Ning Rongrong passed her sixth trial smoothly. Tianlin couldn't help but sigh—these Sea God trials were far simpler than the Asura God's. The Asura God's trials would, at the drop of a hat, throw him head-on against Super Douluo and even Ultimate Douluo–level opponents, and there wasn't even a guide; he had to rely entirely on himself.
In just three short years, Ning Rongrong had caught up to Tianlin's progress. If Tianlin's guess was right, Qian Renxue should be nearing her seventh trial by now.
Just as Ning Rongrong finally completed her trial and went back to rest, major events had already erupted on the continent.
….
With the Spirit Hall's nation-founding ceremony concluded, they didn't even leave themselves a single day of celebration before brazenly launching a war.
The two empires didn't even have time to get angry before they were caught completely off guard.
First came the Heaven Dou Empire: led by Sea Turtle Douluo, a ten-thousand–strong soul master legion, together with the Barak Kingdom's four hundred thousand troops, captured two provinces of the Heaven Dou Empire within days.
Heaven Dou hurriedly dispatched Marshal Ge Long to garrison the border. To counter Titled Douluo, they also requested that the Clear Sky Sect send one of its elders to lend a hand.
But that only barely held back the Spirit Empire's offensive; reclaiming lost territory was nigh impossible.
As for the Star Luo Empire, just as Ning Fengzhi had predicted, their first target was Gengxin City.
The Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, along with the Holy Dragon Sect's master Tuoba Xi, led a fifteen-thousand–strong soul master legion in a surprise assault on Gengxin City.
The city's modest forces stood no chance against soul masters. After Holy Dragon Douluo smashed open the gate, ten thousand soul masters flooded in.
Their first target was the most important place here: the Blacksmiths' Association.
Although Si Long, like the Golden Generation, was a Soul Sage, his actual combat strength was inferior even to that sixty-odd–rank Meyers. His soul ring configuration was abysmal—one white, two yellow, three purple, one black—so how could he possibly be a match for the Golden Generation?
Yan felled him with a casual punch.
"People of the Spirit Empire, kill if you want. In our Blacksmiths' Association, there isn't a single coward who clings to life," Si Long said. Though beaten to his knees, his words remained hard.
"Hmph, ignorant of life and death. In this world, only my Spirit Empire is the rightful authority. Whoever defies the Spirit Empire deserves death. Hear my command: slaughter Gengxin City—men, women, young and old—leave no one alive!" Xie Yue said coldly.
"What? You can't do that!" Si Long panicked. He wasn't afraid to die himself, but he couldn't let the tens of thousands in the city be buried with him.
"You have no right to object!" Xie Yue snorted, and his moon blades slashed toward Si Long's neck.
"Stop!" At that moment, a holy light descended, knocking the moon blades aside.
Seeing who had arrived, everyone except Hu Liena dropped to their knees. "We pay our respects to the Adjudication Elder!"
Adjudication Elder Qian Renxue held a position in the Spirit Empire second only to Bibi Dong, on par with Saintess Hu Liena.
"Elder, what do you mean by this? This Blacksmiths' Association doesn't know what's good for them. I was about to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, to assert the majesty of our Spirit Empire," Xie Yue said, puzzled.
Qian Renxue spread her six angelic wings and hovered in the sky. "The 'majesty' you speak of—do you build it on the blood of countless innocent civilians? If you have the ability, then go and slaughter Star Luo's 1.4 million troops. Killing the enemy—that is majesty. But butchering unarmed civilians—I see only brutality. Pass down the order: anyone among the common folk who does not resist is not to be harmed."
"Yes!" Holy Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi responded eagerly. It wasn't that he was so kindhearted—he was worried. If he really carried out a massacre and his true boss learned of it, wouldn't he be skinned alive? Who would care that he was acting under orders?
Luckily, Qian Renxue had arrived in time; otherwise, he'd been ready to defect early.
Facing Qian Renxue, Xie Yue didn't dare push back too hard. He only bowed his head and said, "The elder's lesson is just; Xie Yue was wrong. But the people in the Blacksmiths' Association aren't unarmed civilians. They're soul masters. If we let them go today, they'll become our enemies later. I ask the elder for a ruling."
Qian Renxue nodded. "They may be killed."
She would never allow the slaughter of a city, but enemy soul masters were another matter—especially the Blacksmiths' Association, which supplied weapons to the Star Luo army. To let them off lightly would be far too saintly.
Hu Liena looked at Si Long. "President Si Long, I'll give you another chance. So long as you lead the Blacksmiths' Association to join our Spirit Empire, I guarantee in the name of the Saintess that not a single hair of your association will be touched."
"Don't be in a hurry to refuse. The Blacksmiths' Association has stood for several hundred years. Do you truly wish to see it destroyed in a single day? I know some of your people have already gone to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. In that case, you joining our Spirit Empire is no problem, because in this world, the only power that can contend with our Spirit Empire is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The final contest will inevitably be between our two sides."
"If you don't surrender today, and later our Spirit Empire wins, then those who joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will die without burial, and those of you who stayed in Gengxin City will already have been wiped out. The Blacksmiths' Association will truly be gone. The craft of blacksmithing might even completely decline, even vanish from the continent. Is that the outcome you wish to see, President?"
Hu Liena's words struck Si Long to the core. If blacksmithing truly declined and disappeared, he would become the sinner of the ages for the Blacksmiths' Association.
"But what if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wins?" Si Long countered.
"How dare you! The mere Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—how could they be a match for our Spirit Empire?" Yan roared. For Si Long to say such a thing was an insult to their empire, and he immediately moved to strike.
"Stand down, Yan!" Hu Liena stopped him and continued, "Wouldn't that be even better for you? For Lou Gao's sake, Jun Tianlin wouldn't touch you even if you had joined our Spirit Empire. Then you could return and continue as president of this Blacksmiths' Association—wouldn't that suit your wishes?"
Hu Liena's words left Si Long stunned. "Hu Liena, you're actually teaching me to surrender as a fence-sitter?"
Hu Liena smiled bewitchingly. "Hehe, and what of it? As long as you surrender and then provide weapons for our Spirit Empire's soldiers, that's enough. As for being a fence-sitter, that presumes the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can actually defeat our Spirit Empire—but that's impossible. If we don't even have the confidence and bearing of certain victory, how can we talk of ruling the world?"
"Si Long, after the Spirit Empire annihilates the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, no matter what form your surrender took today, by then it will be a true surrender, won't it?"
Si Long had to admit Hu Liena was right. If the Spirit Hall truly unified the continent, no matter how he struggled, it would be useless. The Blacksmiths' Association had to consider, in the event of the Spirit Empire's victory, leaving itself one last way out.
Si Long no longer hesitated. He knelt. "Your Highness Saintess, Elder Adjudicator, Si Long is willing to surrender."
Hu Liena nodded in satisfaction. "Good. From now on, I will place you and your Blacksmiths' Association under Lord Holy Dragon, incorporated into the Holy Dragon Legion. You will be responsible for arming the fifteen thousand soul masters and one hundred thousand troops under him. For the soul masters, focus on crafting armor; for the army, on forging weapons. Any problem?"
"Understood. Si Long accepts the order!" Since he had agreed to surrender, Si Long wouldn't go back on it lightly.
Unless one day the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect defeated the Spirit Empire and his revered teacher Lou Gao came to take him back, he would have to spend the rest of his life serving the Spirit Empire. At least that way, he could preserve the Blacksmiths' Association's last remaining strength.