A Spark of Fire

The blood-red color faded from the sky, but peace did not return to heaven and earth.

Having just unleashed the ninth form of the Unyielding Staff Technique, Break Through to Godhood, Qian Gu Fenfeng blazed with golden light that shot into the heavens. God Level power thundered awake deep within his flesh and Martial Soul.

Divine origin slowly took shape within him, his God Level body completed its transformation, and spiritual power at the Divine Origin Realm surged in like a tide. Above the Coiling Dragon Staff, the phantom of the Break Evil Dragon threw back his head and roared at the sky, while endless golden light swept across the land.

Yet the instant he stepped into God Level, the planar laws of the entire Douluo Star descended without warning.

Invisible shackles of heaven and earth enveloped his body. The plane's will would not accept a god born within it, and layer upon layer of lawful shackles squeezed madly, wearing away his newly condensed divine core, seeking to force his cultivation back down to Limit Douluo.

Wave after wave of immense planar pressure battered his divine origin. The divine power that had only just formed within him began to fluctuate wildly, and his cultivation teetered, as though it would collapse entirely in the next instant.

Qian Gu Fenfeng's bones and sinews thundered throughout his body. Countless cracks appeared across his God Level flesh, and golden divine blood flowed ceaselessly from his wounds. He could clearly feel the plane's rejection. This world would not permit a complete god to remain within it for long.

"Mere planar laws?"

Qian Gu Fenfeng's eyes blazed, and an unyielding will rose from the depths of his heart.

He gripped the Coiling Dragon Staff with both hands. At that moment, the essence of the Unyielding Staff Technique, passed down through generations of the Qiangu Family, erupted in full.

Within the staff, the Break Evil Dragon's will merged with his own mind and spirit. The staff could break, but his will would not bend; his body could suffer wounds, but his path would not fall.

He had relied on neither a godhood inheritance nor the sacrifice of anything external. He had fought his way to God Level through his own flesh, Martial Soul, and unyielding fighting spirit.

Golden light pulsed from the Coiling Dragon Staff, not to strike outward at an enemy, but to turn inward and protect him.

His unyielding staff intent became a golden bulwark, fiercely shielding his wavering divine origin. With the stubborn resolve to die rather than yield, he withstood the suppression of the entire plane's laws.

The planar laws ground down relentlessly, wearing away his divine power again and again, attempting to tear his divine core apart.

But every time the pressure descended, the defiance in Qian Gu Fenfeng's heart grew stronger. External forces could suppress his power output, but they could not erase his will.

Time slowly passed. The planar pressure filling the sky lingered on and on, yet it could never force his cultivation down.

God Level, achieved!

Federal troops entered the Star Luo Continent in great numbers. Military outposts rose one after another, and the Mecha Formation traveled between cities and wilderness, taking over local city defenses.

On the surface, this land, which had endured the catastrophe of the Blood River Great Array, had come under federal control. Federal military flags could be seen everywhere in the towns, and the roar of patrolling mechas never ceased throughout the day.

Yet the wounds of war had not faded with the Demon Empress's death. Hatred born of shattered homes and lost loved ones sank deep into the hearts of countless survivors.

Beneath the authorities' efforts to pacify and control them, undercurrents quietly stirred throughout the wilderness.

Without a unified command or high-ranking Soul Masters overseeing them, the people native to the Star Luo Empire gathered of their own accord.

There were remnants of scattered local armies, scions of prominent families who had lost their homes, and ordinary Soul Masters and civilians. They were unwilling to submit completely to the rule of the foreign Federation, unwilling to watch helplessly as authority over their homeland fell entirely into outsiders' hands.

Guerrilla squads were born, one after another.

They avoided the cities where the main federal forces were stationed, operating among mountain forests, abandoned castles, and ruined villages and towns.

They hid by day and emerged at night, rarely confronting the federal mecha army head-on. Sometimes they secretly sabotaged federal supply transfer stations and seized supplies; sometimes they ambushed isolated federal patrol squads and took their weapons and Soul Tools; at other times, they slipped into towns, spreading calls to restore their homeland and gathering scattered survivors.

Hidden paths through the woods and concealed cellars beneath the ruins all became their hideouts.

Night shrouded the wilderness as several dark figures moved swiftly under the cover of the trees. The squad members wore rough clothing, and many still bore scars left by the catastrophe. In their hands were soul pistols, Soul Bone weapons, or even nothing more than sharpened iron blades.

"The Federation has occupied our cities, but it cannot occupy our land."

The man leading them kept his voice low, his gaze fixed on the brightly lit federal camp in the distance. The faint glow of the mechas was particularly glaring in the night. "We can't defeat their army, so we'll keep harassing them. As long as someone is still resisting, the Star Luo Empire hasn't truly fallen."

The guerrilla squads were like sparks scattered through the wilderness. They did not clash head-on with their powerful enemy, but they made trouble everywhere.

Although the federal troops possessed overwhelming combat power and could hold the cities and key routes, they struggled to completely eliminate the resistance scattered across the vast land. Whenever the army advanced, the guerrillas dispersed and hid; whenever the army withdrew, the flames of resistance flared anew.

On the Star Luo Continent, the cities belonged to the Federation, but the wilderness still belonged to the people of this land. The smoke of war had not fully cleared, and a protracted guerrilla war began.

Federal Guard headquarters.

"These natives have no gratitude whatsoever!"

"The Councilor saved them from fire and flood, yet this is how they repay him!"

"The Councilor must be informed of this!"

Clamor rose from every side. In the end, the Guard Squad officers unanimously decided to have Qian Gu Fenfeng make the decision.

The Federal Parliament Building.

"Oh? I'm already aware of this."

After hearing his subordinate's report, Qian Gu Fenfeng stood and paced around his desk.

The reaction of the Star Dou populace had caught him off guard.

Then he picked up the command cube. "Connect me to Number Two."

"Pass on my orders. Blockade all waters around the Star Dou Continent. The Federal Guard and the Guard Army are to withdraw in an orderly fashion. Do not alarm the natives."

"At midnight tomorrow, deploy the two Fixed Soul Cannons, 'Devour Heaven and Earth' and 'Heaven-Destroying Earth-Destroying,' on the Star Dou Continent!"

"At the same time, contact the Ghost Emperor and the remnants of the Holy Spirit Cult. Slaughter every last native!"

"Leave no survivors!"