Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Credits: freya

The sensation of being watched came quickly and left just as fast.

Han Li, who seemed to be idly daydreaming in the courtyard but was communicating with his obedient son, exited the spiritual space and casually glanced at the sky before withdrawing his gaze.

Unlike before, during the brief moment of being watched, the not-yet-fully-controlled laws of destiny trembled incessantly. If the golden threads were tangible, Han Li figured his divine soul would likely experience an overwhelming high, leaving no room for reprieve.

Recalling the God of Asura's earlier tricks and their brief eye contact in the Angel Temple, Han Li had his suspicions.

Offer a small benefit, then deliver a slap? Suppress the fire of the young? This method was likely universal across the cosmos.

Unfortunately for them, Han Li had received a proper education—he was a humanities major. Back in school, he had memorized countless texts during morning study sessions, and in his working life, he had been knocked down by harsh realities.

Unless the price offered was extraordinarily high, he wasn't buying in.

But it was already too late. At this point, asking Han Li to give up was unthinkable—even to himself. Everyone carries a few sharp weapons. If this were another world, he might have caved. But this was Douluo.

Han Li calmed himself, pulled out a bottle of juice, and drank it in one gulp. The cool sensation slid down his throat and into his stomach. He closed his eyes, basking in the sun and enjoying the gentle breeze against his face.

...

In Wuhun City, inside the Pope's Palace.

Bibi Dong no longer concealed her aura. A suffocating and chilling presence filled the grand hall as she looked with satisfaction at the assembled high-ranking officials of the Spirit Hall. Both the Pope's faction and the Worship Hall faction were present. Except for the regional branch of Platinum Bishops, no one was absent.

"Have all the preparations I instructed you to complete been finalized?"

Bibi Dong's gaze focused primarily on the area where the Worship Hall personnel were gathered.

"Supreme Pontiff, everything is in place. We await your command."

A Platinum Bishop from the main hall stepped forward. Though his strength was only at the Soul Douluo level and he hadn't reached the Title Douluo rank, he handled administrative tasks with great skill. After the disappearance of the Worship Hall's Elder, he had become the de facto leader of their group.

"The Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce under His Highness the Holy Son has also joined the effort, assisting with the evacuation and guidance of civilians," he added cautiously. The Holy Son had instructed him that this was something he could report directly to the Supreme Pontiff.

A flash of dissatisfaction crossed Bibi Dong's eyes but quickly faded. Still struggling? Never mind. As long as the overall trajectory followed her plans, that was enough.

Han Li's Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce had taken a grassroots route from its inception. Bibi Dong didn't mind this, initially considering it merely a tool for him to amass wealth. It wasn't until the Soul Master Tournament when Han Li revealed his collection of faith power, that Bibi Dong started to view him in a higher light—but only just.

Strictly speaking, Bibi Dong herself had emerged from humble beginnings. However, she hadn't experienced much of a grassroots life. After awakening her Martial Soul, she became the Saintess of Spirit Hall, receiving the highest level of cultivation resources.

While Spirit Hall claimed to support civilians, their main focus was on nurturing soul masters from among them. For the truly downtrodden, Spirit Hall's efforts amounted to mere lip service—protecting the foundational population at best.

As for Han Li's attempts to rally civilians during wartime, Bibi Dong dismissed it as futile. How much faith could those people offer him? How many strong soul masters could they produce? Moreover, Han Li might not even live to see the fruits of his labor.

Bibi Dong smirked coldly in her heart.

She regarded Han Li's covert alliance with the Worship Hall as a form of resistance. Qian Renxue had begun her divine trials right under her nose without any pretense of concealment as if deliberately trying to intimidate her—declaring that their faction also had hidden cards to play.

Did they think she would continue the same back-and-forth power struggles, as in the past, suppressing their faction at most while vying for control of Spirit Hall?

Fools. They were far too naive. Bibi Dong's years of patience weren't for such petty ends. She sought to utterly destroy the Qian family line.

If they wanted to cooperate, then they could join her in welcoming the inevitable destruction.

Seated high upon the throne, Bibi Dong suddenly smiled. But with the angel mural behind her, the scene looked eerily sinister.

"Then convey my orders: as of today, the Spirit Empire is officially established."

"And declare war on the Star Luo Empire."

"Yes, Spirit Empress," came the unanimous reply.

Within the Pope's Palace, the collective cheer shifted subtly. The title of the address had changed.

...

Across Wuhun City, various institutions began operating at full speed, spreading the news across the continent.

The departing high-ranking officials carried their messages, plunging the Spirit Hall's middle and upper ranks into a brief moment of shock before celebration erupted. The prior preparations had already hinted at this conclusion; now it was merely confirmed.

Of course, there were dissenters. However, compared to the overwhelming number of those caught up in the frenzy, they were few and far between. After all, by choosing Spirit Hall, they had, to some extent, distanced themselves from the traditional nation-states.

On the Douluo Continent, loyalty to the nation was limited, especially among commoners. Becoming a soul master was the ultimate aspiration. And the institution enabling them to achieve that dream? Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong's handling of dissenters was straightforward and forceful, though she refrained from outright purging them—they were, after all, still members of Spirit Hall.

