The Star Luo Imperial Family Wept: "Filthy Outsiders! The Defense Clan Are Masters at Building Things?"

"Besides..."

Xu Zhao paused, a hint of meaning flashing in his eyes.

"If one day we open a sea route between the two continents, there'll be a Sun Moon Empire over there and another one over here. Wouldn't that cause confusion?

"What we want to establish is a brand-new empire, one distinct from our homeland—an empire that even surpasses it!"

Xu Yu nodded thoughtfully.

"Zhao'er makes a good point.

"Since this is a new dynasty and a fresh start, it should indeed have a new name.

"What do you think we should call it?"

Xu Zhao didn't answer right away.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the blazing sun high in the sky as thoughts churned through his mind.

As a transmigrator, he felt a special sensitivity and attachment to the idea of a country's name.

One of his Martial Souls was the sun, and the other was the moon.

The sun and the moon...

Xu Zhao silently repeated the words to himself.

Suddenly, a memory from his previous life rose to the surface.

In that long and tumultuous stretch of history,

there had once been a dynasty founded under the slogan "Drive out the barbarians and restore China," with the ironclad spirit of "The Son of Heaven guards the nation's gates; the sovereign dies with the state."

That dynasty's name came from the phrase "The radiance of the sun and moon shines anew, day after day."

The sun and moon combined made... Ming!

The sun and moon shone bright, and thus the land was Ming!

Xu Zhao felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.

The homeland of the people from the Great Sun Prince Mansion was the Sun Moon Empire.

But his homeland was not.

Establishing Great Ming in the Douluo World would make up, in some small way, for the regrets of his previous life.

"Ming..."

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Zhao's eyes, and the corner of his mouth curled into a confident smile.

"Father, Mother, and all my uncles."

Xu Zhao turned around and raised a finger, tracing a shape lightly in the air.

"The sun on the left, the moon on the right."

"The sun is the essence of yang;

the moon is the essence of yin."

"When the sun and moon shine together and yin and yang unite, they form the character 'Ming'!"

Xu Zhao's voice echoed through the hall, carrying a persuasive force.

"Our homeland is the Sun Moon Continent, and our roots lie in the sun and the moon.

"Combining these two characters honors and carries on the legacy of our homeland.

"It also symbolizes a whole new union and elevation."

"And besides..."

Soul Power surged around Xu Zhao, and a golden sun and silver crescent moon faintly appeared behind him.

Two utterly different forces intertwined behind him, radiating a sacred, boundless aura.

"My Twin Martial Souls are the sun and Taiyin.

"The character 'Ming' also perfectly suits the path of my Martial Souls."

"Great Ming, Great Ming..."

Xu Zhao took a deep breath and fixed his shining gaze on Xu Yu.

"May its light shine everywhere and drive away the darkness.

"We will let the Douluo Continent bathe in the radiance of the Great Sun Prince Mansion...

"No—in the radiance of the Great Ming Empire!"

"So I propose that we name the nation Great Ming!"

"The Great Ming Empire!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone had been stunned by Xu Zhao's explanation.

"The sun and moon combined make Ming..."

Xu Yu turned the character over and over in his mind. His eyes grew brighter and brighter until he slapped his thigh and laughed.

"Good! What a perfect union of sun and moon!

"What a perfect name—Great Ming!"

"It honors our roots while opening a new chapter!

"And it sounds dignified and upright, a fitting reflection of my son's ambitions!"

Kong Yan's beautiful eyes sparkled as she looked at her spirited son, her face filled with smiles.

"Great Ming...

"It really is a lovely name, and its meaning is excellent.

"Zhao'er, you certainly have a sharper mind than your father."

Yan Yu, standing nearby, was equally impressed.

"The Heir Prince is truly brilliant.

"Unpacking the characters to reveal their meaning—it accords with the Heavenly Way.

"'Great Ming' is indeed more evocative than simply 'Sun Moon,' and it carries the bearing of an emperor.

