Chapter 80 – The Shattered Crown and the Sovereign's Smirk
The exposure of "Xue Qinghe" was a blow that should have crippled the Heaven Dou Empire. Instead, under the guidance of Tang San and the desperate support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it became a rallying cry.
Tang San did not wallow in the frustration of Lakan's interference. Instead, he leaned into the political vacuum. With the real Emperor Xue Ye poisoned and weak, Tang San presented himself as the savior. He didn't just expose a spy; he provided the antidote and the spiritual backbone the empire needed.
By the end of the week, the Imperial Family had bestowed upon him the title of "King of Lan Hao" and the position of Imperial Tutor. More importantly, as a token of absolute trust (and survival), the Emperor handed over the Boundless Universe Shield—the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
Inside his private chamber, Tang San stared at the translucent, triangular artifact. The blue light reflected in his eyes, masking the shadow of the Sea God that loomed behind his soul.
"The Sovereign thinks he has won because he walked away," Tang San whispered, his grip tightening. "But he left me the key to the throne he thinks he's already claimed."
Beside him, Yu Xiaogang -his voice still slightly raspy from Lakan's ice-seal-nodded frantically. "Exactly, San'er. He is arrogant. He thinks he can toy with destiny. But the God's Teacher sees the path clearly. You have the Empire, you have the Five Shield Alliance, and now, you have the Shroud. His narcissism will be his undoing."
Before the journey to the sea, Tang Hao emerged from the shadows of the palace garden. His presence was like a heavy mountain, but his eyes were fixed on the distance where Lakan had vanished.
"San'er," the Clear Sky Douluo rumbled. "The Sovereign is not a man. He is a concept. To face him, you cannot just be a genius. You must be an ancestor. It is time. We go to the Clear Sky Sect. You will recognize your ancestors, you will claim your heritage, and you will show those old fools that the hammer of the Tang family still has the power to shatter the sky."
Tang San nodded. The Quasi-Trials of the Sea God were pushing him toward a collision course with the past. He needed the Exploding Rings mastery and the approval of the Great Elder to truly stand a chance.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the spatial fold opened above the Elder Hall in Wuhun City. Lakan stepped out, his arm still casually draped around Qian Renxue's waist. Behind them, the Snake Spear and Porcupine Douluos collapsed to their knees, gasping as their Overdrive states faded, leaving them drenched in sweat.
Renxue, now out of her male disguise and back in her golden priestly robes, immediately tried to pull away, her face a mask of regal indignation. "You... you could have ended it there, Lakan! Why did you let him take the Shroud? Why did you let them regroup?"
Lakan didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her slightly closer, his nose almost touching hers. He flashed his signature, infuriatingly handsome Gojo-smirk.
"Oh, Ren-Ren," he cooed, his voice dripping with playful mockery. "You're so cute when you're worried about strategy. It makes your eyes sparkle like little gold coins. Do you really think a triangular piece of glass is going to save him? I let him have it because a King doesn't steal toys from children. It's bad for the brand."
"This isn't a game!" Renxue hissed, though her heart was hammering against her ribs not from anger, but from the sheer, overwhelming Manliness Lakan radiated after his Chaos Core breakthrough.
"Everything is a game when you're the one who wrote the rules," Lakan chuckled, finally releasing her and tapping her nose with a finger. "Besides, if I killed him now, who would I have to entertain me during the boring parts of the week? Tang San is my favorite pet project. I want to see how much favor his blue-haired god can actually give him before it all burns down."
He turned to the Elders, his expression shifting from playful to chillingly sharp in a heartbeat. "Elders, take the Overdrive survivors to the medical wing. Tell Bibi Dong the 'Spy Operation' is over. We're moving to the 'Consolidation Phase'."
Lakan walked toward his private meditation chamber, the Wings of the First Dawn fluttering slightly behind him, shedding prismatic ash that purified the very air of the Hall.
He sat in the center of the room, his Bloodline Chaos Core humming at a frequency that made the stone walls vibrate. He was at Rank 79. The bottleneck of the Level 80 breakthrough sat before him like a paper door.
"The Spirit Sage realm was about the Avatar," Lakan mused, his double-pupils spinning in opposite directions. "But Level 80... that is where the 'ONE' bloodline truly begins to manifest its own Law."
He felt the gaze of Asura and Poseidon from the higher dimensions—a cold, watchful pressure. He knew they were tilting the scales for Tang San. He knew they were trying to weave a future where the "Dual God" would reign supreme.
Lakan tilted his head back and laughed, a sound of pure, narcissistic joy.
"Watch all you want, you gilded ghosts," Lakan whispered to the ceiling. "Prepare your successor. Give him your hammers, your tridents, and your tears. I'm going to break through Level 80, and then I'm going to show you why the Phoenix doesn't just rise from the ashes, it creates the fire that makes the ashes in the first place."
As he closed his eyes to begin the breakthrough, the ᜊ (Ba) on his forehead flared with a light so bright it could be seen from the harbor of the Sea God Island, thousands of miles away.