Lu Jingming's eyelid twitched as he recalled the almost yandere-like, frenzied expression Sparkle had briefly revealed.
What on earth was going on in the head of this troublemaker?
However, being who he was, he naturally saw through Sparkle's subtle thoughts, which were practically written all over her face, and that overflowing desire for him and the amusement he represented.
Sigh, so be it.
A masked fool who could be kept within sight and chastised at any moment was better than an unpredictable time bomb hidden in the shadows, ready to cause even greater trouble at any time.
Keeping her close would both restrain her and perhaps... allow her to be put to good use.
With his thoughts settled, Lu Jingming wore a calm and controlling smile, speaking slowly:
"From today forward, you will follow me. As for the euphoria you seek…"
He paused briefly, his gaze slightly darkening.
"As long as you do not cross my bottom line, I can tolerate it appropriately."
Upon hearing this, Sparkle's smile instantly bloomed like a flame-red rose at its peak—seductive, scorching, and possessing a dangerous charm that threatened to incinerate everything.
"Oh?"
She cradled her still-slightly-flushed cheeks with both hands, her eyes twinkling with cunning and anticipation.
"And if… I accidentally cross your bottom line? Will the punishment be… strange, like before?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "strange," her tone ambiguously suggestive.
Lu Jingming leaned in, getting close to her ear, and whispered in a voice only they could hear, laced with a faint, chilling undertone:
"No, it will be something… much more 'excessive' than that. I think you wouldn't want to experience it personally."
His words were meaningful, a clear warning.
The smile on Sparkle's face subtly froze.
More excessive than before… but not directly killing her?
Almost instantly, certain explicit, blush-inducing scenarios uncontrollably flashed through her mind.
Although she chased euphoria, and in her bones, a strong impulse arose to test the waters of this unknown excessiveness, her remaining rationality sent a sudden shiver down her spine. She managed to restrain the urge to continue flirting with danger.
The previous level of punishment was within her scope of acceptance; one might even say it opened a door to a new world for her, bringing an unexpected thrill of pleasure.
But going further… ahead lay an abyss from which there might be no return once she stepped in.
For now, she did not want to sink into that completely.
"Are you truly determined to keep her?"
A cold voice rang out.
Gu Yuena quietly stepped forward, moving right beside Lu Jingming, standing extremely close.
Her purple eyes glanced indifferently at Sparkle, carrying a trace of imperceptible scrutiny and worry.
As she spoke, a delicate, profound, and elegant fragrance lingered around Lu Jingming's nose.
"Even though I am unfamiliar with her, I can sense that she is a genuine 'trouble.'"
Gu Yuena's tone was steady, but her gaze was sharp.
She had clearly witnessed Sparkle's recent sickly and crazed expression.
She found it hard to comprehend how someone, under those circumstances, could regard suffering as enjoyment… she had certainly witnessed the diversity of humanity today.
Her worry was not unfounded.
Keeping such an unpredictable existence—one who fed on chaos and euphoria—close by was undoubtedly placing a ticking time bomb right next to them.
Hearing the worry in Gu Yuena's voice, Lu Jingming merely smiled calmly, raising a hand to signal her to relax.
"I understand your concerns."
Lu Jingming explained to Gu Yuena:
"The Masked Fools are indeed famous for chasing euphoria and instigating chaos, but the 'euphoria' they pursue has always been based on the premise of life's existence—without life, how can there be sensation? How can there be fun? Because of this, they inherently maintain a certain degree of respect for life."
He paused, glancing at Sparkle.
"Take Sparkle, for example. She is indeed playful and appears to act on impulse, but when have you ever seen her truly violate the bottom line of life? As for the incident in Ming Dou where she detonated a Grade 9 soul-guided fixed cannon shell to blast open a spatial channel—the reason she did it without hesitation was that Ming Dou had become an empty city at the time. Civilians were either evacuated in advance or had already perished, and the vast majority of those wandering the city were the pawns of the Anti-Matter Legion."
"As for those who were sucked into the spatial turbulence, they didn't die either. Sparkle merely caused them trouble, which is commonplace for a Masked Fool."
Finally, Lu Jingming said softly to Gu Yuena, "Besides, don't I have all of you by my side? Sparkle is not skilled in combat. With your strength, it will be more than enough to keep her in check."
Hearing Lu Jingming's well-articulated analysis, Gu Yuena nodded slightly, her slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxing.
