As order after order was issued, the enormous machine that was the Divine Realm finally began running at full speed.
Divine decrees passed through the endless sea of clouds, flying toward every corner of Douluo Star.
Countless churches devoted to the gods received orders from the Divine Realm at that moment.
The church leaders, who normally stood high above others and commanded vast numbers of believers, also sprang into action.
They began contacting the kings of the various kingdoms, gathering representatives from different sects, and sending invitations symbolizing the Divine Realm's will across the continent.
The situation on Douluo Star instantly grew delicate.
In particular, the kingdoms and nobles who had still been watching from the sidelines quickly realized the weight of the invitations once they received them for the Divine Realm Alliance conference.
This was no ordinary gathering of kingdoms.
It was a grand event personally promoted by the gods of the Divine Realm, and even spearheaded by the Asura God King!
Who could secure a seat at this conference, and who could gain the Divine Realm's recognition, would directly shape Douluo Star's future balance of power.
Thus, more and more factions began responding.
Some kings even dispatched envoys ahead of time, bearing precious gifts to the designated conference venue.
Many sects had also begun discussing in secret how to secure the greatest benefits for themselves in the coming storm.
Of course, under the Asura God's special arrangements, certain individuals also received invitations.
Among them were Tang San and his teacher, Yu Xiaogang.
The Asura God clearly had his own plans for these two.
In his view, bringing them into the Divine Realm Alliance's framework would give him two more pawns to use in the future.
As invitations continued to go out, undercurrents began surging throughout Douluo Star.
The Divine Realm Alliance had yet to formally convene its conference, but it had already changed many people's destinies invisibly.
However, while the gods of the Divine Realm were busy consolidating their forces, Spirit Hall had not been idle either.
In Spirit City, deep within Spirit Hall, stood a heavily guarded underground hall.
Countless intricate formation patterns intertwined across its floor and walls, while densely packed runes circulated continuously along fixed paths.
Surges of powerful soul power were channeled into different parts of the formation, ultimately converging into nine pillars of light that soared skyward.
These pillars connected to one another, faintly outlining an enormous shape that enveloped heaven and earth.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Dragon-Trapping Formation!
This was the trump card Spirit Hall had prepared against the gods.
Ever since the Sky Screen began exposing the Divine Realm's actions, Bibi Dong and Spirit Hall's leadership had come to fully recognize reality.
The so-called gods were not lofty beings worthy of everyone's unconditional reverence.
They had desires of their own, and they too would scheme against all living beings for the sake of power.
At times, the mortals they regarded as ants were nothing more than tools they could command at will.
If that was the case, why should Spirit Hall continue looking up to the Divine Realm?
Rather than entrust their fate to the gods' mercy, they would forge the power to oppose the gods with their own hands!
That was why the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Dragon-Trapping Formation had been created.
At that moment, Bibi Dong stood at the center of the formation.
She wore lavish papal robes, her long purple hair falling loosely, yet there was not a trace of a smile on her exquisite face.
Beside Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, the many powerful experts from the Worship Hall, and the Soul Masters responsible for fine-tuning Spirit Hall's formation all wore solemn expressions.
As the final round of soul power testing concluded, a Soul Master responsible for the adjustments quickly stepped forward.
"Your Holiness, after the final round of testing, the formation's overall operation has become stable."
"At our current pace, we need no more than two days to complete all adjustments!"
Hearing this news, Bibi Dong nodded slightly.
Two days!
In just two more days, Spirit Hall would truly be able to launch its plan to resist the gods.
Then, whatever the Divine Realm intended, Spirit Hall would have the confidence to confront it head-on!
Just then, however, a guard hurried into the hall.
"Reporting to Your Holiness!"
"News has arrived from the Divine Realm! The Asura God King has announced preparations to establish the Divine Realm Alliance and will convene the Douluo Star Divine Realm Alliance conference!"
At these words, the entire underground hall fell silent.
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly.
The Divine Realm Alliance?
This news was somewhat beyond her expectations.
But after a brief moment of surprise, she could not help laughing.
Her laughter was quiet at first, then gradually grew clearer.
"Hahaha!"
"The Divine Realm Alliance? What a fine Divine Realm Alliance!"
Bibi Dong raised her head, her eyes brimming with mockery.
"It seems the pressure Huaxia Star has placed on them has already reached such heights."
"Otherwise, with those gods' lofty dispositions, why would they suddenly think of joining forces?"
She slowly turned, sweeping her gaze over everyone in the hall.
"But do they truly wish to unite against a threat, or do they intend to use the alliance as a pretext to seize complete control of Douluo Star?"
"I fear the answer speaks for itself."
In Bibi Dong's view, this so-called Divine Realm Alliance was no benevolent undertaking for the good of all living beings.
