Douluo Jueshi: Who let him join Shrek!

Chapter 703 Xu Tianran's Determination, Sunrise City!

"Snapped!"

A delicate teacup was smashed on the ground, shattering into countless fragments that flew everywhere.

"Useless! They're all useless! What are the border guards doing! So many Soul Masters have been killed or wounded, and the Soul Guidance Artillery positions and armories have been destroyed. What use are they to me!"

The news of Elder Mu and his men's actions on the border quickly reached Mingdu. Upon hearing the news, Xu Tian turned pale, his chest heaving, and even his eyes were bloodshot.

This period has been so difficult for him!
Since the tournament, his father, the previous emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, passed away, and he, as the regent, naturally became the new emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.

Even after reaching this position, Xu Tianran was not happy.

In fact, after all these years of effort, even with his partial disability, ascending to the throne was an inevitable outcome, and there was nothing to be happy about.

He wasn't happy about this. What he wanted wasn't just the power of the Sun Moon Empire's emperor, but to unify the continent and change the name of Douluo Continent to Sun Moon Continent!

This is his true ambition and expectation.

Everything was going smoothly at first.

The three empires that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent were very backward in the development of soul tools. In terms of national strength, even the most powerful of the three empires, the Star Luo Empire, was no match for the Sun Moon Empire.

He even learned from the lesson of the Sun Moon Continent's defeat after its clash with the Douluo Continent. In order to deal with the Soul Masters who originally belonged to the three great empires of the Douluo Continent, he also cooperated with the evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult.

In terms of national strength, the Sun Moon Empire, with its absolute leading position in soul tools, is undoubtedly number one! In terms of powerful soul masters, the evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Cult have always been the most powerful group of soul masters throughout history.

With these two trump cards in hand, his unification efforts should have gone very smoothly.

Can bear fruit.
How did it become like this?!

"Shrek! Shrek again! First the Shrek team, then Jiang Ming, and now those powerful soul masters from Shrek! Is this damn Shrek Academy determined to go against me?!"

Xu Tianran shouted angrily, his expression looking somewhat ferocious.

He mentioned Shrek five times in one sentence, which shows how much he hates Shrek.

Ju Zi, dressed in a light gold palace gown, sat quietly on the other side of Xu Tianran without saying a word.

She was a smart woman and wouldn't say a word when Xu was angry.

After Xu Tianran smashed several more expensive tea sets in a fit of rage, his complexion finally returned to normal.

He let out a long breath, his eyes turning cold.

"Someone, go and check on the Imperial Advisor. If he is alright, invite him to the palace for a meeting."

"Yes!"

The eunuch outside sounded trembling with fear.

As an eunuch, he naturally knew who the Imperial Advisor was. Getting close to an evil spirit master was something no normal person would want to do.

But there was no other way. If he went to see the Imperial Advisor, he might not die; if he didn't, he would surely die!
"Alas, in that last battle, several level-nine soul masters were lost, and the Holy Spirit Cult also suffered heavy losses. Just one Jiang Ming! Just one Jiang Ming! He actually managed to disrupt my plans like this!"

Having just vented his anger, Xu Tianran thought of the battle in the western suburbs of Mingdu not long ago, and his anger was about to erupt again.

At this moment, Ju Zi stood up, walked behind Xu Tianran, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't upset yourself. I think there's something fishy about Shrek Academy's attack on the border guards this time. Although Shrek Academy is the number one Soul Master Academy on the continent, they don't belong to any country after all. Their actions this time are probably aimed at those contestants we captured."

Xu Tianran snorted coldly: "Are you trying to force me to release them?"

Ju Zi nodded and said, "That's probably what they mean. They'll probably launch further attacks. Dealing with these super experts is indeed quite difficult. They're on the borders of Tianhun and Xingluo, moving with great skill and making them very difficult to deal with."

Hearing this, Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes and sneered, "They can cause destruction, but do you think I can't?! When it comes to the ability to cause destruction, who can compare to the evil soul masters!"

