Chapter 378: War Approaches, the Script, and the Rebooted Divine Realm Committee
Heaven Dou City, within a courtyard.
When Han Li appeared in the courtyard, Qian Daoliu had already stepped out of the house with a solemn expression, gazing toward Spirit City.
"Did she succeed?"
Qian Daoliu turned his head toward Han Li. In truth, he could sense the anomaly thanks to the Angel Statue enshrined in Spirit City.
"You could say she succeeded… but also that she didn't."
Han Li didn't seem overly serious about it. In fact, there was a smile on his face.
"She'll only truly take the final step once the war begins. For now, she's simply completed the trial there's still the last step of gathering evil energy."
Han Li sighed slightly.
If Bibi Dong had been on his side, he would have written the word miserable across her back. The Rakshasa God was truly inhumane calling it the hardest, most brutal god trial wouldn't be an exaggeration. The entire process had fully utilized Bibi Dong's sheer willpower and initiative.
But thinking about it, perhaps this was the real difficulty of a god trial. Even if it was an inheritance, one had to earn it. In comparison, the trials given to his people had been watered down to the point that even he felt a little embarrassed though, of course, he still gladly accepted them.
"But Xiaoxue hasn't come out yet."
Qian Daoliu clenched the angel pendant on his chest, visibly worried. Ever since they had left, the Angel Shrine had been sealed, preventing him from entering.
"There's no need to worry. Even if she comes out a little later, it won't make a difference. The moment she emerges, she'll be a fully realized Angel God."
Han Li reassured him with a confident look.
Since the Angel Shrine had no true master at the moment, Han Li could easily spy on what was happening inside. Qian Renxue was already at the final stage she would definitely make it in time for the grand finale.
"What's your plan? Are you going to call the others back first?"
Qian Daoliu currently had full command over the Angel Legion, the military force loyal to the Qian family. Though technically part of Spirit Hall, they operated independently. Right now, they were stationed just outside Heaven Dou City, awaiting orders.
"No need. I've already sent word for them to continue their god trials without worry."
Han Li shook his head.
Spirit Hall's high end combat power was overflowing. In fact, even if they withdrew all forces from the Worship Hall faction, the Pope's forces alone could easily win this unification war.
But neither he nor Bibi Dong had ever intended for this to be a simple conquest.
Bibi Dong wanted the war to fuel a surge of negative emotions evil energy necessary for her godhood ascension. After that, she planned to settle the centuries old grudge against the Qian bloodline.
As for Han Li?
He wanted to wait until the war reached its peak, then step in to "restore order," triggering a tidal wave of faith in his name.
Although faith energy was no longer his biggest concern, he still needed to maintain his persona both in the mortal realm and in the Divine Realm.
As for Bibi Dong's original plan of sacrificing Spirit Hall's own people in the war? That had already been rendered impossible.
After Qian Renxue's successful coup and the extermination of the Clear Sky Clan, the casualties within Spirit Hall wouldn't be anywhere near what they were in the original timeline.
Not that it mattered much to Bibi Dong.
So long as she ascended first, the Worship Hall faction would be nothing but ants beneath her feet. She wasn't interested in destroying Spirit Hall what she wanted was revenge.
And what better revenge than forcing the Qian family's thousand year rule over Spirit Hall to be erased from history with just a single command?
"Go ahead and replace the person currently posing as Xiaoxue. You should take over the role yourself. Once Bibi Dong fully declares war, it'll be time for you to make your entrance as well."
Han Li chuckled as he looked at Qian Daoliu.
This was something they had discussed long ago, so it wasn't surprising.
After all, it would be quite the legend for both grandfather and granddaughter to masquerade as Xue Qinghe. The Angel Legion stationed outside Heaven Dou City had been waiting precisely for this moment.
The moment Bibi Dong formally declared the establishment of the Spirit Empire, Heaven Dou Empire's Emperor Xue Qinghe would make his grand revelation.
Everyone knew that both the Angel Spirit and the Swan Spirit had wings, and both possessed the Light attribute.
So wouldn't it make perfect sense if the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Xue Clan was actually a branch of Spirit Hall's Qian Clan?
Wouldn't it be completely natural for Xue Qinghe to publicly awaken his Six Winged Angel Spirit?
Wouldn't it be logical to declare that Heaven Dou Empire had always been part of Spirit Hall's domain?
With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan openly supporting him, a fabricated history could be crafted to justify everything.
And with the Angel Legion stepping forward to reinforce the claim, who would dare to refute it?
Besides, Heaven Dou's royal family was in shambles. Only Princess Xue Ke remained, and she was close to "Xue Qinghe."
Even if Emperor Xue Ye, Prince Xue Xing, and Crown Prince Xue Beng were still alive, they'd be too shocked to do anything but stare blankly in disbelief.
At that point, Han Li would step in under his title as the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, striking a deal with Xue Qinghe.
With his current reputation, pacifying the lower class citizens would be laughably easy.
The common people despised war. As long as the reasoning made sense, they wouldn't care who ruled them.
