Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

"The reason why the Soul Masters of the Spirit Empire can accept this is because Her Majesty the Empress's iron-fisted suppression and the Venerable One's absolute military power have forcibly suppressed this discontent. But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Xu Hong looked in the direction of Heaven Dou City.

"But here, in these two great empires, the old rules still exist, and the sense of superiority among Soul Masters still exists. When you come to promote the fairness of the Spirit Empire, they hear you as robbers trying to steal their privileges!"

Ning Rongrong was stunned. She had lived in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School since she was a child and was the little princess of the school. Later, she followed Xuanming and came into contact with the power struggles at the top of the continent. She really didn't have a deep understanding of the subtle mentality of the lower and middle level soul masters.

"So... all our propaganda along the way not only failed to sway them, but actually made them even more resistant to the Spirit Empire?" Xiao Wu said somewhat dejectedly.

“Yes.” Xu Hong nodded affirmatively. “They do not support the imperial power of the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire. They support the old order that can bring them privileges! Any force that tries to change this order is their enemy.”

“But the Empress should have known this would happen,” Ning Rongrong said, even more confused. “Why did she have us do the publicity? Isn’t this counterproductive?”

A glint of light flashed in Xu Hong's cloudy eyes. He stroked his beard and said slowly, "I suspect that what Her Majesty the Empress wants might be exactly the opposite of what she intended."

"It's better to address the root cause than to try to stop the boiling water by adding more water." Xu Hong's voice deepened. "The Martial Soul Empire possesses two unparalleled powerhouses, His Excellency Xuanming and Her Majesty the Empress. They have absolute military power to suppress everything. Implementing ordinary policies, like slowly boiling a frog in water, will only allow dissenting voices to be suppressed, becoming a hidden danger for the empire."

"And now, through your high-profile publicity, you have laid bare the aspects of the new policy that most affect the interests of Soul Masters." Xu Hong looked out the window at the Soul Masters who were indignant because their interests had been harmed. "It's like pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil."

"All opposition, all resentment, and all the panic of vested interests will be instantly aroused, magnified, and clearly exposed."

"She is waiting for these opposition forces to step forward and rally together."

Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others all changed their expressions.

They understood.

Bibi Dong and Xuan Ming didn't care how many Soul Masters opposed them, nor did they care how loud the opposition was.

What they care about is how to eliminate all the stubborn forces that are hindering the establishment of a new order in the fastest and most thorough way.

For any other country, even the Sun Moon Empire, such radical attempts to shake the Soul Master class would be tantamount to self-destruction, inevitably leading to domestic turmoil and even regime overthrow.

But the Martial Soul Empire is different.

Because the Spirit Empire has Xuanming and Bibi Dong.

They possess "absolute violence" powerful enough to crush all opposition!
They don't need compromise, they don't need appeasement.

They only need one reason, one to lure out all potential enemies at once, and then...

A reason to solve once and for all and completely crush it!
Ning Rongrong felt a chill rise from the bottom of her heart. She finally realized clearly that the "new order" that Xuanming and Bibi Dong wanted to establish was not through a gentle evolution, but by using iron and blood to forcibly and completely smash the foundation of the old world, and then rebuild a completely new world on the ruins according to their will.

Their year-long lobbying efforts, seemingly sowing seeds, were in reality... igniting a fire!
……

Imperial Palace of the Heavenly Dou Empire, the sleeping quarters.

The air was thick with the smell of medicine. Emperor Xue Ye of the Heavenly Dou Empire, once a diligent and ambitious ruler, now lay on his dragon bed, his face sallow and his breath weak. His eyes were sunken, and only his occasionally open eyes retained a trace of imperial majesty.

Yu Xiaogang sat solemnly on the brocade stool in front of the couch, reporting to Xueye on the changes in the situation over the past year.

"...Your Majesty, that is the situation." Yu Xiaogang's voice was deep and clear. "Ning Rongrong and others are spreading the Spirit Empire's new policies everywhere, the core of which is a severe suppression of the privileges of Spirit Masters. This has not only failed to shake the foundation of our nation's Spirit Master class, but has instead aroused their strong resistance and sense of crisis. Now, more and more Spirit Master families, and even some previously wavering small and medium-sized sects, are more closely united around the Empire. This... can be considered an unexpected surprise." Xue Ye slightly moved her chapped lips, her voice hoarse: "As expected... Human nature... tends to seek advantage and avoid harm. The Spirit Empire... has shaken their foundation."

