Ambition

"Change the current situation?"

Di Yang sat up straight and gestured for Di Hong to continue. He wanted to hear exactly how he intended to change the current situation.

After a brief hesitation, Di Hong told Di Yang everything he had been thinking over the past year. Relying on his own strength alone would not be enough to unify the continent, so he had to rely on the kingdom's power.

Unification would inevitably bring war. The Two Great Empires would not simply hand over their realms, and Spirit Hall would never allow another force besides itself to destroy the Two Great Empires.

If he truly wanted to unify the continent in the future, then his enemies would be the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall. That was no longer merely hell-level difficulty—it was nightmare plus hell-level difficulty.

One Silves Kingdom, two hundred thousand troops, fewer than a thousand Soul Masters in total, and two Soul Douluo. The Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall, meanwhile, had over two million troops, nearly a hundred thousand Soul Masters, and around twenty Titled Douluo.

And yet he actually wanted to unify the continent.

An ordinary person would not dare dream like that even after drinking ten jin of liquor and sleeping through the day.

Yet he was already making plans for it.

After hearing Di Hong's thoughts, Di Yang raised an eyebrow, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Di Hong in disbelief. He had clearly been stunned.

"Did I hear that right? You want to rely on two hundred thousand troops and fewer than a thousand Soul Masters to unify the entire continent?"

"Fourth Brother, if you're not awake yet, hurry back and get some rest."

"It's not even dark yet, and you're already dreaming."

Di Hong helplessly curled his lips, then sat down beside Di Yang.

"Big Brother, I'm not dreaming. I'm very clear-headed. I know what I'm saying."

"Are you really willing to remain beneath the Heaven Dou Empire?"

"The empire's threat to us is no small matter. Silves is caught between Barak, the empire, and the Hagendas Kingdom. In terms of military strength, we can't even defeat Barak. As the Crown Prince, you should know that the Balak Kingdom has always been exceedingly arrogant."

"They simply look down on us."

"Right now, we belong to the same alliance, but what about the future?"

"Although Crown Prince Xue Ye has made his promise, that doesn't mean Barak will think highly of us."

At this point, he leaned close to Di Yang's ear.

"Big Brother, you are the Crown Prince now, and in the future, you will be the King of Silves."

"But how can a true man, born between heaven and earth, remain beneath others for long?"

"Don't you want to sit upon the emperor's throne?"

"This world belongs to the Xue Family, the Qian Family, and the Dai Family. Why can't it belong to our Di Family as well?"

"Unify the continent and reign supreme. As long as we can unify the continent, you will become the only emperor of the entire Douluo Continent."

Di Yang fell silent. With his head lowered, Di Hong's words echoed endlessly through his mind. Did he not want to become emperor?

Of course he did. Not just him—even their father and all their ancestors, which one of them had not wanted to become emperor and establish a new nation? Who was truly willing to remain beneath an empire, serving as its vassal and obeying its every command?

To become the only emperor of Douluo Continent—the temptation was simply too great. Supreme above all, reigning over everyone.

He was even a little shaken. He had ambitions of his own; he simply lacked the strength to match them.

"Fourth Brother, can we really do it?"

He had clearly been tempted, but he was not a fool. It was impossible with the Silves Kingdom's current strength. Forget the empire—they could not even contend with Barak. But if Di Hong became a Titled Douluo, things would be different.

With a Titled Douluo standing guard, the kingdom's strength would rise to an entirely new level. Moreover, they would become the first kingdom to possess a Titled Douluo.

Power created authority.

Only with great power could one possess great authority.

"How will we know if we don't try?"

"Even if we fail, at least we will have done it. We will have tried. We will have given it our all."

"Dying in a blaze of glory is better than fading into obscurity."

Di Yang rose and walked outside the tent, gazing at the sky beyond. His heart was deeply conflicted—blaze of glory, fading into obscurity.

Only after a long while did he return to the main tent.

"You're right. Even if we die, we should die in a blaze of glory."

"But if we succeed, we will gain the entire continent."

"Though the hope is slim."

"Big Brother, you support me?" Di Hong asked. Unifying the continent had only been his own wish. If his family did not support him, then he would not do it. After all, it was not something that absolutely had to be done, nor was he so great.

If they could unify the continent, it would naturally benefit the Di Family. But if they did not, it would not bring them much harm either.

They were nobles, and members of the royal family at that. As long as he cultivated diligently, even if Spirit Hall launched a war of unification in the future, he would still be able to protect his family. The kingdom, however, would likely be in grave danger.

Even if Spirit Hall were defeated then, they would no longer enjoy the freedom they had now.

"It's only one life. Big Brother supports you."

"But Big Brother's support alone is not enough. Father King's support is also very important."

"After all, he is the King of Silves."

Di Hong nodded. To be honest, he was somewhat glad to be a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. If it had been the Star Luo Empire, he would not even have considered such a thing, because the conditions in the two nations were different.

The Star Luo Empire's imperial family held immense power—so much that even Spirit Hall found it difficult to restrain them. The Heaven Dou Empire was different. Power within the Heaven Dou imperial family was relatively dispersed, and with Spirit Hall keeping them in check, it was difficult for them to unite unless they faced an enormous crisis.

Di Hong had seen that clearly through this war.

Even while fighting the Star Luo Empire, the two princes were still competing against each other.

Moreover, Spirit Hall's influence in Heaven Dou was greater than in Star Luo. In the future, Spirit Hall would make a move against the Heaven Dou Empire as well. To him, that was an excellent opportunity.

When the snipe and clam fought, the fisherman profited.

He wanted to be that fisherman.

But to be a fisherman, one needed strength. With strength, one was a fisherman; without it, one was just bait.

After returning to his tent, Di Hong took a soul bone glowing with red light from his Soul Tool.

It was a Right Leg Bone, roughly forty thousand years old.

"A Soul Saint actually had a forty-thousand-year soul bone. What incredible luck."

He now possessed two soul bones, both sixty thousand years old: a Left Leg Bone and a Left Arm Bone. Now, he had gained another Right Leg Bone.

"My luck seems pretty good too."

In just seven short years, he had acquired three soul bones. At this rate, he had a good chance of collecting all six soul bones. It was a pity he did not have an External Soul Bone, but that was not important.

This was also a fire-attribute soul bone, making it perfect for him to absorb.

Though it was only forty thousand years old, it was already quite good.

Thus, he sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the soul bone.

In today's battle, nearly twenty thousand of the Silves Kingdom's fifty-thousand-man army had died. More than three hundred soldiers of the Scale Armor Army had also fallen. As the Star Luo Empire's elite, the Tiger Guard Army possessed formidable combat strength.

If Silves had suffered so badly, there was no need to mention the other armies.

More than twenty thousand soldiers from the Heaven Dou Empire's main force had died, while the combined casualties of the Hagendas Kingdom and Balak Kingdom numbered nearly fifty thousand. Nearly a hundred thousand warriors had died in a single day, not counting the wounded.

More than a hundred Spirit Masters had also been killed or injured.

The Star Luo Empire had not fared well either. A Soul Saint had been killed in battle, and their casualties were no fewer than Heaven Dou's.