The Sun Moon Empire was like a coiled venomous serpent, calmly licking its wounds, accumulating lethal venom, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Everyone with clear eyes on the continent understood that this seemingly calm period of war preparations was merely the last suffocating pause before the storm arrived.
All the Sun Moon Empire needed was a point in time when its internal affairs were fully stabilized and its war preparations completely ready.
And according to the most conservative estimates from strategists of all sides, that point in time would not exceed two years.
Two years isn't long in a human lifespan.
But for the three Douluo kingdoms, these seven hundred-odd days and nights would be the final countdown that decided the future balance of the continent and even their own fates.
The clouds of war already hung so low they could almost be touched. As soon as the wounded behemoth that was the Sun Moon Empire finished gathering its strength, it would raise a titanic wave that would drown everything.
This was the despair brought on by a disparity in strength: even knowing the Sun Moon Empire was preparing for war, the three great empires dared not launch a preemptive strike to interrupt that buildup.
Because they, too, needed time—to train troops, craft soul tools, and arrange defenses. They also needed time.
Just organizing a defense already taxed the three empires to their limits; to say nothing of taking the initiative to attack the Sun Moon Empire—fighting away from home, they were even less a match for it.
The soul tools along the Sun Moon Empire's defensive lines were far more advanced than those of the three original Douluo nations. They did not fear an offensive from the three empires.
On the contrary, the Sun Moon Empire would prefer the three empires launch a proactive attack so that it could conserve strength and strike at leisure. After all, offense often consumes more than defense.
Given the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology towering over that of the three nations, the latter's armies would find it very difficult to breach the Empire's lines.
…
In the parallel-world Douluo Continent, at Heaven Dou's former Skywater City—now under the Spirit Empire—Lu Jingming led Gu Yuena and the others to a city gate whose architecture was a touch old-fashioned, yet faintly tense.
Looking up, he saw that the flag over the gate tower had been changed. The royal emblem of the Heaven Dou Empire had been replaced by a banner painted with a scepter encircled by resplendent golden angels—this was the new symbol of the Spirit Empire.
"Skywater City…"
Lu Jingming softly spoke the city's name. His gaze swept over the guards beneath the gate, far stricter than before, and the complicated expressions on the faces of passersby—reverence mixed with unease and curiosity.
He realized that the seeds he had sown were beginning to bear fruit in this era in a way that diverged drastically from the original course of history.
Because of the variables he brought—because of the survival tournament—Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue had each obtained a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone and a hundred-thousand-year stigma.
More importantly, there was the World Tree—rooted in the planet's leylines, quietly attracting and solidifying negative energy to catalyze the world's evolution. Because of its existence, the Spirit Hall's power and tempo of action had been greatly accelerated and brought forward.
Based on what they had seen along the way, about a month earlier, Bibi Dong—having inherited the Rakshasa Godhood—could no longer suppress her ambition to sweep the continent and brazenly initiated the long-prepared soul-hunting operations.
Several Title Douluo of the Spirit Hall launched a surprise raid on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects, intending to erase outright this sect famed for brutal offense.
Yet at the very moment the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect was about to be annihilated and its sect master, Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen, was ready to die fighting, several unfamiliar Title Douluo of unknown identity but extraordinary strength suddenly entered the battlefield, forcibly disrupting the Spirit Hall's perfect plan and successfully rescuing the severely wounded Yu Yuanzhen and a number of the sect's core disciples.
At the same time, the assault on the fabulously wealthy Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also encountered unexpected setbacks.
Thanks to its cooperation with the Jade Chamber, Ning Fengzhi had acquired a trove of fine soul tools, including a top-tier detection device that exposed the Spirit Hall strike force's movements.
Moreover, Sword Douluo Chen Xin had broken through to level 97. The power of his Seven Kill Sword far exceeded the Spirit Hall's expectations. Working with Bone Douluo Gu Rong's defense and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's extreme support, the Spirit Hall experts suffered heavy losses and retreated in disgrace.
Though these two failed critical operations did not cripple the Spirit Hall's foundation, they completely exposed its ambition.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong simply ceased to conceal anything. She unveiled her god-level might, declared the Spirit Hall reorganized as the Spirit Empire, and installed herself as founding empress, looking down upon the world.
