Peerless Douluo: Blood of the Black King Nidhogg!

Chapter 177 If there were no me in the world, how many would claim to be kings, and how many would claim to be emperors? (4K)

"Roar……"

Apophis's low growl startled Orange, making her eyes widen. She had an urge to turn and run away immediately, thinking that this terrifying monster had come after her again and was about to cause a new disaster.

But what happened next completely stunned her. The ferocious beast, capable of destroying half an empire, actually lowered its head respectfully after letting out a low roar.

It even hummed contentedly under the young man's caresses, just like any other pet dog kept by a noble family.

Even though Ju Zi was terrified, she finally realized that the terrifying beast was the young man's pet!

Having understood all of this, Orange was at a loss for words to describe her feelings; countless questions flooded her mind.

What exactly is this black behemoth? And who is this young man? What is his level of strength? Is he a Limit Douluo, or...?

Orange dared not think any further. Just then, she saw the young man with his back to her about to turn around, revealing his mysterious face.

Two delicate, willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows adorned her captivating eyes. She had a high, straight nose, lips as thin as cicada wings, skin as white as snow, and a face as white as jade. She was as perfect as if sculpted by the heavens, and at first glance, she seemed like an immortal descended to earth.

Besides that, there were those bright golden eyes that were exactly the same as in my memory.

The air fell silent. Orange's beautiful eyes widened slightly, her pupils contracting first and then dilating due to her distraction.

She knew of Mo Yuan's existence and that he was a peerless genius from Shrek Academy, but that was all she knew. She had no specific information about him, including his appearance.

Partly because she herself wasn't very interested in these things, and partly because this information seemed to be deliberately blocked from her.

Just as Ju Zi was momentarily lost in thought, Ye Guyi couldn't bear to watch any longer and coughed lightly twice.

"Cough cough!"

Hearing the deliberate cough, Ju Zi finally came to her senses. After a moment of silence, she slowly bowed to Mo Yuan.

"Thank you, senior, for saving me."

"No need. This is just a fair trade. You give up your fate, and I'll save your life."

Mo Yuan said in a calm tone, his gaze towards Ju Zi was as still as a deep well. He didn't have any other thoughts about saving Ju Zi; he just wanted to do it, so he did it.

There was no reason, nor was a reason needed. As for the deal, it was real. The deal was done, and the fate of the orange was now wrapped around his hand like a thread, at his mercy.

"Fate..." Orange murmured softly, then looked up cautiously and asked, "What exactly do you mean by fate? What will happen to me after the transaction?"

"You'll find out later."

Mo Yuan casually replied, then turned around and continued to stroke Apophis's scales. In the battle with the Demon Emperor, this big guy was almost unharmed, while the Demon Emperor was severely injured and fled to the deep sea with his badly wounded body.

If he hadn't secretly ordered that the Demon Emperor not be killed now, Apophis would have already gotten serious and killed the Demon Emperor completely in a short time. That's the power of a peak second-generation species.

"Oh……"

Unable to get an answer, Orange was a little discouraged. After confirming several times that Apophis was not interested in her, she walked lightly to the deck and sat down awkwardly on a beach chair.

The atmosphere fell silent once more; apart from the sound of the waves and Apophis's low growl, no one uttered a single word.

In this atmosphere, Orange couldn't help but feel uneasy. After struggling with the decision for a long time, she could only let out a helpless sigh.

"Ask whatever you want, no one here will eat you." Ye Guyi's voice came from under the books, revealing no emotion.

"Uh...okay, okay," Ju Zi paused for a moment, then looked at Ye Guyi and then at Mo Yuan, her eyes flickering as if she understood something.

Seeing that Mo Yuan didn't react, she hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "Um... senior, where are you from? Are you also from the Sun Moon Empire? Or perhaps Douluo originally belonged to one of the three great empires? Or maybe you're from Shrek Academy?"

“Neither,” Mo Yuan patted the scales on his body, and after Apophis reluctantly dived back into the sea, he turned to look at the puzzled-looking Orange and continued,
"We do not belong to any nation on this continent. As for where we come from, well, the Soul Masters of ten thousand years ago liked to call our organization..."

