No one knew how much time had passed.
Nan Liujing's body had long since been shattered beyond recognition. One of his legs had even broken, leaving him kneeling on one knee, yet his eyes still shone with unwavering resolve.
Let the winds blow from east, west, south, and north; I remained unshaken.
As the Heavenly Tribulation Power surged, the sky shook continuously, as though it were about to fall and collide with the earth.
Yet no matter how the thunderbolts crashed down, sensing the tenacity of Nan Liujing's will, the Heavenly Tribulation Pearl continued to radiate purple-red light, protecting his Sea of Consciousness from destruction.
As the sole witness, the Thunder God watched with his own eyes as an increasingly complete Plane Imprint was drawn out upon Nan Liujing's forehead.
"I knew I had not misjudged you. Perhaps entrusting you to fulfill my regrets was the right choice."
The Thunder God's words were tinged with emotion, as though he had returned to those bygone years.
He too had once endured the baptism of heavenly tribulation and obtained a Plane Imprint. Afterward, he soared through life, even condensing a God Position on his own and ascending. Even in the God Realm, in terms of Chief God battle prowess alone, he had been the strongest.
Unfortunately, just as he was full of ambition, he encountered an unforeseen disaster.
Had the Dragon God not launched the God War, he would certainly have challenged the position of God King within three more years.
In truth, he could have fled the God Realm, but he gave up that choice and chose to remain, to live and die alongside the God Realm.
His divine sense left the Heavenly Tribulation Pearl. Looking at the violently trembling Sea of Consciousness, the Thunder God laughed loudly. His towering, muscular body transformed into thunderbolts that filled the sky before finally merging into Nan Liujing's Sea of Consciousness.
"Young man, once you awaken, you will naturally understand everything. I hope you succeed. Walk the roads those seniors once walked for me, and behold the vast universe they once saw."
At that moment, the Spirit Pagoda headquarters in Shrek City had already issued its highest-level alert.
A bizarre thunderstorm had inexplicably appeared within the Spirit Ascension Platform, causing signs of disorder in the Spirit Ascension Platform's Core Array. The outside world could not observe what was happening within at all.
Even Soul Masters still trapped inside could not awaken after pressing their Distress Signal Devices.
To the Spirit Pagoda, this was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue.
Those able to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform were either wealthy or influential. Ordinary civilians had neither the money nor status to compete for entry qualifications. If something happened, forces across the continent would certainly denounce the Spirit Pagoda.
Tower Master Qian Gu Dong Feng personally issued an order: all researchers at headquarters were to put down their work and devote their full efforts to maintaining the stability of the Spirit Ascension Platform's Core Array.
And that was not all. Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu, Purgatory Douluo Qian Gu Qing Feng, Cold Rhyme Douluo Xia Zheng Leng, Nether Flame Douluo Zhang Geyang, Heavenly Sage Douluo Xu Shengqun, Brain Domain Douluo Han Tianyi, Witch Douluo Li Mengjie, Fist Emperor Douluo Da Mo... whether Spirit Pagoda Vice Tower Masters, councilors, or Spirit Messengers, all were mobilized.
If the Soul Masters suffered an accident and the Spirit Ascension Platform could not be preserved either, then they would truly be finished.
The most anxious person was undoubtedly Qian Gu Dong Feng himself. If he had to resign as Tower Master because of this, the Qian Gu Family's plans would come to nothing. That was absolutely not something he wanted to see.
Compared with the urgency within the Spirit Pagoda, the skies five thousand meters above Heaven Dou City had fallen into an eerie stillness.
Separated by several kilometers, two groups faced each other from afar. Above their heads, dark clouds churned madly, occasionally unleashing deafening rumbles.
Bolts of lightning flashed through the air like blades carving into the sky, leaving rifts that were difficult to erase. Howling rain mixed with fierce winds crashed down upon the ground, reflecting the neon lights that had been lit throughout the city due to the darkness.
