Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

The orders from above were airtight: if the nobles wanted to escape, let them escape; these people staying in the city couldn't do anything and still required constant surveillance. Now that they're leaving voluntarily, it's much less of a hassle.

A few days later, the two pieces of news struck the mainland like two heavy hammers, leaving everyone stunned.

First news item: The Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall have officially merged.

The second piece of news was even more explosive: the Spirit Hall had established the Spirit Empire.

No, more accurately, it's the "Martial Soul Theocracy." An unprecedented nation that has completely welded religious belief and secular power together.

Its territory stretched from Wuhun City all the way to Tiandou City, swallowing up the heartland of both empires.

Its expansion was so rapid that it was like splashing ink directly onto a map of the continent.

The duchies and kingdoms that were originally under the jurisdiction of the Heaven Dou Empire reacted as quickly as if they had rehearsed this beforehand, after learning that the Heaven Dou Empire itself had been annexed by the Spirit Empire.

The Kingdom of Barak was the first to send envoys, expressing its willingness to submit to the Spirit Empire and pay tribute. The Kingdom of Silves followed closely behind, with their envoys' carriages arriving in Heaven Dou City almost simultaneously with the Barak delegation.

Chapter 495 Division of Power

The Kingdom of Häagen-Dazs hesitated for two days, and on the third day, it also submitted its surrender document.

The governor of Fasno Province simply skipped the envoy and sent people to hang the flag of the Martial Soul Empire at the city gate.

After all, they were already paying homage to the Heavenly Dou Empire back then, and now they're paying homage to a different master, so there's really not much difference for them.

Face is worthless in the face of absolute force.

However, not all places were so pragmatic. Several counties in the northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire refused to recognize the rule of the Spirit Empire. The local garrison commanders joined forces with nobles who had fled Heaven Dou City to form a resistance army and declared that "Heaven Dou is not dead."

Several free city-states and duchies in the south also declared neutrality, neither recognizing the Martial Soul Empire nor joining either side.

What's even more troublesome is the Star Luo Empire. That martial land closed all border crossings on the very day the news reached them and began to massively reinforce its troops along the border.

Things happened in Tiandou City so fast that from the moment Xue Qinghe uttered the word "merge" to the moment the Martial Soul Empire was officially established, the city lords on the border didn't even have time to send out a letter requesting permission from the imperial court.

Now they don't plan to ask for permission anymore. They either take their cities and armies and become independent, or directly side with the Star Luo Empire, or form a temporary alliance with nearby forces.

The continent had been quiet for far too many years. The balance of power between the two great empires was like a layer of solid ice, and everyone was used to walking on it. But now, that layer of ice had been shattered by a meteorite falling from the sky.

……

As time went by, after the initial shock and chaos subsided, everyone began to examine their own situation, take stock of their cards, and then quickly make the choice that best suited their own interests.

The division of power on the mainland became clear in a very short time.

The Star Luo Empire is a faction of its own.

As one of the two great empires of Douluo Continent, the Star Luo Empire has never relaxed its vigilance against the Spirit Hall.

Back when the Spirit Hall refused to form a marriage alliance with the Star Luo and instead married off the Holy Maiden Hu Liena to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Dai Tianfeng had already sounded the alarm in his heart.

When it comes to arranged marriages, choosing whom to marry or not is itself a matter of taking sides.

By choosing Heaven Dou, the Spirit Hall is essentially leaving Star Luo sidelined. What does it mean to leave them sidelined? It means either they think you're unworthy, or they think you're in their way. Judging from the Spirit Hall's rapid expansion over the years, it's clearly the latter.

Therefore, when the news of the merger between Tiandou and Wuhun Hall reached Xingluo, Dai Tianfeng's first reaction was not shock, but a calm "as expected" response.

He didn't even convene an emergency court meeting; he simply summoned a few key ministers to the imperial study and slammed the intelligence reports from the front lines onto the table.

"The Spirit Hall has swallowed up the Heavenly Dou Sect; we're next."

With just that one sentence, the massive war machine of the Star Luo Empire was set in motion. Martial law was declared along the entire border, all officers on leave returned to their posts, military supplies began to be concentrated at the border fortresses, and the private armies of various families were also conscripted into the empire's unified command system with a single order.

Dai Tianfeng never believed that the Spirit Hall would be satisfied with merely swallowing up the Heaven Dou Empire. Bibi Dong, that woman, had ambition ingrained in her bones; her appetite was enormous, and the Heaven Dou Empire was just an appetizer. Once she cleaned up the remaining chaotic forces within Heaven Dou, her next target would undoubtedly be Star Luo.

