Heaven Dou's imperial palace was a city inside a city. Walls within walls. Guards at every gate. Titled Douluo could sense killing intent from a hundred meters. Wards carved into the stone blocked sound, spirit power, and most scrying techniques.
It was built to keep assassins out.
It wasn't built to keep out a king.
*[Influence: 100]*
*[Burn 100 Influence to Mark one target ignoring level difference? This action can be used once per month. Influence will reset to 0.]*
Xiao Zhan stood on a rooftop two streets from the palace, dressed as a scribe. Dawn was an hour away. The city was gray and quiet.
"Report," he said.
Liu Feng appeared from the stairwell, breathing hard. "The doctor's name is Gao Shun. Rank 52, Healing Lotus martial soul. He's served the imperial family for thirty years. The Emperor trusts him with his food, his medicine, everything. But he's not the one you want."
Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow.
"The one the Emperor trusts more than his sons is Eunuch Chief Wei Lian. Rank 86. Martial soul: Shadow Eunuch. He's been at the Emperor's side since they were children. He sleeps in the same room. He tastes the Emperor's tea. He's the reason no one's poisoned him yet."
A Rank 86. Four levels above the new "20 level" rule, and 25 levels above Xiao Zhan's Rank 61. Un-Markable by normal means.
Unless he burned Influence.
*[Target Selected: Wei Lian - Rank 86 - Titled Douluo]*
*[Level Difference: 25. Normal Marking: Impossible]*
*[Influence Burn: Available. Ignores level difference. Backlash: Major. Estimated Soul Power Damage: 30% temporary, 5% permanent]*
*[Warning: Host will enter Weakened State for 72 hours after Marking]*
*[Proceed?]*
Thirty percent temporary loss meant he'd drop to Rank 43 for three days. Five percent permanent meant he'd never get that power back. It was the price of jumping ranks.
He thought of Blackrock Village. Of Lin Yue's crooked grave. Of dying ordinary.
_Yes._
The Monarch's Crown manifested above his head, all three rings separating and spinning. They aligned, then fired upward as a single spear of black-gold light. It passed through roof tiles, through wards, through the palace's anti-flight array. No alarm sounded. The Crown didn't exist to be detected. It existed to rule.
Inside the Emperor's bedchamber, Wei Lian's eyes snapped open. He was old, hair white, back bent, but his spirit power was like a drawn sword. He looked at the empty air and whispered, "Who—"
The crown-light hit his forehead.
He didn't scream. Titled Douluo didn't scream. He shuddered, once, violently. The Shadow Eunuch martial soul appeared behind him unbidden — a gray, sexless figure with a knife — and then knelt.
When Wei Lian stood, his back was still bent. His voice was still old. But his eyes belonged to Xiao Zhan.
*[Mark Successful. 6/5 Slots Used - Limit Broken by Influence]*
*[Marked: Wei Lian - Rank 86 - Loyalty: Absolute - Status: Titled Douluo, Eunuch Chief]*
*[Backlash Initiated]*
Pain hit Xiao Zhan like a hammer. He dropped to one knee on the rooftop, blood running from his nose. His soul power collapsed in his chest, Rank 61 to 43 in a second. The world went dim.
Liu Feng caught him. "Young King!"
"Three days," Xiao Zhan gasped. "Defend me. For three days."
*[Weakened State: 72:00:00]*
*[Soul Power: Rank 43 - Temporary]*
*[Dynasty Lv.1 Effect: Influence Generation Doubled while a Titled Douluo is Marked]*
*[Current Influence: 0. Generation Rate: 20/day from Dai Mubai + 50/day from Wei Lian = 70/day]*
He'd pay the price. But now he had a knife inside the Emperor's bedroom.