[Reader note: I've put together an explanatory chapter addressing the questions readers have raised so far. If I missed anything, please leave a comment. I'm fixing typos every day, but there's a daily limit on how many edits I can make, so please bear with me.]
Yanjin, the second-strongest being on the Zheer Continent, was a 280,000-year-old Crimson Fire Dragon. She received an urgent call from her niece, Iyuda, who had asked her to come over. She brought Barus and Elena along to find out what had made Iyuda so anxious. Who could have guessed Iyuda had undergone an evolution—and just before her Hundred-Thousand-Year Heavenly Tribulation, too?
"So you evolved by accident after absorbing a 100,000-year-old giant white worm that was hiding in the far south and sneaking bites of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice?"
"Yes, Aunt Yanjin. Not only did I change appearance, my attribute changed to ice, too!"
After absorbing most of the giant worm's nutrients, Iyuda had reached an age of 80,000 years. But the sudden evolution and change in attribute had frightened her so much that she didn't dare continue absorbing it.
"Actually, it's not so bad, sis. According to Dad's stone tablet records, the Water Dragon King, one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, was also known as the Ice Dragon King."
Barus looked at his second younger sister, who, after evolving, now bore some resemblance to their father, Rus Wang, after he had survived his 600,000-year Heavenly Tribulation. He couldn't help feeling envious. After all, he'd be happy too if he could find some useless 100,000-year-old giant worm to absorb and gain more than 50,000 years of cultivation in just a few months. He might appear to have 100,000 years of cultivation now, but most of it had been shared with him by his wife, Elena, through their Mental Power Contract.
"You stay out of this, you stinking big brother! This has nothing to do with you!"
Iyuda was already panicking about her evolution. Not only had her inconsiderate older brother been brought along by Aunt Yanjin, he had also brought Elena with him. It wasn't that she didn't welcome Elena, but with her big brother by Elena's side, the sight was practically blinding to a single dragon like herself.
Barus had no choice but to slink off and join Elena.
Seeing this, Yanjin's lips curled into a slight smile as she said,
"Your brother's right. Your evolution is a good thing. Take the Soul Core inside you now, for example. Only a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can have one. Your brother doesn't have one, even in his pseudo-100,000-year state."
Just as humans condensed a Soul Core upon reaching the Titled Douluo level, Soul Beasts formed Soul Cores once their life forms reached a certain age. From then on, if humans and Soul Beasts wanted to grow stronger, they had to condense a second Soul Core. Humans could choose to use Isotopic Resonance, whereas Soul Beasts could only form one through Yin-Yang Complementarity between their second attributes.
Yanjin was fortunate that, with Rus Wang's help, she had achieved Yin-Yang Complementarity and formed dual Soul Cores despite being only 280,000 years old. This would make it much easier for her to face the 300,000-year Heavenly Tribulation ahead, and even those at 400,000 or 500,000 years.
However, Yanjin herself believed that the key to forming her Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores lay not only in Rus Wang's medicinal treatments and his help in resisting part of her 200,000-year Heavenly Tribulation. It was also because she had faced both the 100,000-year and 200,000-year Heavenly Tribulations within a single day—a feat that could hardly be replicated.
"Is that giant worm still there?"
"It's locked up, Auntie. It's a valuable tonic, after all."
Iyuda raised the storage Soul Tool on her right forelimb as she spoke.
"Good. Since your father, Rus Wang, is in the Dragon Valley Continent and you can't get through to him, I'll protect you. Absorb the entire worm, and get past the 100,000-year threshold this year. I'll help you withstand part of the tribulation."
"All right."
Just then, Rus Wang appeared overhead and descended. He was panting, clearly having hurried back. But he didn't seem to have any injuries, so what had happened?
Iyuda and Yanjin were both surprised.
"Dad?"
"Rus."
Without Ximing beside him, Rus Wang had clearly made it back much faster. Even so, it had still taken him quite a while.
