Inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, during the morning court session, all the ministers knelt on the ground, pleading with Xue Qinghe. They had come to beg the Heaven Dou Empire to make peace with the Spirit Hall. However, Xue Qinghe, the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, simply watched them quietly, his face expressionless and unmoved.
"Your Majesty, the Spirit Hall and my Heaven Dou Empire have been fighting for a long time, and the bloodshed is deep. Today, our dynasty is willing to turn hostility into friendship and restore our old Spirit Hall." The Prime Minister, supporting his trembling knees, bowed his head and pleaded.
Xue Qinghe's gaze swept across the faces of each minister before he slowly spoke, "Make peace? How can my Heaven Dou Empire easily submit?" His voice was not loud, but it sounded like a heart of stone, echoing in the hall.
The atmosphere in the court instantly became heavy. Xue Qinghe's words were like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of every minister. They knew that their emperor was also unwilling to see the current situation of widespread suffering, but due to the so-called "dignity," he would not easily admit defeat in this battle.
The Prime Minister looked at Xue Qinghe's face, his heart tightening. He knew that their Emperor was a man who would give everything for the country and the people. He took a deep breath and decided to try one more time.
"Your Majesty," the Prime Minister's voice trembled slightly, "The war has lasted for five years. Although our Heaven Dou Empire is valiant, it too has its limits. If we can make peace with the Spirit Hall, we will have more time to restore our national strength and prepare for future challenges."
"This matter was decided by the ministers. We hope Your Majesty will agree, and the official responsible for recording historical events will not be blamed for this. We beg Your Majesty to agree to peace talks!"
"Your Majesty, please agree to peace talks!"
As the Prime Minister finished speaking, the other ministers echoed his sentiments.
Finally, Xue Qinghe stood up. His gaze swept across the hall, finally settling on the Prime Minister's face. His voice, though still calm, carried a barely perceptible tremor. "Very well. In that case, let's make peace with the Spirit Hall."
"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers shouted in unison. Their voices echoed throughout the hall, seemingly filled with boundless joy and gratitude. Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, then sighed and sat back on the dragon throne, as if his words had exhausted all his strength.
Meanwhile, outside the main hall, the news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Heaven Dou Empire. People discussed and celebrated excitedly. They knew that this long war was finally coming to an end. In the days to come, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall began peace negotiations. Both sides showed great sincerity, hoping to reach a lasting peace agreement.
Unsurprisingly, the Heaven Dou Empire, being the weaker party in the peace negotiations, ended up ceding territory and paying reparations, just like the Star Luo Empire.
Ceding territory and paying reparations became an inevitable choice. Everyone was filled with pain and helplessness, knowing that this represented the decline of the Heaven Dou Empire. But people also knew that if the war was not ended soon, the country's people's livelihood would suffer even more.
And so, peace returned to the Douluo Continent. A year passed quickly, and on such an ordinary day, a figure in red robes appeared in the Douluo Continent.
"Is this the Dragon God's home planet? This is my first time here." The man in red robes had a deep gaze as he swept over this unfamiliar land, sensing the mysterious aura permeating the air.
"First, find my fragmented soul and complete the Asura's Eight Trials. Hmph, Jun Yi, today I will surely kill you to quell the hatred in my heart."
He then transformed into a streak of red light and appeared within the Clear Sky Sect's headquarters in an instant.
At this moment, Tang San was diligently cultivating his Soul Power, and no one in the entire sect noticed the presence of the red-robed figure.
"Successor, follow me to slay Jun Yi."
Tang San suddenly opened his eyes and found a middle-aged man standing beside him, his face cold and stern.
He was dressed in a red robe, mysterious and majestic. His eyes were as deep as the sea, as if they could see through everything, and there were golden runes on his forehead, shimmering with a mysterious light. "You are, Senior Asura God?!" Tang San instantly recognized the person in front of him as the Asura God had inherited his Godhood, and immediately knelt down.
"Successor, I am no longer the Asura God. My divine Godhood has been sealed within the temple. Once you complete the Asura Nine Trials, you will become the next Asura God," the Asura God said slowly.
"My name is Lu Tian. I have come here to assist you in killing Jun Yi and completing the Asura's Eight Trials," the Asura God said slowly.
"So, the Lu Tian the Asura's Eight Trials, Lu Tian, was you." Tang San felt an immense surge of joy.
The sudden arrival of Lu Tian surprised and delighted him. He understood that this was a golden opportunity; with Lu Tian's assistance, he was certain he could kill Jun Yi. "Senior, please guide me," Tang San said, kneeling on the ground with a determined look in his eyes. The Asura God nodded, raised his hand, and pointed to the sky. Instantly, a beam of light appeared in his hand, containing a golden rune that shimmered with a mysterious light, seemingly possessing boundless power.
The rune instantly entered Tang San's brow, Tang San instantly began his breakthrough from level 84 Soul Douluo.
It stopped at level 85, level 88, and finally level 90.
Then, a ninth blood-red Soul Ring condensed on Tang San's body. In the blink of an eye, it was attached to Tang San's body, and Tang San's Soul Power directly reached level 99. He was only one step away from becoming a god.
"Senior, this..."
Tang San stared at the Asura God in shock, the turmoil in his heart beyond words. He never imagined that he would reach such a powerful level in just one day. The Asura God smiled slightly and said softly, "My successor, your path ahead is still long. Only now are you qualified to be my successor. Now, you should go and find Jun Yi." Tang San took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
A resolute light shone in his eyes as he nodded to the Asura God and said, "Senior, I understand." The Asura God smiled and nodded. He slowly raised his hand, and a powerful energy surged from his palm. Tang San and the Asura God instantly transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and disappearing into the endless night.
Shortly after the two left, Ning Fengzhi slowly opened Tang San's door, picked up a box-like object from the table, and channeled his Soul Power into it.
Tang San and the Asura God's voices appeared again, and Ning Fengzhi learned of their plan.
(End of this chapter)