DD Black White [280-282] (Patreon)

Chapter 280 – Changli and the Gold Guards

At this moment, the situation in the Sun-Moon Empire was rather delicate.

Although the imperial throne had not yet officially changed hands and Xu Tiannan was still only the Crown Prince in name, due to the current emperor's illness and inability to govern, Xu Tiannan had already seized power as the Regent.

With the full backing of the military, Xu Tiannan held absolute authority. The five great Defender Hands of the Sun-Moon Empire were essentially all under his control. The situation had developed to a point where no one could stop Xu Tiannan from ascending the throne.

Even if the current emperor were to miraculously recover, it would be hard to change the status quo. Given Xu Tiannan's personality, there was no way he would allow his father the chance to reclaim power.

Now, even Kong Deming—undoubtedly the empire's number one soul engineer—felt overwhelmed by Xu Tiannan's ruthless expansion and tough measures. He had no choice but to temporarily avoid confrontation and secretly collaborate with Lu Jingming.

In fact, because of Ju Zi, Lu Jingming had already learned the true identity of the servant she had summoned.

That was Celenova, one of the seven Lord Ravager: the Emanator, favorite vanguard general of the The Destruction Nanook, and the core figure leading the Voidranger—also considered the most attractive among the Lord Ravager.

After all, Celenova was originally the Infinite Captain under the Harmony Aeon Xipe, the Harmony, before being poached by Nanook.

Just by looking at Robin, one could tell that Xipe only picked extraordinarily good-looking people to serve. Celenova was no exception.

After all, Xipe's strict selection could be trusted.

If this were the world of Star Rail, facing someone as terrifying as Celenova, Lu Jingming would have chosen to run away long ago.

However, in this universe, Celenova was only summoned because of Lu Jingming's memories and a massive amount of negative energy.

Despite still being dangerous, with Herta as backup, Lu Jingming wasn't too worried.

Of course, at first, Lu Jingming hadn't expected someone like Celenova to be summoned. After all, Douluo Star never had such a vast amount of negative energy.

But after getting in touch with Herta recently, Lu Jingming finally understood everything, and his doubts disappeared.

A single planet's negative energy was indeed insufficient to summon a being as powerful as Celenova.

But what if it was a black hole that had devoured countless God Realms?

That so-called Tomb of the Gods held the resentment and negative energy from the fall of deities—a darkness of the universe.

This time, it was only because Herta blasted open the black hole that some negative energy was attracted.

If a direct connection was established with the Tomb of the Gods, the strength of summoned servants would skyrocket—after all, the true forms of the Lord Ravager were unimaginably powerful.

With enough negative energy, their peak power could return, and igniting a star system would no longer be impossible.

However, for now, Celenova was far from invincible.

At least Lu Jingming knew he could handle it.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be so relaxed—he'd have used the Holy Grail to activate God's Perspective and wouldn't be playing around at all.

What Lu Jingming hadn't expected was Xu Tiannan's madness.

He not only threw countless civilians into the antimatter furnace to be turned into Voidranger, but also ruthlessly wiped out the soul beasts of the Jingyang Mountains.

Keep in mind, the number of soul beasts on the Douluo Continent had always been in decline. Soul masters tried to limit their hunting.

Xu Tiannan's reckless actions showed total disregard for the future, all for his ambitions.

Of course, Xu Tiannan's actions might also be because he realized the soul master profession had its limits compared to otherworldly powers, and he hoped to completely change the continent's professional system.

Lu Jingming didn't know Xu Tiannan's true intentions.

But he clearly realized that the Sun-Moon Empire's power was now overwhelming. Whether it was the fearsome Voidranger, the ambitious Holy Spirit Church, or the newly formed Mecha Legion, they all had a crushing advantage over the original three empires.

Still, Lu Jingming knew things wouldn't be that simple.

After all, luck wasn't exclusive to Ju Zi, and Lord Ravager weren't truly invincible.

While choosing a Master was based on fate, the summoning of servants depended purely on luck.

Douluo Star's fate couldn't affect Lu Jingming's World Tree at all.

