Douluo Continent: Copying Ya Li, the Carefree King of the Sun and Moon

After the abdication edict was read aloud, Luo Xu immediately changed the scroll and loudly recited the enthronement edict.

"...The carefree Prince Yan Li, blessed with divine beauty and virtue that extends to all living beings, now, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people, ascends the throne. The reign title is changed to Yong'an, and a general amnesty is granted..."

As the solemn official pronouncements reached his ears, Xu Yanli felt a strange sense of disorientation wash over him.

In a daze, he seemed to see himself seven years ago.

At that time, he was only twelve years old. He was in the Martial Soul Awakening Room of the Sun Moon Empire, standing between six black stones, with the phantom of an angel behind him and the glory of the sun and moon flowing in his palm.

At that time, he struggled to survive, taking each step with caution, barely managing to stand firm in the cracks, never daring to hope that one day he could wear the supreme imperial robes and ascend to the highest position in the world.

As the imperial edict of ascension was issued, Luo Xu bowed and stepped aside.

The hall fell silent for a moment, then resounded with the deafening sound of worship.

All the civil and military officials knelt down and performed the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The shouts pierced through the main hall, crossed the palace walls, swept across the entire imperial palace, and finally resounded throughout the entire Star Luo City. Palace servants inside the palace, imperial guards outside, and the people of the city knelt in layers of worship, their shouts rising and falling like a mighty tide, echoing between heaven and earth.

Xu Yanli stood before the dragon throne, not immediately ordering anyone to rise.

He stood quietly, letting the officials kneel on the ground, letting their foreheads touch the cold gold bricks, and letting the hard stone surface rub against their knees.

The echoes of the thunderous roar still reverberate among the beams and pillars of the palace, ancient and profound.

After a moment, he slowly spoke.

His voice was clear and calm, steadily reaching everyone's ears with great penetrating power: "I know that some of you are not convinced."

There was no anger, no intimidation, just a straightforward statement of the truth.

Many of the court officials kneeling below stiffened slightly, their hearts tightening suddenly.

Xu Yanli continued in a calm tone, "I have never intended for you to truly submit."

"I sit on this dragon throne not because of your support, nor because of public opinion. Whether you are convinced in your hearts, harbor resentment in secret, or even curse me behind my back, I don't care at all."

His gaze slowly swept over the group of lowered heads, his eyes cold and indifferent.

"But there are only two things I care about."

The air in the hall suddenly froze, and everyone held their breath, not daring to breathe too heavily.

"I want this continent to be completely unified, and for all the people to live in peace and prosperity, free from war and displacement. I want to eliminate all evil and bring peace to all chaos, leaving no one behind, and ensuring that all new policies are implemented."

His voice softened slightly, yet carried an undeniable resolve:

"As for your petty, despicable schemes, I have no interest in prying into them. But you'd better remember this..."

He slowly raised his right hand, and a point of chaotic divine light quietly condensed at his fingertips.

The point of light was small, only the size of a thumb, and gleamed with a warm, eerie glow under the bright candlelight. But the instant this divine light appeared, the temperature in the entire hall plummeted, and a bone-chilling cold swept through the room.

The kneeling civil and military officials all shivered, many of them shaking uncontrollably as fear grew wildly in their hearts.

This is not a suppression of soul power, but an instinctive awe of a level that crushes the dimension.

"I am able to sit here not because of some empty mandate of heaven, nor because of your refusal."

Xu Yanli gently pinched his fingertips, and the ball of chaotic divine light shattered instantly, turning into countless tiny specks of light that drifted down and landed on everyone's shoulders, hair, and the backs of their hands.

"I ascended to the throne for only one reason: I am stronger than all of you."

The moment the light struck, many court officials groaned, their bodies trembling violently. Several collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen, and cold sweat instantly soaked through their court robes.

There was no attack, no punishment.

His remaining power alone was enough to instill a deep-seated fear in these ordinary court officials.

"So don't try anything funny in front of me."

A simple warning, delivered lightly, is more effective than any form of torture.

Xu Yanli withdrew his hand, turned around, and sat down on the dragon throne, leaning back lazily and casually crossing his legs. The jade beads on his crown swayed gently, the light and shadow flickering, highlighting his cold and arrogant expression.

"My patience has never been much."

The entire hall was deathly silent.

No one in the entire court dared to make a move, and no one dared to speak out.

The resentment, bitterness, and selfish scheming that had been hidden in everyone's eyes were now completely crushed and vanished by extreme fear.

Xu Jiawei, seated to the side, watched this scene of overwhelming power, his face ashen like a weathered stone. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but his throat was dry and congested, only managing a weak, breathy sound like a broken bellows, devoid of any imperial demeanor.

"Flat body."

As soon as the two words were uttered, the kneeling crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They hurriedly stood up, hands clasped at their sides, heads bowed even lower, bodies stiff, not daring to make the slightest move.

Xu Yanli leaned lazily against the dragon throne, his gaze casually sweeping over the crowd below.

He knew it perfectly well.

Among this group were traitors who had abandoned the princess and kicked her when she was down; accomplices who had secretly participated in the assassination attempt on him; treacherous officials who colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult and wreaked havoc on the court; and hypocrites who appeared obsequious and ingratiating but secretly slandered and cursed him as a bastard.

He remembered everyone and everything.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

Old scores don't have to be settled all at once; the wicked can be dealt with gradually, and grudges can be resolved slowly.

This coronation ceremony is far from over.

The following procedures were tedious and exhausting. Offering sacrifices to Heaven, reporting to the temple, issuing edicts, and hosting banquets—a complete set of procedures was carried out from beginning to end, taking from dawn until afternoon.

