Chapter 278: The Empire in Turmoil.
Evidence was laid bare before Dai Tianfeng, and Dai Mubai pressed his advantage, saying, "Father, the territories of these kingdoms and duchies were all granted by our ancestors. Now, they want to use the Spirit Hall to achieve their independence. This is utterly disrespectful to our Star Luo Empire."
Dai Tianfeng, looking at the intelligence gathered by Dai Mubai, was furious and said, "Fine! Their lands were once granted by our ancestors, yet they want to use the Spirit Hall's power to achieve independence. Very well, then don't blame the Star Luo Empire for its military might." Thus, following Dai Mubai's plan, Dai Tianfeng began preparing to reclaim the rights of these duchies and kingdoms and reorganize the Star Luo Empire.
However, Dai Tianfeng's ambitious plan suffered two consecutive setbacks right from the start.
A bombshell dropped in the Asdeka region!
The Star Luo Empire had previously established numerous Soul Master concentration camps in the Asdeka region to train Soul Master legions to bridge the gap between them and the Spirit Hall.
However, calling it a concentration camp for Soul Masters is an understatement; it's more accurate to call it a concentration camp for Evil Soul Masters.
These Evil Soul Masters follow unconventional cultivation methods. Some devour souls, transforming them into Soul Power; some consume flesh and blood, extracting essence from fresh human blood; some need the masculine energy of humans to upgrade themselves; and some refine the feminine energy of women.
While Evil Souls aren't inherently forbidden, they represent practitioners of heretical cultivation, unacceptable to the Soul Master world.
The Star Luo Empire captured large numbers of civilians and fed them to Evil Soul Masters, cultivating a vast number of them within its borders.
This was exposed by the Asdeka Rebellion Army, who stormed a concentration camp within the Star Luo Empire, revealing its inner workings.
Evil Soul Masters' notebooks, the organs of the dead, blood-soaked processing plants, Soul Master puppets made from human skin—all these shock everyone. The Continental United Daily News attempted to cover it up, but with the Spirit Hall's propaganda, concealment became futile.
The Asdeka rebels discovered several more concentration camps, and all the evidence pointed to the Star Luo Empire, which was training evil soul masters to use for its own purposes.
Suddenly, the Star Luo Empire's reputation was tarnished, and with the people in turmoil, some duchies and kingdoms condemned the Star Luo suzerain state, even expressing their willingness to reconsider their continued allegiance.
Not only were there those kingdoms and duchies outside the Star Luo Empire, but even within its own borders, several voices against the Star Luo royal family emerged.
The Star Luo Empire used direct, bloody suppression against these rebellious forces, but for those kingdoms and duchies that declared independence, Dai Tianfeng no longer had the energy to deal with them and could only resort to appeasement and co-optation.
Inside the Star Luo Empire, Dai Tianfeng angrily smashed bottles and jars.
"What on earth is the governor of the Asdeka region doing? Such an important matter was discovered by those treacherous rebels!"
After venting his anger, Dai Tianfeng took a deep breath and said, "Zhao Gui."
"Your subordinate is here." "A high-ranking official from the Star Luo Empire stepped forward and said, "What did I say to you when I entrusted you with the matter of the Soul Master concentration camp?" Dai Tianfeng said.
Zhao Gui's voice trembled slightly, and his face was pale as he said, "Your Majesty, you said back then: If this matter is handled well, I will have wealth and honor for the rest of my life, but if the news leaks out—"
"Then your fate is death!" Dai Tianfeng finished speaking for Zhao Gui.
Zhao Gui remained silent.
"You know what you should do, right?"
Zhao Gui said, "I know."
"I will take care of your wife and children, so don't worry!"
Thus, Zhao Gui was pushed forward, and the Star Luo Royal Family placed all the blame on him, sentencing him to death.
Anyone with eyes could see that the Star Luo Royal Family was secretly instigating Zhao Gui's actions, but this incident also allowed the Star Luo Royal Family to barely escape the storm of public opinion, freeing them to do other things.
The day after Zhao Gui's execution, the Star Luo Empire officially declared those evil spirit masters and those involved in their activities as rebels, and officially announced a campaign against these forces.
The campaign against the evil spirit masters led to their direct betrayal, plunging the Star Luo Empire into a year-long war.
Gradually, the Star Luo Empire quelled the evil spirit masters.
It could be said that the evil spirit master forces within its borders were nurtured by the Star Luo Empire itself, and now, the Star Luo Empire is paying the price for its actions.
After the evil spirit masters were quelled, the Star Luo Empire's army did not receive the expected reforms. Soon, the Rose Academy, together with the governor of the Star Luo Empire's Asdeka region and the Asdeka rebels, declared independence from the Star Luo Empire, establishing Asdeka as a republic.
Faced with this war of independence in the Asdeka region, the Star Luo Empire, which had already been fighting a year-long war of suppression, had no choice but to mobilize its army to quell the rebellion in the Asdeka region. The first campaign to quell the rebellion was led by Dai Mubai and Star Luo General Gugor. When the 100,000-strong army entered the Great Rift Valley within the Asdeka region, they were ambushed by the Asdeka Republic army, who were armed with a weapon that Dai Mubai was very familiar with.
"The Zhuge Repeating Crossbow? How is that possible? Isn't this technology only known to Xiao San?" Dai Mubai was shocked. However, the Asdeka army occupying both sides of the canyon did not answer Dai Mubai's question. The Zhuge Repeating Crossbows in their hands were like life-reaping machines, reaping the lives of the Star Luo army.
At the same time, falling rocks, rolling logs, and other debris were also causing devastating consequences for the Star Luo Empire's 100,000-strong army.
Morale collapsed, and when the 100,000-strong army fled, only 20,000 to 30,000 remained. The Star Luo Empire's first attempt to quell the rebellion in the Asdeka region failed. During their retreat, corpses littered the roads, and the blood of fallen soldiers stained the entire land red.
After this defeat, the Star Luo Empire, which originally relied on its army as its foundation, suffered a sharp drop in prestige. The desire for rebellion among the kingdoms and duchies that had submitted to the Star Luo Empire grew even stronger.
Helpless, Dai Tianfeng could only organize a second campaign to quell the rebellion. This time, they mobilized 300,000 troops, dividing them into three routes to attack the Asdeka region.
However, this time, the Asdeka region seemed to have received support from the Spirit Hall. Utilizing soul-guided bombs, soul-guided devices, and concealed weapons in a coordinated effort, they skillfully repelled the Star Luo Empire's attack.
None of the three armies managed to penetrate Asdeka territory, suffering defeat and retreating in disarray!
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(End of Chapter)