A Slap Across a Loving Mother's Face!

"Your Majesty, our disciples from the Tang Sect's Agility Hall have discovered that all Spirit Hall within the Silves Kingdom are currently closed to the public. Our investigation revealed that all Spirit Hall are deserted, and all Soul Master have secretly evacuated to the capital of the Balak Kingdom!"

Inside the main hall of the Heaven Dou Empire's palace, the speaker was Elder Agility Hall of the Tang Sect, Bai He, known as the fastest pure agility-type Soul Master in the world. Ever since the Spirit Hall launched a surprise attack on the Balak Kingdom and captured it, Xue Beng had also quickly dispatched Marshal Ge Long to the Silves Kingdom to guard against the Spirit Hall's next attack on the Heaven Dou Empire's vassal kingdoms.

Xue Beng nodded, thinking to himself, "The power of the Tang Sect established by our teacher is indeed not to be underestimated. These Agility Hall disciples are truly born to be scouts."

"I'm in trouble with Elder Bai He. I also request that the disciples of the Tang Sect's Agility Hall continue to monitor the Bai He Spirit Hall's every move. If there is any news, please inform me immediately so that I can formulate a response."

Bai He nodded and withdrew. The tall and imposing Tai Tan stepped forward, bowed, and addressed Xue Beng: "Your Majesty, the Spirit Hall is now simultaneously attacking two great empires. Their purpose is obvious. At least 70% of the Soul Master on the continent belong to the Spirit Hall. Now that they have occupied the Balak Kingdom, the disadvantage of ordinary soldiers' lack of skill has been compensated. I suggest sending someone to the Star Luo Empire to join forces with them, so that the two empires can work together to fight against the Spirit Hall."

"Elder Tai Tan, you may not know this, but we have already discussed this matter before. The Blue Dragon King secretly set off for the Star Luo Empire some time ago, and judging by the time, he should have arrived in Star Luo City by now."

How could Xue Beng forget this? His original plan was to wait for the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire to weaken each other so that he could profit from the situation, eliminate the Spirit Hall in one fell swoop, and then annex the Star Luo Empire, which was severely damaged. However, now that the Spirit Hall was able to fight the Star Luo Empire while also having the power to attack their Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Beng's plan had changed.

"However, it's not a big deal. The remaining forces of the Spirit Hall were barely able to occupy the Balak Kingdom. I don't believe they can break through the Silves Kingdom, which is personally defended by Marshal Ge Long. Now we just wait for news from the Blue Dragon King. When that happens, I, Xue Beng, will accomplish a feat that none of my predecessors could achieve, and become an emperor for all time!"

Xue Beng's face was expressionless, but his mind was already imagining how things would unfold, as if he had already foreseen the scene when he would become the supreme ruler of the continent.

"This is???"

Qian Renxue flew at an extremely fast speed, quickly arriving above Spirit City from the border of the Star Luo Empire. At that moment, it seemed that some kind of festival was being held in the city, with the entire population immersed in an atmosphere of excitement and elation. She tried to recall the date, but realized that today didn't seem to be a festival at all. So what was going on?

"What is Bibi Dong this, can't she just give me a break?"

Looking down from the sky, one could vaguely see the Pope's Palace below. Bibi Dong was standing beneath a huge Angel Statue, holding the scepter symbolizing the Pope's majesty. She had changed into a new set of armor-like clothes, which made her look even more powerful. At this moment, she seemed to be passionately speaking to the kneeling crowd below.

"Waaaaah!!!"

Armored soldiers on either side of the Pope's Palace blew their huge horns, the inspiring sound echoing throughout the area in the Pope's Palace. After a while, the horns stopped blowing, but the crowd, spurred on by the sound, was already filled with excitement.

"People of the Spirit Hall, you are the proudest elite of the Spirit Hall, and also the warriors who protect the peace of this continent. For many years, the two great empires have ravaged this beautiful continent, leaving it scarred and filled with resentment. Now, the Star Luo Empire has even risked its reputation by colluding with Evil Soul Master. In order to ensure the long-term peace and stability of the Douluo Continent and to rescue the people from their suffering, today, the Spirit Hall will, in accordance with the will of Heaven, formally establish itself as a nation, with Pope Bibi Dong assuming the position of the first empress of the empire!"

Bibi Dong's voice was incredibly moving, and combined with the lingering excitement of the crowd after the bugle call, the people Pope's Palace knelt down, shouting, "Long live His Majesty!!! Long live the Spirit Hall Empire!!!"

