The Call of Bloodline (Please Bookmark)

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Under the night sky, a pitch-black Soul Tool Helicopter glimmering with an eerie dark light passed through thin clouds and the frigid evening wind, entering that infinitely prosperous world.

Looking down from high above, it was a vast metropolis large enough to astonish anyone. Towering buildings stood row upon row, stretching endlessly like a forest of steel rising from the earth.

Traffic flowed continuously through the streets, headlights tracing streams of moving light like golden rivers racing through the city's veins.

The red light turned green, and in an instant, pedestrians poured forth, weaving past one another and blending with the traffic and the clamor of honking horns.

In the distance, the Ferris wheel's colored lights slowly revolved like an incomparably wondrous time machine, taking in all the city's prosperity and dreamlike splendor.

Yet the most eye-catching sight in this city was a tower-shaped structure far taller than all the others. Like a pillar of a divine palace, it towered over everything and pointed straight toward the heavens.

This was Shrek City, the most prosperous city on the Douluo Continent!

"Identity confirmed. Greetings."

An electronic voice received from outside sounded beside Qian Gu Qingfeng's ear. He did not move, his hands repeatedly stroking the two boxes carrying his children's ashes and the last traces of their lingering souls.

Three hundred meters away from the Soul Tool Helicopter, fifteen Soul Tool mechas of different colors and designs hovered in the air, supported by the kinetic force of their thrusters. They watched it depart until the Soul Tool Helicopter vanished into the darkness before turning back.

"Being able to fly over Shrek City at night... I'm sick of saying how jealous I am."

"Aren't you flying at night too?"

"How is that the same?"

"Just tell me, are you flying or not?"

"Captain, is that the Black Demon Soul Tool Helicopter? They say it can fuse with Soul Spirits, and it costs even more than your Black-level mecha."

"It's that badass?"

Inside the black humanoid mecha at the front of the group, a middle-aged man calmly withdrew his gaze and said indifferently, "Who knows? Enough. Continue the patrol."

As he spoke, the eight-meter-tall mecha, with its smooth lines and remarkably nimble appearance, gradually increased the energy output of the thrusters beneath its feet and on its back. Flames of light burst forth, propelling it forward.

The others swiftly shut their mouths and followed their captain, maintaining the patrol formation.

In Shrek City, the number one city on the Douluo Continent, there were thirty patrol squads led by black mechas.

Even Mingdu, the capital of the Sun Moon Federation, could not match such a configuration.

That was because these thirty mecha patrol squads had been jointly funded by two of the continent's strongest Soul Master powers: Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda.

Amid the howling wind, the Soul Tool Helicopter left behind the countless towering buildings and entered a special mountainous forest region known as the Spirit Realm.

This place fell exclusively under the Spirit Pagoda's jurisdiction. Even Shrek Academy had little authority to oversee it.

It all stemmed from ancient times. Back then, when Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao proposed expanding Shrek City, the Spirit Pagoda provided considerable assistance over the following years and was thus granted a plot of land to develop on its own.

Around the Spirit Realm's outskirts, a faint yellow glow flickered from time to time, like an inverted bowl shielding the area. Its strength was sufficient to withstand the simultaneous bombardment of ten Level 8 Fixed Soul Cannon Shells.

If pushed to its limit, it could even endure three Level 9 Fixed Soul Cannon Shells.

During the day, the core array within this Light Energy Shield continuously absorbed solar energy, requiring no manual recharging.

Generally, any relatively wealthy coastal city would possess a weakened version of this Light Energy Shield, mainly for resisting typhoon impacts.

Typical examples were several cities on the eastern side of the Douluo Continent, led by Skysea City.

When the Soul Tool Helicopter was still two hundred meters from the Light Energy Shield, several beams immediately swept out from the mountains. Once its identity was confirmed, ripples spread across the massive Light Energy Shield's surface, and an entrance large enough to admit it opened at once.

The Soul Tool Helicopter passed through and flew directly toward a villa halfway up the mountain, finally descending slowly onto a marked landing pad.

"Master, we have arrived."

A deep voice rang out, interrupting Qian Gu Qingfeng's thoughts, which had drifted far away for a long time.

He rubbed his brow and was about to rise when a pleasant, distant zither melody suddenly sounded beside his ear. Its penetrating power was so great that not even the Black Demon Soul Tool Helicopter's soundproof shield could block it.

His movements paused, and he sighed. "Youming, what do you think I should do?"

At his side, the humanoid Soul Spirit wreathed in pitch-black radiance froze for a moment. The flames of soul in its eyes flickered with confusion. "I don't know. But I can borrow the words you said when you left the Qian Gu Family to travel the world alone: things have come to this. I think... whatever you must face, you have to face it eventually."

