Golden Crocodile Douluo was horrified. He had no choice but to forcibly cut off the flow of Soul Power and take a sudden step back.
He looked at Demon Subduing Douluo, who was groaning in pain in his arms, his breathing growing weaker by the moment.
At last, a trace of despair and helplessness appeared in Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes.
He couldn't save him.
With his abilities, there was simply nothing he could do!
Just then,
a slow, unhurried set of footsteps rang out across the deathly silent battlefield, their sound unusually clear.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
Xu Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, his expression cool, as he slowly emerged from the walls of Linhai City.
Unlike Wei Kurong, he wasn't surrounded by heart-stopping poisonous fog. Nor was he like Xu Yu, who could make people feel as if a mountain were pressing down on them just by standing there.
He walked along as calmly as if he were taking a stroll through his own garden.
Yet as he drew closer, an invisible force made everyone present catch their breath.
Golden Crocodile Douluo jerked his head up. His aged eyes were full of wariness and anger as he fixed his gaze on the young man, who looked almost impossibly young.
"Who are you?!
"Are you with the Great Sun Prince Mansion, too?!"
He could sense that despite the young man's appearance, the aura of authority that emanated from deep within him
was even more intense than that of the poison-wielding old monster from before!
Xu Zhao stopped, but didn't answer Golden Crocodile Douluo's question.
He merely swept his gaze over the surroundings.
Wherever his eyes fell,
whether on the knights of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Soul Masters of the Star Luo Empire, or the remnants of Spirit Hall's forces,
an inexplicable chill rose in them all. They instinctively lowered their heads, afraid to meet his gaze.
At last, Xu Zhao's eyes returned to Golden Crocodile Douluo.
"Who I am doesn't matter."
Xu Zhao spoke calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the entire battlefield.
"What matters is that you have no choice now."
As soon as the words left his mouth—
BOOM!!!
An astonishingly terrifying, pure, and overbearing pressure of Soul Power erupted from Xu Zhao without warning!
The force of it was no weaker than Wei Kurong's earlier display.
In some ways, its sheer, unadulterated oppression was even more suffocating than Wei Kurong's!
Xu Zhao's Soul Power was only at level 94.
But with his dual Ultimate Attributes and the ceaseless circulation of his Sun-Moon Soul Core, among other factors,
the pressure he exerted was still not much weaker than Wei Kurong's.
"A... a Titled Douluo?!"
"My heavens!
"How old is he?!
"Twenty?
"Or eighteen?!"
"How is that possible?!
"Even if he'd started cultivating in the womb, there's no way he could've become a Titled Douluo at this age!"
In the Heaven Dou Empire's ranks,
Qian Renxue, disguised as a knight, widened her eyes.
For the first time, her usually composed face showed an expression as if she'd seen a ghost.
She had always considered herself peerlessly talented. With Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty, she had only reached the Soul Emperor level at this age.
Yet this man before her... was already a Titled Douluo?!
This completely overturned everything she knew about how Soul Masters cultivated!
Over in the Star Luo Empire's ranks, Dai Tianfeng was so shocked he nearly fell off his war chariot. His mouth hung open, and for a long moment, he couldn't close it.
Even Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had been consumed by anger and frustration, was completely stunned.
Feeling the immense pressure, Golden Crocodile Douluo's head rang. It was as though his entire worldview were about to collapse.
A Titled Douluo this young...
What kind of monstrous den of a place was the Great Sun Prince Mansion, to produce freaks like this?!
Xu Zhao paid no attention to the shock and commotion around him.
He slowly withdrew his Soul Power, and the suffocating pressure vanished in an instant, as if it had all been an illusion.
But his cool voice rang out once more, leaving no room for doubt.
"My Great Sun Prince Mansion has always valued peace. We don't like fighting."
Hearing that, and seeing Demon Subduing Douluo half-dead on the ground, everyone's mouths twitched.
What kind of nonsense was that?!
You'd beaten someone half to death and claimed you didn't like fighting?!
Xu Zhao ignored their unspoken complaints. His eyes remained fixed on Golden Crocodile Douluo, his tone as calm as before.
"Our demands aren't high."
"Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire."
Xu Zhao held up three fingers and gave them a slight wag.
"You have half an hour to discuss it."
"After half an hour, I want each of your three sides to send a representative with the authority to make decisions into the city for negotiations."
He paused, and his gaze turned cold.
"Otherwise, I won't mind adding a few more Titled Douluo corpses to the waters off Linhai City."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's gaze shifted between Xu Zhao, Xu Yu, and Wei Kurong.
A suffocating silence fell.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's heart sank further and further.
There was Wei Kurong, and Xu Yu, who could suppress him with ease.
Now there was also this monstrously gifted Heir Prince, so young yet already a Titled Douluo...
Even the tip of the iceberg the Great Sun Prince Mansion had revealed was enough to make him tremble.
"Xu Yu can immobilize me with his pressure alone. His strength must be approaching that level..."
Golden Crocodile Douluo was secretly aghast. He couldn't help picturing the figure of Grand Pontiff Qian Daoliu in his mind.
"To nurture a Titled Douluo this young, and command a powerhouse like that...
"Could the Great Sun Prince Mansion have a Peerless Douluo like my elder brother guarding it?
"Or even... a Demigod?!"
At the thought, Golden Crocodile Douluo's once-straight back began to hunch slightly.
