Six Years Later, the Northern Territory Becomes King

Martial Soul City, Pope Palace.

Bibi Dong stood up from her throne.

Her scepter gripped in her right hand, nine soul rings rotated slowly beneath her feet. Her purple eyes swept over everyone in the hall, her voice cold and resolute.

"Convey the order of This Seat."

Everyone in the hall knelt in unison.

"King Frost Extreme Luo Shang has colluded with the Soul Beasts of the Far North and slaughtered four of our Martial Soul Hall's Title Douluo. His crimes are unforgivable."

Bibi Dong's voice echoed through the Pope Palace, every word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.

"This Seat shall personally lead the army to the Northern Territory of the Heaven Dou Empire to exterminate the entire house of King Frost Extreme."

She paused, a trace of imperceptible killing intent flashing deep within her purple eyes.

"Leave no one alive."

No one in the hall dared to speak.

No one dared to look up.

Bibi Dong gripped her scepter, walked to the great doors of the Pope Palace, pushed open the heavy wooden panels, and looked toward the north.

The Northern Territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, King Frost Extreme.

And that six-year-old child she had once wanted to take as a disciple—the one with Twin Martial Souls and extraordinary talent.

No more disciples.

No survivors.

All shall be buried with them.

Six years later.

The Northern Territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, a nameless small town.

Shen Yinshuang stood before the stove, an apron tied around her waist, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a spatula in her hand, stirring the contents of an iron pot.

The braised pork in the pot bubbled away, the deep red sauce forming fine rings of foam around the edges, and the aroma filled the entire kitchen.

"Little Yun, help Mother bring over that dish of chopped scallions."

Luo Yun sat on a low stool by the stove, wearing simple coarse cloth garments, his hair tied loosely behind his head, looking no different from any other twelve-year-old boy in this alley.

He reached out and handed the dish of scallions from the other end of the stove to her. Shen Yinshuang took it, sprinkled them into the pot, stirred a few times with the spatula, then scooped up a small spoonful of sauce and held it to Luo Yun's lips.

"Taste if it's salty enough."

Luo Yun sipped from the spoon and nodded.

Shen Yinshuang covered the pot with a satisfied smile and turned to wash the cutting board.

In these six years, the world outside had been turned upside down, but nothing in this kitchen had changed.

After escaping the Far North all those years ago, Luo Shang had taken his wife and son into hiding, drifting through various small cities and towns in the Northern Territory.

They did not live in mansions, did not wear fine silks, and did not use the title of King Frost Extreme, living instead like the most ordinary of commoners.

Luo Shang worked as a laborer at the grocery store at the end of the alley, Shen Yinshuang cooked and washed clothes at home, and Luo Yun studied reading and writing with an old scholar.

People from Martial Soul Hall had come to the Northern Territory.

Bibi Dong had led the army herself, with great momentum, burning and killing along the way, determined to wipe out the family of King Frost Extreme.

But Frost Ridge City had long since become a ruin, with bones scattered everywhere, broken walls and crumbling pillars, and not a single living soul left.

Bibi Dong stood upon the ruins, her purple eyes sweeping over the white bones half-buried in the snow, her expression as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

"Search," she said, uttering only that single word.

The men of Martial Soul Hall searched every city, every village, and every valley in the Northern Territory.

They even ventured deep into the Far North, trekking through blizzards for half a month, losing a dozen soul masters to the cold, before finally being forced back by the terrifying chill.

Bibi Dong went to the Far North herself.

She stood on the Ice Plains, her nine soul rings rotating beneath her feet, her purple eyes gazing out at the endless white wasteland.

She found nothing.

For six years, Martial Soul Hall's kill order had never been rescinded.

For six years, the bounty on the head of King Frost Extreme had been raised again and again.

For six years, countless bounty hunters, soul masters, and assassins had flooded into the Northern Territory, only to return empty-handed.

And yet, Luo Yun's family had remained in the Northern Territory the entire time.

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

"Dinner is ready." Shen Yinshuang walked out of the kitchen carrying the bowl of braised pork, placed it on the table, and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Go call your father."

Luo Yun had not yet risen when the door opened.

Luo Shang walked in from outside, wearing the grey short-sleeved jacket of a grocery store clerk, his cuffs still dusted with flour.

He was thinner than before, but his spirit was excellent; his eyes were clear and bright, and he walked with a brisk, energetic air.

He suppressed his level ninety-six Soul Power so perfectly that not a trace leaked out, making him look like nothing more than an ordinary middle-aged man.

"The shop got a new batch of tea today," Luo Shang said, sitting down at the table and casually picking up a piece of braised pork to pop into his mouth.

"The shopkeeper says he's raising my wages next month."

"Got it."

Shen Yinshuang smiled and ladled a bowl of rice for him.

Luo Yun sat opposite him, holding his bowl and eating slowly.

Outside the window, the sounds of children playing and women chatting drifted through the alley, and occasionally a peddler would pass by with his carrying pole, his hawking cries echoing from afar.

Luo Yun had waited far too long for such warm, peaceful times.

The braised pork on the table gave off an enticing aroma, Shen Yinshuang was still busy in the kitchen, and Luo Shang was just about to pour tea for Luo Yun.

Suddenly, Luo Yun's chopsticks paused.

In his mind, two voices rang out simultaneously.

One was low and icy: "Destruction Nine Trials, sixth trial complete. Reward: thirty percent affinity with the Origin of Destruction."

The other was gentle and clear: "Life Nine Trials, sixth trial complete. Reward: thirty percent affinity with the Source of Life."

As the voices faded, Luo Yun's pupils changed abruptly.

His left eye turned emerald green like jade, while his right eye became a deep, abyssal purple.

Two beams of light erupted from his body, flashing and vanishing in an instant.

Luo Yun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced those two surging powers back into his body.

When he opened his eyes, they had returned to their normal black.

In his mind, the two voices sounded again, heavier and more unquestionable than ever before.

"Destruction Nine Trials, seventh trial: Overthrow the Heaven Dou Empire and establish a new empire. Time limit: three years. Reward: thirty percent affinity with the Origin of Destruction. Failure penalty: erasure."

"Life Nine Trials, seventh trial: Complete the seventh trial of the Destruction Nine Trials. Time limit: three years. Reward: thirty percent affinity with the Source of Life. Failure penalty: erasure."

Luo Yun set down his chopsticks, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

He looked up at Luo Shang.

"Father, we can begin."

Luo Shang looked at him, silent for two seconds.

In those two seconds, many images flashed through his mind.

The great fire in Frost Ridge City, the pursuit in the Far North, the generals who had followed him for half his life falling one by one, and the people of the Northern Territory who had reached out to help him in his darkest hour.

He tapped his fingers on the tabletop twice, then nodded.

"Good."

A single word, without any superfluous nonsense.

For these six years, they had not been hiding; they had been waiting.

The armies of the Northern Territory had never truly disbanded.

His old subordinates had returned to the Northern Territory one after another over these six years.

They lived under assumed names, scattered across various small cities and towns, working as ordinary commoners on the surface, while in the shadows, the army was being rebuilt, provisions were being stockpiled, and weapons were being forged.

Those nobles and the families of the Northern Territory, who had once been oppressed by Martial Soul Hall and ignored by the Heaven Dou imperial family, had one by one chosen to pledge their loyalty to King Frost Extreme over these six years.