"Boom boom boom boom..."
Huge explosions echoed from the four directions of Mingdu: east, west, south, and north.
Before the explosions subsided, four mushroom clouds rose into the sky.
Seeing the mushroom clouds rising in the distance, the people paled, and the spectators in the arena panicked.
Some fled in panic, fearing the next disaster would befall them; others tried to rush out of the arena to protect their families.
"What, what's going on?!"
...
The gathered crowd began to move haphazardly, jostling and pushing, creating chaos, and even causing several stampedes.
Le Qingtian and Jin Peng abruptly stood up, their eyes filled with fear, even with their composure.
Suddenly, they remembered Huo Yuhao's emphasis on this competition, and looked up at Zhou Qi on the high platform. At this moment, their eyes were filled with horror, and a bold guess formed in their minds.
Could it be that the Divine Lord had foreseen all of this?
Zhou Qi's body trembled as well. Although he had received advance intelligence, this unprecedented explosion still terrified him.
Mingdu, one of the most populous cities on the continent, boasts a permanent population well over a million. Moreover, with the Soul Master Competition underway, the city was even more crowded with people from all sides.
It's unimaginable how many lives the explosion claimed—hundreds of thousands, or even millions?
The elderly emperor's pupils constricted, and the next moment, he collapsed.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"Quickly
, summon the imperial physician!" The emperor's collapse threw the royal court into chaos.
At this moment, Crown Prince Xu Tianran, in a wheelchair, was pushed onto a high platform.
"Quickly, help Father Emperor down to rest."
Xu Tianran urged the eunuchs to help the emperor down, then he faced the Royal Soul Guidance Legion and ordered: "Issue my order: martial law throughout the city! From now on, Mingdu is only open to entry, no exit! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!
Anyone who dares to take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble will be punished for treason!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The generals roared in agreement, no longer caring whether the Crown Prince could command.
However, misfortune struck again. Before the soldiers could even quell the unrest, an even larger explosion descended upon Mingdu City.
Boom!
The explosion resounded through the sky, the entire city trembling violently as if a magnitude 10 earthquake had struck. Houses collapsed, countless civilians perished.
A massive mushroom cloud, accompanied by towering flames, filled the air.
The apocalyptic scene left everyone wide-eyed and filled with despair.
"Activate the high-energy compression array soul guide device, full defense!" a frantic voice rang out, the powerful soul force within seemingly capable of withstanding the massive explosion.
As the words fell, an elderly man with white hair and a long beard appeared like a ghost.
"Elder Kong!" Xu Tianran recognized the old man; he was Kong Deming, a royal retainer, a level 94 Silver Moon Douluo, and also a level 9 Soul Master, hailed as a legendary figure closest to a level 10 Soul Master.
Kong Deming didn't react, only watching as the flames soared into the sky, like a ferocious beast, instantly burying countless people.
At this moment, the Soul Masters in the shadows frantically activated the compressed Soul Guidance Array.
On the edge of Mingdu, countless beams of light shot into the sky, forming huge pillars of light that illuminated the entire city.
The pillars of light rose one after another, reaching hundreds of meters into the air, until finally, dozens of pillars converged in the sky.
At this moment, Mingdu was illuminated as bright as day, and the energy formed by the convergence of dozens of pillars of light transformed into a sturdy defensive shield, protecting the entire city.
However, this could not undo what had already happened.
The Sun Moon Team, including Meng Hongchen, arrived at the location of the Sun Moon Royal Academy.
From afar, the group could see that the original academy and Mingde Hall had vanished, as if wiped away by some great divine power.
In their place lay a dark abyss, bottomless, like a colossal beast opening its jaws to devour everything.
"Damn it!" Meng Hongchen's eyes widened in fury, a chill running through her body.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed that no one is allowed to leave the city; those who disobey will be executed!"
...
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Legion, stationed in Mingdu City, moved through the ruined city, stabilizing public morale while also healing the wounded.
In the palace, the old emperor, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, lifted his heavy eyelids.
"What's the situation? What are the casualties?"
A general of the Royal Soul Master Legion hesitated before replying fearfully, "The situation... the situation is not good. The Royal Academy and Mingde Hall are gone. The total number of casualties is estimated to exceed 1.5 million."
Upon hearing this, the old emperor trembled violently, his eyes widening in shock.
The scene seemed to freeze at that moment. After a few breaths, the Empress noticed something was wrong.
"Your Majesty?"
The Empress trembled as she reached for the old emperor's breath. The next moment, she collapsed to her knees.
"Your Majesty has passed away!"
Instantly, everyone present knelt down, their cries filling the air, and the palace was filled with sorrow.
The old emperor had passed away, and Crown Prince Xu Tianran had hastily ascended the throne.
The new emperor's coronation was without any grand or elaborate ceremonies, only an official announcement.
Because the people of Mingdu were still immersed in grief.
On the other side, Yan Shaozhe was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He discovered that his troops were trapped in Mingdu.
In the past few days, he had tried every possible method—flying through the air, burrowing underground…
he had used every method he could think of, but there was no way to leave Mingdu. That protective barrier was like a solid prison wall, filling him with despair.
As for bribing officials, let alone whether an individual could open that barrier, at this critical juncture, who would have the guts? They must have a death wish.
So, Shilaike and his gang awkwardly discovered that their only option was to wait for the storm to pass and the damned shield to disappear, allowing them to slip away.
Until then, they'd better stay put.
Although Mingdu was under lockdown by royal orders, the explosion had been felt in the surrounding areas, and people couldn't forget the massive mushroom cloud.
Soon, news of the massive explosion in Mingdu spread uncontrollably, even making the front page of the five major newspapers.
This caused immense controversy; who could be so vicious as to commit such an outrageous act?
"My lord, you can't go in, my lord..."
In the Heavenly Court's Holy Temple, Xiao Hongchen ignored the guards' attempts to stop him and forcefully barged in, followed by a slightly flustered Jing Hongchen.
"Godly Lord..." Upon seeing Huo Yuhao, the guards seemed to have committed a grave error, showing some fear.
"It's alright, you may leave." Huo Yuhao waved his hand, dismissing the guards. He looked at the two, and saw that the grandfather and grandson looked haggard and their faces were filled with grief.
.....................
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