Masters were chosen by the will of the planet according to fate, but servants came from the World Tree's memories, unaffected by fate—it was all up to luck.

Lu Jingming's own luck with summoning wasn't great.

If he could summon Prime Mei, that would be perfect—she was top-tier under the Emanator.

But now, the summoned Mei had lost most of her power and could only cook.

Lu Jingming didn't really mind.

If he truly needed Prime Mei's strength, he could use his real power to summon her, and having the servant Mei as an anchor would greatly reduce the energy cost.

His original intention wasn't just to gain powerful combatants—servants, no matter how strong, were still limited.

But if he used real power, as long as he was willing to pay the price, he could summon beings in their full glory.

If things ever got out of control, Lu Jingming had a last resort: using all his accumulated real power to summon Archeron.

With Archeron's strength, a single slash could erase all unstable factors.

So, even though Lu Jingming seemed to be acting recklessly lately, looking for fun, he was actually as steady as ever.

No matter how strong Celenova was, she was just a memory, not the real thing—Archeron could cut her down.

Even if the strongest Lord Ravager, Zephyro, appeared, as long as it wasn't the true body, Archeron could still handle it.

As things stood, there wasn't even a need to summon Archeron—Herta alone was enough to deal with the current situation.

After all, Herta was a true Emanator, equal to the Lord Ravager.

Even Jingliu, the strongest under the Emanator, could influence the situation; no need to worry.

Lu Jingming's foundation was deep—no accident could shake it.

That's why he freely opened his memory bank, unafraid of troublesome characters being summoned.

In his view, no matter how difficult the characters that appeared, they would ultimately become nutrients for the world's progress.

The arrival of various servants would bring unprecedented changes and diversity to this world.

Both its power systems and racial makeup would undergo earth-shattering changes.

Lu Jingming longed to create a vibrant world, not a monotonous planet ruled solely by him.

To him, a colorful world full of change and challenge was what he truly yearned for.

Of course, all these changes needed to be within his tolerance.

Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen left one after another, and Miyabi and Childe also departed.

But before they left, Lu Jingming noticed that Miyabi's gaze was a bit evasive, and for the first time, she didn't invite him to train together.

This subtle change made Lu Jingming feel a bit weary—he realized that, sure enough, Miyabi had been outside that night.

Given her unique personality, she might have really waited all night and treated it as a kind of strange cultivation method.

As the lord of Haiyuan City, Lu Jingming was, in some ways, rather unqualified.

He spent most of his time either cultivating, chasing girls, enjoying life, or stirring up trouble.

Yet Haiyuan City was developing in an orderly, thriving manner—all thanks to Changli.

Although Keqing and Jinhsi also contributed, and Yae Miko helped out, there was no doubt Changli was the main contributor.

At the top of Haiyuan City's skyscraper, Changli, as always, wore her phoenix-like elegant attire.

She wore black silk high heels, radiating a mature, fiery, and irresistible charm.

She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, softly gazing at the bustling crowds below.

Haiyuan City had become the continent's most advanced, modern metropolis, with a rapidly growing population.

Not only did it have citizens from the Star Luo Empire, but also tourists from other empires, and even people from the Sun-Moon Empire were welcomed—nobody was discriminated against.

This inclusiveness was a long-term strategy for future development.

Suddenly, Changli frowned slightly, a red light flashed from her, and she vanished instantly, deftly dodging a hand that shot out of black mist.

That black mist seemed to have the power to decompose everything, even splitting space apart as it expanded.

Then, Lu Jingming's figure strolled out of the black mist.

"Damn, failed!" Lu Jingming clicked his tongue, annoyed.

He had just developed a new skill—using the decomposing power of the Abyss to analyze and break down spatial structures, thus achieving teleportation.

Surrounded by powerful mentors like Jingliu and Herta, and with Gu Yue's expertise in spatial powers, he quickly mastered Douluo's spatial nature and could now teleport at will.

He'd just wanted to try the skill and ambush Changli—she'd once promised that if he could surpass her, he could do whatever he wanted.

