Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Qian Renxue came out.

She walked slowly, her steps languid, like a cat that had just woken up and was strolling out of its bed.

The bright yellow dragon robe didn't look sloppy on her, but the collar was slightly crooked, and the beads on the crown jingled incessantly with her steps, the rhythm matching the expression on her face quite well.

He had an expression that said he was half asleep, didn't want to go to work, and didn't care what anyone did.

She sat down on the dragon throne, propped her chin up with one hand, and yawned slightly.

"If there is something to report, then speak; if there is nothing to report... if there is nothing to report, then the court shall not adjourn."

Qian Renxue yawned again.

The prince and his several elderly ministers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with helplessness. The Vice Minister of Rites stepped forward first, holding his official tablet and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, the allocation of winter provisions for the three northern prefectures has not yet been approved. I request Your Majesty's..."

"Approved, approved." Qian Renxue didn't even lift her eyelids, just waved her hand casually.

"But Your Majesty, the quantity to be allocated still requires your personal attention."

"I've given my approval. We'll discuss the quantity later. Do I really need to teach you such a trivial matter?"

She finally raised her eyelids, her eyes sweeping over the civil and military officials in the palace, a lazy smile playing on her lips.

"My esteemed ministers, is there anything else? Let's speak together. I'm in a good mood today."

The Vice Minister of Rites was momentarily speechless and had no choice but to return to the queue. The Minister of Revenue then stepped forward and said that this year's salt and iron taxes were 20% lower than last year's, and that some people were smuggling salt and iron. He requested His Majesty to issue an order for a thorough investigation.

Qian Renxue nodded after hearing this and said, "Investigate, investigate thoroughly," and then nothing more happened.

The Minister of Revenue waited for a long time, but Qian Renxue did not speak again, so he had no choice but to retreat awkwardly.

Then the Ministry of War reported that there was another problem with the supplies for the border garrison rotation, the Censorate impeached several corrupt officials, the Ministry of Works said that the budget for the repair of the imperial mausoleum had been exceeded, and several old princes of the imperial clan argued heatedly over the ownership of a fiefdom, almost to the point of fighting in the court.

Qian Renxue leaned back on the dragon throne, listening, occasionally nodding, occasionally waving her hand, and occasionally saying "Granted" or "Let's discuss it further."

A smile remained on her lips, neither warm nor cold, but rather conveying an air of "Keep performing, I'm watching."

When the ministers were arguing so fiercely over the ownership of the salt and iron taxes that their hats were askew, Qian Renxue finally spoke up.

Her voice was not loud, even very soft, but every word clearly resonated throughout the entire hall.

"My esteemed ministers, are you tired of arguing?"

The hall fell silent instantly. Everyone turned to look at the bright yellow figure on the dragon throne, waiting for her to speak.

Qian Renxue still rested her chin on her hand, her smile unchanged. Her gaze swept over the faces of the prince, some angry, some anxious, some tired, and then she stretched out a finger and lazily pointed to a few people standing in front of the hall.

"Since you're tired of arguing, let me say something. Have you all noticed that there are a few unfamiliar faces in the court today?"

Everyone's eyes followed the direction Qian Renxue was pointing.

Those people dressed in Spirit Hall uniforms stood at the front of the hall without saying a word, but no one ignored them.

The man at the head, dressed in a moon-white robe, had a delicate and handsome face, and a cryptic smile played on his lips.

The people behind him, dressed in the uniforms of the Spirit Hall, as well as the elderly men in platinum bishop robes, and the main leaders of the Spirit Hall branch in Tiandou City, also raised their heads upon hearing this.

In fact, everyone had noticed them long ago, from the moment the palace doors opened. However, no one dared to ask. While it was unusual for people from the Spirit Hall to appear in court, given His Majesty's favor towards Consort Hu, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.

But now, His Majesty has brought it up himself.

The air inside the hall became inexplicably tense.

Qian Renxue's smile deepened as she looked at the confused and uneasy expressions on the ministers' faces.

She lowered her hand that was supporting her chin, slowly sat up straight, and the beads on her crown swayed gently with her movements.

"I have some good news to tell you all today."

Her voice was light and cheerful, as if she were sharing a funny story with an old friend.

"As all my beloved ministers know, I have a very deep affection for the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine is the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, and I am the Emperor of Heaven Dou. I want to be with her for a long, long time, but there is always a barrier between us. She is a member of the Spirit Hall, and I am a member of Heaven Dou. How troublesome this is."

She paused, tilted her head, as if seriously considering the question.

"So I thought about it for a long time and finally came up with a good idea. Since the Imperial Concubine and I belong to two different sides, why not... turn the two sides into one side, wouldn't that be great?"

The main hall was completely silent.

Everyone's expression froze on their faces.

Some people are doubting their ears, some are doubting their brains, and some are even wondering if they are still dreaming.

