Within the maw of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon, a highly concentrated purple-black energy sphere, vibrating with terrifying power and resembling a miniature black hole, began to rapidly take form.
All light between heaven and earth was swallowed by this orb, plunging the entire world into a darkness so profound that one could not see their own hand in front of them. Only that energy sphere radiated a heart-stopping, eerie violet glow.
"Are we getting serious now?"
Feeling the terrifying power within that sphere—enough to wipe the entire plateau off the tectonic plate of the Douluo Continent—the smile on Lu Jingming's face slowly faded. It was replaced by an unprecedented level of focus and gravity.
He slowly raised the Abyss Flower in his hand.
"Then, let me show you my power as well."
He did not choose to summon the Star-Strider mecha, for he knew that against such a pure attack of destruction, even the Star-Strider could not achieve a perfect defense. He merged his own will completely with the transcendent divine tool in his hand.
"The end of withered decline is not nothingness, but rebirth."
"The essence of creation is not eternity, but cycle."
"Life and death are but two sides of the same coin..."
The Abyss Flower began to undergo a peculiar transformation. The clear boundaries of the black-and-white spear shaft began to blur. The black power of Withered Decline and the white power of Creation were no longer distinct; instead, like two Yin-Yang fish chasing each other, they began to slowly blend and rotate in a profound, mystical trajectory.
An aura that transcended life and death, standing above both decline and creation, emanated from the long spear.
It was... Samsara.
At the exact moment the sphere of destructive energy within the dragon's mouth was about to fire, Lu Jingming moved. He took the spear, which had now turned into a mass of hazy, chaotic gray, and threw it forward with a gentle motion.
The spear vanished the instant it left his hand. It disappeared into thin air, irrationally and without warning. When it reappeared, it was already in front of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon, directly before the sphere of destruction.
Then, it passed through.
It passed through that world-ending energy sphere easily, as if it were merely a hollow phantom. It pierced through the dragon's reinforced skull as if it were nothing more than window paper. It glided through the beast's titanic body, emerged from its tail, and vanished once more into the void.
The entire process was so fast that even divine sense could not capture it.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still. The dragon's movement as it prepared to fire the energy sphere froze. The light in its massive eyes, which had been burning with the lightning of destruction, began to dim rapidly.
A second later, a thin gray line emerged at the center of its brow. Immediately following, this gray line spread rapidly across its entire body.
Its body did not explode, did not decompose, did not turn to light, and did not turn to dust.
It simply... withered.
Its indestructible purple-black scales lost their luster instantly, becoming shriveled and ashen, like rocks weathered for billions of years. Its flesh, once brimming with explosive power, lost its vitality and became rotten and haggard, like decayed wood stripped of all moisture. Its soul—the soul composed of pure destructive will—also grew dim and mottled until it finally returned to a deathly silent void.
In the span of just three breaths, the world-towering, ferociously powerful beast of destruction—an entity that could make even a God-King wary—silently and completely turned into a colossal, gray statue devoid of all life and energy.
Then, a light breeze blew past.
Crumble—
The massive statue collapsed like a sandcastle, turning into a sky full of flying, pure gray dust. It drifted down, coating the entire plateau in a layer of deathly silence.
The ominous purple-black shroud over the sky quietly dissipated. Warm sunlight spilled down once again.
Lu Jingming floated quietly in mid-air. He reached out his hand, and the Abyss Flower, which had turned to a chaotic hue, reappeared out of thin air, returning to his grip and reverting to its distinct black-and-white form.
He looked down at the completely altered terrain and the gray dust scattering in the wind, and exhaled softly.
"It's over."
Retracting the Abyss Flower, his figure flashed as he transformed into a streak of light, racing back toward the direction of New Radiant City.
When Lu Jingming's figure reappeared above the ruins of the imperial palace, an elderly figure slowly walked out from the corner of a relatively intact side hall.
It was Kong Deming.
The old man had not left. He had chosen to remain, waiting for a final result. When he saw Lu Jingming return unharmed and felt the disappearance of the frenzied aura of destruction from the world, the last trace of color drained from his wrinkled face.
He knew it was all over. Xu Tianran, and the fanatically powerful Sun Moon Empire he represented, had lost. They had lost utterly, leaving not a single shred of hope for a comeback.
"Alas..."
A long, heavy sigh escaped Kong Deming's lips. That single sigh contained too many things: sorrow, but more than that, the exhaustion and loneliness of one who had finally recognized reality.
With just that one sigh, he seemed to age several decades in an instant. His once straight back slumped completely, and his eyes, which had once sparkled with wisdom, became cloudy and dim, like two pools of stagnant water.
Lu Jingming landed before him. He offered no words of comfort or mockery, simply looking at him calmly.
Kong Deming raised his head and spoke in a raspy voice: "May this old man... have an audience with the Highness who possesses the Silver Moon martial soul?"
He did not ask about Xu Tianran's fate, for it no longer mattered. Now, his only concern was the future of this empire and the hundreds of millions of people living on this land. The woman who possessed the hereditary martial soul of the imperial family was the last hope he could see.
Lu Jingming nodded.
Soon, under Lu Jingming's summons, Zhang Lexuan returned to the palace ruins with Jing Hongchen and the others. In the presence of Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen—two figures of immense weight in the Sun Moon Empire—Zhang Lexuan's imperial bloodline was officially confirmed.
The news took flight, spreading through the scarred streets of New Radiant City at the highest speed. Following this, Lu Jingming's army took over the city's defense and administration without facing any significant resistance. Those remnants who had harbored lingering hopes of organizing a resistance found their will to fight completely shattered upon hearing that even Grandmaster Kong Deming had acknowledged the legitimacy of the new ruler.
Three days later.
