After a brief silence, Shu Yan put down the exquisite and beautiful wine cup in his hand. The crisp sound caused everyone to involuntarily raise their heads, all waiting for Shu Yan's next words.
Shu Yan's gaze swept over everyone, then he looked at Xu Jiawei and softly said:
"Imperial Brother, as everyone is gathered here today, I have another matter I wish to inform you about. This matter is of great importance, one could even say it is directly related to what the future World will become. It is no exaggeration to say this is something that can change the history of the Continent."
Shu Yan's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. Everyone's hearts trembled violently, their gazes fixed on Shu Yan. Xu Jiawei's hand holding the wine cup suddenly tightened, causing the wine inside to ripple. The expression in his eyes rapidly changed, in just a brief moment, he seemed to transform from a gentle and quiet neighborly big brother into a majestic and decisive emperor of a nation. Imperial pressure emanated, he slowly put down the wine cup, then said in a deep voice:
"A Yan, speak freely. There are no outsiders here, and even if there were, they would absolutely not be able to leave the Royal Palace alive."
What Xu Jiawei said was not an exaggeration. There are countless powerhouses within the Star Luo Royal Palace. As the strongest nation in terms of overall strength among the three major Empires on the original Douluo Continent today, the Star Luo Empire's strength is far more than what appears on the surface. The power hidden in the shadows is equally terrifying. Putting aside everything else, just considering the mysterious Great Consecration in the Star Luo Royal Consecration Hall, even though no one has ever seen his true appearance, Shu Yan is clear that this Great Consecration undoubtedly exists and his strength has absolutely reached an extremely terrifying level. This, he also analyzed from what Xu Jiawei said back then.
Shu Yan held Xu Jiujiu's hand under the table, then spoke word by word:
"Has Imperial Brother ever considered that Limit Douluo is not the limit for humans? Whether it was the Divine War ten thousand years ago or the later ascension of the Seven Gods, this undoubtedly proves one point, which is that Gods truly exist, and this is a realm that humans can reach through cultivation and opportunities..."
"Over the past ten thousand years, talents have emerged on the Continent, making it even more prosperous than the era ten thousand years ago. But until now, no one has been able to recreate the grand scene of the Seven Gods. Is this because the talents over the past ten thousand years were insufficient or for some other reason? No one can provide a definitive answer..."
Speaking of this, Shu Yan paused slightly for a moment. The hall was terrifyingly quiet, even the faintest sound of breathing seemed to have completely disappeared. Xu Jiawei stared intently at the constantly rippling wine in the cup before him, lost in thought.
The four Title Douluo exchanged glances in secret. The expressions on their faces were filled with doubt and surprise, but after exchanging glances, the four of them simply remained silent. At this moment, their only role was to be mute. If they spoke carelessly, they would definitely bring unnecessary trouble upon themselves.
Seemingly sensing that the content Shu Yan was speaking about was gradually heading in an extremely sensitive direction, the expression on Xu Jiawei's face changed again. He waved his hand, interrupting Shu Yan, then his gaze turned towards the location of the four Title Douluo. The four of them, under Xu Jiawei's gaze, except for Suixing Douluo, almost simultaneously got goosebumps, as if what was staring at them was some monstrous flood beast.
Seemingly sensing Xu Jiawei's intention, Giant Force Douluo and Heavenly Fiend Douluo beside him exchanged glances. The two of them stood up at the same time and said without any hesitation:
"Your Majesty, this matter can be considered Your Majesty's family affair. We, your subjects, will not participate further. What we have heard and seen today, we swear by our Martial Souls and our own souls that we will not reveal a single word to the outside, otherwise our Martial Souls will shatter and we will die on the spot."
After a long while, Xu Jiawei gently hummed in acknowledgment. Giant Force Douluo and Heavenly Fiend Douluo were relieved. Their figures instantly vanished from the hall.
Suixing Douluo and Xingyun Douluo also exchanged glances, a hint of concern appearing in their eyes. They hesitated to move. Xu Jiawei slowly turned his head, thought for a moment, and then said:
"Retire. Regarding today's matter, with that person watching over it, you don't need to worry. Just stay on the outer perimeter."
Suixing Douluo and Xingyun Douluo were startled at first, then after regaining their senses, they seemed to remember something, and their expressions quickly became serious. They stood up and bowed, then their figures also instantly vanished, without the slightest hesitation.
