Imperial Crown.

Chapter 609 Devouring the Law of Blazing Fire
Grand Duke Fernandez of the Keynesian Empire couldn't help but begin to reflect on himself.

The existence of the Joker K was a secret even he didn't know beforehand! He was secretly sent by Emperor Habsburg, firstly to monitor him, Ferdinand, and secondly to assassinate Raven.

But then the dragon Zor'thas appeared out of nowhere, forcing the clown K to reveal himself prematurely. Otherwise, Zor'thas would have escaped, and all the second-generation heirs would have survived. It just goes to show that fate, that damned bitch, can be truly ruthless and capricious at times.

Everything seemed like a prophecy of destiny.

Later, the three of them had to go into seclusion to heal their injuries after using the world-suppressing divine weapon. Just as their healing was about to end, Adjani was murdered. Seeing the situation was dire, Clown K immediately fled. At the time, Ferdinand had scoffed at this act. Looking back now, however, he deeply regretted it.

So, all told, Joker K only appeared twice. Even Akery didn't know of his existence, so how did Raven find out? There's only one explanation—either Raven learned it from Adjani, or Raven had a high-ranking informant in the capital who was completely unaware of his presence.

After much deliberation, Ferdinand leaned towards the second possibility. He also had reason to narrow his suspicions down to the eight dukes and nobles: either Prime Minister Hamilton or the new faction.

"Ugh"

An intense bitterness filled his heart and mouth. Anger, helplessness, resentment, sorrow... a cacophony of emotions surged within him like an overturned stove, leaving him with a complex mix of feelings. He, Pei Dinan, a dignified sixth-tier transcendent being, devoted to his country and loyal to the emperor, even willing to sacrifice his family without hesitation to win the war... had ultimately fallen in the political struggle and died from the machinations of self-interest.

Two months of solitary confinement gave Ferdinand ample time for calm reflection. It allowed him to clarify many of his doubts and gain a clearer understanding of the situation… such as how the fifth-tier Raven had so quickly killed Adjani and taken her body. He must have used the same technique he used in their fight—space-traveling. And then there were the various strange and abnormal events that had occurred since he left the capital. “Perhaps, my death at Raven’s hands…was already a tacit agreement reached between the Emperor and the new faction.” Ferdinand’s heart was ashen, and he remained silent.

However, some doubts lingered in his mind: was Raven involved in all of this? If so, the truth was terrifying. Did Raven, far away on the border, somehow manage to pull a glimmer of hope out of a seemingly hopeless stalemate? How did he do it? Unfortunately… he, Ferdinand, might never know the answers to these undercurrents of transactions.

Fortunately, Ferdinand was unable to learn the truth. If he had known that Raven was only at the fourth rank when he killed Adjani, he would probably have been even more devastated and miserable.

However, he wasn't the only one reflecting on himself at this moment. Raven, outside the ring, was also doing so.

"Tsk." "My mentality is becoming more and more like that of a demonic cultivator."

In the secret chamber, Raven stared at the blood ring on his index finger, muttering with lingering fear. Yes, the appearance of the blood ring had given Raven a shortcut to cultivation. This "shortcut" seemed even more powerful and domineering than the Eye of Truth! And his heart was becoming increasingly reliant on this shortcut. His mind would inexplicably begin to ponder who the next suitable target would be. This behavior was like that of a greedy vampire, whose gaze towards others was always filled with a lust for blood.

Even a fool could tell that this method of supplementing one's own cultivation by plundering the bloody energy transformed from other extraordinary beings would inevitably harbor enormous hidden dangers. On the surface, he saved a great deal of time, advancing from the fifth-tier, first-star level to the fifth-tier, seventh-star level in just over two months. But the time needed to stabilize his realm and solidify his foundation might be two years, twelve years… or even twenty years…

This method is ultimately not the right way; it should only be tried briefly and stopped there.

After calming himself down, Raven's hand flashed with light, and two more items appeared.

One of them was the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon obtained from Ferdinand—an enchanted creation inscribed with the laws of steel—the Boundary Fang.

One is the world-defining divine weapon obtained from Adjani—an enchanted creation inscribed with the laws of fire—the Burning Sun.

Raven was pondering what to do with the two seventh-tier enchanted creations.

He quickly came to an idea: the Boundary Wedge Fang suited his fighting style better. Therefore, he decided to keep it. With this world-suppressing weapon, Raven could unleash a punch that combined the power of his Demonic Qi, the Blood Ring, and this item. The combined force of this "combination punch" would be so great that even if Ferdinand were to come back to life, he probably couldn't withstand it. The only concern was whether Raven could bear the "cost" of using this item—the aftereffects.

However, Raven had a vague feeling that his own Doumo Yuanqi was enough to withstand the backlash from this thing. But if it were Dou Qi, that was another matter. Even the sixth-rank Pei Dinan couldn't withstand it, let alone him, who was only at the fifth rank.

