Beginning

Ten thousand years had passed since the Sun Moon Empire unified Douluo Continent and was later renamed the Sun Moon Federation. Without internal conflict, the technology of the Human World had naturally entered a stage of rapid development.

The climb up the technological tree had brought an enormous leap in humanity's overall strength. With advanced Soul Guidance Technology, the soul beast clans could no longer contend with humans. Even the Star Dou Great Forest, once at the height of its glory, had declined in these ten thousand years, swept along by the tide of the era. Under humanity's constant logging, the Star Dou Great Forest had been reduced to less than one percent of its original area.

Even so, humanity had never stopped taking every kind of resource from Douluo Star. Supported by Soul Guidance Technology, humans gradually began to set their sights on the ocean. The Sea Soul Beast clans living in the Near Sea Area had long since become a very limited threat to humanity's various powerful warships.

Eastsea City, located on the Eastern Coast of the Sun Moon Federation, had rapidly developed over these thousands of years by relying on abundant ocean resources, becoming one of the leading great cities in the entire Eastern Part of the Sun Moon Federation.

However, because of its geographical location and natural climate, although Eastsea City's commerce was extremely prosperous, it had always remained tucked away in one corner. The main reason was typhoons.

Eastsea City bordered the coast, so being hit by typhoons was common. And this typhoon seemed fiercer than any before.

The sky seemed to have collapsed. Dark, oppressive storm clouds rolled amid the howling wind, and bean-sized raindrops poured down with the gale. Waves dyed the same color by the sky battered the shore, giving off low rumbles. The coast itself seemed unable to bear the impact of the waves and looked on the verge of crumbling. Occasionally, chunks of rock slid down and were swallowed by the waves without a trace.

If this had been the Primeval Era, when faced with such an oversized typhoon, a Natural Disaster, humans could only choose to take shelter and temporarily flee the region. But today was different from the past.

Eastsea City, a new-generation city built with advanced soul guidance technology integrated into it, already had the capital to contend with the mighty power of nature. Amid the raging wind and rain, the Building Complex within the city stood firm. The outer layers of several buildings over five hundred meters tall in the center of Eastsea City even flickered with faint, luminous white light. That was the Soul Guidance Barrier enveloping the entire building. The soul power absorbed from sunlight and accumulated on ordinary days had been prepared precisely for this moment.

The top floor of the third building was an independent large flat. This flat covered at least over five hundred square meters, and many areas were built from some special transparent material, like translucent, dark-blue crystal.

An old man who looked to be in his sixties sat quietly in a spacious study. Outside the Crystal Floor-to-Ceiling Window behind him, wind and rain lashed wildly, while the inside of the study was warm and comfortable. Separated by a single window, they seemed like two completely different worlds.

The old man was of medium build and did not look eye-catching. His hair was graying, he wore glasses, and he had something of a scholarly air. But his eyes were extremely wise and calm. There was none of that lofty scrutiny about him; he seemed more like someone who remained unflustered after having experienced many things.

All sorts of signs showed that the old man's identity was anything but ordinary.

And that was indeed the case. As the Dean of Eastsea Academy, Yu Zhen possessed a status almost no lower than the Chief Executive of Eastsea City.

Eastsea Academy had both intermediate and advanced academy qualifications. Although it could only rank in the lower-middle tier across the entire continent, over the years, it had likewise taught many outstanding students. Among these students, some chose to go to other advanced academies for further study, while others chose to join the military or enter politics.

After several decades of accumulation, his network of connections was astonishing.

It was just that Yu Zhen usually kept a very low profile, always hiding his depth. Only after something that happened recently did the high-level power holders of Eastsea City realize just how terrifying the network behind this Dean of Eastsea Academy truly was.

Not long ago, Yu Zhen's only grandson had suddenly fallen into a coma without any warning. In just a few short days, several top healing-type Soul Masters had rushed to Eastsea City from all over the continent. Among them were even three healing-type Soul Masters with cultivation above Soul Sage.

It was no exaggeration to say that healing-type Soul Masters of this level would receive absolute courtesy anywhere on the continent. Even top-tier powers like Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy, which transcended the rules of the Sun Moon Federation, thirsted for such talent just as much.

After treatment from these healing-type Soul Masters, Yu Zhen's only grandson's condition stabilized before the typhoon made landfall. This was something that made Yu Zhen feel exceptionally fortunate.

And just as he had breathed a sigh of relief, a figure appeared soundlessly in the study where he was.

