Time returned to the present. Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Countless Level 7 Soul Cannons, several thousand Level 8 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells, and several hundred Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells had been delivered to Xie An by the Federation Military Department.
At that moment, Xie An stood at the head of the War God Temple's hall. The First through Fifth War Gods stood in a row before him.
As for why the vice temple master, Yue Tian Douluo, wasn't there—don't ask. He was a Limit Douluo, after all, and had his hands full with countless affairs.
It was worth mentioning that Dark Phoenix Douluo had defeated Luo Yuhang, the former Third War God, and had become the Third War God through Xie An's arrangements.
The former Third War God, Luo Yuhang, had a Dark Emperor Dragon Martial Soul and held the title of Dark Emperor. His cultivation was around rank 96.
After his defeat, Luo Yuhang had moved down to the Fourth War God's position.
(As for the previous Fourth War God, the original story never mentioned who it was, so this position is left vacant here.)
"Our objective this time is to find a reclusive family of Titan Giant Apes."
"According to our researchers, ten years ago, a woman named Yehui, who possessed a Fallen Angel Martial Soul, left together with a man who possessed a Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul."
"Take a look at these materials first."
The five War Gods passed around information about the two of them, as well as records on the Yuanen Family, a family that had inherited the Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul.
"Reporting in! Although the Yuanen Family is indeed very powerful, we've always stayed out of each other's way. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the War God Temple."
The First War God asked, puzzled.
"If this were only a reclusive family of Titan Giant Apes, it wouldn't be worth mobilizing so many people."
"But the key issue isn't the reclusive family. It's that woman, Yehui."
"According to our researchers' study of their blood, Yehui carries an aura that doesn't belong to the Douluo Plane."
"More precisely, Yehui is a coordinate capable of opening a passage directly between the Douluo Plane and the Demon Plane."
Xie An solemnly explained some details that hadn't been recorded in the report.
"Hiss!"
Everyone present except the Second War God drew a sharp breath.
As members of the War God Temple, they had all been to the battlefield on the Abyss Plane and knew all too well how brutal wars between planes could be.
Even Dark Phoenix Douluo, who had joined later, had spent a short time on the front lines fighting the Abyss Plane, thanks to her formidable cultivation.
"Temple Master, can we just kill Yehui?"
The First War God, the strongest of the five, spoke up.
Xie An shook his head and said gravely, "According to the intelligence, Yehui should be the Yuanen Family's daughter-in-law—the wife of Yuanen Tiangang."
"Our purpose in going there isn't to make enemies. We want to build a friendly relationship with the Yuanen Family."
"First, a family capable of producing Limit Douluo over many generations is immeasurably valuable."
"Second, as for the Demon Plane, this time it's only a single passage connecting the two. It isn't as terrifying as you imagine."
"Based on my estimates of the bloodline power Yehui left behind, the strongest being on this Demon Plane would only be at the level of a Limit Douluo by the standards of the Douluo Plane."
"And if they really do invade, I hope to use these demons as whetstones for the War God Temple."
"Third, I'm also very interested in the energy of other planes. If we can't study the Abyss Plane, does that mean we can't study the Demon Plane?"
Even the method of breaking through to God Rank.
Xie An kept that last thought to himself.
The five War Gods were all shaken. The First War God was the first to speak. "Temple Master, do you mean that all we need to face is a passage like the one we defended against on the Abyss Plane?"
"And the strongest being inside the passage won't surpass a Limit Douluo?"
Xie An smiled and nodded, then added, "Also, since they've only just entered the Douluo Plane, unlike the Abyss forces, who have already developed resistance, I'm certain their strongest won't be stronger than me."
"The Titan Giant Ape bloodline has already been deciphered, and we've pinpointed the family's approximate location."
"By my estimate, the Demon Passage will open in less than half a month."
"I've also requested some Soul Guidance Shells from the Federation. We'll bombard the area first, and all we'll need to deal with are the powerful enemies."
"We'll set out at once and do our best to minimize our losses."
Following the Temple Master's gesture, the five War Gods saw a pile of Level 8 and Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells arranged together, their terrifying power radiating outward.
"We will follow the Temple Master's orders."
The five War Gods felt much more at ease and responded solemnly.
