A dying Golden Sub-Dragon lay pinned beneath Little Golden Dragon's claws.
Feeling Little Golden Dragon's summons, Bai Fan steadied his emotions and slowly made his way outside the city gates.
The weakened Golden Sub-Dragon came into view. Little Golden Dragon suppressed it with Dragon Might, then shrank down and rubbed haphazardly against Bai Fan's leg.
Bai Fan gently stroked Little Golden Dragon's head. "A seventy-thousand-year Golden Sub-Dragon? It can serve as my seventh Soul Skill."
Little Golden Dragon had already reached adulthood, with strength approaching that of a hundred-thousand-year cultivation. Combined with the suppression of his bloodline, subduing a seventy-thousand-year Golden Sub-Dragon had been easy.
The reason his cultivation had risen so quickly was thanks to the Immortal Herbs he had devoured before.
Those Immortal Herbs tainted with dragon aura had not only helped Little Golden Dragon break through the shackles of his bloodline, but had also rapidly raised his cultivation.
One thing worth noting was that Little Golden Dragon was not a pure Soul Beast. He was Bai Fan's Martial Soul, a unique existence.
This meant that Little Golden Dragon could cultivate as quickly as a human and would not be suppressed by the God Realm.
Bai Fan cleanly ended the Golden Sub-Dragon's life. A pitch-black Soul Ring rose from its corpse and entered Bai Fan's body.
Inside Spirit Hall.
The young Bibi Dong sat curled up on the bed, her face and body covered in bruises and wounds.
Qian Xunji wore a gloomy expression, utterly devoid of a pope's sacred bearing.
"Bitch, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have become like this."
The more Qian Xunji spoke, the more agitated he became. He strode to the bedside, seized Bibi Dong by her hair, and said madly, "Don't you like that worthless Yu Xiaogang? Once Spirit Hall unifies the continent, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will have no reason to exist."
"I'll drag that trash before me and make him watch how loving the two of us are!"
Qian Xunji looked deranged when an urgent report suddenly rang out. "Reporting to the Pope, important information has arrived."
Qian Xunji casually tossed Bibi Dong back onto the bed before leaving the bedchamber.
"Xiao Gang, I'm so scared."
Bibi Dong was still only a girl under twenty. Faced with all this, she had no power to resist.
The only person she could think of relying on was Bai Fan.
Inside Spirit Hall's Pope Hall.
The fleeing deacons knelt in the center of the grand hall, while Qian Xunji sat high upon the pope's throne.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"Your Holiness, Skyfrost Duchy, which our Spirit Hall had infiltrated, has been seized by those Heaven Dou Empire rebels."
Qian Xunji's formerly relaxed expression turned serious.
"Good! They even dare to seize Spirit Hall's territory? It seems you have no need to exist any longer."
The purple-robed deacon kneeling on the ground rolled his eyes, then reported to Qian Xunji, "Your Holiness, while they were torturing me, I overheard some information."
"Oh? What information? Tell me."
"Your Holiness, those people thought I had been tortured unconscious, so they spoke quietly among themselves, not realizing my hearing is exceptionally sharp."
"Their next step is to seize Star Luo Empire territory. It seems they intend to wage war against both great empires at once."
Qian Xunji tapped his fingers against the pope's throne, pondering the group's objective.
"What are these people after? Why attack both great empires at once?"
Unable to understand the reason, Qian Xunji directly asked.
"Who exactly are they? Are they truly that strong?"
To avoid looking bad, the purple-robed deacon greatly exaggerated Bai Fan's group.
"Your Holiness, those people are monstrous. They possess a weapon that can kill dozens of armored soldiers in an instant."
"The man leading them is an immensely powerful Soul Master. Several of us were completely unable to resist him."
With that, Qian Xunji suddenly understood.
"So that's how it is. It seems the battle at Skyfrost Duchy gave them considerable confidence, enough for them to challenge both great empires at once."
"In that case, Spirit Hall may as well let the snipe and clam fight while the fisherman reaps the reward."
Qian Xunji slapped the armrest and laughed heartily. Just like that, he happily fell into Bai Fan's trap.
Naturally, news of Skyfrost Duchy's fall reached Xue Ye.
The Heaven Dou Empire court was deathly silent.
Xue Ye's furious voice echoed through the court. "Useless fools! You can't even deal with a pack of lowborn rabble!"
None of the nobles below dared respond. They all kept their heads lowered.
Xue Jingyuan's death had already sounded the alarm for these old foxes. This was not a mission for easy merit and could not be accepted lightly.
One stubborn noble stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I suspect those rebels will next head for Silves Kingdom in the east. I am willing to go there and make preparations in advance, waiting for those rebels to take the bait."
Xue Ye was very pleased with the noble who had volunteered.
"Good. In that case, I hereby bestow the imperial golden plaque upon Yuwen Huai'an. Seeing the plaque will be the same as seeing me. From this day onward, you will take full charge of Silves Kingdom."
"Your servant accepts the order."
Would reality truly unfold as Xue Ye imagined?
Outside the gates of the Republic Empire.
Bai Fan successfully absorbed the Golden Sub-Dragon's Soul Ring, and his Soul Power had reached level seventy-two.
"Congratulations, Boss, on successfully obtaining your seventh Soul Ring."
"Congratulations, Holy Lord, on successfully obtaining your seventh Soul Ring."
Little Golden Dragon abruptly grew larger. Bai Fan stepped onto his back and soared into the sky.
"All of you, heed my command. From this day onward, this place is the headquarters of the Republic Empire."
"You must remember that this is an empire of the people, our shared homeland. We are merely servants of our fellow countrymen."
"Here, Soul Masters and ordinary people are equal. Privilege does not exist!"
The impassioned speech drew loud cheers from the people.
No matter how loudly slogans were shouted, they were ultimately empty promises. What mattered was how they would be carried out.
Over the following days, Bai Fan accompanied Da Niu and the others in discussing future development and construction, slowing the pace of their offensive.
"Da Niu, I see quite a few poor citizens in our Republic Empire. How have you been handling them?"
"Boss, we've already arranged for people to bring them food and build houses for them."
Da Niu answered decisively, but Bai Fan's expression darkened slightly.
"Da Niu, do you think what you've done is right?" Bai Fan's expression was stern. He then turned to the others. "Goudan, Monkey, do you think what you've done is right?"
Everyone sensed the shift in Bai Fan's mood, but they had no idea where they had gone wrong. They could only lower their heads in silence.
"None of you know? Then let me tell you. You were wrong—completely and utterly wrong!"
"I advocate equality for everyone, but what do you think that means? Are you supposed to treat these people like your ancestors?"
"We are servants, but not slaves. To put it even more bluntly, you are the people in power. You may respect equality for all, but you are also the builders, and you must have privileges."
"Privileges are not for your enjoyment. They exist so you can build the empire better."
"Think back to when our group was first formed. Weren't you in the same situation as them?"
"What did I do? I didn't give you money or build houses for you. I kept telling you about a better future, telling you that happiness had to be fought for with your own hands."
At this point, the people below seemed to understand somewhat, and guilty expressions appeared on their faces.
Before you continue