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

Xue Jingshu said calmly, "It's not that he's acting on his own initiative, but rather that Xiao Zhu, sitting in that position, has to consider far more things than you can imagine. It's not that he's acting on his own initiative to curry favor with the Sea God Pavilion, but rather that there are many officials in Lingdou City who are loyal to the Sea God Pavilion, and even many meritorious officials are among them."

"Therefore... this battle is inevitable, and it may even come to a point where it is a fight to the death."

Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped. How could this be different from what they had imagined?

They originally thought that... all they needed to do was to station their troops here and make some symbolic siege preparations, and that things could be resolved peacefully because they were all one family.

But now...sigh! It's not that they can't bring themselves to attack the city, but that they don't want to fight to the death; their families are still inside the city.

"What's wrong? Judging from your expressions, you can't bring yourself to launch a full-scale attack on the city?"

As a majestic female voice rang out, the generals below felt their legs go weak and they all knelt on the ground.

They no longer wanted to serve the Sea God Pavilion, nor did they want to fight to the death with "their own people." They could fight, but at the very least, they wanted their families exchanged.

Just then, the burly man on the left suddenly stood up, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Xue Jingshu, and said, "Master, is there a way to both save the soldiers' families without having to continue serving the Sea God Pavilion?"

"Of course." A faint smile appeared on Xue Jingshu's face.

……

Lingdou City, Imperial Palace, East Palace.

"What? Xue Jingshu wants to claim three provinces near the far north as her territory, ascend the throne, and even demand that we return the families of her soldiers? No way, absolutely not!"

Ou Ze glared at the two inheritors of divine power before him and said through gritted teeth, "These are such outrageous conditions, you two didn't just agree to them on your own, did you?"

Mo Lian said calmly, "That's not the case. Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. No matter what our previous relationship was, once we become enemies, we will definitely not show any mercy."

"There are two factions in the court now. One faction thinks that we are all one family and there is no need to fight to the death over this matter, which would allow Ningyun Sect and Sun Moon Empire to take advantage of the situation. As long as we pay a sufficient price, whether it is to establish ourselves as emperor or to return our families, we can talk about it."

"The other faction believes that to defend the authority of the Douling Empire, all traitors should pay the price. We should take the initiative and kill some of their families in front of the rebels..."

Ou Ze: "..."

"And what about you? What are your thoughts?"

Ou Ze waved his hand and asked for the opinions of Mo Lian and Xue Qingfeng.

Xue Qingfeng frowned and said, "Grandma... no, Xue Jingshu is not a child. Since she has made such an outrageous request, she must have her own considerations. In the current situation, we cannot take coercive measures against the families of those soldiers. Not only would it have a bad influence, but if we really start a massacre, I'm afraid Lingdou City will be the first to fall into chaos."

"Actually... given what has happened, if Tiandou City sends troops, with Xue Jingshu's cooperation, we will most likely lose control of the three provinces near the far north. Our mission is to delay the Sun Moon Empire and Ningyun Sect's army long enough for us to become gods and wage a divine war to decide the fate of the world. So... we can agree to Xue Jingshu's conditions, but it depends on how we agree. If we can delay their attack, it would be worth it to hand over Lingdou City, let alone the three provinces."

Ou Ze nodded and said, "That's true. As long as it can buy time, everything is negotiable."

Hearing Ou Ze say this, Mo Lian took out a piece of information from her bosom and handed it to Ou Ze.

Ou Ze took it and stared at it, then froze on the spot.

"What is Xue Jingshu trying to do? It's just a negotiation, why does she need representatives from the Douling Empire, Xingluo Empire, Riyue Empire, Sea God Pavilion, and Ningyun Sect all present at the same time? What exactly is she planning?"

Ou Ze's expression changed. He was not in a position to concern himself with such matters, and he couldn't understand what Xue Jing Shu was plotting. He just instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

Mo Lian said softly, "She... wants to divide the Douling Empire into two parts, one that worships the Ningyun Sect, and the other... that worships the Sea God."

Xue Qingfeng added, "This is not a good sign. Once the family splits up, it will inevitably affect the Star Luo Empire. The Sun Moon Empire only needs to follow suit and appoint another Star Luo Emperor, and those Soul Masters who are dissatisfied with the rule of the Sea God Pavilion will go to join them."

"No matter how many empires are established, as long as they all adopt Ningyun Sect as their state religion, these empires will inevitably exchange things with each other. Some opportunists will take this opportunity to sneak into a small city on the border of the Sun Moon Empire to escape this war."

"However... this situation also has its advantages for us. Although the number of Soul Masters seems to have decreased significantly, everyone's beliefs have been truly unified, and subsequent mobilization will be more efficient than ever before."

Upon hearing this, Ou Ze paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, his mind constantly pondering the words that Mo Lian and Xue Qingfeng had spoken.

He did not agree with Xue Qingfeng's idea. The little girl was still just a little girl. Although she had the inheritance of a god, she was still not experienced enough in life, and some of her ideas were too idealistic.

Is it really a good thing for everyone in a faction to share the same beliefs?

Even married couples argue, and as believers in the same sea god... won't there be other entanglements between them?

If it were him, he would definitely take advantage of this gap to lead his army out of the city and fight a few rounds. Winning or losing doesn't matter; the main thing is to get both sides fired up and cut off any possibility of peace talks.

But... Ou Ze couldn't do that, nor could he do that. He couldn't command any of the beings in Lingdou City who could stand against Xue Jingshu. Without a high-ranking Title Douluo to support him, what difference would it make from sending himself to his death?

"Forget it! This is no longer something we have the right to worry about. I will report the situation to the Sea God Pavilion right away."

As he spoke, Ou Ze took out a communication jade slip from his pocket and dialed Chen Yu's hotline, reporting the recent events to him in detail. He also subtly hinted that when sending people out again, they should not send selfish, greedy, and stupid pigs like Zhang Long, but rather some morally upright Super Douluo.

After hearing this news, Chen Yu was completely stunned. The division of the North and South was something she didn't understand, but she knew that anything related to Ningyun Sect would definitely do more harm than good to the Sea God Pavilion.

Without much thought, Chen Yu instructed Ou Ze to make preparations. She then sent Chen Yu, the head of the Sea God family, to the front lines. Once Chen Yu arrived, she ordered the city gates to be opened wide to wipe out the rebels.

Upon receiving the order, Chen Yu immediately left Shrek City, intending to head to Spirit Battle City. However, he hadn't gone far when he was ambushed by Jing Hongchen and the Demon Emperor. (End of Chapter)