God Realm.
The Seven Deadly Sin Gods gathered together, watching the five girls below undergoing their inheritance trials.
"Envy, where did you even find these… talents? The evil hidden deep within four of them is so rare that even I must call them curiosities."
The God of Greed spoke with a smile, looking as if he had stumbled upon some fascinating toys.
The God of Envy said,
"I didn't bring them here. But it's pretty obvious they came for us. The power in their bodies doesn't belong to the Phoenix Cry Continent."
"It seems someone leaked the news that we were preparing to pass down our god positions… and then arranged all this."
The God of Gluttony summarized calmly.
The God of Sloth, however, looked uncertain.
"Aren't you worried it's the Sea God's doing?"
"Hahahaha, absolutely impossible!"
The God of Wrath burst into loud laughter.
"Sloth, take a closer look at the inheritor I selected. Look who she is!"
Curious, Sloth looked again then froze in shock.
"Isn't that… the former inheritor of the Rakshasa God?! How is she still alive?!"
The God of Wrath explained,
"Back then, the Rakshasa God's god position didn't completely shatter. Perhaps due to some special method, she narrowly escaped and lived again in a second lifetime."
"And she's even retained her former accumulation as a god, becoming even stronger. She's practically a natural-born deity!"
The God of Pride also spoke:
"My inheritor was the former Angel God. Though the Angel God's god position was broken, the inheritor also lived a second life. It might also be connected to the former Rakshasa God rumor says the two were mother and daughter."
"How interesting, delightful indeed!"
The God of Lust suddenly said in an overly dramatic tone,
"If the Sea God finds out we've passed our god positions to his former enemies… won't he come beat us up?"
The Seven Deadly Sin Gods exchanged glances… and gradually broke into uncontrollable sinister grins.
Most importantly, they were all wearing expressions of I just want to watch the world burn.
They were especially excited to see Tang San's face when, someday in the future, he learns that not only the Seven Elemental Gods stand against him… but the Seven Deadly Sin Gods also stand against him.
Honestly, none of the Seven Deadly Sins felt any fondness toward Tang San.
After all, they were part of the Destruction God's camp.
But their loyalty wasn't because Destruction was stronger rather, they simply agreed with Destruction's strategy for the future of the God Realm.
The God of Wrath spoke first,
"The world I placed my inheritance in the child of destiny there has been growing abnormally fast. It's very likely the Sea God is secretly interfering."
His smile grew even brighter.
"But now that I've directly dropped an inheritor into the world… if the Sea God really had schemes in motion, I wonder how he'll react? I'm really looking forward to it."
The God of Sloth added,
"My inheritance world hasn't shown anything unusual so far."
After exchanging updates
They discovered that three of their inheritance worlds had already shown signs of unusual activity.
Especially the children of destiny in those worlds their growth had accelerated noticeably.
Highly likely due to Tang San's interference.
Tang San was planning to leech off the fate of entire worlds, scheme for their god positions, and swallow them all!
Naturally, none of the Seven Deadly Sins wanted their god positions to fall into Tang San's hands.
The remaining three who hadn't found inheritors yet Sloth, Greed, and Lust were growing anxious.
If Xu Tianzhen hadn't been so incompatible with their god positions, they certainly wouldn't have let her inherit a different one.
As for the Solar God's position that had just been arranged for Xu Tianzhen by the Destruction God after Envy contacted him.
The Solar God was a second-tier god position.
Then Sloth suddenly had an idea:
"Perhaps… we should reveal the locations of our inheritance worlds to these girls. Considering the powerhouses likely standing behind them, maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised."
Greed and Lust thought it made sense.
The God of Pride began analyzing the situation:
"The conflict between the Sea God and the Destruction God is escalating. Without the Seven Elemental Gods, the Sea God is already at a disadvantage."
"But he still has the Phoenix God, the War God, the Speed God, the Food God, and the Nine-Colored Goddess. He's not to be underestimated."
"And lately, god positions are changing hands far too frequently. Not only have the Seven Elemental Gods been replaced even the long-silent Rakshasa God position has a new inheritor. Our god positions have clearly been targeted by unknown powerhouses."
