Traveling the Continent

"What Gu Yuan says is correct." Hu Lingyue bowed in agreement, then added, "Reporting to you, my Lord. For ten thousand years, we have strictly followed the orders you gave before falling into slumber, never ceasing our layout across the Douluo Continent. Today, we have our own people planted within the high-ranking military echelons of all four empires."

"Among the three great sects of the Heaven Dou Empire, the masters of two are direct descendants of our Martial Soul Hall; nearly half of the royal consultant group of the Heaven Spirit Empire are our people; even within the Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire, we have agents lurking, responsible for relaying core intelligence regarding Soul Tool technology."

"On the surface, these forces appear to be the strength of the continent's various sects and empires, but at their core, they are loyal to Martial Soul Hall. For ten thousand years, they have been secretly accumulating strength, gathering those soul masters ostracized by Shrek, just waiting for the Lord to awaken and issue the call."

These words finally brought a flicker of light to Qian Renxue's eyes.

She had not expected that a single instruction given before her slumber would be carried out by these people for ten thousand years, and that during her long sleep, they had silently laid out such a massive game of chess.

"Good," Qian Renxue's voice carried a hint of approval.

"You have done very well."

Ye Fantian then stood up and said in a deep voice, "Reporting to the Young Lord, currently within the core of the Dragon Graveyard, we have a total of seventeen Title Douluo, one hundred and twelve Soul Douluo, and over three thousand soul masters at the Soul Saint level and below."

"Among them, the Angel Legion is at full strength with one hundred members, all of them elites with a minimum cultivation of Soul King, ready for battle at any time."

"In the outside world, the shadow forces we control include nine more Title Douluo and a total of over ten thousand soul masters. As long as the Young Lord gives the order, they can be assembled at any moment!"

Seventeen Title Douluo!

Even in the heyday of Martial Soul Hall ten thousand years ago, this number would have been terrifying.

Not to mention the ten thousand soul masters in the outside world and the intelligence networks spread across the three great empires.

Through ten thousand years of dormancy, Martial Soul Hall had not only failed to perish completely, but had instead accumulated such terrifying power in the shadows, unknown to anyone.

The emotions of those in the hall grew increasingly fervent; they seemed to see the day when Martial Soul Hall would return to the pinnacle of the continent and wash away ten thousand years of humiliation.

Gu Yuan nodded slightly, not surprised by this result.

The Dragon Graveyard of the Dragon God was one of the premier cultivation holy lands in the world. The dragon aura here provided unparalleled nourishment for the cultivation of soul masters. It was within his expectations that so many powerhouses could be cultivated over ten thousand years.

"We have everything we should have," Gu Yuan said slowly, pulling everyone's focus back.

"But now is not the time for us to fully reveal ourselves. We know nothing about this era. Acting rashly will only alert the enemy, causing the Tang Sect and Shrek to become vigilant, and perhaps even alerting Tang San in the God Realm."

Hearing this, everyone calmed down and nodded in agreement. They all knew that Tang San was now the Sea God and Asura of the God Realm, the enforcer of the God Realm. Once he detected their existence, he would surely bring down divine punishment, which would be a catastrophic disaster for them.

"Then, Lord Gu Yuan, how should we proceed with our layout?" Hu Lingyue asked with a bow.

Qian Renxue looked at Gu Yuan beside her, her eyes filled with inquiry. Gu Yuan nodded slightly and continued.

"First, understand this era," Gu Yuan said solemnly.

"The development of Soul Tool technology, the current soul master system, the true foundation of Shrek, and the secrets of forces like the Body Sect and Mingde Hall—we need to see and understand these things for ourselves. Intelligence is, after all, just intelligence; only by seeing it with one's own eyes can one make the most accurate judgment."

"Wait for the right moment. Two hundred and forty years is enough for us to complete all our layouts, and enough for my own origin to fully recover. By then, the Douluo Continent will be within our grasp."

Gu Yuan's words were clear and methodical, laying out the future strategy step by step.

The people in the hall were stirred with excitement, bowing in unison: "We will strictly follow the orders of you and the Lord!"

Qian Renxue looked at the crowd and spoke slowly, her voice carrying unquestionable majesty: "From today on, everyone in the Dragon Graveyard will continue to cultivate according to the original plan, stabilizing their strength and not venturing out without permission. The outside forces will continue to lurk; no unauthorized movements are allowed without my command."

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.

"Very well, you may all withdraw," Qian Renxue waved her hand.

The crowd bowed once more and exited in order, leaving only Qian Renxue and Gu Yuan in the hall.

The hall fell into a brief silence, with only the faint sound of dragon roars drifting in from outside, muffled by the heavy doors.

