Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

Tang San, who had been exhausted for many days, turned red in the face from holding his breath.

You could have waited for this, you could have kept it a secret, right? He almost died, and all his previous efforts were wasted.

On the contrary, Ning Rongrong remained calm and accepted everything with great composure. Even when Xue Beng announced his succession, which surprised all the ministers, she did not say a word.

The one who found it most unacceptable was Xue Ke; Ning Rongrong's attitude both puzzled and angered her.

As Ning Rongrong was about to leave, Xue Ke, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, could no longer hold back and ran up to Ning Rongrong, grabbing her, "Rongrong! Why?"

In front of the Golden Hall, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xue Ke's behavior unsurprisingly attracted everyone's attention.

"Why does the princess ask such a question?" Ning Rongrong asked in a businesslike manner.

"Even if Father Emperor has passed away, why is it Fourth Brother?!" Xue Ke was no novice in politics; anyone could see how serious the problem was.

After all, Xue Luochuan and Xue Haicang are still alive, just out in the world. In Xue Ke's mind, the one who should ascend the throne is the grandson Xue Hong, since in her eyes he is Xue Qinghe's child.

"The late Emperor Xueye's edict is written in black and white, why does the princess need to ask such a question?" Ning Rongrong pushed Xue Ke away and left without a second thought.

Standing at the highest point of power, she was often helpless against him. When the enemy did something wrong, they simply ignored it and went on to do something else entirely.

The only person she probably wronged in this matter was her best friend, who was a princess.

After all, the most direct and thorough way for them to destroy the entire imperial system is to make the entire Heaven Dou royal family and Star Luo royal family disappear. Killing is the most direct means.

But for something, for innocent people, like Xue Ke herself.

To protect her and allow her to live as her own, this kind of pain must be endured.

...

"Avalanche, do you know what you've done?!" Tang San, who had escaped, immediately confronted him.

Despite being grabbed by the collar, Xue Beng was not afraid at all. He had been living in fear these past few days, after all, he had killed his father with his own hands, and bad news from his own camp kept coming in.

The avalanche, finally relieved, was equally indignant: "What did I do?! I only did what I deserved!"

"Foolish! The arrow was already on the string and had to be released, but you cut the bowstring!" Tang San's hands trembled.

For the past two weeks, he's been like a dog, staying in the former Crown Prince's residence and even losing control of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. What was the point of all that hard work negotiating and finalizing every detail?

"What are you afraid of?! Aren't you very confident in her? Anyway, Xue Luochuan and Xue Haicang are both dead! As long as she returns to Tiandou City, we will be invincible!" Xue Beng didn't care. As long as he ascended the throne and secured his base, he could turn the tide when the last man came.

Tang San was so angry he laughed. He didn't dare to say anything too confident anymore.

His interactions with Ning Rongrong these past few days haven't been entirely fruitless; at least he's gained some insights into how she handles political affairs.

They can come up with plans and strategies for the competition almost effortlessly, but you can't understand them even after a long time.

What appears to be a competition is actually an opportunity to plan the development blueprint for the capital city area for the next hundred years. How could Tang San not be alarmed by such an ability?

"Do you think Ning Rongrong wouldn't see through the trickery involved in such a palace coup?" Tang San knew that was impossible.

"So what if she knows? She still has to accept it obediently, doesn't she?" At least Xue Beng was very satisfied with Ning Rongrong's reaction.

“Not counting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in Seven Treasure City, she currently has six super combatants under her command, but she hasn’t taken any action. Do you think that’s normal?” Tang San said, releasing Xue Beng.

Tang San picked up a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp, suppressing his anger. He continued, "Besides, don't you think Ning Rongrong would prefer Xue Hong to ascend the throne? Firstly, she would become a relative of the emperor, and secondly, Xue Hong is younger, more obedient, and has the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul."

Xue Beng smiled confidently, which was one of the reasons he was so eager to achieve results. However, in his opinion, it didn't matter anymore. "So what? I have already ascended the throne in front of the spirit tablet. Next, I will announce to the whole country that the situation is settled!"

"Have you considered another possibility? That Ning Rongrong doesn't care about this matter at all? After all, even if the emperor changes, she will still be the supreme ruler, and that won't change. So, given her fearlessness and indifference to who the emperor is, what is she thinking?"