"When new gods ascend to the God Realm, a third faction might emerge."
"This makes me uneasy."
"If we can pass down our god positions, then perhaps we should take this opportunity to leave the God Realm entirely."
"Roaming the universe in pursuit of the Dao far better than staying trapped here."
Hearing Pride's analysis, the other six gods nodded in agreement.
Avoiding trouble is the best way to remain trouble-free.
Besides the Seven Elemental Gods had already left. Staying here was meaningless.
With their old rivals gone what would they do? Bully the newcomers?
No need.
The God Realm was no longer worth staying in.
Douluo Continent.
"The life-soul path of the Phoenix Cry Continent truly has some substance."
Huo Yuhao sat in his cultivation chamber, surrounded by manifestations of the White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Heavenly Dragon, and Phoenix the Four Symbols.
Compared to before, their bodies were more solid, their power significantly enhanced.
They were no longer just auxiliary holy beasts. They could now battle like summoned beings, even deriving divine abilities.
If they appeared together on the battlefield, even a single one could rival a first-tier god.
But united with Huo Yuhao in formation, they could unleash combined power, boosting his combat strength even further.
Aside from this gain
The fact that Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, Feng Ling, Tang Ya, and Xu Tianzhen all obtained god inheritance shocked Huo Yuhao.
He had originally thought getting the Envy God position alone would be difficult, possibly impossible.
He never expected all five women got one.
Huo Yuhao slapped his thigh.
"Damn it, I didn't send enough people!"
With his cultivation methods, he had plenty of talents comparable to Tang Ya and Xu Tianzhen. Had he sent more, they could have claimed the remaining three Sin God positions as well.
If that happened
Even if he fell out completely with Tang San, he could bring down the Seven Elemental Punishment Array AND the Seven Deadly Sin Punishment Array at once and crush him.
No way Tang San could withstand that.
But even without all seven they could at least ensure the Sin God Punishment Array never appears again.
Huo Yuhao realized he could now act freely.
So he left the cultivation room, hands behind his back, and walked toward Tang Wutong and Jin Qiuer, who were training in the practice arena.
"Morning~ Practicing martial soul fusion technique? Let me join you two~"
Tang Wutong: "???"
Jin Qiuer: "???"
Here is the full English translation of Chapter 1259"三位一体武魂融合技!":
Chapter 1259 The Trinity Martial Soul Fusion Skill!
"First like this, then like this, and finally like this~"
"Got it?"
Huo Yuhao was "teaching" Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er about developing a martial soul fusion skill.
But the expressions on Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er's faces were… indescribable.
It was already known that Tang Wutong + Jin Qiu'er had a martial soul fusion skill,
and Huo Yuhao + Jin Qiu'er also had a martial soul fusion skill.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao concluded
"Since pair fusion works, the three of us should be able to create a three-way martial soul fusion skill too!"
"No one understands martial soul fusion skills better than me!" Huo Yuhao declared shamelessly.
"The one who understands fusion skills the most should be Nan Nan-jie, right?" Tang Wutong said with a half-moon–shaped deadpan expression.
"Nannan-jie's Love God power can link two targets together and merge their strengths to achieve a fusion effect."
Recently, Jiang Nannan had also been developing her divine abilities, and she wasn't hiding her progress.
"Then who am I?" Huo Yuhao suddenly asked.
Jin Qiu'er: "Huo Yuhao."
"I mean my relationship with Nannan." He waved his hand.
Tang Wutong: "A scumbag who tricked Nannan-jie! A womanizer! A maggot! A monkey who only thinks about mating!…"
"Stop! Stop! Don't curse anymore!"
Huo Yuhao quickly interrupted, then gave the "correct" answer.
"I'm the Love God's lover. I possess half of the Love God's divine artifact, and I also have the Love God's divine power within me!"
"So what?" Jin Qiu'er asked.
Huo Yuhao puffed out his chest.
"So, technically speaking, I also have the Love God's power! If Nannan can do it, I can do it too! Why can't I develop a trinity fusion skill with the two of you?"
Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er fell silent.
The two shared a glance.
Finally, Tang Wutong opened her mouth:
"Nannan-jie must have been blind to fall for you! Even Xu Sanshi is better than you!"
