Countless petitions, through various channels, flew to the State Council and landed on the desk of Imperial Marshal Qin Lan.
These combined demands from women in the imperial elite class created a political pressure that could not be ignored.
Qin Lan was well aware of the seriousness of the matter. This was not merely a petty squabble within the inner quarters; it concerned the stability of the empire's core ruling class and the morale of the countless soldiers fighting for the empire on the front lines.
She submitted a summary report to the Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace.
Lin Feng listened to Qin Lan's report without any expression on his face. His golden, divine eyes were calm and still, as if he were listening to a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.
Qin Lan, standing below, felt a little uneasy. She didn't know what His Majesty would think of such a "trivial matter."
Perhaps he felt this was a challenge to the last remaining part of his humanity; or perhaps, in his godlike perspective, the so-called bloodline had long since lost its meaning.
After a long silence, Lin Feng finally spoke, his voice indifferent yet authoritative, like a divine decree from the heavens:
"The blood of Yan and Huang is the root of the empire and the noble lineage of the universe. The foundation must not be shaken and the bloodline must not be defiled."
In just two short sentences, the tone of the entire affair was set. Qin Lan felt a chill run down her spine; she knew that a storm affecting every family in the empire was about to break.
"Issue my decree." Lin Feng's voice echoed in the hall, "Promulgate the 'Bloodline Purity Protection Act of the Holy Star Empire'."
"Firstly: Only those whose parents are both first-class citizens of the Holy Star Empire, and whose bloodline is pure, can inherit the family title, fiefdom, and all core property and political rights stipulated by imperial law."
"Secondly: The offspring of any first-class citizen of the Empire and a 'fifth-class citizen (female slave)' automatically acquire the status of a first-class citizen of the Empire and enjoy all the basic welfare benefits and the right to education of a citizen. However, they do not possess any form of core inheritance rights."
"Thirdly: To demonstrate the benevolence of the Empire, all descendants of citizens without inheritance rights will receive a 'pioneer fund' from the Empire upon reaching adulthood. The Empire encourages and supports them to use their own abilities to go to the frontiers of the Empire and carve out their own glory. Those who achieve outstanding military merits may be personally conferred titles by me and have their families established separately. Their descendants will be regarded as the beginning of a new pure bloodline."
This decree was cold and cruel, yet it was full of the wisdom of imperial strategy.
It was like a sharp scalpel, precisely cutting open the most sensitive nerves within the empire.
First, it completely appeased the imperial wives and elder families. The locking of core inheritance rights ensured the "purity" of their family bloodlines and the perpetuation of their interests.
Their position was now rock solid, and they no longer needed to worry about being shaken by those lowly female slaves and their "bastards".
When the news spread, the upper class of the empire, especially the women, erupted in unprecedented support and praise for the emperor.
They praised Lin Feng as the "guardian of bloodlines" and the "defender of the family."
Secondly, it did not completely block the upward mobility of mixed-race descendants. While it deprived them of the right to "win without effort," it gave them a more arduous but also opportunity-filled path—expanding the frontier and establishing military merit.
This is tantamount to telling them: your birth determines that you cannot inherit the glory of your ancestors, but the emperor has given you the opportunity to create your own glory.
This greatly fueled the empire's future expansionist ambitions. It was foreseeable that decades later, when these billions of ambitious but penniless mixed-race descendants reached adulthood...
They will transform into the Empire's most greedy and war-hungry wolf pack, planting the Empire's flag in every corner of the universe.
Finally, and most cruelly, this law permanently and definitively cemented those foreign female slaves on the pillar of shame as "tools of reproduction."
Their value was further exploited. They were not only required to bear children for their masters, but also to train future cannon fodder and pioneers for the empire.
Their children, from the moment of their birth, are destined to bleed and sacrifice for an empire they can never truly belong to.
As for themselves, they were forever just soulless property in their master's inner quarters, replaceable at any time.
A decree appeased the core, sowed discord among the younger generation, and oppressed the lowest strata. After this minor upheaval, the empire's foundation became even more solid, and also more...ruthless.
While Lin Feng reshaped the empire's social structure with a law, the empire's great expedition finally encountered a real tough nut to crack.
The land of holy light, the last and most powerful independent human kingdom—the "Radiant Kingdom" of Arathor.
This kingdom is the most direct inheritor of the "heroic" bloodline from ten thousand years ago. Their king, known as the "Holy King," possesses a powerful affinity for holy light in every generation.
Their capital city is called "City of the Holy Light," Exoda.