Tang San had already begun to have some guesses, after all, Ning Rongrong's scheming and methods were more worrying to him than the strength behind her.

Thinking of this, Tang San felt that there might still be hope for the competition. After all, it was not impossible to cooperate with the enemy, especially since they had more power and could forcefully push things through.

Xue Beng, however, still smiled calmly, "Who cares? As long as we win in the end, she will be my empress, and what's hers will be mine."

Seated on the throne in the main hall, Xue Beng stroked the pure gold armrest with a blissful expression, unable to contain his smile.

Tang San, who had been thinking a lot for a moment, ignored the avalanche and returned to his usual calm, saying, "You should bury the late emperor as soon as possible. It's too late to delay and cause any more trouble."

"Of course, holding the coronation ceremony as soon as possible is the right thing to do!"

When the old emperor dies, even if a new emperor ascends the throne before his coffin due to the transfer of power, the new emperor is not considered a true emperor at this time. Only when a coronation ceremony is held and the emperor announces his ascension to the throne to the world can he be considered to have truly ascended the throne.

Tang San, outwardly calm but inwardly disdainful, felt that he could find another partner.

Opponents and teammates can sometimes switch roles. At least Ning Rongrong doesn't seem to care about the royal family at all, so there might still be room for negotiation.

"There are some things I still need to talk to Rongrong about." With that, Tang San left.

As soon as Tang San left, Xue Beng's face darkened. Although he was supposed to be enthroned, he didn't feel it at all. Power hadn't been returned to him, so nothing he said mattered.

Tang San, however, immediately launched into a tirade of abuse, showing his brother-in-law a complete lack of respect for him.

Tang San, who had left, also had a gloomy face. His teammates were really more trouble than they were worth.

Compared to his opponents, who were all strong and made almost no mistakes, who could understand the psychological gap he felt?

It's only been a few days. Just half a month ago, he was at the height of his fame, serving as the Dean of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, concurrently the Minister of Education, and soon to be the Prince Consort.

But what about now? Suddenly, we're beset by internal and external troubles!

The opponent is politically ruthless; if he dares to launch an attack, he will inevitably suffer.

From Ning Rongrong's sudden appearance to her victories in every engagement, and with these victories, the enemy, in their Tiandou City which was almost powerless, steadily and quietly took over the imperial capital.

It's worth noting that being able to gain benefits without lifting a finger and at minimal cost is a remarkably clever tactic.

Tang San thought to himself, "We haven't even made a few moves yet, and we're already losing our foundation. Is this game just going to end with us flipping the table?"

It's fortunate that he was able to flip the table, which gave him a chance to sit at the card table; otherwise, he should have abandoned the city and fled.

When Tang San returned to the former Crown Prince's residence, his mood was different again. Ning Rongrong was still as busy as ever, and the Emperor's death seemed to be an insignificant matter to her.

"What? You want to continue? Is there any need for this?" Ning Rongrong didn't even look up.

The council hall was empty by then; after all, for ordinary people, attending the funeral of the emperor was more important than the emperor's death.

Therefore, Tang San said with certainty, "Of course!"

"Rongrong, is the royal family really that important to us?" Tang San then said this rebellious thing.

"Xiao Ke is my friend, she's very important." Ning Rongrong said this, but it sounded like a random, unrelated statement.

But that's enough. She didn't mention the royal family or the avalanche. Ning Rongrong's implication was that she only cared about Xue Ke.

"Proceed as planned, the project will proceed as scheduled, and the blockade of Tiandou City will remain unchanged until completion." Ning Rongrong's eyes were extremely indifferent; at this moment, she truly embodied the shrewdness of a seasoned politician.

They prioritize profit above all else, acting as ruthlessly as a machine.

"The Crown Prince has already left; you could say he's missing. The child is still too young. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Of course."

……

"Grandma..." When Qian Qingyu finally arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye after a long, huffing and puffing flight, he realized something was wrong.

Half a month has passed, and given the efficiency of the Spirit Hall, almost everyone who should have arrived has done so.

Rather than saying that the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye is still Qian Qingyu's original home, it would be more accurate to say that it is a replica of the Elder Hall.

