Chapter 431: Covenant! Sun Moon Empire?
God Realm, Asura God Temple.
A blood-colored river flowed silently, and the phantom of a blood-colored demonic sword floated in the center of the temple, radiating Divine Might that was murderous to the extreme. The Asura God, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes.
In those eyes, there was no anger, no surprise, only pure coldness.
He raised a hand and pointed.
In the void, the scene that had just occurred on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest slowly appeared.
A Rakshasa Divine Thought descended to the Lower Realm via the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe.
It used a divine technique to sacrifice ten thousand souls.
It tore open the Lower Realm's space, forcibly rescuing the inheritor.
A moment later, the Asura God's eyes turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Rakshasa."
"You have a lot of nerve."
The God Realm has rules; Divinities must not interfere with the struggles of succession in the Lower Realm at will, let alone use divine techniques to forcibly interfere with the mortal order. Inheritors can fight, can lose, and can die.
But if a Divinity's true form or Divine Thought personally enters the fray, that is destroying the order of the God Realm. Furthermore, the Rakshasa God used an evil divine technique like Ten Thousand Souls Substitution, directly sacrificing mortal souls to rescue the inheritor.
This was no longer just a violation.
It was a provocation against the law enforcers of the God Realm.
The Asura God slowly stood up, the blood-colored divine light illuminating the entire temple, and he said angrily, "Since you dare to reach your hand down there."
"Then don't blame this seat for cutting off your hand."
As his words fell, the Asura God took a step, and the blood-colored divine light tore open the void of the God Realm. The direction was none other than the Rakshasa God Temple.
Outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
After the Rakshasa crack closed, a nauseating, cold aura still lingered between heaven and earth.
The purple-black mist slowly dissipated over the battlefield, and large swathes of land polluted by Rakshasa Divine Power remained scorched and cracked. Many Soul Beasts and Spirit Empire Soul Masters stood silently in place, their expressions extremely complex; in the battle just now, they had almost forced Tang San into a dead end.
Tang Chuan, Qian Renxue, and Di Tian joined forces; with the Sea God Trident, Angelic Sacred Sword, and Dragon God Claw attacking simultaneously, Tang San had absolutely no power to resist.
If not for that wisp of the Rakshasa God's remnant soul forcibly descending to interfere, Tang San would have undoubtedly died today. Yet, he still escaped.
Xiong Jun stood on a collapsed patch of land, his Dark Gold Terrorclaw clenched tightly, the claws stabbing deep into the soil, and he said angrily, "That brat got away again!"
His voice was low, suppressing unhideable rage.
"The next time I see him, I will definitely tear his legs off first!"
Chi Wang's three heads simultaneously exhaled scorching breaths, Hell flames churning in their mouths, clearly also angered by Tang San's escape.
Zi Ji stared coldly at the direction where the Rakshasa crack had disappeared and said, "The Rakshasa God personally intervening—this is no longer a struggle of the Lower Realm."
Bi Ji gently flapped her emerald wings, the radiance of life sprinkling onto the injured Soul Beasts and Soul Masters. She did not speak, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. Tang San was already dangerous enough; now that he had the Rakshasa God forcibly protecting him from behind, it would only be harder to kill him next time.
Di Tian transformed into a man in black, standing in the center of the battlefield.
His golden dragon eyes were as deep as an abyss, and not much anger could be seen on his face, but the several Ferocious beasts who were familiar with him knew that the calmer Di Tian was, the heavier the killing intent in his heart.
Tang Chuan gazed in the direction where the Rakshasa crack had disappeared, remaining silent for a long time.
Qian Renxue put away the Angelic Sacred Sword, her golden six wings slowly closing. She glanced at Tang Chuan, then looked at Di Tian, and said calmly, "Since the Rakshasa God has already made a move, the God Realm will not sit idly by."
Di Tian said coldly, "If the God Realm truly cared, they wouldn't have let the Rakshasa God's inheritor slaughter cities and devour souls until now."
Tang Chuan shook his head and said, "The Rakshasa God is different this time. An inheritor doing evil is a matter of the Lower Realm, and the God Realm mostly won't directly intervene. But for a Divinity to secretly descend to the Lower Realm and use divine techniques to save someone, this is openly violating the rules of the God Realm. If the Asura God notices, he will definitely seek her out."
