Vina expressed her agreement with Yuwen Tuo's ranking.
The top two empires were simply beyond the power of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Spirit Empire to contend with. After all, both their nations had merely split from the former Heavenly Dou Empire. Their land area was, at most, half that of the Star Luo Empire. Their national strength was even far inferior.
The Heavenly Soul Empire now had the covert support of the Body Sect, which allowed them to catch up in terms of high-end power.
As for the Dou Spirit Empire, their princess was abducted by members of the Xuanming Sect, yet they were utterly helpless about it. Apart from the Sun Douluo, they couldn't field a single truly high-end combatant.
In earlier years, the Heavenly Soul Empire's power had already gradually surpassed the Dou Spirit Empire.
Although both sides had maintained a facade of cordiality – Vina would even address the Sun Douluo as "Grandpa Tianyang" – in reality, the Heavenly Soul Empire dreamed of devouring the Dou Spirit Empire.
"When the empire split back then, our Heavenly Soul Empire successfully occupied the Heavenly Dou Imperial City, the former capital of the Heavenly Dou Empire, and established Heavenly Soul as its base. Within our borders, we not only have the Body Sect but also the Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, among other great sects.
We possess every natural advantage. The Dou Spirit Empire's only advantage is that they are the direct bloodline of Emperor Xue Beng from back then, whereas our Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial family is merely a collateral branch. Even their martial spirit, the Dou Spirit Empire inherited the Swan from the former Heavenly Dou imperial family. Many factions loyal to Heavenly Dou, seeing this, chose to assist them, barely giving them enough human support to contend with us."
"If the Sun Moon Empire's greatest goal is to unify the continent, then the aim of both our Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Spirit Empire is to first fully occupy the entire territory of the original Heavenly Dou Empire. Then, we would form a three-way standoff with the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, and subsequently contend for control of the world," Vina said. "However, there is one nation that does not wish to see this plan fulfilled."
"Star Luo?" Yuwen Tuo said directly.
"Precisely. Your political acumen is very sharp," Vina praised. "Star Luo and Heavenly Dou have been adversarial for thousands of years. Heavenly Dou's split was precisely what they desired. Moreover, Star Luo's geographical location is very sensitive.
Once Heavenly Soul and Dou Spirit merge again, restoring a Heavenly Dou Empire capable of contending with Star Luo, then Star Luo will be sandwiched between the Sun Moon Empire and the Heavenly Dou Empire. Therefore, while resisting the Sun Moon Empire on the front lines, they must ensure that the two nations in the rear remain divided and stable."
"So, they chose to support the weaker Dou Spirit Empire, allowing Dou Spirit to contend with Heavenly Soul. The method, I presume, was a marriage alliance? After the alliance, Heavenly Soul, wary of Star Luo, would no longer dare to casually wage war," Yuwen Tuo interjected. "The chosen partner for that marriage alliance, was it not... Xu Yueran?"
"Exactly. Xu Yueran was the legitimate eldest princess of the Star Luo Empire, the biological elder sister of the current Emperor Xu Jiawei and Princess Xu Jiujiu, born of the same mother. She possessed the same Star Crown Martial Spirit as Xu Jiujiu. In those years, she was renowned across the continent for her exceptional talent and peerless beauty. Her marriage alliance with the Dou Spirit Empire, representing the Star Luo Empire, certainly showed enough respect to the Dou Spirit Empire. The emperor of the Dou Spirit Empire even fell in love with Xu Yueran at first sight and promised to definitely make her his empress."
"This marriage alliance failed, right? What role did the Sun Moon Empire... play in it?" Yuwen Tuo speculated.
If the marriage alliance had succeeded, then he should be a prince, or even the Crown Prince, of the Dou Spirit Empire by now, and not have ended up in Shiwawa Village.
Vina sighed, "A beauty's misfortune, indeed. It wasn't just the emperor of the Dou Spirit Empire who admired Xu Yueran back then; the current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire also did. The Sun Moon Empire's intentions were completely opposite to Star Luo's.
