"Little fellow, there's no need to be nervous. This old man doesn't mean you any harm."
A peaceful yet ancient voice echoed in his ears. Shu Yan's mind was still foggy. He thought he heard a powerful dragon's roar, but the next moment, his consciousness snapped back, feeling as if he had been pulled from a rushing tide.
The golden Spirit Power that had wrapped around him vanished. Shu Yan dropped to the ground, half-kneeling, gasping for breath. His eyes showed a lingering fear from the near-overload.
Qian Gu Chao Sheng slowly lowered his hand, the gentle smile in his eyes unchanged. He spoke softly, "Is this the future of the Star Luo Empire? It is truly promising.
To be able to barely resist this old man's dragon's might with the power of a Spirit King , the Ice Sky Snow Woman is indeed worthy of being a Super Martial Soul with ultimate attributes. It's not in the least inferior when compared to the Twin Light and Dark Sacred Dragons..."
Xu Jiujiu quickly rushed forward and knelt beside Shu Yan, asking with deep concern, "A Yan, are you alright?"
Shu Yan gently shook his head. With Xu Jiujiu's support, he slowly stood up. He looked at the elder, whose face always held that peaceful smile, and cupped his hands slightly before speaking.
"Thank you, Senior, for showing mercy."
Qian Gu Chao Sheng shook his head, looking at Shu Yan with a meaningful gaze. He paused, then said, "This old man thinks very highly of you. Cultivate hard. In the future, this old man will give you a great opportunity..."
After his words, Qian Gu Chao Sheng nodded slightly to the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, then turned and walked back into the shadows. As he passed Xu Jiawei, he said softly:
"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry. When there is a common goal, the hatred and distance between different races can be put aside for a time. Sincerity and trust are necessary for both sides in any partnership. You should understand this better than an old man like me..."
"Ah, well, there's little more to say. Everything is destined. Treasure what you have..."
Qian Gu Chao Sheng's relaxed voice reached everyone's ears, and then his figure slowly faded into the darkness.
Xu Jiawei only came back to his senses after the elder's figure had completely vanished. He looked down at the calm and collected Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, who was still pouting, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes. Xu Jiujiu held Shu Yan's arm.
For a moment, the five people were silent. It felt like there was nothing left to say, but everyone knew that the contract had been successfully made. As for how to strengthen this new alliance, that would be a task for another day...
Thoughts Under the Moonlight
Night fell. Xu Jiujiu sat cross-legged on the Star Platform, focused on drawing in the power of the stars to practice cultivation. Tiny specks of starlight, like a swirling galaxy, twinkled around Xu Jiujiu. The starlight formed a magnificent crown on her head, with eighteen bright gems shining. For a time, Xu Jiujiu looked like a beautiful and radiant goddess of the stars. Sadly, only Shu Yan was present to openly admire such a breathtaking sight.
Shu Yan sat by himself on top of the pavilion, looking up at the crescent moon. The moonlight was cold and beautifully clear. Shu Yan's long hair was slightly tousled by the evening breeze. He was trying to organize his thoughts, but mostly, he was thinking about the things Xu Jiawei had told him earlier that day in private.
From Xu Jiawei, Shu Yan was able to confirm his earlier guess.
Qian Lao's true name was Qian Gu Chao Sheng, and his Martial Soul was the top-tier Tool Martial Soul, the Panlong Staff. Based on the information Xu Jiawei had revealed, this old man was very likely a descendant of the sixth and seventh Enshrined Elders of the Enshrined Hall, which belonged to the Spirit Hall—the most powerful Soul Master force on the Continent ten thousand years ago.
While Shu Yan didn't know much about the era of the Peerless Tang Sect , he did know a little about the history of the Douluo I era.
Ten thousand years ago, the Titled Douluo Qian Jun and the Titled Douluo Jiang Mo did not die after the final huge battle. Instead, they vanished when Spirit Hall was completely destroyed.
It was hard to say if they had descendants , but in the Douluo III era, ten thousand years later, the Qian Gu family, who inherited the Panlong Staff Martial Soul, did appear. Based on these facts, the chance that this Qian Lao is a descendant of the two Spirit Hall Enshrined Elders from ten thousand years ago is almost more than ninety percent...
