Ups and Downs, Changes in the Continental Landscape

This journey had felt like quite the ups and downs for Shu Yan.

Yes, "ups and downs" in the literal sense.

Had anyone ever experienced a high-speed free fall from ten thousand meters up without any protective measures?

Surely very few had experienced something so thrilling. Of course, after going through it himself, Shu Yan had become one of that small group.

In the forests along the edge of the Extreme North Land, streams formed by melting ice and snow trickled past. Flowers and grasses flourished throughout the woods, brimming with vitality. Many small soul beasts ran by in groups—an unprecedented sight in the Extreme North Land.

Shu Yan leaned against a small tree as thick as a bowl, his face ashen. His stomach churned violently, and the extreme thrill of that recent fall had left his senses dazed. For a moment, he could not even speak.

Not far behind him, Snow Empress looked helplessly at Ice Empress. She reached out and tapped her forehead before saying,

"You... you're always causing me trouble. He's only a Soul King. If his physique weren't exceptionally strong, he might truly not have been able to withstand you tormenting him like this."

Ice Empress kicked at the stones on the ground, pouting as she said somewhat aggrievedly,

"How was I supposed to know his tolerance was so poor? I only took him bungee jumping from ten thousand meters a few times, then accidentally threw him a little too far. How was I supposed to know he would..."

Snow Empress was so exasperated that she felt helpless. She had long known that Ice Empress liked teasing Shu Yan. Whenever those two got together, there was always some verbal sparring, but this was the first time things had turned out like today. Now, Snow Empress could only hope that Shu Yan would not hold it against Ice Empress. Otherwise, caught between them, she would probably get a splitting headache.

After resting for roughly half an hour, Shu Yan finally recovered somewhat. Ice Empress seemed to have realized her mistake and no longer flew while carrying Shu Yan, instead letting Snow Empress take over her role.

The three of them were currently within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire. The areas near the Extreme North Land had always been sparsely populated, with most people living in clustered cities. Scattered villages and small towns were rare. But once they left the Extreme North Land, the scenery had already become completely different. Ice Empress curiously surveyed her surroundings all along the way. Though Snow Empress was not as exaggerated as Ice Empress, her gaze lingered constantly over the nearby scenery.

Shu Yan's thoughts gradually settled as well. Looking down at the vast land beneath his feet, which seemed to stretch endlessly beyond sight, an odd feeling rose within him.

After the Divine War ended ten thousand years ago, the territories that had once belonged to Spirit Hall were divided between the two great empires, and the entire continent gradually returned to peace.

But a century later, after the Seven Gods ascended to the God Realm, there were no longer any gods to suppress things. As time passed, those harboring rebellious intentions once again emerged into the open.

In this regard, the two former great empires faced the same circumstances and troubles.

As the kingdoms within their territories grew stronger, unrest frequently arose. Corruption once again swept through the entire noble class, becoming even more severe than it had been in the era when gods still held them in check.

To put it another way, the decadence of the Heaven Dou Empire's nobility had not appeared suddenly. It was an inherent flaw passed down since Tang San's era. Its complete resurgence now was simply something to be expected.

Against such a backdrop, commoners were once again plunged into misery. Riots and uprisings broke out across many regions, affecting nearly all of the two great empires. For a time, the entire continent could practically be described as mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as though the whole continent had been beaten into losing its former vitality.

The chaos of war lasted nearly a hundred years before it gradually subsided. However, the original two great empires had split into three because of that conflict. The Star Luo Empire remained intact, while the Heaven Dou Empire fractured into the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire.

Unlike the Heaven Dou Empire's miserable fate, although the Star Luo Empire paid a great price to suppress the rebellions of its internal kingdoms one by one during that war, it was at least kept within acceptable limits. Yet during the war, the bloodline of the original imperial White Tiger Dai Family nearly died out completely. Forced by reality and helplessness, the Star Luo Emperor of that generation voluntarily abdicated the throne to the Star Crown Sect, which had made tremendous contributions in the war to quell the unrest. Its current sect master succeeded him as Star Luo Emperor. From then on, there was no longer an imperial Dai Family in the world—only the Star Luo White Tiger Duke Dai Family.

What happened afterward was simple. The Sun Moon Continent collided and fused with the Douluo Continent, multiplying the continent's area. The brand-new Soul Engineer system appeared before the people of the three former Douluo Continent nations for the first time, while all kinds of conflicts and problems between the empires erupted once more. The continent, which had only just enjoyed a brief period of stability, was again swept into bloodshed and turmoil, sinking once more into the mire of war.

But the final outcome was already clear from the present day.

With the three former Douluo Continent nations briefly united against a common enemy, the Sun Moon Empire was defeated. The new continent was named the Douluo Continent, and the war gradually ended. The four great empires stood in opposition to one another, once more locked in a stalemate. That stalemate lasted nearly another four thousand years, until the present day...

Just as Shu Yan was lost in thought, Snow Empress's gentle voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"There's a human city not far ahead. Shall we go down and take a look?"

Shu Yan raised his head and looked into the distance. Beyond the layered, verdant low mountain ranges, he indeed spotted a small city of modest size on the distant plains.

After thinking for a moment, Shu Yan said,

"Let's go down and take a look. It'll be a good chance to familiarize you with the human world in advance, so you don't cause any trouble once we get to a massive city like Star Luo City, with a population of over ten million."

Shu Yan himself did not realize that his words carried a slight ambiguity.

But Snow Empress merely smiled silently after hearing them, seemingly unconcerned, and softly hummed in acknowledgment.

Only afterward did Shu Yan realize it as well and hurriedly explained himself to Snow Empress in a low voice. Snow Empress softly reassured him with a few words, and neither of them said anything more after that.

The three figures streaked rapidly through the air, then landed on the road less than two li from the city gate and continued toward the city on foot.

Ice Empress was still in high spirits, skipping along at the front. Her dark green high heels clicked crisply against the hard road, while her waist-length dark green hair had somehow been tied into twin tails. At a glance, she looked as pure and adorable as the little girl next door.

Of course, this girl was actually an extreme narcissist and an Extreme North Tyrannosaurus. There was an old saying that fit perfectly here: never judge a person by their appearance! Otherwise, sooner or later, you would suffer dearly...

Snow Empress had slightly concealed the cool, transcendent aura around her, as if a divine maiden had descended into the world. Yet an indifferent chill still radiated from her body. Even a furtive glance was enough to leave someone rooted to the spot, unforgettable for life.

Shu Yan, on the other hand, did not care much. Though he had rarely gone out while in Star Luo City, he had visited many prosperous metropolises in his previous life. In this small city, the three of them attracted nearly ninety percent of the gazes on the road, but compared to his previous life or Star Luo City, it was still far inferior.

Not long after the three paid to enter the city, the sky gradually darkened. Lights throughout the city began to glow, while the moonlight seemed dim beneath the cover of dark clouds. Night always arrived at just the right moment...

PS: Tomorrow is Tuesday. Please make sure to follow both chapters through to the end!! I'm begging you. If there are enough follow-up reads tomorrow, this week can make it into the first round. I'm counting on everyone—my sincere thanks!

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