His rich experience and unflustered mindset allowed Yu Zhen to remain calm at this moment. Sitting behind the simple and elegant red sandalwood desk, he lifted his head and looked up at the middle-aged man standing before him.

The middle-aged man had a slender build without especially bulging muscles. He was handsome, and the lines of his face were sharply defined. His snow-white military uniform was ramrod straight without a single wrinkle, further setting off his cold, steady bearing. On each of the middle-aged man's shoulders, there was even a general's star.

"Major general?" Yu Zhen's expression finally changed as his gaze fell on the middle-aged man's shoulders.

"You..."

Although the Sun Moon Federation had never restricted ordinary people from joining the military, without a doubt, compared to ordinary people, Soul Masters possessed innate advantages. And every officer in the Sun Moon Federation above the rank of major general was a powerful Soul Master. At the very least, they possessed cultivation above Titled Douluo, and it was even highly possible they were the strongest among Soul Masters, Battle Armor Masters.

Yu Zhen's brows could not help but furrow slightly. He thought of certain matters, and a faint, stifling feeling rose in his heart.

Taking all of Yu Zhen's change in expression into his eyes, the middle-aged man also involuntarily clenched both fists. Deep in his eyes, a trace of shame and grief appeared. After pondering for a moment, he straightened his back, suppressed his emotions, and gave Yu Zhen a solemn military salute.

"Deputy commander of the Blood God Legion, Long Tianwu."

After doing this, Long Tianwu took two blood-red identification documents from his chest. Under the illumination of the Soft Soul Guidance Lamp, that vivid blood-red was so glaring.

The first page of the documents was written with the owners' information:

Chief of Staff of the Blood God Legion Headquarters, Yu Heng.

Blood God Legion staff officer, Nan Xi.

These were not merely documents proving identity. They also meant that the owners of the documents had already died in the line of duty.

The torrential rain outside the window continued, mixed with lightning and thunder.

Yu Zhen sat blankly in his chair, his eyes dim, his pupils unfocused. He seemed to have aged greatly in an instant as he lowered his head and murmured emptily to himself.

"Blood God Legion..."

Long Tianwu drew in a deep breath. His expression was grief-stricken, yet it also seemed bathed in endless glory.

"Elder Yu, because of the special nature and absolute secrecy of the Blood God Legion, Yu Heng and Nan Xi could not possibly reveal any information about the Blood God Legion to you. But I must tell you that everything they did over these years was for all living beings on Douluo Continent. No one can erase the contributions they made to the continent, or even to Douluo Star."

Yu Zhen slowly raised his head and looked through the study door toward the room to the south. A little light and warmth returned to his eyes. His voice was calm, but it clearly carried a hint of desolation.

"If possible, tell me about him and Xiao Xi..."

Yu Zhen's calm reaction was somewhat beyond Long Tianwu's expectations, as if he had known something beforehand. However, Long Tianwu, who already felt guilt in his heart, did not ask further. He simply began recounting some of Yu Heng and Nan Xi's experiences in the Blood God Legion back then, as well as how they had ultimately sacrificed themselves in that battle against the Abyss Plane.

After all, from the very beginning, Long Tianwu had been prepared to tell Yu Zhen the truth. As a father who had lost his son and daughter-in-law, Yu Zhen had the right to know these things no matter what.

This was the only insistence for which he did not hesitate to violate the Blood God Legion's absolute secrecy rules.

Of course, Long Tianwu's actions had received the tacit approval of all the Blood God Legion's high-level members.

No one knew how long had passed before Long Tianwu's figure vanished again, as if he had never appeared.

Yu Zhen had already arrived in the master bedroom on the south side of the large flat. The decorations in the room were not too extravagant, but the materials used in every place were all of extraordinary quality. Even the curtains were woven from the silk of Century Ice Silkworms. In an era where soul beasts were nearly extinct, this material was extremely rare.

Fortunately, the Ice Silkworm clan lived in the Extreme North Land, a forbidden zone for humans, allowing their clan to continue existing until today.

Long Tianwu's own martial soul happened to be compatible with the properties of Ice Silkworm Silk. Because of the Soul Power Fluctuation he had left behind when he departed, the soft, bright-white curtains were giving off a faint fluorescent glow, like a sky full of stars.

Yu Zhen slowly withdrew his gaze, his expression gentle as he looked at the little boy lying on the bed, deep in sleep.

In truth, he had long had guesses about what his son and daughter-in-law were doing, beginning from the year they handed the newborn Yu Nanyuan over to him.