Xu Zhao: A Principality? Who Do You Think You're Looking Down On! Qian Renxue: What Does That Have to Do with Me? (Please Read On!)

"I've learned a lot..."

Golden Crocodile Douluo clasped his hands bitterly, the awe in his eyes growing even stronger.

If he could obtain such a method of cultivation, might the bottleneck that had held him back for years finally loosen?

Suppressing the unrealistic greed rising in his heart, Golden Crocodile Douluo took a deep breath and forced the conversation back on track.

The other party wouldn't have told him all that just to give a lecture.

"Given the power you possess, enough to crush all living beings, if you truly wanted to dominate the continent, I doubt anyone could stop you."

Golden Crocodile Douluo stared intently at Xu Yu and began probing indirectly.

"But after taking Linhai City, your side held back instead of pressing the attack, and invited us here to negotiate."

"This old man dares to ask..."

"Why has the Great Sun Prince Mansion gone to such lengths, even risking the enmity of the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall? What, exactly, do you intend to do?"

Xu Yu tilted his head slightly, the corner of his eye discreetly sweeping over Xu Zhao, who stood in the shadows.

After receiving Xu Zhao's confirming look, Xu Yu set down the teacup he had been turning over in his hands for some time.

It landed with a soft clink.

Xu Yu slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with the weight of time and... sorrow.

"Golden Crocodile, you ask what I intend to do?"

Xu Yu rose and walked with his hands behind his back to the sand table in the middle of the hall.

His gaze did not fall on the spot representing Linhai City, but instead turned toward the vast, boundless blue sea.

"You've only seen the might of the Great Sun Prince Mansion, and the threat posed by this Steel Fleet."

"But have you ever considered that, if we had a choice, who would willingly leave their homeland and sail these cold iron behemoths across the endless sea for years, just to find a place to settle?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo was taken aback, a strange sense of absurdity rising in his heart.

These ridiculously powerful people had come here because they had no other choice?

"You mean..."

Golden Crocodile Douluo asked tentatively.

"Our homeland was called the Sun Moon Continent."

Xu Yu's voice grew low and weighty, as if it carried the burden of a painful history.

"It was once prosperous, with advanced Soul Guidance Technology and people living in peace."

"But... as you can see, power is a double-edged sword.

Once we gained the power to destroy the heavens and the earth, our ambitions grew with it."

Xu Yu sighed, a hint of remembrance passing through his eyes. (In truth, he was trying hard to recall the script Xu Zhao had just sent him.)

"A civil war that engulfed the entire continent broke out."

"It wasn't some petty squabble between Soul Masters like the ones you have here."

"It was a barrage of ninth-grade Soul Guidance Cannons, storms of energy powerful enough to tear the void apart, and an apocalyptic scene where even Titled Douluo fell like ants!"

As he spoke, Xu Yu abruptly turned around, his gaze striking Golden Crocodile Douluo like lightning.

"In the end, the Sun Moon Continent... shattered."

"It... shattered?!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo's pupils widened, and he cried out in shock.

Qian Renxue and Zhao Lai were even more startled, nearly jumping out of their chairs, their faces filled with horror.

An entire continent!

A vast expanse of land, home to billions of living beings!

It had been torn apart and shattered because of a civil war?!

H-How was that possible?!

In the past, if anyone had told them such a thing, they would have taken that person for a lunatic—or slapped them dead.

But now, as they looked at the fearsome Steel Giant Ships outside and recalled the terrifying scene of Wei Kurong killing Demon Subduing Douluo in an instant...

And when they thought of the "high-dimensional strike" Xu Yu had mentioned...

They believed him.

They believed him without a doubt!

An icy chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps.

Were the Soul Masters over there simply too strong, or were those things called "Soul Tools" just that terrifying?

If such power erupted on Douluo Continent...

Golden Crocodile Douluo shuddered. He didn't dare think any further.

"That battle shattered the heavens and earth, and left countless lives in ruins."

Xu Yu gave them little time to process it. Continuing with the script, he spoke in a solemn, tragic voice.

"Although the Great Sun Prince Mansion survived that calamity, our homeland was destroyed, and our homes were no more."

"To preserve our people's bloodline and find a new place for them to live, we had no choice but to build this ocean-going fleet, cross the endless sea, and search for that faint glimmer of hope in our despair."

Xu Yu walked up to Golden Crocodile Douluo and looked him straight in the eyes, his tone sincere and resolute.

"Golden Crocodile, I know that to you, we're outsiders, invaders."

"But to us..."

"This isn't just a war. It's a struggle to survive."

"We don't ask for much. Just a piece of land where our people can thrive, a place where we can rebuild our home."

"For that, we're willing to pay a price, and we're willing to show our sincerity."

"But if..."

Xu Yu's tone shifted. A domineering aura burst forth, freezing the air throughout the hall.

"If anyone tries to block our hope of survival, if anyone tries to wipe us out..."

"Then even if we have to fight to the last soldier, even if Douluo Continent must share the fate of the Sun Moon Continent..."

"We will never back down!"

Boom!

As Xu Yu spoke his final words, a terrifying killing intent swept through the hall.

Golden Crocodile Douluo felt his breath catch, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He understood.

This was a threat, a naked threat!

But it was also... a plea born of desperation.

A group of "refugees" who had lost their homes and wielded terrifying power would really do anything to survive!

If they were pushed too far, even if Douluo Continent wasn't shattered, it would surely be left in ruins!

"Your Excellency... you put it too strongly."

Golden Crocodile Douluo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his tone clearly softening.

His voice even held a hint of sympathy and wariness, though he himself didn't notice it.

"If it's as you say, and your side is only looking for a place to settle, then... it's not impossible to discuss."

After all, compared with facing a band of mad destroyers, it was obviously easier to accept facing powerful people who only wanted a place to live.

Qian Renxue was also deeply shaken.

The hostility she had felt at first had somehow faded a little.

So... they were a group of unfortunate people, too?

Though their fists were a bit too hard for a group of unfortunates.

Meanwhile, in the shadows...

Xu Zhao watched the three men being thoroughly taken in by his father, the corners of his mouth curling into an amused smile.

Tut. With acting like that, Dad could've won an Oscar.

But now the Great Sun Prince Mansion has established its image.

Tragic exiles, avengers willing to do anything to survive... yeah, this script is perfect.

The Great Sun Prince Mansion had brought a lot of people with them. There was no telling whether the information might leak.

But as long as they muddled their way through this for now, that would be enough.