Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

These monsters vary in size and number, some in large groups and others as single individuals, but without exception, they all possess extremely strong aggression.

This is a characteristic of theirs; they devour all living things, whether animal or plant, leaving nothing behind, like a locust swarm leaving nothing but desolation. They are utterly frenzied, and in a very short time, they wiped out nearly half the population of the town.

Chapter 699 Imperial Planning

Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace.

"Your Majesty, it's time for the morning court meeting."

Empress Xue Ke was resting in her palace when a eunuch's careful reminder rang out from outside the hall. She slowly opened her eyes, a trace of weariness flashing across her beautiful gaze.

The bright red wooden pillars, yellow curtains, and various magnificent decorations made the entire palace look magnificent. However, as the nominal master of this vast empire, Xue Ke was not happy with her current life, especially since she had no heir since ascending the throne, which caused some gossip both inside and outside the palace.

Of course, these voices could not affect her rule, and she could even make them disappear completely if she wanted to, but she never actually did such a thing, because she knew very well where her power came from and what she should do.

Xue Ke felt somewhat heavy-hearted today. She rose, passed by the crane-shaped palace lantern, and walked out of the palace filled with green smoke and birds. Surrounded by countless imperial guards, she rode in a royal carriage to the council hall.

"His Majesty has arrived!!"

Accompanied by the shrill voices of palace eunuchs, the ministers, who had been waiting for a long time, entered the council hall one after another after being checked by the palace guards.

After these nominally important imperial officials entered the main hall and took their places, they began whispering amongst themselves for some particular reason. For a moment, the entire council hall became extremely noisy and chaotic, resembling a bustling marketplace.

Empress Xue Ke sat on the wide dragon throne without hesitation. The cold throne felt a little uncomfortable. Although with her current cultivation level she didn't need to pay attention to anything unusual and knew it was just a psychological effect, she still couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

Imperial Marshal Golong, Prince Xuexing, and other ministers stood at the very front. After a brief period of commotion, the ministers stood in their respective positions and bowed to Empress Xueke.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The ministers bowed their heads, their shouts echoing like a roaring sea—a truly magnificent sight. Theoretically, all the decrees decided within this grand hall could influence the entire Douluo Continent and the various colonies that were subsequently discovered. But in reality, everyone knew the truth.

The predecessor of the Douluo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, had various problems from the very beginning. Towards the end of its rule, internal strife within the royal family led to a loss of power. In the end, the influence of the Spirit Hall expanded further, and it even supported the Empress to ascend to the throne and unify the continent.

The Douluo Empire is currently weak and ineffective, and the influence of the Spirit Hall is still above that of the Empire. Moreover, the Empire is powerless to change this situation because the Spirit Hall possesses absolute military power. Whether it is the highly skilled Soul Masters or the powerful Soul Guidance Weapons, they are not something that the Douluo Empire, which is still in a semi-feudal period, can contend with.

The Douluo Empire is currently under the absolute influence of the Spirit Hall in multiple directions. The southern former Star Dou Empire can only maintain its rule by relying on the Spirit Hall, and the overseas colonies it has explored are in a similar situation. Therefore, most of the current court meetings are just formalities.

"Your Majesty, a strange and ferocious beast has appeared in the northern part of the empire. A decision on this matter needs to be made as soon as possible."

Shortly after the audience, a minister presented a message, and the hall fell silent; everyone remained silent.

Everyone is aware of what happened in the north of the empire and has a vague idea of ​​which faction is involved. It is precisely because it involves the true ruling power of the continent that these people are even more reluctant to speak.

To put it bluntly, the Douluo Empire is currently able to maintain itself only because of the Spirit Hall. Whatever the Spirit Hall wants to do, the imperial court can only cooperate, even if it means being made to take the blame.

The current situation is that everyone has guessed that the events in the north are related to the Spirit Hall, but since the Spirit Hall's instructions haven't arrived, no one dares to speak recklessly about it, lest they go against the Spirit Hall's ideas and ultimately destroy themselves.