"Yes." Qian Gu Qingfeng let out a long sigh. "I have to face it eventually."

The hands that could shatter mountains were trembling slightly at this moment.

Even when he had returned to the family years ago to challenge his younger brother, who had been more trusted by the family, before all those family members, he had never been like this.

Walking from the landing pad into the villa estate felt like stepping out of the noisy human world and into nature.

Qian Gu Qingfeng softened his footsteps and entered a bamboo grove.

At the center of the grove stood a pavilion. A gentle breeze drifted through it, rustling the bamboo and producing a soothing whisper.

But even more calming was the zither music carried on the wind.

Here, even violent fire elements could not help but settle down.

Yet Qian Gu Qingfeng's heart remained unsettled. As he gazed at the graceful figure seated cross-legged within the pavilion, his eyes flickered constantly.

Jade-like fingers swept over the snow-white zither. A faint cold mist surged from between the fingers plucking the strings. Xia Zheng Leng's delicate face bore a slight smile. As the strongest soundwave-type Soul Master of the current age, playing the zither had long become a hobby woven into her soul. Moreover, it was also the best way for her to seek an opportunity for a breakthrough.

"Qingfeng, your heart is in turmoil." Xia Zheng Leng's eyes remained closed as she spoke gently.

Qian Gu Qingfeng was not surprised that his wife had sensed it. The two had long understood each other's hearts.

"What is it?" Seeing that Qian Gu Qingfeng remained silent, Xia Zheng Leng asked with a smile. Her fingers continued plucking the strings, and under her control, the music grew even softer, as though it could wash away every worry.

Qian Gu Qingfeng looked at his beloved wife, his expression complicated. "A Nan and Yue'er... something happened to them."

Xia Zheng Leng's fingers abruptly stopped on the strings.

The melodious zither music came to an abrupt halt.

Even the air in the bamboo grove seemed to freeze.

Qian Gu Qingfeng said in a deep voice, "Not long ago, Dongfeng found another unknown Lesser World on the Star Luo Continent. To find a way to save Liujing, A Nan and Yue'er rushed in without waiting for an advance team to explore it. Sun Kong was worried about them, so he brought several people in after them."

"Inside, they found a small number of spiritual treasures beneficial to the soul, and that gave them hope. But because the Spatial Node connecting the Lesser World to the Douluo Plane suddenly became unstable and might close within four hours, A Nan and Yue'er feared they would not have enough time. They suggested splitting up halfway through. When they did, they encountered Evil Soul Masters."

"After a desperate battle, they perished together."

He did not explain too much, but the final sentence was especially difficult for him to say.

Xia Zheng Leng's breathing suddenly quickened. At some point, her tightly shut eyes had opened. Several strange dark glimmers danced in the depths of her placid eyes. In an instant, invisible soundwave Soul Power violently spread outward, and the bamboo grove seemed to be sliced apart by countless blades, cracks appearing everywhere.

Qian Gu Qingfeng reacted quickly, releasing his formidable Soul Power to cover the bamboo grove layer upon layer, preventing it from being torn apart. He said in a deep voice, "A Nan and Yue'er still have their final traces of soul intact. They wish to see Liujing one last time. Will you come with me? I will explain everything in detail afterward."

Xia Zheng Leng closed her eyes in pain.

"Alright."

In the villa's main hall, Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng stood side by side, staring silently at the two souls gradually dissipating before them.

After the two souls vanished, Xia Zheng Leng seemed to lose all strength. She fell back onto the sofa in a daze, covering her face with both hands.

For the white-haired to send off the black-haired had always been one of life's greatest sorrows.

Qian Gu Qingfeng's eyes were filled with grief as well, but his wife needed him more at this moment. Just as he was about to comfort her, a subtle ripple stirred within his normally still sea of consciousness, as though something had touched his perception.

Lowering his head to look at the Soul Tool storage ring on his finger, his gaze deepened.

Inside the warmly decorated bedroom on the eastern side of the villa.

A little boy who appeared to be five or six years old lay on the soft bed. Perhaps because he rarely saw sunlight, his skin was very pale and carried a faint cold glow.

He had remained unconscious like this for several months.

The breeze blowing in through the window gently stirred his sleek black hair, and everything seemed tranquil.

But at that moment, a crack streaked with lightning appeared out of nowhere on one side of the room. The next instant, something shaped like a pearl emerged from it. As though sensing the call between bloodlines, it swiftly fell onto the boy and silently melted into him like cotton candy meeting hot water.

The pace of this book is rather slow. I hope everyone can bear with it.