The Three Great Empires
Having discussed the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult, two "outliers," let's return to the three legitimate empires on the Douluo Continent: Star Luo Empire, Heaven Soul Empire, and Dou Ling Empire, three long-established nations.
Many people regard these three kingdoms as the righteous benchmark of the Soul Master world, united in fighting against foreign enemies, but in reality, they are a disorganized mess.
Every family has its Achilles' heel; in terms of deep-seated problems and corruption, it's no less detrimental than the Sun Moon Empire.
[The first one to mention is the Star Luo Empire, which is recognized as a tough nut to crack in the Three Kingdoms period.]
The advantages are clear: the Imperial Family Dai and Zhu have been linked by marriage for generations, and the Hell White Tiger's Martial Soul Fusion Skill firmly places it in the top tier of combat power on the continent.
The country's nobility and clans are deeply intertwined, with a clear hierarchy and strong execution. The army has been stationed on the western border for many years, possessing extensive combat experience. The people are known for their fierce and martial spirit, and the loyalty and fighting power of the soldiers are the highest in the Three Kingdoms period.
Furthermore, the Star Luo Imperial Family possesses a high degree of centralized power and its decrees are highly effective; if the entire nation were to mobilize for war, its cohesion would be stronger than that of the other two countries combined.
Centralized power can both make and break a nation.
The Soul Beast resources and cultivation resources of the Star Luo Empire are almost entirely controlled by the Imperial Family and a few hereditary nobles. Soul Master from commoner backgrounds, no matter how talented they are, can never even get close to Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and in the end, they can only serve as henchmen for the nobles.
The entire country, from top to bottom, clings to the old rule of "respecting traditional Soul Master" and refuses to let go, regarding Soul Guidance Technology as a strange and frivolous skill.
When the sun and Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Cannon finally reached their doorstep, they realized with horror that their swords were so rusted they couldn't be pulled out.
Ironically, they criticize the Sun Moon Empire for slaughtering Soul Beast every day, yet they themselves do the exact same thing.
The only difference is that the Sun Moon Empire Sect kills Soul Beast in batches to obtain Soul Core, following a mass production route. They select high-level Soul Beast to kill and obtain Soul Ring to support the nobles. In essence, they are all just draining the blood of Soul Beast to fill their own holes.
When the Soul Beast become extinct, their system, which relies on the hereditary inheritance of Martial Soul, will collapse faster than anyone else.
As for the ending, it was both tragic and dignified.
Later, when the Sun Moon Empire Army launched its northern expedition, Star Luo Empire was the most fiercely resisted among the Three Kingdoms. The front lines fought so hard that almost every family was in mourning, and even several members of the Imperial Family family were lost. They managed to hold off the main force of the Sun Moon Empire Army for more than half a year.
However, the gap in raw strength was undeniable, and in the end, half of their territory was crippled. Only through the intervention of Shrek, Huo Yuhao, and Tang San could they barely retain their land.
After this battle, the once-powerful nation on the continent was utterly defeated, losing all its former confidence in dominating the world.
Shrek City, restaurant.
As the words in her mind fell into her head, Xiao Xiao slowly stopped what she was doing.
Born into an ordinary sect, she had witnessed too many struggles of lower-level Soul Master. At this moment, she couldn't help but sigh softly, "So it turns out that even though the Star Luo Empire looks strong, the people at the bottom have it so hard... Those commoner Soul Master have clearly done nothing wrong, yet they don't even have the chance to become stronger. When war breaks out, it's always the common people who suffer first."
She felt a little depressed. She used to only think about cultivating herself properly, but now she suddenly realized that so many undercurrents were hidden beneath the surface of her peaceful life.
Shrek City, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Branch.
Ning Tian's hand, holding the brush, hovered above the ledger, the brush tip hesitant to fall.
As the young master of the sect, she had participated in clan affairs with her elders since childhood. She understood the differences between the Heaven Soul Empire and Star Luo Empire better than anyone else, and she also understood the crux of the Star Luo Empire system better than anyone else.
