Chapter 328: Empress Xue Ke

Yang Xiong looked at the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and couldn't help shaking 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 likely cease to exist, and even the Angel Clan's bloodline would vanish."

"Regardless of whether the Spirit Empire has committed many evils, the first Angel God indeed pacified the entire continent, made other contributions to humanity, and for tens of thousands of years the Angel God has also contributed to the development of Soul Grandmasters; otherwise humanity would likely face greater hardship and decline."

"The Shura God emphasizes the world's rules and the maintenance of order; from any perspective, the Spirit Empire's desire to unify the world is not wrong. What is wrong is their overly extreme methods and their failure to grasp human nature, which led to the war among the Three Great Empires."

"Perhaps for this world, if the Spirit Empire truly managed to unify the world, it would be better for humanity and Soul Grandmasters, even better for Soul Beasts; at least the Spirit Empire has established detailed rules for Soul Grandmasters, and in a sense it is superior to the Two Great Empires."

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King sighed helplessly, "Yang Xiong, you fool, your mind is full of twists and turns, making my head dizzy. But I'm too lazy to think that much; following you to become a god is fine."

Yang Xiong's lips curled into a faint smile, "Becoming a god is not that simple. Especially since the Shura God, as a Divine Realm Enforcer, makes it feel that this is no longer just a matter of the Shura God's inheritance, but a matter concerning the decisions of the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm."

Both fell silent; the Deep Sea Demon Whale King felt his mind couldn't keep up—human convolutions are his weakest point, and he'd rather train freely and grow stronger.

Yang Xiong contemplated his own assessment.

After passing the Shura Nine Test Seventh, Yang Xiong's Asura Affinity had reached ninety percent; in a sense, he was already very close to the Shura God, and the content of his Eighth Test also appeared in his mind.

"Yang Xiong, Shura Nine Test Eighth: gather all your Soul Ring Soul Bones, refine your martial soul to Level 99 within five years; failure will be erased."

Yang Xiong looked at the assessment with surprise; he hadn't expected the Shura God to pose no further challenges, but instead to require him to refine to Level 99 within five years.

However, Yang Xiong also knew that the jump from Ninety‑Eighth Level to Level 99 is the hardest for a Soul Grandmaster; he could no longer absorb Soul Ring Soul Bones, meaning he couldn't dramatically boost his soul power by external means. For a normal Soul Grandmaster, refining from Ninety‑Eighth to Level 99 requires sleepless cultivation for centuries, which is why only the Three Great Limit Douluo exist in the world; others, even after a lifetime of effort, cannot surpass Level 99.

Yang Xiong sneered, "Five years—does the Shura God underestimate me that much? Though each increase in my soul power is harder than for ordinary Soul Grandmasters, I shouldn't need five years for that final level."

……

Just as Yang Xiong was fully recuperating, Princess Xue Ke finally arrived outside Jialing Pass under the support of the crowd.

Now the Heaven Dou Imperial Family has only Princess Xue Ke left as its sole heir, and only she can truly stabilize the Heaven Dou Empire's situation; otherwise, if internal turmoil erupts, the whole situation could collapse instantly.

Princess Xue Ke, surrounded by the crowd, entered the main hall; beside her walked her teacher Tang Yuehua.

Princess Xue Ke seemed to have never seen such a situation, appearing somewhat nervous.

Nevertheless, Princess Xue Ke knew what mattered most and immediately inquired about her father's affairs.

When Princess Xue Ke learned that Emperor Xue Ye had been shattered into pieces by Qian Renxue, she became extremely sorrowful, like a child who had lost his father.

But the current situation is even more difficult than Princess Xue Ke imagined; the Heaven Dou Empire is in great trouble. Although there are still hundreds of thousands of troops, after Qian Renxue's upheaval, internal divisions seem to be subtly emerging.

Initially, Qian Renxue overpowered everyone, directly slaying Emperor Xue Ye and Ge Long Marshal, and even all the guards around Emperor Xue Ye were killed, leaving only some ordinary generals.

Qian Renxue even directly appointed a military general who had defected to the Spirit Empire as the new Marshal, but since Qian Renxue has now left, without her support that person was quickly overthrown.

Yet the military generals are now in chaos; the Spirit Empire possesses gods, a power far beyond mortal reach, and even if Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue were to clash, it could not compensate for mortals' awe of the divine.

When Tang Yuehua saw Tang Hao's corpse, she clutched it and wept continuously, moving even those around her.

Everyone gazing at Tang Hao's corpse felt an overwhelming solemnity; after all, the illustrious Haotian Douluo had been slain by Qian Renxue.

Soon, with the crowd's support, Princess Xue Ke, as the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's sole heir, ascended the throne directly.

However, many generals exchanged puzzled looks, each lacking confidence to continue fighting, unlike when Emperor Xue Ye was present and everyone was united.

After ascending the throne, Princess Xue Ke was immediately called Empress Xue Ke, the backbone of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Empress Xue Ke promptly visited Yang Xiong; lately Yang Xiong had been recuperating, never leaving his room, and aside from Ning Rongrong and Oscar, he had not interacted with anyone else.

