The Wu family was suspected of treason, aiding the Star Luo Empire in monitoring the Sun and Moon Federation's army, and they had already been jointly captured by the military and police.
As more and more evidence was revealed, the entire Sun and Moon Federation was in an uproar.
As former imperial family members, the Sun and Moon Federation had shown them immense leniency, yet they still plotted to disrupt the Federation.
The Sun and Moon Federation held a trial overnight, and the verdict was announced the following morning.
All members of the Wu family involved in this affair, led by Wu Tianrong and Wu Tianxin, who were Soul Emperors or stronger, were sentenced to be sent to the frontlines of the Blood God Legion for life, never allowed to leave, until they died in battle.
A total of two hundred and twenty-three individuals were affected.
Those with strength lower than Soul Emperor were sentenced to death by firing squad—thirty-three individuals—while sixty-eight others were given life sentences.
Creatures from the Abyss could devour life itself. Those below Soul Emperor level, facing these creatures, would only be sending themselves to their deaths.
At that time, they wouldn't just fail to kill the Abyss creatures, but would instead only make the Abyss dimension stronger.
Therefore, those below Soul Emperor were not even qualified to be sent to the Blood God Legion.
Initially, there had been some dissent regarding the military unification of the Star Luo Continent.
However, due to these events, even the peace-advocating doves had fallen silent.
The theft of the latest warship power systems, the Star Luo Empire's blatant disregard for the Sun and Moon Federation's multiple warnings, and their insistence on publicly trying Sun and Moon Federation exchange group member Lan Hai Jun had given the Federation the full justification to send troops.
In addition to the Wu family's trial, the Federation awarded all military and police personnel involved in this operation.
The first person on the award list was none other than the Tianpan Douluo, Lang Tian.
"Captain! Your name's not on the merit list again! You were the one who caught him, and you were the one who interrogated him. If it wasn't for you, those incompetent fools wouldn't have been able to get so much out of Wu Tian. The last evil soul master they caught was taken away, and then he died in prison. Everything is your merit, so why are they erasing it?" Several young police officers in the Royal Soul Master District Police Department in Mingdu said with clenched teeth, clearly dissatisfied.
Most of them were students from the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, who joined the Federation Police under the influence of Xia Hong.
Yesterday, when Wu Tian appeared within their jurisdiction, it was Xia Hong who led them in capturing and interrogating him.
"As long as your merits aren't completely swallowed by them, it's fine. As for me, I'm just living to eat and wait to die. I'm not interested in merits or rewards. High ranks and luxurious salaries aren't what I want," Xia Hong said, sitting at her desk, casually playing games on a soul guide communication device, not looking up.
"My previous team leader used to say, when you're in a position, you must act according to your duty. Now, I'm a team leader in charge of a region. Any criminals who enter my jurisdiction will never leave easily. If I really perform well, I'll rise up the ranks, and if I don't, I'll still be able to slack off, like I'm doing now—playing games at work."
A few days ago, Xia Hong had captured an evil soul master who was a Soul Emperor.
Her superior, the director of the police station, immediately came to take the person away and sent him to the Mingdu police station. However, before the interrogation could even begin, the person committed suicide.
Even so, all the officers who participated in the capture were promoted and transferred.
Only Xia Hong's merits were swallowed by the former director, and her figure was erased from the law enforcement video released by the police.
After capturing Wu Tian, Xia Hong's current director also quickly sent someone to ask about the matter. But when they found out that it was a member of the Wu family, they didn't say anything, letting Xia Hong handle the interrogation herself.
Xia Hong got Wu Tian to confess everything within less than an hour.
However, when Xia Hong submitted the interrogation records, it caught the attention of the top brass in both the military and police.
It was no surprise that the officers who had helped her capture Wu Tian were promoted early the next morning. Though they were all recent graduates of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, everyone's rank was now higher than Xia Hong's.
Xia Hong didn't mind at all. She still went on missions when there was work to do, and played games when there was none.
Xia Hong didn't care about recognition or credit for herself, but she would never allow anyone to steal the achievements of her officers.
To settle the matter, last night, Xia Hong even went to have a "heart-to-heart" with the Heavenly Judgment Douluo, Lang Tian.
When Lang Tian appeared on the soul guide television this morning, he still looked somewhat pale.
...
Star Luo Empire!
Wu Tianrong was utterly dumbfounded. He had originally hoped to sit on the fence, waiting for the conflict between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun and Moon Federation to finish before choosing a side.
But he never expected the Sun and Moon Federation to target the Wu family directly.
"Your Majesty, please avenge the Wu family!" Wu Tianrong cried, seeking out Dai Tianling.
"White Tiger Douluo, rest assured. The Star Luo Empire will face off with the Sun and Moon Federation," Dai Tianling said coldly.
"Your Majesty, I think that's unwise. No one can simultaneously resist five of the Sun and Moon Federation's legions. For the sake of our ancestors and nation, I believe we should hand over Lan Hai Jun. Only by stepping back can we survive," Dai Tianling's older brother, Dai Tianshu, said solemnly.
As a member of the Star Luo Empire's military, he was very clear on the disparity between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun and Moon Federation.
"No, this is our chance," Dai Tianling took a deep breath and said, "The Sun and Moon Federation has sent five legions from their navy and army, but if all five legions were to fail, the Star Luo Empire would be safe for at least a century."
"It's impossible. No one can resist all five legions of the Sun and Moon Federation," Dai Tianshu shook his head.
"Humans cannot do it, but what if it's a god?" Dai Tianling snorted coldly.
"A god!" Dai Tianshu was stunned.
"Exactly, a god," Dai Tianling nodded coldly.
"Does the Douluo Continent have gods now?" Dai Tianshu asked curiously.
"Yes, the one worshipped by the Green Skull Organization," Dai Tianling said coldly.
The Star Luo Empire had once assessed that the strength of this 'Heaven' was definitely above the quasi-god level.
"Heaven!" Dai Tianshu frowned slightly.
Even he didn't know of Heaven's existence.
"Heaven is the Green Skull Organization's greatest trump card. Even within the Green Skull Organization, few people know of him. Even fewer in the Star Luo Empire know, and no one in the Sun and Moon Federation would have any idea. If we make good use of this, the Sun and Moon Federation will suffer another great loss," Dai Tianling explained coldly.
"But would the Green Skull Organization agree?" Both Dai Tianshu and Wu Tianrong instinctively asked.
The Star Luo Empire had migrated from the Douluo Continent.
When the Star Luo Empire first arrived on the Star Luo Continent, they had massacred soul masters there, let alone the ordinary civilians who resisted—they had been slaughtered too.
Though many years had passed, the civilians in the Star Luo Empire's area might have forgotten. But to the west of Tianmu Mountain, where the Green Skull Organization held power, the soul masters and civilians there had never forgotten the invasion of the Star Luo Empire.
To them, the Star Luo Empire wasn't even the Star Luo Continent, but the domain of the Eight Kings.
The Monster Academy had originally belonged to the Seven Kings, but they forcefully placed a younger, newly advanced Soul King, Dai Yun'er, among them to irritate the Green Skull Organization.
To the west of Tianmu Mountain was the territory of the former Tianhu Tribe, known as the Tianhu Domain.
The Fox King, Su Mu, one of the Eight Great Kings of the Monster Academy, was from the Tianhu Tribe's royal family.
The Star Luo Empire had granted Tianhu Duke status to Xia Yi, partially because of Xia Yi's martial soul and also because his fief was located in the Tianhu Domain.
In the Tianhu Domain, the first page of history books was dedicated to the history of the Star Luo Empire's invasion.
For years, they had never forgotten what the Star Luo Empire had done to them.
Convincing them to cooperate with the Star Luo Empire would be even harder than killing them.
"Heh, once the Star Luo Empire is destroyed, the Sun and Moon Federation will definitely march westward. At that point, the Green Skull Organization alone won't be able to stop the Federation's army," Dai Tianling sneered and said, "Unless the Green Skull Organization is full of idiots, they should understand that the Douluo Continent has reached a point where we must abandon our hatred and unite against the foreign enemy."
"This..." Both Dai Tianshu and Wu Tianrong frowned slightly. While the idea made sense, would the Green Skull Organization and the Tianhu Domain truly agree?
"You don't understand the Green Skull Organization or the Tianhu Domain," Dai Tianling shook his head and smiled, "The Green Skull Organization doesn't represent the Tianhu Domain. They are merely an organization in charge of dealing with the Star Luo Empire. Most people think the Green Skull Organization is the official entity of the Tianhu Domain, but that's what the Star Luo Empire wants them to believe. This way, they can portray the people of the Tianhu Domain as barbaric and evil, which prevents the original inhabitants of the Douluo Continent from rejecting the Star Luo Empire. Moreover, the Green Skull Organization only acts violently in the Star Luo Empire."
"The Tianhu Domain is twice the size of the Star Luo Empire's provinces. If their official governance really resembled the Green Skull Organization's methods in the Star Luo Empire, how could they have ruled the Tianhu Domain for so long?"
Dai Tianling smiled coldly, "The Sun and Moon Federation's army will still take some time to reach the Star Luo Empire. After the public trial of Lan Hai Jun, I will have the National Teacher escort an imperial family member to take on the position of Duke of Tianhu in the Tianhu Domain. I believe the Green Skull Organization will be very happy with this gift."
"The Duke of Tianhu, Xia Yi!" Dai Tianshu paused for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Haha! Good, good, good!" Dai Tianshu laughed heartily, "At that point, they'll either acknowledge Xia Yi as the Duke of Tianhu, and thus become part of the Star Luo Empire, or they'll kill Xia Yi."
"By acknowledging the Duke granted by the Star Luo Empire, they'll be part of the Empire and must obey its orders. If they kill Xia Yi, they not only offend the Sun and Moon Federation but also the Spirit Pagoda, and they will have no choice but to cooperate with us. Moreover, Xia Yi has their holy artifact, the Vajra Sutra. They won't be able to avoid it. Haha!"
Dai Tianshu's eyes gleamed with excitement.
This was an opportunity—not only to severely damage the Sun and Moon Federation, but perhaps even to use the Federation to eradicate the Green Skull Organization and the Tianhu Domain.
This was a dual-purpose plan.
If the Star Luo Empire could take control of Heaven from the Green Skull Organization, the Sun and Moon Federation would have to think carefully before attacking the Star Luo Empire in the future.
At that moment, Dai Tianshu looked at Dai Tianling with admiration.
Originally, he was the legitimate first son, and his talent was not inferior to Dai Tianling's. He still felt some resistance to Dai Tianling becoming the emperor.
But now, he was convinced.
(End of Chapter)