Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

So that's how it is?! Their eldest brother is always so unpredictable, yet so perfectly logical!

Is that carriage finally heading south?!

"I am willing to die for the Empire! I am willing to die for my elder brother!"

Seeing Xue Haicang kneel down on one knee and bow solemnly, Xue Luochuan, who was confused, also knelt down blindly.

He just felt that the third brother was probably crazy today. One minute he was talking back to his older brother, and the next he was acting like he was going to die. Did he drink too much during the New Year's holiday last night?

"Luo Chuan, you have commanded the border troops for many years, so you must have a deep foundation, right?"

After being doused with a bucket of cold water, Xue Luochuan regained some of his senses.

Xue Haizang, standing to the side, understood that the beating had begun.

Whether the foundation is deep or not is something everyone knows in their hearts. How could you ask the person involved so directly how deep their control over the military is?

How can I answer that? Even if he's the eldest brother, he's still the crown prince. Xue Qinghe, who, though not the emperor, is superior to any emperor, asked this question—is it meant literally?

At this moment, Xue Luochuan was almost going crazy. To be or not to be? That is the question!

Having a prince in command of the army is certainly beneficial to the entire royal family, as it directly strengthens the royal family's authority.

The question is, who should actually hold real military power?

When the highest authority asks you about your control over the army, if it were a regular general, it might literally mean "asking about the situation."

Xue Luochuan is a prince, and this problem is particularly critical, especially now that the crown prince Xue Hong has lost his right to succession and his elder brother has no children.

Because he was the second prince, the grandson of the crown prince, and the second in line to the throne.

Admittedly, Xue Qinghe treated his brothers very well and cared for them since they were young, so they all respected and loved him. However, he was still the crown prince and did not sit on that throne.

No one can guarantee that Xue Qinghe will always act with impunity, especially since he has the support of Absolute Power. Those powers are even sparring with each other in the training grounds outside, and the fluctuations in soul power outside are no joke.

Just as Xue Luochuan was completely unprepared, kneeling on one knee covered in sweat and at a loss for words, Xue Haicang chimed in, "Second brother, with a great battle imminent, eldest brother just wants to ask about the situation of the border troops, right?"

"Ah, right, right, right!" Xue Luochuan almost wanted to kowtow to his third brother.

How do you answer this question? The answer is: Do you admit that you do have a solid foundation?

The answer is no? Then what have you been doing at the border all these years?

But what do you mean by dragging your feet and not answering? Are you refusing to speak? Are you relying on your control of the border troops to act arrogantly towards the emperor?

No matter how Xue Luochuan answers this question, or whether he answers it at all, it's a life-or-death dilemma.

However, Xue Haizang managed to extract the crucial question from him: how well the border troops were under control, and what the situation of the border troops was.

If that were all, it would be much simpler.

"Luo Chuan, you've worked hard for so many years, and you're not often in Tian Dou City. Your elder brother has neglected you for too long." However, Xue Qinghe didn't seem to dwell on this issue. He changed the subject and started talking about brotherly affection.

"Now that the Spirit Hall has weakened and is on its own, the situation has changed dramatically."

With this plan in mind, this is the perfect opportunity to conquer the Star Luo Empire and unify the Douluo Continent. Luo Chuan, do you understand?

From life-or-death crisis to ecstatic joy, Xue Luochuan experienced only three short sentences from Xue Qinghe.

He finally understood why his third brother was going mad. If it were him, he'd go mad too!

To conquer and destroy the Star Luo Empire? To unify the Douluo Continent? Then who will lead the army? Who will be the vanguard? Who will fight this battle?!

"I am willing to die for the Empire! I am willing to die for my elder brother!"

With a twitch of his brow, Xue Haicang realized that he was too clever. Just like his second brother, once their leader clearly told him that he was taking an oath, he could be carefree. Why bother with so much scheming?

"Haicang, Father may not be willing, but this opportunity is fleeting. Do you understand?"

Sure enough, the oath had already been recited once. Why make him repeat it again? How embarrassing!

But if we don't do this, how can we respond? Do you understand? What are you going to do to the sovereign above the golden steps?

This, like Xue Luochuan's, is a form of persuasion.

It's giving you an unanswerable question unless you don't answer it.

Before Xue Haicang could figure it out, Xue Qinghe had already stepped forward and helped the two brothers up, one on each side. "Get up. The three of us are brothers, blood is thicker than water. The future is destined to be the most exciting era in Douluo Continent. It's time for us to take the stage!"

As one act ends, another begins. They have already understood Xue Qinghe's ambitions and are equally filled with excitement.

"But I'm wondering, what if one day we're no longer brothers?"

Neither of them understood the meaning of these words. "One day, if we're not brothers, then we're ruler and subject? That doesn't seem any different from now!"

Hanging behind the central command tent, facing them, was a complete map of the Douluo Continent.

Finally, Xue Qinghe patted his brother on the shoulder and said, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king!"

Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, all belongs to you and me!

Strive for it!

Without conquering cities and seizing territories, or the allure of power and beauty, men can get even more excited.

I don't know what my third brother Xue Haicang is thinking, but at least Xue Luochuan has become fanatical.

"Third brother, do you think your eldest brother has changed?"

The image of Xue Qinghe leaving was still vivid in their minds, and the two brothers, their hearts churning with emotion, stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.

"No one can remain unchanged. Even the smiling sister-in-law can never come back after what happened to Hong'er. How could the elder brother be spared?"

Faced with this problem, Xue Haicang also thought of Ning Huahua, who had not come to the military camp.

"Oh? Isn't the Third Prince called 'Crown Prince'?"

