Ya Li's sudden challenge did not catch Bibi Dong off guard; she knew the other party would stir up trouble if she appeared, but the timing felt off. Judging by Ya Li's previous actions, they also hoped for the establishment of the Martial Soul Empire and the unification of the world. Bibi Dong had a bad premonition that Ya Li was jumping the gun by stepping out now.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan spoke on behalf of his master.
"Your Highness Saintess, may I ask what your concerns are?"
Ya Li stood up, bowed to the Pope and the assembled elders, and said, "Pope Your Majesty, Yue Guan, and fellow elders, Ya Li has no objection to the establishment of the Martial Soul Empire; I believe all the elders here feel the same. However, I believe that before finalizing the empire's establishment, we must first clarify the relationship between the empire and Martial Soul Hall, as well as the division of power and responsibility."
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu remained calm, watching quietly. Bibi Dong's brows furrowed slightly, and the other elders' minds raced. It had begun: a new round of power struggles within Martial Soul Hall.
Bibi Dong gave a signal to an elder ranked toward the back, and the man understood immediately.
He was a cold, hardened man wearing golden battle armor with a hideous scar across his left cheek. He was the Ninth Elder among the elders of the Elder Hall and was temporarily in Bibi Dong's camp. As for why it was only temporary, it was because his bond with Bibi Dong was purely based on mutual interest regarding the distribution of power after the empire's founding, not true loyalty.
The Ninth Elder spoke up.
"Your Highness Saintess, if the empire is to be established, it should naturally absorb the entirety of Martial Soul Hall into the empire to command the overall situation. At that time, we can simply exercise the authority of Martial Soul Hall through the imperial power. It would be legitimate and convenient for stabilizing the situation of the new empire, so why is there a need for division?"
Bibi Dong's side certainly did not want Ya Li's proposal to divide power; they wanted it all!
The other elders listened silently without speaking, waiting for what would come next.
Regarding the Ninth Elder's response, Ya Li shook her head in rebuttal.
"The Ninth Elder is mistaken. As long as the elders are present, no major chaos will break out within the Martial Soul Empire."
"The essence of our Martial Soul Hall is far removed from the imperial court. The powers and duties of the two are completely different. The religious nature of Martial Soul Hall itself is not suitable for integration into the empire. Furthermore, the personnel of Martial Soul Hall are all Soul Masters, many of whom are ascetics focused solely on cultivation; they are not suited for the imperial court."
"If we were to roughly force the system of Martial Soul Hall into the imperial court, it would likely trigger other compatibility issues that would require reform later. Once the structure is set, breaking it down and reorganizing it again would not only hinder the empire's development but could also lead to many jokes and damage the people's trust in the empire. Therefore, I believe it is better to plan ahead before things begin."
Ya Li's words were reasonable and logical, but they were not the result Bibi Dong's side wanted! Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan took over the conversation.
"The Saintess speaks with reason, but this is not unsolvable. As long as the imperial system makes corresponding changes, it can naturally be resolved."
Ya Li smiled slightly.
"Isn't a proper division a feasible system? We are all on the same side, not completely splitting up. Elder Yue Guan, it seems your thinking has gone astray."
Yue Guan: "."
He didn't know how to respond to that. The situation was as she described, but they wanted Bibi Dong to command everything. If it were truly cut off, everyone knew that the part not under Bibi Dong's direct jurisdiction would be the type to "listen to orders but not to proclamations."
Ya Li pressed the attack.
"Since that is the case, I, in the name of the Saintess, propose a vote by the Elder Council on whether to 'divide the powers and duties between Martial Soul Hall and the Martial Soul Empire'!"
"Those in favor, please raise your hands."
As she spoke, she was the first to raise her hand in agreement. Bibi Dong watched coldly, remaining silent. She could not stop a proposal from the Saintess, and the power to decide this did not lie with her, but with Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu looked at Ya Li thoughtfully. They had been busy with the God Trial before coming and had not discussed the details of today; he had only indicated he would support her. He didn't know exactly what Ya Li was trying to do—what was the point of separating a department? However, since Martial Soul Hall was the legacy of their ancestors, he had no objection to preserving it.
"This old man supports it."
Seeing Qian Daoliu raise his hand, the Second Worship spoke up.
"Everyone, let's vote!"
He finished by raising his hand to show his support. The others looked at each other and then expressed their own opinions.
"This old man agrees!"
"This old man agrees as well."
The voting this time was similar to the previous faction lines. With twenty elders plus the Pope and the Saintess, the ratio of those for and against was fourteen to eight. Counting the weighted votes, the Grand Offering and the Pope each had three votes, and the Saintess as the successor had two, making the final tally seventeen to ten.
After counting the votes, the Second Worship announced the result.
"The votes in favor exceed half of the total; the proposal to divide the powers and duties between Martial Soul Hall and the Martial Soul Empire is passed!"
