The Asura God's fingertips caressed the cold blade of the Asura Demon Sword, his scarlet divine eyes half-closed.
The mysterious man's words, "Dark Turmoil is coming," were like a sharp, chilled thorn, stuck firmly in his heart, impossible to shake off.
Within the temple, crimson divine light flowed silently. The once solemn and peaceful divine kingdom was now faintly shrouded in a lingering gloom in his perception.
The Divine Realm has been peaceful for far too many years.
Since the end of the Dragon God War, the Dragon Clan has been fragmented, the Nine Great Dragon Kings have scattered and fled, and the Divine Realm has established rules and taken control of the order of the heavens and planes. For a long time, there has been no great chaos that has been able to shake the foundation of the Divine Realm.
Each god has their own role: the Angel God, the Sea God, the Food God, the Nine-Colored Goddess... all the Gods adhere to the established order, and the cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation in the mortal realm slowly operates within the orbit they tacitly approve.
As the chief god of law enforcement in the Divine Realm, the Asura God wields the power of judgment and slaughter, and is the sharpest blade in this system of order.
He was used to judging right and wrong, eliminating variables, and nipping any potential disaster in the bud.
Previously, he only regarded Su Zui as a pawn who accidentally jumped out of the chessboard, an anomaly who connected with the luck of Soul Beasts and wanted to break the cycle of hunting.
In his prediction, as long as he eliminates Su Zui, the new path of Soul Spirit Symbiosis will naturally be cut off, the surge in Soul Beast fortune will gradually decline, everything will return to its old course, and the hidden dangers will disappear without a trace.
But just now, that being who embodied all living beings appeared out of thin air, sealed his divine sense with a single word, and revealed the secret of the Dark Turmoil with a single sentence, completely disrupting all his plans.
He wasn't afraid of Su Zui, Gu Yuena, or even the remaining dragon remnants lurking in various planes. But the phrase "Dark Turmoil sweeping the universe" made the alarm bells in his heart ring wildly.
If this turmoil were to truly occur, would even the Divine Realm be unable to remain unscathed?
The Asura God slowly stood up, his blood-red robes trailing behind him, the hem brushing against the cold jade steps of the temple. His brows were furrowed, and he pondered repeatedly in his mind.
That being possessed unfathomable power; with a single thought, it could lock down a plane of time and space, and with a single glance, it could dissolve his deadly attack. He had no way of knowing whether what the other party said was a warning or a deliberately woven lie to force the Divine Realm to compromise and allow the Soul Beast Clan to rise.
What if this is a trap?
Using the pretext of so-called Dark Turmoil, they would loosen the suppression of Soul Beasts, wait for Soul Beast fortunes to fully recover and a large number of Beast Gods to be born, and for the dragon race's power to make a comeback. Then, in coordination with that mysterious being, they would launch a siege on the Divine Realm.
The horrific scenes of the battle against the Dragon God were still vividly imprinted in his Divine Soul memory, even after millions of years.
The Milky Way shattered, divine corpses scattered, countless Gods perished, and the boundaries of the Divine Realm were torn apart by Dragon Power —all because he did not wish to experience a second catastrophe.
He absolutely cannot gamble.
The peace of the Divine Realm cannot be disrupted by any unknown risks. Regardless of whether the Dark Turmoil is real or not, he cannot stand idly by and watch things develop in the direction the other party has indicated.
"Issue the order: summon all the chief gods to the Divine Realm Center immediately to convene Divine Realm Conference."
The deep voice echoed in the empty Asura God Temple, without the slightest ripple, yet carrying the unquestionable majesty of the Enforcement God.
The divine messenger, who was hovering outside the temple and responsible for delivering messages, trembled, bowed to accept the order, and transformed into a streak of blood-red light, scattering to various divine kingdoms.
Streams of divine light pierced through the clouds of the Divine Realm. In the Angel Temple, the divine palaces of the Sea God Island, the Life God Temple, and other divine kingdoms, the Gods who sensed the summons stopped their cultivation, their expressions varied, and they set off to converge on the Divine Realm Center.
The Asura God gripped the Asura Demon Sword firmly, his gaze piercing through layers of clouds, looking towards the Douluo Continent.
"Whatever your hidden motives, I will have all the Gods decide this matter at this grand assembly. The variables in the Douluo Plane, the Soul Spirit Path, and that so-called Dark Turmoil must all be thoroughly investigated."
He would not rashly descend to the mortal realm alone again; the lesson from that attack was still fresh in his mind.
But as a law enforcer, order is his bottom line. He wants to bring all the main gods onto the same chessboard, weigh the pros and cons together, and decide on the next course of action for the Divine Realm.
The lower realm, the Star Dou Great Forest, at the bottom of the Lake of Life.
After the spatial and temporal confinement dissipated, the lakebed regained its vitality, with emerald green life spots drifting leisurely, and the water gently rippled, washing over the soft aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake.
Gu Yuena sat up straight, leaning against a smooth crystal from the bottom of the lake. The golden dragon blood remaining at the corner of her mouth had slowly receded, but her face was still pale. The Dragon God Origin had been injured, and it would not be able to fully recover in a short time.
She raised her hand and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. Her purple-gold vertical pupils fell on Su Zui, her expression solemn, no longer the probing scrutiny she had shown before.
She understood the significance of what had just happened better than anyone else.
That unknown being, who protected Su Zui, must have possessed strength that surpassed that of God King.
However, the most crucial thing now is to spread the Soul Spirit Method and continue to expand the fortune of Soul Beasts.
"We made an agreement."
Gu Yuena leaned forward slightly, her long, silver-blue hair cascading in the emerald green water. "You are responsible for venturing beyond the Star Dou, traveling to various parts of the continent, and spreading the method of Soul Spirit Symbiosis throughout Douluo. Break the conventional wisdom that Soul Masters must hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings, and allow more and more Soul Masters and Soul Beasts to form symbiotic contracts, continuously accumulating and stabilizing the clan's fortune."
She paused, her purplish-gold eyes unwavering. "And I, I will mobilize all the resources of the Star Dou —the essence of life, ancient elixirs, and the spiritual essence of the plane—to shower upon you, pouring out all my power to help you break through your shackles and ascend to godhood. You are the source of this new path. Only when you become a god will the Soul Spirit Path truly take root in this plane, and will it not be easily erased by a single word or divine punishment from the Divine Realm."
Qian Renxue stood quietly beside Su Zui, her Angel wings gently folding, and golden holy light spontaneously surrounded Su Zui, subconsciously protecting his aura.
Hearing their agreement, she wasn't surprised, but simply said softly, "However, only Su Zui has successfully formed a contract for this Soul Spirit Method. We don't know if other Soul Masters can successfully complete it. If only he can do it, this path won't lead us far."
This statement hit the nail on the head regarding Gu Yuena's concerns.
The Soul Spirit Method was created by Electrolux, and Su Zui was the first to successfully practice it.
For the Great Dao to become widespread, it must be replicable. If only Su Zui is able to form a contract with Soul Spirit due to special circumstances, then the so-called symbiosis is ultimately just an isolated case, unable to support the hopes of the entire Soul Beast race, let alone cope with the Dark Turmoil.
Gu Yuena raised her eyes and looked deeper into the Lake of Life. A long, drawn-out dragon roar echoed through the lake's undercurrents.
"I had planned this for a long time. I have a Three-Headed Scarlet King under my command, with 300,000 years of cultivation, and it is of the bloodline of Three-Headed Mastiff."
Su Zui was slightly taken aback. "What are you planning to do?"
"Let it form Soul Spirit Contract with Qian Renxue."
Gu Yuena looked at Qian Renxue, "Once the contract is formed, it proves that the Soul Spirit Method is not an opportunity unique to Su Zui. Under heaven, Soul Masters and Soul Beasts can all walk this path together."
Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at Su Zui with a questioning gaze.
Su Zui pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "It's possible, but there are risks. When the contract is formed, the Divine Souls are connected. If the laws become unstable, the backlash will harm both Xue'er and the Scarlet King."
"I am aware of the risks," Gu Yuena said calmly. "But if we want to verify the Great Dao, someone has to take the second step. The Scarlet King has followed me for hundreds of thousands of years, understands the stakes, and is willing to bear the price."
From the depths of the lake came the sound of deep, heavy footsteps.
Boom, boom.
The water parted to both sides, and a massive, three-headed dog, as large as a mountain, slowly emerged from the shadows at the bottom of the deep lake.
Its entire body was fiery red, with a faint molten luster flowing across its fur. Each of its three heads had a different expression. The left head was calm and reserved, the middle head had sharp, dagger-like eyes, and the right head had a gentle look. Its six vertical pupils swept over the crowd, finally settling on Gu Yuena, who let out a low whimper as if paying homage to her master.
A 300,000-year-old Soul Beast, the Three-Headed Dog Scarlet King.
Its massive body stood at the bottom of the lake, its dense earth and fire attribute Soul Power slowly spreading out, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression. Yet it did not show any hostility; its gaze fell on Qian Renxue with a cautious expression.
"Scarlet King," Gu Yuena said softly, "You know what you're about to do. The future of the Soul Beasts is in your hands."
The head in the middle slowly lowered, and a deep roar echoed from the bottom of the lake.
Electrolux's Divine Soul drifted over, a greyish-white light swirling around it. He carefully examined the Scarlet King, then looked at Qian Renxue, and slowly spoke, "Xiao Zui, you will preside over the contract and continue to strengthen your understanding of formations."
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, and the Twelve-Winged Blazing Angel wings slowly unfurled. Gentle and dazzling golden holy light flowed from her body, enveloping her.
She looked at Su Zui, a faint smile playing on her lips, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Su Zui stepped forward and gently took her hand in his. "Don't be afraid, I'll be right here. If anything goes wrong, I'll break the contract immediately."
Gu Yuena stepped aside, sat cross-legged, and mobilized the remaining Dragon God's Power to create a life barrier, isolating herself from external interference and preventing the remaining divine thoughts of the Divine Realm from spying on her.
"Let's begin."
Su Zui recited the ancient and obscure incantation from memory. Then, he raised his hand, and countless fine, gray-white and gold interwoven law runes flowed from his Divine Soul, weaving into a circular contract array in the air.
Half of the magic circle draws upon Qian Renxue's Angel God King Origin, while the other half extends towards the Three-Headed Scarlet King, creating a bridge connecting the Soul Masters and the soul Beast God.
The Scarlet King lowered his three heads simultaneously, restraining his ferocious Soul Power, and actively sent a wisp of his original divine Divine Soul into the magic array.
Qian Renxue closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and released her consciousness, allowing the magic array to guide her Divine Soul outward.
At the bottom of the lake, the magic circle slowly lit up, with golden and crimson light intertwining Entanglement!