At the end of the war, apart from Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, all other high-ranking officials of the Wuhun Empire were either killed or captured, and the pattern of the Douluo Continent completely changed.
The high-ranking officials of the Star Luo Empire began their own looting feast, pouncing on the now undefended Wuhun Empire like hungry wolves. This is how it always is with victors and the defeated.
Fortunately, Xu Mingxi had established an agreement with Qian Renxue from the beginning, prohibiting the main Star Luo army from oppressing spirit masters and civilians of the Wuhun Empire without reason, which helped avoid many disasters.
Even so, most of the prominent spirit master families of the Wuhun Empire were driven out of their assets and forced to hand over various resources.
This is the fate that befalls the defeated. Xu Mingxi did not stop it—instead, he added fuel to the fire, letting the Star Luo army, now loyal to the Star God, take over as the new mainstream, regardless of their past right or wrong.
The Star Crown Sect also came to an end and established Star God Temples across the Douluo Continent. On one hand, these temples promoted free spirit awakening to win the people's hearts.
On the other, they monitored all parties, eliminating any remnants of the Wuhun or Heaven Dou Empires that tried to restore their nations.
Under the control of the Star Crown Sect, even those who had not yet awakened their innate soul power had no need to worry about food or clothing.
Even civilian spirit masters who struggled would be taught by elders. They lived decent lives and had no reason to attempt any "anti-Star" movements—most just sought to fill their time after eating.
As for spirit masters from major powers, they knew the Star Crown Sect was strong, so they dared not act out in public. What happened behind closed doors was trivial and didn't affect the larger picture.
Xu Mingxi didn't concern himself with such matters. As long as surface-level stability was maintained and belief could continue to be gathered in large amounts, he allowed his forces to deal with the small stuff.
Moreover, the Star Crown Sect became the greatest beneficiary, standing at the heart of this vast empire to siphon its lifeblood and continuously nourish itself.
Star God Temples were built in every city, with statues of the Star God erected. Every temple head had the backing of the Star Crown Sect and held a high status locally, enjoying numerous invisible benefits.
Through these temples, massive amounts of belief from across the continent were funneled into Xu Mingxi's semi-divine body, accelerating the fusion of the three divine powers.
"The fusion speed is now more than twice as fast as before. It would've taken over a hundred years for this divine body to become perfect.
I just don't know whether Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong will allow this chance. Where are they hiding? The entire Douluo Continent is filled with Star God Temples, but there's no trace of them."
Several years after the war ended, Star God Temples everywhere received a secret mission: to search for traces of Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.
Unfortunately, no traces were found. Bibi Dong seemed to have deliberately chosen to hide and cultivate to become a god.
The Douluo Continent was vast, filled with deep mountains and ancient forests—it was nearly impossible to find two hidden Titled Douluos.
With no choice, Xu Mingxi shifted his focus to strengthening himself. Based on some of his experiences from his past life, he provided more support to civilians while maintaining imperial power and supporting spirit masters.
He even ordered strict monitoring by the Star God Temples to avoid malicious oppression incidents, using these efforts as justification to allocate vast resources to the temples in the name of the Star Luo Empire.
Spirit masters and nobles whose interests were harmed by this had no valid grounds to complain to the Star God Temples or the Star Crown Sect.
For the temple personnel, the Star Crown Sect had a dedicated oversight department that monitored activities regularly and prevented collusion between higher and lower ranks.
As a result, the people of the Douluo Continent became increasingly devoted to the Star God, and the Star Luo Empire experienced a rapid period of growth.
At the very least, while Xu Mingxi was alive, no one dared openly defy his orders.
After stabilizing internal affairs, Xu Mingxi looked outward. While Poseidon Island was off-limits, the Sun and Moon Continent was within reach.
This was the land of inheritance for the Sun and Moon Gods—was it not rightful for him, the heir of the gods, to claim it? What harm in letting the Xu family take it?
So he went ahead. Xu Mingxi began promoting the development of soul guidance technology, allowing the entire Douluo Continent to participate in the technological progress.
After several years, breakthroughs in navigation were achieved, and a soul-guided navigation system comparable to the Swordfish was developed.
By this point, the Star Luo Empire was internally stable. Xu Mingjie, now familiar with imperial affairs, had also broken through to become a Titled Douluo.
Xu Mingxi appointed him as regent and led the Star Luo fleet on an expedition to the Sun and Moon Empire.
With an unmatched Douluo like him leading, how could the Sun and Moon Empire, whose soul guidance tech was still behind, possibly resist? The empire was swept away like fallen leaves in an autumn wind.
After eliminating all Soul Douluos and higher spirit masters, the Sun-Moon Empire was renamed a vassal state of the Star Luo Empire, with Luo Yun installed as its king.
Under Xu Mingxi's military deterrence and the political talent he brought, the local people gradually accepted their new rulers over a few years. Star God Temples were erected throughout the Sun and Moon Continent to enshrine the Star God.
Once faith was established, Xu Mingxi returned to Douluo. As long as there was a steady stream of belief from the Sun and Moon Continent, he didn't care how Luo Yun ruled it.
If the faith was ever cut off, he wouldn't hesitate to remove his old "big brother."
With the faith of two continents superimposed, Xu Mingxi could feel the divine nature in his body evolving faster, and the speed of divine fusion exceeded anything he had imagined.
He returned to the rear mountain of Star Luo Mountain, sat cross-legged beneath the mature Star God Tree, and stopped meddling in external affairs to focus entirely on cultivating and fusing divine power.
Fifty years later, when the middle-aged Emperor Xu Mingjie passed the throne to his son, he went alone to the mountain and looked at the land shrouded in the illusion created by Xu Mingguang, sighing deeply.
After so many years, the Star Luo Empire had undergone earth-shattering changes. Even Qian Renxue had ascended to godhood. Why had there still been no movement from his elder brother?
Just as he turned away in despair, the Star God Tree suddenly burst into brilliant light, piercing through Xu Mingguang's illusion.
Endless sunlight poured down—even the moon and stars, normally hidden during the day, revealed themselves. Boundless energy fell from the heavens, and towering beams of light rose from the earth.
This miracle was visible to everyone on the Douluo Continent. While civilians were confused, the main forces recognized the signs in the sky and rushed to Star Luo Mountain.
Xu Mingguang and others were stunned by the sight. Spirit masters from across the Star Crown Sect gathered at the rear mountain in awe.
Now the sect master, Xu Mingguang stood beside Xu Mingjie, tears of joy falling as he gazed at the distant light pillar.
"Mingjie, I was right, wasn't I? That place, that phenomenon."
"Yes, there's no doubt. Elder Brother is truly succeeding this time. Our Star Crown Sect is finally giving birth to a god."