The moment Mu En's words fell, the originally boiling Star Luo Empire royal court suddenly descended into a deathly silence.
The Holy Spirit Cult.
This cult of evil soul masters was no new concept. The intelligence agencies of the Douluo Three Kingdoms were not non-existent. Even though they had been severely restricted by the Sun Moon Empire's surveillance soul tools and couldn't gather much information, the existence of the Holy Spirit Cult was something they were aware of.
However, none of them had ever imagined the Holy Spirit Cult's power would be so terrifying. Even more, they had never expected the Sun Moon Empire to cast aside honor and openly cooperate with such an evil organization!
"Two ultimate beings..."
"The Dark Holy Dragon..."
"My heavens..."
Within the palace, hushed murmurs rose like a tide. Xu Jiawei took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the fear rising in his heart, and questioned again with a heavy tone:
"Silence! Then what, Elder Mu? My Star Luo Empire will never surrender its entire territory simply because of the support of a few evil soul masters. Moreover, isn't it the duty of Shrek Academy to annihilate evil soul masters from the continent? Or is it that, even as an ultimate Douluo, you now fear them?"
Facing Xu Jiawei's questioning, Mu En gave a low, bitter chuckle.
"Hehe... If it were merely as simple as that, this old man would never have allowed Shrek Academy to bow before the Sun Moon Empire."
His words dropped like thunder, stunning the court into another silence.
— Shrek Academy... surrendered?!
Xu Jiawei struggled to suppress the shock and rage in his heart, his hands trembling slightly as he continued:
"Elder Mu, no more riddles. The Emperor demands a full explanation."
Mu En sighed deeply, as if aging even further, and began:
"Very well. Then listen carefully. First, as you already know, the Holy Spirit Cult is now fully allied with the Sun Moon Empire."
"Second, you should know the name Kong Deming. Currently, he has successfully broken through to the level of a Tenth-Level Soul Engineer, becoming an undisputed ultimate powerhouse. As of now, the Sun Moon Empire already commands three ultimate Douluo-class beings."
The palace was deathly silent. Everyone held their breath. The atmosphere was suffocating.
"And that's not all," Mu En continued with a heavy voice.
"Surely you have heard of Huo Yuhao?"
At the mention of that name, everyone's expressions shifted. When they recalled just who that was, a heavy, dreadful silence fell. Many pairs of eyes involuntarily turned toward General Dai Hao.
Dai Hao's face darkened even further, his eyes bloodshot as he gritted out:
"Huo Yuhao... of course, I know! He's the murderer of my son and future daughter-in-law!"
Xu Jiawei sighed internally. It was a bitter, tangled fate indeed. If it could be helped, Xu Jiawei would prefer to take the secret of Huo Yuhao's true parentage — that he was Dai Hao's son — with him to the grave.
Mu En ignored Dai Hao's outburst and continued:
"Not long ago, you all should recall the incident where the Body Sect attacked Mingde Hall, attempting to steal a ten-thousand-year soul beast embryo, but were wiped out by the sudden appearance of the Snow Empress from the Extreme North."
Xu Jiawei nodded solemnly.
"Indeed. We discussed it with the Heavenly Soul Emperor. We suspected that the Snow Empress had been sealed inside that embryo."
Mu En laughed bitterly.
"Your Majesty, perhaps you also had another suspicion you dared not voice?"
Xu Jiawei's heart tightened sharply. He had a terrible feeling about what was coming.
And Mu En confirmed his fear:
"Yes, Your Majesty. You were correct. That Snow Empress is now firmly allied with the Sun Moon Empire. More precisely, she is the personal ally and protector of Huo Yuhao."
A dead silence.
"A soul beast at the ultimate level — willingly standing alongside a human youth. I have no doubt: should Huo Yuhao command it, the Snow Empress would freeze into ice all who oppose the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Jiawei nearly fainted from the overwhelming pressure. He barely managed to steady himself.
Now, at last, he understood why even the mighty Shrek Academy had surrendered.
—Four ultimate beings stood with the Sun Moon Empire, while Shrek Academy had... just one.
Yet Mu En's explanation still wasn't over.
"And finally," Mu En said in a grim voice, "the final straw that crushed this old man's hope..."
"The Star Dou Great Forest, for unknown reasons, signed a secret agreement with the Sun Moon Empire. Should Shrek refuse to submit, the forest would unleash another beast tide — alongside the Sun Moon armies — to utterly annihilate Shrek City."
Silence turned to shock. Several courtiers fainted on the spot from terror. Xu Jiawei clutched his forehead and barely managed to stay upright on his throne.
"When I, Mu En, personally saw Di Tian, the Snow Empress, and Kong Deming standing side by side, forcing me to choose... I knew then that there was no hope left. I made the decision to surrender, to preserve what little remains of our legacy."
Mu En's voice cracked with pain.
"And with the Sun Moon Empire's soul technology advancing by leaps and bounds, there is no possibility for the Douluo Three Kingdoms to win a war. Your Majesty, for the sake of preserving our people, please, surrender."
With a loud thud, Mu En — a man once revered as the Sea God Pavilion Master, an Ultimate Douluo, the Bright Holy Dragon — fell to his knees before Xu Jiawei and kowtowed.
The courtiers watched, silent and grim-faced. The scene of Mu En discarding all pride and kneeling broke even the harshest hearts.
Xu Jiawei felt himself grow old in that moment. Trembling, he rose, walked to Mu En's side, and helped him up with his own hands.
"Mu Lao... You shouldn't..." he murmured heavily.
Mu En's cloudy eyes met Xu Jiawei's.
"So, Your Majesty, what is your decision?"
In that heavy silence, every eye turned toward the Star Luo Emperor.
Xu Jiawei felt like a mountain pressed down upon him. The fate of millions, the survival of his empire — all depended on the next words he spoke.
He closed his eyes for a long, long time.
And when he opened them again, he uttered a single word.
"War."
That single word, quiet as it was, seemed to carry all the weight of his reign, all the honor of the Star Luo Empire.
"War."
"War!"
The court erupted — not into fear, but into defiant roars of courage. The light that had nearly been snuffed out was rekindled, burning fiercer than ever before.
(End of Chapter)
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