Flexible Rules
On the city wall, after a brief silence, greater chaos ensued. Officers shouted hoarsely, trying to organize a defensive line, but the fear in the soldiers' eyes was palpable. That dark, gaping opening seemed like a gigantic maw devouring lives.
They had just witnessed the devastating bombardment, which shattered even the seemingly indestructible city walls like paper. Now, they were being asked to fill the hole with their own flesh and blood? That would be tantamount to suicide!
The Spirit Hall Empire's army remained solemn and imposing, not launching an immediate attack. But the eerie blue light that began to re-emerge from the muzzles of those giant cannons was more chilling than any war drum or horn. They coldly pointed towards Jialing Pass, towards the last heart of the Heaven Dou Empire, silently declaring that all resistance was futile.
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The Heaven Dou Empire Army is not entirely composed of mediocre individuals.
Suppressing his fear, a seasoned veteran roared as he commanded the earth-attribute Soul Master in his army, "Earth-attribute Soul Master, step forward! Use your Soul Skill to plug this gap, now!"
Dozens of Soul Master gritted their teeth and channeled their Soul Power. As their Soul Ring shone, the soil at the breach churned and rose, attempting to build a temporary barrier.
However, this dying struggle appears utterly ridiculous in the face of absolute power.
"Boom--!!!"
The second round of bombardment arrived as expected, even more ferocious than before! The eerie blue beams of light instantly engulfed the hastily erected earthen wall, the violent energy not only completely evaporating it but also tearing open and enlarging the already enormous hole once more!
Rumble--!
With a deafening roar that shook the earth, nearly half of the city wall succumbed to the structural damage and collapsed like a toppled stack of blocks! Debris mixed with the remains of soldiers who couldn't escape flew everywhere, and screams were drowned out by the deafening crash.
Repairing it is pointless now.
Under the desperate cover of their guards, the second and third princes retreated to a relatively safe area, covered in dust and grime. Looking at their utterly defeated army, they tried to reorganize an effective resistance, shouting hoarsely and brandishing their swords.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain!
Two consecutive rounds of devastating bombing raids have already reduced the army's casualties to over 30%, and more importantly, morale... has completely collapsed!
"Run! The city walls have collapsed!"
"We can't hold out! Run!"
Panic spread like wildfire, instantly igniting everyone's survival instincts. Soldiers abandoned their weapons and armor, fleeing frantically towards the pass like headless flies. The officers' shouts were drowned out, and the supervising teams, facing the surging tide of fleeing people, made only token attempts to stop them before being swept away in the retreat.
The army was defeated, collapsing like a mountain.
Watching the terrifying cannons in front of the Spirit Hall Empire's army once again begin to gather destructive energy, their eerie blue light like the gaze of death...
The second prince finally closed his eyes, as if all his strength had been drained, and squeezed out two blood-tinged words from deep in his throat. "We... retreat!"
With the main figures evacuating and fleeing, the remaining will to resist completely collapsed. The ordinary soldiers, without the generals on top, did not put up any resistance against the Spirit Hall Empire and obediently surrendered.
Jialing Pass, this majestic pass that has stood for a thousand years, changed hands amidst the roar of Soul Tool and the twilight of the empire.
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The setting sun, like blood, illuminated the fleeing, routed Heaven Dou Empire army.
The second prince lay prone on his horse, the whistling wind in his ears and the faint sound of pursuing hooves behind him, but the image of that devastating blue beam of light kept replaying in his mind.
"What the hell is that thing?!" he finally couldn't help but roar, his voice broken by his rapid breathing. "Is it Soul Tool? But how can Soul Tool... have such power?!"
The inheritance of Soul Tool was completely eradicated; only Soul Tool with no offensive capabilities were barely passed down.
The Soul Tool he knew since childhood were nothing more than rings and belts for convenient storage, and at most some auxiliary items that could slightly amplify his Soul Power perception.
Regarding that blank period of history, our ancestors left only one sentence. "Soul Tool must not be studied."
To this day, our understanding has been completely overturned.
The terrifying power that tore through the city walls was cold, efficient, and pure, completely different from any Soul Master power system he understood.
The surviving generals and staff around them looked at each other, none of them able to answer. They too were immersed in immense shock and bewilderment.
Some people's lips moved, as if they wanted to say that it might be some kind of unknown fusion Soul Skill, or that it borrowed the power of a powerful Soul Beast, but the metallic texture, the intricate patterns, the destructive beam driven purely by energy... all pointed to a fact they were unwilling to admit.
