Eternal Divine Palace
"Rakshasa greets the Eternal God." The Rakshasa God bowed respectfully.
Huo Yuhao glanced at her and said, "What brings you here?"
The Rakshasa God replied, "Lord Eternal God, the Black-headed Great Chieftain you instructed me to nurture is now just a step away from godhood. Should I pass on my divine seat to him?"
Huo Yuhao said, "You've been feeding him too quickly. My Green-haired San hasn't fully matured yet."
He thought for a moment and then said, "Here's what you should do—hold him back for a few days (in divine realm time). When the time comes, then let him ascend in one go."
The Rakshasa God said respectfully, "As you command, Lord Eternal God."
Meanwhile, the Divine Order Alliance, preparing for war, followed Yu Xiaogang's commands: increasing taxes, expanding armies, and conscripting labor to build city defenses and fortresses.
This left the common people of the continent living in extreme misery. Yet, people in feudal times had strong endurance for suffering.
In Dai Tianfeng's words: "The essence of political success lies in keeping the people half-dead but not fully dead."
Unless they were driven to the very brink of survival, people would not revolt.
But heaven is unpredictable. A rare locust plague broke out in the Heaven Dou Empire, sweeping across several provinces and devouring all the crops.
Without grain, the entire empire was full of famine victims and starving refugees. Corpses lined the land. People ate anything edible, eventually even turning mud into cakes to fill their bellies. Horrors of parents trading away their children to eat them happened repeatedly.
Yet the Heaven Dou Empire, obsessed with fulfilling the Divine Order Alliance's KPIs, continued its harsh taxes and levies.
By contrast, the Spirit Hall opened its warehouses to feed the starving people.
As time went on, the Heaven Dou Empire began to realize the seriousness of the problem:
Did public support matter?
In the past, for rulers, the will of the people meant nothing. What mattered was the inheritance of martial spirits, control of land, and feudal resources.
In their eyes, the commoners were nothing more than oxen and horses, farming tools to generate taxes. If a batch died, they could always breed another. The only exception was the Spirit Hall, which sought out talented individuals even among "lowborns."
But now things had changed. The Spirit Hall was winning hearts through relief efforts. And although it was officially "wiped out," only the high ranks of the Divine Order Alliance knew that the Sparks Academy wasn't destroyed but merely vanished.
The Sparks faction had mastered the technology of granting people martial spirits and was deliberately recruiting the dissatisfied, downtrodden masses.
After such a disaster, countless victims filled with hatred toward the Heaven Dou Empire would emerge. If the Sparks Academy recruited them, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Some clear-headed officials in Heaven Dou realized: If they continued to ignore the people's lives, then one day the empire would face disaster.
Thus, two factions arose within Heaven Dou:
The Alliance Faction, led by Xue Qinghe, supported fully following Yu Xiaogang's directives, focusing on military buildup.
The Native Faction, led by Prince Xue Xing, argued that if things continued, the Sparks could nurture a force capable of overthrowing the empire among the starving. They urged distributing grain to relieve the famine.
The two factions stood in opposition. This time, Emperor Xue Ye sided with Prince Xue Xing.
He earnestly told Xue Qinghe:
"Qinghe, maintaining ties with the Alliance is important, but don't forget—the Heaven Dou Empire is the very foundation of our Xue family. This is something you truly need to learn from your uncle."
Thus, using the famine as an excuse, Heaven Dou underpaid its tribute to the Divine Order Alliance.
Yu Xiaogang, as Alliance Leader, directly ordered them to pay in full. Emperor Xue Ye flatly refused.
This escalated into a struggle between Yu Xiaogang, Alliance Leader, and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of Heaven Dou.
"This alliance is showing me less and less respect. If today Heaven Dou refuses tribute under the excuse of famine, then tomorrow Star Luo and all the clans will find their own excuses!?" Yu Xiaogang raged, chewing on millennium ginseng while simultaneously letting out farts.
As his cultivation level continued to decline, Yu Xiaogang became more sensitive. He often noticed how people in the alliance outwardly respected him but couldn't hide their inner contempt.
This was a heavy blow to his fragile self-esteem.