"I'll explain in a moment. Ximing is in the forest over there on the Dragon Valley Continent. I came back because the Light Dragon King entrusted me with an important task. Oh, right, daughter, you evolved? Not bad!"
Rus Wang briefly explained things to his daughter and Yanjin, then began choosing a location to inscribe the Spatial Teleportation Rune Array given to him by the Light Dragon King.
"Who's the Light Dragon King?"
Iyuda looked puzzled. Unlike her brother, who spent all his time tinkering with and developing new things, she knew very little about these ancient legends.
"From what your Aunt Ximing told us, he should be one of our Dragon Race's ancestors. But he's not the source of the Fire Dragon lineage I belong to. He's from the Heaven Sun Dragon branch, like Aunt Ximing."
"Finally finished. Ugh, I haven't recovered the Soul Power I spent, and rushing all this way has worn me out."
Rus Wang dragged his weary body over to his second daughter, Iyuda, who had changed beyond recognition, and his wife, Yanjin. Yanjin had a short temper, but she only acted that way toward outsiders and children who had done something wrong. Under normal circumstances, Rus Wang could count on her as the second-strongest being on the Zheer Continent.
That might change once the Soul Beasts of Dragon Valley Forest retreated to the Zheer Continent, but that wouldn't happen for decades, or perhaps even centuries.
He looked at his daughter, Iyuda. Compared to how she had looked a few months earlier, when he took Ximing to Dragon Valley Forest, she had changed completely. Her strength had increased at a rate that amazed even him.
"Daughter, tell me what happened."
Douluo Continent, Star Luo City
Since the old emperor, Dai Luoli, passed away, his ninth son, the new emperor Dai Hengyu, had inherited his Soul Spirit and throne, and had advanced to the Super Douluo level.
He had now ruled the Star Luo Empire for a hundred years. To extend the empire's reign and keep it from falling into ruin under his watch, he had not only strengthened cooperation with Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda to keep the Sun Moon Empire in check diplomatically, but also continued his father's strategy of exploration and conquest overseas, backing it with the full resources of the empire. Their efforts had yielded impressive results. They had developed the Star Luo Continent and relocated nobles and large numbers of skilled workers there.
But today, he had received unexpected news.
His elder brother, his half-brother, his eighth brother Dai Zuoheng, had died during a Soul Hunting operation in Dragon Valley Forest. Duke Libai had announced that he bore primary responsibility for the death, and that the person who killed Dai Zuoheng was a 600,000-year-old Dragon-type Soul Beast that had suddenly appeared. The only previous record related to it linked it to the mysterious annihilation of the Star Luo Continent's southernmost Research Station.
"Another relative I knew has passed away."
As emperor, Dai Hengyu had spent a century learning to remain calm and impassive in every situation. He weighed everything without letting personal feelings influence him.
"Your Majesty."
He instructed the minister who had just reported on matters concerning the Star Luo Continent to remember his stance on the matter.
"I obey."
"Large-scale Soul Beast trade with the Spirit Pagoda should not be the empire's main objective on the New Continent. For the past hundred years, the empire's military efforts have been focused on eliminating and conquering the local human kingdoms. As for the forest inhabited by Soul Beasts, it should be treated like the Star Dou Forest and designated as an unclaimed region of the Star Luo Continent under the Star Luo Empire."
All the Titled Douluo, the Spirit Pagoda's senior members, and even the Soul Master clans and sects knew this. The grand vision of peaceful coexistence between humans and Soul Beasts that Lingbing Douluo had once established had ultimately been no more than a fleeting moment. Soul Masters had been deeply rooted in human history for tens of thousands of years. They were long past being just a profession. They had become a symbol of status, a means for commoners to rise in standing, and a foundation of power for nobles seeking to increase their influence.
Lingbing Douluo's personal will could not reverse this. Even though he had given humanity a way to obtain Soul Rings through Soul Spirits, it had merely given Soul Masters another path of cultivation.
Human greed could never be satisfied. Once the Soul Beast resources of the other two continents were exhausted, Soul Masters would inevitably turn their eyes back to the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest.
Before you continue