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*****
The dark clouds dissipated, and light once again bathed the land...
Whether it was the Spirit Empire or the entire Douluo Continent, a new beginning awaited them all.
From that day onward, the Spirit Empire quickly ceased its attacks on the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, focusing instead on restoring law and order, targeting the criminals who had wreaked havoc and committed every kind of crime within the empire's borders.
Those who needed to be arrested were taken into custody; those who deserved execution were swiftly dealt with. In the shortest time possible, the once-corrupt atmosphere was quelled.
Meanwhile, the upper echelons of both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire were stunned. The Spirit Empire, which had been steadily pushing them back, suddenly stopped its advance and called off its troops.
Lacking the strength for a large-scale counteroffensive, both empires could only send elite soul masters to cautiously gather information within the Spirit Empire.
What they discovered was shocking: a battle between gods had occurred over the Spirit City. The battle had darkened the skies and caused shockwaves that stretched for miles.
The former Pope of the Spirit Hall, now the Empress of the Spirit Empire, the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong, had fallen at the hands of Wang Li.
But to their surprise, the Spirit Empire still had another god: the Angel God Qian Renxue. Qian Renxue was immensely powerful, and although she fought Wang Li, who had slain Bibi Dong, she was only narrowly defeated in the end.
In the aftermath, both sides reached a reconciliation, and thus the Spirit Empire halted its attacks on the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires.
This was a monumental event—one god had fallen, and Wang Li's strength was indisputable.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, both Xue Beng and Ning Fengzhi were deeply regretful. They believed that Wang Li's victory over Bibi Dong had drained so much of his soul power that he was unable to truly defeat Qian Renxue. Otherwise, the Spirit Empire would have undoubtedly crumbled.
While they continued their speculative musings, the Spirit Empire officially issued a statement: the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong had been the source of chaos and a criminal of the continent, bent on destroying the world.
Now that Bibi Dong was dead, the Spirit Empire would no longer engage in war. The Spirit Empire requested that the emperors of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires send envoys to the border to sign a peace treaty.
Heaven Dou Palace!
Xue Beng was furious upon hearing the Spirit Empire's statement, expressing his dissatisfaction with their decision. He angrily declared:
"If they can start a war whenever they want and end it whenever they choose, it's not that simple. They have gods, and we have gods. With His Majesty the Blue Silver King on our side, we should seize the opportunity to pursue them, destroy the Spirit Empire, and reclaim the territory that belongs to the Heaven Dou Empire."
Looking at Xue Beng's somewhat unrealistic ideas, Ning Fengzhi had a different perspective. He solemnly said:
"Your Majesty, the Blue Silver King did not fight for our sake, but for the people of the continent. That's why he faced Bibi Dong in a battle to the death. Bibi Dong was a god, the Rakshasa God. To kill a god like that must have cost the Blue Silver King an immense amount of energy."
"If we insist on continuing the war, the Blue Silver King will not help us. It's not so easy to make one god fight another in a life-or-death struggle."
"What we should be doing now is signing the peace treaty, focusing on internal development, and strengthening our national power. Anyone who reignites the war will become the enemy of everyone."
After listening to Ning Fengzhi's words, Xue Beng's expression became extremely stiff. He was the emperor, but everything seemed beyond his control, leaving him with a deep sense of dissatisfaction.
Before becoming emperor, he could not act according to his own ideas, and now that he was emperor, he still couldn't do so. Was there any point in being emperor if he couldn't even control his own actions?
"Dammit!"
Xue Beng still fantasized about personally leading the charge to the battlefield, destroying the Spirit Empire, and becoming the savior of the Heaven Dou Empire, making it great once again.
But now that his fantasies had been completely shattered, he recalled the carefree life he had enjoyed as a prince, living in luxury without a care in the world.
Relaxing, he lazily spoke:
"Then let it be. If there's a ceasefire, then there's a ceasefire. Prepare to send envoys to sign the peace treaty."
Ning Fengzhi, observing Xue Beng, keenly noticed the shift in his attitude. He had gone from being aggressive to feeling despondent. How could someone with such a mindset accomplish anything great? Ning Fengzhi thought to himself:
"The emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire really is getting worse with each generation. It looks like I'll have to seek a new path. We can no longer rely on the Heaven Dou royal family for the revival of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Now, apart from the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, there is still the Spirit Empire. It's far from a time of peace. Secluding ourselves in the mountains may not be such a bad idea."
Both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire had agreed to sign the peace treaty.
At this point, it was not that the Spirit Empire was weak and begging for peace; the Spirit Empire remained strong, and the ceasefire provided breathing room for both empires.
With the signing of the peace treaty, the existence of the three great empires became an established fact.
On the surface, the continent returned to peace.
One year later!
The Blue Silver Sect and Blue Silver Academy were officially completed and put into operation. This was a major event, with influential powers from across the continent sending gifts and hoping their disciples would be admitted.
With Wang Li as the headmaster, this place became the safest haven on the continent. Even if the three empires went to war again in the future, this place would be out of harm's way.
Wang Li welcomed all students, and the number of enrollees quickly grew. Blue Silver Academy unquestionably became the most prestigious institution on the continent.
But soon, Wang Li became a hands-off leader, embarking on a journey westward, crossing the vast ocean, and finding a new continent.
This new continent was smaller than Douluo Continent, but it was home to many large and small nations, constantly warring with one another. Entire countries would disappear in the course of battle.
This forced these nations to continuously strengthen their power—by increasing the number of strong individuals and by advancing soul guide technology, allowing lower-level soul masters to unleash power comparable to high-level ones.
Driven by war and survival, this continent had a dazzling soul guide civilization. When Wang Li learned of this, he knew he had come to the right place.
After traveling across the continent, Wang Li chose an empire called Chongming. He infiltrated the royal palace and had a friendly conversation with the Emperor of Chongming, Xu Riyue.
In the end, he successfully traded seven soul bones for a vast amount of soul guide technology, covering everything from core formations to material applications, with great detail.
Having obtained what he wanted, Wang Li returned to Douluo Continent and handed everything over to Lou Gao.
Lou Gao's eyes lit up as he received the information, treating it like a treasure. He worked day and night on his research.
For him, these soul guide technologies were still not as threatening to soul masters as the three hidden weapons, but the intricate core formations fascinated him.
This was an alternative use of soul power, with potential far exceeding that of the Peacock Feather, Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, and the Storm Pear Flower Needle.
After a few days of frantic work, Lou Gao, though covered in dust, excitedly approached Wang Li, showing him the first simple soul guide cannon he had crafted.
Upon seeing the cannon, a smile appeared on Wang Li's face. His efforts hadn't been in vain; he had successfully revived the lost soul guide technology.
(End of Chapter)