Bibi Dong was very unhappy about this, but there was nothing she could do. Aside from the fact that the continued existence of Martial Soul Hall disgusted her, in terms of power, it was just one more religious department she couldn't control. In any case, even without this, the Worship Hall wouldn't listen to her, so it was within an acceptable range.
Ya Li was not surprised by the result. She and Yun Ming had prepared a full plan for today, and everything was within expectations. With the first step successful, Ya Li continued.
"Now that the division is confirmed, let's discuss which powers and duties of Martial Soul Hall should be retained."
Bibi Dong said indifferently, "If the Saintess has ideas, just say them."
The implication was: Hurry up, don't play dumb with me!
Ya Li was not annoyed by Bibi Dong's attitude and replied, "I do have some thoughts. Since Your Majesty has spoken, I will offer my humble opinion first."
After a brief pause to collect her thoughts, Ya Li explained the duties she envisioned for Martial Soul Hall to retain.
"I personally believe that Martial Soul Hall needs to retain the authority to guide religious affairs, conduct religious theory research, provide education and training, and oversee Spirit Awakening."
As soon as Ya Li spoke, it was a series of basic religious duties. The others didn't react much, as these were all normal work contents of Martial Soul Hall.
Afterward, everyone voted on each item. The previous ones were minor matters, and with no one objecting, they were passed quickly, so these powers were smoothly assigned to the management of Martial Soul Hall.
The only point of slight controversy was that the Pope and the Emperor must be separated and could not be held by the same person. Bibi Dong had no intention of being the Emperor while holding a concurrent position, so this proposal was ultimately passed.
Bibi Dong asked again.
"Is it over?"
Ya Li asked gently.
"Your Majesty, don't be impatient; there is one final item remaining."
She scanned the people present and stated the last and most important point.
"Finally, Martial Soul Hall requires supreme management authority over the soul masters of the nation, the power to mobilize the imperial soul master legions, and the right to appoint the emperor of the new empire!"
The room was in an uproar at these words. They finally understood what Ya Li's plan really was, and Bibi Dong's expression changed drastically.
They were wrong; they had all guessed wrong. The inertia of the thought that imperial power was supreme in the secular world had led them to misjudge Ya Li's goal. She didn't want a mere department within the new empire at all; she wanted to place Martial Soul Hall completely above the new empire.
Ya Li said with a smile.
"Divine right of kings—the power of the monarch is granted by the gods, which is to say, determined by the Pope, the human representative of the gods. Isn't that only natural?"
Placing secular power beneath the peak of strength was a model Ya Li and Yun Ming had devised after reviewing the development of the next twenty thousand years. There were two main reasons for coming up with this model.
First, to govern the world, the authorities needed to possess power that could overwhelm the world. Otherwise, like the Sun Moon Federation of the future, the military organization War God Hall only accounted for about a quarter of humanity's peak strength, while the other three—Shrek Academy, the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, and the Tang Sect—were each more arrogant than the last. In his previous life, Yun Ming himself was a figure who could take whatever he wanted from the Federation. Now that his position had changed, with him being someone who had experienced it firsthand, he naturally did not want to see future generations become as lawless as he once was.
Second, the power of those in charge needed to be constrained. Low-level officials were easy to manage, but what about high-level ones? Those who could reach high positions had money, power, and strength, making them quite difficult to deal with. Therefore, they needed a blade sharp and cold enough hanging over their heads.
In the future, those capable of controlling Martial Soul Hall should all be human limit powerhouses. For Limit Douluo, power was not actually very important in their eyes. This was not only because, by the time they reached their level, becoming a god was far more attractive than power, but also because they understood that their own strength was the greatest hegemony. As long as Yun Ming left behind the Faith Godhood Method, even if only for the sake of faith, they would not let those below them run amok. This would prevent the high-level power of the nation from falling into a disastrous state.
As for the final top-tier powerhouses, if Yun Ming succeeded in ascending to godhood, he would have endless life and could keep an eye on things himself. If he failed—he hadn't considered that, because it was actually quite hard to fail; Yun Ming still had his god position from his previous life inside the Atlas Divine Spear!
In the twenty thousand years of Douluo Star's history, there had been no shortage of talented administrators in any era; what was scarce were those who could maintain their original intentions after attaining high positions and great power. Thus, the logic of their system was to forcibly help people maintain their original intentions.
Of course, Ya Li would not tell them any of this now.
Returning to the Elder Council, Bibi Dong's expression was now somewhat ugly.
She had guessed Ya Li's subsequent plan: the next step should be to re-elect the Pope and let Qian Daoliu take the position again. In any case, the new Pope would offload most secular duties to the emperor, so it wouldn't be hard to do and would be quite leisurely; the hard part was how to get the position. And for Qian Daoliu, this was truly not difficult—he was just returning to his old job, while she would likely be appointed as the emperor.
