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Chapter 557 The Situation is Set

More than thirty level-nine soul masters from the Sun Moon Empire also accompanied Xu Zihuang to the Star Luo Empire's palace.

More than thirty level-nine Soul Masters, plus four from the Guardian Hands Soul Master Corps. This formidable fighting force was even capable of sweeping away any of the three original empires of the Douluo Continent.

Although the Star Luo Empire's palace was heavily fortified and had royal retainers in charge, all the ministers present felt a chill run down their spines and were filled with fear.

They all knew of Xu Zihuang and the power of the Sun Moon Empire, but no one expected that in just one night, Xu Zihuang would lead the Sun Moon Empire's experts and army directly into the Star Luo Empire's palace, leaving them no room to breathe.

"Protect His Majesty!" Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger was the first to react, leaping up like a tiger and immediately standing in front of Xu Jiawei.

The royal retainers of the Star Luo Empire also transformed into streaks of light and rushed over upon hearing the commotion, surrounding Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu in the center.

The Star Luo Empire was indeed the most powerful nation in the Douluo Continent, but it lacked top-tier experts. Since the Dark Gold Douluo Elder Yang perished at the hands of Xu Zihuang, the strongest person among the Star Luo Empire's royal family's retainers was only the Shattered Star Douluo, whose soul power cultivation had only recently broken through to level ninety-six.

At this moment, purple starlight flickered continuously in the void, rendering the entire magnificent golden palace the same color.

Xu Jiawei's status as the emperor of the Star Luo Empire often overshadows his formidable strength. As a genius of the Star Crown Clan, a talent rarely seen even in a millennium, he has already touched upon the Super Douluo realm. With the unique abilities of his Star Crown Martial Soul, he possesses the capacity to contend even with Super Douluos.

A star crown, radiating brilliant golden light, hovered above Xu Jiawei's head. Specks of pale golden starlight poured down, merging into the soul power emanating from the Star Luo Empire's royal retainers and Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger.

With the addition of these pale golden starlight, the aura of Duke White Tiger and his entourage was significantly enhanced.

Seeing Xu Jiawei's instinctive reaction of being on high alert, Xu Zihuang walked past him without changing his expression and calmly sat on the throne that should have belonged to Xu Jiawei.

Ye Guyi and Wang Qiu'er followed closely behind Xu Zihuang, standing on either side of him. The two women were naturally aloof when facing outsiders, and their indifferent expressions brought an invisible but strong sense of oppression to the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire in the main hall.

Finally, it was Orange's turn. She stood in front of Xu Zihuang, gazing at Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger with a complicated expression.

This was the goal she had sought revenge for for nearly twenty years. However, when she was able to easily control the fate of Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger, she found that her determination for revenge was not as firm as she had imagined.

Experiencing warmth from Xu Zihuang and finding solace in Xu Xiyan, Ju Zi's mindset began to subtly shift. She was no longer as obstinate as before. When she stood by Xu Xiyan's side with Xu Zihuang, the happiness that filled her heart made her feel as if she had returned to her childhood.

They were carefree and immersed in that simple happiness.

Upon closer reflection, what ultimately killed her father was the war. Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger was merely a target of her anger. At its core, the Sun Moon Empire and its rulers, who forcibly conscripted her father to the front lines, were also executioners.

Seeing through Ju Zi's thoughts, Xu Zihuang comforted her by taking her hand.

He naturally didn't want Ju Zi to live in hatred forever, but he also didn't intend to let Dai Hao off the hook today.

Xu Zihuang, holding Ju Zi's hand, let her sit in his lap and calmly ordered, "Kill."

His calm, emotionless voice made everyone present gasp for breath.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jing Hongchen led the group of ninth-level Soul Masters from the Sun Moon Empire in a chorus of response. The Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps, Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps, Terror Claw Soul Master Corps, and Demon Whale Soul Master Corps simultaneously sprang into action, unleashing their linked Soul Guidance Devices to seal off the entire palace. They then swiftly constructed a Soul Guidance Formation, and various colors of Soul Power light instantly filled the palace.

Despair filled the faces of the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire. In a life-or-death situation, few could truly be prepared to die for their country. Even if these officials were grateful for the Star Luo Empire and Xu Jiawei's kindness and wanted to sacrifice themselves for their country, they couldn't be alone. They had to consider their families as well as themselves.

