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!
******
Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace!
Emperor Xue Ye suddenly seemed to age considerably. Based on his own understanding, he wanted to seize the moment—before the Spirit Empire could fully consolidate control over its newly acquired territory, armies, and citizens—to launch a swift strike on Spirit City and eliminate Bibi Dong.
However, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Clan and Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan remained silent and reluctant to offer support.
From their perspective, they had never regarded ordinary armies as true threats. They understood all too well how many powerful soul masters resided within Spirit City—especially the number of Titled Douluo. That was the kind of overwhelming force capable of bringing about complete annihilation.
Operating on entirely different planes of understanding, their views on the enemy diverged fundamentally.
At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye did not shout or vent his anger. He knew it was futile. Feeling his health deteriorate, he could only suppress his humiliation and ask:
"With the current situation and the Spirit Empire eyeing us covetously, what course should the Heaven Dou Empire take?"
At last, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Clan spoke, standing tall with unwavering confidence, making a solemn vow:
"Your Majesty, although the Spirit Empire has been founded, they do not yet possess the strength for a full-scale offensive. It will take them at least three to five years to muster that capability. If they truly dare to attack, we of the Clear Sky Clan will send forth our elite. Five Titled Douluo, along with numerous Contra- and Spirit Sage-level soul masters, will ensure that not a single enemy sets foot on Heaven Dou soil."
Even the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Clan had been deeply shaken by the sudden formation of the Spirit Empire. This was far more shocking than the reshuffling of the seven great sects within the soul master world.
They dared not confront Spirit Hall directly by aligning with the Heaven Dou army. However, if Spirit Hall truly launched an assault, they would be forced to respond.
They had retreated into the remote mountains to escape Spirit Hall's reach. Yet if Spirit Hall succeeded in unifying the continent and occupying the lands of the Heaven Dou Empire, then even hiding in the mountains would become meaningless.
Despite the Second Elder's impassioned and confident words, Emperor Xue Ye felt a surge of fury. These cowards from the Clear Sky Clan now dared to speak so boldly, yet earlier, when he had proposed a preemptive strike, they had remained completely silent.
If he didn't still need their support, Emperor Xue Ye would have unleashed a tirade upon these blowhards.
Suppressing his anger with effort, he felt as though his life had shortened by several days. Turning his gaze to Ning Fengzhi, he hoped the man would offer some practical strategy:
"Clan Master Ning, Spirit Hall's ambition is something I believe you are well aware of. If we do not strike first, must we simply watch as they grow stronger and eventually destroy us?"
Ning Fengzhi's expression was grim. He had initially believed that Spirit Hall only sought to dominate the soul master world. However, with the establishment of the Spirit Empire, it was clear their ambitions extended far beyond that—they sought to unify the entire continent.
Once Spirit Hall launched campaigns north and south, destroying both Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, there would be no place left for them on the continent.
He responded in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, the current situation is extremely unfavorable for us. That means we must exercise even greater caution. If we gamble everything and lose, there will be no coming back."
"Spirit Hall has already become so brazen. We must also accelerate our efforts—expand the army and intensify training. That is the bare minimum. In my view, the Empire must find ways—be it through wealth or titles—to recruit more soul masters unwilling to submit to Spirit Hall."
"Only by forming a true soul master legion can we stand a chance against the Spirit Empire. Otherwise, we cannot hope to resist Spirit Hall's vast and terrifying ranks of high-level soul masters."
Emperor Xue Ye's expression eased somewhat. Unlike the Second Elder, who only knew how to boast, Ning Fengzhi's proposals were at least somewhat practical.
After some thought, he addressed the two men before him:
"Second Elder, the five Titled Douluo your Clear Sky Clan promised—when will they actually be made available? Both I and the entire Heaven Dou Empire urgently need their presence."
"Clan Master Ning, I accept your proposal. Whether it takes wealth or noble titles, if the Heaven Dou Empire is destroyed, none of it will matter. After consulting with my ministers, I will develop a plan to begin recruiting soul masters across the Empire."
"At this moment, the Imperial House of Heaven Dou, the Clear Sky Clan, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan stand or fall together..."
After Emperor Xue Ye finished speaking, both the Second Elder and Ning Fengzhi acknowledged the truth in his final words.
