In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

"In accordance with the mandate of Heaven to quell the rebellion!"

"In accordance with the mandate of Heaven to quell the rebellion!"

"In accordance with the mandate of Heaven to quell the rebellion!"

……

Most people did not know the specific meaning of the four characters "奉天靖难" (Fengtian Jingnan), but they still followed the crowd and shouted this slogan.

Because... aside from those who benefit from the upper echelons, who the hell wants to fight?

Mo Lian and Xue Qingfeng are not their daughters... No, even if they were their daughters, how many people in this world would be willing to sacrifice their own lives to open a path to godhood for their daughters?

Seeing that the atmosphere had been set, Xue Jingshu raised her long sword and beheaded Zhang Long.

On the other side, Yin Hongchen stood on the high platform, tiptoeing, watching the movements on the opposite bank of the river, and couldn't help but say, "Grand Preceptor, it seems that there is internal strife on the other side. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to send troops to conquer the three provinces of the Douling Empire near the far north and push the battle line to the gates of Lingdou City?"

"It's possible, but unnecessary." Zhu Ningyu said expressionlessly, "Vice Hall Master Yin, don't forget that our ultimate goal in starting this war was not to unify the continent, but to eradicate all the Sea God believers in the Douluo Continent."

"After what happened, many people no longer want to serve the Sea God Pavilion. Hmph, how easy is it to get the entire Douling Empire to lay down its weapons and stop getting involved in this struggle between gods? Anyone with eyes can see that as long as Mo Lian and Xue Qingfeng don't step down, the Douling Empire will never be able to stay away from the war without bloodshed like the Tianhun Empire."

"This is a struggle between imperial power and divine authority. No matter who wins, we should not interfere. Let them decide the outcome themselves. You should be able to understand the reasoning behind this."

Upon hearing this, Yin Hongchen was stunned for several seconds before finally nodding.

She naturally understood the reasoning. Everything Zhu Ningyu did was to break the myth created by the Sea God Tang San. If the Sea God was the source of all evil that caused a series of struggles in Douluo Continent, those lower-level Soul Masters whose interests were harmed would rise up and point their spears at the Sea God Tang San.

If Xue Jingshu were to ultimately triumph in the struggle between imperial and divine power, given Zhu Ningyu's personality, she would most likely grant the other party the title of emperor.

As the eldest daughter of the Hongchen family and a staunch loyalist of the Sun Moon Empire, Yin Hongchen was simply not entirely satisfied with this ending.

Of course, Yin Hongchen was not the kind of unreasonable little fairy. There were so many capable women in the Hongchen family's inner quarters. She, an unmarried daughter, was able to control the family's internal affairs and even hold the position of deputy head of Mingde Hall. Naturally, she had her own extraordinary abilities.

Despite her dissatisfaction, Yin Hongchen would only bury this thought in her heart and would never reveal it for the rest of her life.

Thinking of this, Yin Hongchen reached out and tugged at Zhu Ningyu's sleeve, whispering, "Ningyu, even if we don't send troops, we should still make some preparations."

"It's time to make some preparations." Zhu Ningyu nodded, then said thoughtfully, "Xiao Yinyin, tell your father to keep a close watch on Shrek City. If those old fogies from the Sea God Pavilion shut up for a few days, that's fine. But if they want to interfere in the internal struggles of the Douling Empire, hmph, just bombard Shrek City! I'll make sure they have no time to look north!"

"Also, inform the Demon Emperor that she can now do what she loves most. If the Sea God's divine consciousness intervenes, it can be suppressed directly using the Soul-Locking Pearl!"

As she spoke, Zhu Ningyu pointed in the direction of Lingdou City and said with a smile, "Regardless of which side wins this struggle between imperial power and divine power, Xue Jingshu's name will be recorded in history."

"The real drama of this chaotic world has only just begun."

……

In less than three days, Xue Jingshu led 27,000 troops to the city of Lingdou, and the cities along the way surrendered without resistance.

As the ancestor of the royal family and a level 98 Super Douluo, there are only two people in the entire Douling Empire with higher prestige in the military than her.

One is her cousin, Xue Chengxin, who is currently stationed at a strategic location in the southwest of the Douling Empire.

The other is Goro, the Duke of Xingguo of the Douling Empire. That's right, he is the direct descendant of Goro, the Marshal of Tiandou during Tang San's time, and the first meritorious person to preserve the Swan family's heritage.

It can be said that... without the Ge family's desperate support, there would be no Douling Empire today.

Along the way, Xue Jingshu's army didn't fight many battles... no, they didn't fight at all. The Douling royal family only had a little over 100,000 soul masters, divided into three parts: one part was in Xue Jingshu's hands, one part was in Xue Chengxin's hands, and the last part was responsible for guarding the capital.

The lack of manpower was insufficient to build a second and third line of defense. By the time Lingdou City learned of Xue Jingshu's betrayal, she had already led her army to Lingdou City.

Xue Jingshu never dreamed that one day she would point a gun at the city that gave her birth and raised her, but it was a last resort.

She realized that the Sea God Pavilion didn't care about the lives of the two great empires at all. From the very beginning, they never intended to defend Lingdou City and Xingluo City. Even if the three generations of Sea Gods reappeared in the world, they would be under the walls of Shrek City!

Spirit City will eventually fall, but what will become of the royal family then? Will they go to Shrek City to become dogs of the Sea God Pavilion?

Xue Jingshu was not against the Sea God Pavilion's style at first, but after seeing Xu Sanshi's experience, her opinion completely changed.

If you dedicate everything to the Sea God Pavilion, and the result is still the same—your family destroyed and your life ruined—then you might as well rebel!

Of course, since they were all family, it was unacceptable for them to fight amongst themselves. Xue Jingshu did not launch an attack on the city immediately, but instead adopted a policy of diplomacy before resorting to force, first sending a letter of persuasion to the city to surrender.

……

Meanwhile, in Lingdou City, at the temporary office of the Sea God Pavilion.

"Your Highness, what's going on within your Douling Empire? Even the royal patriarch and the border general have betrayed us. Is there any point in continuing this war?"

Enraged, Ou Ze slammed his fist on the table. Completely disregarding his status as the inheritor of the Mo Lian Divine Deity, he pointed directly at the other party's nose and accused, "Xue Jing Shu has already betrayed us. I hope your Dou Ling Empire can make a timely decision to eliminate the hidden dangers within the empire and rebuild its defenses. Furthermore, you should work on Xue Cheng Xin's situation, lest he repeat Xue Jing Shu's mistakes."

"Don't forget, the Sea God Pavilion has achieved the final victory, and you, Mo Lian, are also a great beneficiary. If you can't do the thing of putting righteousness before family, you should speak up now, and the Sea God Pavilion can do it for you."

Mo Lian said thoughtfully, "Commander Ou, we can certainly put aside our own family for the greater good, so we won't trouble your esteemed organization to do that. But before that, could we send someone to persuade them to surrender? After all... it would be a shame for a level 98 Super Douluo to side with the Sun Moon Empire." (End of Chapter)