"I am willing to submit!" A minister of the Star Luo Empire could no longer bear the pressure in his heart, his knees buckled, and he bowed his head and knelt down before Xu Zihuang, who was sitting on the throne.

With the first person taking the lead, those who followed no longer hesitated. In an instant, more than half of the people in the court hurriedly knelt and bowed to Xu Zihuang.

"We are also willing to submit!"

Seeing this, Xu Jiawei's eyes showed no anger, only bitterness. Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger also helplessly loosened his clenched fists.

They all knew this was a predictable outcome. And their Star Luo Empire was already powerless to reverse it.

Xu Jiujiu, pale-faced but unwilling, stubbornly raised her head and looked at Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang never glanced at Xu Jiujiu, but raised his right hand and gave the order to attack to the people of the Sun Moon Empire.

Jing Hongchen, Ye Yulin, Wang Xiao, Yao Yang, and a group of other Title Douluo-level powerhouses surrounded Xu Jiawei, who was under the protection of the Star Luo Empire's royal family. Meanwhile, the remaining four Soul Master Corps of the Sun Moon Empire launched a one-sided massacre against the Star Luo Empire's ministers who refused to submit.

Screams, powerful energy fluctuations, and dazzling soul force light mingled together. The once magnificent and luxurious palace of the Star Luo Empire had been transformed into a living hell. Under the bombardment of these powerful soul tools, many people were vaporized without even leaving a trace of their bodies.

"Stop!" Xu Jiawei roared, his expression changing drastically, but it was all in vain. Even those ministers of the Star Luo Empire who surrendered now out of fear of death were completely ignored by the Soul Master Corps of the Sun Moon Empire.

What's the use of regretting it now if you didn't cherish the opportunities you were given before?

A moment later, the carnage in the main hall finally ceased. Those ministers of the Star Luo Empire who had previously submitted to Xu Zihuang were now trembling with fear, prostrate and silent, not daring to utter a sound. More than their shame towards the Star Luo Empire and Xu Jiawei, they were still reeling from the shock of surviving such a catastrophe.

Xu Jiawei's chest heaved violently, but in the end he let out a dejected sigh.

"Stop creating more innocent bloodshed. The Star Luo Empire is willing to submit..."

Gazing at the devastated hall, Xu Jiawei bent his knees and knelt heavily on the ground, as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

If he had been able to relinquish his ridiculous pride and prejudice sooner and chosen to submit to the Sun Moon Empire, perhaps so many people wouldn't have been implicated. Of course, he also knew that the Sun Moon Empire's slaughter and purge of their Star Luo Empire was unavoidable.

"Your Majesty!" Dai Hao exclaimed, while the royal guards of the Star Luo Empire all shook their heads in dismay.

Xu Jiujiu knelt down, tears welling in her eyes, and hugged Xu Jiawei's arm.

"Brother Emperor!"

Xu Jiawei was enduring immense humiliation; how could they possibly have wanted to see this scene?

Xu Jiawei raised his hand to stop Xu Jiujiu and Dai Hao, and silently looked at Xu Zihuang sitting on the throne.

"I know I am unworthy to be a ruler if I cannot protect my subjects or safeguard the country. You may decide how to deal with me, but please do not implicate innocent people."

"Your Majesty, I will accompany you to hell." Dai Hao clenched his fists again, his eyes burning as he spoke in a deep voice.

Xu Zihuang ignored Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao's so-called deep affection between ruler and subject, and instead glanced at the oranges in his arms.

Meeting Xu Zihuang's gaze, Ju Zi pondered for a long time before a genuine smile appeared on her beautiful face.

"Zihuang, right now, the only people I truly care about are you and Xiyan. I just want to be with you as Xiyan grows up happily and safely into adulthood."

Xu Zihuang smiled and intertwined his fingers with Ju Zi, having already made up his mind.

Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao, along with the Xingguan family and Baihu family behind them, will all be imprisoned near Mingdu.

Sending Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao to their deaths would, in effect, fulfill their wishes. He wanted them to witness firsthand the prosperity and grandeur of the Sun Moon Empire after it unified the continent, and to live the rest of their lives in its shadow.