Qian Renxue nodded, "The fluctuation of divine force from that strike just now was too obvious; it couldn't be hidden from the God Realm."
Xiong Jun sneered, "How the God Realm fights is the God Realm's business. Tang San is still alive, and that is the trouble."
"That is why we must establish a covenant first." Tang Chuan suddenly spoke.
As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of everyone and the Ferocious beasts fell upon him.
Tang Chuan slowly turned around, looked at Qian Renxue and Di Tian, and said in a deep voice, "Although Tang San was rescued this time, he was severely injured. It is impossible for him to fully recover in a short time. But once he truly inherits the Rakshasa God Position, it will be difficult to kill him again."
Di Tian said, "You want humans and Soul Beasts to officially form an alliance?"
Tang Chuan nodded. "At least until Tang San is dead, an alliance."
Qian Renxue's golden eyes flickered slightly; she did not immediately refuse.
Tang Chuan continued, "From today on, until Tang San is dead, the Spirit Empire, Heaven Dou Empire, Star Luo Empire, and the Star Dou Great Forest must not slaughter each other, and must not actively provoke a major war. The main forces of the Spirit Empire will temporarily halt attacks on Heaven Dou and Star Luo; the Star Dou Great Forest must not launch true beast tides to attack human cities. All forces must prioritize surrounding and killing Tang San."
Xiong Jun frowned, "Then what if human Soul Masters enter the forest to hunt Advanced Soul Beasts?"
Qian Renxue glanced at him and said coldly, "Those belonging to my Spirit Empire will not enter the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Advanced Soul Beasts above ten thousand years old before Tang San is eliminated. If anyone violates the order, the Spirit Empire will deal with them itself."
Di Tian looked at Qian Renxue, slightly startled, and said, "Can what you say represent the entire Spirit Empire?"
Qian Renxue said calmly, "In the current Spirit Empire, I have the final say."
This sentence was not ostentatious, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty. She was no longer the Spirit Hall Pope of Bibi Dong's era, nor was she the Xue Qinghe hiding in the Heaven Dou imperial court, but the true ruler of the Spirit Empire who had inherited the Angel God Position.
When Golden Crocodile Douluo and the other powerhouses of the Priest Hall heard this, although their hearts were complex, no one opposed it.
Di Tian was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The Star Dou Great Forest can also agree. Before Tang San is dead, the Ferocious beasts in the core area will not actively attack human cities. If humans do not enter the depths of the forest, we will not cross the boundary."
Tang Chuan said, "As for Heaven Dou and Star Luo, I will handle them."
Qian Renxue looked at him and said calmly, "Can you do it?"
Tang Chuan said, "They have no choice now. Tang San slaughtering cities and devouring souls is no longer a problem that any one Empire can solve. If Heaven Dou and Star Luo still want to take the opportunity to start a war, I will personally go and talk to them. Moreover, that Xue Beng is actually just a Puppet of my Spirit Hall."
Xiong Jun sneered, "You call that talking?"
Tang Chuan gave him a bored look.
Xiong Jun grinned, "Fine, this lord understands. Whoever doesn't listen, you'll just take the trident and talk to them."
A faint hint of a smile seemed to flash in Qian Renxue's eyes, but she quickly returned to calmness.
Di Tian slowly raised his right hand. A wisp of black-gold dragon power emerged from his palm, forming a dragon-shaped seal.
"In the name of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, the Star Dou Great Forest establishes this covenant. Before Tang San is dead, the Star Dou Great Forest will not actively attack human cities, will not deliberately create beast tides, and will not hunt innocent humans. But if any human Soul Masters take the opportunity to penetrate the forest to hunt high-level Soul Beasts, Star Dou also has the right to counterattack."
Qian Renxue also raised her hand. Golden Angel Holy Light condensed in her palm into a six-winged angel seal.
"In the name of the Angel God, the Spirit Empire establishes this covenant. Before Tang San is dead, the Spirit Empire will temporarily halt full-scale attacks on Heaven Dou and Star Luo, and will not actively enter the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts above ten thousand years old. If Tang San appears, those belonging to the Spirit Empire will make the killing of Tang San their primary task."
