A gift? Shall we talk about it privately?
An Zhen's gaze fell upon the Old Emperor.
Although the world he inhabits is different from the original story, many things can still serve as a reference. However, there is not much description of this Old Emperor in the original story. Apart from overthrowing the previous emperor— the He Caitou family whose original name was Xu He—there is not much other detailed description. This emperor who successfully rebelled ended up with his health deteriorating due to being frightened by the Mingdu explosion.
Judging from his current physical condition, it is indeed not good.
For a Titled Douluo, his age is not considered old; in fact, he should be considered a robust middle-aged man. However, his body is like a sieve riddled with holes, and even with the nourishment of top-grade natural treasures, it cannot be retained.
Just like Teacher Mu En.
However, regardless of right or wrong, he still possesses the personal ability to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Church to overthrow the previous regime.
"Can."
An Zhen nodded gently.
An Zhen wasn't worried about any ambushes or dangers. With Electrolux around, aside from the areas left behind by Divinity where they couldn't be too reckless, they could roam freely everywhere. Moreover, Electrolux hadn't detected the presence of the two Limit Douluo within the palace; Leaf Evening Water and Dragon Xiaoyao weren't there.
The black-haired boy who was stepping into the void suddenly disappeared without a trace of spatial fluctuation. His figure suddenly appeared in front of the Old Emperor, startling the Eight-Ring Soul Instructor who was supporting the Old Emperor. The Instructor instinctively tried to activate his spirit tool, but the Old Emperor held it down with one hand.
An Zhen reached out and took the scepter from the Old Emperor, whose eyes flashed with surprise.
The symbol of imperial power is secondary to this scepter; the key is that it holds the keys to the four high-energy compressed array spirit tools. The protection those four devices provide for Mingdu is beyond question, truly deserving the title of a national protective array. As for attacks, although they are located in four directions around Mingdu rather than within the palace, making them somewhat inadequate for eliminating the powerful Titled Douluo, they are still more than capable of disrupting the situation and causing immense chaos.
Therefore, Kong Deming dispatched four Ninth-Level Soul Engineers to temporarily suppress the four high-energy compression array spirit tool devices, fearing that if the Old Emperor resisted, An Zhen would be angered and massacre the Sun Moon Imperial Palace. The opponent's terrifyingly silent mental force, and the hidden powerhouse suspected to be Limit Douluo, could easily defeat the Old Emperor, not to mention the level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannonballs that An Zhen had confiscated.
Kong Deming's aim was to minimize losses to the Empire and, to some extent, reduce casualties among the royal family.
So when he realized that the situation was truly beyond saving, he went to great lengths to help An Zhen take down Mingdu.
This is the only option available.
Could it be that they're going to team up with those two guys from Holy Spirit Church?
Although he didn't know what kind of person she was, cooperating with that crazy woman, Leaf Evening Water, would definitely destroy the Sun Moon Empire —that was the worst-case scenario. How much worse could things get now?
An Zhen tossed the scepter backward, and it fell into Kong Deming's hands.
Kong Deming glanced at it briefly. He knew this thing, which he had made himself, inside and out. "It's the real thing."
"Let's go." An Zhen walked into the palace first.
"You may leave now." The Old Emperor gently patted the shoulder of the Eight-Ring Soul Instructor who was supporting him.
"Your Majesty!" the Eight-Ring Soul Instructor exclaimed, warning the Emperor to stay with this dangerous person...
"That's an order!"
"yes!"
The elderly emperor straightened his body, a hint of his former glory still lingering in his figure, and strode into the palace.
Unlike the three kingdoms of the Original Douluo Continent, the palace of the Sun Moon Empire has a more futuristic technological feel, with energy storage and defense. Although it is not as powerful as the high-energy compression array Spirit Tool, when it is running at full power, even ordinary Titled Douluos cannot break through it for a while.
The black-haired boy strode forward.
Under the Old Emperor's gaze, An Zhen ascended the steps that represented the power of the Sun Moon Empire, standing before the throne that represented the supreme position at the pinnacle of power.
Then he sat down without the slightest hesitation.
An Zhen's dark eyes calmly looked down at the Old Emperor who was walking slowly below.
"Looking down on others does feel quite nice," An Zhen said.
"You want to be emperor?" the Old Emperor said calmly, showing no emotional reaction to the other party's treasonous behavior.
An Zhen shook his head.
He never had any intention of becoming emperor.
But this is not because he lacks ambition; it's because that alone is not enough to satisfy him.
A loud voice echoed throughout the hall, filled with undisguised greed and desire:
"Compared to the Divinity who stands high in the heavens, looking down upon all living beings and living eternally, what is this mere earthly emperor's position?"
Secular power is nothing more than a stepping stone to advancement.
Only absolute power is the supreme authority in this world.