She opened a prison and gave them a choice: if they opposed her, they could voluntarily lock themselves in. Once everything settled, they'd be dealt with. To ensure compliance, a Soul Master army was stationed outside the prison. Anyone who entered shouldn't expect to leave before the matter was concluded.

Not many chose to go. People weren't fools—they recognized this as a way to back down gracefully. Taking it too seriously would be akin to handing over control of their lives to someone else.

The announcement of the Spirit Empire's founding spread like water hitting hot oil, sending the previously calm continent into a frenzy.

For those already living under Spirit Hall's rule, after an initial moment of surprise, life quickly returned to normal. To them, nothing much seemed to have changed.

The duchies and kingdoms long controlled by Spirit Hall, however, responded enthusiastically. They immediately declared their support for the Spirit Empire, proclaiming they had always been part of it.

The Star Luo Empire's reaction was the most intense. After all, the Spirit Empire didn't just declare its founding—it directly declared war on them. Naturally, this sparked a frenzied mobilization of troops toward their border with the Spirit Empire. The Star Luo Empire's militaristic regime escalated to martial law, ruthlessly targeting and eliminating anyone associated with Spirit Hall.

The situation in the Heaven Dou Empire, however, was far more peculiar.

...

In Heaven Dou City, Salas was still openly preaching Spirit Hall's doctrines with his followers in tow. The imperial family made no moves, and the nobility, confused, scrambled for information.

The Spirit Empire had been established, but oddly, it had not declared war on the Heaven Dou Empire. Yet, many duchies and kingdoms that had declared allegiance to the Spirit Empire had originally been part of Heaven Dou.

The people of Heaven Dou felt a mix of relief and indignation. What was going on? Did the Spirit Empire not even consider the Heaven Dou Empire a worthy opponent, targeting only the Star Luo Empire?

Rumors spread wildly among the populace, while the nobles engaged in frantic political maneuvering. Meanwhile, the imperial palace remained silent.

The silence broke the following day when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which had previously announced its seclusion, made a public appearance. Ning Fengzhi, accompanied by Sword Douluo Chen Xin, entered the imperial palace under the watchful eyes of many.

Those observing from the outside waited until late at night, but Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin did not emerge. The atmosphere grew even more tense.

On the morning of the third day, the movement finally came from the palace.

A proclamation was posted, announcing that Emperor Xue Qinghe would deliver an important speech at 3 PM in the arena where the Soul Master Tournament had been held.

Previously, after Emperor Xue Ye's unexpected death, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had ascended to the throne. Initially preoccupied with stabilizing the situation and implementing new policies, the tournament venue remained intact. Now, it would serve a new purpose.

Some astute observers sensed that something was amiss. The proclamation made no mention of the Spirit Empire. Many pro-Star Luo nobles hurried home, alarmed by the shifting political winds.

Finally, under the gaze of countless onlookers, Emperor Xue Qinghe appeared on the high platform, flanked by Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo Chen Xin. Their expressions revealed nothing unusual, but they were far more anxious than they seemed.

Initially, Ning Fengzhi had thought this would be a routine encounter with "Xue Qinghe," offering support as needed. But when "Xue Qinghe" dropped his disguise to reveal himself as Spirit Hall's Grand Worship Qian Daoliu, both he and Chen Xin were stunned.

Ning Fengzhi, the so-called "imperial tutor," was so shocked that his legs nearly gave out. He couldn't believe he had been mentoring someone who called him "teacher" but had been secretly hiding such a powerful identity.

Fortunately, Qian Daoliu quickly reassured him, explaining it was merely a temporary disguise. Even so, Ning Fengzhi became noticeably more compliant.

Amid the crowd's focus, "Xue Qinghe" ascended into the air, revealing nine spirit rings and his Swan Martial Soul. Then, to the crowd's shock, the Swan Martial Soul rippled and transformed into the Angel Martial Soul.

Below, members of the hidden Angel Legion, who had blended into the crowd, revealed their Martial Soul and flew toward the platform.

At the forefront, Salas led Spirit Hall's delegation in kneeling on one knee.

"Greetings, Young Master," they declared in unison, their voices imbued with soul power, leaving the Heaven Dou citizens in a daze.

Floating above, "Xue Qinghe" finally broke his silence. Amplified by spirit power, his voice echoed across the arena:

"People of Heaven Dou, I am your Emperor, Xue Qinghe. Do not be surprised—this is the announcement I wished to make.

"The Xue family, or rather, the royal bloodline, is a branch of the Qian family under Spirit Hall's Pope faction. Now that the Spirit Empire has been established, there is no need for us to remain hidden. It is time for us to return to our rightful place."

"This relationship can be vouched for by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which has always been a close ally of the royal family. The Spirit Empire is not an enemy of Heaven Dou. You may live your lives without fear of war."

Ning Fengzhi stepped forward, his voice confident and reassuring as he addressed the crowd.

"Yes, I can personally vouch for the truth of Xue Qinghe's words. Furthermore, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has long been an external branch of the Spirit Empire."

He spoke with his usual composed smile as if none of this was out of the ordinary.

Only then did some sharp-eyed observers notice that Ning Fengzhi's white robe bore the unmistakable emblem of Spirit Hall alongside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda insignia.