Lu Jingming's confidence, along with his trust in her abilities, caused a fleeting, subtle smile to appear in her eyes, like ice thawing and spring water emerging.
"In that case."
A rare note of pleasure touched her cold voice.
"Then let it be as you say."
With the matter of Sparkle resolved, the next step was to help Qian Renxue gain dominance in the Spirit Empire. Lu Jingming could trust Qian Renxue because he understood her.
But he did not trust Bibi Dong. That woman was insane and could not be viewed as an ordinary person. Moreover, she was still consumed by obsessive love, still fixated on Yu Xiaogang even now.
Did she send people to attack the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan merely for the 'Spirit Hunting Plan'? No, deeper within that action was her selfish desire to seek justice for Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang had suffered cold looks within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and wandered outside for years, so she sought to trample the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan underfoot, venting that twisted urge to protect him.
Therefore, this world could not be handed over to Bibi Dong, this madwoman. He would not cooperate with Bibi Dong. For Qian Renxue's sake, Bibi Dong's life could be spared; after all, she was a Rank 1 God and constituted a fighting force.
However, Bibi Dong had to surrender the power she held. His only ally could be Qian Renxue, because Qian Renxue was more controllable.
Currently in the Spirit Empire, Bibi Dong commanded the Elder Hall and the newly selected Seven Great Sects, all of whom were her loyal followers.
But in terms of raw power, Qian Renxue's faction held the advantage. Bibi Dong was restricted by Qian Renxue, and the Hall of Elders under Qian Renxue's control—the seven great Exalted Elders—excluding the Grand Exalted Elder Qian Daoliu, who had already sacrificed himself, the other six were all Title Douluo whose cultivation surpassed Rank 96. In terms of combat strength, they completely suppressed the Elder Hall.
Furthermore, not all Title Douluo in the Elder Hall were loyal to Bibi Dong. For example, Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupine Fish Douluo were Qian Renxue's subordinates.
However, Bibi Dong currently held the legitimacy; she was the Empress of the Spirit Empire. Thus, she must be made to relinquish the throne and pass it to Qian Renxue.
Regarding this point, Lu Jingming already had a plan. According to Qian Renxue's intelligence, Bibi Dong intended to dispatch an army against the Star Luo Empire to completely annihilate it and unify the continent in one fell swoop.
Having just annexed the Heaven Dou Empire, Bibi Dong was not thinking of recuperating but of continuing the war. Clearly, she did not value the foundation of the Spirit Empire.
However, her approach would corner the Star Luo Empire and Tang San's group, as what Tang San and his allies needed most right now was time.
In Spirit City, on the vast plaza in front of the Pope's Palace, dense ranks of soldiers and Spirit Master formations stood solemnly, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The sunlight fell upon the cold armor and various Spirit Master robes, reflecting a chilling and dazzling light. A heaven-piercing aura of malice seemed ready to tear through the clouds.
Upon the high platform, a stunning and majestic figure stood proudly—Bibi Dong, the Empress of the Spirit Empire.
She did not deliberately release her pressure, but the invisible aura of the Rakshasa God already enveloped the entire plaza like a vast divine might.
The air seemed to solidify. Everyone present felt a shudder and awe deep within their souls, involuntarily wanting to kneel in reverence.
Divine might was like a prison, boundless and mighty!
Standing silently slightly behind her was the Saintess, Hu Liena.
She was dressed in gorgeous Saintess attire, her appearance exquisite. Under Bibi Dong's meticulous cultivation over the years, her temperament already subtly possessed the grace and decisiveness of a superior.
Bibi Dong bringing her along to such an important occasion spoke volumes—Hu Liena was her designated and unshakeable successor.
Bibi Dong's deep and icy gaze slowly swept over the massive legion below. Her crimson lips parted slightly, and her cold, majestic voice clearly reached the ears of everyone present:
"Warriors of the Empire!"
Just this opening line ignited the atmosphere of the entire plaza.
"Heaven Dou has submitted to the feet of my Spirit Empire. However, continental strife is not yet settled. Star Luo continues its futile resistance, and rebellious rogues gather, attempting to obstruct the empire's great trend of unification. Such stubbornly unenlightened individuals must be utterly crushed with the might of thunder."
Her voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable resolution:
"Today, I hereby command you to march west, pointing your spears directly at Star Luo. Let your wrath burn away every praying mantis that dares to block the empire's wheels."
As she spoke, the atmosphere in the plaza became fervent.