Star Luo desired stability in the rear, while the Sun Moon Empire wished for the three great empires of the Douluo Continent to be as chaotic as possible. They didn't want to see a stable triangle. After all, for Heavenly Soul to recover into Heavenly Dou, it would have to go through war. And they would devise ways to prolong this war, thus preventing this marriage alliance that could maintain peace on the continent."
"Fifteen years ago, your mother, at the tender age of nineteen, beautiful as a flower, represented the Star Luo Empire and traveled to Mingdu of the Sun Moon Empire to participate in the All-Continent Soul Master Academy Tournament," Vina said.
The tournament was held every five years, with the four great empires taking turns hosting it. That year it was Star Luo's turn. Five years before that was Dou Spirit, ten years before was Heavenly Soul, so fifteen years ago, it was naturally Sun Moon's turn. The next tournament was also set to be held in Sun Moon, completing a twenty-year cycle.
"Your mother, leading the Star Luo National Academy, fought her way into the semifinals. In that tournament, she even caused the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to lose their originally guaranteed second-place ranking. In the semifinals, Xu Yueran, wearing her Star Crown, performed her self-created soul skill, 'Dance of the Stars,' which was truly beautiful and magnificent. The then-Sun Moon Great Emperor was not yet the Emperor; he was just a Prince, the younger brother of the previous Great Emperor, and also in his prime, full of vigor. He fell in love with her at first sight. After the competition, he sought her out and declared his affection."
"But at that time, your mother had already made a vow for three lifetimes with the current emperor of the Dou Spirit Empire. Furthermore, the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire had been enemies for a long time. As the eldest princess of Star Luo, how could she accept the Sun Moon Empire's prince's courtship? Therefore, her answer was inevitably a refusal."
"The Prince displayed his magnanimity, stating that he was too late, and since his goddess already had a beloved and an engagement, how could he possibly forcefully steal her away? Thus, he promised to give up and no longer pester her. After the tournament ended, the Star Luo National Academy team prepared to return. But unexpectedly, this Prince's magnanimity was only on the surface. Whether it was to prevent the marriage alliance between Star Luo and Dou Spirit, or out of his covetous desire for your mother's beauty, he simply could not let her go."
"On the Star Luo National Academy's return journey, as they passed through the Mingdou Mountain Range and were about to enter the Star Luo border, the sky suddenly became covered in dark clouds. Then, in broad daylight, the entire mountain range turned pitch black. When the dark clouds dispersed, your mother had vanished. You must know, as the eldest princess of the empire, Star Luo attached immense importance to her, and the escort team sent out included a Titled Douluo. But facing that darkness, he couldn't even resist, let alone react in time."
After listening to Vina's words, Yuwen Tuo said, "So, she was abducted by someone sent by the Sun Moon Empire."
Vina nodded. "Yes, initially the two great empires didn't know. Star Luo and Dou Spirit could only send people to search the entire continent, but they found nothing. By the time they received news of Xu Yueran, it was two years later. She was in the Sun Moon Empire, forcibly taken by that Prince.
For the first year, the Prince was quite patient with her and didn't force her, hoping to win both her heart and her person. But he was not a gentleman, and his patience with women was always limited. After a year, seeing that your mother remained unmoved, he finally resorted to force.
By the time Star Luo confirmed your mother's location, she was already nine months pregnant and was being closely guarded in the palace by the Sun Moon Empire. Just when Star Luo and Dou Spirit were at their wit's end, Xu Yueran, with the help of a mysterious person, escaped from the Sun Moon Empire and, with Dai Hao's assistance, successfully returned to Star Luo."
"However, having lost her chastity, she naturally could no longer marry into the Dou Spirit Empire to become Empress. From then on, she remained hidden within the Star Luo Imperial Palace, never again appearing in public. It is said that during her return journey, she gave birth to a child. If I'm not mistaken, the child in her belly at that time was you!"