"I am aware of the situation in the North. Marshal Goron, immediately mobilize troops to seal off the restricted area and assemble large armies from all parts of the Empire to fight the monsters..."

Empress Xueke made her decision after only a moment of silence. Marshal Gelong, who was pondering the matter, was startled when he heard the order and immediately stepped forward.

"Your humble servant obeys."

His voice was full of energy, and after receiving the order, he didn't hesitate. He took a big step and prepared to arrange various troop deployment matters.

Empress Xueke looked down at the assembled officials and solemnly declared, "The affairs of the Northern Border are of paramount importance. All officials must cooperate wholeheartedly. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be executed."

The court officials then realized that the situation in the Northern Territory was most likely not a case of the Spirit Hall keeping a band of bandits to maintain its rule, but rather involved some hidden secrets. However, the Spirit Hall was probably inclined to deal with it head-on, which would make things easier.

The ministers immediately responded respectfully to the order, and the decree from the court was quickly disseminated throughout the empire via various channels, keeping the entire empire busy with the matter.

After the court session ended, Empress Xue Ke left the palace in simple attire and, escorted by several palace guards, arrived at the Martial Soul Temple in Tiandou City.

Deep within the Martial Soul Temple, a strange array flickered with wisps of blue light. Xue Ke's figure stood in the center of the array, and as wisps of blue light appeared, her figure disappeared from Heaven Dou City. When she reappeared, she was already inside the underground array of the Pope's Palace in Martial Soul City, tens of thousands of miles away.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

Xue Ke's status within the Spirit Hall was quite special. Without any difficulties, she quickly met the Spirit Hall's current envoy, the new Pope Hu Liena.

"Sister Xueke is here. Have the instructions been given?"

Hu Liena was very affectionate when she saw Xue Ke, after all, Xue Ke was one of her sisters. The two girls had once fought against a certain great demon king together, but unfortunately the result was not good.

"The orders from Tiandou City have already been issued, but I don't quite understand. Is the situation in the Northern Territory really that serious that it requires mobilizing the entire continent's resources?"

Xue Ke's face was full of worry and doubt. Today's court order was one of the few major events she had seen since she ascended the throne. Even when she took over the Star Luo Empire, she had not mobilized so many manpower and resources.

Of course, she wasn't distressed by the resources being mobilized, but rather worried that the situation in the North was spiraling out of control. The fact that so much power needed to be mobilized proved that this matter was not simple, and she didn't know much about it yet, which made her very uneasy.

Pope Hulena shook her head with a wry smile and said, "Sister Xueke, I really want to give you an answer, but I'm not entirely sure myself."

"Sister Nana, you don't know either."

Xue Ke seemed somewhat astonished. The order she had given at the council chamber was based on a message from Hu Liena. Because the matter was of great importance, she rushed to Wuhun City immediately after giving the order to get to the bottom of things, but she never expected to receive such an answer.

“Sister Xueke, I do know some things. The ferocious beasts that appeared in the Northern Territory came from another world, but I don’t know much about that world. I only know that that world is very powerful, and we may not be able to deal with it.”

Hu Liena's expression became much more serious when she talked about these things. "However, you don't need to worry too much about what will happen next. If we can't handle it, we have higher-level forces to support us. But the most urgent thing is to block information about this."

"You mean, why are you blocking information about Yan and the former Pope?"

Xue Ke was even more surprised after understanding the meaning behind Hu Liena's words. She repeated it very seriously, wanting to make sure she hadn't misheard.

"Ok!"

Hu Liena nodded. "This matter involves the plan devised by our teachers. The monsters that appeared this time are very powerful, and the world behind them is very special. Our teachers mean that this is also an opportunity for our Douluo Continent."

Our Douluo Continent possesses a powerful foundation, but lacks the energy to advance to higher levels. That world, however, can make up for our shortcomings.

