Treat the Heaven Dou Empire like the Japanese!

The envoys of the Heaven Dou Empire did not even get to see the Star Luo Emperor.

The Ministry of Rites merely sent a minor official to handle the situation. The official stood ramrod straight and coldly flung four words into the envoys' faces:

"What is it to you?"

It is said that upon hearing this, the lead envoy's face turned the color of a pig's liver. He pointed a finger at the official, his lips trembling for a long time, yet he could not force a single word out.

Then, unable to catch his breath, he fainted on the spot.

The attendants were terrified out of their wits; they scrambled to lift him up and scurried all the way back to Heaven Dou in disgrace.

On the night the Heaven Dou envoys were driven away in a rage, the Star Luo Emperor stood on the highest balcony of the imperial palace.

The night wind whipped fiercely, tugging at the hem of his robes.

He stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the brightly lit capital city below.

The lights of ten thousand homes spread out like a river of stars flowing in reverse, far more bustling than ever before.

Dai Mobai stood quietly half a step behind him, remaining silent.

"Mobai."

The Star Luo Emperor spoke suddenly, his voice carried by the night wind, revealing a rare touch of sentiment.

"You were right. Having money truly makes things easier."

Dai Mobai smiled.

"Money is merely a tool, Father. What truly matters is who that money is spent on. Whoever receives the benefits will be the one to lay down their life for the Empire."

The words were plain, yet they caused the Star Luo Emperor to turn around.

He looked at his son, his eyes filled with gratification.

He reached out and patted Dai Mobai on the shoulder.

"It is you who sees things clearly. I am not your equal."

He spoke with frankness and ease.

As an emperor, admitting that one's son is superior should have been a difficult thing to say, but when the Star Luo Emperor said it, his tone held only pride.

"If Father keeps praising me like this, I shall become arrogant."

Dai Mobai met his gaze, a smile touching the corners of his eyes.

"Then I should be proud before you are."

The Star Luo Emperor chuckled, turned back around, and faced the vast expanse of lights below.

"Having a son like you, I am very proud."

The voice melted into the night wind, every word clearly reaching Dai Mobai's ears.

Dai Mobai did not speak again; he simply smiled and stood quietly behind the Star Luo Emperor.

The night wind brushed across the balcony, and the figures of father and son were illuminated by the lights, one standing slightly ahead of the other.

Elsewhere.

The envoy who had been angered into a faint returned to the Heaven Dou Empire and reported the encounter to Emperor Xue Ye, embellishing the story with his own grievances.

The white-haired Emperor Xue Ye listened, trembling with rage.

He slammed his palm onto the armrest of his dragon throne and declared on the spot that he would make the Star Luo Empire pay the price.

In the imperial court, the officials were as silent as cicadas in winter.

However, once his anger subsided and he truly calmed down, an awkward reality set in.

Emperor Xue Ye sat in his empty bedchamber, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

He knew better than anyone that the Heaven Dou Empire was already weaker than the Star Luo Empire. If not for the intervention of Spirit Hall back then, whether Heaven Dou would even exist on the map would be a mystery.

To launch a war against the Star Luo Empire now would be no different from throwing his life away.

But he had already made his threats.

If he acted as if nothing had happened, how would he, Emperor Xue Ye, be any different from the likes of Yu Xiaogang?

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe stepped forward.

"Father, Whale Glue is not exclusive to the Star Luo Empire. If they can sell it, so can the Heaven Dou Empire."

These words were like a lifeline.

Emperor Xue Ye's eyes lit up. He immediately authorized a large sum of funds and ordered his younger brother, Prince Xue Xing, and the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, to set off for the coastal cities at once to procure Whale Glue.

But when they arrived at Vast Sea City after traveling without rest, they were completely stunned.

All the high-quality Whale Glue over a hundred years old had already been swept clean by the Star Luo Empire.

The remaining stock was either of insufficient age or in a pitiful state.

Yet, after a brief moment of thought, and operating on the principle that they had already made the trip, they bought up all the remaining Whale Glue, loaded it onto carts, and set off on their journey home in a grand, heavily laden procession.