As the crowd's excitement subsided slightly, Bibi Dong spoke again, "At the same time, I will bestow upon Hu Liena, who is currently carrying out the extermination of the Evil Soul Master organization Holy Spirit Cult, the Holy Maiden of Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall Empire. She will have the authority to mobilize all the Empire's troops, as well as all Imperial Soul Master except those in the Worship Hall!"

Thump!

Just then, a golden streak of light suddenly fell from the sky and slammed into the ground in front of the Pope's Palace. The enormous impact of the falling light kicked up a cloud of dust and shattered the floorboards.

Before the dust had completely settled, Qian Renxue's furious voice rang out. "Bibi Dong, what are you doing? What time is it now? You're still building a country here for your own selfish reasons? Do you even know what the situation is like on the border of the Star Luo Empire right now?"

Bibi Dong frowned, but did not get angry; her tone remained calm. "Elder Qian Renxue, you were the one who volunteered to go to the Star Luo Empire's border to provide assistance. How come you're here now? Did you abandon your companions? Or..."

The sudden appearance of Qian Renxue angered Bibi Dong. Although she found it absurd, she was still worried about the people on the border of the Star Luo Empire, especially with Yu Tianshuang and Hu Liena flashing through her mind. Could it be? Putting aside Nana, with Yu Tianshuang's strength, how could she be troubled by a mere 500,000 troops? Could it be that experts from the Holy Spirit Cult have been dispatched?

Thinking of this, Bibi Dong's previously calm tone suddenly became agitated, and the aura of a level 99 Peerless Douluo emanated from her as she stared intently at Qian Renxue, who was glaring at her. "Tell me, why did you come back? How are Yu... Nana and the others?!"

Seeing her mother so anxious about Hu Liena, Qian Renxue felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of loss. Her expression darkened, and she scoffed, "Ha, so you're not heartless after all. You do have people you care about. What, getting anxious now? Keep building your country, keep inspiring people, keep using grand pretexts to accomplish your..."

"Smack..."

Qian Renxue spoke with a hint of self-mockery, but before she could finish, Bibi Dong appeared before her, slapping her hard across the beautiful cheek, leaving a bright red handprint. Then, Qian Renxue Bibi Dong's killing intent surged, her Divine Slaughter's Domain instantly expanding. Staring at the tearful Qian Renxue, she said, "I don't have time for your nonsense. You'd better tell me the important thing: how are Nana and the others? Did the Holy Spirit Cult send out experts? They..."

Before Bibi Dong could finish speaking, Qian Renxue raised her hand to touch the burning pain on her face. Suddenly, a burst of golden light erupted from her body, pushing Bibi Dong back a few steps. Then, she flew into the sky, leaving behind the words, "Your precious disciple is doing very well!"

"You!!!"

Bibi Dong never expected that Qian Renxue would dare to defy her. Caught off guard, she was escaped by Qian Renxue, who was only at the Soul Douluo level. She wanted to chase after her, but a complicated look flashed in her eyes. She just gritted her teeth and watched her fly towards the direction of the Worship Hall.

She knew that although Qian Renxue was willful, she wouldn't act childishly on such important matters, so she breathed a sigh of relief. But after thinking about it, she still felt uneasy. Her sudden return must mean something had happened. "Everyone, let's end today's business here!" she said to the bewildered crowd below, then transformed into a purple streak of light and flew towards the border of the Star Luo Empire.

Upon arriving at the Worship Hall and seeing her grandfather's imposing figure, Qian Renxue felt a warmth in her heart. Looking at Qian Daoliu, who seemed to have been waiting for her for a long time, Qian Renxue wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said with a hint of grievance, "Grandpa..."

Qian Daoliu turned around, looking at the red mark on Qian Renxue's cheek with some heartache. He raised his hand and released a warm golden light onto her cheek, and the bright red handprint disappeared in just a moment.

Qian Daoliu sighed, his tone somewhat complicated, and said, "Xiao Xue, you shouldn't have contradicted her in front of so many people. No matter what, she is now the Empress of a country, and also your own mother..."

Qian Renxue nodded somewhat indifferently, giving a perfunctory reply. Then, with a solemn expression, she recounted in detail what had happened on the border of the Star Luo Empire to Qian Daoliu, and waited expectantly for her omnipotent grandfather to tell her how to resolve the situation.

Qian Daoliu straightened up, his gaze passing through the gate of the Worship Hall, looking into the distance. His eyes seemed to be recalling something, appearing so profound. After a long while, he sighed and said to Qian Renxue, "Alas... how many years have passed? The Holy Spirit Cult has actually resorted to such heinous and evil arts again. The black humanoid monster you mentioned Mammon. It's a monster created by the Holy Spirit Cult using secret techniques to fuse the blood and souls of living people. I saw it when I was still a Soul Emperor. I never expected it to reappear today."