Tang Chuan finally raised the Sea God Trident, the blue-gold Seagod's Light and the cyan-gold Blue Silver Emperor life force spreading simultaneously, forming a seal intertwined with blue silver and ocean waves.
"In the name of the Sea God Trident and the Blue Silver Emperor, I, Tang Chuan, establish this covenant. Before Tang San is dead, I will mediate conflicts between humans and Soul Beasts, preventing the three parties from starting a war at will. If any party violates the covenant and actively creates large-scale slaughter, I will personally hold them accountable."
The three seals floated in mid-air. The golden angel, the black-gold dragon shadow, and the blue-gold ocean tide.
The next moment, the three seals merged simultaneously, transforming into a huge covenant light pattern that fell into the earth on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Hum—the entire battlefield shook slightly.
The ley lines of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Masters in the human military formation, the Angel Holy Light, the Dragon King's power, and the Sea God's divine force formed a brief resonance at this moment.
From this moment on, until Tang San is dead, humans and Soul Beasts are at least temporarily no longer enemies. They are allies.
Golden Crocodile Douluo watched this scene, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Spirit Hall had been fighting with Soul Beasts for many years; he had never imagined that one day the Spirit Empire would stand together with the Star Dou Great Forest under the same covenant.
But Tang San had forced everyone to this point. If they did not join forces, everyone would become souls on the rakshasa altar.
They would rather temporarily form an alliance with Soul Beasts than let Tang San become a god.
Di Tian turned to look at Bi Ji and said, "Treat the wounded, clean up the Rakshasa Death Qi."
Bi Ji nodded gently, the emerald radiance of life falling like rain.
Qian Renxue also ordered Golden Crocodile Douluo, "Pass the order to all armies: withdraw thirty miles from the outskirts of Star Dou, establish a defensive line, and do not penetrate deeper into the forest. All town populations are to be concentrated in large cities; strictly guard against Tang San's sneak attacks."
Golden Crocodile Douluo bowed and said, "Yes."
Tang Chuan retracted the Sea God Trident, looked at Di Tian again, and said calmly, "The next time Tang San appears, he will definitely be more dangerous than this time."
Di Tian said, "So this time, we cannot give the Rakshasa God another chance to intervene."
Qian Renxue said coldly, "If the Rakshasa God dares to descend to the Lower Realm again, someone in the God Realm will naturally deal with her."
Tang Chuan nodded, "What we need to do is to find Tang San before he truly becomes a god."
After speaking, he turned and walked toward the direction of the human World.
Qian Renxue glanced at him, put away most of the radiance of her Angel God outfit, and followed. She did not fly away immediately, but walked side by side with Tang Chuan across the scorched earth on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest that had been destroyed by the battle. Behind the two of them were the Soul Master legions of the Spirit Empire gradually withdrawing.
Further away, Di Tian and the Ferocious beasts were returning to the Great Fierce Land.
A war that should have swept across the continent was thus temporarily halted because of Tang San. But everyone knew that this was only a brief lull before the storm.
On the way back to the human World, the setting sun slanted down.
The plains outside the Star Dou Great Forest were dyed a deep golden color.
Tang Chuan and Qian Renxue walked side by side, keeping a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
The wind blew across the wasteland, whipping up the dust remaining from the battlefield.
Qian Renxue suddenly spoke: "Tang Chuan."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan turned his head slightly to look at her.
Qian Renxue looked ahead, her long golden hair fluttering slightly in the wind. Her voice had lost a bit of the Angel God's majesty compared to before, replaced by a calmness that belonged to Qian Renxue herself.
"Do you always feel that there is no essential difference between the Spirit Empire launching a war to unify the continent and Tang San slaughtering civilians across the continent?"
Tang Chuan did not answer immediately. After a moment, he said: "At the very least, the methods are different."
Qian Renxue said indifferently: "Only the methods are different?"
Tang Chuan said: "You want to establish order, Tang San wants to create death. I can distinguish between the two."
Qian Renxue glanced at him, her face showing confusion. "Then why did you stop me?"
Tang Chuan said calmly: "If your unification is built upon too many innocent corpses, I will stop it."
Qian Renxue smiled lightly. The smile was faint, but carried a hint of imperceptible helplessness. "You are still the same."