Bibi Dong waved her arm and began issuing orders:
"For this war, we shall deploy one hundred thousand Palace Guard Knights, two hundred thousand Holy Emperor Legions, and three hundred thousand reorganized allied forces from various kingdoms and duchies, totaling six hundred thousand troops, to serve as the foundation of our empire."
"The Spirit Master Legions shall join the campaign, including the Angel Legion, the Holy Dragon Legion, the Blazing Eagle Legion… a total of eight great Spirit Master Legions, ten thousand Spirit Masters, who will cut through thorns for the army and crush the enemy formations."
Her gaze turned to the formations on the other side, whose auras were noticeably stronger:
"The newly established Seven Great Sects—Sacred Dragon Clan, Wind Sword Sect, Black Tiger Sect, Fire Leopard Sect, Steenbok Sect, Hornet Sect, and Elephant Armored Sect—you are the pillars of the Empire. In this battle, you shall display the power of your sects and let the continent witness the empire's cutting edge."
The powerhouses of the Seven Great Sects, led by Huyan Zhen, answered in unison, their voices shaking the fields.
Finally, her gaze fell upon the terrifying soul power fluctuations of the figures at the forefront of the platform below.
"Elders of the Elder Hall, heed my command."
Led by Ghost Douluo Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, nearly ten Title Douluo-level elders simultaneously bowed. The surging soul power caused the surrounding air to distort.
"You shall accompany me on this personal campaign. Target—Star Luo Imperial Capital. I wish to personally witness how long the stubborn backbone of the Dai Imperial Family can withstand my divine might."
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
Cheers like a mountain tsunami erupted into the sky, shaking the entire Spirit City.
Six hundred thousand troops, ten thousand Spirit Masters, the Seven Great Sects, nearly ten Title Douluo, and a God personally leading them.
This force was sufficient to crush any known resistance on the continent.
The golden Angelic God crest and the purplish-black Rakshasa God pattern shimmered together on the banners, symbolizing unmatched power and will.
The grand army advanced.
Like an unstoppable steel torrent, carrying the momentum to destroy everything, it rolled toward the Star Luo Empire.
Star Luo Empire. Inside the majestic Imperial Palace Council Hall, the air was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out.
When the military report arrived—detailing Bibi Dong's mobilization of the Spirit Hall Spirit Master Legions, hundreds of thousands of troops, the new Seven Great Sects, and numerous Title Douluo from the Elder Hall pressing like dark clouds toward the Star Luo border—the entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Star Luo Emperor Dai Yutian sat on the main seat, his brow etched with deep gloom and determination.
Below him were gathered all the forces on the continent that could currently oppose the Spirit Empire—Prince Xue Xing and Prince Xue Beng, remnants of the Heaven Dou Empire, along with the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo protecting them.
Sect Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, with the Sword and Bone Douluo, Chen Xin and Gu Rong.
Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Thunder Douluo.
Flander, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang from Shrek Academy, along with the now-grown young prodigies: Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.
Even the Roaring Heaven Douluo Tang Xiao of the Clear Sky School was personally present.
Also among them were the Shrek group from the parallel world—Xuan Zi and three Super Douluo, Ma Xiaotao, Han Ruoruo, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Xu Sanshi, and other outstanding young talents. Their presence added an element of the unexpected but also brought a subtle hope.
"The Spirit Empire… is truly this impatient."
Dai Yutian's voice was low, breaking the suffocating silence.
He looked around at the crowd, his gaze lingering especially on the faces of Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuan Zhen, and Tang Xiao.
"We thought Bibi Dong would need at least a few years to consolidate the Heaven Dou territory. We never expected her to refuse even a moment's breathing room."
A wave of suppressed discussion arose in the hall.
Bibi Dong's thunderous action had completely disrupted their original deployment plans.
Ning Fengzhi's brows were tightly locked. Sword Douluo Chen Xin, standing beside him with his arms crossed, his eyes sharp as a sword, couldn't help but be tinged with gloom.
Their original plan was to search for Sea God Island and allow the qualified young talents to attempt inheriting a God's position to obtain power equal to the Angel God and Rakshasa God.
However, with the Spirit Empire's massive army pressing near, the one thing they lacked the most—time—had become a luxurious commodity.
"God trials require time, and passing the tests requires destiny. With the enemy at our gates, we… have run out of time."
Ning Fengzhi's voice carried a hint of imperceptible exhaustion.
This fact weighed like a huge stone on everyone's hearts—facing the Spirit Empire, which had two Gods supporting it, they could barely see any chance of victory.
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