"Secret Party."

Orange fell silent again. The amount of information contained in those few words was too much for her to process at once. However, there was no doubt that the Secret Party must be a powerful and ancient organization.

The Secret Party... it must be a reclusive sect like the former Body Sect, right? I just don't know the exact level of the Secret Party's strength...

"You must have been living in seclusion for a long time, right? Why are you walking on the continent again now?" Orange asked again.

"Heh, now?" Mo Yuan shook his head and chuckled, saying meaningfully, "Who said we were just born now? Maybe one of the powerful figures you know is actually from the Secret Party?"

The chilling words startled Ju Zi, then she saw Mo Yuan smile playfully and continue...
"Just kidding. The truth is as you said. We have been in seclusion for tens of thousands of years and have only recently re-emerged to walk in the world."

"As for the purpose, I think we should have a lot in common on this topic."

Hmm? A common goal? Orange's doubts deepened. She couldn't understand what Mo Yuan meant. Before she could ask, Mo Yuan continued.

But the very next sentence she uttered shocked her to a degree that was comparable to the feeling she had when she first met Mo Yuan.

"I bet you're wondering what the Secret Party's goal is, right? Miss Orange, who's obsessed with revenge and unifying the continent."

Mo Yuan's voice was soft, but to Ju Zi it was like a thunderclap. "You..." A storm raged in Ju Zi's heart, and a deep sense of fear filled her.

How did he know my past and my hatred, and how did he know my true purpose?! Is this the effect of exchanging fates?

Looking at Mo Yuan's faint smile, Ju Zi took several deep breaths to calm herself down and quickly tried to recall everything that had just happened. After a moment, she said in a serious tone,

"You... no, so the purpose of the Secret Party's re-emergence and movement in the world is to unify the entire Douluo Continent?"

"You could say that, but the real reason is that the person we're looking for wants to be the emperor who reigns supreme, so the secret society decided to do the same. It's that simple."

"This..." Orange was speechless. She had thought the Secret Party was an ambitious, reclusive sect, but who would have thought that their desire to unify the continent was simply because someone wanted to do it.

What do you take unifying the world for? Drinking water and eating?! You bastards! Don't make it sound so simple and indifferent!

The thought that her goal, for which she was willing to pay any price, was described so simply by others made her feel incredibly conflicted.

"Hoo..." Ju Zi exhaled a deep breath, cleared her jumbled thoughts, and looked up at Mo Yuan, saying with certainty, "So you saved me and made a deal with me in order to cooperate with me so that the person you're looking for can achieve his goal?"

Mo Yuan laughed, his laughter scornful. "Cooperation? I think you've misunderstood something. Even if everything goes according to your plan, you still won't be able to unify the continent in the end."

"Why?" Orange frowned, somewhat unconvinced.

If everything goes smoothly, whether she or Xu Tianran is in power, the three empires that originally belonged to Douluo Continent and Shrek Academy will have no power to resist the military might of the Sun Moon Empire, and unification will be just around the corner.

"Why? Ha, let me ask you, even if you clear away all obstacles, so what? The Douluo Continent now is not ruled by Soul Masters or Emperors, but by Tang San, who became a god ten thousand years ago."

"What good is an empire if you possess it in the face of gods and absolute power?"

Mo Yuan looked down at the astonished Ju Zi, then changed the subject, his smile playful.
"However, there is a solution. After all, Tang San is not some pure and innocent good person. What he cares about is not the unification of Douluo Continent, but whether the person who unifies Douluo is his dog."

"So, is your Sun Moon Empire interested in being a dog for an old dog?"

Ju Zi knew Tang San and knew that Tang San was the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils who had become gods over ten thousand years. Even though they were from the Sun Moon Empire, they couldn't help but feel awe towards him.

After all, those are high and mighty gods, and the gap between them is greater than the gap between an ant and a human.

That's why she was so shocked after hearing what Mo Yuan said. Part of it was because she didn't expect her plan to have such a big change, and another part was because she was surprised by Mo Yuan's understanding of Tang San and his undisguised contempt and disdain for Tang San.

