Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

In that instant, the air in the entire palace hall seemed to be completely sucked out.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Xu Tianran suddenly opened his eyes.

A terrifying glint flashed in those sinister eyes.

He didn't look at the complicated battle damage reports and troop deployments; his gaze was precisely fixed on the summary title marked in striking red font at the very top of the screen.

[Tian Dou City has been captured.]

Just six words.

Xu Tianran's body suddenly stiffened.

His face, which was always full of hostility, vanished at this moment, becoming as stiff as a sculpture.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely depressing.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just as some ministers were about to suffocate from the deathly silence, Xu Tianran's lips began to slowly and eerily curve upwards.

The arc grew larger and more exaggerated, eventually transforming into a silent smile filled with ecstasy and madness.

"Ah……"

An uncontrollable, beast-like low laugh escaped from deep within his throat.

"Haha...hahahaha..."

The laughter grew louder and more unrestrained, eventually transforming into a deafening roar that echoed throughout the entire magnificent hall.

“Haha ...

Xu Tianran suddenly straightened up from the throne, opening his arms as if to embrace the whole world.

His handsome yet distorted face was filled with an unparalleled sense of accomplishment and ecstasy at the impending success of his empire.

"We've won! I've won!!"

He roared to the sky, his voice filled with long-suppressed desires and ambitions, which were released in the most exhilarating way at that moment.

The ministers below were taken aback at first, but then they reacted and their faces immediately filled with fawning and fervent smiles. A deafening roar of congratulations instantly engulfed the entire hall.

"Congratulations to your majesty, congratulations to your majesty."

"Your Majesty's divine might will surely lead to the unification of the continent in the near future!"

"May the Sun and Moon Empire last forever, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Xu Tianran was immersed in the wave of flattery. He greedily inhaled the air, as if even the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of victory.

He slowly raised his hand, and the noisy hall instantly fell silent once more.

Everyone looked up at their emperor with the most fervent and worshipful gaze.

"Preach my will."

Xu Tianran's voice was slightly hoarse due to extreme excitement.

"The capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Heavenly Dou City, has been captured by our imperial army. The Heavenly Soul royal family has been destroyed, and the Body Sect, which stubbornly resisted, has been completely wiped out."

"Within a month, the imperial army will occupy the entire territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire."

"This is a momentous occasion. I have decided that the whole country should celebrate and that the nation should have a three-day holiday, so that every citizen of the empire can share in my joy and this supreme glory that belongs to the empire."

Upon hearing this, thunderous cheers erupted once again in the hall.

To destroy an empire that had lasted for thousands of years—what an earth-shattering feat!

And they were all witnesses and participants in this great undertaking.

However, in this frenzied atmosphere, an old and composed figure seemed out of place.

Kong Deming, the founder of the Sun Moon Empire's soul guidance technology and the empire's only level ten soul guide master, was standing at the front of the crowd, his head slightly lowered, his white eyebrows tightly furrowed.

His face showed no joy, but rather was filled with deep worry.

He slowly stepped out of the ranks and bowed deeply to Xu Tianran on the throne.

"His Majesty."

His voice stood out clearly amidst the jubilation.

"This old minister has a question."

The cheers in the hall gradually subsided, and everyone's attention was focused on the highly respected elder.

Xu Tianran was in the middle of an exciting conversation. When he saw that it was Kong Deming, he was not displeased. Instead, he raised his chin with a hint of pride, signaling Kong Deming to continue.

"As far as this old minister knows, both the Douling Empire and the Xingluo Empire have sent reinforcements. Why... is there no mention of engaging the reinforcements in the battle reports? Could it be that they have retreated in the face of battle?"

Kong Deming raised his head, his cloudy old eyes gleaming with a look of inquiry.

Upon hearing this question, Xu Tianran's smile grew even more smug.

He gave Kong Deming an appreciative look, as if to say, 'You've finally hit the nail on the head.'

"Master Kong asked a good question."

Xu Tianran laughed loudly, his voice filled with satisfaction with his plan.

