The morning sunlight pierced the mist between the layers of the void, casting dappled light and shadow across the flagstones of the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.
The Law of Space rippled through the center of the courtyard, and a portal woven from dark gold and silver light opened silently. Holding Na'er's hand, Tang Linyuan stepped onto this familiar ground after their journey through the vast sea of stars.
The courtyard was especially lively today.
Several familiar figures stood scattered around the stone table and beneath the bamboo.
Xie Xie leaned against a bamboo stalk, tossing a coin in his hand. Wu Siduo rested nearby with her eyes closed, while Yuan'en Yehui and Ye Xinglan quietly discussed the War Cabinet's recent military affairs. Xu Xiaoyan was tugging at Tang Wulin's sleeve, pressing him with questions.
On the other side, Ouyang Zixin quietly held a tea tray, topping up everyone's cups.
Six years had slipped by, and the auras of these young people, who had once summoned winds and rains on Douluo Planet, had grown increasingly profound and restrained.
Without exception, they had all reached the realm of Level 99 Limit Douluo, and had even touched the barrier to God Rank.
Whenever they wished, they could invoke the laws of heaven and earth and take that transformative step into godhood.
Yet all of them suppressed their cultivation, remaining at the demigod level. This was an arrangement Tang Linyuan had specifically instructed them to follow before leaving Douluo Planet.
Among them, the most striking was instead Ouyang Zixin, who had always kept her abilities well hidden.
Her talent and innate foundation had originally ranked near the bottom among the Shrek group. Barely keeping pace with everyone else had already been a miracle; by all rights, she should never have been able to enter the