Chapter 558 Cause and Effect Reincarnation

The emergence of the gods and the overwhelming superiority in soul-guided technology have made the situation on the continent a foregone conclusion.

Two days after that final battle, the three great empires that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent successively chose to submit. The Sun Moon Empire began to fully take over the Heavenly Soul, Douling, and Star Luo kingdoms, purging all dissenting voices.

The strategy of suppressing one group and then promoting another is applicable in almost all situations. By letting the newly emerging beneficiaries suppress the previous beneficiaries, the original Douluo Continent can naturally be divided from within.

In addition, the impact of the Sun Moon Empire's advanced soul guidance technology, although it cannot eliminate the original Douluo Continent's rejection of the Sun Moon Empire in a short period of time, will inevitably have a subtle influence over time.

Xu Zihuang further promoted the bloodline integration between the Sun Moon Empire and the three kingdoms originally belonging to the Douluo Continent. Using himself and Zhang Lexuan as an example, he claimed that intermarriage between the people of the Sun Moon Empire and those originally belonging to the Douluo Continent was more likely to produce exceptionally talented geniuses.

Indeed, this is the case. The people of the Sun Moon Empire and those originally from the Douluo Continent are different in race, which is the main reason why those originally from the Douluo Continent have always regarded the people of the Sun Moon Empire as a different race. The people of the Sun Moon Empire have an advantage in early-stage cultivation, making it easier for them to absorb the effects of various medicines. Those originally from the Douluo Continent, on the other hand, have an advantage in their understanding of their own martial soul and the integration of soul power and spiritual power.

Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan inherited the strengths of both sides.

Although they are exceptions, intermarriage between people from the Sun Moon Empire and those originally from the Douluo Continent can indeed improve overall talent. It's like a high-probability benign martial soul mutation.

However, Xu Zihuang's primary goal was to eliminate ethnic conflicts. When all ethnic groups are integrated into one, prejudice and exclusion will naturally disappear.

In order to promote the integration between the two ethnic groups, the Sun Moon Empire also introduced some policies to give substantial rewards to those Sun Moon Empire people and people originally from the Douluo Continent who intermarried.

At the same time, Xu Zihuang also discussed the construction of the Sun and Moon Temple and the Angel Temple with Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen and others.

The Sun and Moon Temple is in full control of the promotion of the Soul Fusion Method. Currently, the Sun and Moon Empire has begun to recruit a large number of Soul Masters with spiritual attributes or those who are good at spiritual power from all over the country.

The Sun Moon Empire has just unified the Douluo Continent, so at this stage it will definitely only select from within the country, as loyalty is guaranteed. It will only begin to expand its reach across the entire continent after the situation stabilizes.

The Angelic Temple absorbs powerful Soul Masters, especially those with abilities that counter evil Soul Masters. It primarily recruits Soul Masters with Light, Lightning, and Fire attributes.

The Temple of Angels and the Temple of the Sun and Moon had distinct powers and checked each other, but were ultimately under the control of the royal family.

According to Xu Zihuang's plan, Ye Guyi and Wang Qiu'er will become the temple masters of the Angel Temple and the Sun and Moon Temple, respectively. With Wang Qiu'er's involvement, the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest will be more willing to cooperate.

Each emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire also concurrently holds the position of Honorary Master of both the Angelic Temple and the Sun and Moon Divine Temple. This allows them to intervene at any time to prevent collusion between the two sides and the undermining of imperial power.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the continent as a whole was developing in a positive direction. The rule of the Sun Moon Empire had gradually stabilized, at least on the surface.

During this period, Xu Zihuang also publicly announced that he had made Navina his imperial concubine.

This morning, Xu Zihuang brought Ye Guyi, Wang Qiu'er, Ning Tian, ​​Ju Zi, and Vina to the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy.

Ning Tian and Ju Zi were still holding Xu Ningqing and Xu Xiyan. Three months had passed, and Wang Qiu'er's belly was becoming increasingly noticeable. The whole family was gathered here.

In the open space in front of the Sea God Pavilion, all the elders of the Sea God Pavilion and the inner court disciples were gathered. They all knew that Xu Zihuang's arrival meant that it would determine the fate of Shrek Academy.

