Humans and Fierce Beasts, Meeting and Laying It Bare (2)

After a brief silence, Shu Yan set down the exquisite, ornate wine cup in his hand. The crisp sound made everyone raise their heads instinctively, waiting for him to continue.

Shu Yan swept his gaze over everyone present, then looked at Xu Jiawei and spoke softly,

"Imperial Brother, now that everyone has gathered today, there is another matter I wish to tell you. It is of great importance—one could even say it is directly related to what the world will become in the future. It is no exaggeration to say that this is something capable of changing the history of the continent."

Shu Yan's voice was not loud, yet it reached every person's ears clearly. Everyone was shaken to the core, their gazes fixed firmly on him. Xu Jiawei suddenly tightened his grip around his wine cup, making the wine inside ripple. The expression in his eyes shifted rapidly. In but an instant, he seemed to transform from a gentle, quiet elder brother next door into the majestic and decisive ruler of a nation. Imperial pressure radiated from him as he slowly set down his cup and said in a deep voice,

"A Yan, speak freely. There are no outsiders here. Even if there were, they would never leave the Imperial Palace alive."

Xu Jiawei's words were no exaggeration. There were countless powerful figures within the Star Luo Imperial Palace. As the strongest nation overall among the original three great empires of the Douluo Continent, the Star Luo Empire's strength was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface. Its hidden forces were equally terrifying. Leaving aside everything else, the mysterious Great Enshrined One of the Star Luo Royal Enshrinement Hall alone was enough. Though no one had ever seen that person's true face, Shu Yan knew that the Great Enshrined One undoubtedly existed and had reached an extremely terrifying level of strength. He had deduced as much from Xu Jiawei's words back then.

Under the table, Shu Yan took Xu Jiujiu's hand and spoke word by word,

"Imperial Brother, have you ever considered that a Limit Douluo is not the limit of humanity? Whether it was the Divine War ten thousand years ago or the later ascension of the Seven Gods, both undoubtedly prove one thing: gods truly exist, and this is a realm humans can reach through cultivation and opportunity..."

"Over the past ten thousand years, countless geniuses have emerged across the continent. It has even become more prosperous than it was ten thousand years ago. Yet until now, no one has been able to recreate the glorious age of the Seven Gods. Is it because the geniuses of the past ten thousand years lacked sufficient talent, or for some other reason? No one can give a definite answer..."

At this point, Shu Yan paused slightly. The great hall was terrifyingly quiet. Even the faintest sounds of breathing seemed to have vanished completely. Xu Jiawei stared deeply at the constantly rippling wine in his cup, no one knowing what he was thinking.

The four Titled Douluo exchanged glances in secret. Their expressions were uncertain and suspicious, but after that brief exchange, they continued to remain silent. At a time like this, they could only play dumb. If they spoke carelessly, they would certainly bring needless trouble upon themselves.

Perhaps sensing that Shu Yan's words were gradually heading in an extremely sensitive direction, Xu Jiawei's expression changed again. He waved a hand and interrupted Shu Yan, then looked toward the four Titled Douluo. Apart from Shattered Star Douluo, the other three almost simultaneously broke out in goosebumps beneath Xu Jiawei's gaze, as though some ferocious monster were staring at them.

Seemingly understanding Xu Jiawei's intentions, Giant Strength Douluo exchanged a look with Heavenly Fiend Douluo beside him. The two rose to their feet and spoke almost without hesitation,

"Your Majesty, this matter may be considered a family affair of Your Majesty's. We shall not participate further. The two of us swear upon our martial souls and our own souls that we will not reveal a single word of what we have seen and heard today. Otherwise, may our martial souls shatter and may we die on the spot."

After a long while, Xu Jiawei gave a quiet hum. Giant Strength Douluo and Heavenly Fiend Douluo were greatly relieved, and their figures vanished from the hall in an instant.

Shattered Star Douluo and Nebula Douluo exchanged glances as well, concern appearing in both their eyes. Neither moved for a long time. Xu Jiawei slowly turned his head, contemplated for a moment, then said,

"Withdraw. With that person watching over things today, there is no need for you to worry. Guard the outer perimeter."

Shattered Star Douluo and Nebula Douluo were first startled. Then, as though they had recalled something, their expressions swiftly turned solemn. The two stood and bowed, then their figures disappeared in an instant as well, without the slightest hesitation.

There was naturally no need to doubt the loyalty of the four Titled Douluo toward the Star Luo Empire. However, given their status, they were not yet qualified to learn of everything he was about to say. Leaving now was not a bad thing.