There is no doubt about the loyalty of the four Title Douluo to the Star Luo Empire, but given their status and position, they are temporarily not qualified to be privy to everything he said afterward. Leaving now is also a good thing.
Snow Empress calmly watched the four Title Douluo leave one by one. She looked at Xu Jiawei with a slightly higher regard. At the very least, she saw in him the courage and composure of mind that an emperor should possess. This quality is quite rare nowadays.
This interlude caused a momentary look of worry to appear on Xu Jiujiu's face, who had been sitting by and watching the show. But soon, under Shu Yan's comfort, Xu Jiujiu could only let out a soft sigh and continue to sit silently beside him. She knew that at this moment, she, the Star Luo Princess, was undoubtedly the person with the least right to speak in this grand hall, bar none.
Shu Yan just smiled slightly at this, cleared his throat, and continued:
"Since the birth of the Douluo Plane, who knows how many years have passed. The seas have turned into mulberry fields, stretching endlessly. The human body is not even as insignificant as an extremely tiny mayfly in this long and vast river of time. But precisely because of this, the path of cultivation slowly gained its fundamental meaning and desired goal."
"When humans can obtain more powerful strength through cultivation and hunting Spirit Beasts to absorb spirit rings, human greed will be infinitely amplified. After experiencing the privileges and differences brought by strength, the human desire for even greater power will also increase day by day. The limit of lifespan will become a shackles restricting human growth. All of this has been passed down for who knows how long since the birth of Martial Souls, cycling repeatedly, until this era."
"As I said, most powerhouses will strive their best to climb upwards. This is due to their status and even their own mindset. And I am almost no different from such people."
Shu Yan suddenly chuckled. His slightly unrestrained laughter sounded particularly crisp and loud in the grand hall. Everyone stared intently at Shu Yan, but Shu Yan remained unmoved, only finally saying:
"Imperial Brother, this matter is actually very simple. You know, with my current talent, the Title Douluo or Super Douluo realm cannot be my endpoint. Limit Douluo is very strong, but it also cannot satisfy my ambition. What I truly want is to reshape everything that happened ten thousand years ago... I yearn to possess power that surpasses everything and infinite time. The dream of eternal life is as ethereal as clouds and smoke, but it is still enough to make many people flock to it. In some aspects, Snow Empress and Ice Empress are willing to partner with me, partly because they see my talent and the characteristics of my own Martial Soul, and another reason is the curse that monster beasts cannot become Gods and the threat of the next heavenly tribulation."
Shu Yan slowly stood up, wisps of cold air slowly emanating from him. The ice-blue mist was like a dream, turning everything it passed into a World of ice and snow. A figure of an exquisitely beautiful woman, seemingly in a hazy dream, slowly condensed behind Shu Yan. Looking closely, she bore some resemblance to Snow Empress...
The next moment, five black spirit rings slowly rose into the air. At the same time, Xu Jiawei could no longer restrain himself and crushed the wine cup in his hand. Even Xu Jiujiu, who was sitting beside Shu Yan, couldn't help but fall into a daze. She truly hadn't expected that in just eight months, Shu Yan's spirit power had directly jumped to the Soul King level, and the five spirit rings he possessed were all ten-thousand-year spirit rings, while his current age was merely just over thirteen years old...
With the facts laid bare, everyone had to carefully reconsider everything Shu Yan had said before.
The talent Shu Yan displayed was truly too astonishing. It's no exaggeration to say that even the Sea God, who emerged victorious in the Divine War ten thousand years ago, did not achieve such accomplishments at this age.
Just as the atmosphere in the grand hall was slowly solidifying, Snow Empress, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke:
"He is right. We are all believers in eternal life. Having clearly determined that the path ahead is almost completely cut off, we indeed chose a completely different path, a new path without any precedent. And this path is creating Gods, or more simply, creating Gods with the power of mortals. And Ice Empress and I are naturally participants and contributors on this path of creating Gods. If Shu Yan succeeds, we will share the results with him. Conversely, the outcome is very simple and clear."
After Snow Empress's voice fell, Ice Empress, who was sitting beside her, also spoke:
"This Empress was initially skeptical of this path as well, but later, Shu Yan's appearance indeed gave us a glimmer of hope. At least, this Empress is unwilling to accept a predetermined outcome. Even if it means defying the heavens, at least if we fail in the end, we can die without regret..."