Xu Yanli sat upright on the dragon throne, his expression calm and composed throughout the entire ceremony, showing neither joy nor fatigue.

On the contrary, the officials below suffered greatly, especially the elderly ministers. They had to kneel and stand up repeatedly, and their knees were already swollen, painful and numb, but no one dared to complain. They could only grit their teeth and endure it.

In the afternoon, all the tedious rituals finally came to an end.

All the officials left the court, leaving only Xu Yanli and a few personal eunuchs in the empty hall.

He leaned back on the dragon throne, his eyes slightly closed, his fingertips gently tapping the armrests in a slow and languid rhythm.

Chapter 201 After Duke White Tiger dies, quietly kill Xu Jiawei.

Before long, Luo Xu walked quickly into the hall, leaned down and whispered a few words in his ear.

Xu Yanli slowly opened his eyes.

"Bring it up."

Luo Xu accepted the order and withdrew. A moment later, several imperial guards escorted six court officials into the main hall.

The leader was an elderly, gray-haired official of the third rank, dressed in neat court robes, his back straight, his face showing no fear, only a stubborn resignation. The five men behind him were all mid-level officials of considerable rank, but at this moment, their faces were ashen, their heads hanging low, not daring to look directly at the emperor.

"Your Majesty!"

The guard gave a low shout and kicked the old man in the back of the knee.

The old man groaned, his knee slamming heavily onto the gold-brick floor. The pain was excruciating, but he still stubbornly refused to bend over, his neck stiffening as he stared at the ground, refusing to yield.

Xu Yanli looked at the old man and suddenly smiled slightly.

His smile was faint, with only the corners of his lips slightly upturned, but his cold eyes held no warmth whatsoever.

"Grand Secretary Zhang," he said casually, as if chatting about everyday matters, "I've heard that you've been secretly colluding with court officials to slander me, calling me a bastard?"

The old man's body suddenly stiffened, and his blood almost froze.

The other five people behind him instantly turned pale, their legs went weak, and they almost collapsed to the ground, filled with endless panic.

“That’s not all.” Xu Yanli continued to tap the armrest lightly with his fingertips, his tone calm and even. “I also discovered that you secretly contacted the remnants of the Heavenly Soul Empire, intending to take advantage of the fact that my new dynasty is newly established and its foundation is not yet stable, to overthrow the Star Luo New Dynasty from within and without.”

The old man's lips trembled violently, his face turned from ashen to deathly pale, and finally ashen like withered tree bark.

He wanted to explain, to beg for mercy, to prove his innocence, but when he met Xu Yanli's calm, all-knowing eyes, all his words got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Because all of these things, every single one of them, are true.

"Yesterday, during the meeting in the side hall, I gave everyone a chance." Xu Yanli withdrew his gaze, looked at the clear sky outside the hall, and said in a tone that revealed no emotion. "I asked in public whether anyone, inside or outside the court, still had any objections."

"At that time you remained silent, tacitly submitting."

He lowered his eyes slightly, looked back at the old man who was slumped on the ground, and said calmly, "It seems that I overestimated your bottom line."

The old man completely broke down.

He suddenly bent down and kowtowed fiercely, his forehead slamming heavily against the gold brick. Blood flowed quickly from the blows, and his hoarse pleas for mercy were broken: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This old minister was confused for a moment! I was bewitched! I beg Your Majesty to have mercy! Spare this old minister's life!"

Xu Yanli didn't bother to look at him again.

His gaze swept over the five officials behind him, who were already terrified out of their wits, some even losing control of their bladders and lying on the ground in a sorry state, but his eyes remained completely unmoved.

“Let’s drag this out. Since they’re so attached to the past, let’s deal with them strictly according to the old laws.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards stepped forward and dragged the six people out of the main hall as if they were dead objects.

The heart-wrenching cries, pleas for mercy, wails, and curses intertwined and echoed in the hall for a moment before disappearing completely with the departing figures.

The hall returned to silence.

The lingering odor in the air, mixed with candle smoke, made the atmosphere somewhat stuffy. Luo Xu quickly ordered the windows to be opened for ventilation and incense to be burned to purify the air. After a flurry of activity, the foul air in the hall was finally dispelled.

Xu Yanli remained seated on the dragon throne, eyes closed in meditation, the rhythm of his fingertips tapping the armrests unchanged, as if the punishment just now was nothing more than a trivial matter.

After a moment, he suddenly spoke up: "Have all the Princess's former subordinates been settled?"

Luo Xu immediately composed himself and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, all have been settled. The 372 former subordinates of the Eldest Princess have been settled separately with their families. Their residences, salaries, and duties have all been properly implemented in accordance with the regulations previously formulated by Your Majesty."

He paused, then added softly, "Several veteran generals asked me to convey to Your Majesty that their lives were saved by the Princess, and they will be forever grateful. Now that they have witnessed Your Majesty's ascension to the throne, they have no regrets. In the future, whenever Your Majesty needs them, even if they are old and frail, they are willing to don their armor and go into battle to defend our country to the death."

Xu Yanli remained silent for a moment, a slight thought stirring in his heart, and his tone softened: "Tell them for me to live out the rest of their lives in peace."

"Past favors and entanglements need not be repaid by them. My empire will be protected by me."

Luo Xu lowered his head in response, his eyes quietly reddening.

At that moment, the communication soul tool at Xu Yanli's waist suddenly began to vibrate wildly.

Unlike the slight vibrations of everyday communication, it was a rapid, violent, and urgent series of tremors with tremendous force, which made my waist numb.

The few remaining eunuchs in the hall were instantly terrified and fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.