Soul Beast Extinction

Boundless and vast, clouds surged like a sea.

The Divine Realm Central Hall, once solemn and serene, had long since lost its calm. Phantoms of supreme divine seats floated in midair as countless gods who wielded authority gathered together, every face grave.

"Do you all know? Something has happened in the lower realm, Douluo Continent!"

The Asura God spoke first, his voice heavy as he shattered the silence in the hall.

At those words, many gods turned their gazes toward him, their expressions growing even more serious.

"Douluo Continent? That plane has always been stable. What could have happened?"

"Could the plane be in turmoil, or have extraterrestrial fiends invaded?"

The gods murmured among themselves, full of confusion.

The Asura God slowly shook his head, his tone incomparably grave. "It is even more troublesome than an outside invasion. Every Soul Beast on Douluo Continent has perished. None survived. Across the entire plane, not a single Soul Beast can be found."

Boom!

Those words exploded beside the gods' ears like thunder!

The vast divine hall instantly erupted in an uproar, shock covering every god's face.

"What? Every Soul Beast is dead?"

"They are the very foundation supporting cultivation on Douluo Continent! Soul Masters rely on Soul Rings to advance. With Soul Beasts extinct, wouldn't the path of cultivation be cut off entirely?"

"Who could have imagined such a change? How could all Soul Beasts have perished overnight?"

The Sea God sat high above, faint blue divine light rippling around him. His brows were tightly furrowed, his heart filled with unease.

He had watched over Douluo Continent for a thousand years. No one understood better what Soul Beasts meant to the Soul Masters of the lower realm.

Without Soul Beasts, there would be no Soul Rings. Without Soul Rings, countless Soul Masters would be halted for life, prodigies would have no hope of breaking through, and even Titled Douluo would be unable to advance further. Given enough time, the entire cultivation system of the Douluo plane would collapse completely.

The blood-red baleful aura around the Asura God receded slightly as he said in a deep voice, "This is certainly no ordinary natural disaster, nor was it caused by mortal slaughter. With the power of the Douluo lower realm, it is impossible to make every Soul Beast vanish at once. There is something deeply strange about this."

The Goddess of Life let out a soft sigh, regret filling her eyes. "It seems Douluo Continent is headed for decline."

The principal gods voiced their opinions, each analyzing the sequence of events.

The gods discussed the matter one after another, exhausting every means to deduce the cause. They used the supreme laws of the God Realm to investigate the source of the Soul Beasts' extinction and tried to find a way to bring them back.

Yet no matter what methods they used, the source remained silent. They could not uncover the true cause of the Soul Beasts' extinction, nor could they find any way to restore the vanished Soul Beasts.

Some speculated that the Dragon God had not truly died back then.

The rule forbidding Soul Beasts from becoming gods had been set by the Dragon God.

Perhaps this time, too, the Dragon God had acted and swept away every Soul Beast in one stroke.

"The extinction of the Soul Beasts is an established fact. There is no turning it around."

After one attempt after another ended in failure, the gods who had initially been filled with anxiety gradually fell silent, with only deep helplessness and powerlessness left on their faces.

The gods who stood above all else and governed the laws of the heavens were utterly helpless in the face of this earth-shaking disaster in the lower realm. They could not think of even the slightest solution.

The Sea God let out a long sigh and looked toward Douluo Continent below, his gaze filled with melancholy. "Things have come to this. We can do nothing but let the lower realm develop on its own. This upheaval will ultimately be a great calamity for Douluo Continent."

"We can only leave it at that. There is no other way."

"As for what will become of those Soul Masters on Douluo Continent, they can only rely on themselves."

"Still, I believe life will always find a way out."

"Other lower realms can cultivate without Soul Beasts. I believe they, too, will find a path of cultivation that suits them."

This shocking transformation that swept across all of Douluo Continent was discussed by the gods of the God Realm for a long time. In the end, they could only give up helplessly, bringing the matter to a hasty and fruitless close.

The extinction of the Soul Beasts happened at night.

That night, every Soul Beast suddenly seemed to be seized by an invisible hand for no reason at all, then crushed to death.

After all the Soul Beasts died, they released the Soul Rings that belonged to them.

White, yellow, purple, black, red.

Soul Rings of every color illuminated the entirety of Douluo Continent.

However, those Soul Rings did not last long before vanishing together, their Soul Power returning to heaven and earth.

The Soul Masters who had been hunting Soul Beasts in the wilderness that night were stunned by the sight.

But even more people still knew nothing about the mass extinction of the Soul Beasts.

Su Mo, a third-year student at Nuoding Academy, was likewise completely unaware.

He only knew that his cultivation speed had suddenly increased severalfold that night.

"Strange?"

"Did my talent transform, or did I undergo a second awakening?"

Feeling his cultivation speed surge by several times, Su Mo was both shocked and delighted.

[ Ding~ A great change has been detected in the host's world. All Soul Beasts, except those that transformed into humans, have perished simultaneously! ]

[ Ding~ The host has been detected as unable to obtain Soul Skills by absorbing Soul Rings. The 'Self-Created Soul Skill' system has successfully activated! ]

While Su Mo was still full of doubts, a cold mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

"A system?"

Su Mo froze, then was overwhelmed with joy.

If he had not been in the academy dormitory, he would definitely have burst into loud laughter.

He had transmigrated to Douluo Continent, awakened the Broken Sword martial soul, and possessed only level two Innate Soul Power.

Su Mo had some plans for his future, but during the early stages, he could only keep a low profile.

Now, however, things were different. With a system, his future would hold limitless possibilities.

"Wait..."

"System, you said a great change happened to the world, and all Soul Beasts died at once?"

But in the next moment, Su Mo's expression stiffened as he finally realized what the system had said upon awakening.

The Soul Beasts were extinct?

How was that possible!

How could that be allowed!

[ Ding~ Yes, Host. Every Soul Beast, except those that transformed into humans, has perished simultaneously! ]

Like an AI answering a question, the system quickly replied to Su Mo.

"..."

Upon receiving the system's confirmation, Su Mo's mind went blank.

He understood far too well what the extinction of Soul Beasts meant.

"Sy... System, you're not joking, right? This isn't real, is it?"

Su Mo asked again, his voice trembling slightly.

[ Ding~ The system's detection cannot be wrong! ]

"..."

Su Mo was dumbfounded.

The joy of awakening the system had vanished in an instant.

"Fuck! Fuck!"

"Do you really have to mess with me like this?"

"Other people transmigrate to Douluo Continent, and no matter how bad their start is, don't they all end up with a whole set of hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings?"

"Why did the Soul Beasts go extinct the moment it came to me?"

"How am I supposed to cultivate from now on?"

"Without Soul Beasts, how am I supposed to break through my realm?"

"I'm about to break through level ten and become a real Soul Master!"

Su Mo was on the verge of breaking down, cursing furiously in his heart.

"System, you have a way to help me obtain Soul Rings, right?"

Only then did Su Mo nervously ask the system.