On the relatively intact Central Square of New Radiant City, Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen jointly summoned all the high-ranking nobles and soul tool generals of the Sun Moon Empire still within the city.
Thousands of prominent figures who once controlled the lifeblood of this vast empire gathered in the square, pale-faced and as silent as cicadas in winter, looking like prisoners awaiting sentencing. They looked at the surrounding soldiers—clad in black-red uniform armor and exuding a cold killing intent—their hearts filled with dread for the unknown.
Under the gaze of the multitude, Zhang Lexuan, dressed in a silver imperial robe symbolizing the highest power of the Sun Moon Empire (rushed to completion by Kong Deming himself), slowly walked onto the temporary high platform, accompanied by Lu Jingming.
"I, Kong Deming."
"I, Jing Hongchen."
Under the watchful eyes of all, the two old men stepped onto the platform and performed the most ancient and solemn kowtow to Zhang Lexuan.
"We pay our respects to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years."
Their voices, amplified by soul tools, spread across the square and struck the hearts of every high-level official of the Sun Moon Empire.
Even Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen had submitted. What other choice did they have?
"Long live the Empress! Long live, long live!"
The mountain-like roar of the crowd rose from the square, announcing the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one. On this day, Zhang Lexuan officially ascended the throne, becoming the first female emperor in the history of the Sun Moon Empire.
While the power transition was taking place in New Radiant City, a world-shaking piece of news arrived from the other side of the continent.
The main army of the Sun Moon Empire, led by Marshal Ju Zi, had successfully breached the capital of the Dou Ling Empire—Dou Ling City—at a very small cost. The Dou Ling imperial family was entirely wiped out during the final resistance. This ancient empire, which had existed for thousands of years but always lacked a strong presence, was declared extinct.
With this, the structure of the original Doulo Continent was completely shattered. The Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire had both fallen. On this vast continent, only the Star Luo Empire and the newly-transitioned Sun Moon Empire remained.
Lu Jingming stayed in the Sun Moon Empire for another half month. He left behind a garrison force composed of five thousand elites from the Nightglow Army and a team of Fatui Harbingers led by Ye Wuqing to assist Zhang Lexuan in stabilizing her imperial power and controlling the empire's situation.
Only after confirming that Zhang Lexuan was firmly seated on the throne and supported by the three major factions of Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, and Ju Zi—ensuring no major upheavals would occur—did he lead the rest of his people back to the Star Luo Empire.
An even greater transformation, one that would decide the future path of the entire continent, was waiting for him there.
Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City, Imperial Palace.
When Lu Jingming returned, he was met with the most grand imperial meeting in the history of the Star Luo Empire. Every registered Duke and Marquis, every Marshal and General holding military power, and the Governors of every province... every figure who could be called a high-ranking official of the empire was present without exception, gathered within the magnificent Hall of State.
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and grave, yet it carried an indescribable, fanatical expectation. All eyes were focused on two people. One was the Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei, seated upon the throne in his Star Crown imperial robes. The other was Lu Jingming, who had just entered the hall in plain clothes, looking calm.
Xu Jiawei looked at Lu Jingming with a sincere and complex smile. He slowly rose from the throne, walked down the steps, and approached Lu Jingming personally.
Then, under the shocked yet seemingly unsurprised gaze of everyone, he bowed deeply to Lu Jingming.
"City Lord Lu."
Xu Jiawei's voice, carried by soul power, spread clearly through the hall.
"I, Xu Jiawei, representing the Star Luo imperial family and the hundreds of millions of citizens of Star Luo, thank you for everything you have done for the empire and for this continent."
"You destroyed the Holy Ghost Cult, defeated Xu Tianran, and stopped the Sun Moon Empire's ambition to annex the continent. Your achievements are monumental, outshining the past and present, and have long surpassed any emperor."
"Today, the continent is in a state of recovery, and all things await renewal. Such a magnificent era requires a true navigator with great vision and supreme power to lead us toward a more brilliant future."
"And I, Xu Jiawei, recognize that my talents are shallow and my virtues insufficient for the position. This throne of Star Luo, this seat of the world's sovereign—only you, Lu Jingming, are qualified to sit upon it."
With that, Xu Jiawei unfastened the Star Jade Belt from his waist symbolizing imperial power and took off the Star Crown from his head. Holding them in both hands, he presented them solemnly to Lu Jingming.
"Today, in the presence of all the empire's pillar ministers, I, Xu Jiawei, voluntarily abdicate in favor of a more capable man."
"I ask City Lord Lu to ascend the throne as Emperor and establish a foundation that will remain unshakable for ten thousand generations."
As his voice fell, Xu Jiawei knelt on one knee and lowered his noble head.
Silence. The entire hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, witnessing this unprecedented scene. An emperor in his prime was actively abdicating his throne to a subject.
Then, a second later, all the imperial nobles knelt on one knee in unison, their voices like thunder: "We ask City Lord Lu to ascend the throne as Emperor!"
Immediately after, all the soul masters led by the military also knelt, their voices like a crashing tide: "We ask City Lord Lu to ascend the throne as Emperor!!"
No one opposed it. There was no dissent. Every face bore an expression of "this is as it should be."
For the Star Luo Empire, their acceptance of this tradition of abdicating power was much higher than in other nations. Everyone knew that the ancestors of the Star Luo imperial family were the White Tiger Duke lineage, famous for their bravery. Later, for the survival of the empire, the White Tiger Duke lineage had voluntarily abdicated to the then-stronger Star Crown lineage, retreating to the rank of ministers to protect the empire for generations.
This was a recognition of "the throne belongs to the capable" etched into their bones. And now, Lu Jingming, this peerless powerhouse—whether in terms of strength, merit, or the will of the people—was far more suitable to inherit this throne than Xu Jiawei.