"The reinforcements from the Douling Empire have indeed arrived, but they will never reach Tiandou City. Huo Yuhao, the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, has led all the elite forces of the Holy Spirit Cult to annihilate them at the border of Tianhun."

"As for the Star Luo Empire's reinforcements..."

Xu Tianran's smile carried a hint of amusement and disdain.

"They were also intercepted at the border by the Grand Marshal of the Three Armies of my Empire, Orange, who personally led a large army. In the end, they did not dare to fire a single shot or cannon, and could only watch helplessly as Tiandou City turned into a sea of ​​fire."

These words once again ignited the entire audience.

"Holy Son... no, Holy Leader is mighty."

"Marshal Orange is a brilliant strategist."

"Your Majesty's strategic planning and decisive victories are truly a testament to the Mandate of Heaven."

Praises were endless.

However, Kong Deming's body stiffened almost imperceptibly after hearing Xu Tianran's answer.

He slowly lowered his head, concealing the deep, unyielding worry in his eyes.

Then, without saying a word, he silently retreated back into the queue.

What he really wanted to ask wasn't about the Douling Empire or the Xingluo Empire at all.

Even if those two decadent old empires joined forces, in his view, they would be no match for the newly revitalized Sun Moon Empire and its Soul Guidance Technology.

It's only a matter of time before they are wiped out.

What he really wanted to ask was about Haiyuan City.

That city-state, shrouded in mystery and terrifying power, that occupies the Star Luo Empire.

That city, ruled by Lu Jingming, possessed countless technologies that surpassed its time and even had god-level powerhouses.

Kong Deming had assumed that the battle for Tiandou City would inevitably be a head-on clash between the Sun Moon Empire and Haiyuan City. He had even prepared for the worst.

However, from Xu Tianran's answer just now to this detailed battle report... from beginning to end, not a single word was mentioned about Haiyuan City.

Xu Tianran did not mention it.

This means that Haiyuan City did not intervene at all.

He raised his eyes and looked at the emperor on the throne, who was immersed in the ecstasy of his impending conquest and full of vigor. Only a long sigh remained in his heart.

Xu Tianran was unaware of Kong Deming's concerns, or rather, he was aware of them but didn't care at all.

His heart was now filled with an unprecedented and immense ambition and sense of accomplishment.

'The Heavenly Soul Empire is destroyed! Haha, I destroyed it just like that!'

"A thousand-year-old tradition, an ancient royal family, so-called legitimacy... all are utterly insignificant before my army. What Body Sect, what Undying Poison—they are nothing but clowns trying to stop a chariot with their bare hands."

"Next is the Douling Empire, a nation even more corrupt and weaker than the Tianhun Empire. In three months at most, I can completely wipe it off my map."

Then there's Xingluo, the most stubborn and powerful enemy.

Xu Tianran's gaze seemed to pierce through the palace walls, reaching towards the distant north.

As for Haiyuan City and Lu Jingming...

Xu Tianran was certainly aware of their existence and the threat they posed.

But his inflated confidence, blinded by victory, made him subconsciously relegate this threat to the back burner.

In his view, no matter how strong Haiyuan City was, it was still just a city. No matter how many powerful people there were, they had the Great Lord of Annihilation to deal with them.

A great emperor for all time? No, what he wants to do is not just be an emperor. He wants the brilliance of the sun and moon to shine on every corner of this continent for thousands of generations.

He was engrossed in his grand plan, and the smile on his face became increasingly fanatical and distorted.

Unbeknownst to him, in the shadow of the throne behind him, a barely perceptible ripple, like a wave on water, gently rippled before returning to stillness.

……

A distorted space that defies description, existing between reality and illusion.

There is no up, down, left, or right here; there is no concept of time or space.

Only countless shattered, mirror-like fragments of the plane floated and sank in the chaotic energy turbulence.

A blurry figure, seemingly composed of pure illusion, was lazily reclining on a throne formed from the entanglement of countless wailing souls.

Before her floated a huge water mirror composed of light and shadow.

The scene inside the Sun Moon Empire's council hall was clearly reflected in the water mirror—Xu Tianran's fanatical and distorted smile, the grotesque fawning and revelry of the ministers, and Kong Deming's worried back.