The Asura God and the others had never truly cared whether ordinary people lived or died.
They had merely seen the threat posed by Huaxia Star and feared losing control of Douluo Star, which was why they were rushing to consolidate every faction's strength.
In the end, it was still about preserving their own power!
Beside her, Qian Daoliu's expression was equally cold after hearing her words.
"Your Holiness is absolutely right."
"If the Divine Realm truly cared about the people of Douluo Star, how could it have allowed those things to happen in the past?"
"Only now that they feel pressure have they thought to establish an alliance."
The other members of Spirit Hall's leadership nodded as well.
To them now, the gods no longer possessed the unshakable authority they once had.
The Sky Screen's revelations had gradually exposed the Divine Realm's true face beneath its sacred halo.
And the power Huaxia Star displayed had shown them another path.
A path where they could possess great power without relying on the gods!
Bibi Dong's smile faded as she looked back toward the center of the formation.
"If they wish to establish an alliance, let them."
"Our own work will proceed as planned."
"In no more than two days, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Dragon-Trapping Formation must be fully fine-tuned."
"When that time comes, I would like to see whether these self-proclaimed lofty gods can still keep looking down upon all living beings!"
By the end, her voice had abruptly turned cold.
An immense pressure of soul power spread outward, making the surrounding formation patterns glow faintly.
Everyone answered in unison.
"We shall obey Your Holiness's command!"
Spirit Hall continued following its established plan, preparing its resistance against the gods amid a flurry of activity.
Meanwhile, news of the Divine Realm Alliance had spread throughout Douluo Star.
A conference that would change the continent's balance of power awaited the arrival of its various factions.
The gods' schemes, Spirit Hall's resistance, and Huaxia Star's steadily growing strength were gradually weaving into a vast net that enveloped all of Douluo Star.
Yet at that moment, the Sky Screen did not continue showing the Divine Realm Alliance's activities.
While countless people on both planets were still discussing the gods, a new voice once again resounded across the heavens.
[The previous comparison of military strength and war potential has concluded for now.] [Next, a new round of comparison begins!] [This round's subject: the two planets' capacity to support their people's livelihoods!]
As the voice faded, the people of Douluo Star who had been discussing the Divine Realm Alliance immediately turned their attention back to the Sky Screen.
Capacity to support livelihoods? What was that supposed to mean?
Across the Douluo Continent, many ordinary people exchanged bewildered looks, confusion written all over their faces.
A middle-aged man in coarse cloth clothing could not help scratching his head.
"I understand military strength. Isn't that just whose army is tougher and whose weapons are stronger?"
"But how do you measure this capacity to support livelihoods?"
An elderly man beside him was equally lost in a fog.
"Could it mean comparing the number of Soul Masters? Or which kingdom has more powerful experts?"
"No, that can't be right. Since the Sky Screen singled out livelihoods, it must mean something else."
As more and more people joined the discussions, the major cities of Douluo Star sank into a brief spell of confusion.
Even the Soul Masters who normally prided themselves on their broad knowledge could not accurately grasp this unfamiliar term.
After all, in their previous understanding, a nation's strength was usually determined by its number of Soul Masters, its military might, and the resources held by its nobles and royal family.
As for ordinary people's lives, what was there worth comparing specifically?
To many Soul Masters, it was enough that the country functioned normally and ordinary people paid their taxes on time.
But the Sky Screen clearly did not intend to leave them confused.
Soon, a clear explanation appeared before everyone's eyes.
[Capacity to support livelihoods, as the name suggests, primarily compares the commercial prosperity of the two planets' respective civilizations, along with clothing, food, housing, transportation, and other aspects closely tied to ordinary people's lives.] [Living standards, social productive capacity, basic provisions, and everyday convenience will all be important subjects of this round's comparison!]
The moment this explanation appeared, the major cities of Douluo Star grew much quieter.
Clothing, food, housing, and transportation!
These four things sounded as simple as could be.
Yet for the vast majority of ordinary people on the Douluo Continent, they were four great mountains pressing firmly upon their shoulders.
How many people toiled their entire lives just to give their families a full meal?
And how many began running themselves ragged in their youth, only to reach gray-haired old age without ever owning a home that truly belonged to them?
As for travel, many ordinary people did not even dare dream of it.
To them, livelihoods were no profound, unfathomable theory.
They meant whether there was enough food when they opened their eyes each morning.
They meant whether a month of hard labor could earn their family a new piece of clothing.
They meant whether they could receive treatment in time when they fell ill.
And they meant whether their children could have a broader road ahead of them than their parents had.
These were the things truly bound up with their lives.
For a time, complicated expressions appeared on the faces of many people on Douluo Star.
