Star Luo City was blanketed in dark clouds.
Dull thunder rolled across the horizon, weighing down on the mighty city until it seemed unable to breathe.
A young man rode a pitch-black steed slowly into view from the distant road.
The horse's hooves rang clearly against the bluestone paving.
The young man was handsome, with sword-like brows and bright eyes. He wore dark gold chainmail.
His aura was magnificent. With every step forward, the air around him grew heavier, his oppressive presence terrifying.
Atop the city walls, the guards gripped their spears with both hands, trembling uncontrollably.
Fear spread through the crowd.
Someone's voice quavered as they spoke the name.
"The Heaven Dou Empire... Marquis of Wuyang."
He was the young general who had swept through the southern border, personally ennobled by Xue Ye.
Tang Yu reined in his horse, stopping beneath the towering gates of Star Luo City.
In just a few days, the Star Luo Empire had lost ten important strongholds, each one taken by the army led by the young man before them!
The soldiers' palms were slick with cold sweat, their hearts pounding with fear.
Today was not the day the city would fall. It was the day the Star Luo Empire sued for peace.
Before long, they were in the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
The great hall was dazzling with gold and jade, yet the atmosphere was oppressive in the extreme.
Tang Yu strode steadily into the hall.
The heavy thud of his boots echoed through it.
The fully armed royal guards on either side looked terrified. They unconsciously backed away, clearing a broad path for him.
The Star Luo Emperor sat high upon his throne, his face looking at least ten years older.
A mournful sigh escaped him.
The Star Luo army had collapsed across the front. There was no turning the tide; suing for peace was their only option.
"Marquis of Wuyang, our empire is willing to surrender."
Tang Yu stopped and raised his eyes. A gaze colder than ice fixed on the throne.
The Star Luo Emperor's heart clenched. The hairs all over his body stood on end, and he was instantly swallowed by boundless fear. He dared not say another word.
The great hall fell silent.
Tang Yu stood where he was, but his thoughts drifted away for a moment.
He had been in this Douluo Continent for eighteen years.
He had originally been the son of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao, and should have had a bright future ahead of him.
Tang San was his younger brother.
That year, they underwent Martial Soul Awakening.
Tang Hao had looked at the faint glow on the testing crystal, his eyes full of disdain and loathing.
Innate Soul Power, level one—frail and worthless.
For an heir of the Clear Sky Sect, whose every pursuit centered on reaching the pinnacle of strength, this was a disgrace beyond measure.
One stormy night, Tang Hao heartlessly abandoned him in a dilapidated village.
The despair and hatred he had felt then remained vivid to this day.
Tang Hao had looked down on him and cast him aside like trash.
For eighteen years, he had relied on sheer, unyielding grit to cultivate day and night, enduring countless trials on the brink of death.
While others rested, he hunted Soul Beasts. While others enjoyed themselves, he honed his body.
Only later did he discover that the Blue Silver Grass he had awakened was no ordinary one.
It was a Twin Martial Soul—two Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls!
One was pure life energy, with a heaven-defying power of recovery. The other was of the ultimate darkness, possessing the destructive might to devour all things.
Relying on the formidable foundation of his Twin Martial Souls, he had surged forward without pause.
After leaving the village, he had roamed the continent alone, gathering Soul Masters driven from their homes and building the Blue Silver Army with his own hands—a force that shook the world.
His power had continued to grow, and his battle record was illustrious.
Xue Ye had personally ennobled him as the Marquis of Wuyang.
Not long ago, he had broken through his shackles and advanced to the realm of a Titled Douluo.
With both Martial Souls unleashed, he was unrivaled among those of the same rank!
However, after reaching the Titled Douluo realm, every increase in Soul Power was like crossing a heavenly chasm—an arduous challenge.
At that moment, a crisp chime suddenly rang out in his mind.
[ Ding! More Children More Blessings System activated! ]
[ Rewards include: top-grade Soul Bones, Martial Soul age upgrades, divine cultivation methods, and more. ]
Tang Yu looked at the illusory panel floating before him.
He had been worrying that his cultivation would soon slow down. This system had arrived like timely rain.
In the great hall, the Star Luo Emperor saw that Tang Yu had remained silent for a long time and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Marquis of Wuyang, what specific terms does your empire seek in these peace negotiations?"
Tang Yu gathered his thoughts and swept his gaze across the hall.
"Cede ten border cities."
"Hand over three of the top-grade Soul Bones in your national treasury, one hundred high-grade Soul Tools, and three mines of refined gold."
His words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Every civil and military official in the hall was stunned.
This was practically tearing out the Star Luo Empire's roots!
But facing a Titled Douluo who commanded a mighty army and was like a god of slaughter, who would dare object?
The Star Luo Emperor's fingers trembled as he picked up his imperial brush and signed his name to the treaty, a document that humiliated his country and stripped it of its rights.
Once he had finished signing, the emperor sagged like a deflated ball and slumped helplessly in his seat.
"Marquis of Wuyang... the treaty has been signed. May I ask if you have any other demands?"
Tang Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his voice calm.
"I hear the Zhu Clan has two daughters, Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun."
"I've taken a liking to them. I'm taking them with me."
At these words, the Star Luo Emperor's face twisted with extreme difficulty.
"My lord, that would be impossible!"
"The Zhu Clan has intermarried with the imperial family for generations. Those two legitimate daughters are already engaged to the First and Second Princes..."
Before he could finish—
"Hmph."
Tang Yu let out a cold snort.
In an instant, the terrifying pressure of a Titled Douluo crashed down like Mount Tai.
The sturdy floor tiles in the great hall fractured at once, splitting into countless spiderweb-like cracks.
The Star Luo Emperor's chest tightened. He was utterly cowed, his face deathly pale. It was as if something had lodged in his throat; he did not dare utter another word.
Tang Yu withdrew his pressure and straightened his cuffs.
"Have Zhu Zhuyun come to my chambers tonight."
With that, he turned and left, leaving deathly silence behind him.
Night fell.
A lavish, discreet royal carriage rolled slowly out of the Star Luo Imperial Palace, heading for the palace where Tang Yu was staying.
Inside the carriage, Zhu Zhuyun sat with both hands clenched tightly around her skirt.
Beside her were the Star Luo Emperor and the Zhu Clan's head.
The two men, once towering figures, now wore grave expressions.
"Zhuyun," the Zhu Clan head said earnestly.
"The survival of our family and the safety of the empire rest entirely on you."
"You must put the greater good first and never anger the Marquis of Wuyang. Whatever he asks of you, you must comply."
The Star Luo Emperor echoed him.
"Yes, this is a sacrifice, but the Star Luo Empire will never forget what you have given up, as long as it can appease the Marquis of Wuyang."
The carriage stopped outside Tang Yu's sleeping quarters.
The two men escorted Zhu Zhuyun to the steps, then pulled her aside to admonish her again and again before hurrying away, afraid Tang Yu might catch sight of them.
A cold wind swept past.
Standing before the tightly shut vermilion doors, Zhu Zhuyun looked utterly wretched.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Ever since she was born, she had known that she was nothing more than a tool for the marriage alliance between her family and the imperial house.
She had trained hard in Soul Power and studied strategy, all to support the future emperor.
But now, after their crushing defeat, her family and fiancé had pushed her out without hesitation, forcing her to serve an enemy general.
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Zhuyun forced her tears back down.
Since this was her fate, there was no use running from it. She would steel herself and face it.
She pushed the door open with both hands and slowly walked inside.