"Huh? Emperor Xue Ye, are you asking me?" Fang Chang put on a flustered expression. "Our Spider God Church has always longed for world peace and naturally does not wish to see war break out."
After the incident with Xue Qinghe, Emperor Xue Ye had decreed that the Spider God Church be established as the state religion, effectively binding them to his Heaven Dou Empire.
Fang Chang could easily see through his intentions. While inwardly cursing the emperor as a sly old fox for daring to scheme against him, he was also thinking of ways to retaliate.
As for his words, the leaders of the various factions present in the hall understood them perfectly well.
Longing for peace? Who are you trying to fool! Back in Haunted Sea City, this very Spider God Envoy had caused quite the uproar.
No one believed his exposure of Xue Qinghe's conspiracy was out of goodwill either—it was clearly just a move to strike at their arch-rival, the Spirit Hall.
If the Heaven Dou Empire were to go to war with the Spirit Hall, aside from the Star Luo Empire, the happiest party would undoubtedly be the Spider God Church.
Sure enough, before the envoy's words had even settled, he swiftly changed his tone. "Although we yearn for peace, when war becomes unavoidable, endless concessions will only bring more suffering to the people."
"Moreover, the fury of the populace has already been ignited. If we hold back now, I fear it would greatly damage Your Majesty's prestige among the people."
What a masterful "for the people" speech. On the surface, Fang Chang claimed to be utterly unwilling to go to war, but in reality, he was advocating for it—and even used public sentiment as the core argument to provoke Emperor Xue Ye.
Now advanced in years, Emperor Xue Ye had clearly felt his health deteriorating over the past few years and knew he likely didn't have much time left.
For someone of his status, he sought neither power nor wealth—only a legacy, or rather, the people's praise.
As Fang Chang had said, with things having escalated to this point, if he continued to avoid war, the people would surely criticize him. Even after his death, many would likely curse him as a weak and incompetent ruler.
This was something no self-proclaimed wise monarch could accept.
A troubled expression crossed Emperor Xue Ye's face, a clear sign that his resolve was wavering.
Seeing this, Fang Chang quickly fanned the flames. "As for the concerns raised earlier by the generals—that the Heaven Dou Empire's combat strength at the Soul Master level still falls short of the Spirit Hall's—our Spider God Church is willing to support the Heaven Dou Empire in this regard."
"Given our current influence on the continent, we can summon no fewer than one or two thousand Soul Masters."
At present, the Spirit Hall's direct forces likely numbered over ten thousand Soul Masters. If one included their branch halls and affiliated factions, this figure would undoubtedly be much higher.
The Heaven Dou Empire, on the other hand, had around four to five thousand Soul Masters under the imperial family's direct command. Even with the addition of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and other smaller factions within the empire, they could barely scrape together ten thousand at most.
And this was just the numerical disparity—the gap in Soul Master ranks was even more pronounced. If the Spider God Church were to stand with the Heaven Dou Empire now, it would undoubtedly be a significant boost to their strength.
Emperor Xue Ye's furrowed brows gradually relaxed. Seeing his change in attitude, another general stepped forward to advise, "Your Majesty, what about the Star Luo Empire…?"
Though his words were incomplete, the implication was clear.
The continent was not just home to the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall. If this matter were mishandled, it could lead to the Star Luo Empire emerging as the dominant power, forcing them to surrender the foundation they had built over centuries.
"Your Majesty need not worry too much about this," Fang Chang interjected once more. "If the Spirit Hall dares to act so brazenly against the Heaven Dou Empire, do you think they haven't made moves against the Star Luo Empire as well?"
"Even if we assume the worst, this isn't just our concern—wouldn't the Spirit Hall also fear being counterattacked by the Star Luo Empire if they go to war with us?"
"Rather than agonizing over this, why not leave the problem to the Spirit Hall? Given their methods, they'll inevitably drag the Star Luo Empire into the fray. Even if it means fighting both empires simultaneously, they won't leave any loose ends."
Hearing Fang Chang's words, Emperor Xue Ye felt as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes. Indeed, while they were worrying about this, the Spirit Hall would undoubtedly have the same concerns.
With both major powers keeping a close watch, the Star Luo Empire wouldn't be able to stay out of the conflict and reap the benefits from the sidelines.
With this countermove, the Heaven Dou generals were momentarily left speechless and could only pledge to lead the charge if war broke out.
At this point, there were no more obstacles to the Heaven Dou Empire declaring war on the Spirit Hall. Seeing this, Emperor Xue Ye hesitated no longer and immediately issued an imperial decree, formally announcing war against the Spirit Hall.
In the following days, the Heaven Dou Empire was abuzz with activity. Soul Master factions across the empire received invitations from the royal family, and large numbers of troops were dispatched to the borders. War was imminent.
The Spirit Hall, of course, was not to be underestimated. Detecting the Heaven Dou Empire's intentions, they swiftly mobilized a large number of Soul Masters to the border regions.
Factions under their covert control also sprang into action, stirring up unrest while simultaneously harassing the Heaven Dou army's supply lines.
Meanwhile, the Star Luo Empire also deployed a significant number of troops and Soul Masters to their borders. Though they showed no intention of declaring war on the Spirit Hall, their heightened vigilance was unmistakable.
Skirmishes along the Heaven Dou-Spirit Hall border escalated, yet neither side launched a full-scale attack.
They were waiting—waiting for their top-tier combatants to make the first move.
On the Heaven Dou side, the team was led by Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Fang Chang, while the Spirit Hall fielded five Title Douluo.
After prolonged probing, the two sides finally clashed, igniting a full-scale war among their forces as well.
A dazzling array of soul power lit up the battlefield as Soul Masters from both sides unleashed their attacks, raining long-range assaults upon the enemy ranks.
Ordinary soldiers were reduced to cannon fodder, torn apart by soul power before they could even reach the opposing side.
Even lower-ranked Soul Masters felt powerless in such a battle. In a war of this scale, a single Soul Master was worth at least ten ordinary soldiers, while a high-level Soul Master could easily match a hundred.
This was precisely why, despite the Heaven Dou Empire's forces outnumbering the Spirit Hall's by more than tenfold, they found themselves at a disadvantage in the early stages of the battle.
On the high-level battlefield, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong each fought alongside a Soul Emperor-level clansman from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
With their enhancements, the two Title Douluo held their own against two Spirit Hall Title Douluo each, the battles fiercely balanced.
As for Fang Chang, his opponent was a Spirit Hall Elder with the strength of a 96th-rank Soul Master. The two stood facing each other, barely ten meters apart.
While Fang Chang studied the Title Douluo, the elder scrutinized him in return. Finally, the Spirit Hall Elder could no longer restrain himself and struck first.
He was eager to test the true strength of this Spider God Envoy, whose reputation within the Spirit Hall had grown to near-mythical proportions.
As the elder attacked, Fang Chang sighed. A pair of blood-red wings unfurled behind him, flames erupting from one hand while ice crystallized in the other.
Just as the Spirit Hall's Title Douluo was about to strike, Fang Chang's figure flickered like a ghost. Twin afterimages of ice and fire slashed through the air.