Luo Yun sat in the reception tent at the Star Crown Sect's camp, watching spirit masters come and go through the open curtain, feeling a bit uneasy.
Before coming here, he only knew that the Star Crown Sect was powerful, but he didn't expect it to be this powerful.
Moreover, he hadn't seen Xu Mingxi along the way, and couldn't help but wonder whether she had stayed behind at the sect.
Just as he was muttering something to himself, he suddenly saw Xingchen Douluo walk in from outside the tent. He quickly stood up to greet him and respectfully saluted him.
"Your Excellency Xingchen, I am Luo Yun, and I've come on behalf of the Star Luo Empire to meet you."
"Brother Luo Yun, no need to be so formal."
Hmm? Luo Yun seemed to hear a familiar voice and looked up in disbelief, staring at Xingchen Douluo with astonishment in his eyes.
Xu Mingxi was also aware that for ordinary people, the rapid advancement in her cultivation—boosted by numerous 100,000-year-old spirit rings and bones—was somewhat frightening.
On the Douluo Continent, she had few friends outside the elders and disciples of the Star Crown Sect, and Luo Yun was the one she had the closest relationship with.
Moreover, when Xu Mingxi studied at Canghui Academy, Luo Yun's family had greatly helped her, both directly and indirectly reducing many of her troubles.
She looked at the still-stunned Luo Yun, lowered her voice, and said again,
"Brother Luo Yun, it's really me—Xu Mingxi."
"It's really you, Your Excellency Xingchen."
Luo Yun looked at Xu Mingxi, who was now wearing a golden mask. His former companion had become someone unreachable, which made him hesitant to recognize her.
There was now a gap between them—in identity and strength. Xu Mingxi looked at the silent Luo Yun and couldn't help but sigh, feeling nostalgic for their past friendship.
However, after catching up on the situation of her former companions, Xu Mingxi decided to leave, but left a promise with Luo Yun.
As long as he remained within the Star Crown Sect and the sect wasn't in trouble, she would protect him for the rest of his life.
Just after leaving the tent, Xu Mingxi received a meeting summons from Star Luo Emperor Dai Feng, saying there was an important matter to discuss and that her presence was required.
In the current situation, what else could be so important if not the war with Spirit Hall?
Xu Mingxi and the clan leaders who walked out of the tent looked at one another, nodded in agreement, and flew together to Dai Feng's meeting site.
They all had a vague feeling that what would be discussed could directly impact the war with Spirit Hall—maybe even be the decisive battle.
As people gradually arrived, Dai Feng, who had been seated for a long time, finally stated the purpose of the meeting:
"Everyone, the Heaven Dou Empire has sent someone inviting us to jointly attack Spirit Hall in three days and completely defeat them."
Dai Feng's words stirred up a commotion. Spirit Hall was not that easy to defeat. Even with Tang Chen recently appearing, they were only on equal footing with Spirit Hall.
Once both sides launched an all-out battle, regardless of the outcome, many of those present would die.
These were all soul masters above the Soul Sage level and essentially Douluo Continent nobility—enjoying the best life. For them, war with Spirit Hall was only a last resort.
If possible, they hoped for eternal peace on the Douluo Continent, so that their sects and families could flourish forever.
With stable spiritual heritage, they only needed to continue expanding their families—not worrying about the lack of future talents.
Dai Feng understood what they were thinking when he saw their expressions. But the Dai family was deeply bound to the Star Luo Empire. If the nation fell, the family would fall too.
"Everyone, it was Tang San's idea to start the war, and also the idea of Poseidon Douluo and Clear Sky Douluo Tang Chen. If they go to war with Spirit Hall, how can we stand aside?"
Dai Feng spoke passionately, but the people below remained silent. Everyone knew the saying "the lips perish, the teeth feel cold"—but when the bullets weren't flying at you, it was easy not to feel the pain.
Xu Mingxi held a wine glass, her eyes watching the purple-red wine ripple in the cup. She was thinking about how to act in a way that benefited both herself and the Star Crown Sect.
Currently, the Star Luo Empire was the weakest side. Spirit Hall was manageable, but the Heaven Dou Empire wouldn't allow them to just sit on the sidelines.
They would have to fight, but the scale of the battle and how much strength to use could still be negotiated.
Xu Mingxi looked at the sect leader, who nodded back at her and stepped forward in front of everyone.
The sect leader, considered the strongest person present, stood up—and all the murmuring instantly ceased. All eyes turned to him.
"Your Majesty, can you tell us Tang San's plan and what exactly we are expected to do?"
"Of course."
Everyone was stirred again. They could sense something in the sect leader's words. They hadn't expected the Star Crown Sect to agree so readily.
Weren't they supposed to hold a long meeting, argue back and forth, and eventually force Dai Feng to agree to a bunch of unequal conditions before reluctantly giving in?
Dai Feng was delighted. He was the one who least wanted to delay things. No matter how powerful the Star Luo Empire was, they couldn't afford to waste time.
All their strength was concentrated on the front lines, while the rear was extremely vulnerable. The whole empire was being managed by Davis, a young and inexperienced king. If they got dragged out, it would be a huge loss for Star Luo.
He looked at the sect master and slowly relayed Tang San's request—or more precisely, his own request, previously brought by Luo Yi.
Tang San wanted them to launch an attack on Spirit Hall three days later, using fireworks as the signal. The Star Luo Empire had to hold off—or ideally, defeat—Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others.
"They said if any of the titled experts were allowed to move to the Heaven Dou battlefield to support them, they would immediately stop the war."
Dai Feng explained Tang San's plan and also made it clear there was a threat. Without those two peerless Heaven Dou fighters, the Star Luo Empire alone could not match Spirit Hall.
This rough plan made Xu Mingxi frown. Three days—it was too rushed.
Logically, Tang San should want the war to drag on, giving him time to build up strength and find an opportunity to destroy Spirit Hall in one strike.
But now Tang San was eager to start the war. Why? He didn't need to collect corpse energy like Bibi Dong.
Then suddenly, Xu Mingxi realized—Bibi Dong was likely planning to set up a formation on the battlefield between Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire to gather corpse energy and resurrect allied forces. The only question was: how would Tang San and the others respond when that moment came?