The Star-Picking Tower soars high into the starry sky, its imposing presence seemingly poised to pierce the heavens.
The building was constructed of some unknown divine material, its entire body radiating a warm and mysterious luster, as if it had gathered the brilliance of countless stars throughout the ages.
Its name, "Star-Picking," is no exaggeration; standing on the rooftop, one truly has the illusion that one can reach out and grasp the stars.
Lin Hao walked calmly and was the first to step into the building.
He stood tall and straight, dressed in black with white hair. Snow Empress hesitated outside the building for a moment, but finally gritted her teeth and followed him inside.
The moment she stepped into the building, an indescribable pressure swept over her. It was not simply Soul Power or killing intent, but a higher level of majesty, almost like a law, which made even the ruler of the Far North feel a chill.
The scene inside the building was even more astonishing.
The dome is not a physical object, but a vast and boundless star map, with stars twinkling and their trajectories flowing, just like the real universe, as if a piece of the starry sky had been directly captured and sealed here.
Starlight spilled down, casting a play of light and shadow across the spacious hall, adding to its mystique and solemnity.
In the center of the main hall, a simple and dignified main seat sits high above, overlooking all living beings.
Lin Hao walked straight over, sat down calmly, and cast his gaze steadily down at the Snow Empress.
"Please sit down."
His voice was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, and he simply pointed to a prayer mat below the main seat.
As instructed, Snow Empress slowly walked to the prayer mat and knelt down.
Her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her snow-white dress tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
The anxiety in her heart was like a blizzard in the Far North, raging wildly in her chest.
She forced herself to raise her head and meet Lin Hao's gaze, trying to see something in those unfathomable eyes, but all she saw was an empty calm.
Lin Hao's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he spoke slowly, his tone remaining calm and composed:
"Next, I asked..."
He paused briefly, as if choosing his words carefully, or perhaps observing Snow Empress's reaction, before throwing out his first seemingly ordinary question:
"Your name is Snow Empress, right?"
Snow Empress's heart tightened, but this problem was still within her expectations.
She nodded.
Lin Hao didn't seem to care about her silence, but simply nodded slightly, as if confirming a known fact.
Then, he changed the subject, his voice still steady, but it exploded in Snow Empress's ears like Jinglei:
"You are a 700,000-year-old Soul Beast..."
Snow Empress's delicate body trembled violently, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
This is one of her biggest secrets! How did the other person find out?
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, biting her lower lip tightly, and remained silent. However, the wariness and fear in her icy blue eyes deepened.
Lin Hao seemed to understand her reaction perfectly, without delving into it. He simply gazed at her intently, and then casually dropped the real bombshell:
"You're from the Douluo Continent?"
boom--!!!
Upon hearing this, Snow Empress felt as if a billion Jinglei had exploded in her mind at the same time!
She felt as if she had been struck by lightning; her delicate body trembled violently, and she could no longer maintain even the slightest bit of composure.
That face, which was originally as fair as jade, instantly lost all color, turning as pale as the ancient ice of the Far North.
She suddenly raised her head, her beautiful eyes wide open, staring incredulously at Lin Hao, who sat high in the main seat, her gaze filled with extreme shock, fear, and bewilderment.
How could he know?! How is that possible?!
She asked herself if she had ever mentioned it to anyone, or even revealed a single clue.
But this man before them, this mysterious and powerful being who inspired despair, actually revealed the secret of heaven in a single sentence!
"You... you..."
Snow Empress's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
At the same time that Snow Empress lost her composure, in the distant and unknown Douluo Continent...
As Lin Hao's words traveled through the Heavenly Screen and spread throughout all realms, the entire continent was instantly plunged into unprecedented panic and turmoil.
The Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace.
"He knows! He really knows!"
A gasp shattered the solemnity and silence of the hall.
Pope Bibi Dong, who sat on the highest throne, suddenly stood up. She slammed the jeweled scepter in her hand, which symbolized the highest authority of the Spirit Hall, onto the smooth ground with a dull thud that echoed in the empty hall.
Bibi Dong's stunningly beautiful face, which could captivate all beings, completely lost its former elegance and majesty for the first time, replaced by an undisguised horror and gloom.
Her phoenix eyes widened as she stared intently at Lin Hao's terrifyingly calm face in the Heavenly Screen and Snow Empress's ghost-like expression.
"How could he know?! Snow Empress didn't say anything!"
Even Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Could it be... that he can see through people's hearts?! That he directly accessed Snow Empress's memories?"
"Seeing through people's hearts..."
Bibi Dong repeated the word, her face so dark it was almost dripping with water. "Perhaps, for him, this is not a difficult task."
She took a deep breath, forcing her heart, which was pounding wildly with shock, to calm down. As the Pope of the Spirit Hall, she could not fall.
" Douluo Continent... has been completely exposed."
She whirled around, her gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over the trembling crowd below. Her voice regained its usual authority, but carried an undeniable urgency:
"Order! The Spirit Hall shall immediately enter a state of highest combat readiness!"
All Titled Douluo currently on missions outside the city, regardless of the importance of the mission, must abandon them and immediately return to Spirit City at full speed!
At the same time, with the highest level of ceremony, the deities of the Worship Hall were notified to come out of seclusion for a meeting!
This is a matter of life and death for the mainland; there must be no mistakes!
Although she knew that doing so might be futile, Bibi Dong's personality dictated that she could not choose to do nothing and let things happen.
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Furthermore... immediately dispatch an elite squad composed of agility-based Soul Saint, carrying my personal letter, to secretly travel to the Far North!"
Let's see if we can get in touch with Ice Empress!
Perhaps we can get some information about the Snow Empress from her!
As orders were relayed down, the entire Spirit Hall, this massive war machine, began to operate at an unprecedented speed.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Council Hall.
Ning Fengzhi, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School Master, known for his composure and wisdom, was also pale-faced, his lips trembling slightly uncontrollably, his gaze fixed on the Heavenly Screen, muttering to himself:
The thing I feared most... still happened...
Damn it!
Bone Douluo Gu Rong, was hot-tempered and could no longer contain himself. With a roar, he slammed his fist into a huge stone pillar beside him, which required several people to encircle.
With a deafening roar, the hard stone pillar was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks.
"How did he know?! Where did things go wrong?!"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to dwell on how he knew."
Now that the Heavenly Emperor knows of the existence of the Douluo Continent, what will he do next?
Is it curiosity, exploration, or... invasion?