"Yes, Your Majesty." The close attendant replied respectfully, then vanished from the imperial palace.
I hope the war does not come so soon... Xu Jiawei gazed at the Heavenly Curtain overhead and could not help praying.
If possible, he truly did not wish to wage an all-out war against the Sun Moon Empire.
For Xu Jiawei knew all too well just how far ahead the Sun Moon Empire was in Soul Tool Technology.
Among the current former Douluo Three Kingdoms, the only emperor with both ability and foresight was Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire.
Several thousand years ago, the Xu Family had played an enormous role in resisting the Sun Moon Empire's invasion. In the end, they had successfully replaced the Dai Family and ascended to the imperial throne.
Even with such diligent governance, their sense of crisis had never diminished.
For thousands of years, friction and warfare had never ceased along the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire.
That place was the Ming Dou Mountain Range, the region formed when the landmasses of the two continents collided more than four thousand years ago.
Because it was exceedingly rich in mineral deposits and produced more than a dozen incomparably rare mineral resources, Star Luo and Sun Moon had fought over it without end, waging war year after year.
It was precisely for this reason that the Western Group Army stationed there had become a powerful, battle-hardened legion. Yet it had also made the Star Luo Empire realize just how formidable the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool Technology truly was.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Star Luo Empire certainly did not wish to enter into a full-scale war with the Sun Moon Empire.
But now, the information exposed through the Heavenly Curtain had revealed that the Holy Spirit Cult and the Sun Moon Empire's Crown Prince had formed an alliance.
Just imagine it: if the Sun Moon Empire made up for its lack of Soul Master combat power, it would mean that an empire with ambitions of conquest would no longer have any weaknesses.
For the former Douluo Three Kingdoms, that would be an utterly terrifying situation.
"I hope Jiu Jiu's visit to Shrek Academy brings back some good news." Xu Jiawei thought of his younger sister, who had set off for Shrek Academy.
Originally, he had intended to use the opportunity to recruit that child named Shao Zhuang. Now, it seemed that was no longer the only purpose.
In the current circumstances, if war broke out in full, the former Douluo Three Kingdoms would have no choice but to rely on Shrek Academy's assistance to hold their ground.
Du Busi, who was hurrying back toward the Heaven Dou Empire, wore an incomparably grave expression as he looked at the information on the Heavenly Curtain.
He could not help cursing, "Those dogs from the Holy Spirit Cult really know how to find themselves a master!"
Everyone understood the Holy Spirit Cult's calculations.
A sense of crisis he had never felt before rose in Du Busi's heart.
At first, no matter what, the Holy Spirit Cult had merely been an Evil Soul Master organization.
Even after growing to such a scale, as long as the forces of the entire continent united, they could still wipe it out completely.
But now, with the Sun Moon Empire as such a special backer, the situation had instantly been reversed.
With the Holy Spirit Cult's high-level Soul Master combat power filling the gap, the Sun Moon Empire had truly gained wings like a tiger!
Although Du Busi was an extremely traditional Soul Master and looked down on Soul Tools entirely, he had to admit that the Sun Moon Empire was genuinely powerful.
Therefore, it was no longer a matter of taking the initiative to eliminate the Holy Spirit Cult. They now had to begin guarding against the Sun Moon Empire launching a war against them.
"Seventh Elder, pass down the order. Immediately halt all action against the Holy Spirit Cult."
Though deeply unwilling, Du Busi still issued the new order with immense frustration.
After all, the forces involved had suddenly become so overwhelming. The Body Sect naturally had to exercise caution, lest a full-scale war truly break out and they became sinners.
Du Busi might have been arrogant and obstinate by nature, but he also kept his promises and possessed a certain sense of the bigger picture.
"Yes, Sect Master." The Seventh Elder, who had been returning to the Heaven Dou Empire alongside Du Busi, immediately left.
He prepared to use a special communication method to halt the operation as quickly as possible.
The emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire also immediately summoned his court officials to discuss countermeasures.
Even the Dou Ling Empire, the farthest from the Sun Moon Empire, did the same and began arranging its response.
"Senior Tianyang, we must trouble you to act personally this time." The emperor of the Dou Ling Empire spoke respectfully to an elderly man.
This man was the Dou Ling Empire's Guardian Douluo, Qingyang Douluo, a Super Douluo with a Soul Power Level as high as ninety-seven.
Among the former Douluo Three Kingdoms, the Dou Ling Empire had the fewest Titled Douluo and the lowest upper limit.
By sending Senior Qingyang this time, the Dou Ling Empire intended to rely on his prestige to seek aid and facilitate later cooperation.
When the nest was overturned, how could any egg remain unbroken? The former Douluo Three Kingdoms all understood this principle.
Even without discussing it, they had all tacitly begun making their own preparations for the worst.
At present, they shared a common enemy: the Sun Moon Empire, which had allied with the Holy Spirit Cult.
As for trying to persuade the Sun Moon Empire to abandon its cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult, anyone with that idea should hurry up and go wash up for bed.
Anyone with eyes could see that the cooperation between Xu Tianran, the Sun Moon Empire's Crown Prince, and the Holy Spirit Cult was bound by mutual interests, with each side taking what it needed.
Xu Tianran had occupied the position of Crown Prince for so many years already. Who knew just how far his cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult had progressed?
This was no longer the sort of situation that could be resolved through tempting offers.
Moreover, with such powerful combat strength joining them, how could the Sun Moon Empire, which sought to unify the continent, possibly not be tempted?
Just as the various factions of the former Douluo Three Kingdoms became deeply wary over the alliance between the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult, urgently beginning to consider countermeasures,
A coup quietly erupted within the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace!
The instigator of this coup was naturally the current Crown Prince, Xu Tianran.
Seeing that his cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult had been exposed by the Heavenly Curtain and was now known across the entire continent,
Xu Tianran had no choice but to contact the Holy Spirit Cult immediately. With their strength, he launched a coup directly within the palace, forcibly taking control of the emperor and the court's ministers and generals.
If possible, Xu Tianran naturally had not wanted to do this.
After all, his status as the indisputable first heir to the Sun Moon Empire's throne was solid.
Given the current emperor's physical condition, Xu Tianran could afford to wait. There had been no need for him to rush.
That way, he could continue accumulating strength in secret, ascend the throne legitimately, avoid criticism, and earn a favorable reputation.
But now, everything was different. Although the Sun Moon Empire was not a nation of the original Douluo Continent, its attitude toward Evil Soul Masters was the same.
To prevent any unforeseen developments, Xu Tianran could only proceed with this coup in an attempt to stabilize the overall situation.
Before you continue