Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng's aura suddenly froze, and his usually arrogant eyes now blazed with a burning light.
He took a sudden step forward and bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty's talent and ambition are Tian Heng admirable!" He raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Xue Qinghe. "Although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan resides in a remote corner, it also yearns for a day when the continent can truly enjoy peace. If Your Majesty intends to unify this continent and sweep away those barriers of division, Yu Tianheng is willing to swear in the name of his family that from this day forward, he will follow Your Highness's lead without question!"
At this point, he clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from the force. "As long as Your Majesty gives the order, I will gladly pave the way for Your Highness. This chaotic world deserves someone to step forward and end it long ago—I firmly believe Your Majesty can accomplish this great task!"
Xue Qinghe was very satisfied with Yu Tianheng's words.
After the morning assembly.
Xue Qinghe left Yu Tianheng alone.
As the surrounding officials retreated to the palace gate, they all cast meaningful glances at him—the emperor's private conversation with Divine Martial King was an honor that clearly demonstrated his trust and reliance on him.
Some people secretly marveled at Yu Tianheng's favor with the emperor, while others speculated about the important matter the two were about to discuss, until the palace doors slowly closed, shutting out all prying eyes.
Yu Tianheng stood there with his eyes lowered, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edges of the jade pendant at his waist.
What others saw as "favor" was, in his eyes, nothing more than the prelude to a scheme. He knew all too well that beneath the gentle-looking " Xue Qinghe " lay the shadow of Qian Renxue.
Leaving him alone was no casual conversation.
The position of Pope of the Spirit Hall is the position that Qian Renxue truly yearns for. However, if she wants to become Pope, she must give up her identity as the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire. Therefore, before leaving Heaven Dou, she must make thorough arrangements to prevent others from taking her place, otherwise all her previous efforts will be in vain. And she herself, the new master of the " Divine Martial King," is the key piece that she needs to place on the chessboard.
Yu Tianheng raised his eyes, looking at the seemingly calm figure on the dragon throne, and sneered inwardly. Trust? It was nothing but a pretense of mutual benefit. He only needed to wait and see how she would speak, and continue to act out this power transfer drama.
The bright yellow dragon throne made Xue Qinghe's face appear even more gentle. He lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertips, his gaze falling on Yu Tianheng below the steps, and slowly spoke, "Now that the rebellion has been quelled, Heaven Dou has finally been unified, and the ten provinces within the territory have been completely incorporated into the imperial map. Government orders are being implemented smoothly, and the people's hearts are gradually at ease. This is ultimately a good thing."
His words carried a sense of relief, as if the dust had settled, yet they also concealed an unyielding sharpness.
Yu Tianheng lowered his eyes and nodded, his voice steady as iron. "Your Majesty is right, this is indeed a good start." When he looked up, his golden pupils reflected the dragon-patterned ceiling of the palace. "But this is only the beginning. As for the unification of the continent, the road ahead is still long."
After a brief pause, his tone became even more serious. "Right now, we only have two enemies standing in our way."
"Firstly, the Star Luo Empire." Yu Tianheng paused, his voice carrying an undeniable certainty, "As an ancient and established empire, their pool of Soul Master and military strength are likely far superior to our Heaven Dou, making them far from being easily shaken."
After all, the Star Luo Empire's method of selecting an emperor was much more brutal than that of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Generally speaking, taking the eldest prince's age as a reference, only princes within ten years of his age have a chance to participate in the struggle for the throne, and their Innate Soul Power must exceed level six to be eligible to compete.
When the youngest of the eligible princes reaches the age of 25, they will engage in a life-or-death struggle. Only the strongest among them can survive and inherit the throne, while the loser will either be executed or have their Soul Power stripped and be imprisoned for life.
The emperor chosen in such a bloody manner must have been exceptional in both mind and ability.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, although there were bloody battles for the throne in history, the eldest son of the legitimate wife generally inherited the throne, while the other princes were granted the title of prince and assisted the emperor in governing the country, which was relatively peaceful.
For an empire, the strength of its emperor is a crucial factor in its national power. Therefore, for a long time, none of the emperors of the Star Luo Empire have been mediocre; they have all been ruthless and cunning rulers. In contrast, while the Heaven Dou Empire also has wise rulers, their overall quality is far inferior to that of the Star Luo Empire.
It can be said that, in the Douluo Continent, the Star Luo Empire is generally stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire.
In terms of land area, the Star Luo Empire is the largest country on the Douluo Continent, with a territory one-third larger than that of the Heaven Dou Empire. This larger territory means that it has advantages in terms of population and resources.
In terms of Soul Master strength, the Star Luo Imperial Family Martial Soul is the White Tiger, which makes them naturally warlike. Moreover, their succession system is cruel, with princes determining the heir to the throne through life-or-death battles. This makes the rulers of the Star Luo Empire often very powerful.
The number of Soul Master in the Star Luo Empire far exceeds that of the Heaven Dou Empire. Furthermore, the Star Luo Imperial Family has a close relationship with the Zhu Family, and their Martial Soul can form a powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill Hell White Tiger. The Hell White Tiger at the Soul Douluo level can make Titled Douluo wary.
In addition, the Clear Sky Sect in the world, had been supporting the Star Luo Empire before its retirement, which also added a lot of high-level combat power to the Star Luo Empire.
The Heaven Dou Empire's royal family possesses the Swan as their martial Martial Soul, and its members generally have poor cultivation potential, resulting in relatively weak overall strength.
Of the Upper Three Sects, only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect supports the Heaven Dou Empire, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan remains neutral, and the Clear Sky Sect supports the Star Luo Empire.
If it weren't for the Spirit Hall interfering, the Star Luo Empire would have destroyed the Heaven Dou Empire long ago and then unified the continent.
In some ways, the Heaven Dou Empire should thank the Spirit Hall for its existence.
Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe's lips curled into a meaningful smile, and he slowly nodded. "You're right, the Star Luo Empire is indeed a tough nut to crack." He lightly traced the armrest of the dragon throne with his fingertips, his tone carrying a hint of casual certainty, "But there's no need to be overly wary."
"On the surface, they have a larger territory, a stronger army, and their royal White Tiger Martial Soul is indeed ferocious." Xue Qinghe raised his eyes to look at Yu Tianheng, a hint of Qian Renxue's coldness flashing deep in his gaze. "But they've forgotten that sitting in this chair has never been just Xue Qinghe from Heaven Dou."
"Behind me is the entire Spirit Hall." His voice suddenly turned deep, carrying an undeniable pressure. "When it really comes to tearing off all pretenses, with the Heaven Dou's iron cavalry combined with the Spirit Hall's power, how long can Star Luo Empire's meager resources last? Destroying them might not be that difficult."
The air in the hall seemed to freeze with his words; his voice, though gentle, revealed an ambition to overturn the entire continent.