Yun Ming stared at the silver lightning emerging within the thunder cloud, his heart gripped by an intense tremor. It felt as though, if he charged inside, he could take that final step that seemed as impassable as a heavenly chasm.
Beside him stood an old man nearly two meters tall. Though aged, his face remained incomparably resolute, and his body stood straight as a mountain. He wore a military uniform, three golden stars on his shoulders displaying the authority of a Federation General.
Likewise, he stared gravely at the thunder cloud in the sky.
At the center of the thunder cloud, an invisible giant hand seemed to be tearing apart space and twisting time.
The oppressive sensation was enough to make one feel as though even one's soul would be crushed, leaving one unable to breathe or think.
Every bolt of lightning carried world-destroying power, as though it would annihilate the soul and body of any intruder. It inspired instinctive dread.
The fact that Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie, who had long stood at the peak of the continent, reacted this way only proved how extraordinary this thunder cloud was.
The only one unaffected by the silver lightning within the thunder cloud was Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li. Her pure green-gold eyes were fixed tightly upon the two people several kilometers away.
Two terrifying beings capable of bringing ruin upon the entire world.
The Holy Spirit Cult's two emperors.
Gray Terror, Nether Emperor Ha Luosa.
Undead Calamity, Ghost Emperor Ya Ke Si.
"This aura is truly intoxicating." A hoarse voice came from within a dark green cloak. Ghost Emperor Ya Ke Si's concealed pale face revealed an intoxicated expression.
In contrast, Nether Emperor Ha Luosa wore a complicated expression.
The being that called itself the plane consciousness had clearly told him that if he wanted to become a god, he could only join the Holy Spirit Cult and help them complete the blood sacrifice. Only then could he accumulate faith and ascend in the future. Yet the scene before him clearly told him that there was more than one path to godhood.
Having been deceived, Ha Luosa only wanted to leave and seek an explanation.
As for that lightning tribulation, he had no intention of touching it.
Lightning was extremely yang and rigid, carrying immense lethality toward any Evil Soul Master, much less the lightning of heavenly tribulation, which was no ordinary thunder.
"Yun Ming, why don't you go in and give it a try? Who knows, perhaps you'll ascend?" Ghost Emperor's cold laugh passed through the curtain of rain and reached Yun Ming's ears.
A faintly visible spear condensed beside Yun Ming, and the surrounding space instantly froze. He said indifferently, "Have your injuries healed?"
Ghost Emperor narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly. "To heal my wounds, I slaughtered more than ten thousand people. Their deaths were all thanks to you."
Ya Li's expression changed sharply, and just as she was about to act, Chen Xinjie suddenly spoke. "Those who commit many injustices will bring destruction upon themselves. Your road will not be long."
"Hahahaha, I'll take that as a blessing. Then let's see who lives longer."
Ghost Emperor burst into laughter, only to see the thunder cloud in the sky suddenly weaken. That intoxicating aura gradually faded, and his figure began to disperse along with it. His icy voice spread through the sky. "Yun Ming, enjoy these last peaceful days of yours."
A mass of dark green light caved inward, transforming into a streak of radiance that drilled into an Alien Space and vanished.
Nether Emperor said nothing throughout. He merely swept a cold glance over Yun Ming and the other two. The space behind him shattered, and a force of suction pulled him inside. He too disappeared without a trace.
"I never expected this heavenly tribulation to draw them here." Chen Xinjie stared deeply at the place where the two Evil Soul Masters had disappeared, his expression grave. "This Nether Emperor has not appeared for a hundred years. Now that he has emerged, I fear another disaster is coming."
Ya Li said in a deep voice, "Not long ago, the Holy Spirit Cult planted spies within our Shrek. Had we not discovered them in time, it would have caused a terrible catastrophe. Judging from Ghost Emperor's words when he left, the Holy Spirit Cult must be secretly plotting something again. I'll have to trouble Elder Chen to have the Federation increase its vigilance."
Chen Xinjie nodded. "The Spirit Pagoda has also just proposed a campaign to eliminate Evil Soul Masters. We can act together."