On the edge of the continent, at the Yuanen Family's home.
A mischievous little girl bounced through the forest, followed by a beautiful woman with long purple hair.
The girl was named Yuan'en Yehui. She had just turned six and was old enough to awaken her Martial Soul.
Her surname came from Yuan'en, while her given name was naturally taken from her mother, Yehui.
Since Yehui had followed her husband to the Yuanen Family, the two had been deeply in love. Yehui soon became pregnant and gave birth to a girl in less than a year.
"Mom, what Martial Soul do you think I'll awaken tomorrow?"
Her childish voice held a note of anticipation. Yuan'en Yehui blinked eagerly, brimming with hope for the next day.
"Be good, Yehui. I believe you'll awaken a Titan Giant Ape just like your father and become a pillar of the family."
"I don't want that! I want to awaken a Dark Angel Martial Soul like you, Mom. I don't want one like Dad's."
Little Yehui didn't know that her mother's Martial Soul wasn't a Dark Angel, but a Fallen Angel.
After all, she was a girl and naturally liked beautiful things. She was rather put off by a rough-looking Martial Soul like the Titan Giant Ape.
Yehui smiled but didn't answer her daughter. She gently stroked the girl's hair, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Yehui had been stuck at rank 89 for a year. Whenever she tried to break through to Titled Douluo, an inexplicable dread rose in her heart.
It was as if something terrible would happen if she broke through, so Yehui had chosen to suppress her cultivation and give up on advancing.
"No matter what Martial Soul you awaken tomorrow, your father and I will always love you."
Yehui spoke fondly.
Yuan'en Yehui nodded as if she understood, then chattered all the way home with her mother to wait for the next day's Martial Soul Awakening.
The next morning, Yuan'en Yehui went with her parents and the other six-year-old children in the family to the awakening site early.
The person in charge of the Martial Soul Awakening was Yuanen Tianshang, Yuanen Tiangang's younger brother and Yuan'en Yehui's second uncle.
"Second Brother, what made you feel like overseeing the Martial Soul Awakening today?" Yuanen Tiangang appeared and asked.
"Isn't it because your child is awakening today, Big Brother? I'm her uncle. I'm overseeing the ceremony for my niece personally. Are you unhappy about that?"
Yuanen Tianshang teased him.
"Of course I'm happy. Yehui, come here. This is your second uncle."
"Hello, Second Uncle!"
Little Yehui greeted him in a sweet, childish voice.
"Ah, what a good girl! You're going to melt your second uncle's heart."
When Yuanen Tianshang saw that nearly everyone had arrived, he led the seven or eight eligible children to the special Martial Soul Awakening Shrine.
"All right, children. Your Martial Soul Awakening is about to begin. Don't be nervous. Even if your Martial Soul isn't very good, no one will blame you. I'm Yuanen Tianshang. In terms of seniority, you can call me uncle."
"After your Martial Soul Awakening, some of you will have better talent and some a little less. But I hope none of you will feel superior to the others."
"Remember, everyone standing here is family. I hope you'll help one another and work together to make the family prosper."
"If anyone uses their strength to bully their own clan, the family will punish them severely."
After giving the children these words of advice, Yuanen Tianshang began the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony.
He arranged six stones in place, took out a Flash Blue Crystal Ball, then motioned for the first boy in line to step inside.
Yuanen Tianshang hadn't appeared to do anything, but points of light burst from the six stones and enveloped the boy.
The phantom of a Titan Giant Ape appeared over him.
"Excellent, excellent—a Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul with innate Soul Power at rank 8."
Yuanen Tianshang was in a good mood. The first child of the day had awakened the family's inherited Martial Soul. It was a great start.
"Ah, it's a bit of a shame. You only awakened rank 4 Soul Power. But don't be discouraged. There are other fields of study within the family, and you can still contribute."
"Good child, a Spear Martial Soul with rank 6 Soul Power. It isn't a Titan Giant Ape, but it's still a fine Power Attack System Martial Soul. You can become a powerful Battle Soul Master."
The Yuanen Family had a history stretching back nearly ten thousand years, and had long since developed a systematic plan for assigning roles to its members.
