Star Luo City

Yin Chen leaned quietly against the inner wall of the speeding carriage. The blurred scenery outside the window reflected in his shattered-gold eyes, yet failed to stir the slightest ripple within them.

He understood this clearly, yet strangely felt neither guilt nor unease.

He was not the sort of person to drown himself in meaningless inner turmoil.

His experience as an overworked office drone in his previous life had long taught him a cold truth.

Before immense rules and fate, an individual's joys, sorrows, and moral convictions were often laughably fragile.

Reborn into this life, wielding the authority of time and death and having witnessed the power of the supernatural, what he pursued was absolute strength above all else and unfettered freedom.

And that supreme throne and freedom to do as one pleased had always allowed only one person to enjoy them alone.

At his core, he was selfish.

This selfishness did not stem from the cruelty of ignorance, but from an ultimate calm forged through careful thought, stripped of all unnecessary emotional burdens.

He knew full well that activating the True Blood of Myriad Karmas might cause some people to lose those they loved, tear certain factions apart, or even trigger a war that swept across the entire continent and claimed countless lives.

But all of that was unavoidable on his path to the supreme throne. He was willing to bear every sin that came with it. If justice truly existed and wished to punish him, he would have no complaints.

But neither would he surrender without resistance. If he failed, he would become an eternal villain; if he won, future scholars would naturally argue in his defense.

To him, the world's chaos might be a crisis, but it was also an opportunity.

The collapse of order often meant a reshuffling of social ranks and more chances to exploit.

The pain and deaths of others, so long as they did not touch the few people he cared about, were merely vague background noise drifting in from afar.

What he sought was the fulfillment of his own will, his own eternity.

As for how many bones he would tread upon, how much bloodshed he would unleash, how many beautiful dreams he would shatter or nightmares he would bring about... those were not matters he needed to prioritize.

When one person attained the Dao, even their chickens and dogs rose to heaven.

And if one wished to ascend the supreme throne, how could the staircase beneath one's feet remain unstained by dust and blood?

Yin Chen slowly closed his eyes, shutting out all the turmoil beyond the carriage.

What he needed to consider was how to seize enough nourishment from the wildfire he himself had ignited, one that was about to spread across the plains.

He would become the sole victor who could laugh proudly beneath the heavens in the end.

After several days of racing at full speed, the Soul Guidance Carriage finally began to slow.

When Yin Chen lifted the curtain at the carriage window and looked outside, even with the composure of someone who had lived two lives, a trace of amazement flashed through his eyes.

A colossal city of indescribable grandeur appeared before him like an ancient beast crouching upon the earth.

Star Luo City, the absolute heart of the Star Luo Empire, traced its history back ten thousand years to the era when it contended with Spirit Hall. Having endured countless wars and reconstructions, it had accumulated an unimaginable weight of history and splendor.

The first thing that came into view was the enormous city wall, winding and rising like a mountain range.

Rather than ordinary bricks and stone, the wall had been built from massive Granite Blue Steel Stones mined deep within the Mingdou Mountain Range. It stood over eighty meters tall, its surface polished exceptionally smooth and covered with weathered marks left by time, as well as various reinforcing and defensive Soul Tool rune engravings that gleamed with a cold metallic luster beneath the sun.

On the city wall, armored patrol soldiers marched beneath fluttering banners. Great defensive Soul Tools could vaguely be seen extending from the battlements, and a murderous aura rushed toward them.

The city covered an area so vast it defied imagination. As far as the eye could see, there was no end in sight.

It was said that, including its outlying satellite towns and military garrison zones, Star Luo City and its surrounding territory could house nearly thirty million people, while the central urban district alone had more than eight million permanent residents year-round.

The carriage passed through a royal-only city gate guarded by heavily armed troops, one that required a special token to enter, and officially entered this legendary city.

The sights within were even more dazzling.

The main roads, broad enough for ten carriages to travel side by side, were paved with some kind of hard bluestone slabs polished until they shone like mirrors.

Shops crowded both sides of the streets, their signs and banners varied and colorful. Everything was available, from the most ordinary necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and travel to medicinal herbs, Soul Tools, weapons, and armor specifically for Soul Masters. The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder, noisy with life and displaying the city's utmost prosperity and vitality.

Buildings of different styles stood row upon row. There were ancient shops with a history of millennia, as well as splendid high-rises filled with the modern feel of Soul Tool technology.

The air was suffused with the scents of all kinds of food, the fresh fragrance of medicinal herbs, and the faint energy fluctuations unique to operating Soul Tool machinery.

Carriages and horses flowed endlessly through the streets. Soul Masters and ordinary people mingled together, forming a vivid yet rigidly stratified portrait unique to this imperial capital.

The carriage did not linger amid the bustling markets, instead driving directly toward the city's Core Area.

The farther inward they went, the quieter the surroundings became. The streets grew broader and cleaner, the patrolling guards more elite, and every building around them displayed status and heritage. This was clearly where high officials, nobles, and powerful Soul Master families gathered.

At last, the carriage stopped before a quiet residence only two streets away from the imperial palace walls.

This residence offered tranquility amid the bustle, with white walls, black tiles, and vermilion gates. Two imposing stone beasts stood at its entrance. Though the layout was not ostentatious, every detail revealed craftsmanship and nobility.

Xu Jiujiu was the first to step down from the carriage. She said to Yin Chen and Uncle Hui:

"We're here. This will be your residence from now on. This Snow-Listening Pavilion has an elegant environment and convenient access to and from the imperial palace. From now on, it belongs to you, Yin Chen."

Her tone was calm, as though she had merely given away an ordinary gift.

Without waiting for Yin Chen to respond, she took out another card made of a special material, its edges inlaid with dark golden patterns, and handed it to Uncle Hui, who was so excited that he did not know what to do with himself:

"Uncle Hui, this card contains one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Keep it for daily expenses, to purchase suitable furniture and household items, or some basic resources Yin Chen may need for cultivation. If it is not enough, you may use this card to withdraw more from a bank designated by the royal family."

One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Uncle Hui's hands trembled.

He knew very well that Yin Chen's parents had served in the Eighth Spirit Master Legion for many years. After their deaths, all the compensation and savings they left behind, after deducting the amount they had spent on their own cultivation, amounted to only around ten thousand Gold Soul Coins at most.

Yet the amount Her Highness the Princess had casually given was ten times that inheritance.

And that was not all.

Xu Jiujiu gestured, and the vermilion gates of the residence quietly opened. More than a dozen maids and servants dressed in matching uniforms were already standing inside with their hands lowered respectfully. Upon seeing Xu Jiujiu and Yin Chen, they all bowed in unison. The royal family had clearly arranged everything perfectly long ago, merely waiting for the owner to move in.

This level of attention was meticulous in every respect and filled with sincerity.