When the news reached Heaven Dou City, Emperor Xue Ye was overjoyed.

He not only went out of the city to welcome them personally, but he also immediately ordered word to be spread—

The Heaven Dou Empire was also selling Whale Glue, and the prices were even more favorable than those of the Star Luo Empire.

The news spread as if it had grown wings.

Spirit Masters from all over heard the wind and moved; quite a few people actually made special trips, wanting to sample this more affordable Whale Glue from the Heaven Dou Empire.

For a time, Heaven Dou City was bustling with people and exceptionally lively. Sitting in the palace, Emperor Xue Ye revealed a rare smile on his face.

However, when the day of the official sale arrived, everyone who saw the actual goods fell silent.

The vast majority of the Whale Glue was not even a hundred years old, but that could be overlooked.

Those that were over a hundred years old were of ridiculously poor quality.

A few pitch-black lumps were placed on the tables; if you didn't say it was Whale Glue, one would think it was black coal dug up from somewhere.

Compared to the lustrous and plump Whale Glue sold by the Star Luo Empire, it was simply not in the same league.

If it weren't for the fact that the Heaven Dou Empire's pricing was only two-thirds of the Star Luo Empire's, the Spirit Masters who had made the special trip would likely have flicked their sleeves and left on the spot.

Even so, while there were many onlookers, almost no one was opening their wallets.

The scene was, for a time, extremely awkward.

Helpless, Xue Xing and Xue Beng, who were fully in charge of the matter, could only grit their teeth and lower the price again and again.

In the end, they dropped it in one breath to one-third of the Star Luo Empire's selling price.

Once it dropped to this point, some Spirit Masters were finally tempted.

But just as someone intended to make a purchase, the Star Luo Empire suddenly released a piece of information—a piece of information that directly made Emperor Xue Ye vomit blood in anger.

"According to research, only Whale Glue of one hundred years or older possesses the efficacy to improve a Spirit Master's physique; those under one hundred years have only aphrodisiac effects."

Translated into plain language, it meant—Whale Glue under one hundred years old was only useful for the crotch.

Once these words were out, the entire venue was in an uproar.

The credibility of the Star Luo Empire was beyond doubt.

The Spirit Masters who had originally intended to take advantage of the low price to purchase Whale Glue immediately dismissed the idea, having come with high expectations only to return disappointed.

The Whale Glue that the Heaven Dou Empire had spent nearly a year's worth of tax revenue to purchase was now all stuck in their hands.

When the news reached the palace, Emperor Xue Ye was still daydreaming about filling his coffers to the brim.

After hearing the report, he froze in place, his face turning redder and redder. A moment later, a mouthful of crimson blood sprayed out, and he fainted on the spot.

With Emperor Xue Ye's collapse, he remained bedridden for over a month, nearly allowing Xue Qinghe to inherit the throne without any effort.

After that, the Heaven Dou Empire, having suffered a massive loss, finally learned to be smart.

He began to unite with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall to form an alliance.

Heaven Dou provided the ports, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect provided the funds, and the Spirit Hall provided the manpower, organizing a massive fleet to travel to the deep sea to hunt whale-type Spirit Beasts.

At first, this tactic was indeed effective.

The three major powers joined forces, and their hunting efficiency was extremely high. Batches of high-quality Whale Glue were transported back, and they forcibly snatched back fifty percent of the market share from the hands of the Star Luo Empire.

However, good times did not last long.

The unscrupulous hunting by the three major powers soon angered Sea God Island, which claimed to be the guardians of the ocean.

A great battle erupted between the two sides on the deep sea.

Even with the three major powers joining forces, they did not manage to gain any advantage at all.

The situation remained deadlocked for a time.

It was rumored that in the end, it was the First Elder of the Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu, who personally stepped forward to barely calm the storm.

After this battle, the fifty percent market share that the three major powers had worked so hard to snatch shrank to only thirty percent.

The Spirit Hall occupied fifteen percent, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect occupied ten percent, and the Heaven Dou Empire only obtained five percent.

After the dust settled, everything finally returned to peace.

From then on, the continent passed three years of time in stability.