Douluo: Steal Tang San's luck and become stronger!

"His Majesty, grateful for the soldiers' bravery and outstanding achievements, has specially ordered me to come here to reward them for their merits!"

His gaze swept over the countless expectant eyes below, and his voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

"The rewards are as follows—"

"Firstly, regarding the Tang Clan! The Tang Clan extended a helping hand to the Empire during its time of crisis, and their contribution was immense! This is a special decree from His Majesty."

Effective immediately, the seventeen cities, including Tianhai City, Linyuan City, and Wanghai Port, which were originally located in the southeastern province, along with their affiliated towns and sea areas, are officially placed under the permanent autonomous jurisdiction of the Tang Clan!

This autonomous territory exists independently of the empire's states and counties, enjoying a high degree of autonomy, and its status is equivalent to Shrek Academy! It is hoped that the Tang Sect can use this as a foundation to forever guard the southeast of the empire, becoming the empire's most steadfast ally and bulwark!

Upon hearing this, a chorus of suppressed, excited gasps erupted from the area where the Tang Sect disciples were located. Although the higher-ups already knew the news, for the middle and lower-ranking disciples, this was incredibly joyous news!
To possess a vast territory entirely governed by the Tang Clan means endless resources, room for development, and a sense of belonging! This reward is truly exceptionally generous!

Tianyang Douluo paused briefly to let the news ferment for a moment before continuing to speak loudly.

Secondly, reward the troops!

"All soldiers who participated in the battle, regardless of rank or whether they were wounded or killed, whoever is registered in the military will receive a reward! Ordinary soldiers will receive five gold soul coins! Centurions will receive fifty gold soul coins!"
The centurion will be rewarded with 500 gold soul coins! The general-level officer will be rewarded with 50,000 gold soul coins! All rewards will be distributed in full to every soldier or their family by the Imperial Ministry of Revenue's commissioner shortly!

"Thirdly, let the whole army celebrate! Starting today, a grand victory banquet will be held in Dongyang City for seven consecutive days! There will be plenty of wine and meat, and the whole country will celebrate together! The grain, supplies, and all kinds of provisions from the rear will be delivered on time and in sufficient quantities within seven days to ensure that the army can rest and recuperate without worry!"

"The Empire will never fail any warrior who sheds blood and sacrifices for her!"

Tianyang Douluo's voice was full of infectious energy and the solemn promise of royalty.

As he finished announcing each reward, the previously silent military formation below finally erupted into a frenzy!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!"

"Long live the Tang Clan!"

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! Thank you, Tianyang Douluo!"

The deafening cheers and shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, soared into the sky! Countless soldiers waved their weapons excitedly, tears welling in their eyes. For those ordinary soldiers, five gold soul coins might not be a fortune, but they were a real reward they had earned with their lives.

This was enough to allow families to live comfortably for a long time. For the generals, the rewards were even more generous. More importantly, this recognition and reward from the highest levels of the empire greatly soothed the wounds of war and boosted morale.

Even the Tang Clan disciples were deeply moved and cheered along with the imperial soldiers. Tang Lan stood atop the city wall, looking down at the jubilant sea below, a faint smile on her face.

Zhuge Feng, Chen Jing, Du Yang, and others also showed expressions of satisfaction. A timely and generous reward after a major victory is indeed a necessary means to stabilize morale and boost spirits.

However, at this moment when the whole city was celebrating and everyone was excitedly giving thanks, Tang Lan's gaze went beyond the boiling army formation and the broken city walls, and was cast towards the more distant western horizon.

That place is the neighboring country of the Douling Empire, the equally vast and powerful Tianhun Empire.

His eyes were deep, and the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn and thoughtful expression.

The predicament faced by the Douling Empire in recent years is strikingly similar to that encountered within the Tianhun Empire.

Large-scale, organized rebellions also broke out, with rebel forces sweeping across large swathes of the empire's eastern and northern regions, seizing many important cities and passes, causing the central government of the Heavenly Soul Empire to be overwhelmed, its national strength greatly diminished, and its borders unstable.

This time, there was almost no need to send intelligence personnel to conduct in-depth investigations and verifications. Tang Lan was already certain that the increasingly fierce rebellion within the Heavenly Soul Empire was being pushed and manipulated by the invisible hand of the Holy Spirit Cult!
Their methods and patterns are exactly the same as what they did in the Douling Empire. They support puppets, create chaos, infiltrate and corrupt them, and then take advantage of the chaos to profit from the chaos, extracting the "nutrients" they need—blood and soul.

"The Holy Spirit Cult... its ambitions are far from small."

