In the Sky Curtain, a man dressed in imperial robes suddenly rose to his feet.
His golden eyes shone like the sun, as though he could see them in the past through the river of time.
Under the gaze of those tranquil eyes, everyone felt a sudden unease, as if they were no more than insignificant ants.
That gaze, that pressure—it was simply too powerful.
In an instant, an aura no one present could resist quietly unfurled!
Majestic!
Supreme!
It made them want to submit!
"Boom—"
The image gradually froze at that moment.
A new evaluation appeared on the Sky Curtain.
[He—the Heavenly Dao Emperor, who acted in accordance with Heaven's way!]
[He was born an emperor. With an iron fist, he once unified the entire continent, and even the Sun Moon Empire, allied with the Holy Spirit Cult, was defeated with ease!]
[By himself, he shattered God King Tang San's schemes of ten thousand years, making humanity powerful enough to threaten the lofty Gods.]
[At the deliberate instigation of the mastermind behind the scenes, this set the War Between Humans and Gods in motion...]
[He joined forces with the Silver Dragon King, keeping all the Gods beyond the continent. In the end, he paid an enormous price to seal the passage between the Divine Realm and the Douluo Continent, buying humanity precious time to catch its breath!]
[His existence laid the foundation for the Human Race's rise, allowing humanity to truly stand tall!]
[The will of Douluo revered him as its savior, and the Soul Beast Clan rallied behind him!]
[He single-handedly ushered in an era that belonged exclusively to the Human Race!]
At that moment.
Everyone's eyes went wide.
He'd shattered God King Tang San's schemes of ten thousand years all by himself, making humanity powerful enough to threaten the lofty Gods. In the end, he'd joined forces with the Silver Dragon King to keep every God beyond the Douluo Continent.
How was that possible?!
"From this moment on, Gu Tian is to be named the first heir to the Star Luo throne. When the time is right, I will abdicate."
Xu Jiawei's gaze sharpened as he immediately issued this secret order. Then he looked at those present. "Venerables, who is willing to protect him in secret?"
Xu Jiawei had originally planned to issue this order after Gu Tian married Xu Jiujiu.
But now that he knew of all Gu Tian's future achievements—
What was there to hesitate about?!
The future prosperity of the Star Luo Empire, and even the entire Human Race, depended on him.
Xu Jiawei was an ambitious ruler who strove tirelessly to unify the continent. He had the vision to understand this.
What was more, if the future truly unfolded as the image showed, then the Star Luo Empire would effectively become synonymous with the entire Human Race.
The Star Luo Empire had hit the jackpot without lifting a finger.
At his words, the nine Venerables' eyes burned with excitement.
Secretly protecting Gu Tian before he had grown strong meant forging close ties with him—perhaps even binding themselves directly to his cause.
They would rise and fall together.
The benefits they could gain were obvious.
Besides, they would get to witness the rise of the Heavenly Dao Emperor step by step—and even take part in it. They would have no regrets in this life!
"I'll do it," Azure Luan Douluo said first, after a long silence.
"Elder Ye, you're the very pillar that keeps our Star Luo steady..."
Shattered Star Douluo stepped forward, speaking with righteous conviction. "My martial soul, Shattered Star Light, has the special ability to tear through space. In a pinch, I can take the little fellow and flee. Let me do it instead!"
"Are you sure?"
Azure Luan Douluo glanced at Shattered Star Douluo. "After that thing in the sky revealed everything, the little fellow has become a target for everyone."
"The Sky Soul and Dou Spirit Empires are hard to predict, but the Evil Soul Masters and the Sun Moon Empire will absolutely do everything in their power to kill him before he can grow!"
"..."
Shattered Star Douluo's face stiffened slightly at that.
The other Venerables who had been eager to volunteer also sobered up at once.
Their deaths would be a small matter. But if Gu Tian died because they weren't strong enough to protect him, they would become sinners in the eyes of the entire Star Luo Empire—and the whole Human Race.
"Even I can't guarantee that I'll keep the little fellow safe."
As he spoke, Azure Luan Douluo's expression grew grave.
"Senior Ye, you're a Rank 97 Super Douluo. The Sun Moon Empire's strength lies in its Soul Tools, while its individual fighters are generally mediocre. Surely they can't hurt the little fellow with you there?"
