"I will take Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen as my closing disciples, and I will pass my life's mantle on to them. Your descendants—or you yourselves—who among you has the ability to inherit my mantle and protect the Sun Moon Empire after I pass away?"
The first sentence merely intimidated them. But when the latter sentence was spoken, it truly left the imperial court in dead silence.
Inheriting Elder Kong's mantle and protecting the Sun Moon Empire—achieving this meant meeting one of two conditions. First, breaking through to become a Class 10 Soul Engineer; second, possessing the status of a Class 9 Soul Engineer while reaching the cultivation level of a Super Douluo.
Who had the ability?
Everyone present lowered their heads; almost no one had this confidence, not even for the younger generation of their own families.
Except for the Hongchen siblings of the Hongchen family.
Moreover, even if they couldn't break through to Class 10 Soul Engineer or Super Douluo, as long as they became Level 94 Class 9 Soul Engineers, relying on the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the two siblings, they could still shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the Sun Moon Empire!
The imperial clansmen also understood at this moment the reason why Kong Deming had made up his mind and why the neutral faction had completely leaned to one side.
The empire was now ceding territory and paying reparations, caught in a time of existential crisis. Their empire had to find a way to survive. Therefore, everything had to make concessions for the sake of survival.
Thus, even though Meng Hongchen was only pregnant, with the fetus not yet born and its gender unknown, she still received full support.
Was this support for the orthodox bloodline of Xu Tianran?
No.
Ultimately, it was still the support of the Hongchen family that mattered.
Who let Jing Hongchen have such a good grandson and granddaughter...
At this moment, officials large and small cast envious glances at Jing Hongchen. With this status, he wouldn't need to worry for a hundred years.
It was just a pity that their own descendants lacked the ability!
"Since everyone agrees, then it is settled."
At the same time, seeing no one in the court objecting, Kong Deming finalized the matter completely, allowing no changes!
Following this, with the support of the Offering Hall, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy led by Jing Hongchen, and Ming De Hall, Meng Hongchen almost instantly turned the tables in the imperial court. And those imperial clansmen who had made the biggest fuss before, especially those who had used private armies, were all ruthlessly slapped with the hat of treason by her, stripped of their noble titles, and imprisoned for life.
Almost half a month passed, and even while pregnant, Meng Hongchen still smoothly gained control of the empire's situation. With Kong Deming fully stepping forward and supporting her with all his might, no one could stir up any waves. Even those who had stood from a neutral perspective unhesitatingly took Kong Deming's side because of the Sun Moon Empire's current decline.
The need for half a month's time was merely to allow for a smooth transition of power within the Sun Moon court. As for military power... Kong Deming was not yet so muddled. Until it was completely certain that the child Meng Hongchen gave birth to was one hundred percent of the Xu bloodline, he absolutely would not let go of military power.
Just as Kong Deming reorganized the Sun Moon court, the capitals of the original three Douluo Empires were also about to hold grand celebrations.
To celebrate the victory in the war, every palace of the three great empires began hanging lanterns and decorations, gathering the imperial relatives. Even the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiawei, to appease the hearts of the people and simultaneously showcase his achievements during his reign—developing soul tools, defeating the Sun Moon Empire, and expanding the empire's territory—had decided half a month prior to hold a grand sacrificial ceremony to the heavens. As the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiawei was naturally bound to attend and serve as the chief officiant of the ceremony.
For this reason, he also invited various factions. However, because the major factions themselves had to celebrate their own victory in the war, the personnel they dispatched were not important figures; they were merely representatives or envoys at best.
Therefore, although Star Luo City was decorated with lanterns and festoons today with a joyous atmosphere, there was also an indescribably majestic aura.
The sacrificial ceremony would be held by Xu Jiawei in the suburbs outside Star Luo City. It was a sacrifice to heaven and earth, and also to the successive ancestors of the Star Luo Empire. To ensure this sacrificial ceremony could be successfully held within the half-month, massive amounts of manpower, financial resources, and material resources were expended.
...
At this very moment, the sun was already high in the sky.
Outside Star Luo City of the Star Luo Empire, a massive number of citizens had surged into the suburbs, preparing to welcome the arrival of this grand ceremony.
On all the main roads of Star Luo City, soldiers in shining armor stood on both sides, a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps. A strong, solemn killing intent permeated the entire city beneath the joyous facade.
The commoners moved in an orderly manner, surging toward the suburbs.
At this moment, in the suburbs outside Star Luo City, a colossal altar stood on an open ground. The circular altar covered an area of over ten thousand square meters, was ten *zhang* tall, and was entirely constructed from granite.