Tang Lan felt a chill in her heart.

Their ambitions extend far beyond simply destabilizing one or two countries and creating localized chaos. The sheer scale of their simultaneous rebellions in two major empires reveals their ultimate goal.

It is likely that they are attempting to annex or completely dismantle the two ancient empires, Douling and Tianhun, which originally belonged to the Douluo Continent, and establish a so-called "free country" or "divine kingdom" that is completely controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult, worships evil gods, and uses all living beings as sacrifices!
This is a shocking conspiracy that has been brewing for decades, or perhaps even longer. Through a long process of infiltration, lurking, and cultivating agents, they waited for the right moment, and then launched their attack almost simultaneously, attempting to overturn the existing order of the mainland in one fell swoop.

"It's just a pity..."

Tang Lan withdrew his gaze and looked at the banners belonging to the Tang Clan below the city wall. He then looked at his Tang Clan comrades beside him, who were tired but had firm eyes, as well as the imperial soldiers whose fighting spirit had been rekindled. A surge of heroic spirit and coldness welled up in his heart.

"Your plans have run into my Tang Clan, and into my Tang Lan."

It was Tang Lan's sudden emergence and the Tang Clan's powerful rise and intervention that caused a fatal change in the Holy Spirit Cult's plans within the Douling Empire. The battle of Dongyang City not only shattered their attempt to completely control the southeastern gateway of the Douling Empire.

Their attempt to threaten the heartland of the empire dealt a heavy blow to Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, the two core leaders, forcing them to retreat temporarily and disrupting their overall plans in the Douling Empire.

The Holy Spirit Cult's decades-long conspiracy was disrupted at the Douling Empire level due to the presence of Tang Lan and the Tang Sect, resulting in the most crucial step being forcibly broken.

But this does not mean the end. The Holy Spirit Cult's operations in the Heavenly Soul Empire are likely still ongoing, and may even become more covert and radical due to its setbacks in the Fighting Spirit Empire. The undercurrents on the continent remain turbulent.

Tang Lan took a deep breath and turned her gaze away from the sky. Right now, she needed to consolidate the gains in Dongyang City, solidify the cooperation with the Douling Empire, digest the spoils, and enhance her strength.

At the same time, we must also pay close attention to the situation in the Heavenly Soul Empire. If necessary, the Tang Sect's reach should not be limited to the Douling Empire.

"One must walk one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time," Tang Lan thought to herself.

"Once Brother Black Dragon emerges from seclusion and the Tang Clan's foundation is solidified, it will be time to thoroughly purge the Holy Spirit Cult and restore order to the continent!"

He turned to face the thousands of soldiers who were still expressing their gratitude with excitement, and that peaceful yet firm smile reappeared on his face.

Over the past seven days, thanks to the joint efforts of the Imperial government and the Tang Clan, the victory celebrations and post-battle rest in Dongyang City proceeded smoothly. Tang Lan also took a rare short break for himself and his disciples who had been fighting continuously.

Instead of dealing with tedious political and military affairs, he changed into an ordinary blue robe, concealed his awe-inspiring demigod aura, and strolled through the streets and alleys of Dongyang City, which were gradually recovering, like a leisurely traveler, accompanied by several core disciples who had also removed their military uniforms.

Although many ruins and rubble still remain along the streets, the main roads are now open to traffic. Craftsmen and Soul Masters from the Imperial Ministry of Works are busy repairing important public facilities and fortifications.

Some daring vendors have already set up their stalls again, selling simple food, daily necessities, and goods salvaged from the ruins or transported from the rear. The air is filled with the aroma of baked flatbread and hot soup.

The sounds of craftsmen hammering wood and stone, vendors shouting, and children's timid, renewed playful noises create a vivid picture of a city struggling to survive and move forward.

Tang Lan enjoys this ordinary, everyday life.

He would stop at a noodle stall run by an elderly couple, order a bowl of steaming hot bone broth noodles, chat with the stall owners about everyday life, and listen to their stories of fear during the war and their hopes for the future; he would also walk into a grocery store that had just reopened and whose goods were not yet fully stocked.

They would browse around casually, buying a few trinkets; and when passing by some merchants who were cleaning up the ruins of their shops, they would stop and ask if they needed help. Often, just a few gentle greetings and words of encouragement would bring a grateful smile to the faces of those distressed people and rekindle their hope.

In his spare time, he spent more time visiting the Soul Guidance Device Research and Development Workshop temporarily set up in Dongyang City by Tang Sect Soul Guidance Hall elites such as Dingdel and Qiao Na.