Yu Xiaogang felt it was necessary to reassert his authority in the alliance. Otherwise, if everyone gave him empty words but withheld tribute, who would provide him the resources to maintain his cultivation?
Through testing Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, Yu Xiaogang confirmed his stance. Secretly, they reached an agreement.
Soon after, Yu Xiaogang directed Xue Qinghe to poison and assassinate Emperor Xue Ye. In Emerald Gate, they ambushed Prince Xue Xing's faction, killing Prince Xue Xing, Ge Long, and other high-ranking officials. Through this coup, Xue Qinghe seized the throne.
The plan was flawless—except that Prince Xue Beng, who was also on the assassination list, disappeared without a trace. Still, with events finalized, Xue Beng could not overturn the situation.
Once enthroned, Xue Qinghe diligently carried out every order from Yu Xiaogang, treating his words as sacred decrees. Yu Xiaogang was deeply satisfied—his fragile ego basked in this validation.
Thus, Yu Xiaogang frequently held private talks with Xue Qinghe, instructing him on statecraft and governance, feeding his own vanity.
"Locust famine is just a minor illness. Let the people suffer a bit, tighten their belts, endure this hardship. Once it passes, the true threat lies in the Spirit Hall and the Sparks Academy. We must focus every resource on countering them.
This is the path to a bright future for the Douluo Continent. I believe the people will understand Heaven Dou's noble intentions," Yu Xiaogang said with a sanctimonious face.
"Alliance Leader, your reasoning is sound, but…" Xue Qinghe hesitated.
"But what?" Yu Xiaogang asked.
"The Spirit Hall is distributing food to the famine victims. I fear some of our people won't understand your painstaking efforts, and will instead turn to them," Xue Qinghe said worriedly.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang cursed angrily: "Damn it, this world really is full of stupid lowborns!"
He paced back and forth, pondering how to handle the Spirit Hall. Suddenly, his flat-top haircut lifted slightly as a flash of "wisdom" appeared in his eyes.
He said:
"The Alliance has been preparing for war long enough. It's time to start. Qinghe, you worry that the Spirit Hall's relief will sway the rabble? Easy solution—just block that channel off, and the problem is solved!"
"Brilliant insight, Alliance Leader." Xue Qinghe gave him a thumbs-up.
When Yu Xiaogang returned, he immediately convened the Alliance Assembly. At the meeting, he announced an important matter:
"We cannot allow the sub-halls of Spirit Hall scattered across the continent to extend their claws deep into the heart of the Divine Order Hall, conspiring with those lowly commoners.
Therefore, as Alliance Leader, I, Yu Xiaogang, hereby decree: a Great Purge across the two great empires and the many kingdoms and duchies, to eradicate every Spirit Hall sub-hall, severing their connections with the restless rabble."
None of the feudal lords present opposed this order. They had long suffered under Spirit Hall's influence, and ever since joining the Alliance, they had been waiting for this very command.
Ning Fengzhi added a series of refinements to the plan. Their intent was to strike with overwhelming speed—removing Spirit Hall's branches across the continent in one swift move, while simultaneously dealing Spirit Hall a heavy blow.
However, the Divine Order Alliance had already been riddled with Spirit Hall's spies and infiltration. By the time Yu Xiaogang drafted the Great Purge Plan, its detailed contents were already sitting on the desk of the Elder Hall in Spirit City.
"'Great Purge Plan'… They want to wipe out all our halls across the continent? Hmph. The Divine Order Alliance may have gathered all the feudal powers, but do they think just bluster will keep their teeth from being broken?" sneered Thousand Ton Douluo, tossing the document aside.
Bibi Dong said coldly:
"Since they wish to target our halls and begin an undeclared war, then let us set ambushes in several key halls. We'll strike back unexpectedly and deal the Divine Order Alliance a grievous wound. Elders, I'll be counting on you for this next move."
As the Elder Hall and the Pope's Hall were finalizing their counter-strategy, suddenly the soul-guide projection screens within the council chamber lit up—Huo Yuhao's figure appeared.
Seeing this, Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong hurriedly led the worshippers and elders to bow low.
"We greet the Eternal God."
Huo Yuhao said calmly:
"You are preparing a response to the Divine Order Alliance's Great Purge, aren't you?"
