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

……

Deep within the Papal Palace in Wuhun City.

Xuanming stood silently before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, his icy blue eyes seemingly piercing through space, gazing towards the directions of Tiandou City and Xingluo City. His vast, boundless divine sense, like an invisible curtain, had already enveloped the entire Douluo Continent.

The seemingly secretive war mobilization between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire might be considered top secret by ordinary people, but under his divine sense, it was as clear as a campfire in the dark.

The troop movements, the gathering of supplies, the networking of Soul Master families, and the increasingly intense killing intent of war... all of this was within his perception.

He just doesn't usually bother with the noise of these ants.

But at this moment, the two rapidly expanding, imminent flames of war had already caught his attention.

Bibi Dong appeared silently behind him. She had just finished dealing with a heavy workload of government affairs, and there was still a trace of fatigue between her brows, but her purple-gold eyes were as sharp as ever. She had also noticed the unusual movements of the two great empires through her intelligence network.

"Tian Dou and Xing Luo seem to be preparing to make their move." Bibi Dong's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. "They're moving faster than we expected. It seems that Rongrong and the others' efforts over the past year have yielded significant results."

She walked to Xuanming's side and stood beside him, looking out the window: "What do you think? Should we wait for them to make the first move, or should we take the initiative?"

She knew that what determined the course of the war was never the legions, but the man beside her.

Xuanming didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the distance, his tone indifferent: "It doesn't matter."

"If they want to fight, then let them fight. At worst, we'll have a bloodbath."

Bibi Dong's purplish-gold eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Xuan Ming's calm, almost indifferent face, and asked softly, "Once war breaks out, it will be a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. The two great empires have vast territories and hundreds of millions of people. If they resist stubbornly, the casualties will be countless. Moreover, excessive killing may offend the natural order and sow seeds of hatred in the hearts of the people. You... don't care?"

She wasn't showing pity, but rather needed to confirm Xuanming's will.

After all, a large-scale massacre is different from the deterrent effect of destroying city walls.

Xuanming finally turned his head, his icy blue eyes staring directly at Bibi Dong. His gaze was as deep as ice that had stood for millennia, devoid of any human emotion.

"Harmony? Hatred?"

The corners of his mouth seemed to curve into a very faint, almost non-existent arc, like mockery or indifference. "That's just an excuse that living people use to comfort themselves or to bind others."

"For those who were killed, is there any difference between the death of one person and the death of a million? They are all dead. The so-called cruelty and the so-called numbers are nothing more than the hypocritical compassion of bystanders. The dead are gone, what do the mourning and hatred of the living have to do with them?"

Bibi Dong remained silent; she understood what Xuanming meant.

In the face of absolute death, quantity truly loses its meaning.

Every life that ends is a unique ending.

“In my eyes,” Xuanming’s gaze once again turned to the distance, as if he were looking down upon all living beings, “one person is just as important as a million people. I will not sacrifice an innocent person to save a million people.”

"Similarly, I could also kill a million people to save one person."

"The value of life should not be measured by quantity. The so-called big picture, the so-called sacrifice of the individual for the greater good, are nothing more than high-sounding reasons for the strong to trample on the weak."

"So, whether to fight or not, kill or not, how many to kill, makes no difference to me. It only depends on... whether it is necessary."

Bibi Dong fell silent. She understood what Xuanming meant.

He didn't care how many people would die in the war, or whether the mainland would be severely weakened as a result.

Since the supporters of the old order have chosen to take up arms in resistance, in his eyes they are no longer the people who need to be won over, but rather "obstacles" to the establishment of a new world.

Clearing obstacles requires a reason, but not hesitation.

He possesses the power to destroy everything, and also the absolute determination to carry out his own will.

Morality, public opinion, and posthumous evaluation... these things that bind ordinary people are meaningless to him.

He follows a set of rules that are primal, cold, and pure. Protect what he wants to protect, remove what stands in his way—simple, direct, and unquestionable.

In his eyes, the so-called war, killings, and casualty figures might just be the size of a "trouble" that needs to be resolved.

“I understand.” Bibi Dong nodded slowly. The Asura Demon Sword in her hand seemed to sense its master’s thoughts, emitting a low hum, with a faint blood-red killing intent flowing within it. “Then… so be it.”

