The powerful soul masters of the Douluo Continent once made Xu Zilong, who had thought Xu Mingxi and his companions were the pinnacle of the continent, feel somewhat uneasy.
The power gap between soul masters from both sides was too great, and even the few rank-nine soul guides forcibly produced by the Sun-Moon Empire were not enough to make up for it.
Reason told Xu Zilong that he should order the fleet to turn back and return to the Sun-Moon Empire, but his desire to obtain the inheritance of the gods would never allow him to retreat.
Before setting out, he had searched nearly the entire Sun-Moon Continent, but there was no news of any god except the Sun God and the Moon God.
Now Xu Zilong pinned all his hopes on Xu Mingxi. As long as he could seize the inheritance of the gods from him, he could become an eternal god.
At this critical moment, he would not allow himself to retreat, let alone anyone else. Even if he were to die, he would die on the path to godhood.
"Your Majesty, there is a sailing ship ahead. Judging by its size, its captain should at least be a Soul Emperor."
"Good, pursue them immediately and capture them all alive."
Xu Zilong gazed at the small black dots in the distant sea, his eyes filled with excitement.
He needed to learn more about the Douluo Continent. A Soul Emperor must know a lot.
On the distant ship, Captain Langlangsha saw that even though he had ordered a retreat at first, they were still being rapidly pursued. Seeing the fleet getting closer, his expression darkened.
He had chosen this time to sail only to avoid conflicts between the great powers. Who would have thought he'd now encounter a fleet that looked so formidable?
"Kids, stop the ship. We can't escape. Remember not to resist for now. Tell them everything you know. Whether you can live a luxurious life in the future depends on this moment."
"Yes."
Langlangsha stood at the bow of the ship, resigned, waiting for the Sun-Moon Empire's fleet to approach, raising his hand to show he had surrendered.
Then he was brought aboard by the silver-armored soldiers of the Sun-Moon Empire. He was forced to kneel in front of Xu Zilong, unable to resist in any way.
"Your Majesty, this man has been brought over. He is the opposing ship's captain. He's a pirate and has Soul Emperor cultivation."
Xu Zilong looked at Langlangsha with disgust, but inwardly he gained a deeper understanding of the power of the Douluo Continent.
A pirate with Soul Emperor cultivation? That was a true luxury. With such strength, he could be the ruler of several small cities in the Sun-Moon Continent. Why do a dangerous job like piracy to make a living?
"Take him away, and make sure you extract every bit of information from his mouth."
"Yes."
Langlangsha, who had just been puzzled by the soldier's address of "Your Majesty" to Xu Zilong, was dragged away before he could grasp the situation and taken to the torture chamber in the cabin.
"No, Your Majesty, spare my life! I can tell you anything. I know everything!"
"Put him down."
Xu Zilong looked at Langlangsha, who was lying on the ground like a puddle of mud, and felt nothing but revulsion.
"Since you don't want to die, then tell me everything you know—especially about a certain clan that can use starlight."
Sensing the murderous aura from the purple-dragon-robed man before him, Langlangsha knew that this person likely wasn't from the Douluo Continent—but he still chose to spill everything he knew.
He was just a common pirate. Survival was his top priority. He didn't care about the impact this would have on the Douluo Continent and its soul masters.
"Your Majesty, there is only one clan on the Douluo Continent that uses starlight: the Star Crown Sect of the Star Luo Empire. They..."
After finishing, and repeatedly confirming that he had left nothing out, Langlangsha's life came to an end.
Xu Zilong simply waved his hand, and with a splash, another resentful soul perished at sea.
Soul Emperors could be considered the backbone of the Douluo Continent, and Langlangsha had known quite a bit.
Except for the fact that Xu Mingxi would ascend the throne of the Star Luo Empire—something Langlangsha didn't know because he had gone to sea early—he knew everything else.
Xu Zilong ordered the fleet to change course and land on the Douluo Continent from the opposite side of the ocean, avoiding Sea God Island, a force allied with the Star Crown Sect.
He walked to the bow and gazed at the deep sea ahead, boundless ambition blazing in his heart. His target was the Wuhun Empire, which had just ended a war with the Star Crown Sect.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Only with the power of the Wuhun Empire could he confront the Star Crown Sect, which had many titled Douluo.
Xu Zilong knew that with his own strength, he could never face the Spirit Hall, which he was planning to contact. To prevent their soul guides from being seized, he gave an order.
Everyone in the fleet was to discard their soul guides and fight as soul masters until they had the chance to defeat the Star Crown Sect in one decisive strike.
Soul guides were their strongest weapons and last trump card—they could not let anyone on the Douluo Continent know about them.
The fleet sailed silently across the sea, and no one spoke until a day later, when the Sun-Moon Empire forces quietly landed on the eastern shore of the Wuhun Empire.
They discarded their navigation soul guides, removed their armor and soul tools, changed into rough linen clothes, and temporarily settled on the coast.
Xu Zilong, under the title Xu He from the Sun bloodline, and Xu Yin, a newly promoted elder from the Silver Moon bloodline, sneaked into the Wuhun Empire and disappeared.
Xu Mingxi was completely unaware of all this. He was currently in the Star Luo Palace, trying on the emperor's robes prepared for him by the Star Crown Sect and entertaining many guests from powerful factions.
Tomorrow was the coronation ceremony. Everything had been prepared. Dai Feng would also officially announce his abdication and Xu Mingxi's ascension during the ceremony.
Wen Tingyu, sitting in a corner, watched Xu Mingxi standing beside the Star Luo Emperor and receiving praise from various titled figures, and felt a storm of emotion in his heart.
He had originally been raising his young son at home, but never expected to suddenly receive an invitation from the Star Luo Emperor to the coronation. Even though he had reached Soul Saint level, he shouldn't have been invited.
After arriving, he realized that Xingchen Douluo was actually Xu Mingxi—the same Xu Mingxi who had participated in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition with him.
He hadn't expected that this genius boy would grow to such heights so quickly—a level he would never reach in his life.
He thought of Zhou Lingling, who had followed her husband to the Heaven Dou Empire because she refused to abandon it; of Ye Zhiqiu, who chose not to leave Canghui Academy and perished with it; and of Xiong Lie and Yun Ni, who had been unheard from for a long time.
Wen Tingyu knew that after decades, everything had changed. He only hoped that under Xu Mingxi's leadership, the people of the Star Luo Empire could live in peace and prosperity.