After receiving the news that the Star Luo Empire would publicly try the Demon Emperor in three days, the entire empire became exhilarated, with the public's excitement rivaling that of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
The nobility, in particular, were filled with righteous indignation.
One must not forget that the Star Luo Empire originally migrated from the Douluo Continent.
Most of these nobles' ancestral graves were still located there.
Back when the Sun-Moon Empire unified the continent, they upheld the principle of protecting cultural heritage, refraining from destroying the ancestral graves of the three former empires. They even dispatched personnel to restore graves that had been damaged during the war.
After the Sun-Moon Empire transformed into the Sun-Moon Federation, these well-preserved imperial tombs became tourist attractions. Descendants of the three former empires were even granted a half-price discount on admission tickets when visiting for tourism or ancestral worship.
Every year, nobles from the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Spirit Empire would travel to the Douluo Continent under the guise of tourism to pay their respects to their ancestors.
Now, however, news had suddenly spread that these ancestral graves had been desecrated.
Regarding the only available suspect, the Demon Emperor, there was not a single noble in the Star Luo Empire who did not want to tear her to pieces.
Inside the Star Luo Empire's Imperial Palace
A middle-aged man with golden hair respectfully bowed to Emperor Dai Tianling and reported:
"Your Majesty, this is the compiled data. In the Douluo Continent, there are currently 1,321 royal tombs belonging to the Star Luo Empire. Of these, 386 have been looted. As for noble family tombs, there are more than 5,000 in total, with over 800 being raided. All of them belong to prestigious families.
For instance, the Netherworld Civet Clan has nearly 1,000 tombs, with over 200 looted. The Xu Clan has close to 800 tombs, of which more than 100 have been desecrated.
All burial artifacts have been completely plundered, and many ancestors' remains have been left exposed in the wilderness."
Dai Tianling's face darkened as he furiously asked, "The Sun-Moon Federation didn't detect this in advance?"
"They did. They sealed off all the looted tombs immediately. This data was obtained by bribing an official within the Sun-Moon Federation."
After a pause, the middle-aged man added, "It is precisely because the Sun-Moon Federation blocked all information that this matter never spread until now."
"What is the Sun-Moon Federation's stance?" Dai Tianling continued.
"They have formed an investigative team but have made no substantial progress. Their only guess is that the Holy Spirit Cult is responsible."
"Hmph! The Holy Spirit Cult?" Dai Tianling sneered. "They push every crime onto the Holy Spirit Cult.
Yes, the Holy Spirit Cult is indeed an organization of evil soul masters, and their strength is undeniable—even possessing a near-God level entity like the Ghost Emperor. But why would they engage in such meaningless acts? Are they short on money?"
"The Sun-Moon Federation has explained that the Holy Spirit Cult stole the graves to absorb the death energy within these tombs for cultivation. As for the looted burial artifacts, they might have just taken them on a whim."
Hearing this, Dai Tianling frowned deeply.
"What about this Lan Haijun ? What have you found?"
"I investigated. Her identity checks out—she's just an ordinary merchant. It's possible she truly knows nothing and was merely used as a pawn."
After a brief pause, the middle-aged man continued, "I believe the Sun-Moon Federation's speculation is highly plausible. The Holy Spirit Cult manipulated Lan Haijun into unknowingly transporting the remains of the former emperor's ancestors to the Star Luo Empire to provoke a war between us and the Sun-Moon Federation.
That way, they could lurk in the shadows and harvest more souls from the battlefield."
"How does the Sun-Moon Federation view the public trial of Lan Haijun?" Dai Tianling asked.
"The Poseidon Army, the North Sea Army, and the East Sea Army have all been mobilized to lock down an area spanning hundreds of miles. Even the Central Army and Western Army are deploying troops, as if preparing for joint amphibious warfare."
The middle-aged man's voice grew heavy as he continued, "The previous failed deployment of the Poseidon Army was a major humiliation for the Sun-Moon Federation.
Moreover, Star Luo Empire currently possesses the most advanced naval propulsion systems from the Federation's warships. They will never allow us to grow stronger."
"Joint amphibious warfare?! Has the Sun-Moon Federation lost its mind?!" Dai Tianling's eyes widened in shock.
The mere presence of the Poseidon Army alone had already caused endless disputes among his ministers. If the Federation mobilized five entire armies simultaneously, his civil and military officials would be scared out of their wits!
"Your Majesty, the Sun-Moon Federation's Parliament has long been dominated by hawks.
Recently, with Tang Sect and Shrek Academy suffering repeated setbacks, the dove faction they support has lost significant influence.
Additionally, due to the outbreak of Abyssal Creatures, some in the Parliament have proposed fully unifying the continent. That way, in case the Abyssal Passage has another incident, they could consolidate all resources to combat the Abyssal threat."
The middle-aged man paused before continuing, "Last time, only the Poseidon Army was deployed because Chen Xinjie personally assured the military that his forces alone could crush the Star Luo Empire.
Otherwise, the Federation might have already conducted a multi-front operation against us."
"Your Majesty, Lan Haijun is merely a pawn. I suggest handing her over to the Sun-Moon Federation to deny them an excuse for war.
Right now, the Star Luo Empire is no match for the Sun-Moon Federation." The middle-aged man urged in a grave tone.
Dai Tianling narrowed his eyes and mused, "Have you considered the possibility that this entire situation—from the desecration of our royal tombs to Lan Haijun unwittingly bringing the remains of our ancestors here—was orchestrated by the Sun-Moon Federation?"
"We can't rule it out."
"No matter what, Lan Haijun must be put on trial. If we simply hand her over to the Federation, the nobility will never accept it."
"And what about the Sun-Moon Federation?" The middle-aged man looked at Dai Tianling.
"If they deploy five entire armies, the Star Luo Empire will be doomed."
"That is not your concern."
Dai Tianling smirked coldly.
"The Star Luo Empire has endured for over 20,000 years. It possesses its own hidden strengths."
"This discussion ends here. After publicly trying Blue Ocean Lord and repelling the Sun-Moon Federation's armies, we will discuss your daughter's betrothal to the Crown Prince and your family's reinstatement into the royal lineage."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
A flash of joy crossed the middle-aged man's eyes.
He was Wu Tianrong, a Rank-96 White Tiger Douluo, and the current head of the Wu Clan.
His primary purpose for coming to the Star Luo Empire was to reinstate the Wu Clan into the royal family and arrange the marriage between his daughter, Wu Siduo, and Dai Yueyan, the Crown Prince.
The thought of his long-standing family ambition finally being realized filled him with excitement.
If Wu Siduo married Dai Yueyan, not only would the Wu Clan regain its royal heritage, but his grandson might one day ascend to the imperial throne itself!
To ensure everything proceeded smoothly, Wu Tianrong had diligently gathered intelligence to aid the Star Luo Empire.
He had been startled upon realizing that the Sun-Moon Federation might go to any lengths to annihilate the Star Luo Empire.
However, hearing Dai Tianling's confidence in repelling their armies reassured him.
He no longer had anything to worry about.
If the Star Luo Empire triumphed, his family would be reinstated.
If the empire fell, he would simply pretend none of this had ever happened.
"If the Star Luo Empire perishes… you will be responsible for carrying on the White Tiger lineage."
Dai Tianling murmured internally as he looked at Wu Tianrong.