On another front, Qian Renxue—disguised as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe—moved in tandem and secretly poisoned Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire.
According to the original plan, she would succeed to the throne smoothly and annex the entire Heaven Dou Empire without a fight.
However, at the final moment, her true identity was somehow leaked.
Prince Xue Xing of Heaven Dou acted decisively. With Prince Xue Beng and a cohort of loyal court officials, and under the desperate protection of Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, and those mysterious Title Douluo, they broke through the encirclement and fled south, eventually joining forces with the Star Luo Empire.
As an Angel God, Qian Renxue could have easily kept them all. But perhaps out of regard for her past relationship with her teacher, Ning Fengzhi, or perhaps because someone among the rescuers made her wary, she ultimately stayed her hand and allowed this Heaven Dou remnant to depart.
After this battle, Heaven Dou's central authority collapsed. Its territory was swiftly taken over by the Spirit Empire in a short time.
Cities like Skywater that once belonged to Heaven Dou changed flags one after another, submitting to a new master.
Worth noting, because Skywater Academy, Blazing Academy, and Godwind Academy had joined the Jade Chamber, Qian Renxue personally intervened to protect them from Bibi Dong, allowing the three elemental academies to maintain their original independent operations under the Spirit Empire and remain untouched by the flames of war.
But this move clearly touched Bibi Dong's authority. The already fragile relationship between mother and daughter cracked further. The Rakshasa God and the Angel God nearly clashed with divine power in a high-level meeting of the Spirit Empire, foreshadowing that this empire, with two gods on the throne, was far from monolithic within.
Walking the streets of Skywater City, Lu Jingming could clearly feel the agitation of a changing era.
The Spirit Empire's flags snapped in the wind. Patrolling soldiers wore new standardized armor. The air was thick with a stifled excitement and unease.
Because of his earlier interference, the situation on the continent had bolted off like an unbridled horse toward a completely unknown direction.
Star Luo had merged with the Heaven Dou remnant to resist stubbornly. The Spirit Empire had two gods presiding, yet hid internal dangers.
And those unfamiliar powerhouses who had disrupted the Spirit Empire's plans—their origin and purpose added yet another layer of fog to this chaos.
In the city center lay a complex of elegant pavilions and winding galleries—its style refined and serene, at odds with the tense military atmosphere pervading the city.
This was the headquarters of the Jade Chamber in this world.
A seemingly invisible field surrounded the compound, isolating it from outside turmoil and creating a secluded haven.
When Lu Jingming stepped within with Gu Yuena and Firefly, Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and Feng Xiaotian—already informed of his arrival—had gathered at the main hall to greet them.
"Mr. Lu."
Shui Bing'er stepped forward first and bowed slightly. She was still the same cool, self-possessed figure, yet there was now a steadiness and gratitude born of upheaval in her eyes.
Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian bowed as well, respectful.
They knew well that if they had not already joined the Jade Chamber and received Lu Jingming's prior protection, there was no way that they and their families and academies could have remained aloof and untouched in the tempest stirred up by the Spirit Empire.
Even the all-powerful Empress of the Spirit Empire, Bibi Dong, had retracted her probing—at least for now—in the face of Qian Renxue's clear stance and the mystery displayed by the Jade Chamber, tacitly permitting the Pavilion's independence.
"No need for formality. Let's talk inside."
Lu Jingming nodded slightly, his gaze passing over those familiar yet more mature faces, understanding flashing in his heart.
They moved into the inner hall and took their seats.
As the acting head at this base, Shui Bing'er began to report in detail the earthshaking changes across the continent during this period.
From Bibi Dong becoming a god and launching the soul-hunting operation; to the mysterious powerhouses intervening when the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was attacked; to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect thwarting a surprise strike using advanced soul tools; and finally the upheaval in the Heaven Dou palace—Emperor Xue Ye poisoned, Qian Renxue exposed, and the Heaven Dou remnant fleeing south under the protection of several experts to join Star Luo, and so on.
Lu Jingming listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.
When Shui Bing'er mentioned the mysterious Title Douluo who appeared at critical moments to disrupt the Spirit Empire's plans, she frowned slightly:
"Mr. Lu, the identities of those people are very suspicious. Their martial souls are powerful, their strength extremely formidable. One in particular—soul power at level 98—seems to possess an exceedingly rare top-tier beast martial soul, resembling a divine bull yet exuding a ferocious aura. It can devour energy—truly terrifying. We investigated on many fronts but could not discover their origin."
