Spirit City, the Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong rose from her throne.
She gripped her scepter in her right hand, and nine Soul Rings slowly revolved beneath her feet. Her purple eyes swept over everyone in the hall, and her voice was cold and resolute.
"Carry out my orders."
Everyone in the hall dropped to their knees.
"King Frost Extreme Luo Shang colluded with Soul Beasts from the Far North and slaughtered four Titled Douluo of Spirit Hall. His crimes are unforgivable."
Bibi Dong's voice echoed through the Pope Palace, each word sounding as if she had forced it out through clenched teeth.
"I will personally lead an army to the Northern Territory of the Heaven Dou Empire and wipe out King Frost Extreme's entire household."
She paused. A trace of killing intent flickered deep in her purple eyes.
"Leave no one alive."
No one in the hall dared speak.
No one dared raise their head.
Gripping her scepter, Bibi Dong strode to the doors of the Pope Palace, pushed open the heavy wooden doors, and looked 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 her disciple, blessed with Twin Martial Souls and extraordinary talent.
No more disciples.
No survivors.
They would all be buried with them.
Six years later.
The Northern Territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, an unnamed little town.
Shen Yinshuang stood before the stove, an apron tied around her waist and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She held a spatula and tossed the food around in the iron wok.
The braised pork bubbled away, its reddish-brown sauce forming tight little rings of bubbles around the edge of the wok. Its fragrance filled the entire kitchen.
"Xiao Yun, pass your mother that plate of chopped scallions."
Luo Yun sat on a low stool by the stove, dressed in plain homespun clothes, his hair casually tied behind his head. He looked no different from any other twelve-year-old boy in the alley.
He reached over and handed Shen Yinshuang the plate of scallions from the other end of the stove. She took it, scattered them into the wok, and tossed everything twice with the spatula. Then she scooped up a small spoonful of sauce and held it to Luo Yun's lips.
"See if it needs more salt."
Luo Yun sipped from the spoon and nodded.
Satisfied, Shen Yinshuang covered the wok and turned to wash the chopping board.
The world outside had been turned upside down over these six years, but nothing had changed in this kitchen.
After leaving the Far North, Luo Shang had taken his wife and son into hiding, moving from one small town and village in the Northern Territory to another under assumed names.
They lived in no manor, wore no silks, and never used the name King Frost Extreme. They lived like the most ordinary people.
Luo Shang worked at a general store at the end of the alley, Shen Yinshuang stayed home to wash clothes and cook, and Luo Yun studied reading and writing under an old scholar.
People from Spirit Hall had come to the Northern Territory.
Bibi Dong had personally led an imposing army, burning and slaughtering its way north, determined to exterminate King Frost Extreme's entire family.
But Frost Ridge City had long since become a ruin. Bones littered the ground, and broken walls stood in every direction. There wasn't a single living soul.
Bibi Dong stood among the ruins, her purple eyes sweeping over the white bones half-buried in snow. Her face was as dark as the sky before a storm.
"Search," she said, and nothing more.
Spirit Hall searched every city, every village, and every valley in the Northern Territory.
They even ventured deep into the Far North, trudging through blizzards for half a month. More than a dozen Soul Masters froze to death before the terrifying cold finally drove the rest back.
Bibi Dong went to the Far North herself.
She stood on the Ice Plains, nine Soul Rings revolving beneath her feet, her purple eyes fixed on the endless white wasteland.
She found nothing.
For six years, Spirit Hall's order to hunt them down had never been rescinded.
For six years, the bounty on King Frost Extreme's head had been raised again and again.
For six years, countless bounty hunters, Soul Masters, and assassins had poured into the Northern Territory, only to return empty-handed.
And all along, Luo Yun's family had been right there in the Northern Territory.
The most dangerous place was the safest place.
"Dinner's ready." Shen Yinshuang carried the bowl of braised pork out of the kitchen and set it on the table. Then she wiped her hands on her apron.
"Go call your father."
Before Luo Yun could get up, the door opened.
Luo Shang walked in from outside, wearing the gray short jacket of a shop assistant, his cuffs still dusted with flour.
He was a little thinner than before, but in good spirits. His eyes were bright, and he strode along briskly.
He had suppressed his Soul Power, which had reached level ninety-six, so completely that not a trace escaped. He looked like the most ordinary middle-aged man.
"The shop got a new batch of tea today." Luo Shang sat down at the table and casually popped a piece of braised pork into his mouth.
"The shopkeeper says he'll raise my wages next month."
"Got it."
Shen Yinshuang smiled as she served him a bowl of rice.
Luo Yun sat across from them, bowl in hand, eating slowly.
Outside the window, children played in the alley while women chatted. Now and then, a peddler passed by with a load slung from a shoulder pole, his cries carrying from far away.
Luo Yun had waited so long for moments this warm.
The braised pork on the table gave off an irresistible aroma. Shen Yinshuang was still busy in the kitchen, and Luo Shang was about to pour Luo Yun some tea.
Suddenly, Luo Yun's chopsticks stopped.
Two voices rang out in his mind at the same time.
One was low and cold: "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 eyes abruptly changed.
His left eye turned jade-green, while his right eye grew as dark as the Abyss.
Two flashes of light burst from his body, then vanished in an instant.
Luo Yun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced the two surging currents of power back inside him.
When he opened his eyes, they had returned to their normal black.
Two voices rang out in his mind again, heavier than before and leaving no room for doubt.
"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—execution."
"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—execution."
Luo Yun set down his chopsticks and let the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
He raised his head and looked at Luo Shang.
"Father, we can begin."
Luo Shang looked at him and fell silent for two seconds.
In those two seconds, countless images flashed through his mind.
The flames engulfing Frost Ridge City. The pursuit in the Far North. His old commanders, who had followed him for half their lives, falling one by one. The people of the Northern Territory who had come to his aid in his darkest hour.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table twice. Then he nodded.
"Good."
One word. No unnecessary talk.
They hadn't been hiding these six years. They had been waiting.
The Northern Territory's army had never truly disbanded.
His old subordinates had gradually returned to the Northern Territory over the past six years.
They had assumed false identities and scattered among the small towns and villages, making their living as ordinary folk on the surface. In secret, the army was being rebuilt, provisions stockpiled, and weapons forged.
Over these six years, the nobles and great families of the Northern Territory—oppressed by Spirit Hall and neglected by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family—had chosen one after another to swear allegiance to King Frost Extreme.
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