Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
Guys, I have a request. I'm short on my college sem fees, and if you could donate, that would help me immensely!
paypal.me/Un1que01
I will gift everyone who donates a membership to my patreon equivalent to their donation. I will appreciate your help!
******
However, with its million-year cultivation, whether Dugu Yan could successfully absorb it was uncertain. He might have to devise a way to persuade it to willingly offer itself in sacrifice.
Otherwise, with her current abilities, Dugu Yan could undoubtedly absorb the soul ring of a fierce beast—but a divine beast's ring would pose serious risks.
Although Wang Li had the ability to revive others, he couldn't restore a million years of cultivation. Death and resurrection alone likely wouldn't sway the Deep Sea Devil Whale King.
…
In Heaven Dou City, after returning to the sect, Wang Li and Dugu Yan found they had indeed arrived earlier. Titan and Lou Gao had not yet reached the sect.
Wang Li briefly explained their early return: they had gone to the Star Dou Great Forest and flown back directly from there.
At the same time, Wang Li received some recent news from others.
It turned out that ever since the Spirit Hall's tournament to elect the new Seven Great Clans of the spirit master world had concluded, the newly appointed clans—under the support of Spirit Hall—began forcibly absorbing other sects and spirit master families, all under the pretense of establishing a new order.
They acted with extreme arrogance, using Spirit Hall's name to carry out lawless deeds. In a short time, their individual powers grew significantly.
Only a few forces remained unthreatened by them—such as the Four Element Academies, who had formed an alliance with Wang Li and were under his protection. These academies had been largely unaffected by recent upheavals.
The same was true for the Clear Sky Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. The core members of the Clear Sky Clan remained hidden deep in the mountains, while the remnants of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had taken refuge in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Despite the turmoil, and even after both empires issued warnings, the new Seven Great Clans remained unmoved.
Spirit Hall, backing them, showed complete disregard for the warnings. Bibi Dong was secretly planning a major move behind the scenes.
Wang Li understood this was merely the calm before the storm—just minor chaos before the true upheaval. The expansion of the Seven Great Clans was likely a tactic to aid Bibi Dong's eventual conquest of all kingdoms and duchies, diverting the empires' attention.
In any case, the true chaos had yet to arrive. Now was not the time for him to act. He wished to support the unification of the continent but didn't want to become its public enemy. The dirty work should be done by the villains; he had no intention of playing the role of a demon king to force humanity into unity against a common foe.
A few more days passed before Titan and Lou Gao finally arrived in Heaven Dou City. They were surprised, though not shocked, to learn that Wang Li and Dugu Yan had returned early.
Given Wang Li's status as a Titled Douluo, his flying speed far surpassed their pace by carriage.
Now, the blueprint of Wang Li's forces was essentially complete: a sect providing manpower and resources, an academy for nurturing talent, and Lou Gao handling research.
After arriving, Lou Gao didn't immediately begin studying the Peacock Plume, Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, or Storm Pear Blossom Needle. Realizing he lacked a solid foundation, he instead went to the Strength Clan's hidden weapon production line to build his knowledge from the ground up, studying this unique category of weapon step by step.
Wang Li also hurried to oversee the official procedures for founding his sect and establishing the academy. He didn't seek help from anyone, instead submitting a formal application through proper channels. The Heaven Dou Empire, wary of his status, dared not deliberately make things difficult.
After precise surveying, Wang Li purchased the selected mountain range and the vast lands at its base at the price of undeveloped land. From that moment, it became his private territory. Should any outsider dare trespass, his sect held enforcement rights even greater than the empire's own. In a feudal monarchy, such primitive and backward privileges were permitted.
Now, he had manpower, wealth, and land. The Royal Clan of Construction began work—sect and academy construction was officially underway.
While Wang Li focused on large-scale infrastructure, turbulence swept across the continent. In less than three months, the Seven Great Clans suddenly made a joint announcement.
For the better management of soul masters across the continent, they formally requested that Spirit Hall establish an empire, to ensure stability, peace, and facilitate soul master awakening and cultivation.
Initially, Bibi Dong did not respond directly. Instead, she issued a sweeping order—commanding all Spirit Halls across both empires to shut down, withdraw their personnel, and regroup at Spirit City.
Only then did she respond officially: Spirit Hall, as the holy land of soul masters, was willing to form an empire for the sake of the continent and soul masters alike.
At the same time, all subordinate kingdoms and duchies under the two great empires announced their surrender to Spirit Hall, relinquishing their lands, armies, and citizens.
In the Pope's Hall of Spirit City, Bibi Dong ascended to the throne, proclaiming herself Empress of the Spirit Empire—the first female monarch. She named Hu Liena as the Saintess and her imperial successor.
In this short span of time, a massive empire was born with Spirit City as its capital, encompassing all the lands of the former kingdoms and duchies beneath the two great empires.
This empire, now wedged between the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, was no smaller than either in territory.
Though it lacked comparable numbers in troops and civilians, it possessed an overwhelming advantage in soul master power.
After her coronation, Bibi Dong issued her first imperial decree: all soul masters on the continent must enter Spirit Empire territory and accept its rule, or be deemed heretics and eliminated.
Backed by Spirit Hall's vast influence and the control the Seven Great Clans wielded, Spirit Empire quickly claimed control over 70% of the continent's soul masters.
With this foundation, Bibi Dong swiftly took over the surrendered kingdoms and duchies—seizing their lands, armies, and people. Using ruthless methods, she purged dissenters, reorganized military forces, and, backed by enormous wealth, caused the Spirit Empire to flourish. Day by day, it grew stronger, casting a greedy eye north and south toward the two remaining empires.
Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace—
Emperor Xue Ye, already in declining health, nearly keeled over upon hearing the news. Ignoring protocol, he summoned the second elder of the Clear Sky Clan and Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to his chambers at once.
When the two arrived, Emperor Xue Ye's face was contorted with fury, yet his voice trembled with fear:
"I never imagined Spirit Hall would dare such boldness! As the sacred land of soul masters, they now meddle in secular power, founding the Spirit Empire and seizing all the kingdoms and duchies under my empire!"
"This is outright secession! They've taken half of the Heaven Dou Empire's territory. What a disgrace! I've failed the emperors who came before me!"
"This cannot go unanswered. My empire commands a million troops. The Clear Sky Clan can field five Titled Douluo, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has Sword and Bone Douluo. We must strike now—before Spirit Empire stabilizes and fully digests those territories. We can blitz Spirit City and eliminate Bibi Dong."
"Otherwise, once they consolidate power, they won't be easy to deal with. Gentlemen, I've thought this through. With the Heaven Dou royal family, Clear Sky Clan, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan united, we have a ninety percent chance of success."
But after his impassioned speech, both the Clear Sky Clan's second elder and Ning Fengzhi remained silent, offering no response. Neither wanted to risk their lives for the royal family. The plan was simply too dangerous. If it failed, there would be no second chance.
Seeing this, Emperor Xue Ye froze. These were the allies he had relied on. He could understand the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—crippled as they were—but the Clear Sky Clan had once vowed to provide five Titled Douluo in his empire's hour of need.
Suddenly, a realization struck him: had the Clear Sky Clan's promises all been lies?
Bitter and suffocating, the emperor felt his breath catch in his chest. His heart pounded in turmoil, and he could only think:
"Clear Sky Clan… a bunch of cowards. No wonder they hid away. My body, my empire… Heavens, what should I do…"
(End of Chapter)