"And there are two reasons why you appeared in the Heavenly Soul Empire. First, their escape route. To avoid pursuit by the Sun Moon Empire, they deliberately took a slightly longer route by passing through our Heavenly Soul Empire. Second, it was likely Xu Yueran's deliberate doing. For her, you were a lifelong disgrace. Therefore, she didn't want you to stay in Star Luo, constantly reminding her of this shame. She also wouldn't allow you to return to Sun Moon, back to that man she hated."
"As for Dou Spirit, your existence filled them with even more anger. Anyone who saw you would be reminded that the Dou Spirit Empire's emperor was cuckolded by the Sun Moon Empire's emperor, and they dared not even make a peep. Every person loyal to the Dou Spirit Empire wished they could kill you quickly. Xu Yueran perhaps had a last trace of maternal love for you, otherwise she wouldn't have just abandoned you there."
Yuwen Tuo sat in his seat, resting his chin on his hand, and said helplessly, "So, Star Luo, Sun Moon, and Dou Spirit are all bad choices. Her last act of maternal love was to abandon me in the Heavenly Soul Empire, where I have no connection?"
Vina nodded. "Yes, a few years later, an anomaly occurred in the Sun Moon Empire. The entire family of the previous Sun Moon Great Emperor suddenly died tragically overnight, and the Prince who had forcibly taken your mother immediately ascended to the throne. Outwardly, it was said to be food poisoning, but I suspect it was more likely a rebellion."
Everything was finally clear. No wonder the Sun Moon Empire and Star Luo Empire had such subtle attitudes towards him, and the Dou Spirit Empire was so full of hostility. He never thought his background would be so complicated, involving three great nations, even capable of influencing the entire continent's situation.
As for who abducted and then released Xu Yueran, Yuwen Tuo could roughly guess. Who on the entire continent could abduct someone right under the nose of a Titled Douluo and then rescue someone from the heavily guarded Sun Moon Imperial Palace?
Those people were indeed two-faced, both completing the Sun Moon Empire's mission and preparing to use it to further intensify the conflicts between the great nations.
However, he did not know how Vina had managed to gather such detailed information. It seemed that within the Body Sect, there might be very skilled spies.
Or perhaps, it was related to that rebellion. Vina was already investigating this matter. All nations had always been very curious: the Sun Moon Empire's national strength was so formidable, and the previous Great Emperor was by no means useless.
How did that Prince manage to complete the rebellion overnight? Were the Mingde Hall and the Sun Moon Consecration Hall blind? By the time they reacted, the established fact had already occurred.
To be able to catch the Mingde Hall and the Sun Moon Consecration Hall off guard, it implied that a very terrifying power was hidden within the Sun Moon Empire.
Without clarifying this, Vina could not rest. She speculated that the darkness that abducted Yuwen Tuo's mother might have originated from that power.
"Brother Yuwen, now you are not unconnected to Heavenly Soul," At this moment, Jiang Peng placed his hand on Yuwen Tuo's shoulder. "Having joined my Heavenly Soul, you are my brother, Jiang Peng."
"Brother Jiang is right," Vina stood up. "We don't care what connection you have with those three nations, nor how complicated your background is. You grew up in Heavenly Soul, and you are a citizen of my Heavenly Soul Empire. Even if those three nations abandon you and want to kill you, I, Vina, am still willing to acknowledge your identity as Yuwen Tuo, in the name of the Heavenly Soul Princess."
"And I, Long Aotian, in the name of the Body Sect's succeeding Sect Master, acknowledge you as a disciple of my Body Sect."
Both extended their hands to Yuwen Tuo simultaneously.
Yuwen Tuo smiled faintly, took Xiao Xiao's hand beside him, and the two of them clasped hands with Long Aotian and Vina respectively.
"I, Yuwen Tuo, and my beloved Xiao Xiao, officially join the Body Sect! If the sect does not betray me, I will not betray the sect!"
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