Chapter 316: Seeking Help from Spirit Hall?
"Your Majesty, are you saying… you want me to hand over the Tiger Tally?"
The King of the Barak Kingdom was stunned, staring in disbelief at "Xue Qinghe."
For generations, the Barak Kingdom had loyally supported the Heaven Dou Empire, never harboring any rebellious intent. Yet now, the newly crowned emperor wanted him to surrender the Tiger Tally?
Without his legion, how was he to control the Barak Kingdom? How was he supposed to defend it?
Wait—was "Xue Qinghe" planning to reclaim the enfeoffed lands?
Once he realized this, the King of Barak's gaze toward "Xue Qinghe" changed slightly.
"Xue Qinghe" nodded but said nothing more. Everything that needed to be said had already been said.
What remained was the King of Barak's decision.
The king fell into deep thought.
After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Your Majesty, are you only reclaiming the Barak Kingdom, or will all the enfeoffed lands be taken back?"
If it was just the Barak Kingdom, there was no way he would hand over the Tiger Tally.
This was essentially forcing them into rebellion!
And it was a rebellion they would be compelled to make.
If they didn't resist, their entire lineage would be finished.
If they did, they would likely lose, perhaps even disastrously, but at least their names would go down in history.
It would be clear they had been forced into it!
That it was the new emperor who left them no choice but to rebel!
"I don't mind telling you—this emperor intends to reclaim all the enfeoffed lands and unite the entire Heaven Dou Empire to wage war against the Star Luo Empire!"
"I do not wish for internal strife. Soldiers shouldn't die at the hands of their own, but in battle to expand our territory!"
"Xue Qinghe" declared with righteous conviction.
Upon hearing this, the King of Barak frowned.
If not for Spirit Hall's interference, the Heaven Dou Empire would have unified the Douluo Continent long ago.
The Star Luo Empire should never have grown to what it is today.
Now, the new emperor harbored ambitions to unify the continent. Reclaiming the lands—this was to prevent fires breaking out at their back during a war with the Star Luo Empire.
"Have you considered Spirit Hall's interference?"
The King of Barak asked bluntly.
In his view, defeating the Star Luo Empire would be easy for Heaven Dou. The only real threat was Spirit Hall's obstruction.
That was the major problem.
As one of the allied kings under Heaven Dou, believing in its superiority over Star Luo was a given.
If he didn't have even that much confidence, how could he call himself the King of Barak?
"Spirit Hall is nothing to fear. An old friend of mine will help me warn them when the time comes."
"Xue Qinghe" said confidently.
An old friend? Warn Spirit Hall!?
The King of Barak's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, words caught in his throat.
If he wasn't mistaken, the only person on the entire Douluo Continent who could warn Spirit Hall and make them think twice... no, not a person anymore—a god!
Only that one!
He never would've imagined that "Xue Qinghe" was connected to that god.
No wonder. No wonder he dared to rebel—cough—rise to the throne so successfully!
"I understand."
The King of Barak sighed and continued, "Your Majesty, I can hand over the Tiger Tally. But you must agree to one thing."
"As long as you agree, I will swear on the honor of the Xue clan and my martial soul to return the lands and the tally."
Hearing this, "Xue Qinghe" was slightly surprised.
Just as Kong had said, the Barak Kingdom truly was the most loyal to the Heaven Dou Empire.
Even under these circumstances, they were willing to surrender the Tiger Tally and their lands.
"Speak. As long as it is within my power."
"Xue Qinghe" replied without changing expression.
"Your Majesty, I have only one request. As long as the Heaven Dou Empire still stands, protect my lineage. We don't need any financial support from the empire—what we've accumulated is more than enough for our descendants."
The King of Barak stated directly.
If he were to rebel, all his wealth would be confiscated.
But by handing over the Tiger Tally and making this request, he could at least preserve his wealth.
After a brief moment of thought, "Xue Qinghe" nodded and said, "Very well, I promise you."
"As long as the Heaven Dou Empire exists, your bloodline will enjoy prosperity."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The King of Barak sighed once more.
"I'll retrieve the Tiger Tally after the others arrive in Tian Dou City."
This was to prevent "Xue Qinghe" from overthinking things—and also to drag the other kings into the pit.
If he had to fall, the others wouldn't have it easy either.
More importantly, it showed "Xue Qinghe" his sincerity.
If he went back right away, wouldn't "Xue Qinghe" suspect he intended to rebel?
That was entirely possible!
"Xue Qinghe" nodded. This King of Barak knew how to play the game.
It wasn't easy, but at last, one king had been settled. It was a good start—and for Qian Renxue, that was a very good thing.
As time passed, the kings of the kingdoms and duchies within the Heaven Dou Empire began arriving in Tian Dou City one after another.
Qian Renxue repeated the same method, and in the end, only two kings remained defiant.
They refused to relinquish the power they held—for themselves and their descendants.
They would rather confront the Heaven Dou Empire head-on than hand over their Tiger Tally.
The King of Barak smirked coldly.
Among all the kingdoms and duchies, the Barak Kingdom was one of the strongest.
It wasn't called the Empire's Granary for nothing.
And even he didn't dare go head-to-head with the Heaven Dou Empire.
Did they think the fifty-thousand-strong Royal Knights were just for show?
Were those two kings overly confident? Or did they have some trump cards?
Mostly, it was overconfidence—and arrogance.
One was a kingdom, the other a duchy. They were the first to surrender when the Spirit Empire was founded in the original timeline.
They had long since harbored rebellious intentions. How could they possibly agree to "Xue Qinghe's" request?
Hand over the Tiger Tally?
They weren't fools!
Seeing this, "Xue Qinghe" breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, only one kingdom and one duchy had refused to surrender their Tiger Tallies.
"We'll have to fight—and it must be a beautiful, decisive victory! So no one else dares to entertain other thoughts!"
With that in mind, Qian Renxue let the two return, allowing them time to prepare.
Immediately after, she mobilized troops, dispatching forty thousand Royal Knights to join the campaign.
The other kings broke into cold sweats, feeling chills down their backs. The new emperor meant business!
"He" wasn't just saying things...
At that moment, they felt incredibly wise for choosing to comply.
The Heaven Dou Empire had ruled for so many years not because of powerful soul masters, but because of its invincible legions!
The two rebellious kings were on the verge of tears. Damn it, going all out from the start?
They knew—the Royal Knights were nothing like the regular troops.
Those who qualified for the Royal Knights all possessed at least some soul power.
Even if their soul power levels weren't high and they couldn't match the fanatic warriors—Kong's current devout zealots—they were still far superior to ordinary troops.
A great war was about to erupt.
The two kings had no choice but to resist with everything they had—and secretly seek help from Spirit Hall...
(End of Chapter)
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