"I don't object to ambushes—it's a strategy, after all—but I won't easily accept defeat that way," Changli said, smiling with her beautiful phoenix eyes.

She was willing to lose to Lu Jingming and be claimed by the boy she'd watched grow up—no, man now.

But if she lost because of an ambush, she'd feel a bit indignant.

"Just kidding, I was only testing a new skill. Changli, you're as sharp as ever." Lu Jingming put his hands up in surrender, knowing he couldn't really rely on sneak attacks to beat Changli and make her fulfill her promise.

He'd have to win fair and square.

"With your current strength, I'm actually in danger now! Maybe I should find a place to hide?" Changli teased, her smile enchanting, her gesture captivating Lu Jingming.

She was a mature big sister—every motion was full of charm, easily stirring his heart.

But Lu Jingming had matured, and his self-control had grown.

He shook his head to calm himself.

Changli was surprised, then smiled approvingly.

Watching Lu Jingming grow up, she felt a special affection for him.

"Changli, the Sun-Moon Empire is really going all out this time! Mecha legions, antimatter legions, and their powerful soul engineer corps—we'd better prepare." Lu Jingming plopped down on the sofa behind Changli's desk.

It was a genuine leather sofa made from rare soul beast hide—soft, warm, and fragrant, clearly infused with Changli's aura.

"I've been ready. These years, we've seen many fusion warriors born. Your little girlfriend provided plenty of soul beast genes!" Changli looked at Lu Jingming sitting in her seat, not annoyed, but indulgent.

To her, Lu Jingming was still the little brat she'd always loved.

To his surprise, Changli suddenly sat on his lap, her scent intoxicating.

But Changli remained calm. She reached out, and a projection screen appeared before them.

It showed Haiyuan City's eastern military base, divided into sections for different legions.

She zoomed in: the black-armored, fully armed Gold Guards.

Now over ten thousand strong, each Gold Guard was a fusion warrior with soul beast genes, equipped with soul armor and soul devices for great power.

Chapter 281 – The Molten Knights

On screen, the Gold Guards were led by Lu Wu, Lu Qingluan, and others. They were tasked with protecting Haiyuan City and excelled at defense.

Each carried a modular Black Tortoise shield—superb defense, sealing abilities, and could form combined soul arrays.

Ten thousand Gold Guards could form a defense array strong enough to withstand a full-power attack from Changli, now a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo.

The shield could even withstand a Level 9 fixed soul guidance shell—unmatched defensive capability.

Without the mecha and antimatter legions, the Gold Guards would dominate the continent.

Their fusion genes were all defense-oriented, and research into the Xuanming Sect's martial soul led to the Xuanwu Shield soul device—Level 5 to Level 9, all focused on defense and control.

Especially the Level 9 shield: once a Title Douluo was caught, they couldn't break free.

The Gold Guards' main role was city defense and law enforcement.

With a beauty in his arms, Lu Jingming couldn't help acting up, wrapping his arm around Changli's waist and focusing on the screen.

Seeing the Gold Guards' growth, he smiled with pride—they were his creation.

Changli rolled her eyes at his roving hand but didn't stop him, and kept scrolling.

Next appeared a diverse legion, more offensive in nature and with complex troop types—a tightly integrated, efficient fighting force.

First, the Windfist Vanguard: black-green armor, wind-beast genes, soul-guided iron fists, wind element shields and purification abilities.

Next, the Thunderhammer Vanguard: purple-black armor, giant thunder hammers, thunder-beast genes, destructive attacks.

Then, Water Gun Heavy Guards and Ice Gun Heavy Guards: water and ice beast genes, using soul-guided cannons for attack and control.

Earth Mage Skirmishers: soul guidance staves, earth genes, shields and ranged attacks.

Fire Gun Skirmishers: fire-beast genes, soul-guided sniper rifles for long-range precision.

Elite units included Fire Debt Collectors (assassins), Thunder/Ice Firefly Sorcerers (elemental attacks), Mirror Ladies, Wind Servants, Frost Servants, and more—each with unique abilities, making the Fatui Legion the city's ace force.

