In the aftermath of the crushing defeat suffered by the Northern Duke, those nobles who had previously opposed Xu Tiannan due to the education reform had no choice but to lower their heads and submit.
While many of them were fortunate enough to escape punishment thanks to Xu Tiannan's magnanimity, their "gratitude" came at a cost. In exchange for his forgiveness, they offered up vast tracts of land, control over their ancestral fiefdoms, and much of their accumulated family wealth. It was a monumental bloodletting—but one that Xu Tiannan had anticipated and orchestrated to consolidate central authority once and for all.
With their surrender, the centralized power Xu Tiannan had long envisioned became a tangible reality. The era of regional noble domination was fading, replaced by the rise of a true imperial regime.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince—who had once envisioned leading a tidal wave of nobles in an unstoppable march toward the throne—now found himself stranded, his back pressed to a wall. Even with the promise of reinforcements from the Douluo Three Nations, he could no longer deny the truth. His chances of winning this war had become vanishingly slim.
And then, in a stroke of tragic timing that sent ripples through the empire, the aging emperor—their father—passed away.
The emperor's health had been precarious ever since the civil unrest began. The mass rebellion of the nobles had nearly pushed him into a coma, and despite weeks of intensive care and frantic attempts to stabilize his condition, the imperial physicians ultimately failed. The emperor's death became public knowledge within hours.
The Third Prince knew this spelled doom.
With the throne now vacant, he had only one question: what would happen next?
He didn't have to wait long for an answer. Just seven days after the funeral—the solemn state ceremony attended by the highest ranks of the empire—the royal edict officially declaring Xu Tiannan the new emperor was issued.
The Third Prince was struck by a wave of despair.
Xu Tiannan's lightning-quick coronation meant one thing: he now had the full support of the Royal Soul Engineer Regiment, the elders of the Worship Hall, and likely at least one of the Guardian Hands. Without such institutional backing, it would have been impossible to secure the throne so swiftly.
With this, the civil war was over—at least in name.
Xu Tiannan was no longer a mere crown prince fighting for legitimacy. He was the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. Any further military action against him would no longer be a dispute over succession.
It would be outright treason.
And treason meant death.
Death not just for the Third Prince, but for everyone associated with him—his soldiers, his advisors, and even the nobles who had once lent him their support.
Sweat poured from his brow. His mind spun as the implications slammed into him like a tidal wave.
Fight on? Certain death.
Surrender? Also death.
Was there any path left for him?
Only one remained.
The Third Prince realized that if he was going to survive, he had to flee. If he submitted to the Douluo Three Nations and pledged allegiance to them, there might still be a chance to fight another day. He could one day reclaim what was taken from him—if not the throne, then at least a legacy.
And so, he gathered his closest confidants—Xu Rong, Xu Muchen, and a select few loyal followers—and laid bare his plan. The mood in the room was grim.
They all understood the difference between seeking help from the Douluo nations and fully defecting. The latter meant permanent exile, eternal enmity with the Sun Moon Empire, and forever being branded a traitor.
But they also knew they had no choice.
If they stayed, they would be slaughtered. No quarter would be given.
And so, they agreed.
The Third Prince quickly contacted agents from the Douluo nations who had been planted long ago within the Sun Moon Empire. With their assistance, he activated several secret exit routes under his control—pathways Xu Tiannan had no knowledge of.
In a single night, following Xu Tiannan's coronation, the Third Prince vanished from the empire. Along with him fled several elite units still loyal to him, the Northern Duke and his surviving soul engineer regiment, and a handful of tightly allied noble families. They all slipped across the border and disappeared into the protective shadow of the Star Luo Empire.
To the Northern Duke, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
He had spent years building his northern territories into a fortress of power and wealth. To abandon it all in disgrace and flee like a hunted dog was a humiliation he could scarcely bear.
But he understood the stakes. With Xu Tiannan now seated on the throne, he had become a prime target for retribution. Staying would have meant annihilation.
The Sun Moon Empire was thrown into a frenzy when news of the Third Prince's escape broke.
Condemnation rained down from all corners of the court. Even the neutral nobles who had tried to remain detached now openly criticized the prince's cowardice. The Four Guardian Hands were dispatched to intercept the fleeing forces, but by then, most of them were already gone.
Only a few lagging stragglers—minor nobles, late arrivals, or those without proper escape routes—were captured.
Many prominent soul engineer clans from Mingdu also fled with the prince. Compared to landholding nobles, these clans had an easier time disappearing; their wealth was easily stored in soul tools, and their movements were harder to track.
Xu Tiannan was furious.
He knew these clans would become future thorns in his side. Who could guess how many high-grade soul tools, rare metals, or confidential schematics they had taken with them? Their defection meant that future conflicts against the Douluo nations would be that much harder.
Still, with their departure, Xu Tiannan could now act freely.
He launched a sweeping purge across Mingdu, targeting every remaining soul engineer clan. Whether they had betrayed him or not no longer mattered. Everything was confiscated. Even the vast black markets of the capital were raided and dismantled, yielding mountains of strategic materials.
At the same time, the Holy Spirit Cult, which had long operated in secret, seized the opportunity to move openly again. The fall of the soul engineer clans created a vacuum—one they were more than happy to fill.
This also allowed Tang Si, one of Huo Yuhao's alternate bodies and a covert Holy Spirit agent, to spring back into action for the first time in a long while.
And so, with barely a whisper, the internal war ended much like it began—in chaos, bluster, and farce.
Though short-lived, the civil war had completely reshaped the Sun Moon Empire. Xu Tiannan emerged stronger than ever, his central authority solidified. Huo Yuhao, now backed by the full weight of the imperial throne, was free to advance several large-scale soul engineering projects—and turn his attention to matters of personal significance.
When Xu Tiannan's coronation was held, it was with great pomp and ceremony.
Huo Yuhao and Jing Hongchen, representing Mingde Hall and the new age of innovation, were honored as the empire's most prestigious guests.
Thus, with the old emperor buried and a new one enthroned, a fresh era for the Sun Moon Empire began—an era of order, strength, and war.
(End of Chapter)
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