Her description might have been enigmatic to people of this world, but to Lu Jingming and Gu Yuena, it parted the clouds.
"Resembling a divine bull, devouring energy… level 98…"
A look of understanding flashed in Gu Yuena's amethyst eyes. She glanced at Lu Jingming and said softly, "That's Xuan Zi. His Taotie Divine Bull martial soul is too distinctive."
The corner of Lu Jingming's mouth lifted in a meaningful smile.
"Exactly. It seems those who were swept into the spacetime passage before us started operating in this world ahead of us."
This explained why the Spirit Hall's seemingly sure-fire plans had repeatedly failed.
Xuan Zi—and very likely Ma Xiaotao and others who traveled with him—their strength and experience, in the Douluo Continent of ten thousand years ago, were unquestionably a formidable force.
Their intervention forcibly reversed what might otherwise have been a one-sided situation.
After all, they understood this world well. They hailed from Shrek Academy—Shrek Academy, whose ten-thousand-year legacy surely preserved records about the past.
Thus, the rescue of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the exposure of Qian Renxue's identity even without Tang San in the picture suddenly made sense.
"There's a slight difference in time flow between the two worlds."
Lu Jingming quickly reached a conclusion.
"We were only a little late, but they arrived about a month earlier than us. A month is enough to grasp the situation and choose to stand against the Spirit Empire."
Gu Yuena and the others showed understanding, while Shui Bing'er and her companions looked bewildered.
Seeing their confusion, Lu Jingming felt it was time to reveal part of the truth.
The appearance of the spacetime passage, and the earlier arrival of Xuan Zi and his group, meant the intertwining of the two worlds had begun. Continuing to conceal the truth was unnecessary and might even lead to misjudgments.
He spoke slowly, his voice calm: "Bing'er, Brother Feng, Huo Wu—the mysterious Title Douluo you mentioned: we likely know who they are."
The three immediately looked up, eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.
Lu Jingming didn't answer directly. Instead, he posed a more fundamental question: "In your view, where did our Jade Chamber come from?"
Feng Xiaotian pondered, then replied cautiously:
"Brother Lu's methods are unfathomable. Your strength, the stigmas, and soul tools are beyond our imagination. We've always guessed you might come from some hidden realm isolated from the world, or that you received a complete ancient inheritance long lost."
Lu Jingming shook his head lightly, his gaze seeming to pierce the roof and look into the boundless stars.
"Your guesses aren't wrong, but they're not the whole truth. We don't come merely from a hidden place."
He paused, then spoke a shattering truth.
"We come from another world—a Douluo Continent on the timeline ten thousand years after yours."
"What?!"
"Ten thousand years later?!"
"Another world?!"
In an instant, the hall felt as if a fixed-installation soul cannon shell had detonated within it; exclamations rang out one after another.
Shui Bing'er's ice-blue eyes flew open wide; her usual cool composure vanished, replaced by shock and disbelief.
Huo Wu sprang to her feet, her pretty face written all over with impossibility.
Feng Xiaotian's smile froze entirely; his mind seemed to stop working.
Ten thousand years later? Another world? This was far beyond their knowledge—more shocking even than hearing that Bibi Dong had become a god.
The legends of deities at least existed in ancient texts and faith, but travel across time and worlds—that was myth within myth.
"Mr. Lu… you're saying… you're not of our world?"
Shui Bing'er's voice carried a barely noticeable tremor; she had to exert herself to keep her words coherent.
"That's right."
Lu Jingming nodded.
"Our spacetime and yours are two parallel rivers. For certain reasons, we crossed spacetime and came here. And those mysterious Title Douluo you encountered—"
He looked at Shui Bing'er.
"If I'm not mistaken, they came from the same world as us. The level-98 powerhouse with a Taotie martial soul is named Xuan Zi. In our world, he is a top expert of the continent's premier academy—Shrek Academy."
Gu Yuena added evenly:
"In other words, those who stirred the continent's storm and rescued the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Heaven Dou remnant are visitors from a parallel world."
The information volume was too great. Shui Bing'er and the others felt their heads buzzing.
They needed time to digest this overturning truth.