"Who made that proposal?" Yun Ming looked over.
Chen Xinjie replied, "Qiangu Qingfeng."
"Him?" Yun Ming's gaze slightly shifted. "Then that makes sense."
Ya Li frowned. "But we cannot push the Evil Soul Masters too hard either. Otherwise, no one knows what horrifying things those people might do."
The Sun Moon Federation was vast. No matter how tightly it was monitored, there would always be gaps. Once the Evil Soul Masters found one, ordinary people would always be the ones to suffer.
Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie's expressions darkened slightly. Even with their heaven-reaching cultivation, they were still deeply troubled by such matters.
The Holy Spirit Cult was like weeds that could never be burned away. It had clearly been eradicated by Spirit Ice Douluo ten thousand years ago, yet for some reason, it had suddenly grown powerful again.
As the era developed, Evil Soul Masters were indeed less active than they had been in the Ancient Era. Yet every time they acted, it represented the deaths of dozens, even hundreds, of people.
This was the shadow that had always hung over ordinary civilians.
"Forget it. Though the opportunity came, it does not belong to me." Chen Xinjie was about to leave when he suddenly paused. With his back to Yun Ming and Ya Li, he asked in a restrained voice, "How is she?"
Yun Ming and Ya Li exchanged a glance. After considering his words, Yun Ming said, "Elder Long is doing well."
"That is good." Chen Xinjie let out a long sigh toward the heavens. With those words, his body rapidly flew away, soon turning into a streak of light and vanishing.
Since this concerned matters from the previous generation, Yun Ming and Ya Li found it difficult to discuss it further. Ya Li took the initiative to change the subject. "What a pity there were two Evil Soul Masters here. Otherwise, this heavenly tribulation might have helped you make a breakthrough, Brother Ming."
Yun Ming shook his head and smiled gently. "In such haste, this heavenly tribulation is not something I could withstand casually. One careless mistake, and both body and Divine Soul would be destroyed."
Ya Li sighed. Of course she knew the dangers of crossing heavenly tribulation, but she understood even more clearly her lover's bone-deep desire to improve his strength.
Yun Ming smiled and comforted her. "Though I share Elder Chen's regret, I gained a trace of insight as well. This trip was not in vain."
Ya Li's eyes lit up. "What insight?"
Yun Ming looked down at the enormous city below, his gaze sharp. "Heavenly tribulation represents the Law Power of a plane. Any thing or being that seeks to transcend Plane Law will be tested. In order to condense a God Position, I narrowly escaped death and only managed to form half of one. For several decades afterward, I made no further breakthroughs."
"But this heavenly tribulation just now gave me an unfamiliar feeling. Though it too was a law, it brought me no sense of suppression that could not be overcome."
"There is one more point." Yun Ming's tone became grave. "From beginning to end, no one was crossing tribulation. What does that mean?"
Ya Li suddenly realized. "The heavenly tribulation condensed by itself. It was not caused by someone crossing tribulation."
"Exactly." Yun Ming's eyes shone brightly. "This is completely different from the heavenly tribulations recorded by generations of predecessors over the past twenty thousand years. I have a feeling that this kind of heavenly tribulation will appear again. Once I gradually become familiar with it and determine its risks and benefits, perhaps the heavens will no longer be able to stop me."
As his words fell, a surge of heroic spirit shot into the clouds. Above all of Heaven Dou City, a dazzling radiance in the shape of a spear spread outward. Though it vanished in an instant, it still made heaven and earth tremble.
Spirit Ascension Platform.
The roaring thunder gradually subsided. A beam of sunlight piercing the clouds shone upon a body too ghastly to behold.
His scab-covered, mottled skin resembled parched earth, covered in countless cracks. He knelt on one knee, like dead wood stripped of all life.
Yet upon that body's forehead, a pale silver imprint flickered in and out of sight.
Drawn by some force, every plant within the vast forest released its purest Life Energy. Like droplets gathering into an ocean, it flowed endlessly into that deadwood-like body.
Dead wood met spring, and the figure gradually began to move.
