Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

After interrogating Lei Wende, Lu Chen left the prison and went directly to the arsenal to inspect the current production status of the rune weapons.

When Lu Chen appeared at the arsenal, Li Yu, who was in charge of manufacturing rune weapons, quickly came out to greet him. Lu Chen had originally entrusted the rune weapons to the Mo Xing and his brother.

However, there is a rather troublesome aspect to rune weapons: the ability to inscribe runes requires at least the Grandmaster level, and the Mo brothers do not currently possess such strength, nor do the craftsmen under their command meet this requirement.

Ultimately, Lu Chen entrusted this task to Li Yu of Luoyang Academy, instructing Li Yu to lead two academies' Grandmaster-level experts with the talent to inscribe runes to produce rune-inscribed weapons.

Upon seeing Lu Chen, Li Yu immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

Lu Chen nodded slightly. "No need for formalities."

"How's the production progress of the rune weapon?"

Li Yu replied, "Two thousand talismanic firearms and thirty talismanic cannons have been manufactured."

Lu Chen asked, "Has the power of the rune cannon been tested?"

Li Yu replied, "It has been tested, and its power is immense. If it were to hit a Celestial Being head-on, even that being might not be able to withstand it."

Lu Chen said calmly, "Even among celestial beings, there are differences in strength."

Li Yu said, "Your Majesty is right, but the power is indeed quite great. Your Majesty can test the cannon yourself."

Lu Chen said, "Then let's go, let me see just how powerful the cannons you've made really are."

Li Yu immediately made a gesture of invitation, "Your Majesty, please follow me."

Soon, Li Yu led Lu Chen to the testing site, where several cannons were already in place.

One of the cannons was covered in golden runes, making it look unique, and there was also a golden rune-inscribed musket next to it.

Lu Chen asked, "The materials used to make this cannon seem different?"

Li Yu replied, "Your Majesty, the materials used in the construction of this cannon are the same as those used in other cannons. The only difference is that to stabilize the cannon body, we added some special substances that were brought back from Fengyin Island to the exterior of this cannon."

"It's the material that the Great Xia Dynasty used to make the Cloud Piercing Bow and Cloud Piercing Arrow."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen pondered for a moment. This substance was rather special; if it could be used on rune weapons, it could indeed make them more robust. However…

Lu Chen then continued, "This material isn't easy to dissolve, is it?"

Li Yu replied, "Yes, we specifically sent people to dissolve this material, but so far, only two cannons and ten muskets have been coated with this material."

Without much thought, Lu Chen immediately went to the cannon and said to the soldier, "Load the cannon, I'll test it myself."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The soldiers immediately sprang into action, loading shells into the cannons. Then, Lu Chen placed his hand behind the cannons and infused them with spiritual energy.

As spiritual energy was channeled into it, the golden runes on the cannon's surface emitted a blue light. As the blue light drew closer to the muzzle, the rune cannon roared, and the ground sank into the ground.

After the shell flew out, it took a long time to land in the forest. Not long after, a huge mushroom cloud rose from the distance.

This……

Lu Chen was stunned when he saw the mushroom cloud. Was this a rune cannon?

It felt like a nuclear weapon. As the mushroom cloud rose, the test site was blasted into a huge pool. Then, the shockwave swept towards Lu Chen and his group. Fortunately, they were far enough away, otherwise some of the lower-level soldiers would probably have been blown away.

Under the sweeping shockwave, some ordinary soldiers couldn't even stand up straight, and they quickly grabbed onto the big trees next to them.

After the explosion subsided, Lu Chen said, "Hmm, the effect was very good. You did a great job!"

Li Yu said excitedly, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

To receive praise from the Xia Emperor was an immense honor.

Lu Chen estimated the power of the cannon; killing a tenth-level Celestial Realm cultivator with a single shot would not be a problem at all. Celestial Realm cultivators are just ordinary cultivators in the cultivation world, so they naturally cannot withstand the power of this weapon, which is close to that of a low-yield nuclear weapon.

At this moment, Lu Chen's lips curled up slightly. After the restrictions on the Mist World disappeared, when the invaders from the Mist World came and saw these cannons, he wondered if they would be particularly surprised.

They will definitely be very happy with this gift!

Lu Chen then picked up the golden rune-inscribed musket, quickly loaded it with bullets, and aimed it at the distant woods.

Infuse spiritual power and pull the trigger!

gang...

A loud bang rang out, followed by a blue bullet that flew out and exploded after traveling a certain distance, with a power no less than that of a Dao Integration stage cultivator self-destructing.

Such power is already enough to severely injure a Celestial Being; if a few more shots were fired, killing a Celestial Being would be no problem at all.

Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction again, then said, "Good, good, good!"

At this moment, Lu Chen seemed to already see the group of invaders in the misty world scrambling for their lives.

……

The Qian Yuan World.

The Imperial Palace of the Divine Martial Dynasty.

The imperial palace of the Divine Martial Dynasty was magnificent and grand, covering nearly 100,000 square kilometers. Inside the palace, it was resplendent with gold and jade, and adorned with carved beams and painted rafters.

Above the imperial palace, a huge palace floats, and inside this palace lives the Divine Martial Emperor, feared by all corners of the world.

Ten thousand years ago, the Divine Martial Emperor conquered various worlds, destroying countless dynasties and worlds. Now, countless worlds bow down to the Divine Martial Dynasty.

However, at the peak of Emperor Shenwu's power, he suddenly stopped his conquests and returned directly to the Qian Yuan World, where he stayed in the palace.

To be precise, he has been staying in the palace in the sky all this time. He has stopped dealing with state affairs and is focused on cultivation. He has handed over all the political affairs to a woman, who is now his empress.

At this moment.

In a courtyard of a celestial palace, amidst flowing water and fragrant flowers, a burly man, about three meters tall, sat in a pavilion meditating and cultivating.

The next moment, a dark figure appeared outside the pavilion.

Sensing someone's presence, the man asked, "How did the trial go?"

The figure in black immediately replied, "Your Majesty, except for the Ninth Prince, all the princes' trials have concluded!"

Upon hearing this, the Divine Martial Emperor seemed completely unsurprised, and calmly stated, "Trash is trash."

At this point, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "I remember his soul orb was placed in a low-level world, so why hasn't he completed the trial yet?"

The shadowy figure replied, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince seems to be indulging in women and neglecting his cultivation, which is why his trials are still ongoing." (End of Chapter)