As for the Burning Sun, Raven planned to devour its fiery laws. His reasoning was based on several considerations. First, this weapon was a ranged attack, which didn't align with Raven's increasingly fixed fighting style. Second, having two world-suppressing divine weapons was useless to him. Giving them to others was unrealistic. Even a fourth-tier Eric couldn't withstand the cost of using it. One was enough for him. Forcing himself to use two would likely be too much for him. Third, he was now at the fifth tier and needed laws. To break through to the sixth tier, he needed to devour at least five laws of the same type. Although his physique was domineering and special, allowing him to devour multiple laws, each additional law undoubtedly offered Raven more possibilities. Otherwise, he currently only had two laws: Eternal Freeze, similar to Ferdinand's Ice Law, and Space. Moreover, these two were fused into different cultivation paths: one in a mage's magic, and the other in a transcendent martial soul. This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of Raven breaking through to the sixth tier.

Laws aren't something a transcendent being can simply swallow at will. Before absorbing a law, one must possess the corresponding element within their body. If someone is compatible with the element of fire battle qi but absorbs the law of ice, they simply cannot comprehend its mysteries, and there's no possibility of advancing further. Even with laws corresponding to the element, comprehending a single law often requires 3-5 years, sometimes even as long as 10 years. This explains why breaking through to the sixth-tier transcendent or sixth-tier mage level is so difficult.

Raven is special because he can devour so many laws. First, he cheats with his Eye of Truth, allowing him to forcibly devour them without fully comprehending them. Second, his body has been strengthened by magic cores over many years, giving him sufficient accumulation and refinement of each element. He is still most compatible with the blood element, but he also has a considerable amount of other elements accumulated within him. Therefore, devouring any law can allow him to successfully break through to the sixth rank.

Fourthly, Raven's combat technique, the Desolate Fall Imprisoning Heaven Palm, requires the Law of Blazing Fire. This technique was obtained from Silver Mane, which in turn absorbed the Law of Blazing Fire. Once Raven absorbs the Law of Blazing Fire into his martial soul, the power of the Desolate Fall Imprisoning Heaven Palm will be fully unleashed!
"Unfortunately, the Blood Ring cannot transform the laws within the other party's body."

Raven sighed. The Blood and Curse Ring could convert energy and imprison souls. If it could also absorb the laws within a transcendent being, it would be even more perfect.

Having made his decision, Raven didn't hesitate any longer. After retrieving the Boundary Wedge Fang, his eyes immediately blazed with golden light as he began to plunder the fiery laws within the blazing sun, forcibly drawing them into his martial soul. "Hmph!" As wisps of flame merged into his Blood Eye martial soul, Raven was scorched and in excruciating pain. He was drenched in sweat and couldn't help but scream loudly. It felt as if he had been stripped naked and turned into a whole roasted lamb placed on a campfire. This was truly an ordeal that no ordinary person could endure. Willpower alone was useless; if Raven's physical body hadn't been strong enough, he would have long since turned into a pool of blood.

Several days later, Raven's mental energy was once again exhausted. He finally absorbed the Fire Law within the Burning Sun. Without the Fire Law, the Burning Sun immediately became dim and lifeless, its surface displaying spiderweb-like cracks. It was clearly damaged.

"call"

After carefully sensing the state of his Blood Eye Martial Soul, Raven let out a long breath. Actually, there wasn't much change. After all, he hadn't broken through his cultivation realm, nor had he accumulated spatial laws. It didn't offer much help to his Martial Soul. The only change might be that when his Martial Soul used the Desolate Fall Imprisoning Heaven Palm in the future, its power would reach its absolute peak.

After all, the original incorporation of the Demonic Qi within his body only allowed him to unleash combat techniques from a distance, with a power level of only 6-70%. Now, however, unleashing combat techniques from a distance using his Martial Soul will have 100% power.

This was already quite good. Raven himself was rather satisfied and content. After all, at his level, taking another step forward was incredibly difficult. Even the slightest improvement could determine the outcome of a life-or-death battle.

"It's time to leave the pass."

Raven originally intended to continue absorbing the energy from the Netherworld Silk Flower to integrate it with the Demonic Qi within his body. However, this would be too time-consuming. He had already been in seclusion long enough. If he didn't reappear soon, Eric and the others would start to worry again.

After spending another day restoring himself to peak condition, Raven left the secret room.

"Master of the house."

Eric rushed to the meeting room after being notified. Besides him were Hyena, Husha, Pain… Bai Yue, Chirp Chirp Linga… and Link, who had followed them from Hippocrates. He had been sent by Raven to deal with the cannibalism among serfs in Hippocrates.

"How are things going with the prisoners?" Raven asked. Only Igni was absent; she was said to have gone to the province of Samprons to scout enemy positions. He didn't know if that was true. Strangely enough, ever since Raven used the Angel's Tear to get Chuchulinga's help, he didn't know what method Chuchulinga had used. Anyway, Igni hadn't said a word to him since. This made Raven's curiosity itch like a cat's paw. "Uh..."

Eric seemed to be changing the subject, his eyes constantly glancing at Pain. Pain, however, kept his head down, looking at his shoes, and remained silent.

