Chapter 200: "It’s All the Same, I Don’t Care"
"Heh, the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, has rebelled? Xu Jiawei, oh Xu Jiawei… from this day forward, whether he succeeds or fails, you will forever be a laughingstock…"
In the imperial palace of the Heavenly Soul Empire's capital, Tian Dou City—
The Heavenly Soul Emperor stroked his beard and smiled with narrowed eyes.
To the surrounding neighboring nations, of course, none were willing to see the Star Luo Empire grow strong and united. Regardless of whether the deteriorating relations with the Dou Ling Empire in recent years were due to Star Luo's interference, simply having a powerful neighbor didn't align with the Heavenly Soul Empire's interests.
Everyone understood the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold," but whether or not the Star Luo Empire was divided had nothing to do with them.
Ever since the White Tiger Duke's defensive line was broken, and the Sun Moon Empire demonstrated the terrifying advantages of soul tools on their territory, Star Luo had already become a joke—only the other two nations couldn't laugh, nor dared to. After all, in truth, they were even weaker than Xing Dou…
So, the emperor had never expected Star Luo to hold the Ming Dou Mountain Range against the Sun Moon Empire. The Heavenly Soul Empire's true backing was the Shrek Academy, located at the center of the three nations, and the Body Sect that was deeply aligned with them.
The Heavenly Soul Emperor was confident: even if the Sun Moon Empire truly invaded, it would be a battle at Star Luo's imperial capital. The front lines would never stretch into the Heavenly Soul Empire.
"Father, are we really going to recognize it?" Mu Xue asked hesitantly.
"Recognize it!" the Heavenly Soul Emperor said firmly. "Xue'er, I know what you're worried about—if the White Tiger Duke establishes his own nation, will he ally with the Sun Moon Empire, leading us to directly face them ourselves? Since our southern city of Maple Leaf borders his rebellious provinces. But just yesterday, I already sent a strong expert to 'assist' the White Tiger Duke in resisting the Sun Moon Empire. I believe the Dou Ling Empire and even Shrek Academy won't miss such an opportunity."
"In other words, whether or not the Star Luo Empire accepts it, whether or not the White Tiger Duke can stop it—ever since he rebelled, the entire White Tiger Province has become the first line of defense for the three nations and Shrek Academy against the Sun Moon Empire. He is a puppet, a chess piece, and it is a path Dai Hao chose for himself…"
"Before, that land was part of the Star Luo Empire—other countries had no reason to interfere. After all, Dai Hao guarded it, and interfering would've been tantamount to declaring war on Star Luo. But now… heh, what does any of that have to do with Xu Jiawei?"
The Heavenly Soul Emperor clasped his hands behind his back.
He was beaming with joy.
"Which expert did you send?" Mu Xue asked curiously, realizing what was going on.
"The Royal Family's Second Offering—Elder Tian," the emperor replied.
"A Rank-94 titled Douluo, just one step away from reaching Super Douluo. And after consulting me yesterday, the Body Sect's sect master, Du Busi, also dispatched one Super Douluo, three Titled Douluo, and nearly ten Soul Douluos."
His voice was calm and steady.
He looked at the large wall map covering half the hall, slowly circling the White Tiger Duke's province with his finger, and grinned. "Heaven-sent opportunity!"
Mu Xue stayed beside the emperor, quietly observing the map.
When it came to major decisions, the older generation still had more experience. She chose to watch and learn, rather than forcefully assert her importance with misguided suggestions.
"But Father, about that matter…" Mu Xue hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"…" The emperor said nothing, but his face gradually darkened.
A pale green soul force began to ripple around him.
Not long ago, after Mu Xue's return, Veena couldn't suppress her anger and had furiously reported the matter to the emperor.
Once he confirmed a few key pieces of information, the Heavenly Soul Emperor was instantly enraged.
How could he not be?
It was a perpetual wound of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Such a powerful empire had been bizarrely split in two, its strength drastically diminished, to the point that even the Star Luo Empire could bully it from time to time.
All Heavenly Soul citizens yearned for their former glory—but they all knew deep down: those days were gone for good…
What made it worse was that the one responsible for it all was the same person they had built statues of throughout the land, whom their citizens revered, whose poems and stories were praised across the nation.
Even the imperial family—the Heavenly Soul royalty—regarded him as an ancestor!
"So, Father… is it true?" Mu Xue asked with sadness in her voice.
"…" The Heavenly Soul Emperor slowly closed his eyes and nodded.