It was not that they did not know their lives were hard.
It was simply that, over so many years, such a life had already become habitual.
Merely staying alive consumed most of their energy.
As for improving their lives, that seemed like something only the noble lords needed to consider.
Moreover, although the Douluo Continent possessed the special power system of Soul Masters, their existence did not mean ordinary people could enjoy prosperous lives as a result.
On the contrary, in many places, ordinary people still had to farm and labor using the most primitive methods just to scrape by.
The Soul Masters who wielded powerful soul power usually set their sights on higher realms.
They pursued Soul Rings, Soul Bones, cultivation, and status, but few truly cared whether the fields yielded abundant harvests or whether the people in the streets had enough to eat.
Thus, when the Sky Screen explicitly announced a comparison of livelihoods, many ordinary people instead felt somewhat at a loss.
They did not know what they should hope for.
Some even instinctively assumed that this round of comparison would probably still have nothing to do with them.
Yet while ordinary people felt uneasy, the kings and nobles traveling to the Divine Realm Alliance conference appeared exceptionally confident.
Lavishly decorated carriages traveled along broad roads.
Inside the carriages, kings and noble representatives from the various kingdoms gathered together, discussing the comparison the Sky Screen had just announced.
"Capacity to support livelihoods?"
After hearing the explanation, one king could not help laughing aloud.
"I thought it was something extraordinary. So it is merely a comparison of the common people's food, clothing, and daily expenses."
"Could our Douluo Continent possibly lose to some foreign planet in such matters?"
Another noble immediately chimed in.
"Exactly! Commerce on Douluo Star has always flourished. Our major cities are lined with shops and filled with countless treasures."
"What is more, the existence of Soul Masters is itself Douluo Star's greatest advantage."
"As long as Soul Masters stand guard, caravans can be protected and cities can remain stable. Naturally, the people can live in peace and prosper!"
These words carried quite an air of conviction.
After hearing them, the surrounding nobles all showed their agreement.
In their eyes, although Huaxia Star had displayed considerable technological power that left them astonished, Douluo Star would not necessarily fall behind when it came to living conditions and commerce.
After all, the Douluo Continent had a long history, frequent trade between its kingdoms, and no shortage of bustling markets in its towns and cities.
As for Huaxia Star's so-called Giant Wheat...
Although they had heard of such a thing, they did not believe a single high-yield crop could change the balance of people's livelihoods between the two planets.
"Exactly!"
The king who had spoken first spoke again.
"No one on our Douluo Continent has ever starved to death!"
"As for this so-called commercial prosperity, we have every confidence in that as well!"
His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement throughout the carriage.
Every one of them was brimming with confidence, as though they could already see Douluo Star gaining the upper hand in this comparison.
Yet these kings and nobles seemed to have forgotten one thing.
Who, exactly, did the prosperity they saw belong to?
How many ordinary people could actually set foot inside those shops filled with treasures?
And what did those lavishly decorated palaces have to do with the farmers toiling in the fields?
The people in the carriage clearly paid little heed to these questions.
To their minds, as long as the nobles lived in plenty and commerce flourished in the cities, that was enough to prove there was nothing wrong with people's livelihoods on Douluo Star.
However, what the Sky Screen intended to show was clearly more than this surface prosperity.
Just as the many kings and nobles were confidently making their bold declarations, a new scene finally appeared on the Sky Screen.
And this time, the scene focused on none other than Huaxia Star!
At that moment, countless people on Huaxia Star had already gathered in city squares, along streets, and before public screens, waiting for the Sky Screen's next display.
Unlike the apprehensive people of Douluo Star, the residents of Huaxia Star appeared exceptionally calm.
They had witnessed their civilization's journey from a single planet into the vast sea of stars, and had seen countless powerful mechanical creations emerge from factories with their own eyes.
To them, the Sky Screen's upcoming comparison was not some frightening trial.
It was an opportunity to showcase the depth of Huaxia Star's civilization!
High in the vast heavens, Chen Tian continued to command Huaxia Star, looking down upon this planet brimming with life.
Sensing that the Sky Screen was about to begin a new round of comparisons, he slowly raised his head, without the slightest trace of panic in his eyes.
Instead, a faint smile appeared on his imposing face.
"People's livelihoods?"
Chen Tian softly repeated the phrase.
The next moment, he looked toward Huaxia Star's thriving cities, its boundless farmlands, and the ordinary people busy at their respective posts.
Then his voice rang out through the Sky Screen, reaching the ears of countless people on both planets with perfect clarity.
"Comparing people's livelihoods?"
"What a joke!"
"Our Huaxia Star places the greatest importance on those very words: 'people's livelihoods'!"