Douluo Continent: My name is Yang Jian, and I achieved sainthood through my physical body

His body swayed, then he collapsed to the ground with a thud, his spear falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

Yang Jian withdrew his hand, his voice calm: "The surrendered troops of the Star Luo Empire remain outside. The soldiers of the Spirit Hall enter the city and search for the innocent civilians who are imprisoned. Remember, no one is allowed to bully the people inside the city, or they will be punished according to military law."

His idea was simple: save as many as possible.

From a rational perspective, people always die in war; it's just a matter of how many.

If we can take Xingluo City as soon as possible, what does it matter if a few insignificant people die?

Sacrificing a small number of people to achieve overall peace is worthwhile from a macro perspective.

"Hahaha, charge!"

The soldiers of the Spirit Hall roared and charged into Star Luo City.

Their eyes were filled with excitement; they had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Those who surrendered stayed outside, looking at each other, and in the end, none of them dared to run away.

As soon as the soldiers of the Spirit Hall entered Star Luo City, they were greeted by a welcoming crowd lining the streets.

The streets were lined with civilians, a dense, dark mass stretching from the city gates all the way to the city center.

They raised their hands, jumped around, and uttered all sorts of words of praise.

Some shouted "Long live the Spirit Hall!", some shouted "Long live His Majesty the Pope!", and some shouted "We've finally waited for this day!"

The common people waved strips of cloth and handkerchiefs in their hands, making it as lively as a festival.

The soldiers of the Spirit Hall smirked, feeling incredibly pleased with themselves.

They marched with their heads held high and in perfect unison through the streets, enjoying unprecedented glory and cheers.

They felt they were doing something great and sacred, and this sense of mission fueled their passion.

But at this moment, they did not forget their mission and began to disperse to search for the innocent civilians who were being held captive.

Yang Jian stood quietly in the sky, looking down at everything, her face expressionless.

Yue Guan flew to his side and asked him what he was going to do next.

Yang Jian thought for a moment and replied, "First, go to the palace, then gather all the princes and nobles of Xingluo City together. I want to establish some proper rules."

Yue Guan volunteered to do the task, and in a flash, he disappeared in the direction of the palace.

Half an hour later, the situation in Xingluo City was completely stabilized.

All those in Xingluo City who held titles or wielded power were invited to the palace by Yue Guan.

They were taken to the largest square in the palace, a vast open space paved with solid white stones and surrounded by several tall stone pillars.

Thousands of people stood in the square, men and women, young and old, dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing expensive jewelry, but at this moment everyone was trembling with fear on their faces.

They didn't know what would happen next, and some whispered among themselves, "How will the Spirit Hall deal with us?"

"It shouldn't be necessary to kill them, after all, our influence in the Star Luo Empire is deeply entrenched. If the Spirit Hall wants to completely take over the Star Luo Empire, it will need our help."

"But those incriminating pieces of evidence... you know that the Spirit Hall launched its attack precisely because of this kind of thing."

"Then what do we do?"

"Don't talk, I'm coming."

Just as these people were filled with fear and unease, a figure descended from the sky and landed on the high platform in front of the square.

He was a boy who looked to be only a teenager, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a handsome face, wearing a white robe.

His gaze swept across the faces of the nobles, wealthy merchants, and members of prominent families below the stage, without any change in expression.

Everyone fell silent and watched Yang Jian quietly.

They usually only care about eating, drinking, and having fun, and don't know Yang Jian at all.

But now they are practically prisoners, and no matter who comes, they no longer have the arrogant courage they used to have.

Some people lowered their heads, some shrank their necks, and some hid behind the crowd, trying to reduce their presence.

Chapter 189 The Star Luo Empire, Demise

Yang Jian walked up to the high platform, put his hands behind his back, looked down at the thousands of people below, and said: "My name is Yang Jian, the new Pope of the Spirit Hall."

Upon hearing this, the nobles, wealthy merchants, and members of prominent families in the audience all showed expressions of shock.

Some people gaped, some stared wide-eyed, and some even dropped their fans.

It turned out that this person was Yang Jian, who was younger than I had imagined and looked like an ordinary boy next door.

But his eyes were so cold that people dared not look him in the eye.

Yang Jian continued, "I won't say anything else, but starting today, all your titles will be removed, and you will lose all privileges."

"In addition, everyone will hand over 90% of their family property later for the reconstruction of the new empire."

"Is there a problem?"

His request echoed in everyone's ears, and these noble lords were all stunned, never expecting to be arranged in this way.