Therefore, Xingluo had no way out. It was either fight or kneel. And from the day the Xingluo Empire was founded, the word "kneel" did not exist in its dictionary.

Another faction is the resistance faction, which is formed by the remaining nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire, a group of duchies and kingdoms that are unwilling to submit to the Spirit Hall, and those free city-states that were once subordinate to Heaven Dou.

The composition of this group was quite complex. There were dukes who had lost their fiefdoms, marquises who had fled the city with their private armies, generals who still held several thousand remnants of their troops, and tough guys who simply refused to bow down to the Spirit Hall.

They were originally the ruling class of the Heavenly Dou Empire, but now they have become homeless exiles.

After the Spirit Hall took over Heaven Dou City, they didn't bring any of their houses, estates, or properties with them.

What they can still hold in their hands now, besides the gold soul coins and soul tools they carry with them, are only the private soldiers in their respective fiefdoms and the soul master forces trained by their families.

Logically speaking, this group is a disorganized mess, with no one willing to submit to anyone else, and they wouldn't amount to much even if they were put together. But they have a common enemy.

Wuhun Temple.

This name is like a needle, piercing the heart of every former nobleman. It makes them hate it to the core, yet they are also so afraid that they can't sleep at night.

Among this group of resistance fighters, the most core force is undoubtedly the Upper Three Sects.

The attitudes of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant School have been clear from the beginning. Before leaving Heaven Dou City, Ning Fengzhi had already sent letters to all parties involved. The wording in the letters was as refined and subtle as ever, but the core message was the same: the Spirit Hall swallowed Heaven Dou City today, and it dares to swallow all of you tomorrow. Those who don't want to be slaves of the Spirit Hall should sit down and discuss what to do.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect was even more direct. Upon learning of the Heavenly Dou Coup, Yu Yuanzhen immediately put the entire sect on high alert, recalling all disciples who were training outside, and inventorying and cataloging all medicinal herbs, soul tools, and metal ingots in the sect's storeroom, ready to start forging weapons at any time.

The two leaders from the top three sects stepped forward and rallied the people, with immediate results. Those duchies and kingdoms that were still observing sent envoys to make contact, and several former generals of the Heavenly Battle faction who still held military power also took the initiative to approach them. The framework of the resistance was thus established.

As for the Haotian Sect...

On the day Xue Qinghe announced the merger of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall, Tang Hao and Tang Yuehua left Heaven Dou City early.

Having run Yuexuan for many years, Tang Yuehua possessed a keener sense of danger than anyone else. When a large number of Spirit Hall's guardian knights began appearing on the streets, she knew that the city was no longer safe.

Without hesitation, she packed her valuables and all the precious medicinal herbs she had already prepared, and quietly left with Tang Hao.

At the same time, Tang Yuehua also wrote a long letter back to the Haotian Sect, clearly explaining the ins and outs of the Tiandou Coup, and ending with a sentence written in an extremely confident tone.

"Now is the best time for the Haotian Sect to emerge from seclusion."

After the letter was delivered to the Haotian Sect, the elders' council held an emergency meeting overnight.

This time, even the Second Elder, who had always advocated for closing the mountain, did not object.

The reason is simple: the entire continent is resisting the Spirit Hall. If the Clear Sky Sect were still hiding in the mountains at this time, and the Spirit Hall had wiped out all the other forces, the Clear Sky Sect would truly be trapped like a turtle in a jar.

Tang Xiao only said one sentence at the meeting: "Prepare to come out of seclusion."

Two words, spoken with resounding force.

The last faction, of course, is the Martial Soul Theocracy itself.

Centered on Wuhun City, the territory extends westward from the heart of the former Heaven Dou Empire, encompassing Wuhun City, Heaven Dou City, and all the duchies and kingdoms that have submitted along the way.

Bibi Dong personally assumed the roles of both Pope and Empress, while Hu Liena and Qian Renxue served as the official marriage alliance, residing in the Tian Dou Imperial Palace.

The three men were like three nails, firmly fixing this vast territory onto the map of the Spirit Hall.

Those forces that had previously declared neutrality, under the prevailing trend, were either lured by interests or forced by fear to choose sides, and none of them were able to remain unaffected.

