The empires of the Douluo Continent in this era were still much the same as they had been ten thousand years ago.
It wasn't that their system of inheritance was destined to lead to internal power struggles.
The Sun Moon Empire was like this, and so was the Star Luo Empire. Even more so for the Tianhun Empire, which had splintered off from the original Tian Dou Empire.
Speaking of which, the Tian Dou Empire truly had bad luck. Though they had once aligned themselves with Tang San, a powerful ally, they ultimately overlooked the ungrateful nature of the sects.
After the God War ended ten thousand years ago, the Tian Dou Empire lost the support of the major sects.
Though it wasn't as extreme as the Star Luo Empire, where power was directly seized, the situation wasn't much better.
Of the three great upper sects, only the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had been exterminated, while the remaining two were protected by gods. In the past, they might have needed to consider the Tian Dou Empire's stance, but now they stood above worldly concerns.
After the Tian Dou Empire split, the position of the Tianhun Empire became even more awkward.
Especially in the lands where Shrek Academy resided—though nominally part of the Tianhun Empire, those territories had long since become private property of Shrek Academy, a nation within a nation.
But in this world, it was inevitable that the Tianhun Empire couldn't meddle in the affairs of stronger powers.
After all, the guardian spirit of the Tianhun Empire was merely a 97th-level Titled Douluo.
The moment Ye Wen and his group entered the capital of the Tianhun Empire, news reached the royal family.
A grand procession, which had been waiting for some time, raised their banners and began playing music.
Ye Wen wasn't surprised by the scene before him. It had been three days since the subjugation of the Body Sect, and their leisurely journey to the capital had given the other side ample time to prepare.
Walking toward Ye Wen and his group was a middle-aged couple. Both appeared youthful due to their status as soul masters.
Thanks to the well-developed cultivation system, these two weren't weaklings with low soul power. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to hold their current positions.
"Pay respects to Lord Tian Xing."
The man clasped his hands and bowed slightly to Ye Wen without bending deeply.
Though Titled Douluo were no longer as rare as they had been ten thousand years ago, Ye Wen's current status as a Supreme Douluo allowed him to stand on equal footing with any ruler of a nation. Thus, the man's gesture wasn't overly submissive.
At first glance, Ye Wen already knew who they were.
The current emperor of the Tianhun Empire, whose martial soul was the Snow Lotus. Though not a Titled Douluo, he was an 88th-level Soul Douluo, while his wife was a soul master with a Body martial soul.
This was also one of the reasons why the Body Sect had become the guardian sect of the Tianhun Empire.
"Pay respects to Emperor Wei Da," Ye Wen returned the greeting.
(A/N: I couldn't find the emperor's name in the original work, so I made one up. The princess of the Tianhun Empire is named Wei Na, so let's give him the surname Wei. While we're at it, let me just say how strange the naming conventions are in Douluo Dalu. Some names are clearly Western-inspired, yet they insist on calling them Chinese-style names.)
Anyone familiar with history knows that two tigers cannot coexist on the same mountain—unless one is male and the other female. On the surface, the addition of someone as powerful as Ye Wen to the Tianhun Empire seemed like a good thing. But if Ye Wen wished, he could seize power at any time, which was a major taboo for any power structure.
Perhaps the Douluo Continent had enjoyed peace for too long, leading all the empires to believe that only those with noble bloodlines could ascend to the throne.
But they forgot that before the founding of the Star Luo and Tian Dou Empires, there were no such notions of noble bloodlines. Their ancestors had fought tooth and nail to carve out their domains.
Of course, perhaps they hadn't forgotten—it was just that they had either unconsciously or deliberately ignored it. After all, the Star Luo Empire had already changed hands, though the White Tiger lineage still thrived.
The Emperor of the Tianhun Empire warmly welcomed Ye Wen's arrival.
In recent years, the situation on the Douluo Continent had grown increasingly strange. The already weaker Tian Dou Empire had split into two smaller empires, making them even more fearful of unknown storms.
The Tianhun Emperor's concerns weren't unfounded. In the future, when war broke out, the first to fall would be the even weaker Dou Ling Empire, followed by the Tianhun Empire itself.
In the past, due to underdeveloped naval technology, the Sun Moon Empire's main focus had been on the Star Luo Empire. But in the future, after overcoming their maritime limitations, they would naturally eliminate these weaker nations first to avoid complications.
It was precisely because of the complete extinction of the Tian Dou lineage that the Sun Moon Empire, under the whimsical influence of the God King Tang San, was forced to rename itself the Tian Dou Empire and even claimed to uphold the glory of the Douluo Continent—a laughable justification.
Out with the old, in with the new—that was the way of heaven. But Tang San stubbornly clung to the past, never letting go.
Ultimately, Tang San lacked innovation, relying solely on his legacy, and couldn't bear to see the younger generation surpass him.
Later, the Tianhun Emperor dragged Ye Wen to attend a nauseating noble ball.
To be honest, even after all these years, Ye Wen still couldn't stomach these so-called noble gatherings.
Women dressed in outfits more revealing than those of brothel workers danced provocatively—it was utterly disgusting.
Were they selling themselves? Disgusting. It was precisely because of these morally bankrupt nobles that the Douluo Continent remained in its barbaric and primitive state.
Thankfully, at least these people valued personal hygiene. Otherwise, Ye Wen might have vomited.
But it wasn't yet time to tear down facades. Ye Wen wanted Huo Yu'er and the others to develop more independently rather than having everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Elders could offer help, but not take care of everything.
Because that wouldn't cultivate strong, self-reliant children.
However, Ye Wen didn't intend to let these youngsters attend such balls. Having already seen the darkness of this world, they didn't need further exposure to this filth. Let him, their dirty elder, handle it instead.
In the end, Ye Wen excused the children from the ball, claiming they were too exhausted from their long journey, and sent them to rest while he attended alone.
Though the Tianhun Emperor knew that these children, favored by such a Supreme Douluo, were no ordinary individuals, since the other party had decided to settle within his empire, there was no need to rush things. After all, there was plenty of time ahead.
The immediate priority was to build a good relationship with this Supreme Douluo.
"Hahaha, the heavens are on my side, Wei Da! With such a Supreme Douluo guarding us, let's see who on the Douluo Continent dares to look down on the Tianhun Empire now!"
Thinking about this, the Tianhun Emperor initially smiled with joy, but then a flash of deep displeasure crossed his eyes.
"Damn Shrek Academy! They reside within my Tianhun Empire yet act arrogantly and look down on me. Just wait—I'll specifically support the Tian Xing Academy to compete with you, Shrek Academy. I don't believe you can remain the number one academy forever with such a Supreme Douluo around!"
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