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Around three in the morning, the clouds and rain finally subsided.
Once something has happened for the first time, it tends to happen countless more. Taking advantage of the "newbie protection period," Li Luochen had thoroughly explored every aspect of Dugu Yan.
They had started at four in the afternoon, and by now, Li Luochen had fully "developed" Dugu Yan from head to toe.
At this moment, Li Luochen lay half-reclined on the bed, one arm wrapped around Dugu Yan. If only he had a cigarette right now—after all, nothing beat the feeling of smoking one after such an event; it was said to be as blissful as becoming immortal.
Dugu Yan, meanwhile, had fallen asleep.
However, it was only because of Dugu Yan's exceptional physical condition that Li Luochen had been able to explore everything he wanted. Any other woman might not have been able to handle it.
Li Luochen truly wished he could abandon all responsibilities like an emperor neglecting his court. Indeed, lust was like a bone-scraping knife, especially for a once-innocent young man—it struck with devastating force.
As Feng Xian once wisely said: "Wine and women have left me so haggard. From today onward, I shall quit drinking!"
However, Li Luochen planned to stay at Shrek Academy for the next six months. After mastering the Killing God Domain perfectly, he intended to travel across the continent. His first destination would be the Star Luo Empire.
The Star Luo Empire revered strength above all else. In their lands, if your fists were strong enough, you could achieve a high status. Hadn't the imperial succession process in the Star Luo Empire always been likened to raising venomous creatures in a jar?
The Star Luo Empire maintained centralized imperial power, unlike the scattered structure of the Tian Dou Empire. When Li Luochen first began to rise in prominence, he owed his survival in the Tian Dou Empire to the rampant corruption among its many duchies.
Even when these duchies learned of Li Luochen's existence, they didn't dare offend the teachers of Shrek Academy. After all, the highest combat power of most duchies barely reached Soul Douluo level, with the majority being Soul Sages. At the time, Flender was already a Soul Sage, and the nobility of the duchies could only treat him with respect.
Moreover, due to the constant scheming and infighting among the duchies, they all tacitly agreed not to report Li Luochen's existence.
By the time the Tian Dou Emperor learned of Li Luochen, he already had Dugu Bo as his protector. Even if Emperor Xue Ye wanted to apply pressure, it wouldn't work. The Tian Dou Imperial Family simply didn't have the guts to offend Dugu Bo.
Furthermore, Dugu Bo was an honorary titled Douluo of the Tian Dou Empire. They couldn't afford to alienate him. If it weren't for Prince Xue Xing saving Dugu Bo in the past, Dugu Bo wouldn't even acknowledge the Tian Dou Imperial Family. With Dugu Bo backing Li Luochen, the imperial family could only curry favor with him and avoid any underhanded tactics.
If Li Luochen had been born in the Star Luo Empire, there would only have been two possible outcomes: either submit to the Dai family's imperial rule or die.
The Star Luo Empire valued martial strength, and there were no independent duchies within its borders. The imperial family ruled with an iron fist, refusing to allow any "state within a state." Moreover, the imperial family possessed immense power.
After all, the Dai family's method of selecting emperors through brutal competition—though cold-blooded—ensured that almost every emperor achieved the rank of Title Douluo. The powerful Duke Zhu family was also closely aligned with the Dai family, wearing the same pants, so to speak.
Their spirit fusion technique, the Netherworld White Tiger, was incredibly formidable, allowing them to fight opponents far above their level without issue. The two families had intermarried for generations, sharing both prosperity and decline.
Additionally, the Star Luo Empire housed numerous sects, such as the White Tiger Sect under the imperial family. According to Dai Tianxing, every successive leader of the White Tiger Sect had been a high-level Soul Douluo, and the sect boasted a large number of Soul Douluos—up to eight or nine at its peak.
The White Tiger Sect served as the public face of the imperial family. A Soul Douluo could become the sect leader, though Title Douluos had emerged from the sect before. However, those who reached Title Douluo status usually became direct envoys of the Star Luo Empire.
The White Tiger Sect primarily consisted of families, royalty, and nobility connected to the imperial family, most of whom possessed tiger-type spirits. For instance, Dai Tianxing had been a promising candidate cultivated by the White Tiger Sect.
