World Situation

"So, Dad, is this really okay?"

"What's the big deal? No matter what you evolve into, Iyuda, you're still my daughter; that will never change. Look at your big brother—he married the second daughter of an old friend of mine. Did I kick him out of the house? Not at all."

Rus Wang was quite lenient when it came to managing his children. Although he was known as the king of the spirits and soul beasts, at his core, he still possessed the soul of an ordinary person, longing for a simple, peaceful life while occasionally seeking out exciting experiences.

The reason he had taken the initiative to become a king was twofold. First, he couldn't stand the operations of the Silver Dragon King from the Legend of the Dragon King, combined with the fact that Di Tian and his group of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were constantly getting scammed, betting against weaklings and actually honoring those wagers—it was simply too painful to watch.

Secondly, in his past life, he had lived a mediocre life as an ordinary white-collar worker because he knew he lacked the capability. In this life, he had the excellent foundation of the Seer Elf Rus Wang, the status of a true dragon of the dragon race, and the race of spirits he had created using the system. Since the system had provided him with such favorable conditions, it would be a disservice to both the system and himself if he didn't step out and become the king of the Zheer Continent.

"Besides, among all your siblings, you've reached the strength of an eighty-thousand-year cultivation at only two hundred years old. I'm the one who should be proud, as your father."

Rus Wang pointed at Iyuda as he spoke.

"Since you've already surpassed fifty thousand years, it's the perfect time to fulfill my promise and take you to the world on the other side of the strait and the icy continent. We won't fly there this time; we'll use a different method. But before that, I need to catch my breath and rest for a while."

"Mm-hmm!"

Iyuda nodded.

Dragon Valley Continent—Star Luo Empire occupied zone, capital of the development zone, Ao'en City.

"What! Define that forest as an unowned territory? Do you know what you're saying!"

Duke Libai grabbed the Imperial General by his collar and roared at him, his voice filled with incomprehensible rage, but he was met only with the cold, steady gaze of the Imperial General.

"Duke Libai, do not bring your personal emotions into strategic deployments that concern the fate of the empire. I know Prince Jinhu was a benefactor to both you and me, but that is not a reason for you, as a duke, to come to me and demand that the empire's 12th Army be sent into that forest to die."

"Prince Jinhu, Dai Zuoheng, the Emperor's own brother, died at the hands of a soul beast! Is he really so indifferent?"

Duke Libai's tone was hysterical.

"Duke Libai! You are forbidden from questioning the Emperor's decisions. Let me put it to you this way: what is more important—keeping the domestic population away from the iron hooves of the Sun Moon Empire, or killing a soul beast that can only be countered by a 99th-level Peerless Douluo? Do you think the Emperor isn't furious? It's just that under the current circumstances, the fate of the empire is hanging by a thread; we cannot afford any unnecessary, heavy losses! The Soul Hunting Squad has already made that mistake once; do not let them make it a second time."

The Imperial General pried Duke Libai's hands off his collar, his voice tinged with irritation at the Duke's actions.

The Soul Hunting Squad had over a thousand members. The sudden emergence of that six-hundred-thousand-year water-attribute dragon had already caused the death of a prince, left several Spirit Douluo with lifelong concussions, and resulted in brain death for nine out of ten Spirit Sages, leaving only the Title Douluo unscathed. Many of those thousand people could have been the future pillars of the Star Luo Empire, but they had died due to the appearance of that six-hundred-thousand-year soul beast during this soul-hunting operation conducted in cooperation with the Spirit Pagoda.

"The relationship between humans and soul beasts has never changed. Any soul hunting squad that ventures deep into soul beast territory must be prepared to be killed. Furthermore, Your Highness, in order to maintain a good relationship between the empire and the Spirit Pagoda, we have been indiscriminately capturing over ten thousand soul beasts from all over the Star Luo Continent every year to auction them off in the Douluo Continent. This should have provoked the powerful soul beasts of this continent long ago."

Lingbing Douluo had hoped, through his own personal will, that humans could maintain a friendly relationship with soul beasts. More than three hundred years after he ascended to the God Realm, the people of the Spirit Pagoda still maintained a friendly relationship with the high-level soul beasts, including Di Tian and others who were over five hundred thousand years old, and had implemented quotas for the hunting of soul rings and Soul Spirits in the Star Dou Forest.

However, among the hundreds of millions of people, there were at least a million soul masters; how could they possibly be limited by a mere quota?

"Now, calm down. The empire's goal is to occupy the human-inhabited areas of the entire Star Luo Continent, not to completely alienate the soul beast forces on this continent right now!"

"Libai Douluo."

Suddenly, the Imperial General's command room was violently opened again, and several people dressed in black burst in.

"You are suspected of sabotaging the empire's military forces. Come with us."

As Libai Douluo was taken away by the men sent by the Emperor, the destruction aimed at the Dragon Valley Forest came to an abrupt halt. The Thunder Profound Dragon Beast, which had been lurking in the outer perimeter of the Dragon Valley Forest, saw the private army camping there retreat. It let out a sigh of relief and spoke into the soul guidance communicator: "Monkey, the humans have withdrawn."

"Received. Canceling the launch of the Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon."

The death of a prince within the Star Luo Empire caused a brief ripple among the high-ranking officials of the empire, and the news eventually reached the high-level figures at Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda.

"A six-hundred-thousand-year water-attribute dragon soul beast?"

A councilor stationed in the Douling Empire, who had graduated from Shrek Academy, looked at the report with surprise.

During the early stages of the Spirit Pagoda's founding, negotiations were held between humans and soul beasts. The process involved the future spirit-type soul masters trained by the Spirit Pagoda, known as Spirit Masters. The three great empires would each send representatives from different sects and academies to serve as members of the Spirit Pagoda's Council Chamber. Each country was required to send at least nine soul masters with cultivation levels of Spirit Douluo or higher, and each country had to ensure at least three councilors were stationed at the Spirit Pagoda's Council Chamber in Shrek City.

In addition to these twenty-seven councilors, Shrek Academy sent nine people to serve as councilors, effectively participating in the development of the Spirit Pagoda as if they were a country themselves. All thirty-six councilors would control the operation and development of the entire Spirit Pagoda, with its headquarters firmly established in Shrek City. (Huo Yuhao, the founder of the Soul Spirit, was nominated as the thirty-seventh councilor and a lifetime member, though unfortunately, he was gone.)

"Yes."

"That's strange. The highest-level soul beast on the Tianhun Continent is thirty-eight thousand years old, and the Star Dou Forest's highest is a forty-two-thousand-year-old ape. This situation has persisted for over three hundred years; how did such a powerful soul beast suddenly pop up?"

The councilor sent by Shrek Academy was also puzzled.

"Should we send someone to the Star Dou Forest to ask?"

"No. If those fierce beasts who love to squat in the forest find out there are so many other soul beast habitats outside the continent, wouldn't they declare that all forests inhabited by soul beasts are under their jurisdiction? Keep this a secret."

The leader of the nine representatives from Shrek Academy vetoed the idea.

"Besides, this dragon race couldn't have just popped out of nowhere. Soul guidance devices can now detect Di Tian's energy signature. Logically, it should have been impossible not to detect it. This suggests there might be other continents. Since two continents have been identified to the east of the Douluo Continent, and the Sun Moon Continent collided with the old Douluo Continent to create the current Douluo Continent, it means there might be another unknown continent to the west. The Sun Moon Empire hasn't made a sound in years; they are definitely plotting something."

"Understood."