In the face of an overwhelming gap in strength and the fear of the unknown, his pride was gradually worn away.
If a Demigod truly stood behind them, then even Qian Daoliu himself would have to think twice before acting, let alone him.
"Phew..."
Golden Crocodile Douluo let out a long breath, as if he'd aged ten years in an instant.
He raised his head and looked at Xu Zhao, his voice hoarse and low.
"Fine. I agree."
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, especially the ordinary soldiers who had long since been terrified out of their wits.
But Golden Crocodile Douluo immediately changed his tone. Pointing at Demon Subduing Douluo, who lay at the bottom of the crater, barely clinging to life, he said gravely,
"But before the negotiations, I have one condition."
"Have this Poison Douluo cure Seventh Brother's poison first."
Golden Crocodile Douluo stared at Xu Zhao, his voice carrying the last of his resolve.
"If Seventh Brother dies here, then Spirit Hall will bring out every Worship from Douluo Hall, even if we have to risk mutual destruction. We'll fight the Great Sun Prince Mansion to the death!"
It was both a threat and a bottom line.
Xu Zhao's expression didn't change. He merely turned his head slightly and glanced at Wei Kurong, hovering in midair.
Wei Kurong understood at once, but didn't act immediately. Instead, he looked respectfully at Xu Zhao, his eyes silently asking permission.
This sight made Golden Crocodile Douluo and Qian Renxue's hearts tighten even more.
A powerhouse capable of instantly killing a level 96 Super Douluo was so obedient to this young man that he even needed permission for something as simple as removing poison.
It showed that Xu Zhao held absolute authority in the Great Sun Prince Mansion!
Xu Zhao remained calm and gave a slight nod.
"Granted."
With permission, Wei Kurong turned around and grinned at Demon Subduing Douluo at the bottom of the crater.
"You're lucky. Since the Heir Prince has given his word, I'll spare your miserable life."
With that, Wei Kurong reached out with his withered hand and grabbed at the air.
"Withdraw!"
The emerald-green poisonous fog ravaging Demon Subduing Douluo's body seemed to answer some kind of summons.
It surged out of his mouth, nose, ears, and pores, gathering in the air into a green poison ball. Wei Kurong then swallowed it in one gulp.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
With the poison gone, Demon Subduing Douluo began coughing violently.
He was still terribly weak, and the corrosive wounds covering his body were ghastly to behold.
But the deathly gray pallor had finally faded. At least, his life had been spared.
Several Spirit Hall Soul Douluos hurried down into the crater and carefully carried Demon Subduing Douluo back to their ranks for treatment.
Seeing this, Golden Crocodile Douluo finally felt the heavy stone in his heart lift.
He gave Xu Zhao a long look, then turned and issued a few instructions to the Spirit Hall forces behind him before stepping out alone.
"Let's go."
Meanwhile, in the Heaven Dou Empire's ranks,
"Commander, you can't go! It's too dangerous!"
Several adjutants anxiously blocked the way of a handsome young man clad in silver armor.
This young man was Qian Renxue, disguised as the commander of the Heaven Dou Royal Knights.
She pushed aside her adjutants' hands, her eyes fixed on Xu Zhao in the distance. A light flickered in them—something between curiosity and a desire to outdo him.
"It's fine."
Qian Renxue lowered her voice and spoke in the disguised male voice she was using.
"Since they've shown such strength, they would've attacked already if they wanted to kill us.
"This is a negotiation, so I'm the most suitable person to go."
She had to go.
She wanted a close look at this "Heir Prince of the Great Sun Prince Mansion," who had broken every rule of the Soul Master World and was even younger and more monstrously talented than she was. Just what kind of person was he?!
Over in the Star Luo Empire's ranks,
Dai Tianfeng was furious, but as an emperor, he understood that those of great stature shouldn't put themselves in danger.
There was no way he would risk going in person.
"General Zhao, go and find out what they're really after on my behalf!"
Dai Tianfeng assigned the task to a Soul Douluo general who was deeply loyal to the imperial family, as well as calm and experienced.
"This subordinate... obeys!"
General Zhao's face was pale, but he could only steel himself and accept the order.
A moment later,
three figures walked slowly toward Linhai City's gate under the watchful eyes of the armies.
Spirit Hall's Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo.
The Heaven Dou Empire's knight commander, Qian Renxue.
The Star Luo Empire's Grand General of the Southern Suppression, Zhao Lai.
The moment the three of them entered Linhai City, the pressure became all the more palpable.
Along both sides of the street, a black-armored Soul Master from the Great Sun Prince Mansion stood every ten paces.
They were only Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings, but their grim discipline still unsettled Zhao Lai, a veteran general who had led troops for many years.
What shook them most, however, was the harbor.
Seeing the warships moored offshore up close, like giant steel beasts, and their cold metallic surfaces and pitch-black cannons, even Golden Crocodile Douluo felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
"What... are those? Martial Souls, or Soul Tools?"
Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes, hidden beneath her helmet, were filled with shock.
She had read widely from childhood and studied Spirit Hall's secret records, yet she had never seen anything so brutally beautiful.
"Please, this way."
Yan Yu had appeared ahead of them at some point. Wearing her familiar gentle smile, she gestured for them to follow.
"My Heir Prince has prepared tea at the City Lord's Mansion and has been waiting for you."
Golden Crocodile Douluo snorted without a word and strode forward.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, composed herself, and followed close behind.
Before you continue