While the Snipe and Clam Fight, the Fisherman Profits

Hearing this, Ye Guyi's eyes immediately lit up. She involuntarily leaned forward and lowered her voice as she pressed, "Then which country do you think has the greatest ability to do it?"

Holding his teacup, Li Changqing smiled calmly. Then, with a meaningful glance at her, he countered, "Isn't it obvious?"

Ye Guyi froze at first. Then her pupils shrank, and inspiration flashed through her mind. She blurted out, "You mean... the Sun Moon—"

Before she could finish, a warm hand covered her mouth.

Li Changqing made a silencing gesture before slowly lowering his hand.

Ye Guyi instantly came to her senses, and a chill ran down her back.

She had nearly forgotten.

This was Shrek City!

Although Shrek City belonged to no nation and was nominally neutral territory,

the city was a chaotic mix of people, with spies from every major power scattered throughout every corner.

If someone had overheard what she had just said and spread it around with embellishments, claiming that a new Shrek Academy student had openly discussed the Sun Moon Empire unifying the continent, the consequences would have been severe.

Thinking of this, she shrank her neck and looked around. Only after confirming that no one was paying attention to them did she let out a slight sigh of relief.

But that did nothing to quell her curiosity.

She moved closer, nearly pressing against Li Changqing, and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Is there really no other possibility? Or rather... do the other three countries have the capability?"

Li Changqing set down his teacup and shook his head. "How could they? Don't forget that the Sun Moon Empire's predecessor came from the Sun Moon Continent, which drifted over from beyond the distant ocean."

"When the two continents collided and merged, that war lasting many years broke out. The original three nations of the Douluo Continent only won because the three great empires joined forces and Shrek Academy gave its full support. On top of that, the Sun Moon Empire did not yet have any truly formidable soul masters at the time."

He paused before continuing, "But things are different now. The Sun Moon Empire absorbed the soul master cultivation system of the original Douluo Continent and combined it with its own advanced soul tool technology. Its national strength is no longer what it once was. Meanwhile, the original three nations of the Douluo Continent have been constantly consumed by internal strife and mutual suspicion over the years. If Shrek Academy had not been supporting them as their pillar, the Sun Moon Empire would probably have been unable to resist starting another war long ago."

"So that means..."

Hearing this, Ye Guyi's expression gradually turned solemn. "Unless there is another continental merger like the one thousands of years ago, or some new variable appears, what awaits the original three nations of the Douluo Continent will be..."

She did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Destruction.

Li Changqing did not respond, tacitly agreeing.

Ye Guyi was silent for a moment before sighing helplessly. Her tone carried a trace of melancholy and unwillingness. "That really is... a pity. If the Sun Moon Empire truly unifies the continent in the end, won't evil soul masters spread across the entire land? As a descendant of the Angel lineage, I truly do not want to see such a scene."

She paused, worry appearing in her eyes. "After all, even before unification, there are already enough evil soul masters to frighten anyone. If the continent is truly unified, how could things possibly be bearable? Wouldn't the world be vast, yet have no pure land left at all?"

Yet as Li Changqing watched her troubled expression, he suddenly smiled.

His smile carried the calm confidence of someone with everything under control, as though he had already seen the direction the future would take. "It will be different then."

Ye Guyi raised her head and looked at him in confusion. "Why would it be different?"

"Most evil soul masters choose to operate within the Sun Moon Empire because its terrain is complicated and makes hiding easier."

Li Changqing explained unhurriedly, "Furthermore, the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family needs powerful soul masters to counterbalance the original three nations of the Douluo Continent and Shrek Academy. So, to a certain extent, they and the Holy Spirit Cult have a tacit cooperative relationship."

Ye Guyi became even more confused. "Exactly! Since that is the case, why do you say it will be different? Once the Sun Moon Empire truly unifies the continent, won't the evil soul masters cooperating with them be even more like fish in water, acting with even greater impunity?"

Li Changqing shook his head, a meaningful curve rising at the corner of his lips. "You have misunderstood one thing. Their relationship is fundamentally one of cooperation, not submission. The Sun Moon Empire needs the Holy Spirit Cult's evil soul masters to counter external threats, while the Holy Spirit Cult needs the Sun Moon Empire's protection to develop and grow stronger. But once the three great empires perish and the external threats vanish, tell me: after the Sun Moon Emperor comes to his senses, who do you think he will deal with next?"

Ye Guyi was stunned.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to find her mind completely blank.

This...

Th-this...

She had truly never considered things from that angle!

Seeing her dazed appearance, Li Changqing continued to enlighten her. "Remember, in the eyes of those in power, a country can only have one voice. Especially for an emperor with immense ambition, one determined to unify the world, he cannot possibly tolerate a powerful force beyond his control existing within his own territory."

"Discarding the donkey after the millstone is turned, tearing down the bridge after crossing the river—such methods are all too common for emperors."

Li Changqing's tone was calm, yet it carried a clear-eyed understanding of the world. "So, if the Sun Moon Empire truly manages to complete its great unification, internal chaos will break out before long."

Ye Guyi blinked, her mind racing as she tried hard to digest his words.

"However..."

Li Changqing suddenly shifted the subject and said with a smile, "Internal conflict is still better than a national war. After all, even the Holy Spirit Cult will have to pay a terrible price before regular armies and high-grade soul tools. When both sides have suffered heavy losses and their strength has been greatly depleted..."

At this point, he lifted his teacup and gently blew on it. Then a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

"It will be time for people like us to step onto the stage."

"While the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits."

What was most important to a country?

Not powerful soul masters, nor anything else, but the people's support.

So long as one had the people's support, those in power could use that opportunity to destroy their threat—the Holy Spirit Cult, which countless people loathed.

Sometimes, having a just cause was important.

Slaying evil for the people was even more important.

Because then, whether they were from the former Sun Moon Empire or the former three nations of the Douluo Continent, they would all be grateful for—or at least less resistant to—the rule of the New Sun Moon Empire.

Why were the Angel God and the Sea God able to successfully create their own god positions ten thousand years ago?

And why was Spirit Hall able to rise and suppress the entire Douluo Continent?

Wasn't it all because they had the people's support and faith?