To create such diverse troops needed many soul beast genes—mainly provided by Miss Gu Yue, the soul beast queen.

Without her, there wouldn't be so many powerful fusion warriors.

The screen showed the Fatui's Harbinger 11th Harbinger "Skywing" Yu Mengdi and 10th "Gold" Ye Wuqing training the troops.

As early followers, Lu Jingming spared no expense—soul bones, stigmata, Honkai energy, rare treasures.

With such resources, Yu Mengdi and Ye Wuqing had advanced rapidly, now mighty Soul Douluo.

In the Fatui Legion, this was enough to be a Harbinger.

Their talent rivaled the Shrek inner court disciples, and with Lu Jingming's resources, their progress was even faster.

But he didn't want them to burn out their potential—growing too fast on drugs would limit future progress.

So they focused on all-around development, not just soul power.

Competition for Harbinger positions was fierce—many eyed those spots.

Lu Jingming even let Keqing and Ganyu fill in some positions for fun; eventually, more suitable people would take over.

This constant competition drove the Fatui to produce ever-stronger warriors.

Each soldier could serve as a mid-level officer in any other empire's army.

Changli knocked away Lu Jingming's hand from her thigh, then scrolled the screen again.

Now appeared the Wuchang, modernized troops skilled with soul detection devices, drones, and vehicles.

Mainly responsible for logistics and support, they were also well-armed.

The Wuchang numbered thirty thousand—the largest legion.

Some scouted with drones, some handled logistics, some provided long-range firepower.

The Fatui focused on combat, Gold Guards on defense, Wuchang on intelligence and support—these were Haiyuan City's three main legions.

These fifty thousand, though fewer than other empires' armies, were elite.

In simulated battles, they could crush the thirty-thousand-strong Northwest Army of the Star Luo Empire—its best force, led by the White Tiger Duke.

Simulations showed that only the Sun-Moon Empire's Defender Hands were truly troublesome; other armies were no match.

Haiyuan City's military might was strong and growing.

Despite Changli's earlier rebuff, Lu Jingming didn't give up. His hand slipped under her clothes.

Changli shifted for comfort, pretending not to notice.

Finally, the screen showed a special five-hundred-strong legion.

Lu Jingming sat up straight, hugging Changli tightly—he was too excited.

Changli glared at him for squeezing too hard.

He apologized, but couldn't help his excitement: on screen stood five hundred silver-white mechas, the Molten Knights.

Each was piloted by a fusion warrior Soul Sage or above, fiercely loyal to Lu Jingming.

The mechas were based on Firefly's SAM Mecha, capable of bonding with their pilot and evolving.

Made from premium Ice Extreme Divine Crystal—a living, sentient metal—each mecha had a Honkai energy furnace, a beam cannon, plasma sword, anti-gravity field, spatial phase transfer, and stellar propulsion.

Each could match a regular Title Douluo in combat.

Five hundred mechas meant five hundred Title Douluo-level fighters—a force that could once sweep the continent.

Even in the Holy Grail War era, with servants, this was still a trump card.

Lu Jingming personally oversaw the Molten Knights, with Firefly as their leader and ultimate controller.

If a mecha evolved enough, it could break free, but by then, Lu Jingming would have other ways to maintain control.

All the pilots were his loyal creations.

With this power, even a continent-wide war wouldn't threaten Haiyuan City.

Even the Voidranger, without Destruction Fate, couldn't reach cosmic disaster levels.

And Celenova, as a memory, lacked Herta's completeness.

Still, the Voidranger's technology was not to be underestimated. Their starships and cosmic weapons could advance Sun-Moon's technology rapidly, but Celenova only used them as tools.

Chapter 282 – The Dragon-Phoenix Pair

Even with Celenova's help, the Sun-Moon's mecha legion was no match for Haiyuan City.

Their technological base lagged far behind, and materials and manufacturing were bottlenecks.

Even with full blueprints, they could only produce a handful of mechas—dozens at most.

To mass-produce, they'd have to cut corners, greatly weakening the machines.

There was no way they could catch up to the Molten Knights for centuries without a miracle.