Xue Ke understood what was going on and looked at Hu Liena with a shocked expression. "So, you put it in here on purpose, and you were the ones who made that passage."

"You could say that. We have carefully examined all parts of the continent, and only the northern border of the Empire is sparsely populated for various reasons."

Hu Liena's tone was somewhat wistful, "When we exiled the Fallen, we deliberately relocated the civilians from the North."

The current restricted area is located near the City of Slaughter, where the blood poison caused by Tang San has left its mark for hundreds of miles, and there are no innocent victims there..."

Xueke Huliena felt slightly relieved by this, but still said with some unease, "If possible, try to control the situation and prevent it from getting out of control..."

She spoke without much confidence, because she knew that if even Hu Liena couldn't figure it out, it could only mean that the plan came from a higher level of power struggle and involved god-level beings.

Hu Liena said firmly, "Don't worry, Yan has already made a complete plan. He is a kind person, and this matter will not affect the innocent. We must keep him within a hundred miles of the Killing City."

Upon hearing this, Xue Ke replied seriously, "Then, is there anything else I need to do? Mobilizing the entire empire's army and selecting suitable personnel shouldn't be just for sealing off a single area!"

Hu Liena nodded and then explained in detail: "Based on our observation of that passage, the other side of the world contains extremely abundant energy. Although it is mostly negative energy that is chaotic and evil, it can be transformed into our own through a special soul-guiding array."

Although decades of training have greatly increased the number of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent, the majority of people on the continent are still ordinary people without power. If left unguided, the conflict between Soul Masters and ordinary people will inevitably intensify sooner or later.

There is only one solution: true 'fairness,' making it possible for everyone to pursue extraordinary power. This may have been difficult in the past, but now, with resources from another world, it has become possible..."

Chapter 700 Dimensional War

Wuhun City, the Pope's Palace.

After seeing off Empress Xueke, Hu Liena returned to the lonely, magnificent Papal Palace. Suddenly, a blue light appeared, and a figure was projected onto her throne. The figure gradually solidified and eventually transformed into a figure that she both loved and hated.

"Your Holiness, you were so majestic when you were making the plan!"

Yan looked at the little fox in front of him, dressed in the papal robes, with a half-smile. Bibi Dong had worn these papal robes, and he and Qian Renxue had also briefly worn them. Now it was Hu Liena's turn.

The little fox, who already possesses a seductive charm like a fox spirit, wearing this majestic crown and feigning aloofness, makes one want to slowly untie it and watch her look at the humiliated expression on her face. Just thinking about it is exciting.

"You stinky senior brother, what kind of complicated things are you thinking about now?"

Seeing Yan's expression, Hu Liena knew he was up to no good. She glanced at him warily and took a small step back.

This guy she both loved and hated had been gone for many years. When he first returned, Hu Liena naturally wished she could melt into his body. But these past two days, he had tormented her quite a bit. Considering her still shallow cultivation, the current Pope decided to raise the white flag of truce.

"Little fox, you were very proactive yesterday, even stubbornly telling me about oxen and plows. What's wrong with you now?"

Yan simply reached out and beckoned Hu Liena into his arms. Before long, the beautiful current pope was as soft as water against his body, allowing him to do as he pleased.

"You, you bastard, spare Nana! Go, go find the teacher and Xue'er... Waaah..."

Hu Liena's eyes welled up with tears, and her hatred for someone intensified. Since his return, Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, and even she, the current Pope Hu Liena, had all fallen victim to his clutches.

Moreover, there was more than one outrageous thing that she was embarrassed to say. The rest of them had become gods, but she was still a titled Douluo. At first, it was alright, but after so long, she couldn't keep up with his behavior. And that hateful person just liked to tease her like he was doing now.

"Little Nana, are you convinced now?"

Yan smugly withdrew his hand. It wasn't good to make a scene in broad daylight; he was a respectable man, and it was better to go to the Divine Kingdom at night. After all, it was his territory, and no outsiders would appear. Speaking of which, the Blue Silver Emperor was almost a Tree of Life now; its branches should have a pretty strong supporting capacity, right…?

