In the northern-central part of the Sun Moon Empire lay an endless plain, with a vast forest sprawling across it.
The forest with the most Soul Beasts on the continent after the Star Dou Forest—the Demonic Forest.
Because it lay relatively close to the north, most of the trees here were conifers.
Moreover, from the air, one could see that many of the conifers had black-gray trunks and leaves, forming a dense, oppressive mass. The stifling atmosphere was already palpable before one even entered.
Deep within the Demonic Forest stood an inconspicuous hill. From the outside, it looked no different from anywhere else. Perhaps the only thing unusual about it was how quiet it was.
But looking beneath the hill revealed a vast underground complex of steel buildings, intricately interconnected like a maze.
The underground complex was heavily guarded. Soul Masters in black robes patrolled from time to time. A closer look revealed a chilling, sinister aura emanating from them. They were all Evil Soul Masters.
"A bunch of useless fools!"
An elderly voice, brimming with fury, echoed through the room. The space around them rippled outward from the source of the sound.
The room resembled a conference hall, with a long mahogany table at its center.
More than a dozen figures of varying appearances sat on either side of the table. Each radiated immense power, and every one of them was a Titled Douluo.
Yet now, these powerhouses who stood at the pinnacle of the Soul Master World fell silent in the face of that furious rebuke.
The terror of the speaker was plain to see.
The voice belonged to an elderly woman with a head of white hair, seated at the far end of the table. Wrinkles lined her face, and she exuded a fierce presence, but it was not hard to imagine that she had been a beauty in her youth.
Death Douluo, Ye Xishui!
She sat at the end of the mahogany table.
Though old, her eyes were exceptionally bright, not the least bit cloudy.
Her furious gaze swept over those present. Everyone it passed shuddered and lowered their heads, trembling.
She had never expected something so serious to happen while she was in seclusion.
So many powerful fighters had died—and even her son, Zhongli Wu, was dead.
It had been a simple mission, yet things had turned out like this, and the mission still hadn't been completed.
Though Zhongli Old Ghost had forced her to give birth to Zhongli Wu, she had no affection for him.
Still, Zhongli Wu had been the Holy Spirit Cult's leader and her son. He had been useful to the Holy Spirit Cult, not to mention that six Titled Douluo had also died.
The Holy Spirit Cult had suffered a devastating blow. Half the forces it had painstakingly accumulated were gone in one fell swoop.
"Mu En..."
Ye Xishui's expression was complicated. She couldn't remember how many years it had been since she'd heard that name, and now she was about to see him in person.
But the next moment, her eyes turned into a still, lifeless pool. She said coolly:
"Get ready, then come with me to Shrek. We must get an explanation for this.
"As for Xu Tianran, put that matter aside for now. Once we return, take some men to the border and rebuild our strength."
Everyone answered at once:
"As you command, Supreme Cult Master!"
"You may all leave."
As everyone filed out, the room quickly fell quiet.
Ye Xishui remained seated at the end of the mahogany table.
After a while, she spoke to the empty room:
"Xiaoyao, you'll come with me, won't you?"
Just as she finished speaking, the air beside her began to twist, revealing the figure of an old man.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, vigorous and ruddy-faced, his imposing aura as solid and majestic as a mountain.
Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao!
It was likely that no one in the world knew that the renowned Dragon Emperor Douluo had joined an Evil Soul Master organization.
Long Xiaoyao replied without hesitation:
"I told you, Xishui. I'll always protect you and stay by your side, no matter where you go."
But inside, he was conflicted. After what had happened all those years ago, he hadn't wanted to see Mu En, his former brother. But now, it seemed there was no way out.
At his words, a trace of warmth flickered deep in Ye Xishui's heart, so faint it was almost imperceptible.
She had already known the answer. She had asked only to hear him confirm it.
Inside the Ice Crystal Palace where Snow Empress lived, in the core region of the Far North.
Xu Lanqing had no idea how long he'd been waiting. There was no way to see outside; there was no day or night, only an endless white world.
Maybe half a day had passed when Ice Empress returned. Her expression was as cold as ever, though she treated Xu Lanqing somewhat better than before.
At least she had brought him a Millennium Snow Lotus to ease the pain in his face.
Looking at the lotus in his hand, Xu Lanqing grinned and said:
"Ice Empress, the moment I saw you, I knew you were beautiful on the outside and on the inside."
He'd completely forgotten who had beaten him up like this.
Ice Empress raised an eyebrow, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"If you keep talking like that, believe me, I'll help you train every day from now on."
Her voice carried a chill that seemed to come from deep within her bones.
Xu Lanqing gave an awkward smile and immediately changed the subject. "There are still people waiting for me outside. When can we leave?"
"Cough, cough!"
Ice Empress didn't answer. Instead, a series of coughs came from outside the Ice Crystal Palace.
There were other people?
Xu Lanqing froze, then saw two men walk in.
One of them was already familiar to him: a burly man, the Titan Snow Demon King he had met when he first entered the Far North.
The other was someone he'd never seen before, so he looked him over.
A round, human-shaped figure with a huge belly and a body full of soft, pale flesh. Even his head was round. He looked remarkably goofy.
This had to be the Ice Bear King.
The Titan Snow Demon King glanced at the ice-blue crystal, then looked at Xu Lanqing with a complicated, strange expression.
He hadn't expected to see this human a second time, especially under these circumstances. Clearly, Ice Empress had already told them everything.
"Mom!"
Ice Bear King Xiaobai, meanwhile, shouted as soon as he came in and rolled toward the ice-blue crystal, looking just like a tumbling ball of flesh.
"Hello, let's get properly acquainted. My name is Xu Lanqing."
Xu Lanqing beamed and said warmly, "What happened before was all a misunderstanding. Now we're all on the same side, so I'll be counting on you to look after me. What should I call you, big bro?"
"Just call me Tai Tan."
The Titan Snow Demon King replied coolly. If not for Snow Empress and the Soul Spirit Method, he wouldn't have given Xu Lanqing a second glance.
Xu Lanqing smiled at the cold response but didn't take it to heart.
After all, Soul Beasts believed in the law of the strong. The same went for humans, really. Without the strength and standing to back it up, you couldn't expect others to respect you.
He turned to Xiaobai and asked, "You're Ice Bear King Xiaobai, right?"
Xiaobai froze, then said in a deep, muffled voice, "How do you know my nickname?"
"Snow Empress told me."
Xu Lanqing made it up on the spot. Snow Empress hadn't woken up yet, so he could say whatever he wanted.
Ice Bear King Xiaobai's bean-like eyes darted around as he scratched his head.
Snow Empress was his mother, and her soul was connected to the human before him. She had even told him Xiaobai's nickname.
His eyes lit up, and he blurted out to Xu Lanqing:
"Dad!"
Before you continue