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...Over the next few days, a group of mysterious "tourists" appeared on Douluo Star.
They didn't ride in luxury soul-guided flying cars, nor did they frequent high-end establishments reserved for nobles and high-ranking Spirit Masters.
Instead, they moved like ghosts, weaving through the slums of Heaven Dou City, wandering through border towns in remote provinces, and even mingling in mercenary taverns and underground black markets.
Xuan Ming took this group of goddesses—capable of overturning the entire Universe—and truly experienced a "private inspection tour."
Of course, to avoid causing unnecessary commotion, they all cast the highest level of Cognitive Obfuscation Spells. In the eyes of Mortals, they were merely a group of ordinary people with slightly exceptional temperaments.
However, after this tour, everyone's expressions grew uglier by the day.
Originally, in Xuan Ming's vision, with the majesty of "Heaven" pressing down and Divine Rank power as backup, the Douluo Federation should have been a vibrant and orderly civilized World, even if it couldn't achieve absolute fairness and justice.
But reality gave him a resounding slap in the face.
"What's the difference... from ten thousand years ago?"
Standing before the ruins of a village where families had been ruined by the forced collection of a "Faith Tax," Xuan Ming's voice was chillingly cold.
He saw the clergy of the church, under the banner of the "Angel God," wantonly plundering the wealth of commoners and even forcibly abducting young women.
He saw the Federation's enforcement teams colluding with local gangs, turning a blind eye to the activities of Evil Spirit Masters, and even playing the game of "fostering threats to increase their own importance" to swindle more maintenance funds.
He saw those councilors, who were supposed to speak for all walks of life, arguing incessantly in the Parliament Building to divide the spoils, yet remaining deaf to the suffering of the people at the bottom.
Feigning compliance while secretly opposing; there were policies from above and countermeasures from below.
Greed, corruption, and decadence.
These malignant tumors that existed ten thousand years ago had not been eradicated; instead, they grew more luxuriantly and unscrupulously in the name of "God."
"Is this your so-called golden age?"
Xuan Ming turned his head to look at Qian Renxue and Bo Saixi. His tone held no blame, yet it carried a mockery that made one feel utterly ashamed. "It seems your followers know very well how to use your reputations to make a fortune."
Qian Renxue's face was now as dark as the bottom of a pot.
She clenched her fists tightly, her golden eyes burning with a raging fire, and even her breathing became somewhat hurried.
"Those bastards..."
She gnashed her teeth. If Bibi Dong hadn't been holding her back, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from drawing the Angelic Sacred Sword and hacking down those Cardinals who spoke of benevolence and morality while committing deeds worse than beasts.
"I haven't been here for twenty years, and they dare to rot to this extent?"
Qian Renxue trembled with rage. "How long has it been since Ning Fengzhi and the others retired? Five thousand years! In just five thousand years, these people have completely ruined the reputation of my Angel God Cult!"
"The upper levels line their pockets, the middle levels act as accomplices, and the lower levels feign compliance... What the Hell is the difference between this and the Spirit Hall of back then? It's even worse than the Spirit Hall of those days!"
At least the Spirit Hall of the past truly had support policies for commoner Spirit Masters. But now? It's all become a tool for amassing wealth!
Bo Saixi also had a somber expression.
The situation in the Sea God Church wasn't much better. Those creeds that once protected the ocean had now become excuses for extorting fishermen and maritime merchants.
"Truly disgraceful."
Xuan Ming sighed. "If it were another plane, I might not bother to care. After all, the flaws of human nature are the same everywhere. But this Douluo Federation was, after all, established at my behest; it is the testing ground of 'Heaven'."
"Turning into this ghostly mess is a slap in my face."
"It's still simpler on the Spirit Beast side."
Xiao Wu, standing to the side, kicked a small pebble on the road and couldn't help but complain, "Without all these twists and turns. Whoever has the bigger fist has the final say—simple and direct. Unlike humans, with mouths full of benevolence and morality, but hearts full of villainy."
"That's because most Spirit Beasts have no brains!"
Qian Renxue, already in a fit of rage, retorted immediately upon hearing this. "Acting only on instinct is naturally simple! The reason human society is complex is that humans have desires and wisdom!"
"You're the one with no brains!"
Xiao Wu's fur stood on end instantly, and she retorted defiantly, "That's clearly because everyone obeys Lord Dragon God's will! In the Soul Beast Clan, Sister Gu Yuena's words are absolute commands. Whatever the boss says to do, we do it without compromise and certainly without any feigned compliance."
