Major Powers, By Mistake

"Hey! Old Dong, that's not right of you. Do you really think I'd just watch my own disciple get bullied? Don't forget, I'm not just a God-ranked mecha master; I'm also a four-word battle armor master."

Mu Ye shot Dong Zi'an a sideways glance, shoved him aside with his shoulder, and turned to Jiang Xiu with a beaming smile.

"Let's go, disciple. Master has already made arrangements; we're heading to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters right now."

No matter how he looked at Jiang Xiu, he liked him more.

No matter how he looked at Dong Zi'an, he found him more annoying.

"Understood, Master."

Jiang Xiu nodded slightly and carefully tucked away the two medals. His heart surged with excitement; fusing with his first soul spirit meant he had truly taken the first step in his cultivation, stepping into the vast world of soul masters.

Furthermore, as his own strength grew, he could proceed with the next phase of his plan regarding the Abyss Plane, nibbling away at it bit by bit.

"Go on, cultivate well."

Dong Zi'an smiled faintly. It was a good choice for Jiang Xiu to follow Mu Ye while he was still young; after all, Jiang Xiu was too small to follow him back to the military camp.

"Goodbye, Master Dong."

Jiang Xiu waved farewell and immediately followed behind Mu Ye as they walked out.

It was evening now. The western horizon held the last traces of a brilliant sunset, while faint stars had already begun to appear in the east, and the temperature had dropped by a few degrees.

Soon, Jiang Xiu followed Mu Ye to a towering red God-ranked mecha. Under the glow of the setting sun, the mecha looked like a magnificent work of art, radiating a mesmerizing red light. Mu Ye stroked its surface, his expression softening slightly as he spoke.

"Little Red."

"I am here."

As a gentle female voice rang out, the cockpit slowly opened, revealing an exquisite interior.

"Get in. Today, I'll let you experience a God-ranked mecha and feel the charm of mecha piloting."

A look of pride appeared on the corner of Mu Ye's mouth as he brought Jiang Xiu inside. Across the entire Douluo Continent, no mecha master dared to claim they were stronger than him in this field.

Moreover, he had already carved out a new world of his own in the path of mecha.

"Boom!"

The dark red side wings unfolded, and the mecha soared into the sky instantly. It was as if it had shifted through space, appearing a kilometer away in a heartbeat before streaking into the distance at an incredible speed.

"Commander, the casualty report has been tallied. The casualties in Snow City have exceeded half..."

Li Jie approached behind Dong Zi'an, his expression hesitant as he reported the results, his eyes filled with unspeakable grief.

"Report to the Federation. Tell them it is my request: ensure the surviving citizens are settled, and repair Snow City as quickly as possible. The Federation will cover all expenses."

"And those major powers—tell them to contribute money if they have money, and effort if they have effort."

Dong Zi'an's expression was calm, his eyes flashing with sharp light as he gave his orders methodically.

After this incident, not only would Snow City suffer heavy losses, but it would also trigger a series of chain reactions.

They were facing not only the Abyss Plane head-on but also the Holy Spirit Cult, a viper lurking in the shadows—and the strength of the Holy Spirit Cult was not to be underestimated.

High in the sky.

Jiang Xiu watched the clouds streaking past, his mind reviewing the status of the major powers as he mapped out his own path.

Thousands of years ago, the Sun Moon Federation unified the Douluo Continent, while the Dou Ling Empire and the Star Luo Empire turned their struggle for hegemony into a game of island hopping, fleeing overseas to re-establish their nations when they couldn't defeat the Sun Moon Empire.

Shrek Academy remained standing, having designated Shrek City as its own autonomous region with its own garrison. Following Huo Yuhao, the Tang Sect had also flourished, its influence in weaponry spreading across the entire continent.

The Spirit Pagoda controlled the lifeblood of soul masters, and due to the unique nature of soul spirits, it held a transcendent status. However, the pagoda was now filled with various clans, with the Qiangu Family firmly holding the lead.