There were secrets that only passed down between emperors—not even princes and princesses were ever told.
After all, the split between the two empires had always been full of mysteries.
Generations of emperors had sent enforcers to investigate the matter in secret. And although in five thousand years there was little hard evidence, through subtle clues and fragments, they had pieced together one likely truth:
Tang San, for his own selfish desires, had severed the Heaven Dou Dragon Vein!
"Five thousand years ago, the two empires were about to unify. The Dou Ling ruler at the time was even willing to set the capital in Tian Dou City and relinquish military power. The two royal families were to become one. But on the night of the wedding banquet… Dou Ling's most beloved princess was beaten to death by a prince of the Heavenly Soul Empire. That night was both the banquet and their wedding."
The emperor's tone was low and heavy.
"At the time, the Star Luo Empire didn't have the power to orchestrate something so cleanly. After all, within the palace were Soul Masters from both empires—including nearly ten Titled Douluo and one Rank-98 Super Douluo…"
"And the Sun Moon Empire hadn't yet merged with the continent—they were still far across the ocean."
"So you mean…" Mu Xue said in shock.
"If not divine intervention—then it must have been Shrek!!!" the Heavenly Soul Emperor said, enunciating every word.
…
"Don't worry about him."
Xu Cheng smiled.
Seeing Nana still confused, he explained, "Ever since he chose to rebel, he only had two paths. One: surrender to the Sun Moon Empire and willingly submit. But that's basically impossible. After all, everything happened because of Juzi. Unless I really handed her over, there's no chance. The second: draw the other three nations to station troops in White Tiger Province, under the pretense of resisting the Sun Moon Empire. But in truth… it's to stop Xu Jiawei from taking it back."
"We're closer to him than anyone else, yet we only received the news this morning. That alone tells us which path he chose."
"Should we do anything?" Nana asked thoughtfully.
"This temporary alliance in the Ming Dou Mountain Range will mark the most difficult period in history for us to break through. Inform Qing Yi—not to mobilize troops for now. Especially pass this on to Juzi—her last chance to earn merit in that way is gone. She needs to settle down in the army, stay quiet for a while, and not act rashly…"
Xu Cheng tapped his fingers gently on the table and closed his eyes.
"The strongest, huh?" Nana bit her lip, her expression tense. "Them joining forces this early… will it affect your plan?"
"Heh, 'strongest' refers to the most forces they could gather during peacetime throughout history. But to me—it's all the same."
Xu Cheng pinched Nana's cheek playfully and said softly, "I don't care…"
"The iron tide of the Sun Moon Empire will easily flatten that place, just like it did four thousand years ago. The only difference is, this time, Shrek Academy won't have the chance to rally the world under one banner. The mechanical flood will roll over every inch of this continent… and then, a new order will rise."
He stood up, slowly walking to the window—
Looking out over the massive city where soul technology was becoming ever more widespread.
"It's almost time…"
-----------------------
What's there to be afraid of? This marshal shall name the nation the Star Luo Empire. If my ancestor hadn't abdicated thousands of years ago, what business would the Xu family have now?" The White Tiger Duke snorted coldly.
"This…" Du Leisi said helplessly.They had just launched a rebellion, giving the other side no time to react, and immediately declared independence and even planned to rename the White Tiger Province as the Star Luo Empire?
Once Xu Jiawei finds out, if he doesn't cough up three liters of blood, he must have incredible composure.
The most ridiculous part is that all Star Luo citizens knew—four thousand years ago, the ruling bloodline of this nation was indeed the White Tiger lineage…
Now that there are two empires both called Star Luo, then one must be real, and the other fake, right?
"The High Priest of the Worship Hall has unfathomable strength. You—"
Du Leisi tried to offer a word of caution, but was interrupted by an aged voice: "If he dares come, our Body Sect will ensure he never returns!"
A dark green soul power spread throughout the military tent. Poison Undying sat calmly on one side, accompanied by four elders, each with a profound aura—at least Title Douluo-level.
"I, the Emperor, thank Elder Du for your support," Dai Hao bowed respectfully.
"You also have the support of the Douling Empire." A man in a black robe slowly revealed himself.
"A Super Douluo? Didn't expect the Douling Emperor to be so generous. Aren't you afraid of never coming back?" Poison Undying grinned.
"With Senior Du here, the Sun-Moon Empire won't break through," the black-robed man smiled faintly.
