Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City, the imperial palace, Tiger Virtue Hall.
Tiger Virtue Hall was the highest-ranking royal building in Star Luo City, representing power and desire. Its base was made of three tiers of blue-white trapezoid stone platforms, with wooden trapezoid main pillars that reinforced its solemn sense of stability. It was thirteen bays wide and seven bays deep, emphasizing its heavy mass. Its roof was a high-grade double-eaved hip roof—weighty, steady, and solemn!
The Star Luo Emperor, Dai Yifeng, immediately summoned the prime minister—the head of all chancellors—the Duke Who Protects the Nation, as well as people from the Ministry of Justice, the Mystic Tiger Platform, and the Jing Wu Division.
"Tell me, all of you. What happened? Tantai Youchun, you speak first."
Tantai Youchun was the chief of the Jing Wu Division, an organization similar to the "Six Doors" in wuxia.
With this sort of matter, he naturally bore the brunt. He stood, crossed his hands over his shoulders, bent slightly at the waist, and after respectfully saluting, reported in a resonant voice:
"Your Majesty, first of all, the battle to wipe out the clan lasted an extremely short time. The first wave of attacks was an arrow formation, which inflicted massive casualties on low- and mid-level soul masters in a short period and destroyed the Magic Sheep Sect's defensive line.
Then they rapidly stormed the mountain gate. The fighting lasted no more than an hour. This force numbered only around two hundred people and should have been an extremely elite combat soul master team.
Second, judging from the on-site investigation, based on the traces of combat, the degree of destruction, and the state of the aftershocks, there were many experts. At the very least, a dozen or so Soul Douluo erupted into battle.
Moreover, an apex expert such as a Titled Douluo also appeared. It was a sword expert. In addition, there was either a sealing expert or a sealing formation that concealed the sounds of battle across the entire mountain and locked down the battlefield.
Finally, with absolute strength, they crushed the Magic Sheep Sect, which had at least three Soul Douluo and a dozen or so Soul Sages holding the fort.
Furthermore, no corpses belonging to the attackers were left at the scene, proving that they calmly cleaned up the battlefield. The Magic Sheep Sect's sect treasury treasures and valuables all disappeared.
Lastly, it was not only the Magic Sheep Sect's mountain gate. Most of the Magic Sheep Sect personnel in Yi Er City and its subordinate Avant-Garde Town were also attacked and killed, including the Magic Sheep Sect's second-in-command, Ai Jialong Weiss.
Conclusion: in terms of battle arrangement, number of experts, and a large-scale elite soul master force, there are only a handful of powers on the Douluo Continent capable of this.
The combat styles of the Three Upper Sects and the Plant Guild are too distinctive, so they can be ruled out. What remains is led by Spirit Hall, Mystic Night Pavilion, and Soul Fighting City."
Dai Yifeng pondered for a moment. He was still satisfied with the professionalism of Tantai Youchun's Jing Wu Division. Then he looked toward another person and said, "Mm. Dingyi, what about you?"
Dai Dingyi was in charge of the intelligence agency, the Mystic Tiger Platform. Such an organization could only be entrusted to an absolute confidant, and for years it had been held by nobles of the imperial clan.
"Your Majesty, Dai Xugang went to see it. The soul power fluctuations left behind were from martial souls such as the Seven Kill Sword, Heaven Suppressing Mysterious Tablet, Karma Fire Demon Blade, Seven Absolute Bow, Mystic Yellow Bell, and Nine Heavens Rainbow Phoenix."
"Then it seems it was undoubtedly Soul Fighting City. They had no intention of hiding it either. Otherwise, they would have had more than enough time to deal with those traces and auras," Ye Xiao, chief of the Ministry of Justice, said with a nod.
"Oh." Dai Yifeng answered faintly. "Motive."
"According to Heaven Knows Pavilion's information, one month ago, the Magic Sheep Sect proposed taking twenty percent of the Yi Er City Great Soul Arena's shares," Dai Dingyi replied in his usual low voice.
"The Magic Sheep Sect was that stupid?" Ye Xiao said in surprise.
For Great Soul Arenas in territories directly under the Star Luo Empire, the usual thirty percent cut was split with twenty percent going to the authorities and ten percent to the local forces.
"The Magic Sheep Sect expanded too quickly. Its management was chaotic, bloated beyond measure." Dai Dingyi glanced at the Star Luo Emperor, Dai Yifeng, then continued, "On top of that, changes occurred five years ago, and things have gone from bad to worse. And..."