Finally, Hu Xia came out and reported, "My lord, all 7 prisoners have been received and are being reorganized into new ranks." "The training during this period has been extremely effective."

"Ok?"

Raven's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Logically, there should have been at least 13 prisoners after the previous battle; how could the number have dwindled to 7? His gaze swept around, and he quickly made a guess. Those missing prisoners were probably either slaughtered or became food for dragons and orcs. After all, not all prisoners would genuinely surrender. There must have been rebellious legions that were difficult to reform. For example, the elite legions personally trained by Ferdinand, or the legions belonging to Emperor Habsburg… After all, back in Eivor, Raven was considered a cannibalistic demon, yet some still refused to surrender. Let alone now. And this large-scale "prisoner-slaughtering" scheme was probably Pain's idea.

Eric has guts, but lacks decisiveness. Hu Xia not only lacks guts, but also wouldn't dare to be so vicious. After much thought, only Paine would dare to do such a thing.

One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. Nothing could be more true.

"cough"

Raven coughed lightly, glossing over the matter, and changed the subject, asking, "Is Ferdinand's monument finished?"

"Homeowner!"

However, before Hu Xia and the others could speak, a shout suddenly came from outside the door.

Raven's face immediately lit up with surprise; he recognized Thor's voice instantly. Sure enough, the next moment, Thor burst in through the door, the first thing that caught his eye being Thor's handsome face. He had a striking Western face—yes, striking. A bit like Luigi, the one who shot the insurance CEO. Only Luigi was too thin, lacking Thor's strong and imposing presence. "Good boy!" Raven was overjoyed; he hadn't expected Thor to be alive—a truly blessed surprise. He quickly stood up and waved, "Come here!"

"Master!" After more than two months of recuperation, Thor had recovered. But his mood seemed different from Raven's at this moment. He knelt down, slid to Raven's side, and hugged Raven's legs, wailing, "Master!" "Thor is guilty!" "I'm sorry, Master!" "I'm sorry, Griffith!"

Raven laughed heartily and patted his head. "Good boy." "I know the whole story." "It's not your fault." "Get up."

He pulled Thor up, and the two embraced tightly.

“My lord.” “Ferdinand’s monument was completed 10 days ago.”

After Hu Xia and the other two separated and sat down, he began to report.

"Where's the manuscript?"

Raven asked.

Hu Xia had always been the army's secretary and clerk. Naturally, he was responsible for writing documents. Upon hearing this, Hu Xia handed the parchment to Lei Wen.

Raven glanced down at it. "A bit too much." "Remember," he said. "Anything in excess is bad, and it will only cause resentment." "I'll fix it myself in a bit." With that, Raven closed his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table, making a rhythmic sound. "Notify all the nobles, big and small, in the North Sea Province to come and commemorate Marshal Ferdinand with me." "Anyone who doesn't come will be punished for treason!"

Upon hearing this, Eric suddenly understood. The emotional tribute to Ferdinand was merely a pretext to summon the nobles of the North Sea Province.

The North Sea Province is not small, but for Raven, who has 3 dragons, 2 griffins, hundreds of wind king horned beasts, nearly 10,000 eaglemen, and 20,000 bat goblins, even the most remote minor nobles are no different from neighbors just a few steps away.

"I think we should leave this matter to Thor."

Thor immediately stood up, pounding his chest with his left hand. "Yes!" "Master!" "Your will will be fully carried out!"

Raven then asked for some more details.

Hu Xia, Eric, Hyena, Link, and others answered the questions one by one.

What surprised Raven the most was the logistics and provisions. The previously strained logistics, thanks to the support of Ferdinand's army and the plundering of the nobles of the North Sea, were not only solved but now overflowing with wealth. They were completely won.

Moreover, Raven commands an army exceeding 20. He could certainly rival Habsburg.

If he wants to attack the capital, he still needs to pass through two provinces: Samprons Province and Mantain Province.

However, Raven was already considering another path—the province of Samprons. Then he would head south towards Red Valley province, and then attack Slihag province. The reason he wanted to arrange things this way was that Slihag province was Prime Minister Hamilton's territory.

This man holds a very important position in the capital. If we can take over his territory, Habs will definitely not dare to make any rash moves.

"My lord," Eric suddenly said from the side, "the Insa Empire has already begun its invasion of Keynes. Blackwater and Silverpine provinces have fallen one after another. This is why the capital has been silent for the past two months." After all, normally, after Ferdinand's death, a large army should have been pressing in. "The Order of the Death Hand has also taken Eastwood province." "The orcs have annexed Derenti province." "The entire Keynes Empire is now engulfed in war, besieged on all sides."

"Were you waiting patiently for this opportunity?" Eric wondered.

"What?" Raven's face showed surprise. "Insa's offensive is so fierce? They've taken two provinces in just two months?" Blackwater Province is the second largest province after the capital. It's fallen so quickly?

“These are recording stones.” Eric hurriedly took out a few recording stones and handed them to Raven.

……

(End of this chapter)