Snow Empress calmly watched the four Titled Douluo depart one after another, and she regarded Xu Jiawei a little more highly. At the very least, she saw in him the courage and composure an emperor ought to possess. Such qualities were exceedingly rare these days.

This interlude brought a flicker of worry to Xu Jiujiu's face as she sat by and watched. Yet under Shu Yan's reassurance, she could only sigh softly and continue sitting silently to the side. She knew that at a time like this, she, the Star Luo Princess, undoubtedly had the least right to speak in the entire hall. There were no exceptions.

Shu Yan merely smiled faintly, cleared his throat, and continued,

"No one knows how many ages have passed since the Douluo Plane was born. Seas turned into fields and fields into seas without end. Within that vast and endless river of time, the human body was not even a tiny mayfly. Yet it was precisely because of this that the path of cultivation gradually gained its fundamental meaning and the goal it pursued."

"When humans could gain greater power through cultivation and by hunting soul beasts to absorb soul rings, humanity's greed became infinitely amplified. After experiencing the privileges and differences brought by strength, their desire for even greater power would grow by the day. The limits of lifespan became shackles restricting human growth. All of this has been passed down since the birth of martial souls, repeating in an endless cycle until the present age."

"Just as I said, the vast majority of powerful people will do everything they can to climb higher. That is dictated by their position and even their very nature. And I am hardly any different from such people."

Shu Yan suddenly laughed. His somewhat unrestrained laughter rang particularly crisp and clear through the great hall. Everyone stared intently at him, but Shu Yan remained completely unmoved as he finally said,

"Imperial Brother, this matter is actually very simple. You know that with my current talent, Titled Douluo or even Super Douluo cannot possibly be my endpoint. A Limit Douluo is indeed powerful, but it still cannot satisfy my ambition. What I truly want is to recreate everything that happened ten thousand years ago... I yearn for strength that surpasses all else and for endless time. The dream of immortality is as ethereal as clouds and smoke, yet it is still enough to draw countless people to it. In some respects, Snow Empress and Ice Empress were willing to join forces with me partly because they valued my talent and the characteristics of my martial soul. The other reason was the curse that soul beasts cannot become gods, as well as the threat of the next Heavenly Tribulation."

Shu Yan slowly rose to his feet. Threads of cold air gradually spread from his body, and icy blue mist drifted like a dream. Everywhere it passed turned into a world of ice and snow. Behind Shu Yan, the figure of an incomparably beautiful woman, as though she stood within a hazy dream, slowly condensed into form. Upon closer inspection, she actually bore some resemblance to Snow Empress...

The next moment, five black soul rings slowly rose into the air. At the same time, Xu Jiawei could no longer contain himself and crushed the wine cup in his hand. Even Xu Jiujiu, seated beside Shu Yan, could not help falling into a daze. She truly had not expected that in only eight short months, Shu Yan's Soul Power had leaped directly to the Soul King level. His five soul rings were all Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and he was only just over thirteen years old...

With the facts before them, everyone had no choice but to carefully reconsider everything Shu Yan had said earlier.

The talent Shu Yan displayed was simply too shocking. It was no exaggeration to say that even the Sea God, who had emerged victorious in the Divine War ten thousand years ago, had not achieved so much at Shu Yan's age.

Just as the atmosphere in the great hall gradually froze over, Snow Empress, who had been sitting quietly all this time, suddenly spoke,

"What he said is correct. We are all believers in immortality. Once it became clear that the path ahead had nearly been completely severed, we indeed chose an entirely different road—a new path with no precedent whatsoever. That path is to create a god. To put it more simply, it is to use mortal strength to create a deity. Ice Empress and I are naturally participants and contributors upon this Path to Godhood as well. If Shu Yan succeeds, we will share the results with him. If not, then the outcome is very simple and clear."

After Snow Empress finished speaking, Ice Empress, seated nearby, also said,

"This Empress was initially doubtful of this path as well. But later, Shu Yan's appearance truly allowed us to see a sliver of hope. At the very least, This Empress is unwilling to accept the predetermined outcome. So what if we defy the heavens? Even if we ultimately fail, we will be able to die without regret..."

P.S. Investors, we're only a few away from the final goal!!

P.S. This Great Enshrined One was only briefly mentioned in the original work, so this is the author's own setting! Another storyline will later branch out from this Great Enshrined One, and it can be considered part of the protagonist's future foundation. (doge)