Yu Xiaogang nodded and continued, "More importantly, thanks to the efforts of Tang San and National Preceptor Xu, our soul tool technology has made a breakthrough. The combination of Tang Sect hidden weapons and soul tools has greatly increased their power. Now, our soul tool legion has taken initial shape and possesses the strength to directly confront the Soul Master Legion of the Spirit Empire!"

He paused, then added, "As for the Star Luo Empire, we have also shared some core technologies in accordance with the previous agreement. Emperor Dai Tianfeng also understands the principle of mutual dependence, and their Soul Guidance Legion is also accelerating its development. The gap between the two empires in cutting-edge military power is being rapidly narrowed."

A faint glimmer of light flashed in Xue Ye's cloudy eyes, but it was quickly covered by worry: "Force... to close the gap? But... the Martial Soul Empire... has that... Crimson Giant."

He struggled to raise his finger, as if pointing into the void: "That thing... it can destroy a city in one strike... what use is the Soul Guidance Legion?"

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath; he had long anticipated Xue Ye's question. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, that blood-red giant is indeed terrifying, but it is not insurmountable. First of all, it is ultimately just one person and cannot appear on all battlefields at the same time. Once a full-scale war breaks out, the battle lines will inevitably be extremely long, and we can completely adopt a strategy of fighting on multiple fronts and avoiding the strong points while attacking the weak points."

“Secondly,” a sharp glint flashed in Yu Xiaogang’s eyes, “according to our analysis, although the blood giant destroyed the fortress and defenses last time it made a move, it did not massacre the soldiers.”

What does this mean? It means that Xuanming or Bibi Dong have some reservations about this! Considering the Martial Soul Empire's policies of winning over the people, I deduce that what they want is not a desolate wasteland littered with corpses, but a world of obedient, fangless citizens!

Their seemingly benevolent policies, while appearing compassionate, are in reality weakening the power of Soul Masters, depriving future subjects of the means to resist! This is a far more profound strategy of weakening the people!

Yu Xiaogang's voice was filled with passion and worry: "Your Majesty, think about it, how arrogant and domineering the Spirit Hall became after the Clear Sky Sect went into seclusion."
The Spirit Empire is now far stronger than the Spirit Hall was back then. If they were to unify the continent and completely control all the spirit masters and the people, what kind of darkness would the future hold?

They will be free of constraints! At that point, the so-called benefits for the people will be nothing more than fodder for taming lambs!

"We can't wait any longer!"

Yu Xiaogang's tone became urgent, "The Martial Soul Empire's development speed far surpasses ours! They are consolidating their foundation, while we are catching up in technology. The longer it drags on, the more stable their foundation becomes, and the smaller our chances of winning become! When they complete all preparations and start the war again, we will be powerless to fight back!"

"This battle is not only for the survival of the Heavenly Dou Empire, but also for the future of hundreds of millions of lives on the continent, and to prevent absolute power from breeding absolute corruption and darkness!" Yu Xiaogang said resolutely.

"If we start the war now, we still have a fighting chance! Even if we can't achieve a complete victory, we must severely damage the Martial Soul Empire, curb its expansion, and create a new balance! Just like the confrontation between Heaven Dou and Star Luo in the past, only balance can bring relative peace and development!"

“Even if… even if we ultimately fail,” Yu Xiaogang’s voice lowered, tinged with a hint of tragic heroism, “if the Martial Soul Empire were to commit massacres, it would surely sow the seeds of hatred in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people! Those seeds would be the sparks of future revival! It’s better than being completely submerged in silent taming!”

"Therefore, Your Majesty!" Yu Xiaogang practically spat out these words through gritted teeth, "This battle, regardless of victory or defeat, must be fought! For the empire, for the continent, for... the future!"

Emperor Xueye listened quietly, his chest rising and falling slightly, his cloudy eyes gazing at the carved beams and painted rafters on the palace roof, remaining silent for a long time.

The bedroom was completely silent, save for the old man's faint breathing and the soft crackling of burning incense.

After a long while, Xueye slowly closed her eyes, and with her last bit of strength, she squeezed out a weak but clear word from her throat:

"allow."

Yu Xiaogang bowed deeply, a resolute expression on his face.

He knew that a full-scale war sweeping across the entire continent was about to begin. This would be the most intense clash between the old order and the new forces, and it would determine the fate of the Douluo Continent for the next thousand years.

He left his bedchamber and immediately began preparations for final contact with the Star Luo Empire and the mobilization for war.

The shadow of war began to gather over Tiandou City. (End of Chapter)