The Powerless Emperor! Best of Five! Ninth Princess Ye Qingqiu Takes the Field!

"My Blue Silver Empire honors martial strength, but we do not thirst for blood."

"If no one attacks us, we attack no one. If anyone attacks us, we will destroy them!"

Red Dragon Douluo spoke with open candor, a stark contrast to Ye Gucheng's domineering, arrogant words earlier.

Without what Ye Gucheng had said first, Red Dragon Douluo's words would not have struck nearly so deep.

Only after Ye Gucheng had coldly laid bare the truths they did not want to hear did they reflect and feel a lingering fear. The desire for peace seized the high ground in their minds.

After all, people only opposed war when they could not win.

Heaven Dragon Douluo felt stifled, but he still spoke his mind.

"If you want us to accept this wholeheartedly, you have to beat us with your Martial Souls!"

"An arena match. The strong win; the weak step aside."

"And in these matches, no Soul Tools, mechas, or that armor of yours. Only Martial Souls and Soul Bones can decide the outcome!"

"Ahem. How about it? Agreed?"

Truthfully, Heaven Dragon Douluo had never felt so humiliated in his life.

He had made demand after demand, all of them restricting his opponents' methods. Even he blushed to say it!

Only after he finished did he realize how carried away he had gotten. Would they even agree?

Everyone had seen the Blue Silver Empire's Soul Tool capabilities. Would they give up their advantage to fight them in an arena?

By the end, even his own confidence had faltered, and he weakly asked Red Dragon Douluo for his opinion.

Ye Gucheng knew his role perfectly: forceful and overbearing. He spoke with a sneer.

"Oh? Any other demands?

Should our people from the Blue Silver Empire tie up one arm and one leg before fighting you?

Or should we simply let you win?"

By now, events had taken a turn few had expected, and comments swept across the sky.

[Douluo Continent · Theory Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang]:

"Heaven Dragon Douluo has a keen eye. Soul Masters must settle things with their Martial Souls. I agree to the duel."

[Douluo Continent · Evil-Eyed Lecherous Tiger Dai Mubai]:

"Heh. Don't tell me you're scared!

Makes sense. Your empire has poured all its energy into developing Soul Tools. Your Martial Soul cultivation must be pretty lousy!

We're Soul Masters, yet instead of focusing on our own cultivation, we chase after external things. That's chopping down the tree to pick its leaves~"

[Douluo Continent · Resting Fire Phoenix Ma Hongjun]:

"Boss Dai, stop rubbing salt in their wounds.

Listen to that name. They even named themselves after Blue Silver Grass. How strong could their Martial Soul cultivation be?"

[Blue Silver Continent · Academy Lecturer Ye Jian]:

"You dare insult my empire's totem? Do you think the Blue Silver Empire's warships can't reach the Douluo Continent?!"

[Douluo Continent · Evil-Eyed Lecherous Tiger Dai Mubai]:

"Hahaha, I'm on the floor! Blue Silver Grass as their totem? Now I know why they developed Soul Guidance Technology.

They had no hope of getting anywhere with Martial Soul cultivation~~

Ahem, Little San, I didn't mean you. Listen to me explain! Don't go, Little San—"

[Douluo Continent · Resting Fire Phoenix Ma Hongjun]:

"You, the one surnamed Ye! I'm right here on the Douluo Continent. Come if you've got the guts!

Who are you trying to scare?!

I'll say it right here: if you can make it to the Douluo Continent, I'll stand on my head and shit!

And even if you do come, so what? One blast of my phoenix fire will burn that lousy Blue Silver Grass to death!

My phoenix fire may not be even one ten-thousandth as powerful as Senior Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe's, but beating you would still be a breeze.

Little San, don't be mad. I know your Blue Silver Grass is immune to fire. You're different from them!"

[Blue Silver Continent · Academy Lecturer Ye Jian]:

"Fine. I, Ye Jian, will remember those words. I hope you're still laughing so happily when the time comes!"

Heaven Dragon Douluo paid no attention to the comments overhead. His gaze remained fixed on Red Dragon Douluo across from him. If the other side refused the Martial Soul duel, he had no other option.