This city was not built on a plain, but was the ultimate war fortress built by the ingenious craftsmanship of dwarven artisans who completely hollowed out the entire majestic mountain range "Sacred Mountain Range" and integrated it into the mountain itself.
Exodar is known as the "city that will never fall," and this is no exaggeration.
Its outer walls are layers of mountain rock several kilometers thick, inscribed with millions of strong runes and holy prayers by successive dwarf kings and human priests of the Holy Light. Any attack is weakened layer by layer by these runes and prayers before it even touches the mountain.
The city's energy core is a "Holy Light Dragon Vein" deep beneath the mountains. This shrouds the entire city in a massive, self-healing "Holy Light Dome" barrier. This barrier has a natural and deadly restraining effect on demons. Any demon that approaches the barrier will experience a rapid loss of power, like ice and snow scorched by the sun, and may even spontaneously combust.
Within the city, the Kingdom of Arathor's most elite 300,000-strong "Griffin Knights" and 500,000-strong "Silver Shield Temple Army" are permanently stationed. They are the last and strongest armed force in the Land of Holy Light.
More importantly, over the past seven years, this city has gathered together all the remnants of forces that had fled from the north and refused to submit to the empire. The royal descendants of the elves, the rune masters of the dwarves, and the defeated soldiers of various small kingdoms have all gathered here.
Exodar became the last hope of the old era, the last bulwark of light in the hearts of all the indomitable.
For Lilith, this city is the final and most delicious main course in her grand feast of revenge. She will personally crush this last hope and drag this land into eternal darkness.
For the Empire, the capture of Exodar would mean the conquest of the entire Land of Light, bringing it to a perfect close.
An ultimate battle that will sweep across the world is about to begin.
Lilith's demon army, like a black ocean, completely surrounded the Holy Land Mountains. Hundreds of millions of demons looked up at the majestic mountain city shrouded in golden holy light and let out hungry roars.
However, their first probing attack ended in disastrous failure against the "Holy Light Dome".
Thousands upon thousands of gargoyles, having just flown into the barrier's range, were like moths to a flame, turning into clusters of black flames in mid-air and falling with mournful cries.
The Direclaw Legion on the ground, just approaching the foot of the mountain, had their carapaces scorched by the holy light, emitting plumes of black smoke, and retreating with painful roars.
Lilith stood atop a makeshift throne made of bones, coldly observing the scene. Her purple, vertical pupils showed no surprise.
“An old trick from ten thousand years ago…” She licked her scarlet lips, a cruel smile appearing on her face. “Do you think the same trick will still work on us?”
She stopped the demon army from launching a futile charge. She waited.
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
It wasn't a dark cloud, but a shadow that was much larger, heavier, and more despairing than a dark cloud.
On the walls of Exodar, Llane Wrynn, the Holy King of Arazor, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
He saw hundreds of enormous creatures slowly descending from the clouds.
That's the "Suppressor" class airship of the Holy Star Empire!
Each ship was like a moving steel mountain, with the huge cannons on the bow bearing the imperial double-headed eagle emblem radiating terrifying energy capable of destroying everything.
“The Imperials…they have come after all…” Bedivere, the old paladin beside King Ryan, sighed in despair.
They are not afraid of demons, because holy light can subdue evil.
However, they did not know how to use holy light to combat the cold, pure, technological power.
"All hands on alert!!" King Ryan drew his king's sword, "Light's Wish," golden flames blazing on its blade. "For Arazor! For the final glory!"
"For Arazor!" On the city walls, hundreds of thousands of soldiers roared in a thunderous voice.
However, their roars were quickly drowned out by the cannon fire of the Imperial fleet.
On the Imperial Fleet's flagship, the "First Emperor," Zhao Tianyu, the Iron-Blooded Division Commander, coldly gazed at the city below, protected by a golden barrier.
"The Marshal's order," his voice transmitted through the tactical channel to the captains of every warship, "is to cooperate with the First Demon General to conquer Exodar. His Majesty... is watching us."
"Target: 'Holy Light Dome' energy node. Coordinates locked."
"Main gun fully charged."
"emission."
No unnecessary chatter, no pre-battle rhetoric. Only cold, efficient war orders.
Buzz!
Hundreds of thick, dark red beams of antimatter energy tore through the sky, striking the "Holy Light Dome" with pinpoint accuracy, like spears of divine punishment!
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
The entire Holy Mountain Range was trembling violently!
The golden "Holy Light Dome," the ultimate barrier that had protected the Kingdom of Arathor for millennia and was hailed as a miracle, emitted a painful groan under the concentrated fire of hundreds of antimatter beams.