Tang Chuan asked: "The same how?"
"You always like to draw clear lines." Qian Renxue said: "But the real World won't get better just because you save a city or kill a person. Whether it's Heaven Dou or Star Luo, the nobility is corrupt, Sects divide the land, and Soul Masters stand high above, while ordinary people are forever dragged into war. Do you think it's a good thing to let the two Empires continue to keep each other in check?"
Tang Chuan did not speak.
Qian Renxue continued: "Before, it was Bibi Dong who controlled Spirit Hall. She had hatred, obsessions, and too much madness. She wanted to destroy the Upper Three Sects, destroy the two Empires, and turn the entire continent into a tool for her to take revenge on the World."
When mentioning Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue's voice paused for a moment. But she quickly continued: "But it's not her now."
"The person in charge of the Spirit Empire now is me."
"I will not slaughter cities and devour Martial Souls like Tang San, nor will I be driven by hatred like Bibi Dong. I want to unify the continent to end the long-standing fragmented wars, to ensure Soul Masters no longer belong only to Sects, to ensure ordinary people are no longer trampled upon by nobles at will, and to ensure Martial Soul Awakening, Soul Master education, and the protection of civilians all fall under a unified order."
Tang Chuan turned to look at her, and Qian Renxue also stopped walking. The setting sun fell into her golden eyes, making her look both noble and indescribably lonely.
"Tang Chuan, you should understand. A divided continent will always have countless wars."
"Heaven Dou and Star Luo can join forces today to deal with the Spirit Empire, but tomorrow they will continue to slaughter each other over border cities. Sects will fight for resources, nobles will sacrifice civilians for power, and Soul Masters will hunt Soul Beasts for Soul Rings."
"If there is no truly powerful unified order, these things will never stop. And the Spirit Empire, at least, has the ability to achieve this."
Tang Chuan said: "Ability and qualification are not the same thing."
Qian Renxue's eyes narrowed slightly.
Tang Chuan continued: "You have the power to unify the continent, but after unification, can you guarantee that the Spirit Empire will not become a new oppressor? Can you guarantee that your successor will be as clear-headed as you? Can you guarantee that all the people will accept your order, rather than just fear your divine force?"
Qian Renxue fell silent. These three questions were not easy to answer.
Tang Chuan was not aggressive, simply saying: "I do not oppose order, nor do I blindly believe in division. If you can truly achieve what you said, I will not stop you for the sake of the Heaven Dou or Star Luo royal families."
Qian Renxue's eyes flickered. "Are you serious?"
Tang Chuan looked toward the direction of the distant human city. "I am not a subject of Xue Beng, nor am I a subject of the Star Luo royal family. I save people, not to protect any particular throne."
"If one day you can prove that the unification of the Spirit Empire can make more people live better, rather than just making the Spirit Empire stand higher, I may not always stand on the opposite side of you."
Qian Renxue looked at him, remaining silent for a long time.
At this moment, that complex emotion in her heart surfaced again. Back in Heaven Dou City, when she was disguised as Xue Qinghe and spent time with Tang Chuan, this was what she cared about the most. Tang Chuan was not like others; he would not fawn over her because she was the Crown Prince, nor would he reject her outright because she was the Young Lord of the Spirit Empire.
He looked at what a person did, not which side they stood on. This made Qian Renxue feel it was dangerous, yet also rare.
She whispered: "Then I will prove it to you."
Tang Chuan turned to look at her. Qian Renxue's voice was not loud, but firm: "I will prove that the Spirit Empire in my hands will not become a second rakshasa altar, nor will it become a continuation of Bibi Dong's hatred. I will unify the continent. But I will do it my way."
Tang Chuan said: "Then I will wait and see."
Qian Renxue suddenly asked: "What if I really succeed?" Tang Chuan was stunned.
Qian Renxue looked at him, her eyes deep: "If one day, I really establish the order you approve of, will you still stand on the opposite side of me?"
The sound of the wind passed between them. Tang Chuan did not answer immediately. After a long time, he said: "Let's talk about that when that day comes."
Qian Renxue did not seem surprised by this answer; she smiled lightly. "You are still so cautious."
Tang Chuan said: "Being cautious is better than going mad like Tang San."