"Your Highness," an elderly elder from a Soul Master family said in a hoarse voice, his face etched with wrinkles, dust, and blood, "In ancient texts... there are only a few words that mention the ancient Soul Guidance Civilization... but they are all vague, only saying that its path has been cut off, and touching it will surely bring great disaster."
"A dead end?" The Second Prince gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white. He looked back towards the direction of Jialing Pass, which had disappeared into the distance, his eyes filled with fear and a profound anger at being abandoned by the times. "What is the Spirit Hall using now?! If that's a dead end, how can they wield such... such power?!"
No one could answer his question.
The historical gaps and the monopoly of knowledge made the Heaven Dou Empire, and indeed the entire continent, appear so ignorant and vulnerable when faced with this weapon that seemed to deliver a devastating blow.
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The gods looked at the offensive Soul Tool that had reappeared in the world with dark eyes.
Chapter 252 The Rules of Flexibility
The Divine Realm.
Within the mist-shrouded hall, the gazes of several god-kings pierced through layers of spatial barriers, landing on the soul-guided giant cannons that still radiated warmth before the Jialing Pass in the lower realm.
The usually tranquil Divine Realm was now filled with an unusual stillness.
They had long suspected that the Spirit Hall was tinkering with things buried by the dust of history, but no one really took it to heart.
How long did it take for that once glorious Soul Tool civilization, which even touched the authority of the gods, to develop?
It took tens of thousands of years of accumulation to finally reach the mad end of blasphemy against divine authority.
How long has the Spirit Hall been exploring this? A little over a decade—a mere blink of an eye in the eyes of the gods. What can they possibly have accomplished?
But the scene before them, so devastating and utterly destroying the natural barrier, was like a silent slap in the face to their preconceived notions.
"Such speed..." Sea God stroked the phantom of the trident in his hand, his brows furrowing Poseidon, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. This progress was almost illogical.
"Snort!"
A cold snort broke the silence, and the dark purple divine power surrounding the God of Destruction surged like restless thunderclouds.
The God of Destruction's eyes, filled with boundless destructive intent, stared intently at the lower realm, his tone chilling and piercing:
"Do you see this? This is the consequence of your leniency back then, of not completely eradicating everything! In just over a decade, it has already amassed such power! If we continue to let it go unchecked, will we repeat the same mistakes and wait for them to turn their cannons against the Divine Realm again?"
He surveyed the crowd, his voice carrying an undeniable resolve:
"We must intervene immediately and nip this dangerous trend in the bud! All those involved in the research of Soul Tool, along with their related knowledge and creations, must be completely eradicated from the world! We cannot allow even the slightest hidden danger to remain!"
His extreme and belligerent divinity was on full display at this moment, and the urge to destroy burned fiercely in his heart.
"Destroy!"
A voice, like the flowing of a clear spring, rang out, carrying both anxiety and disapproval.
The Life Goddess radiated a soft green glow, instantly dispelling much of the oppressive feeling brought by the God of Destruction. She strode forward, blocking her husband's path, her beautiful eyes filled with heartache and resolve. "How could you be so cruel! Those are not merely cold objects; behind them are countless living lives! The development of civilizations in the lower realms has its own trajectory and destiny! As gods, how can we commit such an act of annihilation because of a mere potential threat? How is this any different from... from that divine punishment back then?"
Their attributes clash, their divine roles are opposed; even couples who have been together for countless years often find themselves on opposite sides of the scale in terms of fundamental beliefs.
However, this time, an unexpected voice rang out.
"The talk of destruction is not without merit."
His words were cold, carrying a judgmental authority. Everyone looked over, and to their surprise, it was the Asura God who had spoken!
His blood-red eyes held no emotion, only absolute rationality and coldness. "A potential threat is still a threat. Dealing with it only when it grows to the point of posing a real danger will come at a far greater cost. Eliminating all destabilizing factors at the lowest possible cost—this is the way of judgment."
He surprisingly sided with the God of Destruction!
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became even more subtle and tense. Destruction and life clashed, Asura God made his stance clear.
The atmosphere within the Divine Realm palace suddenly became even more oppressive due to the successive statements from the gods of Godess of Kindness and Evil God.
"What the Asura God said makes sense." The Godess of Kindness spoke slowly, her voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness. "Order cannot be challenged. Mortal wisdom should be used to understand the world and worship the gods, not to study such... usurping power."
"The destruction of the Soul Guidance Civilization of the past serves as a warning. To avoid repeating the same mistakes, nipping danger in the bud is the choice that aligns with the greatest ' Goddess of Kindness '." Her "Goddess of Kindness" seemed so absolute and cold at this moment.
