Huo Yuhao looked at the aged yet determined emperor, at the hope in his eyes for the future of the empire and for resisting the Sun Moon Empire, and finally, slowly nodded.
"Thank you very much for your trust, Your Majesty."
Huo Yuhao's voice remained calm, but this calm acceptance finally put Xu Jiawei and the entire Star Luo Empire's high-ranking officials at ease.
With this Nation-Protecting Imperial Preceptor, the Star Luo Empire seemed to have a real hope of surviving under the iron heel of the Sun Moon Empire, and even turning defeat into victory.
Inside the main hall, the atmosphere became lively.
The courtiers stepped forward one after another to express their congratulations and respect to the newly appointed Imperial Preceptor.
Huo Yuhao calmly dealt with the situation, but his gaze seemed to pierce through the magnificent palace, looking towards the distant Mingdu Capital, towards the imminent, destined opponent.
He knew that Ju Zi wouldn't withdraw his troops without a reason, and Kong Deming wouldn't just disappear into obscurity.
The brief respite for the Star Luo Empire was merely the calm before the storm.
Tang Wutong stood gently by his side, sensing the icy, unwavering will beneath his calm exterior.
She gripped his hand tightly, silently conveying her strength.
The power of the Imperial Advisor and the tribute from the Empire were, at this moment, merely additional bargaining chips on the road to the final battle.
He has always had only one goal.
Defeat that man, shatter the shackles of destiny, and ascend to the Divine Realm.
However, before that, he needs to elevate his condition to perfection.
Half a year passed in the core soul guidance laboratory, which was buried deep underground in the Mingdu of the Sun Moon Empire and was like the heart of steel. It was like a compressed torrent of time.
Kong Deming, a giant in the field of Soul Tool, was as if possessed, pouring all his mind, wisdom, and even burning Life into those four deadly weapons from the Heavenly Tyrant.
Under the ever-burning Soul Guidance Lamp of the laboratory, the sounds of metal forging, the hum of energy, and Kong Deming's delirious ramblings, sometimes manic and sometimes tormented, echoed.
Finally, at the moment when the artificial soul-guided sun went out and then lit up again in the last round of the sixth month, the heavy alloy gate of the laboratory slowly opened with a low hydraulic sound.
Inside the door, Kong Deming stood there.
He was thinner than he had been six months ago, emaciated and skeletal. His once neatly combed silver hair was now disheveled like withered grass. His bloodshot eyes were sunken in their sockets, shimmering with a weariness that was almost like a lamp running out of oil, yet filled with a hysterical, fanatical light, as if a miracle had been accomplished.
His white lab coat was covered in strange metal shavings and marks from burning energy. His hands trembled slightly, but his back was ramrod straight, with a solemn, sacrificial air.
On the workbench in front of Kong Deming, four brand-new Soul Tool were quietly displayed.
Their appearance has not changed drastically, but the aura they exude is completely different.
It was as if a sleeping Ferocious Beast had been infused with divine blood, completing its ultimate transformation.
An invisible, soul-stirring pressure rippled through the laboratory like waves, even causing the sturdy alloy walls to groan slightly.
Ju Zi stood quietly at the laboratory door, dressed in simple casual clothes, her face showing an undisguised anticipation and a hint of nervousness.
When her gaze fell upon the four Soul Tool, her pupils involuntarily contracted.
And Toji stood like a rock opposite Kong Deming.
He remained calm, but his deep eyes were like those of a prehistoric beast eyeing its prey, sharp enough to pierce through metal.
He could clearly feel an unprecedented, intense resonance between himself and the four Soul Tool, as if they were connected by blood and flesh.
That was the bloodline sensation generated after his abundant Qi and Blood were completely absorbed and integrated by them.
"Fortunately... fortunately, I have not failed in my mission..."
Kong Deming's voice was hoarse and dry, like sandpaper rubbing against each other, each word requiring tremendous effort, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
He stretched out his withered fingers, pointing to the first item with a pilgrim-like devotion.
The function of the Playful Cloud remains the same: the stronger your physical body, the greater the power you can unleash.
It's now even more compatible with Toji.
After the introduction, Kong Deming's finger moved to the second item, the Chain of a Thousand Miles.
"Its biggest change is the wiring." Kong Deming's breathing quickened.
"Using your Qi and Blood as a guide, I reforged its core, and it can now perfectly resonate with your other Soul Tool, especially weapons."
He pointed to the two weapons and the Chain of a Thousand Miles:
"Look... look at the end of the chain."
Sure enough, the two ends of the chain were no longer simple clasps, but had become energy interfaces that could precisely interlock and seemed to be integrated into the weapon itself.
"Connect them together, then fling them out. As long as your Bloodline Power is abundant enough, and as long as the enemy cannot instantly lock onto and sever the source of the chains..."
Kong Deming's eyes blazed with unprecedented light. "Its length... is theoretically infinite. This is a qualitative change resulting from the fusion of your Bloodline Power with the chain core, an ultra-long-range attack that ignores spatial distance!"
"Project your Destruction power to everything in sight, and even beyond sight!"
"Infinitely long..."
Ju Zi gasped, her eyes filled with shock. This meant that Toji's attack range would no longer be subject to any physical limitations.
Toji cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. This was practically a hunting chain tailor-made for him.
Kong Deming's fingers trembled violently with excitement as he pointed to the third item.
Soul Liberation Blade.
"It... it has... completely transformed!" Kong Deming's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and fervor. " The God Level essence it absorbed, along with the vast, star-like Qi and Blood you injected, has fundamentally elevated its ability to ignore hardness."
He stared intently at the dark golden aura of the blade.
"It can now cut through not just matter, it can sever the soul directly."
Kong Deming's voice was like a thunderclap.
"The principle is similar to the infinite extension of the Chain of a Thousand Miles; both are qualitative changes resulting from the fusion of your Bloodline Power and core laws."
"Where the blade strikes, any physical defenses become utterly ineffective."
"And the deeper essence of the soul will be directly torn apart."
"The mystery of the soul on the Douluo Continent has been proven by the existence of Evil Soul Master."
Soul shattered.
Ju Zi felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
This ability... has transcended the realm of ordinary understanding.
Toji looked at the Soul Liberation Blade, the excitement in his eyes almost tangible.
Ignoring the physical body, it strikes directly at the soul.
This is the true blade of god-slaying.