"Unlike you humans? One way to someone's face and another behind their back—talking big, but acting entirely out of selfishness!"
"You!" Qian Renxue was choked up, unable to speak.
Although she didn't want to admit it, the facts were indeed so.
Under Gu Yuena's iron-fisted rule, although the Soul Beast Clan was primitive, it was indeed much purer and more loyal than humans.
"Alright, stop arguing."
Bibi Dong, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, interrupting their dispute.
She looked at the magnificent Angel Grand Cathedral in the distance, her deep purple eyes flashing with a heart-palpitating cold light.
"Since it's rotten, then gouge out the rotten flesh."
"Whether it's the church or the Federation. Since they've forgotten what awe is, we'll help them remember."
"It seems the purge ten thousand years ago didn't give them a deep enough lesson."
"No need to hurry."
Facing the killing intent already overflowing from Bibi Dong's body, Xuan Ming merely raised his hand gently, pressing down on the humming Asura Demon Sword in her hand.
"Since this play has already begun, why should we, as the audience, be in such a hurry to rush onto the stage and tear down the set?"
"I want to see what this little fellow named Huo Yuhao actually plans to do."
"To see if he... can swim against the tide in this murky World."
"Just like I once did."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu couldn't help but frown, her delicate little face filled with eccentricity and disbelief.
"I say, Xuan Ming, although you are 'Heaven' and whatever you say is right, but..."
"Even if that Huo Yuhao is some 'child of destiny,' does he really have the ability?"
"Swimming against the tide? Those words are easy to say, but is it just a matter of flapping one's lips?"
Xiao Wu had personally witnessed how difficult Xuan Ming's path had been back then.
"Back then, yours was a true narrow escape from death! That you could survive and reach this point today is entirely an unrepeatable miracle!"
"But the current environment is even worse than back then!"
Xiao Wu counted on her fingers and complained, "The current Douluo Federation, after ten thousand years of accumulation, has a terrifyingly deep foundation. There are over a dozen Limit Douluos on the surface alone, not to mention those Fixed-mount Soul-guided Cannons, Heavenly Execution, whose power can reach the Divine Rank."
"How old is that Huo Yuhao now? What's his cultivation level? Moreover, he's wanted across the entire continent, without even a stable place to develop; he even has to hide just to eat."
"How is he supposed to swim against the tide?"
Xiao Wu spread her hands. "Isn't this just sending him to his death? This difficulty level is simply Hell-grade."
Qian Renxue also nodded. Although she looked down on the current church, she admitted Xiao Wu had a point: "Indeed. The current Federation and church have formed a massive community of interests. For Huo Yuhao to want to shake this great tree is no different from an ant trying to shake a giant tree."
However, facing the women's doubts, Xuan Ming only shook his head, that playful smile on the corner of his mouth never fading.
"You all still underestimate the weight of the word 'destiny'."
"This is the path he chose himself, so naturally, he must walk it himself. Whether it's Hell-grade or Abyss-grade, if he wants to be the one to break the shackles, he must have the resolve to risk his life."
"Besides..."
Xuan Ming paused and looked up at the sky, as if seeing that ethereal yet truly existent planar will.
"Don't underestimate this so-called 'child of destiny'."
"What kind of plane is Douluo Star now? It's an Advanced plane that is already approaching a god star! The energy level and Law strength of this planet itself are countless times stronger than ten thousand years ago."
"When all the Luck of such a planet is bestowed upon one person..."
Xuan Ming looked at Xiao Wu and chuckled, "Xiao Wu, believe it or not, it's almost impossible for him to fail."
"Impossible to fail?" Xiao Wu's eyes widened.
"That's right."
Xuan Ming explained, "Under the blessing of Luck, no matter what danger he encounters, even if it's a certain-death situation, a turning point will appear."
"For example, if he is pursued and jumps off a cliff, while others would be smashed to pieces, he might find a peerless Secret Manual or encounter the Legacy of a hidden master."
"For example, if he is poisoned, while others would die with blood flowing from their seven orifices, he might instead have his Ren and Du meridians cleared or even gain a poison-immune Physique by consuming that poison."
"Or for instance, he is currently wanted across the entire continent and seems to be at a dead end. But in reality, this pressure will instead become a catalyst for his growth. Those who hunt him will ultimately become his whetstones, or even his Treasure-delivering Boys."
"This is the power of destiny."