"Ha, with class stratification reaching this point, even without the Sun Moon Empire attacking, it would rot from within sooner or later."
Ning Tian put down his pen, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
She had originally thought that Star Luo Empire's centralized model was the optimal solution, but after hearing Lin Ye's words, she realized that any extreme approach would ultimately lead to collapse.
Let's talk about the Heavenly Soul Empire, which was the most "prosperous and wealthy" of the Three Kingdoms.
Its advantages are very prominent: there are numerous sects within its borders, including top sects such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Body Sect, and the Soul Master system is flourishing, with no shortage of talents from all walks of life.
Furthermore, Heaven Soul Empire is located in the central part of the continent, with well-developed trade routes and frequent trade exchanges. Its economic strength ranks first among the three kingdoms. If it really comes down to a logistical battle, no one can beat it.
However, the fatal weakness of the Heaven Soul Empire lies precisely in the fact that "there are many sects."
The Imperial Family family is weak, while the sects are growing stronger. On the surface, it is a unified empire, but in reality, it is a loose alliance of dozens of major sects, each with its own agenda.
If war were to break out, the Imperial Family wouldn't be able to mobilize the private armies of the various sects. Each sect was focused on building up its own strength, causing them to undermine each other. While they appeared large in number, they were actually a disorganized mess, unable to form a cohesive force.
Moreover, the class conflict within the Heaven Soul Empire was the most acute in the Three Kingdoms period.
Major sects occupy the best Soul Beast Forest and cultivation resources, while ordinary Soul Master and commoners are exploited at every level, resulting in deep resentment among the lower classes.
On the surface, it appears to be a scene of peace and prosperity, but in reality, its foundation has long been hollowed out. When the army of the Sun Moon Empire arrives, many border cities surrender without a fight. Despite its size and power, it is actually the most vulnerable to attack.
[The ending was also the most tragic.]
Throughout the entire war, the Heaven Soul Empire Sect lost the most territory. Several important towns were directly overrun by the Sun Moon Empire and Moon Sect, nearly a third of its sects were destroyed, and even the Imperial Family was almost wiped out.
After the war, the Heavenly Soul Empire was severely weakened. The power structure of the various sects was reshuffled, and the Imperial Family became a mere figurehead. While nominally still called an empire, it was essentially a shell maintained by the major sects.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Female Dormitory.
Ju Zi heard the analysis about the Heavenly Soul Empire.
She leaned back in her chair, her eyes filled with calm analysis.
"The three kingdoms, united as one, are nothing but a Star Luo Empire, their Heaven Soul Empire scattered and their will broken."
She murmured to herself, this was the understanding she had been instilled with since childhood, and it was also the source of the Sun Moon Empire's confidence to launch a northern expedition.
But at this moment, she felt no joy, only a heavy weight in her heart.
She used to only think about winning the war and avenging her father, but now she can't help but wonder, even if she conquered the three kingdoms, would the empire's Soul Core crisis and talent shortage be resolved?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she suppressed it.
Shrek Academy, Inner Court.
After listening to Lin Ye's description of the internal strife within the Heavenly Soul Empire in his diary, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but scoff, her tone full of disdain. "What righteous path and orthodoxy? They're all a bunch of cowards who bully their own kind. If they're so capable, why don't they put their strength to the Sun Moon Empire? What kind of skill is it to exploit the lower classes?"
She flexed her wrists. "If everyone were truly of one mind, why would they be afraid of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool? They're rotten to the core; they deserve to be beaten."
Finally, there's the least noticeable Dou Ling Empire.
While it's called an empire, it's more like a large duchy, nestled between the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Soul Empire, living a secluded corner and serving as a backdrop in the continental affairs for many years.
Its advantages are also very real: the territory is mostly mountainous and hilly, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the level of development is low, which has preserved a lot of intact Soul Beast Forest. Although its resources are meager, they are solid.