Chapter 324: Empress Xueke
Yang Xiong looked at the Sea King Whale King and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Senior, the affairs of this world are not just about fighting and killing. If I were to kill Qian Renxue, the Angel God would probably cease to exist, and even the bloodline of the Angel Clan would disappear."
"Regardless of whether the Spirit Empire has done evil, the first Angel God did indeed bring peace to the entire continent. She made many contributions to humankind, and even over the last several thousand years, the Angel God has contributed to the development of soul masters. Otherwise, humanity might be even more difficult and stagnant."
"The Asura God is all about the rules of the world, about maintaining order. From every angle, the Spirit Empire trying to unify the world isn't wrong. What's wrong is that their methods are too extreme, what's wrong is that they don't understand human nature, which led to the war between the three great empires."
"Perhaps, for this world, if the Spirit Empire really could unify the world, it would be better for both humans and soul masters, even for soul beasts. At least the Spirit Empire has created a detailed set of rules for soul masters, and in some ways, the Spirit Empire might actually be better than the other two empires."
The Sea King Whale King sighed helplessly: "Yang Xiong, you have a mind full of twists and turns. It's making my head spin. But I don't want to think so much. As long as I follow you to become a god, that's enough."
Yang Xiong smiled faintly: "Becoming a god is not so simple, especially since the Asura God is the enforcer of the divine realm. I feel that it's not just about inheriting the Asura God's legacy anymore; it involves the decisions of the five great kings of the divine realm."
Neither of them spoke further. The Sea King Whale King simply couldn't keep up with all the human complexities. It was his weakest area, and he preferred focusing on free and relaxed cultivation to get stronger.
Yang Xiong, however, was deep in thought about his trial.
After passing the seventh trial of the Asura Nine Trials, his affinity with the Asura God had reached ninety percent. In a certain sense, he was very close to the Asura God. The content of the eighth trial also appeared in his mind.
"Yang Xiong, Asura Nine Trials, eighth trial: Gather all soul rings and soul bones, and train your martial soul to level ninety-nine within five years. Failure results in annihilation."
Yang Xiong was surprised when he saw the content of this trial. He hadn't expected the Asura God to not pose any more difficult questions but instead simply demand that he reach level ninety-nine within five years.
However, Yang Xiong understood that the most difficult part for soul masters was advancing from level ninety-eight to level ninety-nine. Now, he could no longer absorb soul rings or soul bones, meaning he couldn't use external means to drastically increase his soul power. For ordinary soul masters, advancing from ninety-eight to ninety-nine could take several centuries of relentless cultivation, which was why only the three Limit Douluo had reached that level, while others could spend their entire lives without breaking through ninety-nine.
Yang Xiong sneered: "Five years? Does the Asura God look down on me too much? Even though every level up is more difficult for me than for an ordinary soul master, I shouldn't need five years for the last level."
...
While Yang Xiong was focusing on his recovery, Princess Xueke finally arrived outside Jialing Pass with the support of many people.
Now, the Tiandou royal family only had Princess Xueke left as its sole heir, and only she could stabilize the situation of the Tiandou Empire. Otherwise, if internal conflict broke out in the Tiandou Empire, the entire situation would collapse in an instant.
With the crowds surrounding her, Princess Xueke entered the great hall. Besides herself, her teacher, Tang Yuehua, followed closely behind.
Princess Xueke seemed to have never faced such a situation before, and she appeared quite nervous.
However, she knew the importance of priorities and immediately inquired about the fate of her father.
When Princess Xueke learned that Emperor Xueye had been shattered by Qian Renxue, she was overcome with grief, just like a child who had lost her father.
But the current situation was even more difficult than Princess Xueke had imagined. The Tiandou Empire was in dire straits. Although there were still several hundred thousand soldiers, the internal division seemed to have started after Qian Renxue's rampage.
Qian Renxue had previously intimidated everyone, killing both Emperor Xueye and Marshal Ge Long, and even the guards surrounding Emperor Xueye had been slaughtered, leaving behind only ordinary generals.
Qian Renxue had even chosen a general who had defected to the Spirit Empire as the new marshal. Unfortunately, now that Qian Renxue had left, without her support, this general was quickly overthrown.
But the military was already in chaos. The Spirit Empire had gods, and such power was far beyond that of mere mortals. Even though Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue had fought fiercely, it couldn't diminish the mortal fear of the divine.
When Tang Yuehua saw the corpse of Tang Hao, she held it tightly in her arms and cried uncontrollably, even the people around her were moved.
Everyone looked at Tang Hao's body, all showing solemn expressions. After all, the renowned Haotian Douluo had been killed by Qian Renxue.
Soon, with the support of the people, Princess Xueke, as the last heir of the Tiandou royal family, ascended to the throne.
But many generals exchanged glances, none of them seemed confident about continuing the fight, at least not with the same unity as when Emperor Xueye had been in charge.
After Princess Xueke ascended the throne, she was immediately referred to as Empress Xueke, becoming the backbone of the entire Tiandou royal family.
