Arrival at Douluo Continent

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Shen Lian hurried back to Shen Mansion without stopping.

It was already late at night. Shen Mansion was brightly lit, and it was clear that his family had been anxiously awaiting news of him.

The moment Xu Ningxin saw her son, tears instantly spilled from her eyes. She rushed forward and held him tightly.

"My son, you're finally back safe and sound!"

Shen Meng and Shen Long stood to the side. Though neither spoke, their eyes were full of concern and pride.

Looking at his closest family members, Shen Lian was filled with emotion and reluctance.

"Grandfather, Father, Mother, I have completed the First God Trial, but the second trial is imminent. I have no choice but to travel far again."

He repeated what he had said to Xu Tianxiang.

"You must take good care of yourself."

Choking back sobs, Xu Ningxin kept stuffing all kinds of food and clothes into Shen Lian's Storage Soul Tool before saying to him,

"Put on more clothes when you're cold, eat when you're hungry, and never mistreat yourself."

Shen Meng patted his son's shoulder, his voice low yet full of affection.

"Don't force yourself when trouble comes. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

Shen Long tightly grasped Shen Lian's hand, tears glimmering in his clouded eyes.

"A son of the Shen family will surely make something of himself! But remember, no matter when, this will always be your home."

Amid his family's countless reminders, Shen Lian set off for the coast.

When he looked back, the lights of Shen Mansion flickered in the night before gradually becoming a vague point of light.

He clenched the jade pendant in his hand. Dark purple Soul Power gathered beneath his feet, turning into a streak of light that shot toward the distance.

Stars glittered in the night sky, as though guiding this young man on his journey.

The salty sea wind, carrying fine raindrops, lashed against Shen Lian's face. He stood on a jagged reef-lined shore, gazing out at the turbulent sea.

Dark purple Soul Power churned beneath his feet, faintly resonating with the rhythm of the waves.

After seven days and nights of relentless travel, the youth's robes were already covered in dust, yet they could not conceal the growing fervor in his eyes.

"Huang Tian!"

Shen Lian bit his fingertip. A drop of blood essence bloomed into dark purple patterns in the air, and the million-year Soul Beast slumbering within his Martial Soul suddenly awakened.

In an instant, heaven and earth changed color. Dark clouds roiled as a figure vast enough to blot out the sky emerged from the void.

Huang Tian, the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon, swung its hundred-meter tail. Its scales crashed together with a thunderous metallic roar, while its foul wind raised waves several meters high.

"Why have you summoned me? Have you encountered a powerful enemy?"

Huang Tian's voice made Shen Lian's eardrums ache. Vigilant flames burned in its enormous vertical pupils.

Shen Lian leaped onto Huang Tian's back, his fingers gripping the dragon scales tightly.

"There is no danger. It is simply that this journey across the sea is too long.

"With your speed, you can surely help me reach my destination sooner."

Shen Lian looked out over the boundless sea, where countless unknown dangers lay hidden, then continued,

"I need to reach Douluo Continent as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Huang Tian slightly raised its dragon head and let out a helpless roar.

"I thought it was something important. You summoned this million-year Soul Beast just to use me as a mount?"

Despite its words, it slowly lowered its body, signaling Shen Lian to sit firmly.

"Hold tight. Don't let the wind and waves sweep you away!"

With an earth-shaking dragon roar, Huang Tian spread its enormous wings and instantly soared into the clouds.

It was as fast as lightning. Wherever it passed, the air was torn apart with piercing shrieks. Shen Lian had calculated that Huang Tian's speed was ten times that of a speed-type Title Douluo.

Shen Lian only felt the scenery before his eyes rapidly retreating as the sea stretched beneath him like a ribbon gleaming blue.

Yet beneath the seemingly tranquil surface, danger lurked everywhere.

In less than half a day, they encountered their first attack.

Dozens of deep-blue Soul-Devouring Sharks burst from the water. Their sharp teeth glinted coldly as they carved deadly arcs across the sea.