"Truly greedy," the Old Emperor remarked, his voice filled with admiration. A true man should be like this.
Who wouldn't want to become a god? This was also his dream. Rather than passing down the legacy from generation to generation, only by becoming an immortal Divinity could the glory of the sun and moon forever shine upon this continent.
"I have no intention of discussing dreams with the enemy." An Zhen casually sat on the throne, his arm resting on the armrest, his hand supporting his head, looking down at the emperor below. "Let's talk about how you want to exit the stage."
"Withdraw?" The Old Emperor's body trembled, and he raised his aged face, like an old dragon baring its fangs. "How can you be so sure that I have already lost?"
"Because you handed over the Sun and Moon Scepter," An Zhen said.
Kong Deming had told him that the Sun Moon Imperial Palace's treasury contained countless rare and precious materials, including many level- nine spirit tools and their blueprints. Becoming a Ninth-Level Soul Engineer wasn't just about becoming a Titled Douluo; it required possessing a completely new level-nine spirit tool designed independently, not merely knowing how to craft one. Although the past Ninth-Level Soul Engineers were gone, the level-nine spirit tools weren't so easily damaged. Over thousands of years, while a significant portion succumbed, the blueprints remained intact—treasures accumulated over the vast Empire over many years, invaluable treasures beyond measure.
But the most precious item among them is undoubtedly the Sun and Moon Scepter.
In addition to controlling the high-energy compression array spirit tool device, it also controls almost all the powerful spirit tool devices in Mingdu, including the palace, and is the key to many highly confidential places, including the treasure vault.
Its value has long surpassed that of the level 9 Spirit Tool.
This is why the Sun and Moon Scepter is a symbol of imperial power.
Mastering it is almost equivalent to mastering Mingdu —well, almost, not absolutely.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I've given up." The Old Emperor shook his head slightly. "When it comes to understanding the Sun Moon Empire's foundation, no one can compare to Kong Lao. He is the true guardian of the Empire. When I saw the determination in Kong Lao's eyes, I knew that those trump cards had no effect. How could Kong Lao not have foreseen this?"
Kong Deming was even involved in the design and manufacturing of the vast majority of the products.
The title of Guardian of the Sun Moon Empire is not something that can be achieved simply by being the strongest.
"But there is one thing that Master Kong could not have foreseen." A ferocious look flashed in the Old Emperor's eyes, as if he had once again become that dragon at its peak.
"These things were originally prepared by me to guard against those two guys, Leaf Evening Water and Dragon Xiaoyao."
As he spoke, the Old Emperor took out a button-like object. The ground around the hall shook slightly, and several huge display stands rose up at an extremely fast speed. A spirit power shield covered the objects on them, and the items inside were level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannons, equivalent to Limit Douluo's full-force attack. There were not just one, but a total of nine.
An Zhen watched quietly.
Even without Electrolux, with his powerful mental force perception and almost cheat-like abilities, he could completely ignore Limit Douluo. The spirit power shield isolates the teleportation universe, so these things pose virtually no threat to him. Limit Douluo, who wields spatial power, can still track him as he flees, so the explosion of these things would just be a loud bang.
"So, are you going to press it or not?" An Zhen looked at him without any emotion. "If you're not going to press it, I'll press it for you."
Old Emperor:...
That's a level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell.
Nine in total.
Is this all you're going to do?!
"If you want to destroy my Sun Moon Royal Family, I will surely perish with you," the speechless Old Emperor said.
"But you must make my daughter empress." The Old Emperor sighed. Though a puppet, at least she was alive.
He has no shortage of courage to fight to the death.
But this matter doesn't seem to have reached the point of mutual destruction.
He wouldn't live much longer anyway, maybe only a few more years, and then he'd be dead. But his descendants had so much time left to enjoy. As an emperor, he couldn't allow his descendants to live such a wretched life. But as a father, he didn't want to directly deprive his children of their right to live.
The other party deliberately left him room to hesitate.
He has grown old after all.
"Promise me one thing—"
The Old Emperor's words were abruptly interrupted.
"No." An Zhen refused.
"I haven't even said what it is yet?!"
"No, I can earn it entirely with my own hands," An Zhen said.
Thanks to Electrolux's hands.
"If you marry Xu Tianzhen, I will hand over everything in this Empire, including those secrets known only to the Emperor." The Old Emperor finished speaking quickly, then glared speechlessly at An Zhen.
"Marry Xu Tianzhen?" An Zhen looked at the Old Emperor.
"Without knowing anything about me, you're betrothing your daughter to the enemy who will overthrow you, using your daughter to gain benefits? I heard from Kong Deming that you dote on that girl."
"It's because I dote on her that I did this." A faint sadness shone in the Old Emperor's cloudy eyes.