Qian Renxue turned her head to look at Gu Yuan beside her, a complex emotion flashing in her golden eyes.

She remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, her voice much softer than when she had faced the others, carrying a hint of an imperceptible obsession.

"When I made the soul contract with you back then, I agreed to cooperate and help you recover. Besides rebuilding my godhood, reviving Martial Soul Hall, and taking revenge on Tang San, there was another condition you should not have forgotten."

Gu Yuan looked at her, a flash of understanding in his eyes, and nodded slowly: "Naturally, I remember. You want me to help you resurrect your mother, Bibi Dong."

As the name Bibi Dong fell, Qian Renxue's body trembled slightly, her fingers gripping the armrest tightening.

She had once hated this mother—hated her coldness, her paranoia, and the fact that she had never given her a shred of maternal love.

But it wasn't until that battle at Jialing Pass, when Bibi Dong stood in front of her to take Tang San's fatal blow, took her last breath in her arms, and uttered that "I'm sorry," that she understood the sorrow and helplessness of this woman's life.

For ten thousand years, whenever she dreamed of Jialing Pass in her sleep, what flashed before her eyes was always Bibi Dong's final gaze, filled with apology and exhaustion.

Resurrecting Bibi Dong had long since become an obsession carved into her bones, and it was one of the most important reasons she had been willing to cooperate with the Dragon God back then.

"You promised me that as long as you recovered, you would help me resurrect her," Qian Renxue's voice was tight, her golden eyes filled with a trace of anticipation and anxiety.

"Now that you have awakened, can you still fulfill this promise?"

Gu Yuan looked at the obsession in her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and spoke slowly: "Since I have established a soul contract with you, I will never break my word. Although Bibi Dong's body perished and her godhood shattered, she was, after all, a deity who had achieved the Rakshasa godhood; her soul origin far exceeds that of ordinary soul masters. When she fell, you used your remaining divine power to protect a wisp of her remnant soul, did you not?"

Qian Renxue looked up abruptly, a flash of shock in her eyes.

She had never told anyone about this. When Bibi Dong fell, in her extreme grief, she had used her own shattered Angel God origin to forcibly gather a wisp of Bibi Dong's soul that was about to dissipate, sealing it deep within her own soul. Even after sleeping for ten thousand years, she had never once let her guard down.

"Do not be surprised," Gu Yuan smiled faintly.

"I am the Dragon God, master of the most fundamental laws of life and destruction in the universe. The aura of the Rakshasa God's remnant soul deep within your spirit is something I can see through at a glance."

Qian Renxue steadied herself and asked hurriedly: "Then, can this wisp of remnant soul allow her to be resurrected?"

"Very well." Gu Yuan gave a definitive answer. "With this wisp of a remnant soul, all of her divine soul imprints and primordial memories are preserved, providing the foundation for resurrection. I can recast her physical body and complete her divine soul. However, there are two problems we must resolve."

"Speak," Qian Renxue said immediately, her eyes filled with urgency.

"If we want her to be completely resurrected and return to her peak strength, or even recast her godhood, we must find the fragments of her Rakshasa God position scattered across the Douluo Continent back then, as well as the primordial imprints of her Twin Martial Souls. Without these, even if I could resurrect her, she would merely be an ordinary spirit master, unable to regain her former power."

Gu Yuan's words caused the urgency in Qian Renxue's eyes to gradually subside. She knew that Gu Yuan was telling the truth.

Resurrecting a deity was never an easy task.

"Then what should we do?" Qian Renxue asked in a deep voice.

"First, we do what we previously decided." Gu Yuan stood up and walked before her, his gaze profound.

"We will first catch up with this era, grasp the full situation of the continent, and prepare for our subsequent layout. We will search for the Rakshasa God position fragments and martial soul primordial imprints that Bibi Dong scattered across the continent. We can also take the opportunity while traveling to see if there is any chance to make thorough preparations for Bibi Dong's future resurrection."

Qian Renxue looked up at Gu Yuan, a flash of determination crossing her golden eyes.

She slowly stood up, the Angel God power on her body flowing slightly. The golden light from outside the window shone through the gaps in the palace doors, falling upon her, making her as dazzling and eye-catching as the Angel God who once stood at the pinnacle of Martial Soul City.

"Good," Qian Renxue said, enunciating every word.

"Then we shall go for a walk and see what this Douluo Continent has become ten thousand years later. We shall also see exactly how much weight that Shrek truly carries."

"The day we return will be the moment of her resurrection."

Gu Yuan watched the light reignite in her eyes, nodding slightly with a faint smile curling the corners of his lips.

The storm sweeping across the Douluo Continent had already quietly begun from this very moment.

And the Peerless Tang Sect era, two hundred and forty years later, was destined to be turned upside down by their return.