Chapter 256: Two Emperors Scared to Death; The Fall of Heaven Dou

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Two Emperors Scared to Death; The Fall of Heaven Dou

In a mere two hours...

The Heaven Dou Empire’s army of 400,000 men suffered a total and utter rout.

Casualties were countless, and more than half the army surrendered.

Jialing Pass was breached by the Spirit Hall’s army with effortless ease.

The final defensive barrier protecting the Heaven Dou Empire’s heartland had collapsed.

The spearhead of the Spirit Hall’s forces now thrust deep into the very core of the Heaven Dou Empire.

...

News of the defeat reached Heaven Dou City.

The entire imperial court was thrown into turmoil.

Emperor Xue Ye sat upon his Dragon Throne, clutching the battle report in his hands, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. His face was ghastly pale, his lips had turned purple, and his breathing was rapid and labored.

"A massive army of four hundred thousand... routed?"

His voice was hoarse, barely audible.

"Jialing Pass... lost?"

No one answered him.

Inside the great hall, the civil and military officials stood in silence, every face ashen.

Emperor Xue Ye closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Pfft—!!!"

He suddenly spewed out a mouthful of blood!

The blood splattered across the imperial desk, over the official memorials, and onto that very battle report—a truly shocking and gruesome sight.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

The officials were struck with panic; they rushed forward in a crowd to attend to him.

Emperor Xue Ye’s body slowly slumped back into the Dragon Throne.

His eyes remained open.

Yet, his pupils had already gone vacant and unfocused.

A daring official reached out to check for a breath beneath his nose.

His hand gave a sudden, violent tremor.

"His Majesty... has passed away!"

The officials burst into tears and wailing, the hall filled with the sounds of lamentation.

Emperor Xue Ye had literally died of sheer rage.

...

With the unanimous support of the officials, Crown Prince Xue Luochuan was hastily enthroned.

He sat upon the Dragon Throne, gazing at the battle report—and at the blood-stained final decree left behind by Emperor Xue Ye—trembling uncontrollably from head to toe.

It was not that he had never contemplated the possibility of this day arriving.

But he had never imagined it would come so soon.

"Your Majesty, the Spirit Hall army has already breached Jialing Pass and is now advancing toward Heaven Dou City! The cities along their path are surrendering one after another; there is absolutely no resistance!"

An official knelt on the ground, his voice quivering with fear.

"Your Majesty, the Shui, Huo, and Feng clans of the Four Elements Academy have defected to Spirit Hall! The four cities of Tianshui, Chihuo, Shenfeng, and Leiting have already changed hands!"

Another official added.

"Your Majesty, Spirit Hall has internal collaborators within the Northern and Yidefu Provinces as well; their advance is lightning-fast! The Heaven Dou Empire... now consists of nothing but Heaven Dou City and the Xueling Province!"

The voice of a third official was on the verge of breaking into sobs. Xue Luochuan sat upon the Dragon Throne, gazing at a succession of desperate battle reports, his face growing paler by the moment.

His breathing became increasingly rapid and labored.

"Send envoys... to sue for peace..."

His voice was hoarse, sounding as if it were being squeezed from the very depths of his throat.

...

Bearing the official state missive, the envoys traveled day and night until they reached the Spirit Hall’s main encampment.

She Long glanced at the letter of surrender and sneered coldly.

"Sue for peace?"

He tossed the letter aside, his voice glacial: "Tell Xue Luochuan that what Spirit Hall demands is the complete annihilation of the Heaven Dou Empire—not a peace treaty!"

The envoys returned in disgrace.

...

Qian Renxue subsequently dispatched two more High Priests—Qian Jun and Jiang Mo—to the front lines.

Beyond Jialing Pass lay a boundless expanse of flat, open plains.

The Spirit Hall army swept forward unimpeded, advancing with unstoppable momentum.