They will sound the horn of war, and the way it ends will be decided by Xuanming.

To submit or to be destroyed.

There is no third way.

...Inside the Angel Temple, Qian Renxue was surrounded by pure golden divine light. She had just finished a meditation session, consolidating her further familiarity with and control over the power of the angels.

However, a strong sense of unease and impending doom emanated from a distant direction, shattering her inner peace.

She opened her eyes, a hint of doubt flashing in her bright golden pupils.

With a slight thought, he instantly sensed the surging war atmosphere within the Heavenly Dou and Star Luo Empires, like boiling water. Countless armies were gathering, the light of soul tools flickered in the dark night, and a resolute and tragic will soared into the sky.

"Are they... insane?" Qian Renxue's beautiful face showed disbelief. "Knowing the existence of Xuanming and Bibi Dong, they still dare to start a war? Are they trying to fight a losing battle?"

But soon, a realization flashed in her eyes. She remembered the strong resistance Ning Rongrong and others encountered when promoting the new policies, and Xu Hong's incisive analysis of human nature.

No, they're not crazy.

It was the system of the Martial Soul Empire that touched upon their most fundamental interests.

This reform aims not only to overthrow the imperial power of the two great empires, but also to shatter the entire old privileged system that revered Soul Masters.

She realized that this war, on the surface, was a battle between two great empires against the invasion of the Martial Soul Empire, but in reality, it was a desperate counterattack by the remnants of the old order.

This war was not only a conquest of foreign lands, but also a thorough purge of internal forces.

The Martial Soul Empire needs an indisputable and overwhelming victory, a brutal force that will chill everyone to the bone, to utterly crush any remaining illusions and to firmly imprint the rules of the new order into the very soul of every individual.

This is a battle to establish authority.

Thinking of this, Qian Renxue stood up, her sacred wings spreading slightly behind her.

The Angel Goddess needs to demonstrate her majesty and power in this war!

Her figure flashed, transforming into a golden streak of light, and the next moment she appeared deep within the Papal Palace, beside Xuanming.

"The two great empires are about to go to war." Qian Renxue said directly, "This war is about the final establishment of the new order and the consolidation of faith. I intend to personally lead the Angel Legion into battle and end this farce in the name of the Angel God."

This is an excellent opportunity to re-establish her authority as an angel and to gain more influence within the Spirit Empire.

However, Xuanming didn't even turn around to look at her, but simply uttered three words:
"unnecessary."

Qian Renxue was taken aback, then frowned and said, "Why? I can..."

“You can’t handle this,” Xuanming interrupted her.

Qian Renxue instantly understood his meaning, her golden pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill rose from the bottom of her heart.

"You...you plan to take action yourself? You want to...slaughter that army of millions?"

Although she longed for victory and understood the cruelty of war, the thought of Xuanming's indifference to life and the methods he might use still made her heart pound.

“Xuanming, there’s no need to go that far!” Qian Renxue tried to dissuade her. “We can defeat them, capture them, and use victory to intimidate them. We don’t need to resort to such extreme measures…”

“It’s necessary.” Xuanming finally turned his head and looked at her calmly.

"Deterrence requires bloodshed."

"Without the fear of death, they will never truly let go of their sense of luck."

“They will think that the law will not punish everyone. They will assume that by uniting, they will have the leverage to negotiate.”

“I want them to understand that rules are rules. They won’t change because there are more people, and they won’t compromise because of a united front. If you break the rules, you will pay the price. That price can be anything, including… death.”

"Only in this way can we eradicate the侥幸 (侥幸 means taking chances) in their hearts and ensure that the majesty of the new order is built on absolute fear."

Qian Renxue opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but when she met Xuan Ming's emotionless eyes, all her words got stuck in her throat.

She understood that, in Xuanming's eyes, this war was no longer a simple matter of conquest and resistance.

This is a purge, a sacrifice made in the most brutal and direct way to establish ironclad rules for the new era.

And he will be the sole executioner.

The golden divine light around Qian Renxue dimmed slightly. As she watched Xuan Ming turn away again, she felt for the first time so clearly that what separated them was not just love and hate, but an insurmountable chasm in their understanding of the essence of the world.

What he wanted wasn't submission, but... utter subjugation! (End of Chapter)