"Yes, Eternal God," Bibi Dong replied respectfully. "Do you have any instructions?"
"Spirit Hall does not need to clash head-on with them here. Withdraw your personnel—yield the Douluo Continent's stage to them," Huo Yuhao said.
The worshippers and elders hesitated, unwilling. Though they did not voice it, Huo Yuhao clearly understood their reluctance. After all, Spirit Hall's power had been rooted across the continent for so long—how could they abandon it so easily?
"They have long grown used to your presence—like breathing, eating, or drinking water. But what if they experience your absence? Leave the stage to them. We need a tyrant, a despised clown, to ruin everything. In the end, won't it be the perfect moment for us to step in and clean up?" Huo Yuhao explained.
"Then should we withdraw the soul masters from each branch hall?" Bibi Dong asked.
"No. Spirit Hall and the Spark forces are one. Gather both forces across the continent together, hide them in the shadows, and wait for the opportunity," Huo Yuhao instructed.
"Yes. As you command, Eternal God," Bibi Dong said.
With that, Huo Yuhao vanished. Spirit Hall immediately and efficiently executed the withdrawal plan. Using advanced illusion-type soul tools, they deceived the enemy and successfully evacuated their personnel back to Spirit City.
Meanwhile, the Divine Order Alliance was ready to act.
The Soul Master Legions and armies moved the moment Yu Xiaogang's decree was issued.
Yu Xiaogang, together with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, personally led forces to storm the Spirit Hall Cathedral in the Heaven Dou Empire. Their target was to execute Salas.
Yet, upon breaking in, the cathedral was empty.
"Another empty strike…" Ning Fengzhi said grimly.
Yu Xiaogang's head throbbed with frustration. But in order to proclaim victory, he summoned Xue Qinghe to burn the entire cathedral before the eyes of the people of Heaven Dou City. Public announcements were posted all around, listing Spirit Hall's crimes and asserting the Empire's legitimacy in abolishing it.
The citizens gathered to watch the cathedral's destruction. Nobles and the wealthy cheered with joy.
But among the common folk, murmurs of doubt spread:
"My child is supposed to awaken his spirit tomorrow. Now that Spirit Hall is gone, who will awaken it for him? If he cannot awaken, won't his future be ruined?"
"That's right. Without Spirit Hall, where do we go to awaken our spirits? And what about the supplies that Spirit Hall's trade guilds used to deliver?"
One by one, anxious questions arose from the lower classes.
The feudal lords, however, ignored them. To them, the Purge was a triumph, and they celebrated it.
Back at the Alliance headquarters, Yu Xiaogang soon received reports from across the land.
Yes, the branch halls of Spirit Hall had been destroyed everywhere. But before their assaults, those halls had already been evacuated—left completely empty.
This failed to achieve Ning Fengzhi's original strategic intent, leaving the Alliance leaders in heavy gloom.
Spirit Hall commanded the largest number of soul masters on the continent. If, at the start of hostilities, those local soul masters had been slain or captured, it would have crippled Spirit Hall's strength.
But the Purge only demolished buildings—Spirit Hall's core forces remained untouched.
Yu Xiaogang, unwilling to admit defeat, proclaimed:
"Though we failed to destroy Spirit Hall's living forces, we did eradicate their halls across the continent. We severed their reach into every corner of the land. Therefore, the Great Purge can still be considered a victory—our great victory! Applaud for our triumph!"
The lords of the Alliance applauded with forced smiles.
After the hollow applause, Ning Fengzhi stepped forward:
"Leader Xiaogang, though this was a phase victory, the real battle begins now. We are already at war with Spirit Hall. We must focus on defending the Heaven Dou–Spirit Hall front at Jialing Pass, and the Star Luo–Spirit Hall front at Shuiyun Pass. If we block these two choke points, we can cut Spirit Hall off from external reinforcements. After that, we will sweep across the continent in pursuit. Spirit Hall has retreated in such great numbers—this is the time to prepare."
Thus, the Divine Order Alliance celebrated their "victory."
Yu Xiaogang used the proclamation of triumph to cement his authority. But across the continent, all the powers understood one truth—
The age of war had begun.