"Descendants of Spirit Hall? This just keeps getting more interesting," Shu Yan thought to himself.
He mused for a long time, then let out a soft laugh.
Everything on this Continent was already quite exciting. What did it matter if there were a few more surprises? Shu Yan had to admit that he truly enjoyed a little bit of "excitement" in his life.
A soft sound came from behind him, followed by a familiar, pleasant scent. Shu Yan didn't even need to turn around to know who had arrived.
Under the moonlight, the Snow Empress looked even more aloof and cold. She stood there quietly, as if she had taken all the beauty of the moonlight for herself. In the night, both of them had white hair and blue eyes, and both were peerlessly beautiful. Even without speaking, they created a magnificent scene that was hard to describe in words.
Xingyun Douluo, who saw this scene from a distance, sighed. She seemed to be remembering her own lost youth. Back then, wasn't she also a stunning beauty famous throughout the entire Star Luo Empire?
But youth passes too quickly. Now, she had long become a grandmotherly figure, her former beauty gone...
The Snow Empress stared at Shu Yan for a while. Then, she sat down on a raised wooden beam on the roof of the pavilion and asked softly, "Did you find anything out?"
Shu Yan stretched lazily and answered in a casual manner, "It's hard to say for sure. Qian Lao's history seems to be connected to the Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago, and the chances are incredibly high. We can practically draw a conclusion."
"Spirit Hall?" the Snow Empress whispered softly, sounding a bit confused.
Shu Yan suddenly realized and remembered that the Snow Empress currently knew almost nothing about the history of the human world. So, he continued to explain:
"Spirit Hall was the single most powerful Soul Master organization on the Continent ten thousand years ago. It once gave rise to two actual gods: the Angel God, who represented light, and the Rakshasa God, who represented evil. After the great divine war that followed, both of these gods were killed by the Sea God, and Spirit Hall was destroyed as a result.
However, many powerful people who belonged to Spirit Hall managed to survive. Their bloodline has been passed down for ten thousand years. Now, Qian Lao is likely a descendant of the former sixth and seventh Enshrined Elders of Spirit Hall."
The Snow Empress frowned slightly, deep in thought. After a moment, she asked again, "And then what?"
Shu Yan looked up at the crescent moon, sighed softly, and then explained:
"Most of the descendants from the powerful Spirit Hall lineage from ten thousand years ago still have their inheritances today. They are even found within the Star Luo Empire. This is something I only found out from my Imperial Brother today."
The Snow Empress nodded and then suddenly asked, "You want to bring them onto our side and have them work for you?"
Shu Yan looked at the Snow Empress with some surprise, then nodded.
"The war ten thousand years ago was a terrible tragedy. The Spirit Hall lineage holds a deep, ingrained hatred for both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
Destroying Shrek Academy is an obsession carved into the very bone and blood of many of them. It's safe to say that the words 'revenge' and 'washing away shame' are an incredibly powerful lure for them."
"It's just that later the Star Luo Empire changed hands, with the Xu family replacing the Dai family. The focus of their hatred also shifted from the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Imperial Family and the Duke Nether's Mansion to the current Duke White Tiger's Mansion.
To some extent, the current Star Luo Imperial Family doesn't share that same deep-seated hatred with them; you could even say they have some unique ties. You can see this from Qian Lao's important position in the Star Luo Empire and my Imperial Brother's respectful attitude towards him."
"In a way, their ultimate goals match ours. Do you remember what I told you back in the Extreme North Land? This is the reality of our world. In this era, if you want to become a god without any restrictions, it's unavoidable to become enemies with Shrek and that Sea God..."
The Snow Empress fell silent for a while. That period of memory was very clear in her mind. Although she didn't know why Shu Yan knew so much, the Snow Empress understood one key principle from his words:
In this age, if you want to become a god, you must either accept the Sea God's training and become his obedient 'dog,' or you have to fight against destiny and try to find a different path. Besides those two options, it truly seems like there is no other way out to be found...