Hearing Tang San's name, the atmosphere that had just eased between the two darkened again. Qian Renxue looked up into the distance, her golden eyes turning cold once more: "Even if Tang San is seriously injured this time, I don't think he will remain silent for too long."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan nodded, a flash of blue-gold light on his body as he accelerated. "The Rakshasa God saved him, so it will inevitably find a way to accelerate his Legacy. The next time we meet, he might no longer be a half-baked Rakshasa inheritor."
Qian Renxue gripped the Angelic Sacred Sword tightly and also accelerated to catch up. "Then we will find him before Tang San becomes a god."
Night covered the sea surface. Above the boundless ocean, storms churned, black clouds hung extremely low, and thunder exploded continuously deep within the clouds, illuminating the pitch-black sea intermittently.
This was no longer the sea area near Douluo Continent. It was also not a range that any power from Heaven Dou, Star Luo, or the Spirit Empire could reach.
On the other side of this distant ocean, there was a continent. The Sun Moon Continent.
At this time, the Sun Moon Continent had not yet collided with the Douluo Continent, and the Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent did not even know that such a vast Empire existed on the other side of the ocean.
And here, although the Soul Master system existed, what truly supported the prosperity of the Sun Moon Empire was another kind of power. spirit tool.
On the city walls, spirit tool cannons were lined up menacingly. In the border watchtowers, spirit tool detection lights could scan dozens of miles of wasteland. Nobles traveled in spirit tool carriages, the elite in the army were equipped with energy-storing spirit tool armor, and even along the streets of ordinary towns, one could see spirit tool lamps powered by Soul Power crystals.
The Soul Masters here might not necessarily surpass the top Sects of the Douluo Continent in terms of individual combat power, but in terms of the development of spirit tools, they had long been ahead of the Douluo Continent by countless years.
The western border of the Sun Moon Empire. Black Rock Coast. This place was far from the imperial capital of the Sun Moon Empire, with constant storms all year round, steep sea cliffs, and reefs as sharp as knives.
Because there were several rare metal Ore veins nearby, the Empire had built an important border town here called Black Rock City. Thirty miles outside Black Rock City, there was an abandoned mine. Deep in the mine, the lights were dim.
Several semi-enclosed spirit tool workshops were located in the valley, with huge metal chimneys puffing out pale blue steam. Railway tracks extended deep along the mine, and spirit tool mining carts were parked beside the tracks, their carriages piled full of unrefined Black-Veined Iron and Red Silver Ore.
This place was nominally a military ordnance testing ground in the western border of the Empire. In reality, it was the place of exile for a certain fallen prince. Xu Jingyuan. The Third Prince of the Sun Moon Empire.
Once, he had also been one of the most prominent princes in the imperial capital. Unfortunately, the Sun Moon royal family never lacked geniuses, nor did it lack conspiracies. After a failed struggle for the throne, his maternal family was suppressed, his trusted aides were purged, and he himself was given the title of "Overseer of Western Border Ordnance" and sent far away to this desolate coast.
To put it nicely, it was to supervise the manufacture of spirit tool ordnance. To put it bluntly, it was just to keep him away from the power center of the imperial capital and let him fend for himself.
Late at night, Xu Jingyuan stood on the observation tower at the highest point of the Black Rock mine, wearing a black fox fur cloak, looking at the churning sea in the distance.
He looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a pale face, but extremely deep eyes. Unlike the princes in the imperial capital who lived in luxury, he did not have much arrogance or extravagance; instead, he carried a gloom and calmness born from long-term suppression.
Behind him stood two spirit tool Masters: one was an old man with gray hair and beard, wearing a deep blue spirit tool Master robe, with a Level 6 spirit tool Master badge on his chest. The other was a burly middle-aged military officer with a short-handled spirit tool cannon hanging at his waist, wearing half-body spirit tool armor.
Suddenly, the spirit tool detection array at the top of the observation tower vibrated violently. Hum— Circles of pale red light patterns spread out from the metal disc.
The spirit tool Master in charge of the night watch changed expression drastically and shouted urgently: "Your Highness, there is an abnormal spatial fluctuation in the sea area to the southwest!"
Xu Jingyuan frowned, looked up, and showed confusion: "This is a spatial fluctuation?"