Chapter 578: Waiting for You to Crown Me

"Clang! —"

Just as Qian Renxue's hand was about to grab Ning Rongrong's neck, a giant sword plummeted in front of Ning Rongrong, accurately blocking her.

"Get back!"

The next moment, Jian Douluo's figure blocked the front of Ning Rongrong, and with a swipe of his sword-fingers, Sword Qi slashed toward Qian Renxue like a blade.

"Heh."

But at this moment, Qian Renxue gave a cold laugh, transitioning from a forward charge to a retreat without the slightest hesitation, as if that had been her plan all along.

Swish!

With six wings fluttering behind her, she turned into a golden stream of light and soared into the sky.

Jian Douluo frowned, raised his sword-fingers, and the giant sword before him roared upward, chasing directly after Qian Renxue.

As a dignified level 97 Title Douluo, how could he let a mere Soul Saint like Qian Renxue escape so easily?

Even if he were to let her go later because of Qin Jian, he had to catch her first!

"Boom!"

And just at this moment, in the direction Qian Renxue was flying, a shadow of a pufferfish blotted out the sky and sun, biting fiercely at the giant sword.

"Sss-tss!"

The interception from a Title Douluo successfully blocked Jian Douluo.

And by the time he intended to strike with another sword, the figures of Qian Renxue and Pufferfish Douluo had already vanished from the sky.

For a time, the palace square was silent as a grave.

What to do now? Many people were in a state of confusion.

"The Heaven Dou Empire is currently leaderless; what do you intend to do?"

Ning Fengzhi spoke first, looking at that group of clansmen who appeared to have high status, but in the world of Spirit Masters, actually only held a royal title.

"We can select a suitable candidate from the collateral branches of the royal family to succeed to the throne," a member of the royal family proposed.

But the square remained silent; no one responded at all.

A smile touched the corners of Ning Fengzhi's mouth.

There are still those who haven't grasped the current situation...

It was understandable for the royal family to propose such an opinion based on their own interests, but the current situation was no longer something the royal family could control.

"May I ask..."

Ning Rongrong suddenly stepped forward twice, stood at the highest point of the steps, turned abruptly, and spread her sleeves to face everyone.

Her stunningly beautiful face, set off by her palace gown, held a hint of solemnity: "Apart from me, who else is qualified to inherit the Heaven Dou Empire?"

"Ridiculous, where does a princess with absolutely no imperial bloodline get the confidence to say such a thing?" a collateral royal family member said.

These royal family members had assumed that if Ning Rongrong said this, she would surely be opposed by many, but the reaction on the scene left them dumbfounded, their faces slapped hard.

"Princess Rongrong, as the only direct descendant of the empire, is indeed the most suitable candidate for succession."

"With the Heaven Dou Imperial Family now empty and having deeply offended the Elder Hall of the Spirit Hall, only Princess Rongrong is fit to take the throne."

"That's right, only with the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Pope Palace of the Spirit Hall can the Heaven Dou Empire stand firm; if someone else were to inherit it now, the empire's catastrophe would arrive."

"..."

Officials and dignitaries spoke up one after another to express their agreement, and even the majority of the nobles supported Ning Rongrong.

The royal family members were completely stunned.

They had been idle parasites of the empire for too long; almost none of them had any sense of the big picture.

Not to mention the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's infiltration of the noble circles and political dignitaries, just looking at the current situation, the Heaven Dou Empire had to be firmly bound to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Having already offended one half of the Spirit Hall, could they afford to offend the other half? If they added the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the mix, the Heaven Dou Empire might as well wash its neck and go to sleep...

"This is the true... situation lost..."

The head of the royal clansmen, the old Prince, sighed heavily and said: "Over-relying on the power of sects to resist the Star Luo Empire and the Spirit Hall has indeed led to a backlash. From now on, the Heaven Dou Empire still exists, but my Xue clan... is finished."

"Once I ascend the throne, as long as the Heaven Dou Imperial Family abides by the laws of the empire and the laws of the Spirit Judgment Hall, then your treatment shall remain as before."

Ning Rongrong turned her body and looked at the group of royals.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wanted the entire Heaven Dou Empire; these royals with no Spirit Master power were not a threat at all, and they would have to rely on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the future to live well.

Therefore, the choice at hand was not difficult.

There was only one path; what was there to hold out for?

"We invite Princess Rongrong to inherit the empire!" the group of royal clansmen said.

"We invite Princess Rongrong to inherit the empire!" the nobles said.

"We invite Princess Rongrong to inherit the empire!" the dignitaries said.

Almost everyone in the square knelt down, kneeling to urge Ning Rongrong at the very top to ascend.

This world naturally did not care for the "three refusals and three acceptances"; Spirit Masters were direct and straightforward, and did not like twists and turns.

So Ning Rongrong spread her sleeves and said solemnly: "Today's ceremony is canceled. The empire shall make new preparations and announce it to the entire territory. Three days from now, the coronation ceremony will be held!"

"Yes!"

Above the square, the sound was like a mountain collapsing and a sea roaring.

Qin Jian stood to the side, watching the sunlight refract off Ning Rongrong, casting a pale golden radiance on her palace gown, and his eyes could not help but grow dazed.

The most beautiful girl in his heart had actually reached this position one day...

Tiandou Nuhuang!

The unpredictability of everyone's fate was evident; he had not orchestrated this, but as his influence on this world grew deeper, the destinies of many began to revolve accordingly.

Especially for big-shot figures like Bibi Dong and Ning Fengzhi, once they began their respective dances along with the shifting winds and clouds, the world would also head in other directions.

He himself was the same.

The future was already unpredictable; with his relationship with Na'er, his entanglement with the Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and even Zhu Zhuqing, the Zhu Clan Head of the Star Luo Empire, the situation on the Dalu was largely tied to him alone.

But the looming presence of the Renlei Shen in the shadows, and the schemes of the Rakshasa God, made it impossible for him to relax.

He deeply doubted whether his original insistence on taking human form to recultivate and accepting the God Trial had been a conspiracy.

Thinking about it now, were those two Tier 1 gods truly the ones scheming against him from behind the scenes? If they really wanted to devour him, now that they had discovered he had already taken human form, why didn't they strike immediately?

Could it be that they were just waiting for him to grow stronger? Only to jump out at the final moment, just to be killed by him when he unleashed his hidden power?

How could such a "power fantasy" trope possibly happen...

What else could be behind all this...

Until everyone had dispersed, Qin Jian's gaze remained somewhat dazed.

"Brother Jian, what's wrong?"

Once no one was watching, the expression on Ning Rongrong's face, which had been serious, melted away.

A pair of arms wrapped around him, burying Qin Jian's left arm in softness.

Ning Rongrong leaned in close to his face, looking a bit apprehensive: "Is Brother Jian unhappy?"

"Hm? What would I have to be unhappy about?"

Qin Jian came back to his senses and looked at her, feeling puzzled.

Ning Rongrong pursed her lips: "That Xue Qinghe—I took her position, and she had spent twenty years working for it..."

Qin Jian shook his head, patted her head, and said: "This wasn't you taking it; it was the opposition of stances that ultimately led to this result. There is no right or wrong to speak of."

"Mm..."

Ning Rongrong gripped his hand tightly, feeling relieved.

A smile appeared on her face: "I'm waiting for Brother Jian to crown me!"

(End of this chapter)