Huo Yuhao spread his hands completely unbothered.
By now, Tang Wutong had gotten used to life in Shrek Academy. Through interacting with others, she gradually regained her memories from before.
She was slowly recovering Wang Dong'er's personality and emotions.
Sensing Wang Dong'er resurfacing, Huo Yuhao kept trying to let Wang Dong'er return as the main consciousness, letting Tang Wutong's memories become the past.
And it was indeed working well.
But Tang Wutong hadn't fully turned back into Wang Dong'er.
For example when it came to Huo Yuhao, she had ten thousand complaints.
Because Huo Yuhao dared to open a harem a filthy womanizer in her eyes!
So whenever she faced him, she naturally became a sharp-tongued queen of insults.
Tang Wutong crossed her arms, raised her chin, and asked unhappily:
"Even if what you said is real, why should we perform a fusion skill with you?"
"I want to try it." Jin Qiu'er said suddenly.
Tang Wutong looked at her like she was staring at a traitor.
Jin Qiu'er calmly explained: "I need greater strength."
And with that single sentence, all arguments died.
Jin Qiu'er knew she represented the interests of soul beasts.
As a blessed beast, she had to become stronger only then could she secure a place for soul beasts in the future.
Tang Wutong hesitated, snorted coldly at Huo Yuhao, and no longer rejected the idea.
In her heart, Jin Qiu'er was special not only because they looked alike, but also because of the special link from the immortal herb dragon soul.
Every time she saw Jin Qiu'er, Tang Wutong felt like she was looking at another version of herself.
Taking care of Jin Qiu'er felt like taking care of her own twin sister.
Soon, under Huo Yuhao's guidance, the three stood in a triangular formation.
"According to what I read in the inner court library about the Golden Iron Triangle from ten thousand years ago," Huo Yuhao began,
"A trinity fusion skill requires not only soul power linkage, but also resonance triggered by positional formation."
"It's said that the triad of Grandmaster, Liu Erlong, and Flender used this exact triangle formation."
"The person in front becomes the core the one who leads the fusion skill."
At this moment, the one standing in front was Jin Qiu'er.
She would be the lead.
"Alright, let's begin," Tang Wutong said, fully prepared.
The three composed themselves.
Then, both Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong connected their soul power to Jin Qiu'er.
Resonance began.
Gradually, a blue-golden radiance enveloped them, and their silhouettes overlapped.
In this process, Huo Yuhao was extremely cautious.
Because this was the first time his power would enter Tang Wutong's body.
After Wutong's return, he had not dared probe her abilities recklessly, afraid Tang San might have left some trick behind.
This fusion skill attempt was just a disguise.
Of course, Huo Yuhao hadn't expected that the three of them would actually trigger a real martial soul fusion skill.
Not a trick.
Not a "product" of his schemes.
But a genuine, naturally triggered fusion.
The phantom of the Ice Centipede and the phantom of the Goddess of Light Butterfly slowly merged into the Golden Dragon.
Gold, blue, and pink intertwined bursting upward, merging into a dazzling rainbow that finally transformed into purple-gold.
When the halo of the fusion skill faded
A goddess descended onto the training grounds.
She floated in the air, divine and awe-inspiring.
The moment she appeared, all the gods in the Academy rushed over.
Other powerhouses also sensed the terrifying soul power fluctuations and arrived one after another.
The goddess' appearance resembled a perfect blend of Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er but more mature, sacred, and authoritative.
She had long violet hair, wore form-fitting purple-gold armor, emanating both majesty and elegance.
Behind her, massive violet dragon wings opened, with solid purple-gold dragon shadows coiling around her.
Icy crystals formed on her wings, like butterfly scales that scattered gently when she moved.
Purple lightning crackled across the wings.
The space around her tore apart beneath the overwhelming divine pressure.
"It actually succeeded!"
Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er both felt waves of shock from their hearts.
"Is this Wutong and Qiu'er's fusion skill? Why is it different from the old Life-Death Butterfly Dragon?" Jing Hongchen asked in astonishment.