Knowing that his second brother was teasing him, Xue Haicang naturally had his reasons.

There's no problem with obeying superiors; it's a must. Going against the highest authority never ends well, especially for princes.

But if the old man loses his mind, he can't possibly go and throw his life away.

The Spirit Hall, after all, has peerless Douluo. If Xue Qinghe insists on attacking the Spirit Hall, he might as well clean himself up and send himself there. Perhaps they might even take him as a gigolo because of his clean appearance.

Fortunately, Xue Qinghe is still the rational and good older brother, the strongest leader of the empire.

However, Xue Haizang still wanted to argue a bit, "The central command tent! It should be addressed with the title of honor!"

"Yes, Snow Lord!"

"Second brother!"

"Tch! What are you trying to prove with me, kid?" Xue Luochuan said with a look of disgust, and plopped down on the ground.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Xue Luochuan's back still felt chilly. "I'm exhausted! Talking to my older brother for a couple of minutes is more painful than marching for three days and three nights! It's all thanks to you, kid, that you understand what your older brother is saying right away!"

"Second brother, stop teasing me. We're all pretty much the same." Xue Haicang understood his second brother's feelings. He was often in the border army, where he was the top leader, but he rarely faced the real superiors.

Being completely absorbed in a conversation is not a good feeling at all; you have to think about whether your words are problematic from beginning to end.

Whether the previous sentence is problematic, or the sentence to be said is problematic, a single wrong word could lead to utter ruin.

"Do you ever have this feeling?" Looking at the curtain of the large tent, the silver-white decorations on it looked magnificent.

"Back when I was arrested at the brothel and taken back to the Crown Prince's residence, I really hated him. But later I realized that he really was my older brother."

For many years, he has been as meticulous as an empress dowager, which makes me feel that he is not like a man!

But what my brother just said was truly manly!

Xue Haizang nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I've had that feeling lately too. Although he's become even more unpredictable, today's incident was probably meant to give us a warning, to establish his authority, and to assert his power."

He was sitting there, yet he seemed to be higher and farther away, elusive and unfathomable.

Speaking of Gao Yuan, this reminded Xue Luochuan of something else. "Everyone says that our talents are higher than yours, but you've been in Tiandou City all this time. Do you even know what level your brother is now?"

"How would I know? Why don't you go ask them?"

Shaking his head hastily, Xue Luochuan had no desire to face Xue Qinghe any longer. "Sigh, I always feel that facing my elder brother is not as good as facing His Majesty the Immortal. In fact, he's not much older than us, and he's easygoing and has a higher cultivation level!"

Sniffing, Xue Hai revealed a bit of inside information he knew, "Indeed, Big Brother is still the most terrifying. He can even get the Immortal Emperor to be his bodyguard! I asked Rongrong, she stood guard all night last night!"

Rumors spread faster than anything else among the higher-ups. Although it's unknown whether Xue Haicang actually asked Ning Rongrong, it's most likely true. "Too strong... Are we really his brothers? Why is the difference between people greater than the difference between people and soul beasts?"

Xue Haicang couldn't help but sigh, "Who says otherwise? It's just bad luck that His Highness the Immortal met such a fiancée. If it were me, I wouldn't want to go back and face that kind of woman either. But it's fortunate that there are women like that on this continent, otherwise we wouldn't have such a good opportunity!"

“Indeed! If I were the eldest brother, I wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by either. But only someone like the eldest brother could handle this situation, right? At least the Star Luo Empire hasn’t made any unusual moves.” Xue Luochuan, who was on the border, had a better understanding of the situation.

"Little Beng is still not convinced. He hides in the palace every day and tries to instigate Father. That kid, do you think he can outmaneuver Big Brother?"

"Is that so? Wow! Look how capable he is! We should take this opportunity to drag him out and give him a good beating!"

Xue Haicang remained noncommittal about their other brother. He knew quite a bit about it, but he only talked about it with Xue Luochuan.

This second brother really is a true second brother; he'll beat you up at the drop of a hat.

Fortunately, scolding and beating show they're still close, so it's nothing serious. If they were waiting for Xue Qinghe to give them a gentle nudge, like they just did, then the two of them could start preparing for their timid fourth brother's funeral.

As far as Xue Haicang knew, if it came to the law, those officials or other conflicts of interest would be punished severely, with ten heads not enough to chop off.

Did Xue Qinghe not know what Xue Beng had done? No way, Xue Haicang could guarantee he definitely knew.

Perhaps the avalanche hasn't reached Xue Qinghe's bottom line yet; ignoring him proves it.

Their eldest brother wouldn't abandon his brothers unless they truly disappointed him; otherwise, he would most likely arrest and beat them up, just like Xue Luochuan did back then.

Just like when Xue Luochuan knew that Xue Beng was going against Xue Qinghe, his first thought was to beat Xue Beng up.

However, Qian Shui, who was outside, didn't think that much about it. He did give a real talking-to, but he didn't find that the little angel's guarding behavior had this effect.

Once he learned that a group of people already knew his identity, he stopped pretending.

It's like the teacher calling your parents to find out you didn't do your homework. What's the point of pretending you didn't bring it?

Avalanche probably wants to pull off a comeback, for example, when unification is almost complete and the overall situation is settled, they would reveal their true identities to others so they can reap the rewards of victory.

For example, Xueluochuan and Xuehaizang.

This is the significance of Qian Shui's admonition to them. If something were to happen to them in the future, they would surely think twice before acting.

However, the person didn't care at all; it was just a casual act, and the situation he wanted to create was far more chaotic than an avalanche could imagine.

At that time, he will complete the final chapter of everything in the Douluo Continent.

...