The battle of Dongyang City, though perilous, provided valuable data and new inspiration for the practical testing of the Tang Sect's soul tools. Dingdel and Jona, leading a contingent of the Soul Guidance Hall's elite troops, were not entirely complacent with the victory.

Instead, they raced against time to analyze combat data in the temporarily cleared workshop, summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of soul tools in fighting against high-level evil soul masters, especially against the large-scale area and terrifying single-target attacks of the Death God Tower, and began to improve existing soul tools or conceive design schemes for new soul tools.

Tang Lan's arrival often makes the atmosphere in the workshop even more lively.

He never put on airs as a sect leader, but participated in the discussion as a fellow enthusiast of the way of soul tools.

He would listen carefully to Tindle's conception of a new type of linked defensive soul guidance array and offer his own understanding based on demigod-level energy perception; he would discuss with Jona how to integrate some characteristics of the Ancient True Flame into a new generation of individual offensive soul guidance devices.

To enhance the purification and destruction of evil energy; he even personally used his meticulous soul power to help adjust some key energy circuit cores.

This relaxed yet fulfilling life lasted for seven days. For Tang Lan and the Tang Clan members who had just experienced a bloody battle, these seven days of rest were not only a physical relaxation but also a mental adjustment, allowing them to unwind from the tense state of combat and face future challenges in a better state.

And within those seven days...

The news that "Tang Lan, the leader of the Tang Clan, single-handedly defeated two Limit Douluos of the Holy Spirit Cult in a great victory at Dongyang City, and is suspected of stepping into the realm of demigods" spread like wildfire through various channels at a speed far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Oral communication among caravans, messengers, and soul masters, and even some clandestine soul-guided communication methods—

From the eye of the storm, Dongyang City, the storm spread wildly to the entire Douling Empire, the Tianhun Empire, and the Xingluo Empire. Its influence even quickly reached the Sun and Moon Empire, which was far away on the other side of the continent!
Sun and Moon Empire, Ming Capital, deep within the Imperial Palace.

Inside the magnificent imperial study, imbued with the feel of metal and soul-guided technology, the lighting was perfectly adjusted, both bright and imposing. Xu Tianran, the current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, sat regally on the dragon throne, crafted from a special alloy and inlaid with numerous soul-guided gems.

He held a detailed copy of the case file about the Battle of Dongyang City, which had just been urgently delivered by the intelligence department, and was reading it word by word.

Xu Tianran looked to be only in his early thirties, his face pale from living deep in the palace and rarely seeing the sun, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk's, calm and deep, as if they could see into people's hearts.

He didn't read quickly, carefully considering every detail. Initially, when he saw Tang Lan fight two against one, battling Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, even forcing Ye Xishui to use the Death God Tower to forcibly raise her strength to near demigod level, she was still defeated.

His long, slender fingers paused slightly, and his brow furrowed imperceptibly, as if he were assessing the enormous variables behind the news.

But soon, his slightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his expression returned to calm, almost imperceptible, as if he had merely read a routine report about unusual weather somewhere far away. Only in the depths of his profound eyes did a glint of shrewdness flash across his face.

Standing to the side and behind the dragon throne, a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a high-ranking civil official of the Sun Moon Empire, with a refined face but shrewd eyes, closely observed the emperor's changing expressions. This man was one of Xu Tianran's trusted advisors, in charge of intelligence and external liaison matters, and enjoyed his deep trust.

Seeing that Xu Tianran put down the dossier without showing any surprise, anger, or worry, the middle-aged civil official's heart stirred slightly. He put on a perfectly timed smile, took half a step forward, and spoke softly in a tone that was both probing and flattering.

"Your Majesty, this Tang Lan of the Tang Clan seems to be far more troublesome than we anticipated. Even the two infamous Limit Douluo from the Holy Spirit Cult, who joined forces, suffered such a great loss at his hands and fled in a sorry state. This person's strength is probably... truly invincible in this world."

He paused, observing Xu Tianran's reaction, and continued.

"To achieve such results against two opponents, and even with the rumor that Ye Xishui used that mysterious tenth-order soul tool... I really can't imagine just how strong this Tang Sect Master is. I'm afraid it's beyond what the ordinary term 'Limit Douluo' can describe."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianran slightly turned his head, his gaze falling on the middle-aged civil official's face, and a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on his lips.

He did not answer immediately, but instead extended his index finger and gently tapped the smooth metal surface of the dragon throne armrest, producing a rhythmic sound.

After a moment, Xu Tianran slowly spoke, his voice steady and clear, carrying a sense of confidence that he was in control of everything.

"Invincible in this era? Perhaps. But a more accurate description would be—the realm of demigods." (End of Chapter)