Chapter 255 The Clear Sky Sect's Retreat.
The next piece of news caused an uproar throughout the land.
Tang San, who had infiltrated the Douluo Federation's research and development department and treasury to steal, was actually released. Although his crimes were announced, the final punishment was that Tang San and his parents be exiled from Douluo Star, with execution for any further offenses.
Many were puzzled, as this seemed to be the first time Douluo Federation law had imposed such a punishment.
However, given that the decree was personally issued by Emperor Wang Xiaofei, people gradually began to accept it.
After all, according to the Douluo Alliance's laws, the emperor was above the law, though such emperors were rare, leading to instances of the law being supreme within the Douluo Federation. The Clear Sky Sect suffered the most from this incident.
Originally, by establishing a blacksmith company, the Clear Sky Sect had already gained a foothold within the Douluo Federation, and their weapons were even quite popular.
But now, Emperor Wang Xiaofei's decree clearly intended to force the Clear Sky Sect into further seclusion. Those who went to the Clear Sky Sect to announce the punishment results included the level 99 Sword Douluo and Golden Crocodile Douluo, as well as several level 98 Title Douluos such as Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wushuang. Their strength was formidable, and even Tang Chen, a level 99 Limit Douluo, felt immense pressure.
Moreover, the Douluo Federation also had an emperor, Wang Xiaofei, who had become a god. If Wang Xiaofei were to be summoned, things would soon go beyond mere retirement; the Clear Sky Sect might be razed to the ground.
In the end, the Clear Sky Sect had no choice but to announce its continued retirement. However, this time it didn't cause a major uproar in the Douluo Federation. The Clear Sky Sect no longer had the powerful reputation or the vast influence it once possessed, with only a few hundred Soul Masters remaining.
On the other hand, the other five members of Shrek Academy were like frightened birds, fearing that they would be targeted by the Douluo Federation government, and that the little bit of power they had painstakingly built up would instantly vanish.
Wang Xiaofei had no time to worry about such things. Holding the Asura God power he had extracted from Tang San, along with the now-powerful Asura God artifact, the Soul-Breaking Spear, he returned to the Elemental Academy to further his studies.
Meanwhile, after several days of travel, Wang Lanfang and her brother Wang Mingxu arrived in Phoenix City, accompanied by Ghost Douluo who had been secretly following them.
They had heard about the recent uproar, especially the matter of the gods in Douluo Continent, which sparked their longing.
"Mingxu, how powerful are the gods? I heard that His Majesty the Emperor actually appeared this time and directly suppressed Tang San, the Asura God of the God Realm."
"Sister, I don't know exactly how powerful the gods are, but they should be able to move mountains and overturn seas with ease. I heard that when the two fought, the heavens and earth almost collapsed. I also want to see the statue of the Phoenix God in Phoenix City, to see if it's really as great as the legends say."
After communicating, they arrived in Phoenix City.
What came into their view was a massive city, even taller and larger than Heaven Dou City.
Upon entering Phoenix City, the two sensed a stark contrast to Heaven Dou City.
Heaven Dou City was a bustling commercial metropolis, teeming with people, especially businesspeople—it was practically paradise for them.
While Phoenix City also boasted a large population, even exceeding that of Heaven Dou City, the crowds seemed less dense, particularly due to the thriving Soul Master industry.
Phoenix City had the highest number of Soul Masters of all cities, roughly a quarter of all Soul Masters in the entire Douluo Federation.
This meant that Phoenix City alone had 50,000 Soul Masters, while the general population reached a staggering 20 million.
Phoenix City's Soul Arena and Auction House are the largest in the entire Douluo Continent, and naturally, the most orderly. No one dares to cause trouble in Phoenix City, and no illegal merchants or black market traders dare to operate near it.
The two walked the streets, where vendors hawked their wares everywhere. Besides daily necessities, they sold various items for Soul Masters, including different types of Soul Tools.
They even found several shops selling Soul Bones, though the quality was relatively poor, mostly only a few thousand-year-old Soul Bones.
When the two entered the inner city, they were stunned by the sight before them.
The inner city was filled with various office buildings; the headquarters of all the major departments of the Federation were located there.
At the very center was a mountain-like structure with a straight ladder leading to its summit. It was said that the ladder was 1000 stories high, and at the top was the Douluo Federation's Imperial Palace, which no one except the Emperor was allowed to enter without permission.
At the summit stood a colossal fire phoenix statue, its length and width reaching a thousand meters, like a giant fire phoenix overlooking the entire Phoenix City.
Especially the phoenix statue, emanating immense pressure, was like that of a god.
On the Heavenly Ladder, many people could be seen cultivating.
Wang Lanfang was a little puzzled: "Mingxu, why do people like to cultivate on the Heavenly Ladder? Is there any benefit to cultivating there?"
Before Wang Mingxu could speak, a manager beside him introduced: "Young men, judging from your appearance, you must be from out of town, right?"
"This Heavenly Ladder is also called the Ascension Ladder. It is enveloped by His Majesty the Emperor's divine power. If you cultivate on the Heavenly Ladder, your cultivation speed will be much faster."
"However, Phoenix City has very strict control over the Heavenly Ladder. Only those who have made significant contributions to the Douluo Federation can cultivate on it, and the cultivation time is limited."
"If you look closely, the people cultivating on the Heavenly Ladder are basically high-ranking officials of the Douluo Federation government. According to His Majesty the Emperor, government officials have made enormous contributions to the Douluo Federation, spending countless efforts to govern it well, so the Heavenly Ladder was specially created to reward these meritorious officials."
"You know, cultivating on the Heavenly Ladder is also an option within the Douluo Federation's treasury, and the contribution points required are extremely high."
After hearing this, Wang Lanfang and Wang Mingxu felt a pang of envy. However, since they were both teachers at the Douluo Elemental Academy, they couldn't join the Douluo Federation. But they could ask their great-grandparents.
After some discussion, they decided to first go to the Ministry of Education to find Wang Lanfang's great-grandfather, the Minister of Education, Huo Tianchen.
His great-grandfather was, after all, one of the ministers, holding a high position of power in the Douluo Federation. It was always good to consult him, no matter what they wanted to do.
However, when they arrived at the Ministry of Education's office building, they were immediately turned away. Apparently, the Minister of Education was incredibly busy lately and had no time to meet with anyone.
This left Wang Lanfang and Wang Mingxu speechless.
(End of Chapter)