The seven Titled Douluo—Qian Jun, Jiang Mo, Ghost Leopard, Yue Guan, She Long, Ci Tun, and Mo Xiong—led the massive host to the very gates of Heaven Dou City.

Outside Heaven Dou City, a dense, black mass of troops stretched as far as the eye could see.

The seven Titled Douluo hovered in the air; their formidable aura—like the very heavens collapsing and the earth giving way—pressed down upon the defenders atop the city walls, leaving them gasping for breath.

Xue Luochuan stood upon the ramparts, gazing at the seven figures suspended in the sky and at the Spirit Hall army below—a host stretching beyond the horizon—his face ashen white as paper.

His legs trembled.

His lips quivered.

His heart was filled with utter despair.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

The ministers beside him called out to him.

Xue Luochuan did not respond.

He stared straight ahead, his pupils dilated and unfocused.

Then, his body slowly slumped to the ground.

"Your Majesty—!!!"

And just like that, the young emperor died—scared to death.

...

Inside Heaven Dou City, chaos reigned supreme.

The various ministers scrambled to loot gold, silver, and treasures, preparing either to flee or to surrender.

But what they did not know was that, immediately after breaching the city walls, the Spirit Hall had ruthlessly slaughtered the entire high-ranking nobility—sparing not a single soul.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, too, met with no exceptions; every last member was executed.

When the Spirit Hall’s army stormed into the Imperial Palace, those ministers who were still squabbling over treasures finally realized—it was already too late to surrender.

...

Having secured Heaven Dou City, Demon Bear Douluo led a detachment of troops northward to annex the Xueling Province.

The land there was barren—half of it frozen tundra—and the population sparse.

They encountered virtually no resistance.

Thus, the Heaven Dou Empire met its end.

...

Spirit City, the Papal Palace.

Qian Renxue stood by the window, gazing out at the distant sky.

Clutched in her hand was a battle report that had just arrived.

The Heaven Dou Empire—destroyed.

She set the report aside, the corners of her lips curling upward ever so slightly.

"Next..."

Her gaze shifted southward: "It is time to deal with the Star Luo Empire."

Outside the window, the sunlight shone bright and clear.

Yet in the distance, the dark clouds of war were already spreading southward.

...

News of the Heaven Dou Empire’s collapse spread across the continent as if it had grown wings.

Star Luo City, the Imperial Palace.

Dai Yutian sat upon the Dragon Throne, clutching the secret dispatch in his hand, his face ashen with rage.

The Heaven Dou Empire’s army of 400,000 had been routed; Jialing Pass had fallen; Emperor Xue Ye had died of sheer rage; Xue Luochuan had died of sheer terror; and the entire Heaven Dou Imperial Family had been utterly annihilated.

It had all happened so fast.

So fast, in fact, that before he even had a chance to react, the Heaven Dou Empire had already ceased to exist.

He set the dispatch aside and closed his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the Spirit Hall’s next target will undoubtedly be our Star Luo Empire," an elderly minister stepped forward, his voice heavy with gravity.

"This humble subject believes we must make preparations immediately."

Dai Yutian opened his eyes and spoke in a deep, resonant voice: "Issue the decree: the entire nation is to mobilize for war. All cities along the borders are to heighten their defenses."

"As you command!"

However, everyone within the Star Luo Empire—from the highest ranks to the lowest—knew full well that standing alone, it would be utterly impossible to withstand the might of the Spirit Hall.

Although the Star Luo Empire commanded an army of a million soldiers, it possessed no Title Douluo of its own to anchor its defenses.

They had also come to recognize the Spirit Hall’s standard tactic: before launching a full-scale war, they would first dispatch Titled Douluo to systematically eliminate the enemy’s high command and leadership, leaving their armies free to sweep through the remaining forces unopposed.

They possessed no Titled Douluo of their own to mount a defense.

With what, then, were they supposed to fight?

Consequently, a new voice emerged within the imperial court—a plea for peace.