The surface of the dome, which was originally like the purest golden amber, now shows dense, dark red cracks like a spider web.
At the point where the beam of light touched the barrier, space was violently distorted. The two completely opposite energies, holy light and antimatter, annihilated and collided, bursting out billions of dazzling arcs of electricity, making the sky look like the end of the world.
Within the city of Exodar, all the Holy Light priests coughed up blood at the same time, and the magic arrays supporting the barrier exploded one by one due to overload, turning into ashes.
Inside the mountain, the "Holy Light Dragon Vein," the core of the energy source, unleashed its most ferocious roar ever. Golden torrents of energy surged through the earth like out-of-control beasts, triggering violent earthquakes.
"Hold on! Hold on!" King Ryan thrust "Holy Light's Wish" into the foundation stone of the city wall, pouring all the holy light power within him into the city's defense system without reservation.
His white hair danced in the gale, his once dignified face contorted with rage from the exertion, and golden holy light spilled from his seven orifices, making him look like a golden statue on the verge of shattering.
Inspired by him, the surviving priests, paladins, and even some commoners with an affinity for the Holy Light knelt down and prayed, contributing their meager strength to the torrent that protected the city.
However, all of this was in vain.
Faced with an absolute power that transcends the cognitive level of an entire civilization, faith and will appear so fragile.
"Warning! The energy structure of the target barrier is detected to be collapsing!"
"120% overload! Structural integrity less than 10%!"
"Three, two, one..."
Inside the bridge of the "Qin Shi Huang" ship, the cold countdown ended.
In Zhao Tianyu's eyes, the final moment of the golden "sun" below was reflected.
boom!
A deafening roar, beyond description, did not travel through the air, but exploded deep within the soul of every individual.
The "Holy Light Dome"... shattered.
Instead of shattering like glass, it transformed into billions of golden fragments, like a dazzling yet sorrowful meteor shower.
Every speck of light was once the faith of the Arasso people, the culmination of their millennia-long glory. And now, they are dissipating, returning to nothingness.
The sky, having lost the illumination of the dome, was instantly filled by the massive steel hulls of the Imperial fleet, casting a shadow of despair.
"No..." On the city wall, countless soldiers looked up at the sky, letting out desperate groans. Their gods, in this moment, had been utterly slain by the steel of mortals. The psychological impact of a collapsing faith was far more deadly than any physical attack.
"The Griffin Knights!!" King Ryan roared, his voice choked with grief. He knew this was their last chance. "For the King! For Arathor! Take off!!"
"For Arazo!!"
Inside the mountain city, countless enormous caves opened up, and accompanied by the resounding cries of eagles, tens of thousands of griffin riders roared out of the mountains like a golden torrent! They were Arazor's last trump card, once unrivaled aerial overlords soaring through the skies.
Leading the way was the old paladin Bedivere. He rode his old companion of fifty years, a royal griffin whose mane was now gray, but whose eyes were still sharp as knives. Behind him were three hundred thousand of the most elite knights, their riders and mounts bathed in holy light, forming a magnificent golden sea of clouds that flowed upwards against the sky.
Their goal was clear—to use their flesh and blood to charge at those steel behemoths hovering in the sky. Even if they could only knock one down, it would be a victory!
"What a... magnificent yet foolish sight." Zhao Tianyu looked at the golden dot shooting into the sky on the holographic screen, his tone carrying an almost cruel appreciation. "Order: Void 'Predator' fighter squadron, deploy. Let them see what the real 'sky' is."
The lower armor plates of the Imperial fleet slid open, revealing a dense array of honeycomb-like launch ports. The next second, tens of thousands of flat, jet-black unmanned combat aircraft, devoid of any cockpits, roared out like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed, trailing blue plasma tail flames.
This was a massacre that transcended eras and was entirely predictable.
The flying skills that the griffin riders were so proud of were as clumsy as a toddler compared to the Predator fighter's flight AI, which was controlled by a supercomputer and could make tens of thousands of logical judgments in an instant.
Their spears, imbued with holy light, couldn't even penetrate the energy shield on the fighter jet's surface. Meanwhile, the pulse laser cannons mounted on the Predator fighter jet, with each flash, precisely vaporized a griffin along with its rider.
The sky had become a giant meat grinder.
Golden feathers and blood splattered amidst lasers and explosions. The knights' heroic battle cries were drowned out by the cold, mechanical roar.
Old Bedwell's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he watched his comrades fall one by one, turning into fireballs. He knew there was no hope left in this war. But he did not retreat.
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