Chapter 1299: Chapter 664: Everything Has Changed (2)
Abel had a moment of confusion, having come to such a point.
Even in the face of a life-and-death crisis, Abel was still struggling, with Adamâs once domineering face and the recent scene of him near death constantly switching before his eyes.
He still regarded Adam as a dignified father, a ruthless ruler, a great figure he revered.
But then he thought of the now-tattered Empire, and how his father had wanted to rebuild it but lacked the time.
But once he boarded these peopleâs pirate ship...
Abel was hesitant, but his mind was already made up.
The Empire Prince had been raised from a young age to make use of everything.
With the power of the Upper and Lower Houses, why not?
As to whether he could keep them in check, it would depend entirely on his future methods.
These people still posed a formidable force in the shadows, and if they aided him, the position of Holy Emperor was within his reach...
No!
At the critical moment, Abelâs eyes sharpened as he asked in a deep voice, "I shouldnât be the first person youâve reached out to, right?"
"Haha..." Laughter came from the shadows, "What do you think?"
Abelâs heart sank to the bottom. He wasnât the most powerful prince and had never even interacted with the Upper and Lower Houses before.
Their first choice was unlikely to be him; he was probably just a backup, a backup of a backup.
That being the case, the significance of cooperation with them wasnât as substantial.
"The position of Holy Emperor is tempting, but it doesnât mean that the entire Empire has only one Holy Emperorâs position to contend for." The other party subtly suggested, realizing what Abel was thinking.
"I know that regardless of which one of you princes ascends to the position of Holy Emperor, youâll turn around and calculate against us, so we need a balancing force..."
"Like Ryan and Heckler..." Abel sneered but suddenly paused in shock, exclaiming, "You know that my father is selecting an heir?"
Laughter came from the shadows, "We have been in contact with some princes far earlier than now."
Abelâs expression changed, the news of selecting an Inheritor had already been known by the Upper and Lower Houses.
Father... you... have you really grown old?
The other party gave Abel enough time to digest before asking, "So, Your Highness, what is your choice?"
"I..." Abel lowered his head, his gaze dark and uncertain, "agree to your terms..."
"A wise choice..." The shadows predictably said as they gradually dissipated, leaving only a voice echoing in Abelâs ears, "A patrol fleet will arrive shortly. I have sent the details of the attacker to Your Highnessâs smart terminal. You should know how to respond."
There was no grip given to the opponent, nor any other assurances, just verbal consent and the voices vanished.
Only then did Abel wake up, his body relaxing, realizing they had never intended to kill him from the start.
The influence of Adam still lingered; if they did kill someone, an unpredictable purge might be unleashed.
Adam slowly stood up, looking at the lifeless Lethes on the ground.
He didnât know how much the Upper and Lower Houses knew, whether they only knew Adam was choosing an heir.
Or if they knew Adam was already seriously injured and near death.
But now, princes and more than one prince had already reached alliances with them.
Which essentially meant that the next Holy Emperor was indirectly under their control.
He didnât want to be Ryan or Heckler, but he had no choice...
No, maybe there was still a chance.
A thought that had been struggling for a long time finally settled, knowing there might be big trouble, but there were also many current troubles.
Moreover, the Empireâs high-level X Level Life Forms had been reinforced, so even if they were brought in, there might still be ways to keep them in check.
"My methods..." Abel murmured softly, the last words echoing only in his heart: "are beyond your imagination..."
...
In the Holy Castle, the Observer stared at the Azure Dragon, slowly completing its shaping.
"Why is it so slow this time..." Li Ming felt discomfort in his body.
"Has your Life Level evolved?" The Observer asked in surprise, "How can it be so fast?"
"The increase in Life Level is why the mimicry body is forming so slowly." Li Ming moved his body, roughly guessing the reason.
The Observerâs mechanical pupils scanned him up and down, recalling that his original Life Level was only Lord Level.
But he had always used that special ability to unleash combat power far beyond his current Life Level.
A Lord Level could easily overpower a Transcendent Level
Then could a Transcendent Level contend with a Dominator Level?
The Observer couldnât help but think, feeling it a fantasy, wanting to ask but seeing the Azure Dragon already stepping into the Holy Castle Hall.
"King-making Trial!"
The Observer hurried to follow, without permission, he could only watch on the spot.
Stepping into the Holy Castle Hall, Li Ming immediately began the Sub-Dominator Trial.
This time, no Observer was needed; he could trigger it himself. Wisps of long-unseen gray mist swept in from all directions, followed by the formation of a solid arena.
"Hey..." Li Ming couldnât help but grin, having not seen those familiar old pals for a long time, it was time to get acquainted.
In the gray mist, two subordinate dominator-level Abyss Clan appeared.
Li Ming reached out, Flowing Light interwove in his hand as Kashmirâs Spear instantly formed.
"K-Kashmirâs Spear!?"
The Observerâs metal eyes nearly popped out.
"Wasnât it a hammer, how did it become a spear? And in complete form?" The Observer didnât understand what the Azure Dragon was up to; was it just a change in the mimic weaponâs appearance?
He couldnât grasp the significance of it.
Li Ming exhaled deeply; with his current strength, dealing with these Abyss Clan members was a crushing blow.
Just a casual stab; Li Ming utilized conventional enhancement.
As soon as he moved, he felt entirely different, everything in front of him seemed so fragile, the spear tip obliterating the gray mist, revealing the true scene of the hall.
He even felt that his mimicry body was on the verge of collapse, unable to withstand such power.
Huh?
The next moment, Li Mingâs eyebrows arched, and the gray mist before him suddenly dissipated, with the attacking Abyss Clan vanishing midway, the arena disappearing without a trace.
Just like that, he found himself standing again in the Holy Castle Hall, still somewhat bewildered, in a vast emptiness.
"What happened... why did it disappear?" Li Ming asked with confusion, frowning at the Observer.
The Observer remained silent, his machine buzzing endlessly, mechanical pupils flickering.
"Overloaded?"
Li Ming squinted slightly, flashing to appear in front of the Observer, releasing a spark that fell into the Observerâs body.
The machine twitched, its pupils flaring brightly as the Observer jerked his head up, grabbing Li Ming with arms, speaking with a near-distorting sound, "Just now, just now you..."
"What âjust nowâ..." Li Ming broke free, asking impatiently, "Why did the arena disappear?"
The Observer composed himself, speaking slowly, "The power you just unleashed, did it reach the Dominator Level?"
"Sort of." Li Ming replied evasively.
The Observerâs machine buzzed again, almost malfunctioning, emotions swirling before calming, and he slowly said:
"That explains it, Dominator-level power can exempt you from the Sub-Dominator Trial..."
"I see..." Li Ming was a bit disappointed; heâd wanted to get to know those old buddies, but then frowned again:
"Wait, why didnât I skip the process when I tried before?"
The Observer explained, "Itâs because the level was too low, consuming little energy, but now the power is too strong, continuing the fight would cause immense damage to the Holy Castle..."
Li Ming nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "How can the Dominator Trial hold up?"
The Observer replied: "Due to energy storage reasons, the Dominator Trial only offers one chance, failing would mean you canât attempt it again from this Holy Castle..."
"Only one chance, then Iâll have to seize it." Li Ming nodded, looking at Diglasâs Crown that hung above.
At some point, the indestructible Energy Barrier outside Diglasâs Crown had disappeared.