Douluo: Starting from the Nine-Curved Vine Dragon

Chapter 400 The Banner of Faith
The border of the mainland, the border of the western sea.

The harbor is bustling with activity, with ships coming and going in droves and pedestrians thronging the streets.

A year ago, the Tiandou Empire recovered its lost territory, and this first coastal city on the continent, standing on the empire's border, returned to the empire's embrace.

The city's name was changed back from Poseidon City to Vast Ocean City.

The city lord's mansion, study.

The old Soul Saint, who had served as the city lord of Hanhai City for a year, was serving tea and water with a humble and respectful expression. However, his movements were not very skillful, and he almost messed up this small task several times due to nervousness.

Behind a desk with a crystal fish tank, Lin Rong was multitasking, drinking tea while reviewing the intelligence reports compiled by the city lord on events that had occurred on the mainland over the past year.

Over the course of a year, the situation on the mainland has undergone dramatic changes.

In the past, numerous kingdoms and principalities coexisted between the two great empires. Now, however, many kingdoms and principalities that were caught between the two great empires have disintegrated, and their territories have returned to the two great empires.

The ruins of Wuhun City, once the center of the continent, have now become the new border between the two great empires of Tiandou and Xingluo.

Meanwhile, the ruins of Wuhun City, under the strong occupation of the Heaven Dou Empire, came under the control of Heaven Dou. A giant military fortress modeled after Jialing Pass rose from the ruins of Wuhun City, facing another giant military fortress built by the Star Luo Empire under the orders of the Spirit Hall.

Furthermore, the Spirit Hall, not content with its status as the state religion, replaced the White Tiger Sect half a year ago, becoming the new generation of royal support sect of the Star Luo Empire.

All the princes of the Star Luo Empire were forced to demote their wives to concubines under the tyranny of the Spirit Hall, and instead marry the legitimate daughters of high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall as their principal wives.

Such behavior makes it clear to anyone what the Spirit Hall intends to do. Their ambition to replace the Star Luo royal family is obvious. They are just using a softer and more time-consuming method to save face.

In a few generations, every member of the Star Luo royal family will carry the bloodline of the Spirit Hall's high-ranking officials. Even if the Star Luo Empire doesn't change its name to the Spirit Empire, it will be a mere shell of its former self.

Located on the border of the continent, in this era of slow communication, only a few major news items known throughout the continent could reach Hanhai City.

"They did a very good job during the year I was away."

After reading the intelligence and drinking his tea, Lin Rong turned to look at the wall of the study, where a blue and white flag hung. A lifelike dragon was embroidered on the flag with gold and silver threads, and other silk threads were used to embroider grass, trees and mountains as scenery.

At this moment, the Nine-Bend Vine Dragon was close to the flag, its blue-gold dragon eyes curiously looking at the real dragon embroidered on the flag based on it, and occasionally reaching out its dragon claw to carefully poke it.

The Imperial Flag was something Lin Rong created to harvest faith power.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the dazzling ball of light, as radiant as the sun, is the result of the past year.

"This amount of faith power seems substantial, but it's far from enough. Creating a godhood requires an enormous amount of faith power; I need much more, much more..."

The ancestral worship of angels spread across the continent, and the ancestral worship of sea gods spread across the ocean...

Wait, the ocean...

Lin Rong's eyes gleamed slightly as she turned her head toward her mount, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, which was silently recuperating in the crystal fish tank.

"I almost forgot, besides the mainland, there is also a vast, unclaimed land of faith in the ocean waiting for me to reap."

"It's just that the prestige of the first Sea God is deeply rooted in the hearts of some Sea Spirit Beasts, making it more troublesome to harvest them, but it's just troublesome, not impossible."

"As the saying goes, in times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary. As long as we kill all the die-hard loyalists among the sea spirit beasts who worship the first sea god, the remaining opportunists will naturally turn to my side."

Of course, his focus was still on the mainland, so the task of spreading his faith at sea was left to his little mount.

With a loud clang.

Inside the crystal fish tank, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, who was recuperating with his eyes closed, heard a crisp collision sound coming from the bottom of the tank.

"What is that disturbing my sleep!" The Deep Sea Demon Whale King opened his eyes in a daze and saw a bright blue triangular rhombus crystal placed in front of him.

"Heart of Poseidon!"

Overjoyed, it was about to swim forward and collect it when it suddenly remembered something and paused.

"Um, Master, what's wrong...?"

"The Deep Sea Demon Whale King asked timidly."

"I have a task for you, and this is a small reward I'm giving you in advance," Lin Rong said directly, without beating around the bush.

"You go to the ocean in my name to spread my faith."

"Within six months, let my true name spread to every corner of the ocean. If you can successfully complete the mission, I will bestow upon you the throne of the Sea God."

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's eyes suddenly lit up.

Upon hearing that it would be rewarded with the Sea God's throne upon completing the mission, it no longer cared that the mission only had a six-month deadline.

Half a year? What's wrong with half a year?
Who in the entire ocean dares to stop the Deep Sea Demon Whale King? With the temptation of inheriting the Sea God's position, it doesn't care what means it takes as long as it can complete the mission within six months.

"Master, rest assured, I guarantee I will complete the task perfectly."

As he spoke, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King emerged from the fish tank, transformed into human form, and stood before Lin Rong.

slap~
Before the Deep Sea Demon Whale King could speak, he was slapped and sent flying to the ground, while at the same time his master's majestic voice came from his ears:

"A mount should look like a mount; what kind of behavior is it to transform into a human!"

"This is the first time, so I won't punish you. Remember this, and don't let it happen again."

On the ground, the deep-sea demon whale king, who had previously appeared as a young human, instantly transformed back into a palm-sized whale fry, floating in mid-air and replying with a pitiful expression:

"Yes, Master, next time... I understand."

"If you have nothing else to do, I'll go and carry out my mission."

Seeing Lin Rong wave his hand, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King turned its palm-sized body in mid-air, then transformed into a blue streak of light and shot out of the window, disappearing into the distant horizon.

The blue light shot straight into the sky at an extremely fast speed, and soon flew to the sky above a super giant island.

"Poseidon Island, haha!"

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King hovered above the island within the island of Poseidon, looking down at the deserted Poseidon Temple below, and sneered.

The next moment, a dazzling blue light burst forth, and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King restored its enormous body, which was hundreds of meters long, and swept its mountain-like tail across the sky towards the Sea God Temple.

With a deafening roar, and after the dust settled, the Sea God Temple, which stood atop the island within an island, along with the mountains below it, collapsed and sank into the ring-shaped sea.

"Poseidon, you just wait! Once I seize your position as the god of the sea and ascend to the realm of the gods, I will avenge the humiliation of that spear strike and the blinding wound!"

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King touched its left eye, which had been restored by its master, with its fin, seemingly recalling the scene when Poseidon pierced its left eye with his trident.

It will never forget that excruciating pain and the humiliation it suffered after defeat.

(End of this chapter)