The news of Emperor Xue Ye's death spread like a whirlwind across the entire Douluo Continent in a very short period of time.
However, for most forces, this news wasn't too surprising. After all, it was no secret that Emperor Xue Ye's health was failing. It was only natural for someone already terminally ill to die.
Moreover, the Heaven Dou Empire had a successor. The crown prince, Xue Qinghe, was known for his virtue. With him in charge, the Heaven Dou Empire wouldn't leave them any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
What's more, Xue Qinghe's wife was the younger sister of Xiao Yu, the master of the Nine Star Hall. Anyone with a discerning eye knew who the mastermind behind the terrorist attack near Heaven Dou City was.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was completely wiped out, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School also suffered heavy losses, while the Nine Star Hall's losses were almost negligible. This showed the terrifying strength of the Nine Star Hall.
Furthermore, what was present in Heaven Dou City back then was only a branch of the Nine Star Hall.
It was precisely because Xue Qinghe had the backing of such a superpower as the Nine Star Hall that the support of the other superpower within the Heaven Dou Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, seemed insignificant.
The first decree issued by Xue Qinghe after ascending the throne caused a stir throughout the continent. Everyone thought that the Heaven Dou Empire would soon use force against the Spirit Empire.
The Spirit Empire's first Empress, Bibi Dong, also mobilized a large number of elite troops to the border town of Jialing Pass, preparing for a major battle. The Star Luo Empire gloated and watched from the sidelines, ready to be the oriole that would catch the cicada.
But unexpectedly, the Heaven Dou Empire only sent Grand Marshal Ge Long to the border to oversee and reorganize military affairs, consolidating the new defense line, and had no intention of actively provoking a war.
Just as everyone was confused, the second decree issued by Xue Qinghe cleared up their doubts.
Reform! Change the law!
This was the most important message in Xue Qinghe's second decree.
The Heaven Dou Empire had been declining in recent years. The root cause was its strict aristocratic class and powerful families.
Many talented commoners had no chance to rise, while those in high positions were mostly incompetent. This led to the country becoming like a pool of stagnant water, increasingly rigid.
Even the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, which was supposed to recruit talent from all over the world for the empire, was corrupt and degenerate.
A culture of comparison prevailed within the academy, and the students were all indulging in pleasure and making no progress. Over the years, despite possessing the best simulated cultivation environment and teaching resources, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy hadn't produced a single outstanding student worth mentioning.
In view of this, Qian Renxue, or rather, Emperor Qinghe, who had truly taken on Xue Qinghe's identity, had deeply abhorred the extravagant lives of the Heaven Dou Empire's nobles and the corruption and degeneration of its officials since she was the crown prince.
Now that she had ascended to the throne, she immediately launched a major reform of the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
"Stupid!"
This was the Star Luo Emperor's assessment after learning of the Heaven Dou Empire's large-scale reforms.
In his view, Xue Qinghe's actions were tantamount to cutting off her own arm. Her reforms had affected the interests of too many people, and those people would definitely unite to oppose Xue Qinghe.
At that time, the Heaven Dou Empire would inevitably suffer a great loss of vitality.
If it hadn't been for the Spirit Empire's sudden establishment, the Star Luo Emperor might have taken this opportunity to send troops to attack Heaven Dou.
Only Tang Yuehua, who was quite insightful, was somewhat worried about this. She felt that Xue Qinghe dared to carry out such drastic reforms precisely because of the existence of the Spirit Empire.
This move will indeed cause a certain degree of shock to the Heaven Dou Empire, but as the saying goes, reform inevitably requires the determination and will to cut off one's own arm.
In terms of land area and resource richness, the Heaven Dou Empire is above the Star Luo Empire. However, when it comes to overall national strength, in the eyes of the world, even the officials of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire has always been inferior to the Star Luo Empire.
And the reason for this is the existence of the corrupt and degenerate aristocratic class in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Tang Yuehua, who has been teaching at Yuexuan in Heaven Dou City for more than twenty years, knows very well how those nobles are gradually eroding the foundation of the Heaven Dou Empire, like leeches, relying on sucking the empire's blood to maintain their extravagant lives.
Therefore, once Xue Qinghe's reform is successful, the newly reborn Heaven Dou Empire will surpass the Star Luo Empire in one fell swoop.
As for whether Xue Qinghe's reform can succeed?
Tang Yuehua feels that the hope is very high. Ge Long's departure to the border is perhaps not to defend against the Spirit Empire, but to use his prestige in the army to stabilize the border army, the most powerful fighting force in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Xue Qinghe also has the backing of the Nine Star Hall, a mysterious and unpredictable, powerful sect with countless experts.
With military power in hand, Xue Qinghe is the rightful emperor, and has the support of a transcendent and powerful sect.
Tang Yuehua doesn't think those nobles can overthrow Xue Qinghe's rule; at most, they can only create some chaos.
At the same time, on Seagod Island.
Led by Seagod Douluo, Bo Saixi, Tang San and the others from the Shrek Five had a smooth journey to Seagod Island.
Tang San undoubtedly received the Seagod's Nine Trials, which made Bo Saixi's expression even more gloomy.
On one hand, it was because initiating the Nine Trials required her life as a sacrifice.
From Tang San and Tang Xiao, she already knew that Tang Chen had obtained the approval of the Asura God and was undergoing the most crucial final trial, about to become a god and return.
She was still hoping to be with Tang Chen forever and didn't want to leave this world so early.
On the other hand, she felt that Tang San was really not worthy of inheriting the Seagod's position.
From the mainland to Seagod Island, during the days they rested on the island every night, Tang San would always sneak out alone to search for sea spirit beasts, using his Eight Spider Lances to devour their life force to improve his cultivation.
Although Tang San did it very covertly, none of his companions, Dai Mubai and the other four, noticed.
But who was Bo Saixi? She was a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo, and on the sea, her spiritual power almost encompassed the entire sea area within a thousand miles.
How could Tang San's little tricks escape her perception?
What made Bo Saixi even more afraid was that this guy's appetite was getting bigger and bigger.
On the first day, he only found a place to catch a thousand-year-old sea spirit beast to devour, but on the last day, he almost searched the entire island where they were staying, devouring all the spirit beasts above a thousand years in the nearby sea area.
Bo Saixi felt that with Tang San's almost morbid thirst for improving his strength, sooner or later, he would set his sights on humans.
Bo Saixi didn't believe that the Seagod hadn't noticed Tang San's behavior of killing sea spirit beasts, yet he still chose to pass on the divine position to Tang San.
Bo Saixi only felt that the sacred temple in her heart had developed even bigger cracks.
Tang San's companions, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun, perhaps because they hadn't taken immortal herbs, only received a Black Level Four Trial, which was a significant decrease compared to the original work.
Get early access to my chapters and read more frequently by joining my Patreon! You'll unlock 20 chapters immediately and can enjoy up to 65 chapters weekly. Support my ongoing work and become part of my reader community.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Support via Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44