Considering that Mo Yuan said the Secret Party had been passed down for tens of thousands of years, the more Ju Zi thought about it, the more she felt that what Mo Yuan said might be true.

And upon closer examination of Mo Yuan's words, an even larger and more unbelievable conclusion becomes apparent.

Ju Zi suddenly raised her head and stared at Mo Yuan. Although it was a question, her tone was very certain: "Does the Secret Party have the ability to contend with the gods?"

Mo Yuan smiled, but instead of answering Ju Zi's question directly, he started talking about other things.

"What do you think is the greatest evil in the world? Is it what people usually understand as arrogance, wrath, greed, lust, or sloth?"

Without giving Ju Zi a chance to answer, Mo Yuan suppressed his smile and said seriously, "It's war, a meaningless war. In the midst of gunfire and bloodshed, every vibrant life could be taken away by death in the next second, without any warning. It's like a sickle cutting through straw. Soon, without any ripples, it's as calm as if it were the most natural thing in the world."

Upon hearing these words, Ju Zi's heart suddenly pounded violently. The word "war" brought back a memory she had kept sealed deep within her heart that she did not want to recall: her parents who had died at the hands of the Star Luo Empire because of the war.

Mo Yuan continued, “In my eyes, an unjust war is when a peasant’s child travels thousands of miles to kill another peasant’s child, and in the end the nobles shake hands and make peace, the merchants return with their full loads, and only the elderly parents and young children weep at the tombstone.”

"Most people tend to focus on generals with illustrious military achievements, admiring, worshipping, and even worshipping them as gods, while ignoring the countless bones of ordinary people they trampled underfoot. Is this right? I don't think so."

Orange was completely stunned. She slowly raised her head and stared blankly at the mysterious young man in front of her with an expression she had never seen before.

From birth until now, this is the first time anyone has spoken to her like this, and the first time anyone has had this thought. She didn't, Xu Tianran didn't, and even ordinary people don't.

Even though her goal was also to ignite war in the world, she could not deny what Mo Yuan said. The reason was simple: her parents had died in the war, and they were just ordinary civilians.

Mo Yuan continued, "What I mean is not to reject all wars or the unification of the continent. After all, true peace is achieved through fighting. Only by uniting the four seas can we prevent large-scale wars between nations."

"But this is Douluo Continent, a world where all great powers can be gathered in one person. So now a new path lies before us: to sweep everything away in a very short time with absolute personal power, and to make all the high and mighty emperors bow down to us with unparalleled strength!"

Ye Guyi removed the book from her face, sat up, propped her face up with her hand, and quietly looked at Mo Yuan with a fascinated smile on her face, her golden hair flowing like water.

Looking at the stunned Ju Zi, Mo Yuan continued, "Now you can give me an answer: will you continue to be driven by hatred to launch a war that is doomed to failure, or will you join us and, while seeking revenge, prevent the tragedy of your past from happening again?"

Mo Yuan said all this just to try to change Ju Zi's mind. After all, if she insisted on going her own way, it would go against his own ideas. If she could understand, then he would help her. If she couldn't, then it would be useless. Mortals are mortals after all.

Even if it disrupts his own plans, he doesn't mind lending a hand to this woman with a troubled fate.

Ju Zi opened her mouth as if to say something, but then frowned slightly. She was struggling with her thoughts. Mo Yuan seemed to remember something at this moment and continued to speak.

"I think that many years after the war ends, someone might jump out and accuse us of doing the wrong thing, citing all sorts of evidence. This is not a small possibility, after all, there are always fools in every world, aren't there?"

"When that time comes, I think I'll tell them something like this: fools might not understand, but there will always be someone who does," Mo Yuan said, looking into Ju Zi's eyes, enunciating each word clearly.
"If there were no me in the world, I wonder how many people would claim to be kings and how many would claim to be emperors?"

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind blew his black suit, making it flutter like a banner. The young Dragon King exuded an awe-inspiring majesty, making people look up to him involuntarily.

(End of this chapter)