Now, the Heaven Dou royal family, the Clear Sky Clan, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan were like grasshoppers on the same rope. Only by working together could they hope to weather the storm ahead.
---
From that day forward, the rusty old machine that was the Heaven Dou Empire began to creak and groan back into motion.
In the face of immense threat—and under pressure from the Clear Sky Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Emperor Xue Ye tore a piece of flesh from the powerful domestic nobles to lure and recruit soul masters within the Empire's borders.
Surprisingly, they really did manage to recruit some powerful soul masters. Due to the Spirit Empire's harsh decrees, soul masters across the continent were forced to make a choice: submit to the Spirit Empire's control or be branded heretics.
This allowed the Spirit Empire to command a vast number of soul masters, but it also caused a smaller group to develop deep resentment and opposition toward them.
Take, for example, the remnants of Shrek: Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, and others. After Yu Xiaogang's death, Liu Erlong buried his ashes at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Flender had also perished, and now Zhao Wuji and the rest found themselves lost, uncertain of their future.
Currently, the city of Soto on the Sunset Plains had already fallen under the Spirit Empire's rule. They couldn't even return to their old village to retire in peace.
At this time, with the Heaven Dou Empire recruiting soul masters, Liu Erlong—perhaps driven by a desire for revenge—joined up, and Zhao Wuji, along with Li Yusong and Lu Qibin, possibly motivated by the prospect of earning money for retirement or gaining noble titles, also enlisted together.
As for the Shrek Seven Devils, Oscar and Ning Rongrong had remained in the royal palace to train. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan reduced to so few members, Ning Fengzhi would never allow them to take risks or venture out recklessly.
Ma Hongjun, having lost his mentor Flender—whom he had once bowed to in respect—had little ambition left. He followed the other Shrek instructors and joined the military as well.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing—there was little to say about Dai Mubai. He had become completely absorbed in a life of indulgence, unable to extricate himself from taverns and clubs. Zhu Zhuqing, being from the Star Luo Empire, couldn't return home, nor could she serve in the Heaven Dou military. Now, she devoted her days to training, planning to one day wander the continent. Though her future was uncertain, at least she would have her freedom.
The sudden transformation of Spirit Hall into the Spirit Empire had sent shockwaves through the entire continent, affecting every individual.
Perhaps the only one untouched was Wang Li. He reassured his sect members, telling them not to worry—that sect affairs would proceed as usual.
After discussion, Dugu Bo—believing that his strength could no longer significantly improve—chose to remain outside to oversee the sect, while Wang Li and Dugu Yan returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to enter secluded cultivation.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
Dugu Yan had long planned to reach Rank 90 soul power as soon as possible, and with the recent upheaval, her desire for greater strength intensified. Upon returning, she immediately entered seclusion.
Wang Li stood alone in the valley. A gust of wind swept through, causing his long blue hair to flutter. A contemplative look appeared on his handsome face as he mused:
"The Spirit Empire has now risen. Aside from Tang San's absence, everything is proceeding according to the story. Although Bibi Dong has the greatest talent, the first to become a god should still be Qian Renxue."
"In that case, I need to hurry and raise my soul power. Ever since becoming a Titled Douluo, my cultivation speed has slowed to a crawl. If I rely on ordinary training to reach Peerless Douluo, who knows how many years—or decades—it would take..."
With this thought, Wang Li walked toward the spring at the heart of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and leapt straight in.
He was using experience points to cultivate, and this spring was the safest place for it. As he was enveloped by both the hot and cold springs—
Wang Li opened his status panel and officially began training. As his experience points were rapidly consumed, the soul power within him surged wildly, expanding and strengthening without pause.
Compared to cultivating on his own, this method was countless times faster. Yet, the soul power wasn't something conjured out of thin air. Wang Li could feel its circulation in his body. In other words, this was still his own cultivated soul power, allowing him to control it with ease.
After about seven days, Wang Li's soul power suddenly soared. He had successfully broken through from Rank 91 to Rank 92.
Seven days—from Rank 91 to Rank 92. If word of this got out, no Titled Douluo would believe it.
But this was happening for real. As the days passed, after about a month, Wang Li broke through to level 95 soul power.
Level 95, even for a Titled Douluo, was a significant bottleneck. If one couldn't break through, they remained a regular Titled Douluo. If they succeeded, they became a Super Douluo.
