Founding the Great Ming, Establishing the Capital at Linhai! Establishing the Elder Hall, Third Offering, Golden Dragon Douluo Silver Crow!

A few days later, outside Linhai City.

A convoy of carriages slowly rolled out of the city gates, heading in the direction of Star Luo City.

Inside the carriage, Dai Weisi looked haggard with hollow eyes, having long since lost his former high spirits.

Zhu Zhuyun huddled in the corner, her expression dazed.

Clearly, the period of imprisonment had left an indelible psychological shadow on this pampered young lady.

Meanwhile, in another carriage, Duke Nether Zhu Zihao had his brows tightly locked.

His gaze passed through the window, watching the spirit masters from the Great Sun Prince Mansion who were busy at the city gates, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

They were free.

But the price was half of the Star Luo Empire.

Following the signing of the treaty, the sophisticated war machine that was the Great Sun Prince Mansion began to operate at full speed.

"Pass down the order: the First Legion is to garrison in Eastsea City, and the Second Legion is to take over Wind Breath Province..."

Xu Zhao stood before a massive sand table, issuing orders in an orderly fashion.

The thousands of spirit masters who had descended upon the Douluo Continent along with the Great Sun Prince Mansion were like soldiers conjured from beans, rapidly infiltrating the southern provinces that had just been ceded.

Every one of these spirit masters had undergone rigorous training; not only were they powerful, but they also knew how to govern a region.

Xu Zhao knew well that conquering a territory was easy, but holding it was difficult.

To truly rule this land, relying solely on military suppression was not enough; one had to win the hearts of the people first.

Thus, a grand performance titled "Bestowing Favors and Showing Might" was staged with great fanfare across the southern provinces.

"Have you heard?

The Great Sun Prince Mansion has posted a notice: all commoners who submit will be exempt from taxes for three years!"

"Is that for real?

The taxes over in Star Luo were incredibly heavy!"

"Not only that, they also said that as long as there is a spirit master in the family willing to join the Security Squad of the Great Sun Prince Mansion, they can receive a subsidy of ten Gold Soul Coins every month!

If they perform well, they can even receive cultivation resources provided by the Great Sun Prince Mansion!"

"My god!

Ten Gold Soul Coins?

That's enough to cover our family's expenses for several years!"

Under the temptation of massive benefits, the attitude of the commoners, who had originally harbored fear and resistance toward the Great Sun Prince Mansion, began to shift quietly.

After all, for the people at the bottom, it didn't matter who was the emperor; what mattered was who could provide them with a good life.

As for those troublemakers who attempted to resist, Xu Zhao showed no mercy.

One day, several small local spirit master clans joined forces and attempted to raid a transport convoy of the Great Sun Prince Mansion.

The result came just one hour later.

The strongholds of these clans were razed to the ground, and every spirit master involved in the attack had their spirit power crippled and was hung at the city gates as a warning.

That night, the scent of blood permeated the entire street.

The Great Sun Prince Mansion used iron-fisted methods to tell everyone:

Those who submit will prosper, and those who resist will perish!

Under this strategy of "a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other," the situation in the southern provinces stabilized at an astonishing speed.

In the south of the Star Luo Empire, deep within a mountain range shrouded in clouds and mist.

Here lay an ancient and mysterious sect—the Star Crown Sect.

As a reclusive sect of the Star Luo Empire, the Star Crown Sect was not widely known, but its strength could not be underestimated.

Its inherited martial soul, the Star Crown, was a top-tier support-type martial soul, and in some aspects, it did not lose to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

However, at this moment, the main hall of the Star Crown Sect was filled with gloom and despair.

"Sect Master, the envoy from the Great Sun Prince Mansion is at the foot of the mountain, saying... saying that we must have the entire sect submit, otherwise..."

An elder reported with a pale face.

Star Crown Sect Master Xu Jiawei sat in the main seat, gripping the Scepter in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise... they will raze our Star Crown Sect to the ground, leaving not even a chicken or a dog alive!"

"Arrogant!"

An elder with a fiery temper slammed his hand onto the table and stood up:

"Our Star Crown Sect has been passed down for a thousand years; how could we possibly bow our heads to an outside force?

At worst, we fight them to the death!"

"Fight?

With what are we going to fight?"

Xu Jiawei gave a bitter smile, his gaze sweeping over everyone present:

"Even the Star Luo Empire royal family has ceded territory to sue for peace, and even Duke Nether has been captured alive...

While our Star Crown Sect has some foundation, how do we compare to the royal family?

And how do we compare to the Great Sun Prince Mansion, which possesses a Title Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?"

The Council Hall fell into a deathly silence.

Indeed.

If even the nation had bowed its head, what kind of waves could a single sect possibly stir up?

Xu Jiawei closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, appearing to age ten years in an instant:

"Forget it... forget it..."

"For the sake of the sect's legacy, for the lives of these several hundred disciples..."

"Open the mountain gates and welcome... the envoys of the Great Sun Prince Mansion."

On this day, one of the Star Luo Empire's final trump cards, the hidden Star Crown Sect, announced that the entire sect would submit to the Great Sun Prince Mansion.

As the news spread, the world was shaken.

The prestige of the Great Sun Prince Mansion reached its peak at this moment.

Linhai City, the Council Hall of the former City Lord's Mansion.

Now, it had been renamed the "Great Sun Palace."

In the center of the hall, a massive sheepskin map was spread out across a table.

It was marked in detail with the half of the territory just ceded from the Star Luo Empire.

The bright red cinnabar lines circled the vast lands south of Star Luo City, incorporating them entirely into the territory of the Great Sun Prince Mansion.

Great Sun Prince Xu Yu sat in the main seat, with the graceful and noble Princess Consort Kong Yan sitting beside him.

On both sides below sat the core leadership of the Great Sun Prince Mansion:

Lan Ya, Wei Kurong, Yan Yu, and a group of other Title Douluo and trusted confidants.

Xu Zhao stood before the map, his fingers lightly tracing the newly acquired territory, his expression composed.

"Zhao'er, now that we have the territory and Star Luo has signed the papers, the matter is settled."

Xu Yu looked at his Qilin Son, his eyes filled with gratification and pride, then said in a deep voice:

"Since we are to establish a nation here and rule over this region, the matter of the national title can no longer be delayed.

We cannot keep calling it the 'Great Sun Prince Mansion'—that is the title of a subject.

Since we are to become emperors, we must have a resounding name."

"The Prince is right."

Yan Yu was the first to speak:

"In my opinion, we originally came from the Sun Moon Continent; our roots are in the Sun Moon.

Although we have crossed the sea, this bloodline legacy cannot be severed.

Why not... simply continue using the national title of our homeland and call it the 'Sun Moon Empire'?"

"Firstly, it sounds intimate and keeps us from forgetting our origins;

Secondly, the two characters 'Sun Moon' symbolize the eternity of heaven and earth, shining upon all things—it is quite imposing."

Yan Yu's proposal received nods of agreement from many.

After all, everyone present came from the Sun Moon Continent and held deep feelings for their homeland.

The name "Sun Moon Empire" gave them a natural sense of belonging.

However, Xu Zhao frowned slightly and shook his head.

"While Uncle Yan Yu's words make sense, I feel it is somewhat inappropriate."

Xu Zhao turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he analyzed calmly:

"Although we come from the Sun Moon Continent, what we are standing on now is the land of the Douluo Continent.

This territory was won by our own blades and spears; it is a brand-new foundation."

"If we continue to use the name 'Sun Moon Empire,' while it may soothe our homesickness, it will easily make the local people feel that we are always outsiders, 'invaders,' which is not conducive to winning the hearts of the people."