"Your Majesty, the Spirit Hall’s power is immense; a head-on confrontation is by no means the wisest course of action. It would be far better to dispatch envoys to sue for peace—to trade space for time."

"I second that motion. The Heaven Dou Empire has already fallen; our Star Luo Empire stands alone, a solitary pillar unable to bear the weight of the world. If we could reach an agreement with the Spirit Hall to partition the continent between us, it might well prove to be a viable path to survival."

"All the Spirit Hall truly seeks are legitimacy and faith. We could construct ’Angel Plazas’ within our own borders and formally acknowledge their status as the rightful authority."

Dai Yutian remained silent for a long time.

To sue for peace—he was deeply reluctant to do so.

Yet, if he did not sue for peace, what other options remained?

"Issue the decree: dispatch envoys to Spirit City to seek an audience with the Pope."

...

Spirit City.

Sunlight cascaded down upon Spirit Hall Mountain, bathing the entire palace complex in a golden glow. The banner of the Six-Winged Angel snapped crisply in the wind—a sight both sacred and majestic.

Led by a deacon of the Spirit Hall, the delegation from the Star Luo Empire passed through a succession of palace gates before finally arriving at the steps of the Papal Palace.

Leading the delegation was a veteran official in his fifties—a man named Zhou Zhengyuan, renowned throughout the Star Luo imperial court for his exceptional eloquence.

He was clad in deep purple official robes; his features were lean and refined, and his gaze was steady and composed.

Trailing behind him were several deputy envoys and attendants, each wearing a solemn expression.

Inside the Papal Palace, the halls were brilliantly lit.

Qian Renxue sat regally upon the Papal Throne. She wore a long gown of white and gold, crowned with an angelic diadem, her golden hair cascading down her back.

A faint smile played upon her lips—yet that smile conveyed not the slightest trace of warmth.

Yue Guan stood at her side, his effeminate face bearing an expression that was neither quite a smile nor quite a sneer.

To either side, several Elders stood with their hands hanging at their sides, their gazes sharp and piercing.

Zhou Zhengyuan stepped into the grand hall, bowed deeply in salutation, and spoke with an air of profound respect: "I, Zhou Zhengyuan, Envoy of the Star Luo Empire, pay my humble respects to Your Holiness, the Pope."

Qian Renxue gave a slight nod: "You may dispense with the formalities."

Zhou Zhengyuan straightened his posture, withdrew a diplomatic missive wrapped in bright yellow brocade from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands.

Yue Guan descended the steps, accepted the missive, and handed it over to Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue unrolled the document, her eyes sweeping over the text within.

The missive was penned with exquisite eloquence and couched in terms of utmost deference.

Its essence was this: the Star Luo Empire proposed to divide the continent with the Spirit Hall, using their current territorial boundaries as the demarcation line, and pledged a pact of mutual non-aggression.

Furthermore, should the Spirit Hall choose to establish itself as a sovereign nation, the Star Luo Empire vowed to be the very first to grant it recognition, promising to erect "Angel Squares" and statues within every city across its own domain to venerate the God of Angels.

Upon finishing the text, Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment.

Then, she smiled.

That smile was born not of joy, nor of satisfaction—but of sheer, utter disdain. "Partition the continent?"

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undisguised tone of mockery: "The Star Luo Empire—by what right does it propose to partition the continent with this Empress?"

Zhou Zhengyuan’s expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke respectfully: "Your Eminence, while the Star Luo Empire may not possess as many Title Douluo as the Spirit Hall, our troops are mighty, our steeds are strong, and our military power is formidable. Should we inflict mutual ruin upon one another, it would benefit no one. Would it not be better for each side to take a step back and share in a lasting peace?"

"Share in a lasting peace?" Qian Renxue repeated the phrase, then shook her head.

"What kind of ’peace’ is that? What this Empress desires is unification!"

"Only through unification can true, enduring peace be achieved!"

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