Aboard the airship.
Standing atop the vessel, Juzi looked down at the vast expanse of mountains and rivers, her beautiful eyes gleaming with excitement.
This moment would surely go down in history. That Ah Cheng had entrusted her with full authority wasn't just because she was his partner, but also a symbol of absolute trust.
She couldn't let him down.
"Report!"
A figure streaked across the sky like a comet and landed directly on the airship. Clad in crimson armor, he dropped to one knee with an excited expression.
"Reporting to the Commander! Maple Leaf City has fallen. The First Legion's 3rd, 4th, and 7th battalions remain to take over and consolidate. The rest are advancing toward the Haotian Sect in the north. Estimated to rendezvous with the Royal Dragon Soul Guidance Regiment in three hours..."
"So fast?" Juzi was momentarily stunned.
It had barely been an hour since she'd issued the order.
Maple Leaf City was said to house 80% of the strength of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Body Sect.
"Three cannons blew open the gates. The all-terrain turrets and mechas concentrated fire on the enemy's elite. They had no time to react. Four titled Douluo were completely annihilated, and countless soul masters were killed or injured. Less than half an hour later, a Soul King surrendered," the messenger said disdainfully.
"Our mechas and surveillance-type soul tools controlled the skies. Ground forces had all-terrain soul cannons providing overwhelming firepower. It wasn't war—it was a one-sided massacre."
"..."
Juzi remained silent for a while.
She turned to her adjutant. "How much longer until we reach Shrek?"
"At our current top speed—about half a day," the adjutant replied crisply.
"As we seize territory, the various noble soul masters, sects, and other remnants of the old Empire along the way will be systematically swept away by our numbered legions."
"Understood."
Juzi still found it hard to believe.
Just a few years ago, she had been in the Mingdou Mountains, entangled with Duke White Tiger Dai Hao's 100,000-strong army. That defensive line had truly been the strongest bastion of the Starfall Empire, halting its ambitions.
But now...
She activated her communicator and dialed.
"Hello... we'll have to move the timeline up..."
Mingdu.
Inside a secluded inn room.
Xuanzi paced back and forth, brows furrowed. "Why do I feel like something's not right?"
"The Sun Moon Empire is strong, yes—but when the Abyss Plane descends, we can coordinate and break through Mingdu together. It's not like we have no chance. Don't overthink it," Xian Lin'er sighed with some helplessness.
"I hope I'm just being paranoid."
Xuanzi nodded, still skeptical.
Sea God's Pavilion.
The meeting proceeded as usual.
But everyone wore grim expressions, staring at Elder Song, who struggled to remain composed as he presided.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"We just received a blood-letter from the Haotian Sect. The Sun Moon Empire has made their move—and this is no drill. They've launched the Second Continental War. The Heavenly Soul Empire's capital has fallen. The emperor committed suicide. The two princesses and Long Aotian have been taken by remnants of the Body Sect, fleeing to an island for refuge."
"And the Sect Master of the Body Sect?!" Elder Lin asked, inhaling sharply.
"He went to Mingdu personally, attempting to self-destruct and take Xu Cheng with him."
"..."
A deathly silence.
Elder Song looked around the room. "They were all heroes. Whether or not Du Busi's plan succeeded, he deserves our respect."
"But now, this catastrophe has arrived at Shrek's doorstep."
"We've long known that if the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. That's why we fully supported our alliances, even mobilizing the entire Academy. Yet every time, the enemy neutralized us with ease. And this time, it wasn't that we chose not to help—it's that they moved too fast..."
"So fast that the Haotian Sect, with two Limit Douluo and strength far beyond ours, barely had time to send us one blood-letter. According to the disciple who delivered the message, when he left, he saw the Sky Azure Bull Python's arm blown off, and the Titan Giant Ape critically injured, likely not long for this world."
"If I'm right," Elder Song said gravely, "Haotian Sect has likely already been wiped out by the Sun Moon Empire."
"Where's Tang San?! Why hasn't he acted?!" one elder shouted.
"He's a god. The Divine Realm forbids direct interference in mortal affairs," Song shook his head.
"We still have demi-gods. Ancestor Ah Yin has near-demi-god strength, and with the Golden Tree, we might still hold out," another elder offered.
"We'll have to pin our hopes on that," Song sighed.
"And now—pass on my orders!"
His gaze turned sharp, like a hawk.
"Alert the entire Academy. Defend Shrek City to the death! We cannot rely solely on Ancestor Ah Yin…"
Mingdu.
