After the ancient imperial dynasty's palace was annihilated, Zhou Yan left his territory and returned to it. The remaining matters were left for the territory's people to handle, no longer requiring his personal command.
Although the ancient imperial dynasty's imperial city was destroyed, the entire country still had numerous cities and vast wealth that could not be let go. Zhou Yan was a thrifty person and would absolutely not waste these resources.
The entire territory's hundreds of millions of soldiers had been deployed. These armies, with the imperial city as their center, were attacking the surrounding cities of the ancient imperial dynasty.
This would take a long time to completely conquer. During this period, Zhou Yan attended classes while watching the ancient imperial dynasty slowly perish in his hands.
The surrounding countries of the ancient imperial dynasty, though not taking action, were all watching the developments.
Upon hearing that the imperial city had been annihilated, many people from the ancient imperial dynasty began to flee with their wealth, heading towards surrounding countries.
These countries did not refuse them and accepted them.
"This Zhou Yan is indeed too strong. With just one person and one territory, he has managed to annihilate an ancient dynasty that has been passed down for countless years."
"I heard that Zhou Yan was ruthless, not only dismantling the ancient imperial dynasty's palace but also taking away everyone from the imperial city."
"The opponent's territory is truly vast, possessing so many soldiers. The soldiers dispatched from their territory are no less than five hundred million!"
"With so many soldiers, and many of them being aerial units, they have already conquered half of the ancient imperial dynasty's land."
"We accepted these civilians; hopefully, Zhou Yan won't hold a grudge."
"Rest assured, we inquired with them. They are not interested in these civilians at all. Their goal is the complete annihilation of the ancient imperial dynasty, but we should not make a move at this time."
"This Zhou Yan will not occupy the ancient imperial dynasty. After he destroys it, he will take all its wealth and leave the rest behind."
...
Zhou Yan naturally had no intention of staying in the ancient imperial dynasty. Once the ancient imperial dynasty was completely eliminated, his objective would be achieved. As for establishing a nation here, Zhou Yan had never considered it. His goal was the God Realm, so why would he linger in this place?
Zhou Yan's attack on the ancient imperial dynasty quickly spread throughout the entire Lord Continent, shocking countless people.
One person dared to eliminate an ancient kingdom. How much strength would that require!
Many initially disbelieved it, but after investigating, they obtained factual information, causing many factions to become uneasy.
Especially the Dark Imperial Dynasty, which had previously attacked Zhou Yan, was utterly stunned.
The ancient imperial dynasty, with a strength comparable to their own, had been annihilated just like that.
Who would be next?
It would certainly be them, as their country was also located in the God-Devil Continent.
The people of the Dark Imperial Dynasty began to feel restless and fearful, as Zhou Yan's strength was not exaggerated but forged through battle.
The annihilation of the ancient imperial dynasty would not take much longer. At the current pace, Zhou Yan would need only two months to completely clear out the entire ancient imperial dynasty.
Once Zhou Yan finished with the ancient imperial dynasty, the Dark Imperial Dynasty would likely be his next target.
Inside the Dark Imperial Dynasty's palace, the entire imperial family was filled with worry.
The current emperor of the Dark Imperial Dynasty, Laske Laurie, had already begun summoning officials from the entire dynasty.
"We will absolutely be Zhou Yan's next target. According to intelligence, Zhou Yan has already completely eliminated all hostile forces on the Canglan Continent."
"The annihilation of the ancient imperial dynasty will not take much longer. If we do not take timely action, our fate might be the same as the ancient imperial dynasty's."
Laske Laurie explained the gravity of the situation to everyone, hoping they would offer a solution.
The entire Dark Hall began a heated discussion. A civil official said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should actively seek peace and send an envoy to negotiate with Zhou Yan, asking what price he requires to avoid this war."
"Hmph! Your Majesty, our Dark Imperial Dynasty is not like those useless ancient dynasties. We must not seek peace; we should actively consolidate all our military strength. If Zhou Yan dares to come, we will ensure he never returns."
The military officials, unafraid of war, were confident and decisive.
"Are you all blind? The entire ancient imperial dynasty was no match for Zhou Yan. He is just one territory, and it's already on the verge of being wiped out. How can you fight him?" the civil official retorted.
"There is no precedent for our Dark Imperial Dynasty to retreat, and we absolutely cannot retreat. Otherwise, how can our Dark Imperial Dynasty establish itself in the God-Devil Continent?"
The military officials still insisted on their stance. If their entire country were forced to surrender by a single territory like Zhou Yan's, it would be a complete loss of face.
"Everything can have a beginning. Do you truly wish to gamble with the lives of all the citizens of our country and the tens of thousands of years of our Dark Imperial Dynasty's foundation before regretting it?"
The civil officials still insisted on seeking peace. This matter was not a joke; they had made comparisons and saw no chance of victory.
If there were a chance of victory, why would their Dark Imperial Dynasty bow? It was precisely because they saw no hope of winning that they wanted to avoid annihilation.
"Seek peace, seek peace, seek peace! You civil officials only know how to retreat. If we retreat one step today, we will retreat a second step tomorrow. Do we want all the countries on the God-Devil Continent to laugh at us?"
"All of us military officers are prepared to fight to the death. As long as we are still standing, we will remain at the forefront of the battlefield."
All the military officials of the Dark Imperial Dynasty stepped forward and said to Laske Laurie, "We request to fight and swear to defend the Dark Imperial Dynasty with our lives. As long as we stand, the enemy will not be able to destroy our country."
The civil official angrily said, "If you cannot even withstand a single move from him, will the entire Dark Imperial Dynasty be annihilated based on your words? Your Majesty, temporary forbearance is necessary. We have no need to fight Zhou Yan to the death."
"We don't believe he possesses such immense strength. Besides, you are completely looking down on our own country's army and our strength. Can't we military officers protect our own country?" the military official continued to argue.
"Whether to go to war also depends on the opponent. Shouldn't you consider how monstrous the opponent's territory is? Each of his attacks is enough to kill a demigod. He is an invincible existence in the lower realm. For the sake of preventing the entire country from being destroyed, what is wrong with forbearance?"
Watching the civil and military officials in the palace engage in a heated verbal dispute, Laske Laurie fell into deep contemplation.
Should they fight or seek peace?