"He's gone mad..." Liliath muttered softly behind Gu Ding.
The other members of the Gu Ding Pirate Crew chose to remain silent. They sympathized with Kou De's experience as well.
Even Gu Ding said nothing more, because he had imagined that if he had been in Kou De's position back then, he might have made the same choice.
"Gu Ding, when I first met you in that little tavern all those years ago, I had a feeling that you would achieve something someday. But I truly never expected you to grow to this point." Kou De looked toward Gu Ding again. "Back then, I invited you to join my Pirate Crew, but you turned me down..."
Many people were astonished to hear this. Even the Gu Ding Pirate Crew members had never heard about it, and Gu Ding had never mentioned it.
"I can extend another invitation to you and your team now. As long as you are willing to join the Heavenly Dao Alliance, I can make you the vice leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. After the Great Purge, I can even hand the human Chaos Universe over to you to govern completely." Kou De laid out his terms.
"Gu Ding..." Emperor Thirteen and the other Alliance Government higher-ups all looked anxiously in Gu Ding's direction. In their eyes, Kou De's offer was extraordinarily generous, and they feared that Gu Ding would accept it.
"I think you should seriously consider my invitation. Because once you refuse, it means you and I will have no choice but to go to war. When that happens, I can only kill you and your companions," Kou De added.
"Kou De, I entered the scene later than you did. Before I had even made my name, you were already famous. Later, when I