Douluo Continent: The Rock King Emperor, Contending for Supremacy

Chapter 68 The Heavenly Dou Palace Uprising, Renxue's Misstep!

Chapter 68 The Heavenly Dou Palace Uprising, Renxue's Misstep!

At first, Ma Hongjun was also in pain and felt dejected when he lost his "good brother". But now, he only feels gratitude towards Zhong Li.

Looking back, the things he had once been so passionate about seemed so vulgar and boring. How could they compare to picking plum blossoms, admiring the moon, or embroidering and painting? Even more so, secretly, he had developed some unusual feelings for Zhongli.

The tall man in the blue robe ignored Ma Hongjun and instead looked at Zhong Li, saying, "Your Majesty, besides the Immortal Army, the Thousand Rock Army's provisions should also be secured. At the current rate, by next year at the latest, the Thousand Rock Army will have swelled to over 100,000. Even with the combined funds from the Prince's Palace and the accumulation of our Tianshui Academy, I'm afraid it won't be enough to sustain us for long."

Zhong Li nodded as well.

The city of slaughter actually has a very large population, exceeding one million. After all, generations of villains have entered this place and multiplied here. Apart from death, it is a place where there is only a continuous influx of people and no outflow, so the population growth is naturally rapid.

Now, even if only one-fifth of people can accumulate enough "kill points," that's a staggering two hundred thousand. Keep in mind, the entire Heavenly Dou Empire's army only numbers a little over a million. And in reality, most of them are merely theoretically existing garrison units, practically devoid of any combat power—essentially just a bunch of farmers.

Moreover, the "New World City" system has undergone some updates and optimizations. When signing the Thousand Rock Army contract, players can now choose a "loan" function, which means owing a certain amount of kill points upfront and repaying them after returning to the real world. As a result, Thousand Rock Army warriors who manage to leave the Killing City may very well continue to escalate their ambitions.

Moreover, after signing this loan agreement, the Thousand Rock Army warriors, burdened by the Emperor's favor, will naturally fight even more bravely. The debt is designed very humanely, allowing for installment payments, up to twelve installments, with interest at only five percent per month. If insufficient points are available to repay the debt by the due date, it will be repaid through other means, such as by contributing labor to the smelting plant or armory.

The kill points system will continue to be retained in the present world as a mechanism to incentivize the Thousand Rock Army warriors to fight bravely and supplement their pay. These things will have a significant impact in the future. In fact, some official Heavenly Dou Empire troops infiltrated by the Prince's Palace have already secretly switched sides to the Thousand Rock Army, hoping to enjoy the full pay.

"Currently, the number of manor communes under the Prince's name is still too small, and the money, food, and supplies that can be brought from New World City are ultimately limited. It seems that it is time to move on to the next step."

Zhong Li sighed softly and said.

Ma Hongjun's heart skipped a beat, then he became excited. Finally, the next step was about to begin.

Ma Hongjun was already mentally prepared for this. Didn't you see that the strategist was already calling the Fifth Prince "Emperor"?

"Your Highness, Fifth Prince!"

Just then, a royal knight wearing the insignia of the Prince's residence rode in on horseback to report, his face showing some anxiety.

"What happened? It's nothing, tell me slowly."

Zhongli looked at the royal knight who had dismounted and whose forehead was covered in sweat, and said gently.

The royal knight's expression softened slightly, then he walked up to Zhong Li and whispered something. Zhong Li's expression immediately turned serious.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

The strategist, Navelette, in his blue robe, looked at Zhong Li and asked.

"Something has happened in the palace. The Heavenly Dou Palace has been embroiled in a coup. The First Prince, Xue Qinghe, attempted to assassinate Emperor Xue Ye, but his plan was exposed. Xue Qinghe is now under house arrest, two unidentified Title Douluos have been captured and killed, and the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, has been temporarily appointed Crown Prince!"

Zhong Li said in a deep voice.

"What?"

Ma Hongjun was shocked. Some high-ranking members of the Immortal Army also changed their expressions.

"Has His Majesty become senile? Why would he allow that good-for-nothing playboy Xue Beng to succeed to the throne at this time? Could it be that bastard Prince Xue Xing has given His Majesty some kind of spell?"

An old steward from a prince's residence, his face showing shock and confusion, stammered.

"It's not like we've finally reached the last step."

Zhong Li sighed softly and said. In fact, this was a day he had never wanted to face. But some things, there are times when you have no choice but to face them.

"Damn it, that old man Xue Ye is going too far. Why don't we, with our three thousand immortal soldiers, just march back to the Heavenly Dou Palace, kill Xue Ye and Xue Beng, and seize the Bird's Throne!"

Ma Hongjun waved his hand and said with great pride.

"No! With Xue Ye's abilities, even if he discovered Xue Qinghe's problem, and given that Xue Qinghe has two Title Douluos behind him, what could he really do to Xue Qinghe? But what methods did he use to eliminate those two Title Douluos?!"

Dugu Bo frowned and said in a deep voice. He himself felt a chill run down his spine at the prospect of the unknown. As a Title Douluo, he knew better than anyone how easy it was for a Title Douluo to escape. Even seven or eight Soul Douluos might not be able to catch him.

What kind of power could make Xue Ye keep two Title Douluo-level experts here?

"Let's go. Let's go take a look at the Heavenly Dou Palace."

Zhong Li hesitated for a moment before raising his head, a resolute glint flashing in his amber eyes.

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At this moment, the entire Heavenly Dou Palace was shrouded in an eerie, dim gray mist. Faintly, it seemed as if a colossal, iron-gray dragon was coiling above the palace.

"Father!"

Xue Beng's face was now filled with uncontrollable ecstasy as he knelt before his father, the Emperor, and kowtowed several times. He was no longer wearing ordinary brocade robes, but rather the swan-patterned gown reserved for the Crown Prince.

Xue Beng never imagined that after enduring for so long, the position of Crown Prince would ultimately fall into the hands of a useless piece of trash like himself! Logically speaking, even if Xue Qinghe was finished, it should have been Xue Li's turn, right? Or rather, Xue Qinghe's downfall should have completely cleared the way for Xue Li.

Unexpectedly, it was I who ended up in power.

Xue Beng looked up at his father, the Emperor. At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye seemed to have aged a bit, and his face was slightly bluish, a sign of the poisoning he had suffered previously.

Avalanche felt an even greater surge of joy. Judging from this, old Deng probably doesn't have more than three to five years left.

Get up.

Emperor Xueye waved his hand, his voice sounding somewhat aged.

(End of this chapter)