The elders of the Sea God Pavilion should have been represented by Elder Xuan, but unfortunately, he had gone mad. At this moment, he was just like an ordinary old man, sitting cross-legged on the open ground, eating a chicken leg and drinking wine, laughing foolishly.

Representing Shrek Academy had to be replaced by Elder Song. Following Elder Song were Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, and others. Zhang Lexuan was relegated to the last position.

Standing at the forefront of the inner courtyard disciples were Ma Xiaotao, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, He Caitou, and Xu Sanshi, who were familiar with Xu Zihuang. Xu Sanshi had only recently returned to Shrek Academy.

The expressions on these people's faces were all extremely complex.

Xu Zihuang withdrew his gaze from Elder Xuan, then swept his eyes over everyone present before finally looking up at the Sea God Pavilion.

The specks of golden light coalesced, forming a giant tree-shaped shadow. It was the Golden Tree.

A flash of golden light appeared on the golden tree, and Elder Mu's slightly ethereal figure silently appeared before the Shrek Academy students. Elder Mu looked directly into Xu Zihuang's eyes and sighed softly with a bitter expression.

What's meant to happen will happen eventually.

"Elder Mu." Xu Zihuang nodded slightly to Elder Mu. Although they had different positions, Elder Mu had never wronged him over the years, but instead devoted himself to teaching him.

He said nothing more, but instead used his divine sense to clearly project the scene of Tang San plotting against him into this space. It wasn't a projection of his spiritual power, but rather a reversal of the river of time, allowing the scene to reappear.

The most recent instance was at the Clear Sky Sect, where Tang San attempted to subdue him by having Tang Wutong fuse with Wang Qiu'er's soul. When his scheme failed, he angrily attacked. The scene then shifts to Tang San forcibly teleporting him to the sea near the Star Sea Continent via the Qiankun Forget-Love Valley. On another occasion, Tang San summoned the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan, attempting to eliminate him in the sea, but they were intercepted beforehand by the God of Space.

Just then, Xu Zihuang's gaze narrowed slightly. His gaze spanned the long river of time, and he saw himself just after escaping from that isolated island.

A black-haired, purple-eyed boy was staring at the mirror beside the bed in his room on the warship when he suddenly paused, his expression slightly stunned. The two, though from different times, seemed to exchange glances for a fleeting moment.

The difference is that he didn't possess these abilities when he was young. All you can see now is his pair of eyes.

The scene flickered again, but unlike before when it was simply a reversal of the river of time, this time he saw a parallel universe on the same timeline. And it was from Wang Xiao's perspective.

Just like before, Wang Xiao led Yao Yang and the remnants of the original Emperor Dragon Soul Mentor Group to rescue him, but they were suddenly attacked by the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan midway, and almost the entire army was wiped out. Only the severely injured Wang Xiao managed to escape back to the mainland.

However, Wang Xiao, almost obsessively, did not give up on rescuing Xu Zihuang. Later, by chance, he broke through to the Title Douluo realm, but this further damaged his already potent poison. Even as a Title Douluo, his days were numbered.

In the last few years of his life, he created the Conferred God Platform, hoping to capture an extremely rare and special soul beast from the far north and use its blood to suppress the deadly poison in his body, thereby prolonging his life. But by sheer coincidence, he encountered the Snow Empress, who had been reborn as a human.

This led to the storyline of the Snow Emperor's embryo in Xu Zihuang's past life memories.

Knowing he couldn't absorb Xue Di's soul ring and soul bone, Wang Xiao made a deal with the Star Luo Empire, hoping they would send a powerful expert to rescue Xu Zihuang. The Star Luo Empire's royal Xu family possessed a special ability with their Star Crown Martial Soul: the ability to predict a person's fortune through celestial phenomena. The Star Crown Sect, with its tens of thousands of years of history, had never made a mistake in using this ability.

Ten thousand years ago, the Star Crown Sect used this ability to predict Bibi Dong's fate and, knowing the destiny of the Spirit Empire, chose to live in seclusion, thus avoiding being implicated. Four thousand years ago, the Star Crown Sect emerged and led the Star Luo Empire to repel the Sun Moon Empire's invasion, also seizing the most opportune moment with this ability.

Wang Xiao learned this information from Xu Zihuang's parents. Before taking action, he asked Xu Jiawei to use his martial soul ability to check on Xu Zihuang's condition.