Above the base platform, there were five successive tiers. Each tier shared the same shape but gradually decreased in size. Nine flights of steps led to the topmost platform, which was only a thousand square meters in size.
The implication of nine and five was the supreme number of the sovereign. And this had been passed down since tens of thousands of years ago.
Over the ages, it underwent repairs by successive dynasties, until the Xu family became emperors; only then was the White Tiger pattern on the altar's surface replaced with the pattern of the Star Crown. However, on both sides of the steps, there were still White Tiger statues.
The meaning of this symbol was nothing else, merely representing the promise made by the ancestors of the Xu family back then.
At this moment, the surroundings of the altar were already completely surrounded by a massive army. Furthermore, in the four directions—east, south, west, and north—a soul master legion and a soul engineer legion were already stationed.
They had even mobilized a hundred thousand troops, of which forty thousand surrounded the altar, responsible for maintaining order around it.
Because even with the army's guidance, the citizens had already packed the place to the brim. At this time, there were at least several millions, if not tens of millions, of people coming to observe the ceremony; they were densely packed and stretched as far as the eye could see.
As time passed, "Dong, dong, dong..."
The sound of drums rang out, and the ground seemed to tremble at this moment. Just then...
"They're here! They're here!"
Among the crowd, many urging voices were mixed in. But not far from the crowd, in the direction of Star Luo City, a procession entirely composed of bright yellow slowly made its way toward the altar.
Wherever this procession passed, aside from the hoofbeats of the path-clearing cavalry, there was first absolute silence.
At the very front was a massive dragon carriage carried by one thousand and twenty-four people. On the dragon carriage, the bright yellow silks and satins featured ten thousand galloping dragons and roaring White Tigers, but at the core, only the Star Crown stood supreme.
Atop the dragon carriage, Xu Jiawei sat upright, wearing a purple-gold crown with nine dragons holding pearls, and dressed in an imperial robe with nine dragons clutching pearls, displaying his absolute majesty. Beside him, the Empress wore a phoenix crown and ceremonial cape, showcasing the utmost grace and luxury.
Behind this colossal dragon carriage came Xu Jiawei's younger sister, the Eldest Princess of the Star Luo imperial family, Xu Jiujiu, as well as the emperor's princes and royal descendants.
"Long live, long live, long live!"
As the dragon carriage passed by, the absolute silence was shattered. Soldiers raised their weapons high, shouting "Long live" like a mountain call.
And those millions of citizens, like wheat being cut, devoutly prostrated themselves in the direction of the dragon carriage.
At this moment, high atop the dragon carriage, Xu Jiawei held the Empress's hand, his eyes revealing both imposing majesty and endless emotion and pride.
Once upon a time, he still had to worry about the Sun Moon Empire;
Once upon a time, he was cautious and mindful, treading on thin ice.
He hadn't expected that this war would completely crush the Sun Moon Empire, capture the Ming Dou Mountains, and annex nearly thirty of the Sun Moon Empire's cities.
From ancient times to the present, how many emperors could have achieved such merits in less than half their reign?
Presumably, very few!
The heroic ambition in his heart climbed higher and higher!
After defeating the Sun Moon Empire and annexing so much of its land, the Star Luo Empire had undoubtedly become the number one power.
With such strength, Xu Jiawei's ambitions also began to grow.
He was still young; why couldn't he be the foremost emperor in all of history?
Was Xu Tianran wrong to want to unify the four great empires?
Back then, from his own standpoint, he was naturally wrong. But now that this standpoint had shifted to himself...
Sorry!
He thought Xu Tianran's idea was spot on!
He, Xu Jiawei, would become the eternal Emperor through the ages, supreme and unmatched in the universe!
His goal would be the unification of the Douluo Continent!
Xu Tianran, since you are dead and couldn't achieve it, the goal of "unification" should be passed on to someone else!
Even the usually calm Xu Jiawei found it difficult to calm his mind at this moment. Amidst these soaring thoughts, he rode the dragon carriage under the watchful eyes of the masses, finally arriving before the altar.
Xu Jiawei slowly stood up, took the Empress's hand, and step by step walked down from the dragon carriage, then headed up toward the altar.
At this time, the lower levels of the sacrificial altar were already filled with people.
These were either ministers of the Star Luo Empire, or representatives and envoys sent by various major factions, and even some from the Sun Moon Empire were not absent.
But their faces bore all sorts of expressions.
Excited, indifferent, contemptuous...
But amidst the tidal wave of cheers from the citizens, the ministers fell to their knees, worshiping him, and the representatives and envoys also bowed to show respect.
