After the Heaven Dou Empire signed the treaty of defeat, Xu Nian'an did not immediately return to his Great Ming Empire.
Rather than hold a victory banquet, he stayed in the Heaven Dou Empire for a while.
The main reason was not that Xu Nian'an wanted to stay, but that Emperor Xue Ye had realized he could offset the war reparations by selling off treasures from the Heaven Dou treasury. That had stirred up some ideas in his head.
Over the next few days, he had people take Xu Nian'an around to select all sorts of treasures and calculate their value.
He was only a hair's breadth from sending his empress to Xu Nian'an's room at night to make up the difference.
This showed just how deep the coffers of the continent's richest empire ran.
The Heaven Dou Empire's reparations totaled two billion:
On the first day after signing the treaty: the national treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, valued at one hundred million; two hundred million in cash. Total paid: three hundred million.
On the second day after signing the treaty: a great many treasures, armor, swords, silk and fabric... two hundred million.
After that, all sorts of other things followed: shares in an auction house and a Soul Fighting Arena, original stock, bonds from the Heaven Dou Bank... the Heaven Dou Imperial Court Etiquette Academy... the Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy... and many other assets. The Heaven Dou Empire handed over a share of each.
It was, in effect, an indirect joint venture with the Heaven Dou Empire.
In the end, Xue Ye even set his sights on the princess his empress had given birth to not long ago.
He wanted to arrange a marriage alliance with Xu Nian'an.
So, when all was said and done, the Heaven Dou Empire had paid a total of eight hundred million in actual funds and goods.
It still owed... one billion two hundred million.
The entire Heaven Dou Empire had been bled dry. There was truly nothing left to sell, and someone at court even proposed selling Fasinuo Province, beside the Balak Kingdom—the place where Tang Hao and Tang San currently lived.
Naturally, Xue Ye rejected the idea.
Five days later, on the first day of the eighth month,
Xu Nian'an prepared to return to the Great Ming Empire and hold a grand victory celebration, one that would have the whole country rejoicing.
After all, he would need to send troops to garrison the Balak Kingdom.
The moment Xue Ye signed the treaty of defeat, the Balak Kingdom had become part of the Great Ming Empire's territory.
Xu Nian'an had not chosen the Balak Kingdom because of the plot.
The Balak Kingdom lay between the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires in the west. By taking control of the exits on both sides, Xu Nian'an would be able to quickly encircle either empire and launch a blitzkrieg if war broke out again.
That was only one reason. Another was that the Balak Kingdom was the only kingdom directly governed by the Heaven Dou Empire.
After all, its king was Xue Ye's younger brother.
"Your Majesty, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect requests an audience!"
Just as Xu Nian'an was about to return to the Great Ming Empire, a Dragon Guard came to report that someone wished to see him.
At the name, Xu Nian'an raised an eyebrow.
Ning Fengzhi.
He didn't seem to have much to do with him... no, actually, he did.
Back when Xu Nian'an had fallen out with the court in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, two people had tried to stop him from leaving.
But Long Xiaoyao's pressure had cowed them, and they had ended up kneeling squarely in front of him.
But... what had Ning Fengzhi come to see him for?
Xu Nian'an knew that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had close ties with the Heaven Dou Empire.
It was like the relationship between the Sun-Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult in a later age.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a staunch supporter of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Show him in."
Xu Nian'an couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.
Before long, an elegant young man entered with a heavily pregnant woman and an old man with a streak of white in his hair.
Apart from Xu Nian'an, the great hall was empty. A massive dragon throne stood atop a raised platform. Xu Nian'an sat with one leg crossed, looking down at the three of them.
"Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect pays his respects to His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Ming!"
Ning Fengzhi led the greeting. The heavily pregnant woman bowed slightly, while the white-haired old man gave a small nod. Their greetings were done.
Tap, tap, tap~!!!!
Xu Nian'an said nothing. He merely watched the three of them in silence.
As the ruler of an empire—and the only person to have defeated two empires—he was the sovereign of the most powerful empire on the Douluo Continent.
Xu Nian'an's status stood above that of feudal lords, kings, and emperors.
Now, he was the most honored and truly powerful person on the entire continent.
If Xu Nian'an wished it, whichever direction he pointed became Great Ming territory.
Given Xu Nian'an's exalted status, even the leader of one of the Upper Three Sects had to bow his head.
Given Xu Nian'an's exalted status, even a Titled Douluo had to bend the knee.
Ning Fengzhi had kept a close eye on what had happened in the Heaven Dou Empire and Heaven Dou City over the past few days.
He had thought the Heaven Dou Empire would be destroyed, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had never imagined that Great Ming would spare it from annexation and instead force it to sign a treaty of defeat.
So, not long after the Heaven Dou Empire announced the treaty, Ning Fengzhi had come to pay Xu Nian'an a visit.
Ning Fengzhi was a businessman as well as the leader of a sect. He had already seen where the continent was headed. He had come to see Xu Nian'an simply to ask whether there might be a chance for them to work together.
"And that's it...?"
Xu Nian'an's cold voice rang through the hall.
Although Ning Fengzhi, his bodyguard, and even the woman with them had shown Xu Nian'an every courtesy,
Xu Nian'an felt it wasn't enough.
Last time, they had come to see him on their knees. Why had they decided not to kneel this time?
"Huh?"
Ning Fengzhi looked completely bewildered at Xu Nian'an's words.
Xu Nian'an glanced at him.
"I understand that the heavily pregnant woman here can't kneel before me, and so she offers a cupped-hand salute instead."
"But you two are hale and hearty, with nothing wrong with you. What do you mean by offering me a cupped-hand salute?"
"Are you looking down on me???"
Don't tell him the Douluo Continent didn't have a custom of kneeling. During the All-Continent Advanced Elite Soul Master Tournament, the Spirit Hall Pope Bibi Dong had ordered all the Soul Masters to kneel. Only Tang San and his gang of bastards had refused and openly defied her.
What Ning Fengzhi and his companions were doing now was much the same.
The smile on Ning Fengzhi's face stiffened when he heard Xu Nian'an's words.
Cold sweat poured down his face in an instant.
Crack~!!!
Just then, the sound of bones grinding against one another rang out.
Ning Fengzhi looked down and saw the white-haired old man beside him clenching both fists tight.
"Uncle Sword!"
He immediately reached out to stop him, then looked up at the young man sitting at ease.
Ning Fengzhi was already drenched in sweat.
If he could have beaten the other man, Ning Fengzhi would never have been so obsequious.
He would have stood his ground.
But this man had troops at his command—and Titled Douluo he couldn't afford to provoke.
"Even a Titled Douluo... must not be insulted!"
Buzz~!!!
As soon as the words left his mouth, a long sword suddenly appeared beside the old man with the streak of white in his hair.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—the nine Soul Rings appeared: two yellow, two purple, and five black.
Seeing the sword in the man's hand and the nine Soul Rings at his feet, Xu Nian'an recognized him.
Sword Douluo...
But so what if he was Sword Douluo?
Xu Nian'an slowly pointed an index finger at him, then jabbed it downward.
"Get on your knees!!!"
Thud~!!!
Ning Fengzhi was suddenly crushed to his knees by an overwhelming pressure.
Behind Xu Nian'an, an old man appeared, dressed in black, with silver hair neatly combed.