The sun shone brightly.
Star rails crossed midair like a spiderweb from above, enveloping the entire city.
"Xu Cheng! Let's die together!"
Du Busi stared at the figure in the sky, emotions flashing across his face. He had once tried to recruit this young man into the Body Sect. Who would've thought they'd end up like this?
But no matter his admiration, he could not ignore their opposition.
Only by dying with Xu Cheng could he honor the Body Sect brothers who had died covering their escape.
As he spoke, dark green energy swelled around him. His soul power surged violently. A near-Limit Douluo self-destructing caused the very fabric of space to ripple.
A massive green giant inflated like a grotesque balloon. Du Busi locked eyes on Xu Cheng, who stood alone—no guards nearby. A perfect moment to self-destruct.
"Why struggle?"
Xu Cheng stood with hands behind his back, shaking his head.
He watched silently as Du Busi detonated.
"No reaction? Wait—it's an illusion?!"
As Du Busi reached the final moment before detonation, he suddenly realized it. A massive explosion erupted over Mingdu, soul power surging like a mushroom cloud—but it was trapped inside a space lock, unable to leak even a trace.
"Your Majesty!"
A crimson-armored guard led a squad rushing in. Seeing Xu Cheng unharmed, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Build him a cenotaph. I saved his robes," Xu Cheng said, catching a fluttering long coat from the blast zone and handing it to the soldier.
"Take it to the Heavenly Soul Empire—let them bury him."
"Fate is curious. I once considered joining the Body Sect... but took a different path."
"Was that… the Body Sect leader, Du Busi?" the red-armored guard asked softly.
"Mm."
Xu Cheng, hands still behind his back, glanced at Xuanzi approaching rapidly.
With a faint smile, he vanished with the squad into thin air.
"Impossible! That was that old poison's aura! He self-destructed? How could that be?!"
Xuanzi's face twisted in shock, tinged with fear and anger.
What did this mean?
If Du Busi self-destructed—it could only mean the Body Sect was gone.
This was their last act of resistance against the Sun Moon Empire.
"That aura—I couldn't have mistaken it!" Xuanzi's lips trembled.
If the Body Sect was destroyed—how?
Only two forces on the continent were capable of such a feat: Haotian Sect or the Sun Moon Empire.
Du Busi self-destructed in Mingdu. The answer was clear.
"Elder Xuan... the Sun Moon Empire has likely declared war," Xian Lin'er paled.
They'd been naively scheming to coordinate an attack on Mingdu... not realizing the enemy had thrown out the script and gone straight for the heart.
"Buzz~"
Just as the two stood in doubt, a faint rumble of thunder approached. A lightning-blue streak cut across the sky like a flash.
"Thunderbird!"
"It's a message from the Academy!"
Only a few organizations on the continent could afford to raise Thunderbirds—and this one was familiar. Left by Elder Mu.
"The Academy is in danger—return immediately!"
It was Elder Song's handwriting!
They hastily opened the note tied to the bird's leg.
Five large blood-red characters.
Their faces instantly turned pale.
The Sun Moon Empire… really was about to strike the Academy.
Their worst fears were coming true!
"Get Beibei and retreat in secret!" Xuanzi shouted in panic.
"It may already be too late..." Xian Lin'er said despairingly.
Hundreds of mechas had surrounded them from all directions, sealing them inside a formation.
The lead mecha spoke with a deep voice: "Honored guests, Mingdu is known for its hospitality. Since your negotiations on soul tool cooperation with the Empire haven't concluded, why the rush? Stay a while longer."
"Fine… very fine." Xuanzi clenched his fists in frustration.
They had been completely outmaneuvered.
He turned toward the imperial palace in the distance, as if sensing a young figure watching them from within.
There was no escape.
If they fought, he and Xian Lin'er would surely die here.
He could only pray that Ancestor Ah Yin could withstand the invasion.
Humiliating!
So damn humiliating!
But...
They really weren't a match for that man.
Even together, they were hopelessly outclassed.
…
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
The continent underwent a tremendous upheaval.
In the Year 003 of the Cheng Era of the Sun Moon Calendar, the Sun Moon Empire launched a full-scale offensive. Within a single day, they captured the frontline cities of the Heavenly Soul Empire — Maple Leaf City, White Forest City, and Xuanze City — advancing all the way north to the Heavenly Soul Empire's capital, Tian Dou City. There, they encountered fierce resistance from the headquarters of the Body Sect, but still managed to breach the city gates by dusk and successfully took control of Tian Dou City.