The family would allocate resources appropriately to focus on nurturing talented children who awakened the Titan Giant Ape, the family's inherited Martial Soul.
Children with good talent who didn't awaken a Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul would still receive ample resources from the family.
Of course, if someone who hadn't awakened a Titan Giant Ape had exceptional talent, they could still be nurtured as a core member.
As for those with poor talent or no awakened Soul Power at all, the Yuanen Family would do what it could to help them. Once they reached a bottleneck they couldn't break through, the family would provide them with work, such as a position in one of the family's businesses.
In short, everyone in the Yuanen Family would be treated as fairly as possible according to the talent they displayed.
In the blink of an eye, all the children ahead of little Yehui had finished their awakenings. It was Yuan'en Yehui's turn.
"Niece, don't be nervous. Your parents are both so talented. I'm sure you'll be just as good."
Little Yehui had seen the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony several times before, but this was her own turn, and she nervously stepped into the center of the formation.
As Yuanen Tianshang circulated his Soul Power, little Yehui's body floated into the air of its own accord. The six stones shone a hundred times brighter than before. A giant ape first appeared behind her, followed immediately by a pair of dark wings unfurling.
"What's this? Twin Martial Souls! And top-tier Twin Martial Souls!"
Yuanen Tianshang was greatly shaken. He secretly used the power of his bloodline to communicate with his father.
Little Yehui felt comfortable all over. She looked inward and saw a faint trace of yellow and purple power.
When she opened her eyes again, the other children her age had somehow left the room.
In front of her stood her grandfather, Yuanen Zhentian, looking at her with a kind expression.
Right behind her grandfather were her parents and her second uncle.
"Hello, Grandpa," little Yehui said obediently.
"Good, good, my dear granddaughter. Let Grandpa have a good look at you."
Yuanen Zhentian lifted little Yehui into his arms. One moment he held her high above his head; the next, he let her sit on his back and play at riding a horse.
The room was filled with the affection between grandfather and granddaughter.
A while later, Yuanen Zhentian picked little Yehui up again and turned to her parents. "Tiangang, Yehui has rendered a great service to the family. In a couple of days, have her parents' memorial tablets placed in the ancestral hall."
Yehui's eyes filled with tears at those words. She knelt on the ground. "Thank you, Clan Leader."
Yuanen Zhentian nodded and motioned for his son to help his wife up.
Just then, he suddenly sensed the presence of someone from outside. He motioned for his son to take his granddaughter, then instructed him, "Take good care of her. Your daughter is even more talented than you were at her age. If anything happens to her, just wait and see."
After the couple left, Yuanen Zhentian spoke gravely. "You're a Limit Douluo. Sneaking around like this is hardly dignified, don't you think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a tall figure materialized from the void. It was none other than Xie An, the War God Temple Master.
Yuanen Zhentian looked tensely at the man before him. Only when they stood face-to-face did he clearly realize that he was no match for him.
The only reason he had sensed the visitor earlier was probably because the man had allowed him to.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Clan Leader Yuanen, there's no need to wonder. I'm Xie An, the current War God Temple Master. I've come because of your daughter-in-law, Yehui."
"What do you mean?"
Yuanen Zhentian immediately tensed. His entire body stiffened as he assumed a fighting stance.
"Clan Leader Yuanen, there's no need to be so guarded. I appeared openly, and I have no ill intentions toward you."
"You should know that Yehui possesses a Fallen Angel Martial Soul. Based on my deductions, the Fallen Angel Martial Soul will lose control tonight and open a passage to the Demon Plane."
"Without evidence, why should I believe you?"
Yuanen Zhentian asked with some displeasure.
"Believe me or not, you'll see for yourself tonight. Or let me put it another way: if I really wanted to harm the Yuanen Clan, I wouldn't need to tell you any of this."
As he spoke, five figures appeared behind Xie An. They were none other than the First through Fifth War Gods.
All five wore Three-Word Battle Armor. The one at the front was like a blazing sun.
Though he hadn't reached the level of a Limit Douluo, he still gave Yuanen Zhentian a sense of danger.
Feeling the auras of the six men, Yuanen Zhentian finally let out a breath and said, "A guest is a guest. Allow me, as clan leader, to offer you the hospitality you deserve."
Before you continue