Then, the Evil God let out a low, mocking laugh, his aura chilling. "Toying with power they cannot control will only backfire, bringing even greater ' God of Evil.' Our premature end to this unwarranted hope might actually be a form of 'mercy' for them. I agree; this dangerous game should end."
Destruction, Asura, Goddess of Kindness, God of Evil.
The four god-kings have now joined forces.
This was not surprising. Sea God Poseidon inwardly, recalling the distant past that had been sealed away.
These individuals were also the ones who spearheaded the decision to unleash divine punishment upon the flourishing Soul Tool civilization.
Those mortals, relying on those strange skills and ingenuity, actually touched the edge of the laws, and even began to analyze, imitate, and even attempt to... control divine power!
They built the Tower of Heaven, their gaze no longer fixed on the gods, but filled with inquiry and... ambition.
That disregard for divine authority and the unbridled exploration of the unknown instilled in these high and mighty deities a sense of instinctive fear in addition to their anger and shock.
How could a mere mortal, relying on external aids, achieve such a feat...?
This is absolutely forbidden. The gap between the divine and the mortal is an insurmountable chasm. Any attempt to build a bridge between them is the most fundamental blasphemy.
The Spirit Hall's research progress is now progressing at an eerie pace. The roar of the Soul Guidance Cannon seems to have sounded an alarm bell that has traversed countless ages, reminding these God-Kings of the fear that had once been suppressed.
They will never allow the same thing to happen again.
In the center of the hall, the Life Goddess looked at the four god-kings who had reached a consensus, a trace of pity and helplessness flashing across her face.
The Sea God remained silent, his gaze once more turning downwards to the continent and the girl he had chosen. He weighed his options, and in the end, all he could manage was a silent sigh.
The will of the Divine Realm seems to have become clear.
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The rules of the Divine Realm, the ironclad law that hangs high above all deities and explicitly forbids interference in the mortal world, seem so pale and laughable at this moment.
It is more like a chain used to bind lower-ranking gods, while for the god-kings and First-Level Main God who set the rules, these rules seem to be born with countless cracks that they can exploit at will.
Not to mention the earth-shattering act in ancient times when the gods joined forces to unleash divine punishment, completely erasing the glorious Soul Tool civilization from the annals of history.
In just the past century, violations of the rules have become commonplace.
The Sea God bestowed upon his followers the God-Bestowed Martial Soul, the Sea God. He not only created Bo Saixi, his representative in the mortal realm, but also further strengthened his faith, which laid the foundation for his direct intervention in the lives of mortal beings.
The Rakshasa God repeatedly and secretly interfered with the Asura God's divine examination process, disregarding the rules.
And the Asura God, who governs the order of the Divine Realm and should be the most law-abiding, personally intervened to smuggle the soul of a person from another world (Tang San) to the Douluo Continent...
(In the later part of the original story, this rule became almost meaningless in the face of certain "protagonists." The Sea God could arbitrarily resurrect Tang Chen and Bo Saixi; after Tang San's fall, the Asura God could team up with the Sea God to "cheat" and resurrect him, even turning Xiao Wu into the Asura Sword Sheath, and almost childishly passing on the Asura God to Tang San; the Sea God could also directly interfere in Qian Renxue's divine examination; after Tang San became a god, he treated the lower realm as his own backyard, directly elevating his parents to the Plane Master of Douluo Star, and his daughter Tang Wutong could travel between the Divine Realm and the lower realm as easily as visiting relatives. His daughter's ultimate move was the Sea God Descent to "test" Huo Yuhao, and his sons and grandsons all grew up in the lower realm and obtained godhood. However, Bai Chenxiang and Ma Hongjun next door were separated by the boundary between gods and mortals and could never meet again. Hmm... the rules of the Divine Realm are quite flexible, huh...)
Every deity acts with utmost honesty and openness, without any attempt at concealment. A tacit understanding has also formed among the gods—as long as a transgression does not infringe upon their core interests, they all choose to turn a blind eye and no one investigates further.
Ironically, the essence of the Soul Tool technology, which was once despised, feared, and even utterly destroyed by the gods with ruthless force, did not truly disappear. The gods personally annihilated the civilizations on earth, yet they quietly preserved the most advanced Soul Tool achievements as spoils of war or as collectibles within the Divine Realm.
However, they themselves do not possess the scientific research capabilities of Soul Engineer, which allow them to delve into, create, and innovate with the power of mortals. In their hands, these technologies are merely solidified past, unable to be revitalized.