Twelve Titled Douluo were discovered in total, including three Hyper Douluo — all were annihilated.
The Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire committed suicide by hanging. The whereabouts of the two princesses are unknown.
The Heavenly Soul Empire has fallen.
At 7 a.m. the following day, the second army reached the headquarters of the Clear Sky Sect. By 2:12 p.m., it was confirmed that the last elder of the Clear Sky Sect had been slain. The Clear Sky Sect was awash in blood. The two beast bodies of Da Ming and Er Ming were taken into custody by the military. After examination by army medics, it was confirmed they were truly dead and not faking.
A total of seven Titled Douluo and two Hyper Douluo were taken into custody.
The Clear Sky Sect has fallen.
On the third day, the entire army arrived at Shrek Academy. The Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment, which was the last to arrive, closed the western gap that had been left open. On the fourth day, a siege was launched. Although the enemy was protected by a demi-god level being, and even with the coordinated use of defensive soul tools, the Sun Moon side was unable to breach for a long time. Fortunately, the casualties remained minimal.
Commander Juzi then invited the Lord of the Star Dou Forest — the Silver Dragon King — who destroyed the Golden Tree and, together with her, killed Ah Yin.
However, they were then met with resistance from the remnants of Ah Yin — the Blue Silver Emperor — though the effect was minimal. By 3 a.m. on the fifth day, all remaining Blue Silver Emperors were fully eradicated, and all members of the Sea God's Pavilion were eliminated.
Most of the teachers and students at Shrek Academy were unaffected — only the senior administrators and those who had participated in the Battle of Mingdu were dragged out and executed.
Shrek City fell. A total of seven Titled Douluo were executed — including three Hyper Douluo and three Soul Douluo — personally carried out by Sun Moon Princess Xu Lexuan.
Shrek Academy has fallen.
…
Staring at Xu Sanshi, who was kneeling below.
Xu Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, his tone laced with amusement.
"You want to plead on behalf of the Douling Empire?"
"I wouldn't dare," Xu Sanshi swallowed hard.
If it had been a month ago, he might not have been so cautious. After all, none of these drastic events had occurred yet, and he could still cling to the fantasy that the original continent might find a chance to overturn the tide. But now…
The dust had settled.
Only the Douling Empire and the Xuanming Sect had narrowly escaped doom — thanks to his last-minute "defection."
As for the Xuanming Sect, perhaps because it was just a sect, the Sun Moon Empire treated it with relative leniency. After all, many sects on the continent — unless they had an irreconcilable blood feud like the Clear Sky Sect — had been fortunate enough to avoid full extermination.
But empires were different.
How could two tigers coexist on one mountain?
Especially now that one tiger had ascended into a dragon — swallowing the other was just a matter of a single bite.
He had done everything he could.
Under his father's leadership, the Xuanming Sect had fully surrendered to the Sun Moon Empire — offering up 80% of their wealth, along with all their land deeds and a detailed population register of over ten thousand members — essentially surrendering their weakest point.
But the Douling Empire…
Those damned stubborn fools still clung to a sliver of fantasy.
They hoped to survive through a feudal vassal system.
Every year, they presented tribute to the Sun Moon Empire, hoping — like the vassal states of old — to retain their own governance and the nobility's status. They even sent envoys to negotiate with the Sun Moon Empire.
Utterly stupid.
It was only now that he realized his father had never actually communicated with the Douling royal family. Leaving them a path to survival was merely his own wishful thinking — due to his feelings for his mother.
"So, what do you want to do?" Xu Cheng asked with a hint of curiosity.
"I don't want the blood of those idiots to splash on me," Xu Sanshi replied.
He had come to sever ties with the so-called "mother's side" — the Douling Empire.
No amount of kind words could save someone who was already doomed.
Dragging the Xuanming Sect down with them wouldn't be worth it.
Those fools never thought — did they really believe the Sun Moon Empire had spent thousands of years gathering strength just to obtain a bit of their pitiful tribute?
What the Sun Moon Empire sought was people, land, territory!
The only reason they were left alive was to serve as a smoother transition into assimilation.
Surviving was already the greatest blessing.
He knew that those uncles and his maternal grandfather were not real heroes. They were nothing like the iron-blooded emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire — a true man who would rather die with his country.
Put a blade to their throats, and they'd probably wet their pants in the next second.
Greedy, foolish, cowardly — classic representations of the aristocracy.
He had done what needed to be done.
His mother wouldn't blame him.
(End of Chapter)