Ju Zi shook her head and said, "That won't work. Your Majesty, we are not ready. If we do this, it will be tantamount to starting a war prematurely. The Holy Spirit Cult is indeed powerful, but if we only have the Holy Spirit Cult to face the large number of Soul Masters from the original three kingdoms of Douluo Continent, we are still not strong enough."

and"

Ju Zi glanced at Xu Tianran and said in a deep voice, "Moreover, we still don't know where Jiang Ming is. The Holy Spirit Cult has already suffered some losses. If Jiang Ming targets us again, I'm afraid..."

Ju Zi didn't explain things very clearly, but Xu Tianran understood what Ju Zi meant.

If the Holy Spirit Cult were to leave now, and were to be targeted by Jiang Ming, the members of the Holy Spirit Cult would likely face dire consequences.

Even if the Imperial Advisor were to go in person, it would be the same.

Even if Jiang Ming were alone, he would be enough to make the Holy Spirit Cult, which has two Limit Douluos, unable to raise their heads!
Especially after Jiang Ming fought three battles with the Holy Spirit Cult in Mingdu, the Holy Spirit Cult now feels somewhat terrified of him.

Although the Holy Spirit Cult did not suffer many losses in its core combat strength, with only two or three Title Douluos and one or two Super Douluo-level evil soul masters dying, it was not severely damaged.

But after these three matches, they truly realized how terrifying Jiang Ming was!

Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao was almost stabbed to death by Jiang Ming!
With such a record, who would dare to go up against Jiang Ming?

No matter how evil a demonic master is, they shouldn't be so confused about the difference between fighting and suicide!

Xu Tianran fell silent.

Jiang Ming!

It's Jiang Ming again!

He hated Jiang Ming to the core! But he was powerless to do anything about Jiang Ming!

Even with the most powerful and deadly lineup he devised in Mingdu, he couldn't kill Jiang Ming. Now that Jiang Ming has returned to Shrek Academy, he has no way to kill him!
Unless he can find Jiang Ming's weakness, he really doesn't want to confront Jiang Ming right now.

“You’re right. Shrek Academy has too many strong people, and there’s a taboo against evil soul masters. The Holy Spirit Cult members are still recovering from their injuries. If they were to run into Shrek Academy now, or even fight Jiang Ming, they definitely wouldn’t be happy.”

Xu Tianran took a deep breath and calmed down.

"However, even if I can't use evil soul masters, I have other methods! Since we can't fight Shrek Academy at the soul master level, let's start with soul tools!"

Upon hearing this, Orange's eyes narrowed.

"Your Majesty means... a level nine fixed-mount soul-guided cannon shell?"

The only things that can rival the super strong individuals of Shrek Academy, besides top-tier level nine soul masters, are level nine fixed-position soul guidance shells—a deadly weapon!

Xu Tianran nodded slightly and said, "That's right. We can't fight Shrek Academy's Soul Masters with Soul Masters, but we have Level 9 fixed-position Soul Guidance Cannons! Just placing Level 9 fixed-position Soul Guidance Cannons on the border will be enough to serve as a deterrent!"

After speaking, Xu Tianran closed his eyes slightly and slowly said, "Although Shrek Academy has so many super strong individuals and monsters like Jiang Ming, in wars between nations, individual strength cannot determine the outcome. As long as the Sun Moon Empire is stronger than the other three great empires, I still have a chance to unify the continent!"

His voice was incredibly firm.

No one can stop him from unifying the continent! No one can!

In fact, without Shrek Academy and Jiang Ming, with Xu Tianran's abilities and the Sun Moon Empire's absolute lead in soul tools, he could have easily completed the unification effort even without cooperating with evil soul masters.

But now that Shrek Academy is involved, and Jiang Ming has caused all this trouble, Xu Tianran's unification cause will face many difficulties.

Wouldn't it be better to unify the entire continent?
From a broader perspective, this is certainly a good thing. After all, once the mainland is unified, all resources can be reorganized and redistributed, and there will basically be no more wars on the mainland.

Furthermore, after the continent is unified, the resources of Soul Masters and Soul Instructors will be integrated, and the development speed may be even faster!

But this is from the perspective of the biggest picture.

But from the perspective of the other three great empires, the Sun and Moon Empire was going to destroy their countries!