Tiandou United City-State

This hastily assembled exiled government was located in a relatively fortified city in the northern part of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

This place was originally a logistics hub for the Northern Army of the Heaven Dou Empire. The city's fortifications were well-constructed, and there were enough barracks and warehouses to accommodate tens of thousands of people. Most importantly, it was a considerable distance from the core control area of ​​the Spirit Empire, so it was relatively safe for the time being.

At this moment, the city-state council hall was filled with people, and representatives of various forces took their seats in order of their status and strength.

Representatives from the three upper sects sat in the most prominent positions. Ning Fengzhi maintained his refined and gentle demeanor, holding a cup of tea that had been brewed for him by someone unknown. Sitting beside him, the Bone Douluo Gu Rong crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, as if assessing something.

Yu Yuanzhen, the sect leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect, was also present. Behind him stood several young disciples with sharp eyes, who were clearly the elite of the sect.

What drew the most attention from everyone present were the several new faces that had appeared that day. They sat next to Yu Yuanzhen, their posture casual, yet their aura was in no way inferior.

Haotian Sect.

The head of the three sects, who had been living in seclusion for many years, has finally reappeared before the world.

Leading the group was Tang Xiao, the sect master of the Haotian Sect. His rugged face revealed little emotion, but his sharp eyes sent a chill down the spines of everyone present. Seated beside him were several elders of the Haotian Sect, each exuding an aura as deep and unfathomable as abyss.

Decades ago, the Haotian Sect went into seclusion, and the outside world's impression of the Haotian Sect was limited to its title of "the number one weapon spirit in the world".

Now that the number one weapon spirit in the world has emerged, just sitting here, the oppressive aura is enough to put everyone present at ease.

The three major sects gathered together. This is extremely rare in the history of the mainland.

Besides the three mentioned above, there were several other powerful figures who held real military power.

The commander of the remnants of the Northern Legion of the Heaven Dou Empire was an old general with gray hair. He still had more than 20,000 regular troops under his command, which was the largest organized military force of the resistance faction at present.

There were also representatives from several kingdoms that continued to resist, including the Kingdom of Sylvester, as well as the lords of several free city-states.

These people gathered here, certainly not to drink tea.

"Let's talk about the current situation of the Spirit Empire first," Ning Fengzhi said first. His voice was not loud, but the entire council hall fell silent instantly.

He put down his teacup and tapped his finger lightly on the table.

"According to the latest intelligence, Bibi Dong has officially been crowned Empress. Wuhun City will serve as the capital of the Wuhun Empire. Tiandou City will be renamed Dongdu and become a secondary capital."

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei are stationed in Heaven Dou City. The various Martial Soul Branch Halls have been renamed Theocracy Provinces, with the Platinum Bishop concurrently serving as the provincial governor, directly wielding military and political power.

He paused, then continued, "Currently, the duchies and kingdoms that are known to have pledged allegiance to the Spirit Empire include most of the Barak Kingdom, the Silvers Kingdom, the Hagendas Kingdom, the Fasno Province, and more than thirty city-states in the southern part of the Heaven Dou Empire."

The garrisons in these areas have all been replaced by the Spirit Hall's guardian knights. The original nobles have either been sidelined, executed, or fled with a small number of private soldiers.

"The number of Title Douluos currently possessed by the Spirit Empire is conservatively estimated to be more than ten."

Among those known to be present are Pope Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, Thousand-Jin Douluo, Demon-Slaying Douluo, and several elders of the Hall of Offerings. Bibi Dong herself possesses unfathomable strength.

The council chamber was so quiet that you could hear the wind outside the window.

Ten titled Douluo.

This number was like a mountain, pressing down on everyone present, making it hard for them to breathe.

Those seated in this council chamber are all the top combatants the resistance faction can muster.

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, Tang Xiao of the Clear Sky School, and several titled Douluo-level elders they brought with them—all these forces combined can only muster a handful of titled Douluo.

Not to mention, there is a clear gap between these titled Douluo and the titled Douluo of the Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong possesses twin martial souls, making her true combat strength far surpass that of ordinary titled Douluo.

The fusion skill of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, "Two Elements Stillness Domain," is virtually invincible in battles at the Title Douluo level.

Both Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo are veteran powerhouses who have been famous for many years.

The old monsters in the Hall of Worship are all terrifying beings who have been immersed in the Title Douluo realm for decades.

The difference in top-tier combat power between the two sides is enough to make one's scalp tingle.

After Ning Fengzhi presented the situation on the side of the Martial Soul Empire, the council hall fell into a brief silence.