Chapter 285: Purging the Nobles

"Depending on the degree of faith, the strength of the Faith Power produced also varies. Furthermore, there are differences between one faith and another."

"For the same faith, between faith in an object and faith in a concept, faith in a concept will be more powerful, because faith in a concept is not constrained by external factors like environment or material objects; it can erupt with the strongest strength anytime, anywhere."

"For a god of faith like the Sea God, his strength on the ocean and outside the ocean are on completely different levels..."

Under Gu Yuena's layered and progressive explanation, Shi Quan quickly gained a comprehensive understanding of Faith Power.

The task is heavy and the road is long.

This was Shi Quan's summary of his current situation.

"Faith Power is indeed a path. Regarding the theory of Reincarnation, I will perfect it, then compile it into a book, and collect faith as much as possible." Shi Quan looked back and gazed once more at the village raided by the Wolf Bandits, then continued: "Let us first go to a nearby city to notify people to help them rebuild the village, and then return to Heaven Dou City to have Qian Renxue send troops to search the surrounding mountains and forests completely. If any Wolf Bandits are discovered, they shall be exterminated in a timely manner."

"The main combat strength of this group of Wolf Bandits should have been wiped out by me. Even if there are remnants in their lair, their strength is not very great; I imagine it will not be too troublesome. But for Qian Renxue, this is a good opportunity to farm reputation."

"If Qian Renxue can unify the continent, it should be of great help to my propagation of faith, and this can also garner quite a bit of favor from Qian Renxue."

Gu Yuena nodded, "After you perfect the Reincarnation doctrine, give me a copy, and I will have Di Tian spread it among the Spirit Beasts. As for the human side, if you can unify the Douluo Continent, it will effectively improve and assist in the establishment and propagation of faith."

Discussing as they went, they moved forward.

A few days later, in the night, Shi Quan and Gu Yuena returned to Dugu's courtyard.

"Grandpa Dugu, how has the situation on the Douluo Continent been in the half year I've been away?"

Inside the house, Shi Quan and Dugu Bo sat together at the table.

"Xue Qinghe has already begun preparing to purge the nobles of the various duchies. Now, the entire Heaven Dou Empire is in an atmosphere of a storm about to break."

"Just a while ago, Xue Qinghe invited the high-level officials of the various duchies and Prince Xue Xing to discuss state affairs, hoping these people would hand over their military power under the pretext of facilitating unified coordination and management."

"The result was obvious; none of the duchies that came to the meeting agreed."

"Something about violating ancestral systems, the empire's territory being vast, difficulty in communicating from top to bottom, easy to delay military intelligence—in short, a pile of excuses, they just wouldn't hand over military power."

"The meeting ended on a sour note. Because of this meeting, Xue Qinghe revealed the intention of centralizing power, which touched the nerves of these people. Not only did the interactions between these duchies become more frequent than before after they returned, but Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng are also secretly gathering forces. It looks like they are preparing to use the power of the various kingdoms and duchies to overthrow Xue Qinghe when she makes her move."

"That guy Xue Beng still hasn't given up?" Shi Quan raised an eyebrow.

"Xue Beng appears to be a playboy, but in reality, everything is just an act." Dugu Bo nodded and continued: "Xue Xing saw that I had not been supporting Xue Qinghe and wanted to lobby me to help him, but I refused."

"I feel that Xue Qinghe is still a bit too anxious. With the resources you provided her, if she took it step by step, integrating the entire empire and gathering military power would be a matter of time. But she has only been on the throne for half a year, and to reveal her purpose so anxiously will inevitably trigger a backlash. If it goes like this, I fear it will be even harder to gather military power."

"Although Xue Ye supports gathering military power, once internal strife breaks out in the empire, it will not only give Xue Beng an opportunity, but I fear it will also be difficult to answer to Xue Ye."

"Xue Qinghe has never been a reckless person; she must have confidence in doing this." Shi Quan shook his head upon hearing this. With Qian Renxue's personality, having endured and hidden in the Heaven Dou Empire for so many years, how could she be anxious for just these few months or a year?

"What exactly she is plotting in secret, I do not know." Dugu Bo nodded; the news he knew was also learned from Xue Xing. As for Xue Qinghe, he had not had much contact with her. "How is Sea God Island?"

After Shi Quan finished recounting the situation on Sea God Island, he smiled, rose from his seat, and bid farewell to Dugu Bo. "I will go visit Xue Qinghe first to understand the situation in detail."

Not long after, Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Qinghe inherited the throne, so naturally, she moved into the Imperial Palace.

"Your Highness, the Emperor is in the room."

The guard opened the door, and after Shi Quan entered, the guard closed the door in turn.

"Your recent actions have been quite large, haven't they?"

In the magnificent palace, Qian Renxue sat alone on the throne, reading the memorials on the table intently. Hearing Shi Quan's voice, Qian Renxue finally looked up.

"It seems the trip to Sea God Island went very smoothly?" Qian Renxue rubbed her throbbing head, her brows relaxing a lot.

"Quite smooth." Shi Quan, with a relaxed demeanor, sat down casually in the seat closest to Qian Renxue and raised an eyebrow, saying: "Tell me about your plan?"

"Plan?" Qian Renxue chuckled, "My plan is to kill!"

The voice was flat, yet cold and bone-chilling.

"How will you do it?"

"Decapitation!" Qian Renxue leaned back on the imperial chair and said calmly: "What if those duchy nobles possess large armies? They themselves have no strength. According to the direction you pointed out, the research on High-Explosive Bombs has succeeded and has already been mass-produced. Regarding the production and development of the bombs, only a few people know about it so far."

"The last meeting was actually just to select targets. I have already secretly had people bury a large number of High-Explosive Bombs in the mansions of the various duchy nobles, using the bombs to wipe out all the rebellious duchy nobles in one fell swoop."

"As for the impact, those duchy nobles usually act like tyrants and oppress the common people, having long since accumulated public anger. The people wish they would die sooner. I am also having their evidence of crimes collected. A duchy is, after all, a duchy and belongs to the empire's territory. As long as it is announced at that time, while they are leaderless, the empire can then intervene forcefully, and naturally, power can be centralized quickly."

"Of course, this is the first point. There is a second point, which is the pawn Xue Beng. He thinks I don't know he is secretly gathering forces. I am doing this on purpose to let him have an opportunity. As long as I add a little fuel to the fire in secret, with his previous arrogant and domineering appearance, it will be very easy to pin a charge of treason on him. Then, tying the deaths of those nobles to him, the empire will be completely justified, and this will not affect the people's support for the empire!"

"This way, the impact of purging the various duchy nobles can be minimized..."

(End of chapter)