Xu Chengjin slumped on the dragon throne, watching Xu Chengjing below him stand at ease as though victory were already in his grasp. A nameless fury surged within him.
Why?
Why did he get to be so smug? Why did he have the support of so many people?
I am the Emperor. I am the lofty sun of the Sun Moon Empire, guiding it forward!
"Xu Chengjing, do you think you've already won? Don't forget Kong Lao is still here. Kong Lao will never stand by and watch you shake the foundations of the nation!"
Upon hearing Xu Chengjin's words, Xu Chengjing looked at him as though he were an idiot. The looks in the eyes of those behind Xu Chengjing were even more obvious.
"Don't you know that Kong Lao is also part of the pro-war faction? I never hid today's operation from Kong Lao."
At those words, Xu Chengjin's gaze completely lost focus. He had never expected even Kong Deming, known as the guardian of the imperial family, to support Xu Chengjing's actions. Despair instantly engulfed his heart, only to be swiftly replaced by a fierce resolve.
He remembered the ultimate weapon stored in his Soul Tool!
"Heh heh, Xu Chengjing, if I can't have this throne, then neither will you!"
With that, Xu Chengjin pulled a Rank-8 Fixed-Mounted Soul Guidance Bomb radiating a terrifying aura of destruction from his Soul Tool. Without hesitation, he poured his Soul Power into it and activated it.
"BOOM~~~!!!"
A flash of white light accompanied the explosion. The violent blast razed the entire hall to the ground, sending shattered stones flying and billowing smoke and dust into the air.
A moment later, the smoke gradually dispersed.
The once magnificent palace, its golden tiles gleaming beneath the sun, had become nothing but ruins. A crater had even formed at the center of the explosion. Stone pillars had collapsed, leaving only broken halves slanting toward the heavens. Carved beams and painted rafters had crumbled into rubble, their colored fragments mingled with the ash covering the ground until even their colors could no longer be distinguished.
Xu Chengjing activated his Purple Radiance Annihilating Heaven Dragon Martial Soul Possession. Eight Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, and black—circled his body. He calmly withdrew his martial soul, then put away the Rank-9 Defensive Soul Tool activated before him.
Xu Chengjin had been disappointed. Not only was Xu Chengjing still alive, he was completely unscathed. Even the soldiers behind him had suffered very few deaths, mostly injuries, because Xu Chengjing and the Rank-9 Soul Engineers at the front had blocked most of the explosive shockwave.
Chen Songting and Wang Yiheng, who had not initially stood with them, had also joined Xu Chengjing's side at the very instant before the explosion.
However, the high officials, nobles, and members of the royal clan off to the side had not been so fortunate. They were closer to the center of the blast, with no one in front of them to block most of its force. Aside from a few highly cultivated Soul Engineers, the rest were either dead or severely injured. Severed limbs littered the ground, and anguished cries filled the air.
Xu Chengjin had not died either. He lay wretchedly amid the ruins, covered in blood. Most of the lower half of his body had been blown away, leaving only half a leg dangling from him.
"I never expected you to have reached the realm of an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo. Otherwise, even a Rank-9 Soul Tool couldn't have left you unscathed beneath a Rank-8 Fixed-Mounted Soul Guidance Bomb."
Watching Xu Chengjing approach step by step, Xu Chengjin spoke weakly.
Xu Chengjing walked up to the dying Xu Chengjin. Looking down at the soot-covered Emperor, he said,
"I didn't expect you to have such nerve, daring to directly detonate a Rank-8 Fixed-Mounted Soul Guidance Bomb. If my cultivation hadn't been high enough, and if your Seven-Ring cultivation hadn't prevented it from unleashing its full power, I might have died here today."
"Heh heh, what a pity it didn't kill you."
Xu Chengjin glared viciously at Xu Chengjing. The only thing that gave him even a little comfort now was that he had not kept his hundred-day-old Crown Prince, Xu He, by his side. By now, Xu He had probably already been escorted away.
"If you had shown such resolve toward our enemies, perhaps I would not have done this. You would certainly have met a different end. And I should thank you as well. That unexpectedly explosive move of yours saved me a great deal of trouble."
Xu Chengjing stared into his eyes and said,
"Cough, cough... You think... you're right? Shrek Academy... won't let this stand... The three great empires will surely join forces... to resist you."
"Then let them come. I will trample them beneath my feet. I will plant the Sun Moon banner atop every city wall on the Douluo Continent. And you, my dear imperial brother, will become the stepping stone for my new era."
Xu Chengjing bent down and leaned close to Xu Chengjin's ear. To Xu Chengjin, those words sounded like a demon's whisper, sending a chill through him.
"You..."
Xu Chengjin's eyes widened. He had wanted to say something more, but before he could utter another word, the last light in his eyes was extinguished.
A generation's Emperor had fallen!
Xu Chengjing stared fixedly at Xu Chengjin's face for a long time. Only after confirming that he had truly stopped breathing did he raise his head and look around at the soldiers of the two great Soul Engineer legions standing not far behind him.
Seeing this, Chen Songting, who stood to one side, immediately knelt amid the ruins and shouted loudly,
"Your Highness, Xu Chengjin refused to accept the late Emperor's final edict. Instead, he brazenly attempted to destroy the future wise ruler of our Sun Moon Empire, causing many of the Empire's loyal pillars to perish. We beseech Your Highness to obey the late Emperor's edict, ascend the throne, and restore a bright and clear sky to the Empire!"
After Chen Songting finished speaking, Liao Mengkai and Xu Tianyuan, who had been standing nearby, immediately led the soldiers of the two Soul Engineer legions to kneel on one knee and hurriedly declared,
"We beseech Your Highness to ascend the throne and restore a bright and clear sky to the Empire!"
"We beseech Your Highness to ascend the throne and restore a bright and clear sky to the Empire!"
Their voices were so loud that they seemed ready to resound through heaven and earth. The few people around them who had survived the explosion were likewise thoroughly disappointed in Xu Chengjin. They too joined the soldiers in shouting toward Xu Chengjing,
"We beseech Your Highness to ascend the throne and restore a bright and clear sky to the Empire!"
At the sight, Xu Chengjing restrained the smile that had nearly broken free and waved a hand toward the kneeling crowd.
"Rise. Since I am the successor appointed by the late Emperor, I shall set right this chaos and restore a bright and clear sky to the Empire!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Good! Convey my decree: Three days from now, an enthronement ceremony shall be held outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Let it be proclaimed to the world that the era name shall be changed to 'Jinghe,' signifying the restoration of mountains and rivers, peace and prosperity for the nation."
"Your servants obey the decree."
The soldiers and surviving ministers bowed again, their voices shaking the heavens.
And beneath the will of the new sovereign, this palace scorched by war quietly began to shed its old shell and welcome a different dawn.
On that very night, not only was the history of the Sun Moon Empire rewritten, but the entire balance of power across the Douluo Continent was changed.
As Xu Chengjing watched the rising morning sun, his heart brimmed with grand ambitions for the future, for expanding his power and unifying the continent.
What he did not know was that one day, he would surrender the throne he had fought so hard to obtain that night in a way he could never have imagined.
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