"And what?" Dai Yifeng signaled for him to continue.
"After Earl Xiao Ruiyang took office as city lord, he usually demanded a great deal as well. Not only that, this time Earl Xiao Ruiyang also wanted to raise his share by ten percent."
Earl Xiao Ruiyang was Noble Consort Xiao's younger brother, born a commoner soul master.
When everyone heard this, they fell silent.
"Duke Who Protects the Nation, what do you think?" Dai Yifeng's tone carried an implied meaning.
The Duke Who Protects the Nation, Xiang Renyu, was a military heavyweight. His family inherited the Overlord Spear martial soul, a Ninth Grade Top Martial Soul. The Xiang Family had already established itself at the founding of the nation and was one of the pillars holding up the Star Luo Empire.
However, their family had a good relationship with the "Three Great Clans"—the Chen Clan, Ximen Family, and Yang Family. When Soul Fighting City had been mentioned just now, they had all kept their eyes down and their minds inward.
"Nothing more than killing the chicken to warn the monkeys. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. It was only a matter of time," Xiang Renyu replied calmly and respectfully.
At this moment, Ye Xiao, chief of the Ministry of Justice, stepped out and said after saluting, "Your Majesty, this matter is rather thorny. Soul Fighting City is formidable, and its hidden power is unfathomable. However, the empire's dignity must still be displayed." As he spoke, he glanced at Xiang Renyu.
"Prime Minister, how should this matter be handled?" Dai Yifeng turned toward the prime minister.
Prime Minister Ling Daokun came from the Five-Colored Peacock Ling Clan. He had a lean, refined appearance and a tall, thin build, and had been resting with his eyes closed the entire time.
Ling Daokun opened his clear, watery eyes and said unhurriedly, "Handle it according to imperial law. Issue notices nationwide, pursue the culprit, and properly settle and protect the surviving members of the Magic Sheep Sect. The young ones can be sent to Star Luo Academy to study."
They already knew who the culprit was, yet they would still pretend to make a great show of investigating. This was the authorities playing tai chi.
They would also take in the surviving members of the Magic Sheep Sect, leaving themselves a loose end and an excuse to act in the future if anything happened.
They could also give an explanation to the people inside and outside the empire and leave behind a good reputation, achieving three things with one move.
No, by sending the Magic Sheep Sect's youths to Star Luo Academy, they might even be able to incorporate the Three-Eyed Magic Sheep, this top-tier Seventh Grade Spirit, into the inheritance of the imperial nobles' families. Perhaps that would make it "four gains."
Ling Daokun truly deserved his reputation as a political survivor. He had held the post of prime minister for decades, and his methods were indeed superb.
Dai Yifeng was silent for a moment, then said, "Ye Xiao, Tantai Youchun, handle it according to the prime minister's wishes."
"As you command!" The two lowered their heads and saluted.
"Also, strip Xiao Ruiyang of his post as city lord of Yi Er and reduce his title, making him a commoner!" Dai Yifeng's voice was ethereal.
"Your Majesty, then what about Noble Consort Xiao's side?" As an important member of the imperial clan, Dai Dingyi asked.
"Xiao Ruiyang could be overbearing. He could be greedy. But he could not be stupid, and he could not fail to read the room!" Dai Yifeng's words sounded as if they carried an implication, a double meaning.
"Yes!"
At the same time, in the Central Peace Hall of the Forbidden City in the Heaven Dou City imperial palace.
Central Peace Hall was nine rooms wide and five rooms deep. Its roof was a double-eaved gable-and-hip roof covered with yellow Glazed Tiles, and nine small flying birds were placed on each of the upper and lower eave corners. Inside the hall, golden bricks paved the floor, and a gold-lacquered throne carved from north to south stood there. Warm chambers were located in the eastern and western end rooms. The building used a reduced-column method, removing six golden pillars from the front eaves inside the hall, making the space broad and comfortable.
Unlike Dai Yifeng, who had chosen the main palace hall, Tiger Virtue Hall, Central Peace Hall was where the Heaven Dou Emperor handled daily government affairs.
Emperor Xue Yintao, Prince Xue Jiqing, and Duke of the North Shui Rong were listening to the report from Lan Yuancheng, chief of the Mystic Bird Division.
Like Mystic Tiger Platform, the Mystic Bird Division was an intelligence agency directly under the empire, and the two were old rivals.
