Chapter 247: Xingluo and the Holy Soul (Final)
Ye Wen understood well that humans rarely cherish what comes too easily. This awareness, coupled with other strategic intentions, shaped his approach to the continent wide power shift unfolding overnight. The once formidable Heaven Dou Empire had fallen without resistance, altering the balance of the Douluo Continent and plunging the neighboring Xingluo Empire and its dependent territories into a state of crisis. In their view, the Spirit Hall targeted Heaven Dou first due to perceived weakness, intending to deal with the harder, "last standing" Xingluo later. Nervously, they began mobilizing defenses, fearing an immediate invasion from the Spirit Hall. As for seizing territory amidst the chaos no one dared to entertain such ambitions, for maintaining control over land without natural defenses could only lead to a prolonged, resource draining war.
Within the Xingluo imperial palace, the struggle for the throne no longer mattered. The royal court had convened with all its high ranking officials, who now sat in silence, subdued by the pressure in the hall. Emperor White Tiger sat at the head of the room, his piercing gaze fixed on the intelligence report before him.
"One night," he intoned coldly, "it took only one night for the vast Heaven Dou Empire to fall. Tell me, ministers, how long do you think Xingluo can hold?"
The emperor's question, laced with chilling sarcasm, fell upon the assembled ministers. A ruthless ruler and a formidable Title Douluo, Emperor White Tiger was not one to overlook weakness, yet this shocking betrayal by the Gelong family left him questioning the loyalty of those around him. The ministers, many who had once basked in the emperor's leniency, avoided his gaze, each privately assessing the situation. Xingluo's governance had remained robust compared to Heaven Dou's, but after two millennia, complacency had crept in, turning even the most once ruthless succession battles into spectacles.
Taking a deep breath, the emperor forced himself to refocus. Unlike Heaven Dou's Emperor Xue Ye, he held his pride as a Title Douluo and would not succumb so easily.
"Minister of Finance," he called.
"Here, Your Majesty," answered an elderly man, his long white beard marking him as a learned elder who had served Xingluo across two reigns.
The emperor scrutinized him. "How many soldiers can the treasury support in a year's campaign?"
The finance minister hesitated, noting the emperor's unusual query, but answered honestly after brief calculations. "If we follow the year's standard expenditure, Your Majesty, we can raise and supply an army of a million soldiers."
The emperor pondered this quietly. "And if we cut rations?"
The minister, sensing where this was headed, attempted to dissuade him gently. "Your Majesty, withholding even basic provisions could provoke an uprising, even among common soldiers…"
Before he could finish, the emperor's fierce spirit pressure bore down, forcing him to his knees, struggling even to look up.
"An uprising? I am the ruler of Xingluo," the emperor hissed. "My subjects shall obey, or their commanders will put them down. We will raise new troops if necessary. I will show the Spirit Hall that Xingluo will not be so easily conquered!"
With a wave of his hand, he intensified the pressure, until the minister's eyes rolled back, blood dripping from his mouth as he collapsed on the floor. Coldly, the emperor sneered, "Worthless coward. You won't be needing your position any longer."
The ministers standing near the fallen finance minister broke into a cold sweat. From their distance, the scene might have appeared intimidating but not fatal; only those closest knew he had perished.
The emperor turned to the Minister of Household Affairs. "You are now also the Minister of Finance. Begin recruitment immediately, with half the standard provisions. Pay will be suspended until further notice. Any resistance will be met with execution."
Intimidated by the emperor's ruthlessness, the Minister of Household Affairs could only nod, accepting the grim task despite his objections. One after another, the ministers received equally harsh orders and dared not resist, each fearing they might meet the same end as their late colleague.
"Dismissed," the emperor commanded at last. His ministers, desperate to escape, scurried out as though freed from a nightmare.
In the silence that followed, Emperor White Tiger's face grew darker, his fury unquenched.
"Spirit Hall…" he muttered, the name repeating in his mind. Despite his late father's repeated warnings to guard against them, Spirit Hall had remained dormant, leading him to dismiss them as a true threat. But the swift collapse of Heaven Dou left him uneasy and suffocated by dread. Spiraling deeper into his thoughts, he knew he couldn't rely on an army of cannon fodder alone. Xingluo needed true power to resist.
A thought struck him. Though the upper three sects had allied themselves with the Holy Spirit Empire, one remained unaligned: the mighty Hao Tian Sect. Recalling the sect's formidable history and influence, he sensed a glimmer of hope.
"Bai Yi," he called.
"Yes, Your Majesty." One of his death guards knelt beside him.
After a moment's hesitation, the emperor took pen and paper, swiftly composing a letter and handing it to the guard.
"Deliver this to the Hao Tian Sect at once. I want their answer as soon as possible."
Without a word, Bai Yi accepted the letter and departed.
Left alone in the empty hall, Emperor White Tiger's gaze grew dark and feverish, and his whisper resounded against the cold walls.
"Without the Dai family, there is no Xingluo. Come, Spirit Hall… let us see who falls."
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