At that time, he was just a young Soul Master in the Spirit Hall. It just so happened that the Evil Soul Master organization, the Holy Spirit Cult, was wreaking havoc on the continent. All the forces on the continent united to fight against the Holy Spirit Cult, which left an indelible impression on him. Although the battle ended with the Holy Spirit Cult being almost wiped out and the Evil Soul Master disappearing from the continent, he could never forget those terrifying monsters.

Qian Renxue thought of the vanished 200,000-strong army, and a terrifying thought suddenly arose in her mind: Could it be that these Mammon were created by the Holy Spirit Cult from the ordinary people of those 200,000 soldiers? This... this is truly too cruel and inhumane...

Seemingly understanding Qian Renxue's thoughts, Qian Daoliu sighed deeply again and said, "You're right. According to your description, the Mammon that appeared this time is far stronger than the one I saw before. Although I don't know why, it seems that the Holy Spirit Cult intends to send these ordinary soldiers to the battlefield. The purpose should be to refine an even more powerful Mammon."

"As for those Soul Master Entanglement deathly aura, they weren't bewitched as you said. They've been transformed into soulless puppets. Their souls have been extracted and used as nourishment for Evil Soul Master. Their bodies are now nothing more than killing dolls, and there's no way to save them..."

Every word Qian Daoliu uttered weighed heavily on Qian Renxue's already troubled heart, making it even more so. Thinking of those innocent soldiers, she could no longer control her guilt, especially since she had previously slaughtered so many people under the guise of eradicating heretics.

Is there really no way?

Qian Daoliu knew his beloved granddaughter couldn't accept this situation right now, but he still needed to let her know reality so she could grow up. He patted her head and said, "No matter how powerful I am, I'm still just a human. Perhaps the gods have a way..."

Qian Renxue understood what her grandfather meant. She had stagnated in the Angel God Trial for too long. Indeed, if she had already inherited the Godhood, perhaps with the authority of the Angel God, she could still find a way to redeem those people, but now...

"That brat..."

Although Bibi Dong's level 99 Soul Power was restricted due to the Rakshasa God Trial, her flight speed was still extremely fast. Accompanied by bursts of sonic booms, she quickly arrived at the border of the Star Luo Empire. From the sky, the first thing that caught her eye was a huge ice wall forming a circle. Seeing this, her heart, which had been filled with anxiety and tension all the way, immediately relaxed.

"This is..."

Her flight speed unconsciously slowed down. When she appeared above the ice wall formation, she saw that the dark, humanoid monsters she had never seen before were relentlessly smashing the thick ice wall. The soil beneath their feet had turned into black scorched earth. The whole scene looked like hell. Even the successor of the Rakshasa God couldn't help but gasp when she saw this.

Seeing the purple figure appear in the sky, Hu Liena excitedly shouted, "Teacher!"

"Greetings, Your His Holiness the Pope..."

When Bibi Dong landed and examined Hu Liena, who was unharmed but looked somewhat tired, the elite Soul Master from the New Seven Great Sects and the Spirit Hall all bowed in salute.

Bibi Dong waved her hand, roughly counted the number of people, and found that it seemed that no one was missing. She nodded in satisfaction, "Hmm... no need for formalities."

This brat is actually quite reliable; sending him out with Nana was definitely the right decision. But thinking of the hellish scene outside, his face darkened again, and he asked Hu Liena, "Um... no need for formalities, Nana, what's going on? Those... those monsters outside..."

After listening to Hu Liena's description, Bibi Dong's expression became even more serious. The Holy Spirit Cult was even more troublesome than she had imagined. The Martial Spirit Hall Empire had no manpower left to spare. The Snake Lance of the Balak Kingdom could not be touched, and those sent to reinforce the defense could not be withdrawn. As a result, the Balak Kingdom's defensive strength was insufficient, and it would be reoccupied by the counterattacking Heaven Dou Empire.

She had originally planned to increase her basic military strength by using the vassal states and kingdoms around the Spirit Hall Empire as a foundation after the establishment of the two great empires. She had calculated that the Star Luo Empire had the most elite troops, and that some of them could be transferred to the battlefield of the Heaven Dou Empire. But now it seems that the Holy Spirit Cult is indeed worthy of being the number one Evil Soul Master organization on the continent, and its foundation has exceeded her imagination.

After pondering for a while, Bibi Dong suddenly thought of something, glanced around, and said, "Where's that brat Yu Tianshuang? Where is he? Where did he run off to..."