pertwk Chapter 2 The Excited Old Emperor
Chapter 2 The Excited Old Emperor
Chapter 2 The Excited Old Emperor
An incredibly authoritative voice rang in Zhong Li's mind, but the others seemed not to hear it.
The illusory figure with a twelve-tasseled crown floated behind Zhongli, its body reflecting the magnificent landscape, giving a sense of perfection and eternity. It was as if this figure, standing there, was the ruler of all nature and the entire world.
Although the face of the phantom was not clearly visible, Emperor Xue Ye of the Heavenly Dou Empire, standing before it, felt an urge to kneel down.
His first reaction was one of humiliation and anger at having his imperial dignity violated; but the next moment, a feeling of ecstasy overshadowed this negative emotion.
What... what is this figure? It must be the legendary Divine Martial Soul! Only a god, only a god, could possess such majesty. Transcending the mortal realm, overlooking the human world!
The reason why the Spirit Hall has always been high and mighty is because their papal lineage has always inherited the title of "Six-Winged Angel".
Hmph, you've always looked down on our Heavenly Dou Empire, treating us as agents to maintain worldly order, isn't it because our royal family doesn't actually possess any real power?
You, and those aristocratic families and sects, support our Heavenly Dou to balance the Star Luo because you think our Xue family poses no threat and is easy for you to control?
Haha, you never expected this, did you? Our Xue family has produced such a martial spirit, such talent! My son, Xue Li, possesses unparalleled talent!
Zhongli gazed at the imposing figure adorned with a twelve-tasseled crown and fell into deep thought. As the Geo Archon and the master of Liyue, he naturally recognized that in the distant past, long before the founding of Liyue, ancient emperors had possessed similar appearances. Of course, their attire had changed somewhat after the arrival of Morax, the God of Noble Metal, in this land.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhong Li, you can also call me Morax."
Zhong Li tried to say it in his mind.
"Zhongli? Morax? I see. I came into this world by possessing your body. This feeling is rather novel."
The voice in my mind spoke softly.
"You are an emperor. I am also an emperor. We are destined to meet."
"I have long since relinquished the throne of Emperor. I had no intention of vying for power at first; it was only for the sake of the suffering of the common people."
Zhong Li sighed softly, replying in his heart with some emotion.
For him, that memory was long gone. Perhaps, rather than being the Rock King Emperor, he would have preferred to be Zhongli, the wandering guest minister in the mortal world.
A bright face and eyes adorned with plum blossom patterns flashed through Zhong Li's mind. That was hundreds of years ago.
"You had no intention of vying for power, yet you know the suffering of the common people? Interesting. However, I will not condone your abdication. So be it. We've all come to this realm; the past is but a passing cloud."
The voice in my mind seemed to be somewhat sentimental as it spoke.
"Come on, let's test your soul power. Place your hand on the crystal ball."
The old emperor, holding a crystal ball about half the size of a human head, approached Zhongli and spoke softly. His aged eyes held a hint of expectation.
"bite"
When Zhongli placed his palm on the crystal ball and attempted to circulate his elemental power, an incredibly dazzling crystalline yellow light instantly erupted from within the crystal ball. The light was so intense that none of those present had ever seen anything like it; it was as if a small sun had appeared within the crystal ball.
"Snap!"
Under the old emperor's somewhat dazed gaze, cracks appeared on the crystal ball.
"Super super soul power? The legendary innate super soul power?"
The old dean, dressed in a black robe, stared intently at the scene, his glasses nearly falling off. He had actually witnessed such a miraculous event.
At this moment, the old emperor was most grateful that, despite everyone's objections, he hadn't allowed anyone from the Spirit Hall to witness the Spirit Awakening ceremony. Everyone present was a member of the Heaven Dou Empire's own people. Otherwise...
What no one noticed was that a shadow of gloom flashed in the eyes of the young prince.
The crystal ball shattered into fragments in Zhongli's palm. The old emperor pondered for a moment, then found an even larger crystal ball and handed it over.
This time, no more surprises occurred; the soul power light appeared steadily inside the crystal ball, its crystalline yellow light occupying nearly half of the crystal ball's volume.
"Innate Soul Power, Level 20. Heaven bless my Tian Dou!"
The elderly emperor, tears welling in his eyes, murmured something.
Next, it was the young girl's turn to have her innate soul power tested. A magnificent purple light, also occupying nearly half the volume of the crystal ball, indicated yet another innate level 20 super soul power!
"No one is allowed to spread this news. The only thing you can say is that Li'er and Ying'er have awakened two ordinary weapon spirits, with innate spirit power levels six and five respectively. Anyone who dares to say this will be... hmph!"
Suddenly, a chilling, domineering light flashed in the old emperor's aged eyes, and as it swept over everyone present, each of them felt a chill run down their spine.
"You may all leave now. Li'er, Ying'er, you two should go back and rest well. Remember, you must keep this a secret; don't tell anyone about your true talents. Tomorrow, a teacher will come to teach you how to cultivate."
The old emperor gently patted his son's and daughter's heads, his face a mixture of seriousness and kindness, and said something. The two "little ones" both nodded.
"Ah Li, Ah Ying, congratulations! The future of our Xue family rests on your shoulders. I will do my best to help you."
On their way back, a young man approached them with a warm and gentle smile.
The boy looked to be around ten years old, very handsome, and possessed a maturity beyond his years. His eyes were filled with doting affection as he looked at his younger siblings.
Zhong Li glanced at the young man with a half-smile, shook his head, and said, "Princess Qinghe... no, Brother Qinghe, you flatter me. We merely awakened a powerful martial soul by chance, but when it comes to governing a country and dealing with people, we are no match for Brother Qinghe!"
The person in front of them was Xue Qinghe, the eldest prince of Emperor Xue Ye, and the most favored crown prince before he and his sister awakened their martial souls.
Strangely enough, Xue Qinghe's talents were originally quite ordinary; but a few years ago, after falling into the water, this prince seemed to have suddenly become enlightened. Whether it was learning various skills or communicating with various people, his abilities improved significantly.
Many people say that the prince's fall was a good lesson in wisdom.
After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Xue Qinghe bid farewell to the brother and sister and returned to their own palace. Because they were twins, the brother and sister had continued to live together until now.
Ying is Zhongli's twin sister. In fact, they had already confirmed each other's identities long ago.
This guardian deity of the Inazuma Kingdom, in her most sublime form, fought alongside him to the very end during that great calamity.
In their final moments, they both fell into the black hole; unexpectedly, they ended up on this continent and became siblings born of the same mother.
It's really fate that plays tricks on people.
In their previous life in Teyvat, they didn't communicate much; Shadow was aloof and focused on martial arts, so he never spoke much.
However, they are also among the people who have known each other the longest, having raised a toast together at the oldest banquet of the Seven Gods. Only, back then, Shadow was still by the side of the former Thor, existing as the Shadow Warrior.
Most importantly, they are people who respect and acknowledge each other in their hearts.
(End of this chapter)