Huang Tian snorted disdainfully. Terrifying pressure erupted from its body, and purple dragon might spread outward as though it were tangible.

The Soul-Devouring Sharks instantly froze in midair, their eyes filled with terror before they plunged back into the sea.

"These are nothing but small fry."

A hint of contempt colored Huang Tian's voice as it continued,

"Countless terrifying beings lurk in the deep sea. Even a Title Douluo who enters alone will find only death."

Huang Tian's words made Shen Lian's heart tighten. He vigilantly swept his gaze over his surroundings, and he also understood why no one had yet discovered the other continent.

Over the following month, they faced the encirclement of sea Soul Beasts no fewer than ten times.

There were Thunderstorm Octopuses capable of controlling lightning and Abyssal Giant Pythons that spewed deadly venom.

Whenever danger drew near, Huang Tian only needed to roar or casually swing a dragon claw to crush its enemies.

Those powerful sea Soul Beasts that had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years were as fragile as ants before Huang Tian's absolute strength.

Lying prone on Huang Tian's back, Shen Lian felt the fierce wind rushing toward him and secretly rejoiced that he had such a powerful companion.

Looking down at the rolling seawater and the enormous shadows hidden in the darkness, he gained a deeper understanding of Douluo Continent's mysteries and dangers.

Huang Tian's presence was not only what he relied on to cross this sea, but also the confidence he would need to make his way across Douluo Continent in the future.

Finally, on a fog-shrouded morning, a distant outline gradually became clear—it was the coastline of Douluo Continent.

Huang Tian slowly descended, and the gale stirred by its dragon wings blew a deep trench across the sea.

Shen Lian clenched his fists, excitement shining in his eyes. A breathtaking adventure was about to begin.

Once Shen Lian reached the shore,

The salty, fishy sea breeze carried the stench of rotting seaweed straight at him. Shen Lian looked at Vast Sea City's towering walls, where weathered Sea God reliefs gleamed blue-gray in the twilight.

The lingering dark purple Soul Power left behind when Huang Tian returned to his Martial Soul flowed across his palm, reminding him that he had stepped onto utterly unfamiliar land.

A dense stream of people passed beneath the city gates. Hunters carrying animal pelts had crude devices hanging from their waists that could barely be called Soul Tools. These simple contraptions, which even children in the Sun-Moon Empire would disdain, were regarded here as treasures.

The moment he stepped onto the bluestone street, Shen Lian was nearly staggered by the uproar rushing toward him.

Inside the Blacksmith Shop, crimson furnace fire illuminated the sweat-soaked faces of apprentices. The instant molten metal was poured into a mold, the master blacksmith's hammer, formed from Soul Power, struck with perfect precision, and flying sparks traced simple runes through the air.

"Esteemed customer, take a look at this Snake Fang Dagger. It can kill hundred-year Soul Beasts..."

The shopkeeper's cry was interrupted by cursing from the tavern.

"I definitely encountered a thousand-year Mandala Snake in the Star Dou Great Forest!"

The bare-chested man slammed the table. The sound of a wine bowl shattering startled seabirds from beneath the eaves.

Shen Lian rubbed the Sun-Moon Empire silver coins tucked within his sleeve, their icy touch forming a stark contrast to the bustling scene before him.

Shen Lian's gaze swept toward Pei Mansion at the end of the street. The copper studs on its vermilion gate had been rubbed bright, while the sound of strings and flutes drifted from within, mixed with the crisp clatter of porcelain.

At midnight, Shen Lian turned into a dark purple afterimage as he swept across the rooftops of Pei Mansion.

His Soul Power shook fine dust from the seahorse totem on the roof tiles, exposing the weathered engravings beneath. The mechanisms of the Treasure Pavilion were more intricate than he had expected, and the star-map patterns protruding from the ground glowed a faint blue.

When his fingertip touched the third "star," the entire wall suddenly flipped over, and poison-coated spikes descended like a torrential downpour.

Fortunately, Shen Lian was quick enough to evade them and enter the treasure vault.