"Ha ha……"

Huanlong let out a soft laugh.

Her laughter was full of joy, the kind of pure, heartfelt joy one feels when witnessing the most exciting part of a favorite play.

'So...cute.'

Huanlong thought to herself, her intangible gaze fixed with interest on the spirited Xu Tianran reflected in the water mirror.

In her eyes, Xu Tianran was like a child who had just built his sandcastle, basking in his small masterpiece and dancing with joy.

Xu Tianran believed himself to be a chess player, the protagonist of this era, and the emperor who was about to create an eternal dynasty.

He had no idea that his so-called victory was nothing more than a piece of candy casually tossed to him by someone else.

In Huanlong's eyes, his so-called ambitions were no different from the efforts of ants moving house.

Huanlong extended her slender fingers and gently touched Xu Tianran's forehead through the water mirror.

She and Xu Tianran were collaborators, but that was just wishful thinking on Xu Tianran's part.

Xu Tianran himself probably didn't realize that he trusted Huanlong and Xingxiao too much, which was too strange for an emperor.

After all, no emperor would trust two obviously not benevolent rulers without reservation.

Xu Tianran had long been a plaything in Huanlong's hands.

From the very beginning, in Huanlong's eyes, Xu Tianran was not a collaborator.

He was just a toy, a clown, a pawn she used to pass the time.

Destruction... is never an art of a single moment.

Vague thoughts drifted in the chaotic space.

For her, simple, physical destruction was too crude and too boring.

True destruction is an aesthetic.

It requires careful cultivation.

She needs to first give hope, give dreams, so that a being can devote all his ambition, all his pride, and all his emotions to something he considers supreme.

Make him believe that he is about to succeed and that he is about to stand at the top of the world.

Then... just when he was one step away from that peak, at his most triumphant and spirited moment...

Huanlong's laughter became even more joyful, even carrying a hint of cruel sweetness.

...With his own hands, he crushed everything he cherished, his hopes, his dreams, his pride, his empire... bit by bit, right before his eyes.

What expression will appear on his face then? Shock? Disbelief? Angry? Or... utter collapse and despair?
Ah... that expression, that moment, must be... the most beautiful sight in the universe.

The self-destruction of mortals is truly something I never tire of watching.

This is the aesthetics of destruction that belongs to the Great Lord of Annihilation, Illusion.

She loved observing the deceit and treachery among ordinary people, and loved watching the tragic dramas of those who ultimately destroyed themselves because of ambition, betrayal, conspiracy, and killing.

She eagerly awaited the day when Xu Tianran would suffer both physical and mental destruction, and his soul would be utterly defeated.

That would be the sweetest dessert she could prepare for herself in this boring drama.

The smoke of war that destroyed the Heavenly Soul Empire has long been blown away by the winds of time.

But the huge wounds torn open on the continent by that brutal war have not healed; they have only been forcibly covered with a seemingly calm surface under the new order.

To everyone's surprise, after annihilating the Heavenly Soul Empire with overwhelming force, Xu Tianran's Sun Moon Empire army did not press its advantage and instead marched south towards the Douling Empire.

The massive and terrifying war machine seemed to have suddenly run out of fuel and fell into an eerie silence.

But everyone with discerning eyes knows that this is not a period of silence, but rather a period of digestion.

Like a giant python swallowing an antelope, it needs time to completely transform this enormous prey into its own flesh and blood and power.

A silent transformation is taking place across the vast territory of the former Heavenly Soul Empire.

The ruling methods of the Sun and Moon Empire demonstrated a far more terrifying soft power than its military strength.

In what was once Tiandou City, rows of brand-new, technologically advanced civilian soul-guiding factories have sprung up.

Soul tools, which were once only available to Soul Masters and nobles, are now being delivered to ordinary people at extremely low prices.

Soul-guided lunchboxes that can automatically heat food, soul-guided washing machines that can automatically clean clothes, and ever-burning soul-guided lamps that provide stable lighting… These convenient creations, once only existing in imagination, are rapidly changing people's lifestyles. (End of Chapter)