In fact, if Spirit Hall replaced the imperial family, things might even get better for them.
As for the noble factions that had yet to fully align with Xue Qinghe or those who, upon learning the truth, still harbored rebellious intentions Han Li had a simple solution.
He planned to "escort" them to the Star Luo Empire and let them integrate into the ranks of Star Luo's nobility. They could go fight Bibi Dong instead. Even after everything settled, they would remain an unstable factor, so why not just turn them into fuel for the fire?
Once news of Bibi Dong's godhood spread across the continent, and Qian Renxue also revealed herself as a god, it would be time for the internal purge within Spirit Hall.
At that point, Han Li the Holy Son of Spirit Hall and rightful heir of the Qian bloodline alongside the current ruler of Heaven Dou Empire, Qian Renxue, would step forward to stop Pope Bibi Dong, the woman who had plunged the continent into war.
After all, they were gods.
They had struggled and endured to protect Heaven Dou from war, and the moment they ascended to divinity, they immediately acted to put an end to Bibi Dong's madness.
Who wouldn't call that heroic?
This works, right?
As for Star Luo Empire, Han Li's Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce would begin evacuating civilians as soon as the war started, ensuring their survival.
He was so kind. He was about to cry from how gentle he was.
And once the entire continent witnessed the power of gods firsthand, there would be no more reason for war.
Unification would happen naturally.
Honestly, Han Li himself felt a little shameless writing this script.
He didn't particularly care about reputation, but the truth was, this was the most effective way to harvest faith energy. More importantly, this was the only course of action that would appear normal to both Bibi Dong and the Divine Realm.
This was the only choice he had.
The best he could do was minimize civilian casualties.
By coordinating the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce with the consciousness of the plane, he would offer the highest level of protection possible.
This was the greatest act of goodwill he could afford.
Because, in the end, his own survival mattered more than anything else.
Fortunately, Bibi Dong wouldn't even care about these newly initiated cultivators, which gave Han Li plenty of room to maneuver.
As for Star Luo Empire's official forces?
Well… too bad for them.
Qian Daoliu nodded upon hearing his words and left without hesitation.
After all, Heaven Dou Empire was now Xiaoxue's domain. Of course, he would do everything in his power to protect it.
Han Li, on the other hand, remained in the courtyard.
It wasn't his time to show himself yet.
But just moments ago, a long lost and familiar gaze from the Divine Realm had finally turned its attention back to him.
Divine Realm Core, the Divine Realm Committee.
For the first time in a long while, the members of the Divine Realm Committee had gathered once more.
"Asura, has something happened again?"
The moment Destruction stepped through the doors, he turned directly to Asura, the one who had called this meeting.
Asura glanced at him but said nothing until Evil and Kindness had also taken their seats.
"That boy we've been watching on Douluo Star he's about to become a god."
"Hm?"
This time, not only Destruction, but even Evil God showed interest.
Their eyes shifted toward the glowing screen above the core of the committee chamber.
"The sheer amount of faith energy surrounding him is absurd… How long has it even been?"
Evil God spoke in astonishment.
"What exactly happened?"
Even Asura couldn't help but turn his gaze toward the screen.
They were supposed to be monitoring in shifts, and it wasn't his turn yet.
How had this kid already reached godhood?
This wasn't some ordinary godling trying to create a self made god position there was no way a mere fledgling could amass this much faith energy in such a short period of time.
Judging from the screen, the amount of faith Han Li had accumulated was already enough to solidify a First Class God Position.
"One of his wives inherited the Sea God's legacy and redirected all faith energy from the lower realm to him. Also, the cultivation method he introduced allows every inhabitant of Douluo Star to cultivate."
Asura explained calmly.
Even he had been a bit surprised when he first learned of this, but to him, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"So that's what happened."
The other four God Kings nodded.
It was certainly unprecedented, but not impossible.
The kid had essentially drained the entire planet of its faith energy. With that much power, it was no wonder he had risen so quickly.
"But as far as I know, he's only mastered Ice and Fire Laws so far, correct? He still has time… Maybe we should give him a little push."
Evil God watched the glowing screen intently, clearly intrigued.
In just over a year, this mortal had gathered enough faith energy to casually create a First Class God position.
Judging by Han Li's cunning, he was capable.
Evil God was actually regretting not fighting harder to take him under his wing back then.
"It's not just that."
Asura's voice remained steady.
"In the lower realm, Rakshasa's heir is about to ignite a full scale war. Based on what I've gathered, once the dust settles, his accumulated faith energy will likely reach the threshold for a God King Position."
"After all, when it comes to solidifying a god position, the difference between a First Class God and a God King isn't that vast. The key lies in Law Comprehension."
Asura's lips curled slightly as the others turned their attention fully on him.
"And that, gentlemen, is not the only reason I've called you here today."
To his side, Evil God and Kindness exchanged a glance.
They had noticed Asura's recently increased activity, and now, a certain suspicion was forming in their minds.
(End of Chapter.)
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