Hu Liena pouted in Yan's arms, "Hmph! Xue Ke hasn't been gone long, why didn't you keep her here? You just bully her..."

Yan's nonsense had long reached a high level; he spoke without batting an eye, "Isn't Nana the cutest? Senior brother couldn't help himself."

Hu Liena glared at him, knowing that what he said was not entirely true, but she was still very happy. She leaned softly against his chest, and the two sat like that for a while.

"Brother Yan, now that the passage to this abyss plane has been opened, why don't we lead our army to attack instead of passively defending?"

After spending some time being affectionate, Hu Liena and Yan got down to business. The opening of the Abyss Passage had been a matter of great concern to the Spirit Hall.

The strange and eerie images that were lost were Yan's creation, and it was also Yan's idea for them to spread to the Northern Forbidden Zone.

Yan is preparing to open the abyss passage for a dimensional war, and there will always be sacrifices. Of course, he wouldn't be like Tang, letting things develop wildly and sacrificing countless lives to fish for fish.

He chose to make use of waste. The restricted area in the northern part of Douluo Continent was itself a dark zone given to the fallen by the ruling class such as the Spirit Hall and the Empire.

Among these fallen ones, perhaps a small number are innocent, but none of them are truly innocent for surviving in the Killing City. Moreover, the Killing City itself is quite valuable, and those beings from the Abyss Plane will surely take the bait.

As for Hu Liena's question about why she didn't lead an attack on the Abyss Plane but instead allowed it to invade, this involves some deeper reasons.

The appearance of the Abyss Passage in Douluo Continent signifies a connection between the Abyss Plane and the Douluo Continent Plane. The two different worlds have come into contact, and it is highly likely that this will not be a peaceful exchange, but rather an interdimensional war.

The side that initiates a war usually has the advantage, but the other side that is on the defensive is not necessarily at a complete disadvantage.

This is the case this time. The Douluo Continent's own foundation has been greatly depleted over the long years, but because of the existence of extraordinary beings like Yan and Silver Dragon King Na'er, it actually holds an absolute advantage in the war.

This advantage of high-level combat power can play a significant role at crucial moments, but if used to invade the opponent's dimension, on their home turf, it may be turned around for various reasons.

The final result might be that the fish escapes the hook. The Abyss Plane can invade many worlds, plunder energy, and retreat unscathed, so it must possess special abilities. If they choose to make a tough decision, Yan might not necessarily have a way to successfully integrate the Abyss Plane into the Douluo Plane.

However, if the invasion is allowed to continue, the Abyss Plane will inevitably invest a lot of energy to actively strengthen its connection with Douluo Continent. In this way, the fish will bite the hook itself, and when the time is right, Yan can reel in the net and help the Douluo Continent Plane advance to a new God Realm.

Yan's plan wasn't sophisticated; in fact, it could be described as rudimentary. The most complex aspect was keeping the war within a certain range and intensity to prevent more areas from being drawn in. However, the key to this plan lay in whether the Abyss Plane would choose to invade.

The answer is yes. This plane developed by invading other planes. How could the Abyss Plane possibly give up such a profound and potentially crucial plane as the Douluo Continent Plane, which could enable them to achieve sublimation and advancement?

Therefore, once the abyss passage opened, the abyss plane was already part of his plan. The subsequent development depends on whether the fish will get off the hook. Currently, his task is to avoid startling the fish while prompting it to bite the hook quickly and complete the final step as soon as possible.

"Nana, the situation in the Abyss Plane is somewhat special. You must personally oversee the subsequent war matters and take decisive action when necessary, but also be careful to maintain a proper balance and not scare the fish away."

Yan instructed Hu Liena: "As far as I know, this Abyss Plane is divided into 108 layers due to its special environment. Each layer has countless abyss creatures, and they are connected by spatial channels. Each layer also has a so-called 'Emperor,' which is the Abyss Lord."