattering rang out. Countless tiny cracks appeared in space as the divine realm vented its grief in this way.
"This can't go on. We need to find someone to stop Zhong Su." Shendu repaired the cracks while watching the scene unfolding around Zhong Su.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
A minister shouted in terror, "Quick! Send for the experts from Spirit Hall!"
The once solemn court descended into chaos. No one had expected the Thunder Demon to be so crazed, slaughtering humans. It truly was something only a demon would do!
Xue Ye frowned slightly at the commotion below, then gave a heavy snort. Only then did everyone fall silent.
"What are you panicking for? Pass on my orders: assemble the Heaven Dou Empire's army at once and send it to the front lines. They must lure the demon elsewhere. Also, summon the Heaven Dou Empire's Poison Douluo." Xue Ye issued his orders calmly, without the slightest hint of panic.
"We obey, Your Majesty!" everyone cried in unison.
At Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong followed Shendu's plan and went to see Qian Daoliu.
In the room, Qian Daoliu lay slumped by the bed, haggard. Qian Renxue still hadn't woken up.
Bibi Dong walked over and said coldly, "The Thunder Demon Zhong Su is slaughtering cities indiscriminately."
But the old man didn't even rise at her words. Bibi Dong frowned slightly, worried he hadn't heard her clearly, and repeated herself.
Still, he didn't move.
Qian Daoliu stared blankly at his unconscious granddaughter, having long since lost interest in everything else. What did humanity's survival have to do with him?
Something had happened to Xiao Xue, and his whole world had fallen asleep with her.
"Xiao Xue, when will you wake up? Grandpa misses you." He gently held Qian Renxue's little hand, hot tears dripping onto his arm.
Seeing that Qian Daoliu had no intention of acting, Bibi Dong had no choice but to return and report to Shendu.
"Qian Daoliu won't act. What do we do now?" Bibi Dong looked at Shendu with a probing gaze, a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.
Perhaps she hadn't realized it, but her actions had already become somewhat coercive.
Shendu's eyes turned cold as he sensed her aggressive attitude.
"Heh, there's nothing we can do if he won't act. After all, his granddaughter died." Shendu chuckled coolly, unconcerned, making it impossible for Bibi Dong to discern his thoughts.
"Fine, leave this matter to me. I wonder how much of his strength Zhong Su has recovered after all these years."
"Oh? You're going to act personally, Shendu?" Bibi Dong looked at him in surprise.
"That's none of your concern. Leave."
Shendu sent her away. No matter how curious Bibi Dong was, all she could do was close the door and leave.
In the secret chamber, Shendu did nothing. He simply waited in silence, because through Zhong Su's eyes, he saw that the next city he would reach was... Slaughter City!
Well, you chose this road yourself. You can't blame anyone else.
He opened the live broadcast and started recording.
Now all he could do was hope Zhong Su would show just how much of his power he could unleash.
In Slaughter City, the once peaceful, serene sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. Violent lightning struck the city in an instant.
Whoosh!
A flash of sword light swept by, slicing the lightning in the sky in half. A blood-red slash shot into the clouds, cleaving the storm-wracked clouds apart and letting the light pour through.
"How dare you! What are you, to block my path?" Zhong Su charged down through the clouds in fury, lightning coiling around him.
Below, a resolute, middle-aged man charged upward, a sharp sword in his hand.
The man's aura was violent, and a strong stench of blood clung to him. His eyes were blood-red, and his sallow face was flushed, as if he were in poor health.
Yet the sheer force of his presence was chilling even while he simply stood there.
"Hmph! You insignificant clown. Die!" Zhong Su roared in fury and summoned lightning. The sky flashed and thundered.
The man in front of him held a sword in his left hand and turned his right palm upward. A gigantic Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his grasp.
"Who dares trespass in Slaughter City? Kill without mercy!" The King of Slaughter's icy voice rang across the sky.
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