Take, for example, the Bone Douluo Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the Thunder Douluo Yu Yuan Zhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo of the Spirit Hall—all of them were stuck at level 95, unable to break through this bottleneck.
However, for Wang Li, there was no bottleneck at all. It was as though he was naturally breaking through, easily advancing from level 95 to level 96.
Yet, during this process, Wang Li truly sensed the transformation between level 95 and level 96 soul power.
It was a process of continuously compressing and purifying the soul power. After compression and purification, the soul power became more and more pure, pure like the energy of heaven and earth.
The energy of heaven and earth was mostly elemental, and simply compressing soul power wouldn't reach this level. Purification required resonance with the martial soul. After level 95, the increase in soul power could even enhance the martial soul. This was the reason.
Wang Li understood that Titled Douluo after level 95 became powerful not without reason. Even a Peerless Douluo at level 99 could harness some of the energy of heaven and earth in battle.
It was because their soul power had reached a certain level of purity, approaching the realm of heavenly energy, allowing them to tap into the power of the world.
Thinking about this, reaching level 100 and becoming a god meant refining one's soul power to the level of heavenly energy, touching certain rules and authority. This was also why divine power, pure like heavenly energy, existed.
In ordinary life, the energy of heaven and earth was chaotic. Cultivating soul power was like peeling back layers of silk, refining it to resemble a certain aspect of heavenly energy. Once this purity was achieved, one could touch the essence, which could be called rules.
After realizing all this, Wang Li paid even closer attention to the fluctuations in his soul power, grasping every subtle change and pondering fleeting moments of insight.
Another month passed, and Wang Li had reached level 99 soul power. In just two months, he had gone from being a beginner Titled Douluo to a Peerless Douluo. Normally, this would be the peak of a soul master's journey.
But for Wang Li, this might not be the case. The soul power in his body was still circulating, compressing, purifying, and changing...
Wang Li wanted to see if reaching level 100 and becoming a god really was that difficult. Simply cultivating wouldn't be enough to break through. Then, at a certain moment, time came!
Boom! Boom!
Wang Li's soul power underwent a qualitative transformation. His soul power had reached level 100. It might not be appropriate to call it just soul power—by this stage, his soul power had reached the level of divine power. With the consumption of 9 million experience points, he broke through from level 91 to level 100. The 40 million experience points he accumulated in the extreme north had been consumed, nearly reaching 10 million.
Wang Li then opened his eyes, his blue pupils flashing with divine light, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face:
"The Blue Silver soul power within me, my unique Blue Silver soul power, has definitely reached the level of life soul power, or even life divine power. Life... If I want, I can begin to comprehend the Dao of Life in the world and become a deity related to life."
"However, the Dao of Life already has a Life Goddess. If I try to comprehend it, not only will the Life Goddess detect me, but either she must die, or she must pass on her divine position to me. Otherwise, I can't become the God of Life. I'll only be a deity related to life, at most a secondary god, or a first-tier god, but not a god king."
"It's a bit troublesome. If I want to create my own divine position, I'll have to take a different path. With level 100 soul power, I can now easily hunt a soul beast and absorb its soul ring. I could even become a god, but that would probably make me a mere divine minister, not even a third-tier god."
"Right now, I don't have a divine position, no exclusive Dao, rules, or authority. Creating my own divine ring to absorb a soul beast's soul ring would be a surefire way to ruin my future."
When Wang Li captured the Dark Devilgod Tiger, he had indeed considered studying it. But as his soul power advanced from level 91 to level 99, and then from level 99 to level 100, the transformative process had enlightened him to the key to becoming a god.
At this moment, Wang Li stretched lazily and moved his limbs, carefully feeling the surging soul power within him.
Wang Li was absolutely confident that with his soul power, now comparable to divine power, along with the additions of his 100,000-year soul rings and soul bones, he had the strength to battle against a god.
Unless facing a first-tier god or a god king, he would be hard-pressed to resist. The key was that he didn't have his own divine ring. Divine rings that were acquired later didn't count. Only the ones formed naturally, from birth, would count. Standing on the path of Dao, rules, and authority was the only way to truly look down upon everything.
Although gods in the Douluo world weren't particularly impressive, they still grasped the Dao, rules, and authority. It's just that the world of Douluo was somewhat lacking, so the rules were also flawed.
(End of Chapter)