Unification over there means the destruction of this country!
How could anyone possibly agree to that?
You have such a grand vision, coming to destroy my country—no one can agree to that. Besides, if you really want to calculate it, the history of the Sun Moon Empire isn't necessarily as long as the three original empires of the Douluo Continent.

Under Xu Tianran's secret orders, three level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells were transported to the border, and even a level-nine soul master was transferred there.

Three level-nine Soul Masters, plus three level-nine fixed-position Soul Guidance Cannonballs—even a Super Douluo cannot ignore such formidable power.

Of course, Xu Tianran also had some worries.

Previously, only the Sun Moon Empire possessed level 9 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells.

But now, Jiang Ming has taken more than a dozen level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells from Mingde Hall!
While his transport of level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannonballs to the border might intimidate the powerful figures at Shrek Academy, if Jiang Ming were to bombard the border with such cannonballs, then...
Xu Tianran didn't even dare to imagine that scenario; he was gambling! He was gambling that Jiang Yang wouldn't do that, because if he did, it would mean that Shrek Academy had officially declared war on the Sun Moon Empire!

"Jiang Ming, Jiang Ming, that damned Jiang Ming!"

Even in his sleep, Xu Tianran kept calling out Jiang Ming's name.

While Xu Tianran was attempting to kill Jiang Ming, his greatest threat, in his dream, several uninvited guests arrived in Risheng City, not far from Mingdu.

After leaving Haiyue City and traveling for two days, Huo Yuhao and his group arrived near Risheng City, where the contestants were being held.

In the entire Sunrise Empire, Sunrise City could only be considered a small to medium-sized city. It was far from being as grand and imposing as Mingdu, with only 100,000 permanent households and a total population of less than 500,000.

However, in recent months, the city has begun to change. On the city walls, which are more than ten meters high, a large number of soul-guided searchlights and soul-guided detectors have been installed.

Moreover, outside Sunrise City, there were two Soul Master Corps units of five hundred men each stationed.

In the Sun Moon Empire, the Soul Master Corps actually has different levels.

The most powerful among them is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps, which represents the strongest force in the entire Sun Moon Empire.

The entry requirement for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps is level 50!
In other words, one must have at least the cultivation level of a Soul King to have a chance of joining.

Moreover, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps has a total of about three hundred members.

Among them, the three leaders and deputy leaders are all powerful level nine soul masters who are loyal only to the royal family.

Only the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire can command this powerful Soul Master Legion. They are equipped with the finest Soul Guidance weapons and enjoy the highest level of privileges among the Sun Moon Empire's army.

The financial resources required to support such a legion alone are at least equivalent to the total annual tax revenue of two major cities.

This legion guarded the capital and was the emperor's most loyal and important fighting force, forming the two pillars of the imperial family along with the Palace Hall.

Besides the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps, there are four Beast King-level Soul Master Corps directly under the Empire. They are the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps, the Terror Claw Soul Master Corps, the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps, and the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps.

These four Soul Master Corps are all named after famous Soul Beast Kings.

Among them, Huanglong represents Zihuang Mietianlong.

This is a powerful soul beast that has gone extinct, but the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire occasionally has the opportunity to inherit this powerful martial soul.

Xu Tianran's rise to become the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire was not so simple. One of the most important reasons was that he was the inheritor of this martial soul, rather than the Sun Martial Soul inherited by other members of the royal family.

The ancestor of the Purple Emperor Annihilation Dragon was once a sub-dragon that lived alongside the Dragon God, and was also known as the ancestor of sub-dragons. Later, because it was too destructive, it was personally exterminated by the Dragon God.

The representative spirit beast of the Terrorclaw Spirit Master Corps is naturally the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. This terrifying creature is an absolute legend in any country.

The Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps, as its name suggests, is named after the legendary Fire Phoenix, the king of soul beasts, and all the soul masters recruited within it are women. Currently, the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps is led by Empress Ju Zi of the Empire.

The Evil Lord Soul Master Corps goes without saying; the Evil Eye Tyrant is the only one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts to exist in the Sun Moon Empire.

Each of these four Soul Master Corps has its own characteristics. For example, the Fire Phoenix Corps is entirely composed of female Soul Masters, the Terror Claw Corps is entirely composed of burly men, the Imperial Dragon Corps has the strongest combat power, and the Evil Monarch Corps is entirely composed of Soul Masters who excel in speed.