Ya Li's plan was indeed just that. It was difficult for her to seize power from Bibi Dong herself, but Qian Daoliu could! Finding a way to inherit it later or fighting with her senior sister—wasn't that simpler than directly contending with Bibi Dong? Afterward, giving Bibi Dong a new position that could appease the forces under her command would prevent internal chaos. The position of imperial emperor was exactly that.
Bibi Dong said with a gloomy face.
"The Saintess is truly meticulous!"
"If Martial Soul Hall is handed over to you in the future, it will surely climb to new heights."
Ya Li replied.
"Your Majesty is too kind. You are the one with both literary and military strategy, a rare woman among the best in the world."
Looking at Ya Li's angelically pure little face, Bibi Dong felt as if her teeth were about to shatter. The little girl was simply playing dirty, setting traps for her, an older woman, using deception because she didn't dare to have a real, head-on fight.
Qian Daoliu watched Ya Li's series of maneuvers and found it very strange. He knew the temperament of the Little Cotton-padded Jacket he had raised since childhood very well. Throughout the history of the Angel family, Ya Li should have been of the kinder and purer sort. Why did she feel a bit corrupted on the inside now? Why was that? Unconsciously, his mind drifted to a certain handsome young man who smiled very brightly.
The other elders also had various expressions on their faces. They weren't sure who would ultimately win the final power struggle, but in this first round, Bibi Dong's defeat was undoubtedly sealed.
Ya Li spoke again.
"Now, everyone, please vote on the proposal just made! Raise your hand if you are in favor."
Those on Qian Daoliu's side naturally raised their hands without the slightest hesitation; their boss had been backing his disciple all day, and they already knew how to answer first. Aside from the fixed votes, three of Bibi Dong's non-loyalists defected, decisively choosing the winning side, among them the Ninth Elder.
Seeing the Ninth Elder and the other two defect, Bibi Dong was furious, her eyes splitting. These three damned fellows actually dared to betray her. The Ninth Elder and the others could only return an apologetic look to Bibi Dong. The current center of power had clearly returned to the interior of Martial Soul Hall, and with even greater authority; if they didn't reconsider now, how could they secure benefits for the families behind them?
In the end, the Second Worship tallied the votes: twenty in favor, seven against. The three most important powers were officially partitioned to Martial Soul Hall.
At this moment, even with Bibi Dong's cultivation in composure, she could barely hold it in. Black energy slowly emerged from the top of her head—not to describe her face turning black, but a literal ghost face formed from resentment.
The people in the hall felt Bibi Dong's unfathomable aura and were inexplicably panicked. The Grand Offerings and Second Worship also had slight changes in their expressions. The fact that her aura, while not yet at the limit, was vaguely not weaker than a Limit Douluo, surprised them. They hadn't expected Bibi Dong to have reached such a realm at such a young age; she was truly a top-tier genius worthy of being ranked in their Martial Soul Hall.
The light of the Angel God lit up behind Qian Daoliu, and he said in a low voice.
"Bibi Dong, do you wish to break the rules of my Martial Soul Hall in front of me?"
Being in Martial Soul City, the lair of the Angel God's faith, Qian Daoliu's combat power here was even more formidable than it had been outside. Bibi Dong gritted her silver teeth; she really wanted to pull out the Rakshasa Demon Scythe right now and hack these guys to pieces. But she couldn't. With Qian Daoliu here, she couldn't do it, so she could only suppress her anger and say.
"How could I?"
"However, changing the Pope requires the unanimous consent of all elders. Since the Grand Offerings speaks of rules, then he must also abide by them!"
She laid her cards on the table; now, Bibi Dong could only pin her hopes on this rule.
Qian Daoliu said sternly.
"Of course."
He looked around at all the elders and said.
"I, Qian Daoliu, wish to resume the position of Pope of Martial Soul Hall. Who is in favor, who is against!"
"Raise your hand if you are against."
Bibi Dong didn't move; her vote was useless. She looked at the Chrysanthemum Ghost Two Douluo. These two, having received their superior's look, had originally wanted to raise their hands, but when Qian Daoliu cast a glance their way, they didn't dare to move. The legend they had seen since childhood carried too much prestige, which made Bibi Dong so angry she was about to explode.
In the end, no one raised their hand, and Qian Daoliu, at the ripe old age of over one hundred and fifty, returned to the position of Pope.
Bibi Dong was furious beyond measure. Years of hard work had been for nothing, and she left the session on the spot.
From then on, Pope Bibi Dong became a thing of the past; henceforth, there was only Empress Bibi Dong. As a woman, she ruled the empire as the first-generation emperor of the Martial Soul Empire, thereby creating a new peak position for the working class. Damn it, whose emperor is still a working stiff?
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader