Huo Qiqiang

Chapter 19: Huo Qiqiang

Douluo Continent, Extreme North, Eternal Forbidden Land, Frozen Cave

The ice slowly melted away, and a man who had been frozen for tens of thousands of years gradually opened his eyes. He moved his body, took a deep breath of icy mist, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

"Finally, I have returned to Douluo Continent. Rather than watching from the Divine Realm all this time, perhaps experiencing this world firsthand has more meaning," he said softly.

"Yuhao, you're back." Snow Empress, who had been guarding the Eternal Frozen Cave all this time, spoke with a trace of relief in her voice.

Huo Yuhao nodded. "This body is called Huo Qiqiang. It will also be my identity as I travel Douluo Continent from now on."

"How has the resource collection gone over these years, Snow Empress?" Huo Yuhao asked.

Snow Empress replied, "Everything has been stockpiled within the Eternal Forbidden Land, awaiting your use."

Huo Yuhao nodded, then began inspecting the warehouses one by one. Precious materials for refining Profound Water Pills and Soul Ascension Pills in the future, Whale Rubber for improving one's physique, rare materials for crafting Soul Tools—everything was there. It could be said that the resources stored within the Eternal Forbidden Land were enough to build several superpowers like the Clear Sky Sect.

For Huo Yuhao, who had been born ten thousand years later and had learned in the Divine Realm about the continent's development over the next ten thousand years, every technique he possessed, even the cultivation methods derived from the Mysterious Heaven Skill, could easily bring dramatic change to this era. Simply revealing Soul Tools would be enough to plunge Tang San, who aspired to establish the Tang Sect and carry forward its glory, into deep despair.

Yet Huo Yuhao had not altered this era too much. He hoped that when Tang San returned to this time, it would remain in its original state, carrying the feeling and warmth of home. Then, at a critical moment, he could bring out these treasures.

Just as Huo Qiqiang's attention was drawn to those treasures, a rough voice came from the direction of the Divine Temple. "Who dares trespass into the Eternal Forbidden Land!"

The voice arrived along with immense Soul Power. Just as the man was about to attack Huo Qiqiang, Snow Empress stepped forward and raised her fair hand, blocking the incoming giant hammer of Soul Power.

"How presumptuous! Get back!" Snow Empress shouted, sending the other party flying.

Huo Qiqiang got a clear look at the newcomer. He was a muscular man with bronze-colored skin and hair standing upright like steel needles. He held a massive hammer in his hand, while nine Soul Rings surrounded him—eight black and one red.

This man was called Tang Chen. His current identity was the Great Enshrined of the Eternal God, and he was responsible for guarding the Eternal Forbidden Land.

At that moment, he was staring at Snow Empress with an uncertain expression.

"Tang Chen, do you know whom you just attacked?" Snow Empress rebuked him.

"I never displayed any characteristics that would identify me, so it is understandable that the Great Enshrined mistook me for an intruder." Huo Yuhao looked at Tang Chen with amusement. "In fact, it shows our Great Enshrined's loyalty to the Eternal Forbidden Land. Let him withdraw."

Seeing that Huo Qiqiang had no intention of punishing Tang Chen, Snow Empress did not pursue the matter further. "Did you hear him? Get back and guard the core of the Eternal Tower."

"Yes." Tang Chen respectfully answered Snow Empress. In the end, he gave Huo Qiqiang a puzzled glance before retreating.

"Next, I plan to travel the continent openly." Huo Qiqiang snapped his fingers. His Soul Power immediately surged to the pinnacle below godhood, while nine Blood Red God-Bestowed Spirit Rings circled his body. "Do you think this is too conspicuous?"

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Snow Empress asked.

"Of course," Huo Qiqiang replied.

"Yes!" Snow Empress said bluntly.

"Fine, then it's better not to be too conspicuous." Huo Qiqiang snapped his fingers again, and his aura immediately plummeted. His strength fell from that of a Rank 99 Limit Douluo to a Rank 97 Super Douluo, while his Soul Rings changed into yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red.

"This should be about right." Huo Yuhao said, "Continue carrying out the continent-wide resource collection plan. I'll leave the Eternal Forbidden Land to you."

Snow Empress nodded. "As you command."

After bidding Snow Empress farewell, Huo Yuhao left the Extreme North and began traveling across Douluo Continent in this era. He could clearly sense the differences between this time and Douluo Continent ten thousand years later.

Comparing the two eras, Huo Yuhao could say that this era was backward, yet civilized; while Douluo Continent ten thousand years later was advanced, yet barbaric.

This era was still a primitive age. Without the inheritance of Soul Tools, it lagged behind Douluo Continent ten thousand years later as a whole. Yet the order of this era was relatively stable, whereas ten thousand years later, it could only be described as utter chaos.

Spirit Hall was the villain created by Douluo's first era, but its existence brought no harm to commoners. Those who regarded it as an enemy were the nobles. The villain of Douluo's second era was the Holy Spirit Cult, a group of genuine Evil Spirit Masters. Wherever they went, living beings suffered devastation as they grew stronger through slaughter and bloody calamities.

It was not as though there were no Evil Spirit Masters in Douluo's first era, but they could only hide in the shadows. In Douluo's second era, Huo Yuhao came to deeply understand the suppressive power of the Angel Martial Soul against Evil Spirit Masters. Thinking about it carefully, during Douluo's first era, when Angels served as Pope generation after generation, Evil Spirit Masters had no room to operate at all. They flocked to the City of Slaughter in search of their freedom.

But if they had a choice, would these criminals choose to walk openly across Douluo Continent, or choose the confined freedom of the City of Slaughter?

However, that era was soon brought to an end. Tang San destroyed the City of Slaughter under the pretext of eliminating a land of sin. But while a City of Slaughter could easily be destroyed, could the evil in people's hearts be so easily eradicated? The answer was no.

After Spirit Hall was destroyed, none of the forces Tang San left behind—the Clear Sky Sect, Shrek, or the Tang Sect—could replace Spirit Hall as a force with absolute suppressive power over Evil Spirit Masters.

What one could see in Douluo's second era was the campus life of noble young masters and ladies, saving the world. What one could not see were remote mountain villages and small towns being massacred by Evil Spirit Masters. Only Huo Yuhao, who had personally lived through that era, understood that the truth of the Peerless Tang Sect era was far more than the superficial portrayal in novels.

The awakening of Martial Souls also differed between the two eras. In Douluo's first era, setting aside Spirit Hall's Angel inheritance and Bibi Dong's later founding of a nation, Spirit Hall's fundamental nature was closer to that of a public welfare organization than a religious institution. Awakenings were free. Even if you had talent but did not wish to join Spirit Hall, no one would force you, and you could still receive a monthly stipend. That was simply unimaginable in Douluo's second era.

In Douluo's second era, although there were also people who came to awaken Martial Souls, it was different from the era of Spirit Hall. Soul Master awakenings were controlled by nobles and sects, who charged fees to awaken the Martial Souls of people within their own territories. Thus, they possessed the most basic Soul Master awakening data, knew who was talented, and knew who was willing to serve them. Talented Soul Masters willing to serve their families could receive training. As for those unwilling, they had ways to make them willing—or destroy them, delay their talent, and leave them with nothing for the rest of their lives.

The recommendation letter system was a class barrier designed by the nobility. Only those who obtained recommendation letters could enroll in school, allowing nobles and schools to tightly monopolize educational resources. Schools provided nobles with convenient admission, while talented Soul Masters willing to pledge loyalty would also receive recommendation letters to attend advanced Soul Master Academies such as Shrek Academy. Soul Masters who entered through recommendation letters would be bound to that force for life, just as Huo Yuhao had enrolled through the Tang Sect and thus became bound to it.