Chapter 269: Cooperation (Part 1)

"Everyone, seize the time to cultivate. Every bit of strength we increase now adds a bit more to our certainty, and increases the hope of rescuing them by a bit more. In a few days, I will have Dean Yan take everyone to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for the Soul Rings you need."

Huo Yuhao was still encouraging this temporarily assembled team; this rescue operation had, after all, been formed under the demands of Xuan Lao and the Three Great Empires.

Although Xuan Lao had very tactfully asked for Su Yu's opinion before the operation, the answer he received left Xuan Lao deeply disappointed.

Why?

Because there was absolutely no hope!

The brief conversation was as follows.

Xuan Lao: Do you have any thoughts on this operation by the Three Great Empires?

Su Yu: None!

Xuan Lao: Why?

Su Yu: No reason.

Xuan Lao:???

Su Yu: If you all think you can do it, then go ahead; in any case, I am not going.

Xuan Lao: Aren't you a citizen of the Star Luo Empire, kid?

Su Yu: My mother is from the Sun Moon Empire, and my father is from the Star Luo Empire.

Xuan Lao:!?! What are you trying to do, kid?

Su Yu: Let me correct you: I just don't want to go and die for nothing.

Xuan Lao: Is this your reason for being afraid of death?

Su Yu: No, I just think what you are doing is completely meaningless.

………………

And that was the end of it; Xuan Lao couldn't be bothered to ask anymore. Su Yu's attitude said it all.

The last trip to the Sun Moon Empire left the Three Great Empires severely weakened, and the biggest beneficiaries of this incident were all on the side of the Sun Moon Empire.

Even now, those people in the Three Great Empires still haven't figured out why the contingency plans they left behind were so easily dismantled by the Sun Moon Empire; this point even made the Three Great Empires suspect whether there was a traitor in their midst.

How could such an important matter have such a loophole?

Of course, these conjectures were confirmed after a large-scale investigation later on: there was absolutely no traitor; it was purely that the Three Great Empires had been played for fools.

This is reality.

The common people at the bottom of the Three Great Empires did not know the current situation; they only knew that a battle had occurred between the Three Great Empires and the Sun Moon Empire in Mingdu, and the specific outcome remained unknown.

But the current situation placed a severe problem before the Three Great Empires.

How should they announce their current situation?

Should they directly announce that they had launched a large-scale attack on Mingdu, only to fail, resulting in the elite of the younger generation of the Three Great Empires being captured, and now the other side is demanding land and reparations to redeem them?

That definitely wouldn't work!

Not to mention how they would prove their actions were righteous, and not to mention whether the citizens of the Three Great Empires would support their decision, the mere fact that a terrorist attack on Mingdu had failed was indefensible!

Therefore, before they tore off the mask with the Sun Moon Empire, they absolutely could not let the Sun Moon Empire leak this matter!

Absolutely not!

Especially since the Sun Moon Empire had not yet declared war on the Three Great Empires; before officially entering a state of war, any terrorist attack was completely inhumane and morally indefensible. Not to mention the failure of the attack, and the fact that their people were still in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire—it was even more shameful...

Last time, when the Body Sect attacked Mingde Hall, the Three Great Empires didn't say anything on the surface, but secretly, they were all overjoyed.

For no other reason than that the Body Sect itself wasn't considered "good guys" in the eyes of the public, and they had attacked Mingde Hall; seeing two hated parties get together and fight each other was nothing but joyful.

But for the Three Great Empires to launch a joint operation and attack Mingdu without a declaration of war, the nature of the matter had truly changed; the moral high ground was gone.

Such a thing being shameful was a small matter; the fear of inciting the emotions of the citizens of the Three Great Empires was the real issue. Once they lost the hearts of the people, it would likely be much harder for the Three Great Empires to make preparations during wartime.

Not to mention, the Three Great Empires, if taken individually, were currently being crushed by the Sun Moon Empire...

Furthermore, the Sun Moon Empire had produced a heaven-defying, peerless genius; now, whether it was tearing off the mask or launching an all-out assault, both were incomparably difficult tasks.

Even if they wanted to fight, the first one to disagree would be the Heaven Soul Empire, as it was clear they would be the first to be hit. Not to mention the Sun Moon Empire's army was now pressing on the border; let alone striking first to gain the advantage, it was uncertain who would strike first at all.

The Body Sect had raided the Sun Moon Empire twice. The first time, they took advantage of the Sun Moon Empire's lack of preparation and caused massive destruction in Mingde Hall. The second time, they had just finished bombing Mingdu when, the very next second, the enemy manipulated their own Soul Guidance Devices, leading their own people into the enemy's encirclement...

There was no need to mention the tragic events that followed; even now, the Master of the Body Sect was still being held in a dungeon, beaten half to death by Luo Yu.

Compared to starting a war, the Three Great Empires hoped for a truce lasting a hundred years or more.

The only way out for the Three Great Empires now was to honestly farm and light up their technology tree. In the current situation, unless some of their Douluo suddenly achieved enlightenment, ascended from the earth, and stepped into the realm of Super Douluo or Peak Douluo, there was nothing that could rapidly increase their strength in the short term.

Most of the younger generation had fallen into the hands of the Sun Moon Empire, and there was extremely little they could do now.

Sun Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.

"It has been a month since I left. Do you still want to rush out and risk your life against the Holy Spirit Cult?" Luo Yu sat quietly on the sofa in the living room, looking at the vibrant Ye Guyi opposite him.

Ye Guyi's expression remained very cold. "I want to join Mingde Hall."

Luo Yu nodded and said, "It seems this month wasn't spent in vain. Your brain isn't stupid; you've made a wise choice."

"What do you want to get from me?" Ye Guyi scrutinized the young man before her, secretly condensing soul power in her hand.

Luo Yu shook his head. "I am not interested in you; I am not interested in anything about you. What I value is your potential and talent. If you are willing, I think we can sit down and have a proper talk."

"Talk about what? Talk about you wanting me to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Cult?" Ye Guyi sat down on the opposite sofa, her cold eyes filled with undisguised disgust.

Luo Yu said, "No, if you are willing, the future operation to settle accounts with the Holy Spirit Cult can be entirely entrusted to you."

Settle accounts with the Holy Spirit Cult?!

Ye Guyi felt that the young man before her was crazy. In the Sun Moon Empire, the Holy Spirit Cult had already infiltrated every major industry in the country, and had even colluded with the royal family. The young man before her actually wanted to settle accounts with the Holy Spirit Cult!

"You heard me right, settling accounts with the Holy Spirit Cult. Looking at our current strength alone, we indeed cannot settle accounts with the Holy Spirit Cult, but if the time is ripe in the future, this malignant tumor that is the Holy Spirit Cult must be liquidated."