When Empress Xue Ke entered Yang Xiong's room, she appeared exceedingly respectful.

"I have met Sect Leader Yang; hearing that Sect Leader Yang was seriously injured for the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ke specially came to visit and also present the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Divine Medicine."

After speaking, Princess Xue Ke produced a Jade Box; inside was a thousand‑year Snow Lotus, apparently at least three thousand years old, a sacred remedy for healing.

Yang Xiong nodded slightly, "I have met Empress Xue Ke; you are now the highest ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, and I am merely an ordinary person, so I won't trouble Empress Xue Ke with your presence."

Empress Xue Ke hurriedly said, "Sect Leader Yang, you have rendered such great service to our Heaven Dou Empire; it is fitting that Xue Ke visits you, and I hope Sect Leader Yang will not be formal."

Yang Xiong laughed, "Empress and I have met before; anyone can speak plainly."

In the past, Yang Xiong, following Ning Fengzhi, had seen Xue Qinghe many times and also had seen Princess Xue Ke, but Yang Xiong always quarreled with Xue Qinghe and had no real interaction with Princess Xue Ke.

Princess Xue Ke thought for a moment before speaking, "Sect Leader Yang, the Heaven Dou Empire needs your support, needs the Body Sect's support; if the Heaven Dou Imperial Family were to be destroyed, the Spirit Empire would likely not spare the Three Great Sects."

Yang Xiong nodded, "Empress, I think the Body Sect's support for the Heaven Dou Emperor is already ample; for this expedition, the Body Sect deployed a thousand Soul Grandmasters plus four Title Douluo, and even I was injured. Does the Empress feel something is lacking?"

Empress Xue Ke was silent for a moment before speaking, "I know Sect Leader Yang, Sect Leader Ning, and Sect Leader Tang have given great support to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, but this is a critical time; I hope you will step forward to help stabilize the army, so we may achieve final victory in the war."

"Sect Leader Yang recently displayed great might, directly battling the Angel God without disadvantage; whether among the troops or among Soul Grandmasters, he holds an unparalleled status."

Yang Xiong thought for a moment before speaking, "Empress, I am merely a rough person; you know my temperament—I've never liked standing out since childhood. If not for the current tense situation, I wouldn't have fought Qian Renxue that much."

"The Body Sect and I can support the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, can support you, Empress, in controlling the Imperial Family and the army, but I will not appear; the Elder of the Body Sect can assist you."

Empress Xue Ke's expression changed slightly, "Sect Leader Yang, this matter is of great importance; if you have any requests, feel free to voice them. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family will, even if it exhausts all its strength, fulfill your request."

Yang Xiong laughed, "I've always preferred to cultivate alone; the Body Sect shares this attitude, so I hope the Empress doesn't overthink it."

"Of course, if Qian Renxue strikes again, I will find a way to deal with her; other matters, I'm afraid I cannot help."

After they talked for a while, Empress Xue Ke finally left Yang Xiong's room, but she seemed a bit disappointed not to have Yang Xiong appear personally.

After Empress Xue Ke left, Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Lin Gong all entered Yang Xiong's room.

Ning Fengzhi's expression was solemn, "Xiao Xiong, has Empress Xue Ke come to see you? Did she say anything?"

Yang Xiong shook his head, "Just a little girl, she wants my full support with empty words; perhaps she's thinking a bit too much?"

Ning Fengzhi said, "After all, Xue Ke is now the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire; besides supporting her, we have no other options. If the Heaven Dou army truly collapses, this war will likely be lost, and then our Three Great Sects will also find it hard…"

Yang Xiong laughed, "Sect Leader, perhaps you misunderstand; in this world, everything respects strength. The Spirit Empire's power is sufficient to dominate the Two Great Empires, but what does that have to do with us?"

"As long as I'm here, whether it's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect or the Body Sect, no one dares to offend them lightly."

"Moreover, whether it's the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire, in my eyes they are merely empires…"

Ning Fengzhi, upon hearing this, seemed thoughtful; if the two great empires continue this stalemate, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Body Sect will gradually be consumed to death…

Ning Rongrong suddenly said, "Xiao Xiongzi, why do I feel that Xue Ke now is different from before? Back then she was so innocent and kind; now she seems much more scheming."

"Moreover, looking at Xue Ke, she seems to care more about the Haotian Sect, and also seems to care about Tang San; when she first arrived at the front, she was already asking about Tang San's situation."

Yang Xiong patted Ning Rongrong's small hand and couldn't help laughing, "That's natural; Tang Yuehua is Xue Ke's teacher, and behind Tang Yuehua is the Haotian Sect, so Xue Ke naturally receives Haotian Sect's support."

"Rong Rong, remember, whether it's the Haotian Sect or the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, they have no essential relation to our Body Sect or Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and whether they become enemy or friend in the future is still unknown."

(End of chapter)