The seven Grand Masters, excluding Qian Daoliu, along with Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo and a group of titled elders, were all present. They were sitting cross-legged in front of the Ice and Fire Springs, silently cultivating under the leadership of Pope Bibi Dong, as immovable as a mountain.

Upon seeing Qian Qingyu arrive, all the elders stood up and paid their respects, saying, "Young Master."

"Greetings, elders..." There was no other way; if she didn't become emperor, she would most likely become the future pope, so Qian Qingyu could only obediently bow.

Having not seen each other for a long time, Bibi Dong missed them dearly. Without saying much, she took the child and went inside to chat.

At this moment, Qian Shui, who was always unpredictable, entered in his physical body, but his primordial spirit left his body. Since his old friends and elders were all there, he also had to exchange pleasantries.

After speaking with all the elders, Qianshui also spoke with the two he was closest to, Kiku and Kiku.

"Uncle Ju, Uncle Gui, that's impressive! You're already level 97. It seems the herb is quite effective."

The two were also in a real dilemma. Given Qian Shui's current strength, it was really hard to say what to call him.

"you…"

"Oh, I'm not a teacher, why all this talk of respect? We're old acquaintances, just call me Xiao Shui." With that, Qian Shui bowed to the two of them, "I am grateful for your care in my early years, I should be the one to show my respect."

With frequent visits, the entire Spirit Hall was finally assembled. Qian Shui was quite busy during this time, as the large group was always engaged in fighting and sparring. Then one day, Hu Liena finally arrived.

Chapter 329 The Opponent is Laying Bricks, Ning Fengzhi May Be a Variable

"Ning Rongrong! Where is Xue Hong?!"

When Xue Ke finally couldn't stop her fourth brother from being hastily buried on the third day after his death on a snowy night, Tang San's words, "The Crown Prince has also disappeared. The facts are settled, so there's no need to dwell on it," finally broke the reason of this imperial princess.

She stormed hysterically into the former Crown Prince's residence, questioning her best friend, the one who had pulled her out of despair.

"The Crown Prince disappeared on the day the Emperor passed away and has not returned to this day!" Ning Rongrong said in front of the people coming and going in the council hall.

Disappeared? Are you kidding me? The first thing this supreme ruler did upon returning to Tiandou City was to point fingers at a sheep and call it a horse in front of the palace, his power overwhelming the entire court.

If you could believe that now, you'd be a fool!

If she didn't want to, the Crown Prince couldn't possibly disappear. So there's only one possibility: the Crown Prince was made to disappear, and it was Ning Rongrong who did it.

No one knows why Ning Rongrong did this, but from a political perspective, she must have had her own interests to consider.

But Xue Ke was no longer thinking about that. Dressed in mourning clothes and looking haggard, she felt a deep sense of betrayal.

Ruthlessness is inherent in the imperial family; from the avalanche to her fiancé, and now to the supreme ruler before her.

They no longer care about fathers and sons, brothers, or husbands and wives; all emotions are irrelevant. They only care about profit, and they will stop at nothing for profit, even the lives of their relatives, the elderly, and their children!

"Ning Rongrong!" Xue Ke no longer cared. She walked forward, slammed her hand on the desk, and said, word by word, "I'll ask you one more time! Even if you want to kill me, I'll still ask you one more time! Where is Xue Hong?!"

Family? Xue Qinghe, the only person who could be called family, is dead. What about her other brothers? Especially that ruthless fourth brother.

Husband and wife? You can see what kind of person Tang San is from the incident at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. She can't count on him at all.

Friend? What is this friend in front of me going to do? Before doing anything, did she even consider her own needs or those of her nephew?

Ning Rongrong sighed slightly. Should she explain? Tell her that Xuehong had returned home and was doing very well, and that the child himself didn't want to be emperor? The truth was out of the question.

There are some things that can no longer be said in public; there's no need to, because it will only make Xue Ke's situation worse.

With a burst of powerful soul energy, Xue Ke knew nothing more.

The next moment, Ning Rongrong stood beside Xue Ke, hugged the collapsing Xue Ke, and then slowly looked around before announcing: "His Highness the Crown Prince is missing! That's all!"