"I'm impressed, I'm impressed!"

Wei Kurong, Lan Ya, and the others bowed in turn and spoke in unison.

"The Heir Prince is wise!

"We swear to serve the Great Ming Empire with our lives!"

Xu Yu rose and walked over to Xu Zhao, patting him firmly on the shoulder as he declared with boundless confidence,

"Excellent!

"Since no one objects, it's settled!"

"Pass down the order!"

"Effective immediately, the Great Sun Prince Mansion will officially establish a nation!"

"The nation's name shall be Great Ming!"

"Make Linhai City its capital and announce it to the world! Let the whole continent know that from this day on, this land belongs to the Xu family!

"It is the territory of the Great Ming Empire!"

The greatest strength of the Great Sun Prince Mansion was its navy.

And that was without even mentioning—

the fact that the Great Sun Prince Mansion now controlled the sea route between the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Continent.

In the future, there would be two more continents.

Even if the Great Ming Empire lost its dominance thousands or tens of thousands of years from now, it could use its navy to move to another continent.

Just as the people who went to the other two continents in Douluo III and Douluo IV had done, establishing the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire anew.

Although Xu Zhao didn't believe the Great Ming Empire's rule would ever be overthrown after he became a god,

as a maritime power, it was essential for Great Ming to make a coastal city its capital.

At Xu Yu's command,

the Great Ming Empire was officially born.

Although the formal founding ceremony was set for an auspicious day a month later,

that didn't stop the well-oiled machinery of the Great Ming Empire from warming up and beginning to run ahead of schedule.

Inside Diligence Hall at the Great Sun Palace,

Xu Yu wore a hastily tailored imperial-yellow robe embroidered with coiling dragons.

Seated on the throne, he looked down at the old subordinates who had followed him across the sea and solemnly issued the empire's first edict.

"A nation cannot go a single day without a ruler, nor a single day without an heir.

"I, Xu Yu, in accordance with the will of Heaven, hereby become the founding emperor of the Great Ming Empire.

"I appoint my Princess Consort, Kong Yan, as Empress of Great Ming. She shall be the exemplar of the empire and govern the imperial harem.

"I appoint the Heir Prince, Xu Zhao, as Crown Prince of Great Ming, to oversee the state and govern in my stead. In all matters of military and state affairs, the Crown Prince's orders shall carry the same authority as my own!"

Everyone below knelt as one and cried, "Long live the emperor!"

Xu Zhao stood at the head of the officials, his expression calm.

Xu Yu's gaze then turned to the front rank of the military officers.

"Great Ming has only just been founded, and powerful enemies surround us.

"To protect the empire, I hereby establish the Elder Hall, a body with exceptional status that shall answer only to the emperor and the Crown Prince.

"I appoint Yan Yu, the Level 93 Black Bird Douluo, as Fourth Offering of the Elder Hall!"

After reading the appointment, Xu Yu paused and looked at the old man beside Yan Yu, who had remained silent throughout, clad in a silver-gray cloak.

(Along with Yan Yu, he was one of two ordinary Titled Douluos who were absolutely loyal.)

The Silver Crow Martial Soul was a top-tier subspecies of dragon, the Golden Earth Dragon King. Its defense and strength were both terrifying.

Although his ninth Soul Ring wasn't a hundred-thousand-year one,

Xu Yu had once saved him from a powerful enemy.

His descendants also received excellent treatment in the Great Sun Prince Mansion.

As a result, Silver Crow was utterly loyal to the Great Sun Prince Mansion.

"I appoint Silver Crow, the Level 94 Golden Dragon Douluo, as Third Offering of the Elder Hall!"

"I appoint Lan Ya, the Level 94 Blue Silver Douluo, as Second Worship of the Elder Hall!"

"I appoint Wei Kurong, the Level 97 Poison Douluo, as Grand Pontiff of the Elder Hall!"