The massacre of cities by the Heaven Dou Empire spread across half the continent in just a few days. Over in Star Luo, however, news was still blocked by Ning Fengzhi, so they remained unaware.
Ning Fengzhi was worried Star Luo would use the same strategy to restrict Gu Ran's army. With Dai Tianjue's ruthlessness, he would definitely do it.
Though Star Luo was in the dark, the Heaven Dou Empire and its various vassal kingdoms and duchies had already heard the news. Everyone was shocked by Xue Beng's cruelty.
Currently, Yu Tianheng was wary and hesitant. Though his army had pushed the front lines to the city closest to Binghe City, he dared not withdraw troops from other cities, leaving his army too weak to launch an assault. In this regard, Xue Beng's strategy was quite effective.
The entire Emperor Battle Team was idle each day, waiting for reinforcements—except for Zhu Zhuqing, who constantly warned everyone that a major battle could break out soon and told them not to let down their guard.
She sent scouts everywhere to gather intelligence and even personally surveyed the terrain around Binghai City.
Evil Sword Immortal was good at manipulating people, but he perfectly inherited a few flaws from Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong: one, too arrogant; two, no grasp of military strategy. He overlooked a critical point: Xue Beng wouldn't listen to him and would act on his own, which Zhu Zhuqing also realized.
Unfortunately, not everyone understood Zhu Zhuqing's behavior; after all, by all appearances, Xue Beng didn't dare face them head-on—he just wanted Yu Tianheng to split his forces and be too weak to assault the city, so he could hold on longer as emperor.
His strategy had succeeded, but it also had a huge backlash: it completely alienated those with real vision.
For instance, the three deans of the former Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Your Majesty, your order for Ge Long to massacre the sixteen cities of Binghe has spread everywhere. Do you have nothing to say to us about such a depraved act?" Meng Shenji confronted him in court.
"How dare you, Meng Shenji! As a minister, how dare you demand an explanation from His Majesty?" Ge Long snapped. To him, imperial authority was supreme; he always did whatever the emperor said.
The emperor never needed a reason for his actions, and no one could question him. All must obey the imperial decree; disobedience was treason.
The three deans had always been dissatisfied with Ge Long's philosophy. Loyalty to the monarch was fine, but blind loyalty was a problem. As officials, loyalty to both the monarch and the people was inseparable. If you only serve the monarch and not the people, what kind of loyal minister are you?
Normally, the three deans would be too lazy to argue, but today, they had no choice but to stand up.
"Ge Long, you owe us an explanation too. Otherwise, don't blame us for what comes next." Zhi Lin's Sky Green Vine appeared in his hand, ready to act on a moment's notice. Even the calmest person would be pushed to the limit by this.
"Insolence! Three deans, do you know where you are? How dare you defy the emperor in his palace?" Xue Beng slapped his dragon throne, stood up angrily, and said, "You want a reason? Fine, I'll give you one. This is all for the future of our Heaven Dou Empire. Those cities were already lost. Rather than hand the people and resources to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, better to destroy them ourselves. Rest assured, I only killed the able-bodied men; I spared the old, weak, women, and children."
Bai Baoshan clenched his fists. "Hmph! Your Majesty, you didn't spare them out of kindness. You just want to use the weak to force Tianheng to divert troops to care for them. Shameless!"
Bai Baoshan finally cursed. When a good-natured person gets angry, they're more decisive than anyone else.
"How dare you, Bai Baoshan! You actually insult this emperor. Considering your past loyalty, I'll spare you once. Get out—never return to court. Only after atoning for your crimes will you be permitted back." Xue Beng waved his sleeve, and a squad of imperial guards entered.
The squad leader bowed to the three. "Sirs, His Majesty commands you to return."
"Heh, fine." Meng Shenji sneered. "But don't expect us to 'atone for our crimes' or ever return. Take care of yourself, Your Majesty."
The three turned to leave. Xue Beng shouted, "Stop! Meng Shenji, what do you mean? You plan to betray Heaven Dou, become traitors like Ning Fengzhi and Jun Tianlin?"
"Tianlin isn't a traitor—he never joined Heaven Dou's court, so how can he be a minister?" Bai Baoshan pointed at Xue Beng, sharp-tongued. "We wish to serve a virtuous ruler who brings a good future to the people, not a butcher like you. We're not blind loyalists. Xue Beng, you are a fool and tyrant, no match for Tianlin. I advise you to surrender soon, lest you die a terrible death."
"You... you dare say I'm inferior to Jun Tianlin!" What Xue Beng hated most was being compared to Tianlin.
"How can a foolish tyrant compare to our greatest student? Not just Tianlin—even compared to Qinghe, you're far behind." Zhi Lin mocked. "I've often heard of Qian Renxue's deeds—punishing evil, saving countless people. Though we're enemies, I respect her from the heart. Tianlin is the same. He had the power to sweep the continent long ago, yet he advanced slowly, building up strength to minimize casualties."
"Those two worked so hard for the people. And you? One decree, and their years of effort are wasted. I could skin you alive."
"Old Bai, Old Lin, what's the point of talking to a beast in human skin? Let's go. From now on, we owe nothing to this rotten country." Meng Shenji was utterly disheartened; he'd wash his hands of Heaven Dou's affairs.
"Hmph, you think you can just leave? After saying all this, do you think I'll let you defect to Jun Tianlin and become my enemies?" Xue Beng said coldly, murderous intent rising.
"Your Majesty, do you really think these soldiers and Ge Long can stop us three Soul Douluo?" Bai Baoshan said disdainfully. Their confidence came from their strength.
"Fine, if you're leaving, I might as well deal with you now and help Tianlin unify the continent." Zhi Lin struck. The Sky Green Vine shot toward Xue Beng's head.
Given their power gap, Zhi Lin was confident of killing Xue Beng in a single move.
Unexpectedly, as the vine was about to hit, Xue Beng easily caught it, stopping it cold.
"Impossible!" Zhi Lin was shocked. How could Xue Beng block his Sky Green Vine?
"Heh, so this is the power of one of the Seven Sins—Sloth. Fascinating." Xue Beng spread his arms, and a pair of black wings sprouted from his back. His martial soul once again became the Black Swan.
Even more fearsome were his soul rings: two yellow, two purple, five black—a total of nine, signifying he had become a Titled Douluo.
The three deans felt his soul power fluctuations—about level 91, but enough to shock them, since Xue Beng had just been a mere Soul King. How did he break through four whole stages so quickly?
In truth, Evil Sword Immortal was extremely dissatisfied with Xue Beng's choice. He wanted Xue Beng to use the power on a loyal, promising candidate—maybe making a Super Douluo. But Xue Beng used it on himself to barely become a Titled Douluo, wasting the power.
But that was Xue Beng's deal, so Evil Sword Immortal had to let him.
Xue Beng desperately wanted to be strong—like Tianlin, intimidating an entire empire. Now, he had finally become a Titled Douluo.