Jiang Nannan, after careful inspection, gave the precise answer:
"No. It's not just the two of them. There's Yuhao's aura inside too! This is the martial soul fusion skill of all three of them!"
"A trinity martial soul fusion skill?!"
Hua Yao exclaimed, recalling records she had once read in the library.
Unfortunately, that library had been destroyed during the Holy Spirit Cult attack.
"Right now, they're releasing the aura of a first-level god. And stronger than an ordinary first-level god." Jiang Nannan evaluated calmly.
There were four gods present, but only Jiang Nannan was a first-level god.
Though the difference between first- and second-level gods wasn't vast without divine power filling the divine seat, the difference in origin aura was unmistakable.
And at this moment Jiang Nannan could feel it clearly.
The divine might produced by this trinity fusion skill had surpassed even the Love God's level.
"Three-in-one… it's actually this powerful?!"
Jin Qiu'er felt a surge of power unlike anything she had ever experienced.
This strength far surpassed her previous martial soul fusion technique with Tang Wutong.
Most importantly this power was led by her.
"So strong!"
Even Tang Wutong couldn't help exclaiming aloud.
This strength had already surpassed the limits of a Second-Tier God.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao was quietly probing into Tang Wutong's and Jin Qiu'er's inner states via the connection formed by the martial soul fusion technique.
"So that's how it is. That old Tang actually injected a backup of Tang Wutong's memories into her, and used a strand of divine sense to suppress Wang Dong'er's recognition of herself."
"Wang Dong'er didn't directly transform into Tang Wutong. It's more like a split personality Tang Wutong's persona manifested and even became the dominant one."
"If this continues, Tang Wutong's personality will consume Wang Dong'er's personality as nourishment. Wang Dong'er will ultimately shed her identity entirely and become Tang Wutong."
"Even though Tang Wutong now gradually has traces of Wang Dong'er's temperament, the root of the problem hasn't been solved."
"And now, Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er have extremely high soul resonance. Through their interactions, Tang Wutong's personality is actually spreading into Jin Qiu'er…"
"Maybe in the future, Jin Qiu'er will suddenly 'recover' memories and think she, too, is Tang Wutong. In the end, the two Tang Wutongs will merge and become 'complete'."
But this was also the truth.
Wang Dong'er and Jin Qiu'er's souls were each originally half of Tang Wutong's soul.
After being "completed," they became two similar flowers yet their soul origins were still the same.
If no one interfered, they would become sisters independent, yet bound by a unique connection.
But with Tang San's interference, Tang Wutong's personality emerged and would guide the two to fuse on their own.
Once Tang Wutong absorbed Wang Dong'er's and Jin Qiu'er's personalities and everything else Tang Wutong would return in a more complete form.
This method of merging like-elements was something Huo Yuhao couldn't help admiring it was indeed ingenious.
The only flaw was that Tang San never considered Wang Dong'er's and Jin Qiu'er's emotional existence as independent beings.
To Tang San, they were just fragmented byproducts his daughter had always only been Tang Wutong.
In truth, without the pseudo-celestial herbs that Huo Yuhao had created with… technology and trickery to "complete" Wang Dong'er and Jin Qiu'er's souls, their fusion would have proceeded much more smoothly.
Back then, there would have been no need to inject Tang Wutong's personality the two girls would naturally have fused into Tang Wutong; simply unlocking the memories would restore her.
But with Tang San's methods now, if Tang Wutong really does return, she will gain enormous benefits.
Especially in the soul aspect she would possess double potential and double strength.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help feeling a trace of sorrow.
"Sigh… whether it's Tang Wutong, Wang Dong'er, or Jin Qiu'er, they're all pitiful children."
"I Hao-ge am kind I can't stand seeing any of their personalities disappear."
"Well then, let's lend them a hand, hehehe~"
While Huo Yuhao schemed secretly, Jin Qiu'er and Tang Wutong grew eager to test their new martial soul fusion technique.
Their gazes locked onto Jiang Nannan, Hua Yao, and Meng Hongchen.
Coincidentally, the three also wanted to test this three-in-one fusion.
The next second, they vanished from the ground and reappeared high in the sky.
Hua Yao, clad in divine equipment forged from the Life Gold, held a white lotus in her hand.