"You better be talking about the Sun-Moon Empire." Poison Undying sipped his tea calmly.
"I wouldn't dare…" The man bowed slightly, his tone light, clearly enjoying watching the Star Luo side suffer.
As more powerful figures revealed themselves one by one,the oppressive atmosphere inside the military tent grew so heavy that even Du Leisi, a Spirit Saint, broke out in a cold sweat and struggled to breathe.
"I heard Xu Jiawei sent two Title Douluo—Cheng Gang and Huang Jinxu—to suppress the rebellion?" A voice broke the silence within the tent.
"Where did you hear that?" Poison Undying asked in surprise.
"I happened to pass through the northern region and saw them mobilizing troops. Judging by the pace, it'll take them at least half a month to arrive." The hidden sect expert grinned.
"They sure are taking their time…" Another expert scoffed.
"That Xu Jiawei is quite clever—not the 'incompetent tyrant' the rumors describe. This so-called troop mobilization is likely just a stalling tactic. After all, sending those two directly would be sending them to their deaths. Maybe he knew from the start that this region was already lost." A white-haired old woman chuckled.
"…"
Everyone began discussing, the atmosphere surprisingly harmonious.
But Poison Undying slowly said, "Now then, let us discuss how to defend against the Sun-Moon Empire. During peacetime, the number of stationed troops is inherently limited…"
Instantly, the harmonious mood dissolved into a dead silence.
"You people from Lingniao Sect should just return to the Heaven Soul Empire. We have enough here to hold the front."
"Bah, you old rhino. Wishful thinking! If we leave now, are we just going to let you reap all the benefits?"
"If you ask me, let's divide the land fairly."
"Bullshit! Divide what? Who decides the division? You?"
"…"
The harmonious mood exploded into chaos.
Only Poison Undying and the Douling Empire representative remained silent.
They had come to garrison the land. As for the 'cake' to divide... They had already booked the biggest slice—no one dared challenge them.
As for the hidden sect experts, most were Spirit Douluo, with few Title Douluo among them. Since they couldn't secure long-term benefits, they could only grab what they could now and leave.
After all, this place bordered the Sun-Moon Empire. Even if someone gave you land to establish a sect and recruit disciples, would you dare accept? You might be wiped out the very next day by a Sun-Moon raid. Especially since Juzi's recent military record was still fresh in everyone's minds.
"Gentlemen, I thank you all for your aid. But since I've only just founded this nation, the treasury is empty. I cannot offer much in return. As for how the rewards should be divided, I'll leave that to your discussions…" Dai Hao brushed off a bunch of nobodies with a few words.
After they left, he turned his gaze to the two real predators.
"Senior Du, may I ask—what does your Body Sect hope to gain?"
"We'll send our sect's experts and disciples to help Marshal Dai guard both fronts—the Sun-Moon and Star Luo sides. As for our reward… we don't want land. We simply ask for two things: First, an annual payment of 25 million gold soul coins. Second, permission to establish our sect here with official endorsement."
Poison Undying grinned.
"Twenty-five million!!" Dai Hao's eyes widened.
What does 25 million gold soul coins per year mean? Even the Star Luo imperial capital, Star Luo City, only generates about 60 million per year!
As for the White Tiger Province—thanks to war profiteering at the border, its income was the second highest in the empire after the capital—still only around 30 million!
Just one Body Sect wants to take nearly two-thirds of that?
How would he support the military?
What about the promised rewards for his soldiers?
"We of the Body Sect are not freeloaders. If the Sun-Moon Empire becomes difficult to deal with, I will personally step in. Think it through, White Tiger Duke. It's actually a good deal." Poison Undying smiled.
"No, I suppose I should now call you—Your Majesty of Star Luo…"
"…"
Dai Hao clenched his fists, then slowly relaxed.
He was furious at Poison Undying's opportunism—but helpless.
Without the Body Sect's support, he couldn't even defend against Star Luo, let alone the Sun-Moon Empire.
He could only compromise!
"Marshal Dai, we of the Douling Empire ask for little—just seven million gold soul coins annually and permission to recruit students. What do you think…"
"This Star Luo—Body Sect is enough." Dai Hao sneered.
Let the dogs fight it out!
The black-robed man's tone turned cold: "Marshal Dai, are you sure about that?"
"Hmph, at most your Douling Empire can send one or two Title Douluo, and you're still worried your capital will be left unguarded. And you want a piece of my pie?!!" Dai Hao finally snapped.
(End of Chapter)