I originally thought that even if the Star Luo Empire was completely overthrown, the Spirit Hall wouldn't make any major changes. At most, they would just change the ruler, and the rest of them would continue to hold office, do business, and enjoy their lives.

But now, judging from Yang Jian's words, the Spirit Hall actually wants to rebuild an empire on the foundation of the Star Luo Empire, and all their previous honors will be erased, and they will have to hand over 90% of their assets.

How is this any different from turning them into ordinary citizens?

Those titles, privileges, and wealth were accumulated by their ancestors over hundreds of years, and they were stripped away with just a single sentence?

Someone stepped forward, their voice trembling but firm as they said, "Your Holiness, you cannot do this. We are nobles of the Star Luo Empire. Our families have been rooted here for hundreds of years. Without us, this land would never be stable..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Jian made a move from a distance, and a golden light shot out from his fingertips, piercing the man's throat.

His body froze, his mouth was still open, but he could no longer speak.

He clutched his neck, blood gushing from between his fingers, and then collapsed to the ground.

A gasp rippled through the crowd; some covered their mouths, some took a step back, and some collapsed to the ground.

Fear spread like a plague among the crowd, and no one dared to speak anymore.

After a moment of silence, someone else stepped forward, their voice trembling, and said, "Your Holiness, could... could we hand over fifty percent..."

Yang Jian once again attacked from a distance, the same golden light piercing through the man's brow.

The second body lay on the ground, its eyes still open, dying with its eyes wide open.

Yang Jian's actions completely terrified them.

Compared to power and wealth, death is more terrifying.

Those people finally lowered their heads, nodded one after another, and said in trembling voices, "We agree...we agree..."

"Your Holiness, we agree to your arrangements."

"I...I'll go back and organize my family's assets and send them over."

Yang Jian nodded slightly.

Subsequently, some new regulations were announced.

He demanded that these nobles and wealthy merchants disband their private armies and cease maintaining any armed forces.

He demanded that these people hand over all their land and mineral resources, which would then be distributed uniformly by the Spirit Hall.

He demanded that these people stop oppressing civilians in any way, or face execution.

Of course, he did not demand equality for everyone, after all, Douluo Continent is an ancient world with a serious class stratification, which is difficult to achieve.

He only set the most basic bottom line, and anyone who crosses that line will be punished.

"Yes Yes Yes."

Having learned from past mistakes, no one dared to object to Yang Jian's next words.

They all kept their heads down, not daring to even breathe.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Jian finished his story and dismissed the people.

Their assets will be inventoried by soldiers from the Spirit Hall, and anyone who tries to hide, transfer, or abscond with the money will be killed without mercy.

Those people left the square, their steps unsteady, like walking corpses.

They knew their good days were over.

……

The news of the destruction of the Star Luo Empire spread to all parts of the continent in less than a day.

The native people of the Star Luo Empire cheered, and most of them accepted the rule of the Spirit Hall.

After all, the Spirit Hall awakens martial spirits for ordinary people for free, which makes the Spirit Hall seem like a holy place in the eyes of the lower classes.

Now that the Spirit Hall rules over us, that couldn't be better.

Some sects rooted in the Star Luo Empire have decided to go to Star Luo City to pay homage to Yang Jian and submit to the Spirit Hall.

Meanwhile, in the Heaven Dou Empire, Emperor Xue Ye lay in bed, listening to the eunuch beside him recount the deeds of the Spirit Hall.

When he heard that the Spirit Hall had completely destroyed the Star Luo Empire in less than half a month and even killed the Star Luo Emperor, he sat up abruptly and coughed violently.

His face was ashen, his lips were purple, and he was trembling all over.

"Will my Heavenly Dou Empire be next...?"

His heart was filled with worry, so he had Xue Qinghe summoned and asked him to find the new Pope of the Spirit Hall and establish a good relationship.

Xue Qinghe, played by Qian Renxue, stood in front of the bed, bowed, smiled faintly, and said in a gentle and respectful voice: "Father, rest assured, your son will do his best to establish friendly relations with the Spirit Hall."

"Your subject will personally go to Wuhun City to meet Pope Yang Jian and convey Father's goodwill."

After saying that, he didn't forget to tell Emperor Xueye to take good care of himself and that his health was the most important thing.

Emperor Xueye nodded and waved his hand, signaling her to go.

He grew increasingly satisfied with his eldest son, feeling that he was the right successor—steady, reliable, and dependable.

"it is good."

Xue Qinghe turned and left the palace.