Step by step, Xu Jiawei ascended to the topmost tier of the altar. Beneath his feet lay the Star Crown pattern, shining brilliantly under the sunlight!
"Woo, woo, woo—"
The moment Xu Jiawei reached the center of the altar, a long, drawn-out horn blast, like the low roar of a giant beast, resounded through the clouds.
The sacrificial ceremony officially began!
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
A total of one hundred and eight ceremonial cannons roared simultaneously, the rolling soundwaves enough to travel over a hundred miles away.
Before the offerings of the three sacrificial animals and six livestock, Xu Jiawei slowly fell to his knees, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times to the heavens.
He then rose to his feet and began reciting the sacrificial prayer.
Right at this moment, suddenly, a bizarre aura dispersed in the air, and the sky inexplicably darkened.
The originally bright sunlight was instantly enveloped by dark clouds, and the shining altar dimmed along with it.
Under the watchful eyes of millions of citizens, the sky completely fell into darkness. Instantly, panic abruptly arose in the people's hearts. This caused Xu Jiawei's face to darken instantly as well.
The date for holding this sacrificial ceremony was an auspicious day selected by the Astrological Bureau after multiple confirmations. These dark clouds naturally couldn't be a natural weather phenomenon. Since it wasn't a natural disaster...
Then there was only one possibility—a man-made disaster!
Who else could it be?
The various factions of the three Douluo Empires were impossible, and the Sun Moon Empire had just surrendered, so they absolutely wouldn't launch an attack.
Calculating like this, there was only one faction left!
Sure enough, these were just some scourges!
"Ho-ly—Spi-rit—Cult!"
Xu Jiawei's tone was icy. "Seize them for me!"
Accompanied by his loud shout, over a dozen figures instantly soared into the sky. Immediately after, a layer of golden halo abruptly rose from around the altar, transforming into a massive light shield that enveloped the area.
But right at this moment, tens of thousands of blood-colored meteors unexpectedly crashed down, directly covering all the areas around the altar.
Even the powerhouses of the Star Luo Empire found it difficult to block them.
Boom, boom, boom—
Violent roars simultaneously erupted from all four corners!
Screams and wails instantly rose and fell one after another.
Xu Jiawei's expression drastically changed as he roared in horror:
"Stop right now!"
There were millions of citizens here!
But in the next second, it was his turn for his face to drastically change.
In the gloomy sky, two figures revealed themselves.
The auras exuded by these two people were, without exception, utterly terrifying. And between the two, the face of one struck fear into the hearts of the Titled Douluos who had participated in the Ming Dou battlefield!
"'Zhongli Wu'!" × N
A Limit Douluo had personally taken action!
No!
Perhaps more than one!
The person beside "Zhongli Wu" had the qualifications to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and the aura they exuded was in no way inferior to his. This indicated that this was also a powerhouse at the Limit Douluo level.
Two Limit Douluos attacking at the same time?!
At this moment, everyone fell into despair.
Even if only one had come, they would still have had a sliver of confidence.
However, the disaster before them was not limited to just this...
Suddenly, the dark clouds in the sky grew even heavier. The next second, eight pillars of blood-colored light descended from the heavens, revealing their true forms.
Clearly, those who appeared were also evil soul masters.
Moreover, the cultivation of these people was unexpectedly all at the Titled Douluo level!
Right now, everyone had fallen into despair.
There was only one thought in their minds:
It's over!
Today, it could truly be said that extreme joy begot sorrow!
"Zhongli Wu" and the Demon Empress looked down at the ants below. Seeing them all reveal expressions of despair, the corners of their mouths instantly sketched cruel smiles, as if they were appreciating a masterpiece.
The next second, they struck directly!
Clearly, they had no intention of wasting a single word on these ants.
Seeing this, the non-evil soul master Titled Douluos present immediately fought back! And seeing this scene, Xu Jiawei instantly summoned his Martial Soul without hesitation, directly utilizing his Martial Soul Avatar!
Under his Level 94 cultivation, a Star Crown manifested.
Although Xu Jiawei was the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, his talent was truly not bad.
And with the assistance of the Star Crown Martial Soul, although it elevated the strength of the Star Luo Empire's powerhouses to a higher level, they were still no match for two Limit Douluos and numerous evil soul master Titled Douluos.
At best, at the very best, they could only stall for time.
As the starlight flickered, a protective shield was immediately propped up!
But right at the next moment, a violent explosion abruptly erupted.
Amidst the sound of the explosion, what Xu Jiawei said couldn't be completely heard clearly, but roughly there was half a sentence:
"...take Jiujiu and escape!"
Not knowing who it was said to, everything was drowned out!
It seemed as if everything was buried right here...
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