"Flower God Divine Skill Blooming of a Hundred Flowers!"
She released countless flower buds that surrounded the fusion technique.
When the buds bloomed, explosions filled the sky.
Before the shockwaves dissipated, Meng Hongchen attacked.
Wearing icy-blue divine armor, she wielded an ice-fire twin blade reforged with divine power.
"Toad God Divine Skill Laurel of the Moon Palace!"
She infused divine skill into her blade technique, slashing out a crescent-moon-like attack.
But from within the violent flower explosions, a Clear Sky Hammer swung out, smashing Meng Hongchen's attack and dispersing the explosions revealing the martial soul fusion technique unharmed.
The fusion technique was completely intact and now held a weapon:
Tang Wutong's second martial soul the Clear Sky Hammer.
"It can even use other martial souls' power?!"
Hua Yao was stunned.
"Try this Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Collapse!"
Tang Wutong's voice rang out as she executed the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
But the real force didn't come from the technique it came from the monstrous martial soul fusion energy wrapped around the hammer.
The pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer turned purple-gold, crackling with violent lightning, and roared like a dragon as it swung down.
"I'll take this one!"
Jiang Nannan shouted, divine armor in pink-gold shimmering. She summoned her Moon-Intent Wheel and unleashed her god skill.
"Goddess of Love Third Formula: Joy!"
The Moon-Intent Wheel shot forth, wrapped in pink divine power, colliding with the falling hammer.
BOOM
A terrifying soul power shockwave erupted above the skies, spreading toward the ground below New Shrek City.
Hua Yao quickly summoned a giant lotus phantom to absorb the blast.
After the impact, the Moon-Intent Wheel returned to Jiang Nannan, circling her, ready to fire again.
As for the fusion technique because the Clear Sky Hammer had not evolved into a true divine weapon, its raw power couldn't match a real artifact.
Tang Wutong helplessly retracted it.
Then Jin Qiu'er summoned the Golden Dragon Spear.
Jiang Nannan attacked again:
"Goddess of Love Third Formula: Sorrow!"
The Moon-Intent Wheel expanded, pressing down on the fusion technique.
But the fusion technique thrust the Golden Dragon Spear, piercing straight through the wheel's power, forcing Jiang Nannan to quickly withdraw it, her eyelids twitching.
"No more! Qiu'er, what's with that Golden Dragon Spear? Why is it stronger than my Moon-Intent Wheel?"
"The Golden Dragon Spear was given to me by the Beast God. I don't know the details," Jin Qiu'er said.
"Qiu'er, that spear is obviously a divine weapon and definitely a high-level one!" Tang Wutong said with delight, not a hint of jealousy, only happiness for her sister.
"So there are good treasures among soul beasts," Meng Hongchen sighed, feeling tempted to go gather more materials from the core region.
She wanted to craft a divine-level soul tool something beyond tenth rank but lacked materials.
Fortunately, she retained some conscience; soul beasts had helped her greatly before she became a god.
Eventually, everyone landed, and the fusion technique dispersed.
The crowd surrounded Huo Yuhao, Tang Wutong, and Jin Qiu'er, asking about the technique.
"Let's give this fusion technique a name," Hua Yao suggested.
Tang Wutong and Jin Qiu'er thought for a moment, then decided.
"Let's call it Purple-Gold Butterfly Dragon Transformation."
Huo Yuhao objected.
"Why does this name feel like it has nothing to do with me?"
"Rejected!"
Tang Wutong declared. To her, Huo Yuhao was just the sisters' accessory he should lie down and not talk nonsense.
"You'll regret this!" Huo Yuhao protested.
"Hmph, Huo Yuhao, I'm the god!" Tang Wutong retorted fearlessly.
Now she wasn't shorter than him anymore.She had ascended to godhood, while he remained a mortal.
Tables turned it was her turn to stand above him!
Just thinking about it thrilled her~
Thus, the martial soul fusion technique that should originally have been centered on Huo Yuhao was now recast with Jin Qiu'er as the core.
.....Scene change
Times of peace are always short.
Because the Sun Moon Empire had declared war on the Three Empires!
Their first target was the nearest one the Star Luo Empire.
