"No wonder... no wonder Her Majesty the Empress was so confident back then, able to persuade me to cooperate secretly, and able to gradually undermine the late Emperor's foundation, ultimately..."
He looked at Ju Zi, his eyes filled with shock and a hint of... the chill of being used, but more than that, a sense of having met his match and having no choice but to admit defeat.
"Your Majesty the Empress... truly... possesses remarkable skills!"
He understood completely.
Ju Zi won over Xu Tianran, the father of Soul Tool, and gradually consolidated her own position by leveraging his unparalleled prestige in the military and Soul Engineer circles, thus undermining Xu Tianran's authority.
When power and the military's voice finally tilted to the point of overturning the balance, she drew out the sharpest and most deadly blade hidden in the shadows and struck, killing Xu Tianran. Ju Zi, with her young son, ascended to the summit.
Kong Deming, on the other hand, finally broke free from Xu Tianran's constraints and gained the freedom he had always dreamed of—to dedicate all the resources of the empire to trying to create Level 10 Soul Tool.
With Xu Tianran dead, there was indeed no one left in the empire who could restrain Kong Deming.
He had initially thought that Ju Zi was merely a puppet that was easier to control, allowing him to focus wholeheartedly on pursuing the ultimate path of Soul Tool.
But now...
Kong Deming looked at the Ju Zi, then at Toji, who stood before his bed like a demon god, his aura unfathomable. A chill instantly ran from the soles of his feet up his spine.
He realized he was wrong.
That's completely wrong.
Where is the Ju Zi a puppet?
She was clearly the one playing the game!
She not only traded Xu Tianran's life for the throne, but also used Toji a knife to hang over Kong Deming's head.
Toji's very existence is the greatest limitation and deterrent to him.
This young empress, with her profound thoughts, skillful tactics, and astonishing audacity, is simply... terrifying.
"So..." Kong Deming forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and the displeasure of being tricked, and turned his burning gaze back to Toji, his voice hoarse and solemn, "You mean... you want to use my Soul Tool yourself?"
"To use the power I've pursued my entire life to defeat Huo Yuhao, the one who Destruction my beliefs? To prove... that my path is right?"
"No one can use your Life-Bound Soul Tool, but you possess the ability to create Level 10 Soul Tool." Toji said decisively, a cold and absolutely confident smile on his face. "Only I can fully unleash the true power of Level 10 Soul Tool, and only I can crush Huo Yuhao, proving that your Soul Tool is enough to slay gods."
Before he finished speaking, Toji flipped his hands over.
Splash--
A crisp clinking sound rang out.
Then, Toji took out four powerful Soul Tool.
These were the most powerful Soul Tool that Toji felt he had ever possessed.
That included the large sword.
"It's very simple." Toji looked down at Kong Deming, his eyes sharp as knives. "Help me upgrade, strengthen, and optimize all these Soul Tool to... level ten!"
He pointed to the pile of Soul Tool on the ground, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable will:
"I will wear them, carrying your masterpiece..."
"Under the watchful eyes of the world, he personally annihilated Huo Yuhao."
"With his defeat and blood..."
"To declare to the entire continent--"
"Your path of Soul Tool, Kong Deming, is the true way to reach the pinnacle of power."
"The era of Soul Tool will be ushered in by your creation, and by me personally."
The entire secret room fell into a deathly silence.
The only sounds were the faint whirring of the soul-guided life support pod and Kong Deming's increasingly labored, wheezing breathing, like a broken bellows.
He looked at the pile of Soul Tool gleaming coldly on the ground, then looked up at Shen Toji, whose eyes were cold and whose aura was as deep as an abyss, and finally his gaze swept over Ju Zi, whose expression was complicated yet contained expectation.
An indescribable surge of heat, a mixture of ecstasy, madness, paranoia, and a hint of fear of the madman before him, instantly overwhelmed all his reason and hesitation.
All Level 10 Soul Tool have been upgraded!
It is to be driven by this monster who has become a god in the flesh.
Go and challenge Huo Yuhao, who also possesses God Level combat power.
This is an unprecedentedly insane experiment.
This is the ultimate test of his Soul Tool.
It is the only path to the ultimate answer he sought throughout his life.
Ha... haha... hahaha!!!
Kong Deming suddenly let out a hoarse and manic laugh, filled with hysterical excitement and a sense of desperation.
His emaciated body trembled violently with excitement, and a sickly flush rose on his ashen face.
He abruptly sat up in the life support pod, ignoring his weakness, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Toji as if he were staring at a perfect vessel, one that could hold all his crazy dreams.
He extended a trembling finger, pointing to the pile of Soul Tool on the ground, then to Toji, his voice sharp and distorted with extreme excitement:
"Good, good, what a Heavenly Tyrant, what a path to god-slaying!"
"I... I promise you!"
"I will use all the knowledge I have acquired in my life! I will exhaust all the resources of the empire! I will personally... forge for you a set of... a level ten soul-guided weapon capable of slaying a true god!"
"You're a madman! You really are a madman! But I... will go along with your madness this time!"
In the sealed room, fervent vows intertwined with chilling murderous intent.
At this moment, the ultimate god-slaying plan, jointly launched by the God of Soul Tool and the God of the Body, targeting the chosen one of destiny, Huo Yuhao, officially began.
The gears of fate for the entire continent were once again violently turned.
Under the nourishment of Toji Er's Bloodline Power, which contained God Level vitality, and the Blade of Life's Watch, Kong Deming's withered body was like a parched tree receiving rain after a long drought, recovering its vitality at an astonishing speed.
The ashen panel regained its crimson hue, and the murky eyes burst forth with an unprecedentedly sharp light—a burning flame mixed with obsession, madness, and the resurgence of purpose.
In just three days, he broke free from the life support pod and, ignoring Ju Zi's advice, insisted on returning to his core soul guidance laboratory, located deep underground in the palace, which was like an iron fortress.
At this moment, on the huge workbench made of high-strength alloy in the center of the laboratory, instead of Kong Deming's proud level 10 Life-Bound Soul Tool, four Soul Tool of different shapes, each exuding a unique and fierce aura, were quietly displayed. Their owner was none other than Toji.
Level 9 Soul Tool, the Chain of a Thousand Miles, a seemingly ordinary metal chain, its slender yet incredibly strong silver chain coiled into a loop, its surface flowing with a cold metallic luster, the binding runes engraved on the chain faintly visible under the Soul Guidance Lamp of the laboratory.
The Level 9 Soul Tool, Playful Cloud, is a pair of three-section staffs, each section of which is engraved with cloud patterns and Entanglement with black leather straps. Its destructive power relies purely on the user's physical strength and increases with strength.
The Level 9 Soul Tool greatsword, Toji known as the Soul Liberation Blade, is a huge, dark red, almost black, fierce blade with a broad and heavy body and a dark luster that seems to devour light.
The blade was covered with fine, seemingly Tianran formed dark red patterns, which now undulated slightly like breathing, emanating a chilling aura of ferocity and a powerful Bloodline Power.
This is Toji's most frequently used main weapon, and it has drunk the blood of countless powerful warriors.