Dai Tianxing's father was a great general, and his mother was the daughter of the former emperor, placing him firmly within the imperial family. However, he was suppressed by the current Star Luo Emperor, Dai Tianyao, who had risen to the position of crown prince through ruthless means.
The main reason was that Dai Tianxing's temper had always been terrible. He would act against anything he deemed unjust, even if his opponent was stronger. Once, he severely injured a lackey of Dai Tianyao's faction, earning their enmity.
By the time Dai Tianyao solidified his position as crown prince, he had already eliminated all his brothers, leaving only two sisters, one of whom was Dai Tianxing's mother, Dai Tianlin.
Historically, not every emperor chose to eliminate their siblings, but most did. There were exceptions, of course. For example, tracing back to the era of the former emperor's grandfather, brotherhood was genuinely respected, and the White Tiger Sect was established during that time.
Nowadays, the emperors selected through the Star Luo Empire's brutal competition were often psychologically unstable. Things like stealing a brother's fiancée were considered minor offenses in the name of "imperial prosperity." In reality, it was just a prize for the victor.
Still, it had to be admitted that the Star Luo Empire was incredibly strong. While it may not have had the pinnacle of soul masters, its military far surpassed that of the Tian Dou Empire.
This was why, in the original timeline thousands of years later, the Douluo Continent split into three nations: the Tian Dou Empire fractured into the Dou Ling and Tian Hun Empires, while the Star Luo Empire remained intact.
The Sun Moon Empire crushed the Tian Dou Empire like a child, but the Star Luo Empire bore the brunt of the Sun Moon forces. Though the Dai family's imperial line declined, the Xing Guan Sect of the Xu family managed to prop up the collapsing empire.
This demonstrated the Star Luo Empire's resilience—they were all made of tough bones. Well… except for Dai Mubai, who lacked the courage to fight and instead indulged in nightly pleasures. Truly disappointing.
However, most Star Luo emperors could still die for their country—a level of loyalty the Tian Dou Empire could never hope to achieve. Thus, unifying the Douluo Continent would be most difficult with the Star Luo Empire standing in the way.
As for the Tian Dou Empire, Li Luochen handed that task over to Qian Renxue. After teaching her a series of methods, this little angel should be able to follow the plan. Given the general lack of intelligence among the population of the Douluo Continent, the Tian Dou Empire was essentially a sitting duck.
Li Luochen planned to stir up some trouble in the Star Luo Empire. With Dugu Bo around, there shouldn't be much of a problem. With his ninety-six levels of cultivation and a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, there was no one in the Star Luo Empire who could match him.
With Dugu Bo protecting them, they'd be relatively safe. Dai Tianxing would definitely visit the Star Luo Empire—it was his homeland, after all. As for Lin Chengkun, his strength was decent at seventy-four levels, with a top-tier variant beast spirit. Bringing him along wouldn't be an issue.
He'd also bring Grandpa Li Yusong. The old man hadn't traveled much, and as the saying goes, traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. Perhaps the journey would help boost his cultivation. Besides, they'd only be gone for about a year, which wasn't too long.
With Dugu Bo at ninety-six levels, Dai Tianxing at eighty-four, Li Yusong at seventy-eight, Lin Chengkun at seventy-four, Dugu Yan at sixty-eight, and Li Luochen at fifty-nine, this lineup was quite impressive. They could even form a spirit-hunting team.
Dugu Bo's current strength was unfathomable. Dai Tianxing could roughly match a ninety-one-level Title Douluo, though only in terms of combat ability.
Li Yusong and Lin Chengkun, though only Soul Sages, could combine their strength to rival a Soul Douluo.
Finally, there was the spirit fusion technique of Li Luochen and Dugu Yan, which was invincible below the Title Douluo level—even when Li Luochen was in his mid-fifties and Dugu Yan was at level fifty.
Soon, Dugu Yan would reach Soul Sage, and Li Luochen would soon become a Soul Emperor, further enhancing the power of their spirit fusion technique.
If both reached Soul Sage level, their spirit fusion technique in actual combat could kill any Title Douluo below level ninety-five. As for Super Douluos? The waters were too deep to make any guarantees.
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