Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

Bibi Dong, clad in a magnificent purple-gold papal robe and crown, possessed an exquisite face that exuded both the majesty of an empress and a perfectly measured gentleness. She stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the slightly flustered and shocked crowd from the Sun and Moon Continent, her voice carrying far and wide through her soul power:

"I, Bibi Dong, Empress of the Spirit Empire, on behalf of the Empire, welcome all the talented individuals from the Sun Moon Continent!"

"Your arrival will bring new dawn and change to this continent! The Empire has prepared residences, laboratories, and all the necessary resources for you! The Empire will reward you generously for your talents and remember your contributions!"

"From this day forward, you are all honored guests of the Spirit Empire, and also meritorious contributors to the Empire's march into a new era!"

Her voice was strong and powerful, conveying both importance and status—she was a distinguished guest, a meritorious official, but also within the system of the Martial Soul Empire.

The newly promoted level 99 Sun Moon National Master felt even more awe when he sensed the unfathomable aura emanating from Bibi Dong, which even made him feel a sense of oppression.

This empress's strength is definitely above his! Moreover, he keenly sensed that there were more than a dozen Title Douluo-level auras in the opposing camp! This power far surpasses that of the Sun Moon Empire!
Even though the Hall of Worship had a grudge against Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu still sent Qingluan and Qianjun Jiangmo to attend such an important event concerning the future of the empire. They looked at this peerless Douluo from overseas with solemn eyes, and their exchanges of glances were filled with vigilance and scrutiny.

The welcoming ceremony was brief yet solemn. After Bibi Dong finished her speech, the well-prepared imperial officials stepped forward to guide the tens of thousands of skilled workers to a specially planned and well-equipped area within the city for resettlement.

As the technicians from the Sun Moon Continent, guided by officials from the Spirit Empire, checked into their clearly well-prepared accommodations with a mixture of curiosity and unease, and were told they would enjoy preferential treatment and high social status, the Spirit Empire's onlookers, including Spirit Masters and civilians, received a clear signal:

Her Majesty the Queen is serious.

While military might remains an unshakable foundation, in the future, knowledge, technology, and contributions to the empire may earn respect and rewards no less than, or even surpass, the power of a mere Soul Master.

……

Qingluan Douluo, along with Qianjun and Jiangmo, returned to the Hall of Worship and reported in detail to Qian Daoliu what they had seen and heard outside the city, especially the level 99 peerless Douluo from overseas whose aura was in no way weaker than theirs, as well as the situation of the tens of thousands of foreign continental technicians who were treated as honored guests.

After listening to the report, Qian Daoliu stood in front of the angel statue, silent for a long time. A rare look of deep confusion appeared on his usually dignified and calm face.

He was increasingly unable to understand Bibi Dong and Xuan Ming's intentions.

Originally, he thought that the establishment of the Spirit Empire would be achieved by using the Spirit Hall's powerful Spirit Master army as a spearhead to quickly conquer and annex the Heaven Dou and Star Luo, and establish a vast empire with Spirit Masters as the absolute core.

War, conquest, and plunder are the norm in times of chaos.

But the reality is quite the opposite.

After initially integrating the border kingdoms and duchies, Bibidon voluntarily ceased large-scale military operations.

Xuanming, with his terrifying, almost godlike power, directly intimidated the two great empires, forcibly maintaining a facade of peace.

Subsequently, Bibi Dong began to implement sweeping, even self-destructive, reforms internally, including harsh laws and punishments, suppression of Soul Master privileges, and the introduction of so-called new technologies... This was completely shaking the original foundation of the Martial Soul Empire.

Now, Xuanming has brought a full 10,000 technical talents from overseas and treated them with the highest honors.

Judging from their demeanor, they seem to be truly focused on building a nation, a completely new country with rules unlike any previous empire.

This was completely beyond Qian Daoliu's understanding of the word "empire".

"Great Elder, how... should we deal with this?" Qingluan Douluo asked in a low voice, a hint of confusion in his tone. The opponent's behavior was unpredictable, leaving them, accustomed to power struggles, feeling completely lost.

Qian Daoliu slowly turned around, the complex expression in his golden eyes finally turning into calm. He gently shook his head: "No need to deal with it, just observe the situation."

His gaze fell upon the depths of the Angel Temple, where his granddaughter, Qian Renxue, was receiving the most important inheritance.

“Right now, the most important thing for us is to ensure that Xiaoxue successfully completes the divine test.” Qian Daoliu said calmly. “She has already completed the eighth test. With her talent and current progress, it will take her at most a few years to complete all nine tests and inherit the position of angel.”

He paused, then continued, "As for the future of the Martial Soul Empire, the格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure) of the continent... let Xiaoxue decide those things after she becomes a god."

In Qian Daoliu's view, no matter what Bibi Dong and Xuan Ming are plotting or doing, as long as Qian Renxue can successfully inherit the Angel God's position and become the new Angel God, then there is still room for maneuver.

God-level power is enough to shatter any mortal arrangement.

Intervening now might disrupt Qian Renxue's inheritance process and even cause unnecessary conflict.

Since we don't understand, let's remain on the sidelines for now and leave the final decision to Qian Renxue, who is about to ascend to godhood.

After the three honorifics, Qingluan, Qianjun, and Jiangmo, left, leaving only Qiandaoliu alone in the spacious and solemn hall, the forced calm on his face finally faded, replaced by a deep sense of bewilderment and indescribable worry.

The scene from several months ago is still vividly etched in his mind.

Qian Renxue was struck back by Xuan Ming from the direction of the Papal Palace like a bird with broken wings, and crashed heavily onto the square in front of the temple. Not only was her body severely injured, with broken ribs and damaged internal organs, but more seriously, the light in her golden eyes was shattered and her pride was almost crushed.

That was his granddaughter whom he had watched grow up, the most perfect successor of the angel race. How could she have ever suffered such humiliation and blow?
After her injuries improved slightly, Qian Renxue entered the Angel's Secret Realm without saying a word and began a near-self-torturing, frenzied cultivation.

She poured all her time and energy into it, as if only by constantly becoming stronger could she fill the emptiness in her heart and ignite her burning anger.

However, what unsettled Qian Daoliu even more was that before Qian Renxue entered the secret realm, she asked him in a tone of despair and questioning he had never heard before:

"Grandpa... how exactly did Father die? Was it... related to that woman?"

He remained silent.

He couldn't answer. He couldn't deceive his beloved granddaughter, nor could he speak the bloody, ugly truth.

At that moment, Qian Renxue's gaze shifted from initial anticipation to surprise and doubt, finally settling into a deathly coldness. She didn't press further, but simply gave him a deep look before turning and resolutely stepping into the secret realm.

It was that one glance that still makes Qian Daoliu feel a pang of fear whenever he thinks about it.

He is afraid.

I'm afraid that Qian Renxue has already guessed something, or that one day she will find out the whole truth.

The truth was too cruel.

For someone as proud to the core as Qian Renxue, how could she possibly bear the thought that her birth stemmed from a despicable scheme, that her revered father died at the hands of her own mother, and that the very foundation of her existence was a tragedy? (End of Chapter)