The Federation itself was split between the hawk and dove factions, a complex web of interests with every party involved.

As for soul beasts, they were nearly extinct, though Di Tian, after ten thousand years of patient waiting, had finally welcomed what he believed to be his hope.

This era is truly chaotic, but it is also full of infinite opportunities. If I want to master my own destiny, I must plan carefully beyond just relying on strength.

Jiang Xiu thought silently. Although this era was full of geniuses, becoming a god was no easy feat. Aside from Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena, the only one to achieve godhood, the Demon Empress, was merely a clown manipulated by all sides.

The way out lies in the Abyss; that place must be firmly controlled.

Soon, Jiang Xiu had a clear plan for his future path: to bloom on both the Douluo and Abyssal fronts.

"Disciple, what do you think of Master's mecha?"

Seeing Jiang Xiu's flickering gaze, Mu Ye assumed he had taken an interest in the mecha and asked with a smile.

"Master's mecha is very powerful; I have never seen anything like it in Snow City."

Jiang Xiu said with a look of admiration. This era was also one of rapid development in soul guidance technology; mechas and battle armors were everywhere, greatly narrowing the gap between soul masters.

Mechas had even begun to usher in the era of intelligent control.

"If you're interested, I can teach you, but remember, battle armor should be your top priority."

Mu Ye laughed, though he still offered a word of caution. Even if he didn't want to admit it, in reality, a God-ranked mecha simply couldn't compare to a four-word battle armor.

This was a consensus across the entire soul master world.

"Alright, get some sleep. We'll reach Shrek City by tomorrow morning."

Mu Ye ruffled Jiang Xiu's hair and handed him a genuine leather, fiery-red blanket.

Due to the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, the headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda was built within Shrek City, and the headquarters of the Tang Sect was there as well; one city, three formidable powers.

"Mhm, you get some sleep early too, Master."

Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, took the blanket to cover himself, and closed his eyes.

Too many things had happened today; before long, exhaustion washed over Jiang Xiu, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Confirming that Jiang Xiu was asleep, Mu Ye casually set up a soul power soundproof barrier and called out softly.

"Little Red."

"I am here, Boss."

That gentle female voice sounded slowly.

"I am very happy today, Boss. I have finally seen the hope for the revival of our Body Sect; the future is promising."

"Congratulations, Boss."

Joy surged through Little Red's synthesized electronic voice, and a small smiley face appeared on the screen before them, as if she were happy for Mu Ye.

"Hahaha, it's great, and I still have you with me, Little Red."

Mu Ye laughed heartily, looking at the surrounding night, and said leisurely.

"Little Red, will you stay with me forever?"

"Boss, I am not human. I am merely a product of a soul spirit and rare metals, somewhat similar to a piece of intelligent code. If I run out of energy, I will even fall into a deep slumber."

Little Red said hesitantly, and the smiley face on the screen turned into a look of grievance, with two small hands appearing to touch each other.

"It's fine. I am also just a product of blood and flesh, Boss. If I slit my throat, I'll be gone too."

Mu Ye waved his hand dismissively.

In his view, a soul constructed from metal and soul spirits was closer to being human than some aggregations of blood and flesh.

Falling in love with a piece of code was not terrifying; after all, he was also just a pile of cells.

"Don't worry, Boss. As long as you don't abandon Little Red, Little Red will always be by your side, until the end of time."

"Silly Little Red, how could I ever abandon you?"

Mu Ye shrugged his shoulders, his tone incredibly earnest.

Silvery moonlight scattered down as the red mecha streaked through space beneath the night sky, rushing toward the approaching dawn.

Shrek City.

A spatial rift suddenly appeared and just as suddenly vanished. A girl with silver hair and purple eyes fell out of it with a "thud." Her fair little face scrunched up, and her purple eyes looked around, filled with bewilderment.

"Where is this? How did I get brought here by a spatial rift?"