As for the Wind Chime Bird Lan Family, they had served in the Mystic Bird Division for generations, held a hereditary earldom, and were utterly loyal to the imperial family. They were one of the Royal Branches.
The Duke of the North of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Duke of the South of the Star Luo Empire were renowned together across Douluo Continent, one in the north and one in the south, known as the "Douluo Twin Fortresses."
A fortress meant guarding and suppressing—and what they guarded against were the Foreign Races!
They were the shields of the Two Great Empires!
The fief of the Duke of the South of the Star Luo Empire directly faced the strongest tribal forces of the Half-Beastmen in the Southern Ten Thousand Mountains.
The Duke of the North of the Heaven Dou Empire might have had it even harder. His fief lay in Mu Gaozhaer Province, at the northernmost end of the empire.
That province was a long, narrow strip running east to west and thin from north to south. To its north lay Icebound Forest and, even farther north, the soul beasts in the depths of the Far North Land; to its south were the Tianshan Snowmen of the Tianshan Plateau, with an entire Tianshan Plateau separating it from the Imperial Central District.
Between them lay the "Tianbei Pass," known as the continent's third passage, its fame second only to Ba Nan Pass in the center of the continent and Xie Luo Pass in the Xie Luo Mountain Range.
The Shui Family of the Duke of the North was a branch of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Xue Clan. Their inherited Top Martial Soul, the "Water Condensing Flying Luan," gave them an extremely important position in the Heaven Dou Empire.
In truth, the first-generation Duke of the North of the Shui Family, like the current four kingdoms and one duchy, could have founded his own state, but he had refused, no matter what.
The reason was simple. Due to its geography, Mu Gaozhaer Province was located in the northern Temperate Zone and the frigid zone. It was vast and sparsely populated, with a sluggish economy.
Under current production conditions, it could not even provide enough grain for itself, yet it also had to face two major dangers from north and south, requiring large numbers of soldiers and soul masters.
Mu Gaozhaer Province simply could not manage that on its own. That was why, even now, Mu Gaozhaer Province remained one of the Heaven Dou Empire's five directly administered provinces.
Because of the Shui Family, the Duke of the North's line, its capital was named Skywater City, and Mu Gaozhaer Province was also commonly called "Tianshui Province." Skywater Academy, one of the Heaven Dou Empire's famous Five Elemental Academies, was located in Skywater City.
This time, Duke of the North Shui Rong had happened to come to the empire on official business to pay court to Emperor Xue Yintao.
"...Judging by the current situation, Soul Fighting City should be behind it," Lan Yuancheng concluded.
"What is the reason?" Xue Yintao asked calmly.
"Based on past history, the Magic Sheep Sect likely crossed the line this time," Lan Yuancheng speculated.
"Mm. Brother Rong, how do you think we should handle this?" Xue Yintao asked this famed domestic wise man, Shui Rong, the Duke of the North and hegemon of a region, for his opinion.
According to the imperial family genealogy, the two of them were of the same generation.
"Your Majesty, why should we handle it?" Shui Rong rose and bowed, replying calmly.
"Hmm? Shouldn't we take some sort of stance on this matter?" Prince Xue Jiqing was somewhat stunned and could not help asking in return.
"As long as it isn't a force on the level of the Seven Great Sects being destroyed, even if everyone kicks up a storm, in the end, the major matter will become a minor one, and the minor one will disappear. Besides, the ones who should react the most shouldn't be us, the Heaven Dou Empire," Shui Rong said lazily.
"Indeed. We don't need to be the first to make a move." Xue Yintao nodded.
Seeing this, Lan Yuancheng hesitated for a moment, then asked, "The Great Soul Arenas of Soul Fighting City are spread throughout the empire's major cities. Does the Mystic Bird Division need to keep watch on and pay attention to these Great Soul Arenas?"
Shui Rong waved a hand and said, "No need. Soul Fighting City is on good terms with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and we have close ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so we only need to ask the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for their stance."
"Yuancheng, do as Brother Rong says. For now, observe the reactions of the other forces first," Xue Yintao set the tone.
Then Xue Yintao asked warmly, "Brother Rong, we haven't seen each other in some years. I have missed you greatly. Have you come to Heaven Dou City this time on important business?"
"Your Majesty, in that great calamity fifty years ago, the Tianshan Snowmen suffered relatively little damage. After recuperating all these years, they have started getting restless in recent years..."
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