Qian Renxue seemed oblivious to everyone's expressions and continued speaking to herself.

"I have decided to merge the Heaven Dou Empire with the Spirit Hall. From this day forward, the Heaven Dou Empire will be officially incorporated into the Spirit Hall. At that time, the entire Heaven Dou Empire..."

She reached out her hand, made a vague clenching motion in the air as if grasping something unseen, then opened her palm and offered it out.

"They will all belong to the Spirit Hall."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall became so quiet that one could hear the wind whistling through the pillars.

After a brief silence, the hall erupted in chaos.

"Your Majesty... what did you say?"

"Merge? Merge into the Spirit Hall?"

"This...this...have I misheard?"

"Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable!"

An elderly minister with white hair and beard immediately knelt down, his forehead hitting the white marble floor tiles with a dull thud.

His hat was askew, and his official tablet fell to the ground and rolled twice, but he didn't bother to pick it up. He just knelt there and kept kowtowing, his voice trembling.

"Your Majesty! The Heavenly Dou Empire has stood for hundreds of years. How can it be annexed so easily? This is the foundation laid by our ancestors! Your Majesty, you are the Emperor of Heavenly Dou, how can you..."

"Why can't I?"

Qian Renxue interrupted him, her voice still light and cheerful. Her face still wore that nonchalant smile, but her eyes held a cold, undeniable light.

"I am the emperor, and what I say goes."

She waved her hand, as if shooing away a buzzing fly.

"Alright, that's settled then. Next, I'll arrange the handover."

Her gaze swept over the several armored, burly military officers on either side of the main hall.

Those people were all powerful figures in the Tiandou Empire's military; some commanded the Imperial Guards, some were stationed at the border, and some held significant military power.

They stood ramrod straight, but fine beads of sweat had already formed on their foreheads.

"Generals," Qian Renxue's voice remained light and cheerful, "hand over the Tiger Tally. Give it to these Platinum Bishops; they will keep it safe for me."

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the hall seemed to freeze.

The military officers stood frozen in place, their faces ashen. What was the Tiger Tally? It was a token for mobilizing troops, a symbol of military power, and the empire's last line of defense.

Handing over the Tiger Tally is tantamount to surrendering the lifeline of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

"His Majesty……"

An old general with gray hair spoke in a trembling voice, his hands tightly gripping the heavy tiger tally at his waist, his knuckles white, as if he were clutching the last glimmer of hope.

"The tiger tally is a vital national treasure; how can it be taken lightly?"

"Easy what?"

Qian Renxue interrupted him, tilted her head, and her smile remained, but the coldness in her eyes was so intense that it made the old general break out in a cold sweat.

"Does the old general feel that my words do not carry enough weight?"

The old general opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Just then, the man in the moon-white robe standing at the very front of the hall moved.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yueguan.

He took a step forward, his footsteps so light they seemed to tread on feathers. But the instant he stepped forward, an indescribable, terrifying pressure emanated from him like an invisible tide, instantly enveloping the entire hall.

It was a suffocating sense of oppression, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on everyone's head, making their spines creak. Some people's legs buckled and they collapsed to their knees, some turned ashen-faced, and some desperately clung to the pillars beside them to keep from falling.

The military officers' eyes widened instantly. They were all hardened warriors, hardened by battle, and their perception of soul power fluctuations was far more acute than that of the civil officials. They could clearly sense that the aura emanating from the man before them was beyond their reach.

Title Douluo.

Among the Spirit Hall members standing at the very front of the main hall, there is at least one Title Douluo.

Yue Guan withdrew his foot, stood with his hands behind his back, and still had a smile on his face. His tone was very gentle, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"Please don't be nervous, everyone. I just want you to calm down and listen to His Majesty finish speaking."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Even the old minister who was kneeling on the ground and kowtowing incessantly stopped, his whole body frozen there, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, motionless.

Qian Renxue glanced at Yue Guan, a slight smile playing on her lips. Then she looked back at the pale-faced, sweat-drenched generals on either side of the hall, her tone still light and cheerful, as if she were joking.

"Generals, the tiger tally."

Chapter 494 The Martial Spirit Religion

"Generals, the tiger tally."

As soon as Qian Renxue said this, the expressions of the military officers in the hall were as if they had swallowed a fly.

Paying it or not paying it is both problematic.

Hand it over, this is the damn tiger tally!

It's a token for troop deployment, a symbol of imperial military power, a national treasure passed down through generations. If we just hand it over like that, what will history say about us? Traitors? Cowards?

If they didn't pay, the man in the white robe standing in front of them was smiling at them.

The smile was very gentle, but the oppressive aura of a titled Douluo was still pressing on everyone's shoulders.

What is the concept of a Title Douluo?

They were beings standing at the very top of the continent, capable of crushing these Soul Emperors and Soul Saints with a single finger.

"cough."

Qian Renxue coughed softly, breaking the tense atmosphere.