"Peace talks?!"
Xu Tianyuan frowned deeply and subconsciously asked, "This is... His Majesty's decree?"
Kong Deming remained calm and said directly, "No, this is my intention."
He readily admitted that this was not an order from Xu Tianran, and he even disdained to use the emperor's name.
Before Xu Tianyuan and the others could speak, Kong Deming continued, "However, I think Xu Tianran... wouldn't refuse my suggestion."
He addressed the reigning emperor by his given name, showing no respect whatsoever that a subject should have.
However, given his status and strength, he certainly has the right to be called that.
The moment the words fell...
Buzz!!!
A dazzling silver-white light shot up from Kong Deming's body, and a suit of armor, overflowing with spatial ripples and seemingly forged from solidified moonlight and starlight essence, instantly covered his entire body.
A terrifying aura, vast as the starry sea, suddenly erupted, instantly sweeping across the entire ruins of Ten Thousand Stars City!
That was the pressure of Limit Douluo, far surpassing that of ordinary Titled Douluo, truly standing at the pinnacle of Soul Master!
The air trembled, the earth hummed, and everyone around felt a deep tremor and awe in their souls, as if they were facing an insurmountable, towering mountain.
Kong Deming's display of power made no attempt to conceal its threatening intent.
Kong Deming's actions clearly demonstrate to everyone that he has the ability and the determination to place his will above the war.
Xu Tianyuan and Liao Mengkai, along with other pro-war generals, instantly turned extremely ugly. Their lips were tightly pressed together, but they could no longer utter a single word of rebuttal.
They had no doubt that, if Kong Deming wished, he could single-handedly alter the balance of the war.
His choice to use force rather than take direct action was already a form of restraint.
After a moment of silence, Xu Tianyuan couldn't help but speak, controlling his voice as he asked, "Does the Palace Master intend to depose and install an emperor?"
The people around him immediately sharpened their gazes and focused on Kong Deming.
Despite the various expressions on everyone's faces, Kong Deming smiled.
"A similar question..." he began slowly, " Xu Tianran asked me the same thing before he ascended the throne."
"My answer at the time was, 'If I were truly willing to interfere, then your father would not be able to sit on the dragon throne.'"
"!!!"
Xu Tianyuan and the others' pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill ran down their spines.
They knew all too well those royal secrets, those covered-up bloodshed and betrayals.
Seeing the astonishment of the crowd, Kong Deming continued, "My stance remains unchanged: the Worship Hall will not interfere with the normal succession and change of the throne."
Upon hearing this, everyone's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
However, Kong Deming's next words made their hearts jump again.
"But!" He glanced at Xu Tianyuan and the others, and said, word by word, "If Xu Tianran fails to see the current situation and insists on dragging the empire into Abyss of war from which there is no return, even shaking the very foundations of the nation!"
He paused slightly, his gaze turning cold as he said, "Then... that's a different story."
Kong Deming casually waved his sleeves, causing ripples to spread across the space.
Yan Feng, Wang Xian'er, Huang Jinxu, who had been lying on the ground with their eyes closed, vanished without a trace, just like a portrait that had been erased.
After doing all this, Kong Deming took one last look at Xu Tianyuan, whose expression was constantly changing.
"Regroup the troops, treat the wounded, and then..." He paused briefly, "Wait for Xu Tianran's orders."
After he finished speaking, his figure disappeared silently, without even a ripple in the wind.
The group looked at each other, the air deathly silent.
What shocked them most was not Kong Deming's incredible skill, but the purpose of his trip.
Although the four Ferocious Beast Soul Engineer groups were equally renowned, almost all the remaining generals' eyes were now focused on Xu Tianyuan.
Not only because he is the leader of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Corps, but also because he has the blood of the Sun Moon Imperial Family flowing through his veins.
Liao Mengkai frowned, his voice low but barely concealing his anxiety. "Brother Xu, what exactly does the Palace Master mean by this? What should we do next?"
Xu Tianyuan lowered his gaze, his mind racing through every word Kong Deming had just uttered.
After a long while, he slowly raised his head, a complex, bitter smile appearing on his lips.
