Chapter 217: Why Does This Feel Familiar? The Shrek Supervision Corps?
What were spirit souls?
They were the legacy of millennia—heritage that could endure beyond dynasties.
The Heaven Dou Empire had splintered into the Heaven Soul and Fighting Spirit Empires precisely because the imperial bloodline had grown weak. Their inherited martial souls were mediocre—far from "supreme spirits."
Their first emperor had been a visionary who unified the realm through strategy and ambition, not divine power.
Over the centuries, countless royal marriages bound to families possessing powerful martial souls had failed to change that weakness.
Those truly blessed with top-tier martial spirits had no interest in joining royal harems.
To a Titled Douluo, an emperor's command was nothing but a joke.
The nobles stockpiled arms, the emperor stockpiled grain—who did they think they were fooling?
But now, with the Spirit Transmission Tower offering spirit souls for acquisition through contracts, everything could change.
Strength could now be purchased.
And who stood to gain most from that? The royal families, of course!
The monarchy had controlled vast national resources for tens of thousands of years.
With spirit souls in hand, they could cultivate divine beasts bound by loyalty—not sheer power—to the throne itself.
At last, the royal houses could command their own forces of overwhelming might.
"The Tower must be built! Not just built—built gloriously!"
"I shall construct a Tower grander than the Federation's! Let them see my devotion!"
If the Xingluo Federation had won Shrek Academy to its side, why couldn't the Heaven Dou empires claim the Spirit Transmission Tower?
If Douluo Federation lost both Shrek and the Tower… they would be doomed to crumble.
Then the Heaven Dou empires could rise again and reclaim the honor of their ancestors!
The emperors of both Heaven Soul and Fighting Spirit shouted joyfully: "Ha! I shall be recorded in history as an eternal monarch!"
None dared slight emissaries from the Federation, especially not representatives of the Spirit Transmission Tower.
The Heaven Soul Emperor all but pressed courtiers to offer dozens of concubines to charm them into staying.
"Hahaha! On behalf of the Heaven Soul Empire, I welcome you all."
"Your Majesty."
Sima Jinchi bowed respectfully. Though the Emperor's strength was only that of a Soul Saint, he was, after all, a sovereign ruler—and thus deserving of courtesy.
The Emperor studied him quietly. The young man's lifeblood energy burned fiercely. Not yet thirty—yet already a Rank 95 Super Douluo?
Clouds above, was this another Yun Ming in the making?
Sima Jinchi wasted no time. "I come representing the Federation and the Spirit Transmission Tower to negotiate the establishment of a branch tower upon your soil."
"Agreed!" the Heaven Soul Emperor said at once. "We shall dedicate our full strength to assist its construction!"
In truth, he couldn't agree fast enough.
Sima Jinchi nodded. "Then allow me to clarify: the Tower must possess complete autonomy and authority to form a Spirit Envoy Supervision Corps—responsible for investigating and punishing all acts of cruelty, theft, and poaching toward spirit souls. It shall also hold independent judicial and supervisory power."
The Heaven Soul Emperor blinked in confusion.
Why did that sound… familiar?
Wait—wasn't that exactly like the Shrek Supervision Corps?
Though Shrek Academy had since fallen silent, its corps' functions still formally existed across Douluo, Xingluo, and the Heaven Dou continents.
Their duties were to investigate crimes beyond national jurisdiction, especially those involving soul masters' abuse of power.
Admittedly, the Corps hadn't actively handled major incidents in years, but their legal license remained valid—granting them freedom to cross borders and execute judgment without interference.
And now the Tower wanted the same thing?
Was this truly the Tower's idea—or the Federation's?
The Emperor narrowed his eyes.
"The Spirit Transmission Tower isn't, after all, a neutral force like Shrek Academy," he said carefully. "Unless—of course—the Tower officially joined the Heaven Soul Empire. Then we might even declare it our state religion."
Sima Jinchi's expression didn't change.
"Your Majesty, I'll speak plainly. The Holy Spirit Cult has grown rampant. You know well the devastation the Abyssal Plane caused three thousand years ago. The Douluo Federation suffered dearly—but so did Xingluo, Heaven Soul, and Tianling. You understand the Abyss' danger."
The Emperor's fists tightened. He did.
Sima continued, "Last time, the Tower launched its assault without prior notice precisely because we discovered the Cult's main base. We wished to eradicate it entirely—but they slipped away."
"The evil soul masters retain a way to commune with the Abyss and reopen the Gate."
"Surely, Your Majesty does not wish to see the horrors of the Extreme North repeated within your lands?"
The Emperor fell silent.
Of course he knew.
He knew far too well.
He knew which of his ministers had secretly conspired with the Holy Spirit Cult.
He knew how deeply they had wormed through the Empire's court.
He even knew they had tried to manipulate national policy—fomenting unification wars between Heaven Soul and Fighting Spirit.
But he couldn't act.
Because he was weak.
The Douluo Federation had its Temple of War, the Spirit Transmission Tower, five great legions, and peak powerhouses such as Chen Xinjie—the man who stood shoulder to shoulder with Yun Ming himself.
Xingluo had its Limit Douluo, Anze.
And him?
The Heaven Soul Empire had nothing.
If he dared purge the Cult within his court, half his nobility would be dead by dawn—and the Empire would collapse.
He had even attempted to invite back the Body Sect—once the pride of the Heaven Soul lineage.
But they had refused.
Their sect master, though a Rank 94 Titled Douluo, had achieved dual perfection as a Four-Word Battle Armor Master and Red-Class Mecha Master—a true powerhouse equal to Rank 98.
Yet they no longer acknowledged Heaven Soul.
Long ago, their founder Dugu Bo had died assassinating Xu Tianran for the Empire's sake, leaving only bitterness behind.
Later, their young master Long Aotian perished saving the Heaven Soul princess—only for that same princess to marry another after peace was restored.
Since then, the Body Sect's affection for the Empire had withered into dust.
Even now, though diminished, the Sect remained formidable—once second only to Shrek itself.
The Emperor sighed, then spoke slowly.
"Evil soul masters deserve death. But I fear that in purging them… the Federation may purge us as well."
"Would that not be inviting wolves into our gates?"
(END CHAPTER)
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