Spirit Ascension Chamber.
Na'er stared unblinkingly at the boy hurriedly putting on his clothes on the screen. A layer of shyness covered her gorgeous purple eyes.
Gradually, the silver radiance that had floated throughout the room receded like the tide.
One lamp after another lit up again.
As the dimness was replaced by light once more, Na'er's vertical pupils quietly returned to normal. She narrowed her eyes as though in pain, and the sound of people talking once again reached her ears.
"Quick, check whether the equipment is... Hm? Why has it recovered again?" The staff member operating the screen checked the intact equipment in confusion.
The staff member who had led them there could not help saying, "Could the Core Array of the Soul Guide Screen have lagged?"
Ye Changming's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. It was good that nothing had happened.
But when he looked at the Soul Guide Screen, his brows furrowed again.
Where was my daughter?
At the same time, one piece of good news after another rapidly reached the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.
Across the Douluo Continent, as well as the Star Luo Continent and Heaven Dou Continent, everyone trapped within Spirit Ascension Pods who had been unable to awaken had regained consciousness and exited their pods.
The dark clouds that had appeared in the Spirit Ascension Platform World had dispersed, and internal surveillance had recovered as well.
Qian Gu Dong Feng released the railing that had already been bent out of shape, watching the researchers conduct follow-up inspections as he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As Tower Master, he did not forget to order all Pillar-level Spirit Pagodas across the continent to stop sending people into the Spirit Ascension Platform. Those already inside were to be forcibly withdrawn as well. The Spirit Ascension Platform would suspend operations and could only reopen after inspections were passed.
As for compensation, this entry opportunity into the Spirit Ascension Platform would be retained.
"Lu Mingfei."
After awakening from the Spirit Ascension Pod, intense worry surged in Ye Xinglan's azure blue eyes.
Before the staff member who had brought her to the Spirit Ascension Chamber could speak, she grabbed the woman's arm and urgently said, "Ma'am, please help me find a Soul Master named Lu Mingfei. He was struck by lightning."
Struck by lightning?
The staff member froze.
"Heh, that's another new way to die." A staff member operating the Soul Guide Screen laughed and shook his head. But after entering the Soul Master's name, he received no result.
He asked in confusion, "Little girl, are you sure your companion in the Spirit Ascension Platform was named Lu Mingfei?"
Ye Xinglan hurriedly nodded. "It was Lu Mingfei."
The staff member looked at the screen and frowned. "But among the people who entered the Spirit Ascension Platform today, there was no one named Lu Mingfei."
"What?" Ye Xinglan was stunned.
Just then, a deep voice sounded from the broadcast. "Instructions from headquarters: suspend Spirit Ascension Platform operations. Everyone in each Spirit Ascension Chamber must immediately have their consciousness connections interrupted and be brought out. Explain to them that their entry qualification for this Spirit Ascension Platform session will be retained. Once the Spirit Ascension Platform reopens, they may use this proof to enter again."
"Little girl, why don't you go ask in the front hall? Maybe you'll find the person you're looking for."
After saying that, the staff member helping Ye Xinglan search immediately got to work alongside the other two staff members. Soon, the wall split open, and Spirit Ascension Pods reappeared one after another. The Soul Masters sleeping inside collectively opened their eyes, still somewhat bewildered by the glaring lights.
Ye Xinglan pressed her lips together, then turned and rushed toward the elevator, her pretty face filled with anger.
That guy had clearly told her that companions needed to trust each other. So why had he lied to her?
Your name isn't Lu Mingfei at all!
Dou San is much harder to write than I imagined. Up to this point, ninety percent of my plot has been original, while the remaining ten percent comes from the part where Na'er was encountered in Aolai City. I adapted it with help from the original work.
[In the original work, Tang Wulin stayed in Aolai City for several years before going to Eastsea City. I cannot just have the male protagonist jump through the plot and connect directly to it. At this stage, I can only continue with original material before linking it back to the original main storyline.]
I hope everyone understands!
Before you continue