Martial Soul Awakening, Moon Devil Zhou Lan!

The next day.

At the deepest part of the Worship Hall stood the Angel Sacred Hall.

This was the most solemn place within the Worship Hall, second only to the Angel God Temple. Normally, only the Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu and a few Enshrined could enter.

And today, all seven Enshrined had gathered here for the martial soul awakening of a six-year-old child.

The interior of the Sacred Hall was vast and lofty. A colossal statue of the Angel God stood within, casting down solemn golden radiance.

Even the air seemed frozen beneath a heavy, sacred pressure.

Ye Chen wore a brand-new white formal suit as he stood in the awakening area at the center of the Sacred Hall, where intricate array patterns had been inscribed.

Before him, seven figures stood in a semicircle. Merely standing there in silence, they were like seven insurmountable mountains, emanating an immense presence that made the air stagnate.

At the center, standing foremost, was the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu.

He appeared to be in his forties, with golden hair and golden eyes. His face was ancient and imposing, and though he wore a simple white robe, he seemed like the embodiment of light itself. His aura was as vast as the sea, unfathomable and immeasurable.

To Qian Daoliu's left stood, in order, the Second Worship Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Third Enshrined Qing Luan Douluo, and the Fourth Enshrined Mighty Lion Douluo.

To his right stood the Fifth Enshrined Guang Ling Douluo,

as well as the Sixth Enshrined Qian Jun Douluo and the Seventh Enshrined Falling Devil Douluo, the two brothers whose similar faces carried steady yet sharp auras.

Other than Pope Bibi Dong, every top-tier expert of Spirit Hall had gathered here.

Such a lineup had assembled solely to witness a child's awakening!

"Xiao Chen,"

Qian Daoliu spoke. His voice was calm, yet filled with authority and power. "Step forward."

Ye Chen did as instructed, taking several steps forward and standing steadily at the core of the Awakening Array.

Beneath his feet was cold, hard special Soul Conductor Metal, its carved patterns flowing with faint golden energy.

"Close your eyes. Focus your mind. Stir the resonance deep within your bloodline and call upon the power that belongs to you."

Qian Daoliu did not use an external awakening stone. At their level, their own Soul Power was the finest medium of guidance.

He slowly raised his right hand and pointed into the air with his index finger.

Buzz—

A pure, condensed beam of golden light containing the ultimate aura of holiness and radiance shot from his fingertip and entered the core of the array.

The entire array activated in an instant. Countless complex golden patterns lit up, and gentle yet vast sacred power surged forth like a tide, enveloping Ye Chen.

This sacred power had originally been meant to guide the source of the martial soul deep within his bloodline.

However,

the instant that sacred power touched the dormant force within Ye Chen—

a sudden change occurred!

The power of Moon Devil Zhou Lan, which had lain silent for six years, seemed to have been provoked and erupted violently!

Boom!

The golden holy light enveloping Ye Chen suddenly shook and twisted violently.

A viscous, profound dark-purple energy, as though it could devour all light and warmth, surged wildly from Ye Chen's body.

It swept back with unstoppable force, corroding the sacred golden light around it!

Within only a few breaths, more than half of the awakening area that had originally shone with brilliant golden light was stained with a heart-palpitating dark purple!

That color was as deep as a black hole,

cold and heavy...

"Hm?!"

Even the steady Golden Crocodile Douluo could not help but narrow his pupils.

Mighty Lion Douluo raised his thick brows.

Qian Jun Douluo and Falling Devil Douluo both trembled slightly.

"Xiao Chen!" The playfulness on Guang Ling Douluo's face vanished completely, replaced by shock and concern.

Qing Luan Douluo's breath abruptly caught. Although he knew his grandson had possessed an unusual constitution since childhood, that his Spiritual Power far exceeded that of ordinary people, that he was often troubled by strange dreams, and that a cold, stagnant aura lingered within him,

this phenomenon of awakening still far surpassed his expectations!

Even a trace of surprise flashed through Qian Daoliu's calm golden eyes.

He clearly sensed that the sacred power he had released was being forcefully repelled by the obscure power pouring out from within the child!

The nature of that power...

was cold and stagnant, yet as vast as an abyss, carrying a sensation of... controlling all things.

"The essence of this power seems... no weaker than the Angel God's divine power!"

Qian Daoliu's gaze sharpened.

"Could it be that Xiao Chen has inherited the legacy of a god?"

At the same time, the light within the Sacred Hall abruptly dimmed, and the temperature inexplicably fell.

An indescribable pressure spread out. Space itself became viscous, and Gravity quietly fell into disorder.

The metal floor beneath Ye Chen silently sank downward, forming a neat circular depression as cracks spread outward like a spiderweb!

Ye Chen floated at the center of the tide of light where dark purple and gold intertwined, his eyes tightly shut.

His right hand rose uncontrollably, palm facing upward—

The black crescent moon mark that had been hidden since birth was now incomparably clear, giving off a faint dark-purple glow!

Then,

behind Ye Chen, the void twisted violently, and a breathtaking vision unfolded—

The backdrop was a rotating phantom of a dark-purple, nearly black cosmic nebula, profound and boundless, with sparse starlight steeped in deathly silence.

At the center of that nebula, an enormous phantom of a Dark Moon rose in majestic splendor.

Around the Dark Moon, steaming black aura took on substance, twisting and condensing into a colossal silhouette with huge curved horns, sharp claws, and a form neither human nor beast!

Where this silhouette's eyes should have been,

were that Dark Moon itself!

It was merely a phantom, yet it radiated a terrifying pressure that made all seven Peak Douluo present feel their souls tremble.

"This is...!"

Mighty Lion Douluo cried out softly. Even a powerful expert like him, who had seen countless storms, could not conceal his shock.

Qian Jun Douluo and Falling Devil Douluo exchanged glances, each seeing the raging waves in the other's eyes.

The aura of this martial soul phantom

was domineering, bizarre, and powerful beyond the limits of their understanding!

Could the bizarre dreams Ye Chen had experienced since childhood have been omens of this martial soul?

Guang Ling Douluo opened his mouth but made no sound. His ice-blue eyes were wide as he stared unblinkingly at that fearsome phantom.

Then he looked at little Ye Chen, whom he had watched grow up, standing before the phantom, his heart filled with disbelief and deep worry.

This kid had actually been hiding something so terrifying inside him?

Qing Luan Douluo's hand tightened slightly beneath his sleeve as his gaze remained locked on his grandson.

Worry, pride, realization... all kinds of emotions intertwined.

So that was it. The source of that innate cold, stagnant aura was here!

Just as the seven Enshrined were shaken to their cores—

deep within Ye Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

"At last... you have touched the threshold." A hoarse voice rang out.

"You are... Zhou Lan?" Ye Chen asked.

"Correct."

Zhou Lan's phantom rippled slightly. The glow in the eyes of the Dark Moon seemed to dim for an instant. "I am Zhou Lan, ruler of the moon, devil of Gravity. I once governed the paths of the stars and commanded the rise and fall of tides."

"What you see is not my full form, nor is it even... a complete existence."

"What do you mean?" Ye Chen did not understand.

"My true body has already perished." Zhou Lan's voice remained indifferent.

"What you sense is my remaining undying will and a portion of my source power."

"Remaining will?" Ye Chen's heart shook.

"Yes. Strictly speaking, I am now... not a living being. I cannot possess you, nor do I intend to." Zhou Lan explained, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Then what is your purpose? Why did you choose me?" Ye Chen pressed on, his vigilance undiminished.

"My purpose... is revival, is return."

Zhou Lan's voice was calm. "I need an inheritor, a host, to bear my power and grow within this world."