Seeing that Ye Gucheng had applied about as much pressure as needed, Red Dragon Douluo spoke slowly.

"In terms of rank, His Highness the third prince commands the empire's Wanderer fleet. I am merely a guard;

in terms of status, His Highness is the reigning emperor's third son. I am merely an imperial elder.

So whether we agree is for His Highness to decide."

Only then did Heaven Dragon Douluo suddenly realize that every move made by the Wanderer warship had been ordered by Ye Gucheng. His face grew strained.

Ye Gucheng's words had cut too deep.

Still, he looked toward the crimson mecha.

"Heh. You want a Martial Soul duel? Fine. But what do we get if we win?"

Heaven Dragon Douluo fell silent.

Someone spoke from the sky instead.

[Sun Moon Continent · Emperor Xu Rulin]:

"Best of Five: one match each at the Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, Titled Douluo, Super Douluo, and Limit Douluo levels. Each side will send five fighters to compete in that order. No methods beyond Martial Souls and Soul Bones may be used."

"If the Blue Silver Empire wins: the Sun Moon Empire will lift its border blockade. Citizens, diplomatic missions, and merchant caravans from the Blue Silver Empire may travel freely throughout Sun Moon territory, without obstruction or inspection;

the Sun Moon Empire will also apologize for its rash actions and pay compensation in the form of relevant strategic resources.

I, Xu Rulin, will publicly apologize to the Blue Silver Empire."

"If the Sun Moon Empire wins: we will offer the resources of our entire nation in exchange for the Soul Tool Technology behind these mechas and Battle Armor. People from the Blue Silver Empire may still enter and leave the Sun Moon Empire freely, provided they strictly follow the rules agreed upon by our two nations."

"What do you say to those terms?"

Everyone could see what those terms meant: the Sun Moon Empire was backing down!

The sight left Xue Ye and the Star Luo Emperor heartsick.

As emperors themselves, they understood better than anyone. Put in Xu Rulin's place, they knew just how agonizing this must be for him.

The next moment, a message drifted across the sky.

[Blue Silver Continent · Emperor Ye Wudi]:

"Agreed."

The agreement was struck, and heaven and earth fell silent.

The people of the Sun Moon Empire were torn by humiliation, regret, relief, and a tangle of other emotions that left them struggling to breathe.

At least they had been allowed to save one last shred of face.

The battlefield was soon ready, right there on the beach. Each side's fleet and troops were stationed behind its fighters.

Heaven Dragon Douluo stepped forward.

"For the first round, the Soul Saint Match, does His Highness the third prince have someone in mind?"

The sea breeze blew as the armor over Crimson Typhoon's chest cockpit slowly opened. A handsome young man floated out.

His eyes were sharp as swords, his bearing as fine as jade, and he moved with the grace of a god. He seemed nothing like the crimson mecha that had charged about with such boundless swagger.

"As it happens, this prince is a Soul Saint, so naturally, the first match is—"

Before he could finish, a blue-and-white streak of light shot in from the horizon. It had already surpassed the speed of sound, leaving sonic booms rolling in its wake. Wind pressure carved a long ripple across the sea as it raced to the center of the battlefield like wind and lightning.

"Haha, just in time!"

"Third Brother, you've had all the limelight."

"Of course this match is mine!"

The voice was clear and lively, but what appeared before everyone was a blue-and-white mecha, roughly the same size as Crimson Typhoon. Its unusual design stood out, especially the two prominent wings on its back. It was clearly built for speed.

"Ninth Sister, what are you doing here?"

"Hmph! Why can't I be here?

I want to fight in this Soul Saint Match!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Stay put."

"No! I won't!

I'm a Soul Saint too. Why can't I fight?"

"That's not what I mean. Your third brother is here, so why would you need to lift a finger?"

"Hmph. You can't even beat—"

Ninth Princess Ye Qingqiu was about to let something slip, but Ye Gucheng hurriedly cut her off.

"Ahem. Fine, fine. You can fight!"

All Ye Gucheng could do was pray the opposing Soul Saint could take a beating. At the Soul Saint level, this young lady truly had no equal.

Even he had been beaten until he called her "big sister" several times.