Tales of the Douluo Continent, Part One

In the fourth year of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the people lived in peace and prosperity, and all walks of life developed well. The Douluo Continent was developing towards a thriving state.

Since the Soul Master Tournament ended nine years ago, the Heaven Dou Empire has launched a full-scale war against the Star Luo Empire.

After the Soul Master Tournament, the Star Luo Empire's team, including the two crown princes, Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai, was attacked by a group of mysterious powerful figures, and all the guards were killed in battle.

Dai Weisi, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuyun were captured alive.

Afterwards, Qian Renxue held a rally at the foot of Heaven Dou City, detailing the various atrocities committed by the Star Luo Empire while the Heaven Dou Empire was weak, including the seizure of the Heaven Dou Empire's territory and the wanton slaughter of the Heaven Dou Empire's citizens.

Qian Renxue: People of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire has now emerged from the shadows and recovered, and is now reclaiming the territories seized by the Star Luo Empire...

Qian Renxue's speech was melodious and immersive, igniting the fighting spirit and anger of the people.

Finally, at the height of his power, he pushed out Dai Mubai, Dai Weisi, and Zhu Zhuyun, and in front of everyone, he chopped off their heads as a sacrifice to the flag. Afterwards, he announced that the Heaven Dou Empire was now at war with the Star Luo Empire.

Furthermore, they attributed all the credit for capturing the three of them to Xue Beng, claiming that Prince Xue Beng led an attack on the Star Luo Imperial Family's entourage and captured the three of them alive.

In this battle, Xue Beng deserves the greatest credit.

Xue Beng: It wasn't me, don't talk nonsense, I didn't do it.

The Star Luo Empire, upon learning that the Heaven Dou Empire had declared war on them and even beheaded their two crown princes, could hardly tolerate it.

Given the Star Luo Empire's volatile temper, on the very same day it submitted its declaration of war, it conquered seven cities belonging to the Heaven Dou Empire.

They slaughtered all the soldiers and civilians in the city to appease the spirits of the two crown princes Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai.

The news quickly spread throughout the continent, and the great war between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire began, with both sides vowing to fight to the death.

I'm putting this out there: one of us has to fall ill today.

The Star Luo Empire's military strength is greater than that of the Heaven Dou Empire, but the Heaven Dou Empire's Soul Master strength is greater than that of the Star Luo Empire.

Many sects and Soul Master families have settled in the Heaven Dou Empire. The Heaven Dou Empire is never stingy with titles, power and money to win over powerful Soul Master.

Originally, due to the Battle of Heaven Dou City, the Heaven Dou Empire's high-level Soul Master were no match for those of the Star Luo Empire, and the Empire was in a state of decline from which it could do nothing.

However, the nation's strength has now been fully restored, and it has also received strong support from the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The middle-level Soul Master have also been replenished, and its strength has even reached a new level.

On paper, the Heaven Dou Empire, along with its numerous duchies and kingdoms, has surpassed the Star Luo Empire, but not to the point of overwhelming dominance. It is certainly impossible for these two behemoths to determine a victor in the short term; their battle will undoubtedly last for years.

However, within a year, both sides deployed more than two million troops directly to the battlefield. If logistical support is included, each side had more than seven or eight million people involved in the war. The combined population of the two sides exceeded fifteen million, and more than two million soldiers died in the battle.

If we add the laborers and innocent civilians who were also involved, the death toll would exceed ten million.

There are no real winners between the two sides, because both have suffered heavy losses and their national strength is almost outdated.

Just when everyone was losing interest in continuing the fight, the Star Luo Empire dispatched a small team of powerful warriors as a suicide squad, who slaughtered all the members of the Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Family.

This included Prince Xue Beng and Princess Xue Ke. Apart from Xue Qinghe, who was in disguise, the entire Xue clan of the Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Family had been wiped out.

The Heaven Dou Empire was unhappy with this situation.

We must fight! We must continue fighting. Anyone who dares to talk about peace again, I'll kill them first.

There's no way around it. The whole family's been slaughtered. Now you don't want to fight anymore? Are you fucking tired of living?

Now is the time to unite against a common enemy and show loyalty. If you don't consider the emperor's interests now, then later the emperor will have to decide whether to send you to your death or send your whole family to their deaths.

Even the emperor of the Star Luo Empire was bewildered by this situation.

Although neither side has formally started peace talks, both have ceased large-scale clashes, and their subordinates have been exchanging opinions with the other side in private.

Of course, all of this was the result of the tacit approval and hints from both emperors.

The war has progressed to this point, there are no winners anymore, everyone needs to recuperate. Even if the emperor wanted to continue fighting, his generals and soldiers did not.

Therefore, negotiation is the only option for both sides.

In fact, the Star Luo Empire had never stopped assassinating the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. The reason was that back then, Xue Beng, disregarding martial ethics, led his men to bind and sacrifice the two crown princes of the Star Luo Empire as a sacrifice to the flag.

However, with the protection of many powerful figures, the people sent by the Star Luo Empire were like leeks, being harvested one crop after another.

The Star Luo Empire had long lost faith in these "leeks" (victims), treating it merely as a routine task of sending cannon fodder to their deaths. After all, the one who died was the Crown Prince, the closest flesh and blood of His Majesty the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, who had been assassinated.

The subordinates couldn't just stand by and watch the two crown princes die in vain; they had to at least put on a show of it.

But now, just as both sides were preparing for peace talks, things have gone exactly as planned. Should I be happy, or worried, or worried?

This whole thing is incredibly bizarre; normally, those cannon fodder couldn't possibly have done it.

The Star Luo Empire was certain that it had been tricked again, but it was helpless and had to accept it.

You sent the people, didn't you? You set the target, didn't you? And you actually accomplished it. How could you be unjustly accused of this?

So, let's forget about peace talks for now, at least until we've fought a few major battles.

Only when everyone is in pain can we calm down and sit down at the same table to discuss things.

Therefore, the Star Luo Empire had no choice but to temporarily abandon its plans for peace and prepare to face the Heaven Dou Empire's furious retaliation.

Sure enough, the two sides clashed again, and on a massive scale. Both sides launched all-out attacks and engaged in full-scale warfare. In just a few days, every inch of the battlefield, spanning nearly a hundred kilometers, was stained with blood.

Ning Fengzhi: "Your Majesty, we cannot continue fighting. If we continue, the Heaven Dou Empire will perish. Let's take a break for now."

The Wudou faction. "You're talking nonsense! Prince Xue Beng and the entire Imperial Family have been harmed by those Star Luo Empire bastards. If we can't subdue those Star Luo Empire bastards, how can the Heaven Dou Empire have any face to stand on the Douluo Continent?"

The calm faction. "We must fight, but we should plan carefully. We are also facing difficulties right now, and the logistical support is under constant pressure..."