Unified Continent

Bi Ji stood quietly amid the ruins, where the smoke of battle had yet to disperse. Her emerald-green hair drifted gently in the wind, every strand seemingly pulsing with the rhythm of life and gleaming with a lustrous sheen beneath the sunlight.

She wore a simple white gown, its hem embroidered with delicate green-vine patterns. As it swayed with her steps, the vines seemed to come alive and slowly unfurl.

Most astonishing of all was the pair of jade-like wings behind her. Every feather was crystal-clear, radiating a gentle aura of life. With each soft beat, they scattered specks of emerald light.

A faint sorrow rested on her exquisite face. Her emerald eyes, like two clear pools, reflected the devastated Star Luo City before her.

Her slender brows drew together slightly as her long fingers unconsciously brushed the Jade Pendant hanging from her chest.

"Why did it have to come to this?" Bi Ji's voice was like a clear spring striking stone, carrying a slight tremor. "Those soldiers, those civilians..."

Solomon turned around. The thirteen-year-old boy had not yet fully grown, and his white Holy Son robe snapped in the wind, yet he somehow carried an authority that inspired confidence.

He looked up at the Jade Swan, who stood far taller than him, a steadiness far beyond his years appearing on his youthful face.

"Senior Bi Ji." He called softly, gathering a ball of gentle white light at his fingertips. Countless images emerged within its glow.

Young soul beasts being hunted down, dying soul beasts having their soul rings stripped away, and human soul masters slaughtering one another over soul bones.

"You've witnessed too many scenes like these, haven't you?" Solomon's voice was soft, but every word was clear. "Humans and soul beasts have fought for tens of thousands of years. Hatred has long seeped into their bones. To end this cycle..." He waved away the images and pointed at the ruins beneath their feet. "Sometimes, the most drastic methods are necessary."

"Besides, I said that those who surrendered would not be killed. The ones who died were all diehard conservatives who resisted most fiercely. Those people had to die, and the great ship of the new era had no room for them anyway."

Bi Ji's wings drew in slightly, and ripples stirred in her jade-like eyes.

She saw a savage scar on the boy's fair wrist, left by a sneak attack when they had first stormed Star Luo City.

"Do you know? If you want true peace, it must be accompanied by the most brutal sacrifices. The sacrifices being made now all have value." Solomon suddenly revealed a pure smile. At last, it made him look like a thirteen-year-old child. "And if one day my death could bring about lasting peace, I would offer my life without hesitation."

Those words were like a single drop falling onto a tranquil lake.

Bi Ji's pupils widened slightly. What she saw burning in the boy's eyes was a resolve so pure it was almost frightening.

That light of self-sacrifice for an ideal reminded her of the female soul beasts deep within the Star Dou Forest, who faced Titled Douluo head-on to protect their young.

"But can such slaughter... truly bring peace?"

"This isn't slaughter." Solomon gently took Bi Ji's slightly cool hand and pressed it against his chest. "It's surgery. Just as rotten flesh must be cut away for a wound to heal."

His heartbeat was steady and strong. "The Star Luo imperial family insists on the traditional practice of hunting soul beasts. If they do not die, more soul beasts will die."

The roar of collapsing buildings came from afar, but Solomon did not turn around. He merely watched Bi Ji intently. "You believed that I could create a world where humans and soul beasts coexist peacefully. It was because of that trust that you signed a contract with me in the first place. So I cannot let you down." His voice lowered slightly. "Sister Bi Ji, please continue to trust me with all your heart."

Bi Ji felt dazed.

She had lived for a hundred thousand years and had seen too many human lies.

Yet at this moment, the light in the boy's eyes made her want to believe him despite herself.

She even had a blasphemous thought: perhaps compared to the Silver Dragon King sleeping within the Lake of Life, the boy before her was more suited to lead the soul beasts.

A crystal-clear tear slid from the corner of Bi Ji's eye, refracting a dazzling gleam in the sunlight.

She gently clasped Solomon's hand in return. Her jade wings fully spread, and the falling motes of light enveloped them both.

"Of course I am willing to believe you." Her voice was soft, yet it sounded like the most solemn oath. "But promise me that you will not speak so lightly of sacrifice. Peace needs the living to protect it."

"Alright." Solomon had barely agreed when he suddenly felt an impact from behind. He staggered two steps before steadying himself.

"Well, well, Brother Sol, are you getting all lovey-dovey with Sister Bi Ji alone?" Xiao Wu was also thirteen, and her figure had begun to develop. Hanging from Solomon's back now, she weighed much more than before.

Xiao Wu hooked her arms around Solomon's neck and stubbornly refused to let go of his back. "Brother Sol isn't allowed to look at other women! We're the ones who grew up together!"

This silly rabbit. Solomon did not know whether to laugh or cry. One hand supported Xiao Wu's bottom while the other tapped her forehead.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't I tell you to assist Gabriel?"

Xiao Wu's cultivation had now reached three rings, and she had contracted Da Ming and Er Ming ahead of schedule. Soul beast Pokemon Contracts were founded on mutual willingness. As long as both sides were willing and their affinity was sufficient, things like age limits did not matter at all.

That was precisely why Solomon had allowed Xiao Wu to take part in this war.

Xiao Wu unhappily bit Solomon on the shoulder. "What is there for me to help Sister Gabriel with? No one can beat her anyway, and I haven't been with Brother Sol in so long~" She buried her head in the hollow of Solomon's shoulder and neck, greedily breathing in his warm scent.

Bi Ji stood beside them. Instinctively, she felt somewhat uncomfortable, yet she could not explain why.

Solomon said helplessly, "Yes, yes, I understand."

Not long afterward, in just over a month.

The Star Luo Empire officially declared its destruction, while the Heaven Dou Empire had already been conquered by Lucifer's forces.

Empires both great and small were fully absorbed into Spirit Hall.

The Spirit Hall Empire was finally established!

Meanwhile, Tang San was still undergoing the contract master assessment at Spirit Academy in Nuoding City.

After wasting some time, Tang San quickly discovered that he possessed the talent to become a contract master. His spiritual power was incomparably strong, allowing him to draw Contract Arrays faster and with greater precision.

Relying on his years of study, he was already able to draw contract arrays skillfully.

As long as he passed the assessment today, he would become a soul beast contract master. Spirit Hall's soul beast contract masters received a monthly stipend of five hundred Gold Soul Coins, along with subsidies of all kinds.

It could be said that this profession was the privileged class of the new era.

Tang San, after all, would not fade into obscurity so easily.