"What else can we do?" Xu Tianyuan's hoarse voice clearly reached the ears of every general. "The Palace Master has made his words very clear: reorganize the military, strengthen the defenses, and then... report the truth and await His Majesty's decree."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The urgent and heavy knocking on the door shattered the silence of the night like the beat of a drum.
Kong Xuan quickly put on his clothes and got up. As he pushed open the door, he saw that the door to the opposite room also opened at the same time.
Grandpa Kong Deming stood under the eaves, wearing his usual yellow robe, his expression calm.
The grandfather and grandson exchanged glances, said nothing, but both understood each other's meaning.
Kong Deming nodded slightly, then turned and walked unhurriedly toward the reception room.
Kong Xuan straightened his robes, walked straight through the courtyard, and headed towards the door that was being continuously knocked on.
He reached out and pulled open the latch.
"Squeak..."
The moment the wooden door swung open, a well-equipped squad of taxi soldiers came into view. The sun and Sun Moon emblems on their armor gleamed coldly under the Soul Guidance Lamp at the entrance. They were none other than the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion, directly under the Emperor.
In the very center of this cold armor, seated in a specially made wheelchair, sat the Sun Moon Emperor Xu Tianran, his face as somber as water.
He was dressed in a black casual suit, his hands folded on his knees, his knuckles slightly white.
Those eyes, which always held a deep, calculating quality, were now staring coldly at Kong Xuan as he opened the door.
Kong Xuan and his grandson were not surprised by Xu Tianran's late-night visit, calculating that news from the battlefield would reach Mingdu tonight.
Given the emperor's temperament, it was impossible for him to ignore Kong Deming's sudden intervention in the war; his midnight visit was actually in line with his style.
Kong Xuan stepped aside to make way, his expression calm and composed. "Your Majesty, please come in."
Ju Zi pushed the wheelchair, Xu Tianran slowly drove into the courtyard.
Just as his figure had completely crossed the threshold, Kong Xuan suddenly spoke again, his voice cold. "The rest of you, stay outside."
The Royal Soul Engineer Corps soldiers standing solemnly outside the courtyard had no intention of entering, so Kong Xuan's words were naturally not directed at them.
As Kong Xuan spoke, his gaze was not directed at the soldiers, but rather at the long, swaying shadow beneath Xu Tianran, elongated by the lamplight.
As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow on the ground began to ripple like water!
A slender figure silently appeared, surrounded by Soul Power fluctuations belonging to the Titled Douluo level.
This old man was none other than Xue Chen, the Shadow Douluo who had been hiding in the shadows for many years, serving as the emperor's personal bodyguard.
The moment Shadow Douluo appeared, a chilling and sharp mental pressure rushed towards Kong Xuan, carrying a clear warning.
Kong Xuan frowned slightly and let out a short, cold snort.
"Snort!"
The sound wasn't loud, but to Shadow Douluo's ears it was like an invisible mental hammer, carrying unimaginable solidity and domineering force, slamming into his Sea of Consciousness!
Xue Chen trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale, and his body swayed uncontrollably.
When he looked at Kong Xuan again, his eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
He remembered that the other party was clearly not Spiritual System Soul Master; a year ago, he was merely a Soul Saint.
Even the most talented person, in a year, can only barely advance to the level of Soul Douluo.
But the strength of the Divine Power that just countered was far beyond his expectations, leaving him with no power to fight back!
"Old Xue!" Xu Tianran's voice rang out at that moment. "You can wait outside."
Shadow Douluo Xue Chen said anxiously, "Your Majesty, but..."
Xu Tianran raised a hand, stopping him from finishing his sentence.
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Kong Xuan before finally landing on the brightly lit living room deep in the courtyard.
"If the Palace Master truly intends to harm me," his voice, though not loud, echoed clearly in the silent courtyard, "What can you do even if you follow me in?"
Upon hearing this, Shadow Douluo swallowed back his further attempts to dissuade him, silently lowered his head, and refused to take another step forward.
Ju Zi pushed the wheelchair forward one last time. Kong Xuan glanced at the silent darkness outside the door and the taxi driver who stood like a statue, then slowly closed the gate.