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...Douluo Star, Star Dou Great Forest core area, Lake of Life.
The flow of ten thousand years didn't just change civilizations; it brought earth-shattering changes to the planet itself.
Under Gu Yuena's nourishment and guidance of divine force, Douluo Star completed its transition from an ordinary plane to a Demi-God Star, its volume expanding several times compared to ten thousand years ago.
The originally narrow continental plates were stretched and extended, giving birth to new continents and islands.
Towering ancient trees stood tall, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense it almost turned into mist; Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts could be seen everywhere darting through the woods.
This was Gu Yuena's handiwork. To ease the increasingly sharp conflict over living space between humans and Spirit Beasts, she intentionally guided the expansion of the continental plates during the plane's upgrade, securing a vast enough habitat for the Soul Beast Clan.
Although no large-scale racial wars broke out between humans and Spirit Beasts under the extreme suppression of the Angel God Cult and the Sea God Church, local frictions never ceased.
However, for the "one worm and one person" currently hiding by the shore of the Lake of Life, the outside disturbances were temporarily irrelevant to them.
"Brother Tianmeng, I don't understand."
Huo Yuhao, looking about seventeen or eighteen, sat on the grass by the lake, his brow furrowed with a look of vicissitude and confusion that didn't match his age. He looked at the plump, white meat-worm sunbathing comfortably in front of him and couldn't help but ask:
"According to historical records, the Douluo Federation of five thousand years ago had strict laws and clean politics, where humans and Spirit Beasts coexisted harmoniously—it was a true heaven on earth. Why... why did that great Speaker Ning Fengzhi and those first generation councilors known as Law Enforcers choose to retire collectively and live in seclusion?"
"If they were still here, how could the current Federation have become so corrupt? How could they allow such filthy dealings to exist?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm rolled over and let out a lazy yawn.
Since Gu Yuena reshaped the Dragon God Body and revitalized the Soul Beast Clan, he, the former "Million Year Spirit Beast," had become the clan's mascot.
He was doing just fine in the God Realm, but that iron lady Bibi Dong was too terrifying, not even sparing Divine Beasts when press-ganging people into service.
To slack off, Tianmeng slipped back to Douluo Star under the banner of "guiding the development of Spirit Beasts in the Lower Realm."
"I say, Yuhao, you're being a bit judgmental here,"
Tianmeng said, shaking the antennae on his head and speaking irritably. "Gods need to rest too, okay? You think being an official is easy? Especially in Ning Fengzhi's position—handling the daily lives of billions of creatures across several continents, coordinating the interests of various industries... it's practically more exhausting than Cultivating!"
"And..."
Tianmeng sighed, "They are also people with their own pursuits. After working hard for thousands of years to put the Federation on the right track, aren't they allowed to retire and enjoy the blessings of the God Realm? Take that old man Chen Xin; he wanted to go to the God Realm long ago to find a good sword to spar with. And that guy Yue Guan kept clamoring every day about planting a garden of exotic flowers and herbs in the God Realm."
"So, five thousand years ago, when everything in the Federation was on the right track and no longer required hard force to maintain, they collectively withdrew. They handed power back to the Mortals who had grown up since then."
"After working so hard for so long, is it too much to ask for a little rest?"
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "It's not too much... it's really not. I was being too harsh."
He lowered his head, looking at his own reflection in the water—a "Heretic" wanted by the joint forces of the Federation, the Angel God Cult, and the Sea God Church.
"But, Brother Tianmeng."
Huo Yuhao's voice grew low. "Since the system was perfect, and since it ran so well for the first five thousand years... why did the Federation turn into this in just a few short millennia after they left?"
"Greed, corruption, suppressing dissent... the current high-ranking officials of the Federation will sell anything for profit and arbitrarily rewrite laws to maintain their status. Even the churches..."
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, a flash of pain in his eyes. "Even the churches that represent the will of 'Heaven' have become tools for them to amass wealth and eliminate rivals. They call me a Heretic and say my Soul Spirit System is a blasphemy against the gods... but clearly, the Soul Spirit System can save so many innocent Spirit Beasts and make Spirit Masters stronger. Why is that blasphemy?"
"Is it really as they say, that the 'Soul Spirit System' I introduced shook the Foundation of the Federation and caused this chaos?"
"Bullshit!"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm spat disdainfully. "Your Soul Spirit System is good stuff and can solve major problems. The current chaos has absolutely nothing to do with you. It's because they are rotten to the core themselves and just found an excuse to throw mud at you."
Tianmeng wiggled his body and crawled onto a rock beside Huo Yuhao. Those small eyes, which were usually sleepy, rarely revealed a hint of profound light.
"Yuhao, do you know why no one in the Federation dared to be greedy or cause trouble during those first five thousand years?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"Because of one word—fear."
Tianmeng's voice became serious. "Ning Fengzhi's group and those old fellows who survived back then had seen 'Heaven' with their own eyes."
"They saw how that existence wiped out millions of troops in a single night and saw how he shattered the God Realm. To them, the 'Heaven' above their heads wasn't some vague concept or a myth written in a book, but a real, physical Sword of Damocles that could fall at any moment."
"They respected him, but more than that, they feared him."
"That bone-deep fear made them act as if treading on thin ice while wielding power, not daring to have the slightest selfishness or negligence. Because they knew that as long as they dared to act out, 'Heaven' was truly watching, and 'Heaven' would truly kill."
At this point, Tianmeng sighed and looked toward the distant Federation cities.
"But what about the Mortals who came later?"
"Five thousand years have passed, ten thousand years have passed. To the current Federation leadership, Ning Fengzhi and the others have become legends, and that 'Heaven' has become nothing more than a symbol in mythology books."
"These current Federation councilors and church bishops have never seen Xuan Ming, nor have they seen Bibi Dong or Qian Renxue. Their understanding of 'Heaven' comes entirely from whitewashed church scriptures and cold stone statues."
"In their eyes, 'Heaven' is just a concept, a tool used to rule the ignorant masses, rather than a living existence that will bring down Divine Punishment."
"When there is not enough awe, personal desires will swell."
Tianmeng shook his head. "They've started to feel that as long as they hold the right of interpretation and act discreetly, 'Heaven' won't know. Or rather, they subconsciously feel that 'Heaven' simply doesn't exist, or has long since forgotten this World."
"Lack of awe breeds arrogance; arrogance breeds corruption."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm sneered, his tone carrying a hint of mockery:
"If this were ten thousand years ago, under the gaze of Xuan Ming... oh no, under the gaze of 'Heaven,' the darkness and filth you see now wouldn't even dare to exist. Even if they just had a thought about it in their heads, they'd be scared into wetting their pants."
"So, Yuhao."
Tianmeng patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "It's not your fault, and it's not the system's fault. It's simply that these bastards... are overdue for a lesson."
Huo Yuhao remained silent for a long time after listening.
He looked at the calm surface of the lake, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
It turned out that this World, which now made him feel suffocated, was not like this from the beginning. It once had its moments of light, only to be covered in dust by time and human greed.
"Then, Brother Tianmeng..." Huo Yuhao looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "That 'Heaven'... will he ever look at this place again?"
Tianmeng was about to speak when suddenly, his sharp Spiritual Detection seemed to sense something. His entire worm body stiffened, and his plump frame began to tremble uncontrollably.
He widened his eyes and looked toward a certain point in the sky with terror.
"It... it seems..."
Tianmeng stammered, "He... already... has... looked..."