Empress Xueke's first action was to visit Yang Xiong. Recently, Yang Xiong had been focused on recuperating, staying in his room, and aside from Ning Rongrong and Oscar, he hadn't interacted with anyone else.
When Empress Xueke arrived at Yang Xiong's room, she appeared extremely respectful.
"I pay my respects to the Sect Master Yang. I heard that Sect Master Yang has been seriously injured while fighting for the Tiandou Empire, and Xueke has come to visit, bringing the spiritual medicine of the Tiandou royal family."
With that, Princess Xueke took out a jade box, and inside was a millennium snow lotus, at least three thousand years old, a sacred herb for healing.
Yang Xiong nodded slightly: "I see the Empress Xueke. You are now the supreme ruler of the Tiandou Empire. I'm just an ordinary person. There's no need to trouble the Empress with such a visit."
Empress Xueke hurriedly responded: "Sect Master Yang, you have made such great contributions to the Tiandou Empire. It is only right that Xueke comes to visit you. I hope Sect Master Yang will not stand on ceremony."
Yang Xiong smiled: "It's not the first time we've met, Empress. Feel free to speak your mind."
In the past, Yang Xiong had met Princess Xueke several times through Ning Fengzhi, but he had always been sparring verbally with Xue Qinghe and hadn't interacted much with Princess Xueke.
After thinking for a while, Princess Xueke spoke: "Sect Master Yang, the Tiandou Empire needs your support. If the Tiandou royal family falls, the Spirit Empire won't spare the three great sects either."
Yang Xiong nodded: "Empress, I believe our sect has already supported the Tiandou royal family sufficiently. For this expedition, our sect sent a thousand soul masters along with four Title Douluo. Even I was injured. Do you think there is anything lacking?"
Empress Xueke remained silent for a while before speaking again: "I know that Sect Master Yang, Sect Master Ning, and Sect Master Tang have all given great support to the Tiandou royal family, but these are extraordinary times. I hope you can step forward and help stabilize the army. With your help, we may still win this war."
"Sect Master Yang, not long ago, you displayed your divine might and fought with the Angel God without falling behind. Whether among the army or soul masters, you have an unparalleled status."
Yang Xiong thought for a moment before replying: "Empress, I'm just a simple person. You should know my character. I've never liked to stand out. If the situation hadn't been so tense, I wouldn't have fought with Qian Renxue."
"My sect can support the Tiandou royal family and help you control the royal family and army, but I won't show myself. The elders of my sect can provide assistance."
Empress Xueke's face changed slightly: "Sect Master Yang, this is a serious matter. If you have any demands, feel free to bring them up. The Tiandou royal family will do everything in its power to fulfill them."
Yang Xiong smiled: "I've always preferred to cultivate in peace. My sect shares the same attitude. I hope the Empress doesn't overthink it."
"Of course, if Qian Renxue strikes again, I will find a way to deal with her. But for everything else, I'm afraid I can't help much."
After the conversation, Empress Xueke left Yang Xiong's room, looking somewhat disappointed that she hadn't received a personal commitment from him.
After Empress Xueke left, Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Lin Gong all came into Yang Xiong's room.
Ning Fengzhi looked serious: "Xiong, did Empress Xueke come to see you? Did she say anything?"
Yang Xiong shook his head: "She's just a young girl. She thinks she can get my full support by simply asking for it. Does she think too highly of herself?"
Ning Fengzhi said: "Empress Xueke is now the empress of the Tiandou Empire. Apart from supporting her, we have no other choice. If the Tiandou army collapses, this war will be lost, and the three great sects will find themselves in a difficult situation."
Yang Xiong smiled: "Sect Master, aren't you misunderstanding something? In this world, everything is about strength. The Spirit Empire has enough strength to suppress the two empires, but what does that have to do with us?"
"As long as I'm here, whether it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or our sect, no one dares to offend us easily."
"Moreover, whether it's the Tiandou Empire or the Star Luo Empire, to me, they're just empires, just tools of aristocratic rule. I only want to establish my own sect and keep our people safe. We don't need to overthink other things."
Ning Fengzhi fell into thought after hearing Yang Xiong's words. If the two empires continued to be at a stalemate, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and their sect would slowly waste away, leaving them with no strength left.
Ning Rongrong suddenly spoke up: "Xiong, why do I feel that Princess Xueke is different now compared to before? She used to be so innocent and kind, but now she seems to have become much more calculating."
"And I noticed, she seems to care more about the Haotian Sect, and she seems to care about Tang San too. Before she even arrived at the front lines, she was already asking about Tang San's situation."
Yang Xiong touched Ning Rongrong's little hand, unable to stop himself from smiling: "That's normal. Tang Yuehua is Xueke's teacher, and Tang Yuehua is from the Haotian Sect. Naturally, Xueke would get the Haotian Sect's support."
"Rongrong, remember this: whether it's the Haotian Sect or the Tiandou royal family, there's no fundamental relationship with our sect or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Moreover, we don't know yet whether they'll be allies or enemies in the future."
(END CHAPTER)
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