Even though Star Luo had long been on guard, in the face of the Sun–Moon Empire's sudden assault, the Star Luo legions still suffered devastating casualties.
This was the difference brought by absolute strength.
The Sun Moon Empire dispatched one of its two National Guardian Hands the Terrorclaw Legion, leading two legions from the Ten Directions Army, along with numerous regular legions, launching a surprise attack on Star Luo's border.
The Sun Moon Empire's legions not only experienced a massive rise in soul-master power, but their soul-tool technology had also greatly advanced.
After Xu Tiancheng supported the Hongchen Family, he shared arrays, soul-tool craft, and hidden-weapon knowledge with them; he even sent Kong Deming to help Xiao Hongchen climb the soul-tool technology tree.
Thus, although only a year had passed, the Sun–Moon Empire's soul-tool level had improved dramatically.
Coupled with their reckless, all-cost military build-up, the Five Great Beast King Legions and Ten Directions Legions all had significant equipment upgrades.
Fortunately, Star Luo reacted quickly.
Soul-master legions were dispatched to the front line; National Guardian Douluo came personally to the battlefield.
Finally, Star Luo managed to force the Sun–Moon Army back to the border, preventing their deep advance into Star Luo territory.
But this was not good news.
The Sun–Moon Empire's declaration of war made the Three Empires and all major powers understand the true decisive war had begun.
If even Sun–Moon's vanguard army required such a heavy price to repel, Star Luo could not hold out alone.
Perhaps, the ancient catastrophe of the Sun–Moon Continent invading Douluo Continent… was about to repeat.
The only way to resist the Sun–Moon invasion was to gather all top powerhouses and stake everything in a final confrontation.
Most importantly it would come down to the battle between gods!
The Three Empires were not afraid of counterattacking they just couldn't
It wasn't that the Three Empires didn't want to counterattack.They simply knew they were at a disadvantage.If they dared strike first, it would be suicide.
Even defending passively required being ready to abandon huge areas of borderland.
After war erupted, the Heaven-Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire strengthened their border defenses, and sent soul-master forces to aid Star Luo.
At this moment, the Three Empires were more united than ever.
Yan Shaozhe immediately led part of Shrek's forces to the front line to fight the Sun–Moon Empire.
Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Huo Yuhao did not act; they would hold the central region as a reserve defense line.
"Don't worry. Brother Sanshi and Brother Beibei are also stationed at the border. If anything serious happens, they'll act."
Huo Yuhao comforted everyone.
The Sun–Moon Empire's war declaration made everyone uneasy. New Shrek City was tense; people hurried through the streets. The academy was filled with anxiety.
Huo Yuhao's words temporarily eased their emotions.
But no one knew the real instigator of this war was none other than Kono Huo Yuhao Da.
Why start the war? Because there was no need to "Develop"anymore
Tang Ya and the others had already received their god-position inheritances, and unexpectedly acquired the coordinates of the remaining three Seven Deadly Sin god-inheritance sites.
For the remaining three god positions, Huo Yuhao sent suitable candidates from both the God Nation and Douluo Continent to attempt acquiring them.
Even the three empresses were sent to try.
But unfortunately, the Seven Deadly Sin Gods were no longer indulging Huo Yuhao.
Aside from the three vacant god positions, no extra god positions were granted.
Clearly, the Seven Deadly Sin Gods had realized someone was scheming for their god positions. They had no issue passing on their inheritances but would not satisfy Huo Yuhao's endless greed.
As for the God of Destruction, the Seven Deadly Sin Gods used their dying residual divine power to distribute trial towers across many worlds.
If any exceptionally gifted person appeared, the tower would contact the God Realm, possibly drawing the God of Destruction's attention.
Whether he chose to inherit them was no longer their concern they would have long since departed from the God Realm.
Huo Yuhao's main body avatar discovered this while searching the Dragon-Horse Galaxy across various worlds but that was a story for another time.