Xuanji Douluo raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion.
He was the commander of the Star Luo Empire's First Spirit Master Legion and had fought the Sun Moon Empire for years. He knew his old enemy's strengths and weaknesses well.
"My concern isn't the Sun Moon Empire. It's the Evil Soul Masters as a group." Azure Luan Douluo shook his head and explained what worried him.
"Old Cang, are you saying the Evil Soul Masters have already grown into a major force?" Wang Xian'er furrowed her brows.
"Wasn't that revealed up there?"
"The Sun Moon Empire has joined forces with the Holy Spirit Cult."
"Even after that man unified the entire Douluo Continent, he still couldn't completely wipe out the Holy Spirit Cult."
Azure Luan Douluo looked up at the Sky Curtain above them. "If my guess is right, the Holy Spirit Cult is made up of Evil Soul Masters. There may even be a Rank 99 Limit Douluo among them."
"A Rank 99 Limit Douluo Evil Soul Master? How is that possible?!"
Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu cried out in disbelief. "Ever since the Black and White Twin Dragon Saints vanished, there hasn't been another Rank 99 Limit Douluo on the continent. How could the Evil Soul Masters have someone at that level?!"
His martial soul was the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star, an extremely unusual martial soul that had awakened on its own at birth. His relatives and friends had died one after another, leaving him condemned to a life of solitude.
In a sense, it was a special kind of Evil Martial Soul.
It was hard to say whether Huang Jinxu was lucky or unlucky. He'd cultivated all the way to Titled Douluo without ever encountering anyone from the Holy Spirit Cult, and instead had joined the Star Luo Empire through a twist of fate.
"When I was young, I suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a woman in the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. She was a very beautiful woman."
"She was the only female Soul Master in that tournament who could stand against the Black and White Twin Dragon Saints in their youth."
Azure Luan Douluo closed his eyes, a look of nostalgia crossing his face. He said something that seemed completely unrelated. "Even now, I still don't know what her martial soul was. I only remember how bizarre it felt."
"Old Ye, if I remember right, the woman you're talking about was called Ye..."
Wang Xian'er thought for a moment, then spoke with some uncertainty.
She and Azure Luan Douluo belonged to the same generation, so she had taken part in that tournament too.
"She was called Ye Xishui. I'll never forget that name."
Before Wang Xian'er could finish, Azure Luan Douluo cut her off.
Even now, he still remembered the woman who had handed him the first crushing defeat of his life.
"Elder Ye, are you saying that the hidden Rank 99 Limit Douluo among the Evil Soul Masters is that woman, Ye Xishui?"
Xu Jiawei's brows knitted together.
"I don't know."
Azure Luan Douluo shook his head. "I can only be sure of one thing: if she's still alive, she'll definitely reach Rank 99 Limit Douluo."
"..."
Other than Wang Xian'er, the others exchanged silent glances.
"I agree with Old Ye. Ye Xishui was one of the three most dazzling prodigies of her era. It makes no sense for the Black and White Twin Dragon Saints to have become Rank 99 Limit Douluos while she didn't."
Wang Xian'er pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "But, as Old Ye said, that's only if she's still alive."
"Xian'er, I heard you mention before that old Mu En is still alive."
Azure Luan Douluo spoke up suddenly.
"That's right. There's an extremely powerful, violent aura inside Mu En. It's already affected his heart and dantian, and cracks have spread through them like a spiderweb. Even I can't do anything about it."
Wang Xian'er nodded. "I'm afraid he won't live for many more years."
"As long as Mu En isn't dead yet, that's enough. I'm going to find him now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Azure Luan Douluo disappeared from where he stood.
"Wang Lao, Elder Ye's..." Xu Jiawei turned to Wang Xian'er, as if he'd realized something.
The other Venerables also looked toward Wang Xian'er.
"That little fellow isn't only the future emperor of our Star Luo Empire. He's also the future master of the Sea God Pavilion."
Wang Xian'er smiled kindly, her words carrying an unspoken meaning. "Besides, perhaps Mu En is the only one who can tell us the truth about Ye Xishui."
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