And the Molten Knights were just the first generation—Herta's presence meant Haiyuan City would rapidly iterate and upgrade, perhaps one day building interstellar armor.

Material and manufacturing limits applied to Haiyuan, too, but against the current threats, their power was more than sufficient.

"Changli, thank you for all your hard work," Lu Jingming said softly, gazing at her fondly, moving closer.

But Changli slipped away with a teasing smile: "I'm not one of your little girls you can win over so easily."

Lu Jingming smiled, not upset—he knew he'd need patience to win her over, just like with Jingliu.

"If you really want to thank me, take down my little apprentice first," Changli said.

"Jinhsi?" Lu Jingming was stunned, then laughed. "A master-disciple combo? I like it!"

If he could get both master and apprentice, that would be a killer combo.

"Then work hard," Changli grinned. She'd been watching Lu Jingming and Jinhsi, frustrated by their slow progress—even Robin already pregnant!

She used this master-disciple combo as an incentive for him to act.

"I promise, after the Holy Grail War, I'll pursue Jinhsi seriously!" Lu Jingming declared.

"Good, I'll be watching," Changli replied, arms crossed, her curves captivating.

While he liked girls like Robin and Keqing, mature types like Changli had their own appeal.

…

Beyond romance, Lu Jingming cared deeply about Haiyuan's overall development—not just military strength.

Haiyuan City was a magnet for soul master clans, as it was the birthplace of the Stigmata, a new power system replacing soul ring hunting.

To secure a custom Stigmata, or a better future, or simply for a good life, many families moved there.

Haiyuan accepted all comers, gaining resources, manpower, and military strength for expansion.

The three legions now numbered fifty thousand and kept growing.

Lu Jingming dreamed of a new empire with a million-strong army, though not all could be fusion warriors.

There would be many regular soldiers and low-level soul masters.

Not all in the legions were fusion warriors—the core was, ensuring loyalty and control.

Many clan members served in the legions—like Yu Mengdi, Ye Wuqing, and the Lan family.

No force is ever truly monolithic; as it grows, it becomes a web of interests.

Lu Jingming didn't expect to eliminate private interests—he just needed absolute power.

For the Molten Knights, all current pilots were his own loyalists. In the future, when his power was unchallengeable, he might open recruitment.

He knew that if everyone was just a mindless follower, Haiyuan would become stagnant and lifeless-that needed his constant attention.

He wanted to foster talent and delegate, not do everything himself.

He firmly believed: "Might is right." As long as he held power, all would be under control.

Clan members sought to benefit their families, but as long as they contributed and didn't cross the line, he turned a blind eye.

For now, the clans behaved, earning rewards through merit—ten-thousand-year or even hundred-thousand-year Stigmata could be among the prizes, even creating a Title Douluo on the spot.

The only condition: loyalty to Haiyuan and Lu Jingming.

With such incentives, Haiyuan's growth was explosive, enabling it to support vast armies.

Supporting powerful armies was costly—Haiyuan's greatest resource was its loyal workhorses.

People would travel from afar for a chance at a job in Haiyuan City.

"I'm becoming more like an evil capitalist," Lu Jingming mused, gazing out at the bustling city.

He controlled the fate of countless people, but tried to stay clearheaded, not corrupted by power.

At least in Haiyuan, no one died of hunger or cold, or from soul beast attacks or evil soul masters.

Soul masters couldn't bully civilians; even nobles needed a good reason or faced strict punishment from the Gold Guards.

Civilians had basic dignity and opportunities—if their children awakened a martial soul, they could attend St. Freya Academy or join the army, changing their fate.

Free awakening centers existed, and low-level soul masters received living subsidies.

This policy was inspired by the Wuhun Hall of ten thousand years ago, which gained power by offering free awakenings and support, controlling seventy percent of soul masters.

Their downfall had complex causes, but the policy itself was sound.

Since implementing this policy, Haiyuan saw a surge in loyalty and gratitude from the populace.

No other force provided free awakenings and subsidies for all.

Thus, Haiyuan attracted countless immigrants, all for a shot at a better life.