Final Distribution of the Seven Deadly Sin God PositionsPride – Qian Renxue (Inherited)
Wrath – Bibi Dong (Inherited)
Gluttony – Feng Ling (Inherited)
Envy – Tang Ya (Inherited)
Greed – Ning Tian (In inheritance)
Lust – Zhu Lu (In inheritance)
Sloth – Weina (In inheritance)
Among the candidates, Ning Tian, Zhu Lu, and Weina were indeed the most outstanding.
The rest returned, disappointed, to participate in the upcoming continental war.
The three still undergoing inheritance would be impersonated temporarily so no problems arose since the empires' operations and war coordination were all secretly controlled by Huo Yuhao anyway. They were merely pieces on his board.
Just when Huo Yuhao thought these were the only god positions he could acquire, unexpected news came from Uppcorpse and Midcorpse they had discovered additional god-position clues and were attempting to obtain them.
Good news after good news made Huo Yuhao elated and he decided to ignite the world war.
He understood it was time to enter the final stage.
The God Realm no longer had much "oil" to extract; further squeezing was pointless.
And he would now formally begin his real confrontation with Tang San.
Three Days Into the War…
The Sun–Moon Empire launched a full four-front invasion
Three days after the initial battle, before the Star Luo front could stabilize, new crises erupted.
The Sun–Moon Empire's second National Guardian Hand the Evil Lord Legion led two Ten Directions Legions and regular forces, bypassed the sea, landed on the eastern coast of the Dou Ling Empire, and launched a major assault.
The already half-ruined Dou Ling Empire was instantly thrown into desperation the country with the weakest war endurance.
Meanwhile, on the eastern coast of Star Luo, the Royal Dragon Legion and two Ten Directions Legions attacked from the sea.
Star Luo became surrounded on two sides; Dou Ling was on the verge of collapse.
The Heaven-Soul Empire did not escape either. The Fire Phoenix Legion, with two Ten Directions Legions, crossed the gulf and invaded from the northwest.
Among the Sun–Moon Empire's Five Beast King Legions, four were mobilized; eight Ten Directions Legions marched; over 60% of regular legions were deployed.
The Sun–Moon Empire battled three empires at once and still held the advantage.
Thus
The Douluo Continent Had Entered Total War!
The Star Luo Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Dou Ling Empire the three major nations were mobilizing all their national strength to resist the invasion of the Sun Moon Empire.
But the situation was still far from optimistic.
Three fighting against one and they were still losing. Instead, they were being beaten miserably, heads shoved into the dirt.
The people of Shrek Academy had no choice but to split their forces, acting as firefighters rushing to support the three empires.
"Right now, the only way to break the deadlock is to defeat the Sun Moon Empire's forces on other fronts, forcing them to commit to a decisive battle with the three empires.
"When that happens, the three empires will gather all their strongest fighters and, together with us from Shrek Academy, march straight to the Sun Moon Empire for a final confrontation.
"At that time, the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire should make his move. And to deal with the seven deities of the Sun Moon Empire, we'll need the power of our side's gods."
Huo Yuhao analyzed the situation in the meeting room and then assigned the next actions.
"Yao-jie, you take Sister Ming, Xiao Tao, and Lexuan to support the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Nannan, you take Ruoruo, Xiaoxiao, and Lulu to support the eastern region of the Star Luo Empire.
Tang Wutong, you and I along with Qiu'er will support the Dou Ling Empire.
Hongchen-senpai, I entrust you to remain here and guard Shrek Academy together with Dean Xian and Dean Cai, just in case."
"As for the western battlefield of the Star Luo Empire, Brother Sanshi, Brother Beibei, and Senior Yan are all there. No need to worry."
In this way, every battlefield had at least one god-level expert holding the line, and Shrek Academy kept its defenses intact.
Meng Hongchen breathed a sigh of relief. Because of her origins, she didn't want to fight the Sun Moon Empire yet she also didn't want to see their invasion cause countless casualties. If she was forced to fight on the battlefield, the most she could do was stop them she couldn't bring herself to strike to kill.
By keeping her at Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao not only showed trust, but also spared her from a difficult moral conflict.
Feeling touched by his consideration, her heart warmed. The way she looked at Huo Yuhao was filled with affection.
No one objected to Huo Yuhao's assignments they all felt the arrangements were perfectly reasonable.
Soon, the group departed one after another, beginning the continent-wide firefighting effort.
Dou Ling Empire
The situation within the Dou Ling Empire was dire.
They were beset by internal and external troubles.
Originally, the Dou Ling Empire had already been divided in half its northern region overtaken by undead armies, leaving the south as the only remaining territory.
Now, with only half the country left, they faced yet another crisis: an invasion from the Sun Moon Empire.
The Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Regiment and two Shifang Legions led ordinary armies ashore and launched a fierce offensive.
The Sun Moon Empire's strategy was simple: Blitzkrieg straight for Lingdou City!
Within a few days, the Evil Monarch Regiment and the two Shifang Legions had cut across the eastern coastline and penetrated deep inland.
Because they carried vast supplies in storage-type soul tools, they didn't need to worry about logistics at all.
Their targets were officials, sects, nobles, and clans not civilians.
Ordinary civilians couldn't resist, but there were too many of them and killing them would waste precious time.
Destroying local powers was enough to prevent any ambushes forming behind them.
If they didn't need to remove these threats, their advance would have been even faster.
As for how civilians and soul masters in captured regions would be managed?
The Sun Moon Empire had already prepared for that. The White Lotus Sect missionaries traveling with the army were experts at "soothing" the hearts of the masses.
Neither the Dou Ling Empire nor the Evil Monarch Regiment realized that all the slaughter, resentment, and bloodshed of war were being drawn by an unseen force toward certain hidden areas each containing an array flag.
These were all part of Huo Yuhao's long-prepared setup.
Across the entire continent and all four empires, he had arranged a massive formation, absorbing the negative energies born from war as nourishment.
The Dou Ling Empire was the weakest of the four empires.
Their remaining military forces were not enough to resist the invasion.
Instead, the primary defenders were a coalition led by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, along with various sects and clans.
Though their numbers weren't huge, they consisted mostly of elites, making them a formidable force.
As for the empire's own armies, most had already been devastated during the undead disaster. While new regiments were formed afterward, nearly all had been deployed to the northern front.
The rest were sent to support the Star Luo Empire or guard the borders.
In short the Dou Ling Empire simply didn't have enough manpower.
And now, as the Sun Moon Empire invaded, the northern undead legions began to stir once more, tying down what little military force remained.
The empire had no choice but to rely on the clan-and-sect coalition.
Though united in name under national survival, the internal politics were messy.
The coalition remained stationed in Lingdou City, waiting for the enemy to come rather than advancing actions that benefited their own factions more than the empire.
But at least no one dared openly sabotage the war effort.
Night Lingdou City, Imperial Palace
In the palace, the young Empress Xuehui sat on the throne, wearing her imperial robe and reading through recent war reports.
Though young and initially thrust into the position, she had now developed the bearing of an empress.
Having received guidance from Ning Tian, she had grown significantly in governance.
With Ning Tian absent, Xuehui could now handle most affairs herself, with Ning Zhirou assisting.
Wufeng slouched in a chair, staring at the ceiling.
Wufeng's inner monologue: Another day without Ning Tian. I continue to miss her.
Suddenly, Xuehui spoke coldly, a mocking smile at her lips.
"It seems some people in the city are beginning to have... clever little ideas."
She laid out all the latest war reports side by side.
Together, the headlines were quite the sight:
"Monsters from the Sun Moon Continent Land on the Eastern Coast."
"Unspeakable Sun Moon Demons Approaching Eastern Port Cities."
"Sun Moon Empire Seizes Eastern Passes."
"Evil Monarch Regiment Nearing Lingdou City."
Looking at them all, Xuehui smirked.
"Tomorrow, are they planning to welcome the 'liberators' from the Sun Moon Empire into Lingdou City?"
Ning Zhirou laughed softly. "They won't take that long."
She glanced outside the palace.
Night had deepened.
"It wouldn't surprise me if someone tries to kidnap Your Majesty tonight and offer you to the Sun Moon Empire in exchange for wealth."
"Heh. I am not some delicate, fragile empress." Xuehui clenched her pale fist.
"I have plenty of strength and plenty of ways to deal with them."
Perhaps she had once been insignificant but ever since she met that person, her life had changed forever.