Their standard is a soul power level of 40 or above, which is equivalent to a Soul Master level or higher. Each Beast King-level Soul Master Corps has a total of 300 members.

Apart from Orange, the leader of the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps, the leaders of the other three Beast King-level Soul Master Corps are all Level 9 Soul Masters. The vice-leader of the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps is also Level 9.

Together with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps, they are known as the Guardians of the Nation, like the five pillars supporting the Sun Moon Empire.

Aside from these five Soul Master Corps, the requirements for the remaining Soul Master Corps are much lower. They each have a strength of 500 members, and anyone with a Soul Power exceeding two rings can join.

Currently, there are six such Soul Master Corps units with 500 members each, totaling 3,000 members, stationed in different locations.

Don't underestimate the number three thousand; the combat power of the Soul Master Corps is absolutely unmatched by ordinary armies.

On the battlefield, even the lowest-ranking Soul Master Corps plays a far greater role than a 10,000-strong cavalry regiment. They possess immense destructive power, and because of their small numbers and expertise in using Soul Tools, they often have the ability to sway the course of a war.

The five powerful Soul Master Corps, known as the Hands of the Empire, have very high entry requirements, consisting of Soul Masters with at least the Soul Master level. They are fully capable of piloting flying Soul Tools.

In this situation, they could completely transform into a soul-guided air force!

Years of training have forged their perfect teamwork, unwavering fighting spirit, and the command of top-tier Soul Masters. This strength is the foundation of the Sun Moon Empire's dominance over the world.

In contrast, the three great empires simply could not muster an army of that size.

The five legions known as the Hands of the Empire were not stationed in Sunrise City. Except for the time when Xu Tianran recalled them to the vicinity of Mingdu for blockade during the Grand Tournament, those legions had to be stationed at various border passes.

Even without the five major Soul Master Legions guarding the area, there are still two Soul Master Legions with a size of 500 people stationed near Sunrise City.

The area around Sunrise City is a completely open plain, where a thousand Soul Masters have set up their positions.

The rows of low-level but incredibly numerous soul-guided cannons were arranged like a forest, interspersed with some high-level soul-guided devices.

It's fair to say that Sunrise City is practically a city of death.

If this army of Soul Masters were willing, they could even raze the entire city to the ground in a short period of time.

These two Soul Master Corps are not the most troublesome part. What's even more troublesome is that the entire Sunrise City wall has been turned into a detection Soul Guidance Device site.

Jiang Ming glanced at it briefly and discovered all-terrain long-range detection soul guides, short-range thermal detection soul guides, medium-range air detection soul guides, trigger-type positioning soul guides, and a large number of high-altitude detection soul guides in the sky.

It can be said that even if a fly flew out of Sunrise City, the Soul Masters responsible for monitoring these detection Soul Guidance Devices could detect it immediately.

Even if Huo Yuhao used a simulated soul skill, he wouldn't be able to get away with it, because the trigger-type positioning soul tool directly detects soul power! It's impossible to use a soul skill without soul power fluctuations.

Perhaps powerful figures like Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen, who are at the Title Douluo level, could do it, but the others could not.

"This defensive force."

Jiang Ming looked at the two Soul Master Corps members, his eyes narrowing slightly.

To be honest, their defensive strength is truly formidable. These two Soul Master Corps alone, once they unleash their full firepower, could easily repel a Title Douluo.

But Huo Yuhao and his group weren't going to force their way in. As long as they weren't discovered, these two Soul Master Corps were basically just decorations.

However, there were two Soul Master Corps stationed outside, indicating the level of security inside.
"It seems their operation this time is destined to be unsuccessful."

Jiang Ming said softly.

Then, he took Zhang Lexuan's hand and easily entered the city.

It's true that there are soul tools here to detect soul power fluctuations, but they are ineffective for Jiang Ming and Zhang Lexuan.

Soul Masters at the Title Douluo level are fully capable of controlling the flow of soul power within their bodies.

In the eyes of these soldiers, they are just ordinary people, if they want to.

(End of this chapter)