Star Dou Forest
"Little Young Master, Little Young Master, please slow down!" Several elders dressed in the black bishop robes of the Spirit Hall were chasing after a golden-haired boy.
The boy looked about eleven or twelve years old, with a very youthful face. His appearance was striking—his eyes sparkled like stars, and his lips were as red as cinnabar, perpetually curved into a warm smile. His demeanor exuded elegance, as if he were a jade tree swaying in the wind, leaving onlookers awestruck.
His clear, water-like eyes seemed to perceive all the beauty in the world, while his radiant smile resembled the brightest sunlight of spring, evoking joy in those who saw it.
This boy was none other than Li Luochen's eldest son, Li Chengqian. Now nine years old, Li Chengqian had just broken through to the Soul Ancestor rank. Bibi Dong had brought her subordinates to assist him in hunting for his first spirit ring.
"Qian'er, have you had enough fun? It's time to come back," a cool yet noble voice, tinged with affection, called out.
"Alright, Grandmother!" Li Chengqian immediately flew to Bibi Dong and stopped before her.
It must be said that Li Chengqian was truly adored by Bibi Dong. Most others who encountered Bibi Dong were filled with fear, but Li Chengqian acted like a mischievous little devil, showing no regard for hierarchy or decorum.
When he was younger, he had been more obedient, but after his martial soul awakened, he became like an untamed wild horse, constantly frolicking around. Was this the stark contrast of the Six-Winged Angel martial soul?
However, Li Chengqian's talent was extraordinary. With the Six-Winged Angel martial soul and an innate spirit power of Level 20, his cultivation speed was unmatched.
He was already a forty-level quasi-Soul Ancestor, and what was most astonishing was that his first three spirit rings were all purple: light purple, deep purple, and purplish-black.
They corresponded to slightly over one thousand years, over five thousand years, and over nine thousand years, respectively.
This was undoubtedly a new pinnacle in the world of soul masters. With sufficient resources invested in laying a strong foundation, such achievements were possible.
Of course, it wasn't just resources—Li Chengqian possessed a unique advantage that others lacked: a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.
After Qian Renxue's seventh spirit ring, all her subsequent spirit rings were at the hundred-thousand-year level, granting her three hundred-thousand-year spirit bones, all imbued with light attributes.
Since Li Chengqian's martial soul was also the Six-Winged Angel, it was only natural for him to absorb one of these hundred-thousand-year spirit bones.
Now, within the Spirit Hall, Li Chengqian was showered with affection. While his younger siblings were still playing around, he was the first to awaken his martial soul and displayed exceptional talent, elevating his status within the Spirit Hall. At such a young age, he had already become the Holy Child.
As for why Qian Renxue hadn't accompanied her son on this soul-hunting trip—it was because she had gone to sea.
Just six months ago, Dugu Yan had arrived at the Spirit Hall, holding a golden trident and having reached Level 96 in spirit energy.
At the same time, Qian Renxue had completed her seventh trial and obtained the divine artifact, the Angelic Holy Sword.
Both Dugu Yan and Qian Renxue were at the same stage of their god trials, prompting them to engage in a friendly sparring match. As fellow god trial participants, close friends, and confidantes, they clashed in the skies above the Spirit Hall.
As for the outcome of their battle, only the two of them knew. By now, four god-inheritance candidates had emerged on the continent, causing quite a stir in the Douluo God Realm.
Several gods had secretly begun selecting their inheritors—for example, the Food God and the Nine-Colored Goddess couple.
Speaking of which, a few months ago, Dugu Yan and Qian Renxue had traveled together to the sea, reportedly intending to hunt down an exceptionally powerful soul beast. The chances of success when these two acted together? No one could say for sure.
As for the other members of Shrek Academy, they had all completed their respective trials, except for Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling, who still needed to complete their eighth trial.
The rest of Shrek Academy's members remained on the mainland. Aside from Dai Mubai, whose strength was at the Soul Sage level, everyone else was at the Soul Douluo level or higher.
In particular, Ma Hongjun had already broken through to become a Title Douluo, earning the title of Phoenix Douluo and becoming an incredibly powerful force.
Oscar, Yang Wu, Niu Dun, and Yu Tianxin were all high-level Soul Douluos, while the others were newly minted Soul Douluos.
Shrek Academy's strength had surged once again. However, the academy maintained its tradition of enrolling only a small number of students each year, focusing on cultivating elite talents. After all, Shrek didn't lack money, teaching facilities, or theoretical knowledge—enough to nurture geniuses effectively.
As for Li Luochen, he remained missing. Bibi Dong had personally visited Slaughter City to search for him. Along the Hell Road, her divine sense detected that Li Luochen was undergoing some kind of trial in another dimension.
The specifics of the trial were unknown to her, but given that it was a god-king trial, difficulty was to be expected.
On the surface, the continent appeared prosperous. However, just a month ago, the Spirit Hall suddenly announced the establishment of the Spirit Empire, declaring its intention to unify the continent.
The Star Luo Empire immediately sprang into action, seeking cooperation with the Tian Dou Empire. However, to everyone's surprise, the entire Tian Dou Empire surrendered to the Spirit Empire without any resistance.
Thus, in just one month, the Spirit Empire had already seized half of the Douluo Continent—a pace that astonished everyone.
When Bibi Dong entered the capital of the Tian Dou Empire, she began dismantling the corrupt nobility, forcing them to return the wealth they had extorted from the common people over the years.
The common folk rejoiced, shouting praises such as "The gods have descended!" and "Long live the Spirit Hall!"
This move was highly strategic on the Douluo Continent, where nobles had long treated commoners as nothing more than tools. Bibi Dong's actions solidified widespread faith among the populace. To further reinforce this, she erected statues in the likenesses of both the Angel God and the Rakshasa God, beginning to harvest the faith of the Douluo Continent.
After all, belief in the Angel God had long since waned, with only the Spirit Hall maintaining any semblance of worship. This resurgence of faith marked a turning point.
Currently, most of the Spirit Empire's forces were stationed along the border of the Star Luo Empire.
During these years, Bibi Dong hadn't been idle outside of completing her god trials. She had long ordered her craftsmen to mass-produce firearms. The blacksmiths and soul-guide device experts trained by Li Luochen were now putting their skills to use.
Large-scale production of soul-guide cannons, soul-guide firearms, and even a series of unconventional heat-based weapons had begun.
In skirmishes along the Star Luo border, the Spirit Empire achieved repeated victories, routing the soldiers of the Star Luo Empire.
However, completely dismantling the Star Luo Empire was not yet feasible. Unless someone ascended to godhood and used divine power to drive the Star Luo Empire to despair—or unless a group of Title Douluos were sent to assassinate the empire's leadership—the war would drag on.
That said, the Title Douluos of this era were all immensely proud individuals, unwilling to undertake assassination missions. Only Ghost Douluo and Ghost Leopard Douluo were suitable for such tasks, but sending them into the Star Luo Empire was risky.
The Star Luo Empire's soul masters were formidable, especially the fearsome Hell White Tiger martial soul fusion. Thus, patience was required.
Regardless, the Spirit Empire held a significant advantage. With the vast resources of the Tian Dou Empire as their logistical base, Bibi Dong had plenty of room to maneuver and play the long game.
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