Ambition

The Star Luo Empire's attack had come without warning. With the border pass fallen, they had received no news at all. Although the city pass where Ge Long's father was stationed was not strategically vital, it was still on the border.

Di Hong thought as he walked.

It had only been a few days since he returned from Heaven Dou City. Could the Star Luo Empire's four hundred thousand troops have already finished assembling? That was far too fast.

That was an army of four hundred thousand. If they had assembled and already launched an attack, there was no way they would not have known.

The Star Luo Empire did not have the ability to hide an army of four hundred thousand, did it?

Unless they had deployed soul masters, and quite a few of them at that. In past wars, the Two Great Empires had rarely committed large numbers of soul masters to battle. After all, nurturing a high-level soul master was no easy task—the resources required could train an army of a thousand, or even ten thousand, men.

Soul masters at the Soul Saint level in particular were existences capable of rivaling thousands upon thousands of troops.

Therefore, the Two Great Empires would only deploy Soul Saints when an enormous war broke out. Soul Douluo-level soul masters were basically never deployed, as their numbers were limited. They were not like Spirit Hall, which could casually send out dozens upon dozens of Soul Saints and Soul Douluos.

They even had several Titled Douluos, and that was only what was known publicly. There were definitely more in the shadows. As far as Di Hong knew, Spirit Hall had over a dozen Titled Douluos. There were only so many Titled Douluos on the entire continent, yet Spirit Hall accounted for more than half of them.

The Clear Sky Sect currently had only two.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had one.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had none.

Among independent soul masters, Di Hong only knew of Chen Jianjun. As for his son, Chen Xin, he had gained some renown on the continent, but he was not yet a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse. Gu Rong had not even heard his name.

In the entire Heaven Dou Empire, excluding independent soul masters and those belonging to clans and sects, there were only a handful of Soul Douluos in the Empire's Soul Master Corps. Including the Soul Douluos in the military, there were only around ten in total. There was not a single Titled Douluo.

Losing even one in battle would be enough to make anyone's heart ache.

The Star Luo Empire had more Soul Douluos than they did, but they would not deploy them either. As for Titled Douluos, he guessed that the Star Luo Empire should have some. He simply had not investigated them in detail and thus did not know.

He refused to believe that the Dai Family, with its brutal methods of succession, did not have a single powerhouse.

Spirit Hall's influence in Star Luo City was extremely weak, nowhere near comparable to that in Heaven Dou City.

As long as Spirit Hall still existed, the Two Great Empires would absolutely not wage that sort of war to the death. Otherwise, the snipe and clam would fight while the fisherman reaped the profits.

After returning to his bedroom, Di Hong stood there gazing at the sky outside.

"Unify the continent, unite the world."

Ever since the thought of unifying the continent had appeared in his mind, he had been unable to shake it off.

He knew he was being delusional and overestimating himself, but he still wanted to do it. How would he know without trying? Even if he failed, at least he would have done it. To die gloriously would not be a bad ending.

How many people wanted to live gloriously yet could not manage it?

"If I want to unify the continent, I must have Father King's and my elder brother's support."

He had no interest in the throne, and the future King of the Silves Kingdom would be Di Yang. Without their support, he could never do it alone.

Still, they were family. He understood his father and brother to some extent. Every member of their family, himself included, was no loyal subject—they were all traitors at heart. If the Empire had not been so powerful, they would have rebelled long ago.

Di Yuan in particular was the ruler of a kingdom. How could he be willing to remain beneath another's thumb? It was not just him; every kingdom was the same.

Who did not have a little ambition?

It could be said that, in the Empire's eyes, kingdoms like theirs were all potential great rebels.

With the strength of a kingdom, plus some careful planning, perhaps there really was a chance.

"Spirit Hall."

Perhaps this enormous force could truly be used. But it was a double-edged sword, and he had to be cautious. Cooperating with Spirit Hall was like seeking a tiger's skin—one careless move, and he would be devoured by it.

But if he used them well, his chances would increase greatly.

Because he knew that Spirit Hall was already dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. It wanted change but did not yet have the ability to bring it about. Although it had many soul masters, the moment it revealed its ambitions, the Two Great Empires would certainly unite against it.

But once Bibi Dong took power, things would be different. Spirit Hall would rise to its peak in her hands, and also head toward destruction in her hands.

What prospered through her would perish through her.

Spirit Hall posed a greater threat to the Empire than kingdoms like theirs did. So in his view, if used properly, Spirit Hall would be a natural shield.

But for now, he still had to increase his strength.

Drawing back his gaze, Di Hong found a small notebook and began writing.

"Ge Long."

"Bibi Dong."

"Qian Renxue."

"Tang San."

After writing down the four names, he reflected that these four people were all important to him. After forming the idea of unifying the continent, he had made plans for Ge Long: first nurture him, then send him into the Heaven Dou Empire's military.

Put bluntly, he would be an undercover agent.

Since Ge Long could become a pillar of the Empire and commander of its military in merely a few decades, he must possess exceptional ability.

The last three names were even simpler.

Bibi Dong was the final great villain, a pitiable yet hateful woman. But he did not care.

There was even less need to mention Qian Renxue—she was his cautionary example. Rather than cultivating properly and Becoming a God, she had gone undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire. Still, that was fine. She could help him eliminate a great deal of trouble.

Tang San went without saying—the protagonist, the future Sea God and Asura God, the main force against Spirit Hall, the vanguard of the anti–Spirit Hall movement. Spirit Hall was his sworn enemy; without him, Spirit Hall would have unified the continent long ago.

After writing down the four names, he suddenly stopped, then set the little notebook on fire.

Afterward, he went to find Di Yuan and told him about his plan to train Ge Long.

"Ge Long?"

"The child you brought back?"

Di Yuan was puzzled. His son had come to see him just for the sake of that adopted child. Why had he suddenly become so concerned about him?

"That's right," Di Hong said. "In another two months, it'll be time for his Martial Soul Awakening."

"When that time comes, I hope Father King can focus on training him—not only in Martial Soul cultivation, but also in military studies."

"Can you guarantee that he'll become a Spirit Master?" Di Yuan asked.

Di Hong nodded slightly. If Ge Long could not become a Spirit Master, then who could? Not only would he become one, but his talent was also exceptional. Otherwise, there was no way he could have become a Soul Douluo-level Spirit Master in his fifties.

As long as he was properly trained, becoming a Titled Douluo in the future would not be a problem.

He could afford to wait.

"Alright, I understand." Di Yuan did not particularly care. It was only one person, after all. Since Di Hong was confident, he had nothing more to say.

It was hardly a big deal.

"What do you think about having him study under Shen Yi in military matters?"

"Fine." Di Hong naturally agreed. His uncle, Shen Yi, was the First General of the Kingdom. There was no one in the entire kingdom more suitable than him.