Location: The Extreme North
A vast expanse of unbroken white stretched endlessly in all directions.
The Extreme North.
A place untouched by time, unreachable by most, and unforgiving to all but the strongest.
Where snowstorms howled like ancient beasts, and the biting winds in the upper skies carried enough force to rival the full-strength strike of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo.
This frozen domain, lying at the northernmost edge of the Douluo Continent, bordered the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Dou Ling Empire, and the recently risen Sun Moon Empire.
Yet, despite the rise of soul guidance technology and humanity's unchecked spread, the Extreme North remained a forbidden zone—beyond civilization and untouched by the noise of the world.
It was also one of the largest true sanctuaries for soul beasts.
The secret behind that sanctuary was no mystery. It was protected, ruled—governed—by the joint authority of the Three Heavenly Emperors of the Extreme North. And among them, one name held absolute, undisputed dominance:
The Snow Empress, Xue Di.
A fierce beast of nearly 699,000 years of cultivation, she reigned as the Uncrowned Queen of all soul beasts, her will law, her power unmatched. The first of the Three Arctic Kings and ranked third amongst the acknowledged Top 10 Great Fierce Beasts of the Douluo World.
Her name echoed in reverence and fear alike.
A Heavenly Snow Woman, she was the incarnation of snow and ice itself. Wherever frost lay, her senses could follow. No movement escaped her awareness.
In the past, soul beasts of the north feared her. But as time passed, fear turned to submission. Reverence was born not from mercy, but from the absolute futility of resistance.
For ages, the Snow Empress had culled the arrogant, conquered the ferocious, and reigned in isolation. Her Three Ultimate Techniques had ended countless power-hungry beasts and human alike. None had challenged her throne in over ten thousand years.
But now—
Now, she stood still.
Amidst the swirling gales of the inner domain, on an ice-laced cliff sculpted by nature alone, the Snow Empress watched the horizon.
Her beautiful yet indifferent face betrayed no panic, but within her, uncertainty brewed.
She was on the verge of her 700,000-year tribulation, prepared to attempt the rare and delicate Yin-Yang Complement Soul Core Method—an evolution that might allow her to survive the heavenly tribulation. She had calculated everything. Timed it all. Yet now, she hesitated.
Her calm voice rang out into the white silence, resonating with inherent authority—not enforced, but born of nature. "What possibly... does the world seek to portray at this juncture?"
The snow around her seemed to pause. The winds slowed. "Even I, with my senses woven into the essence of snow and ice, cannot grasp the full weight of this pressure. The world itself trembles. But at what?"
Her long white robes flowed in the wind, yet her posture remained straight, commanding. "Perhaps this is a shift in fate. A turn... long overdue for our kind. For too long, we soul beasts have been forced into life-and-death struggles every hundred thousand years. We cultivate for eons, only to gamble everything on one moment of divine cruelty."
Her expression did not falter, but her voice grew deeper, carrying the weight of millennia. "Perhaps this change is in favor of the soul beast tribes. Or perhaps… something worse is coming."
She stepped down from the cliff, the ice beneath her molding itself gently with each step. "I will call for a meeting."
Her tone was final: "Bing'er, Ah Tai, Xiao Bai... and the others. Gather up at my palace, need to.discuss something important ."
The snow carried her voice far across the frozen plains; high above, the aurora skies began to shift. The message had been sent. The meet up of Three Arctic Kings and other dominant beasts of Extreme North would soon convene.
Location: Evildemon Forest—Sun Moon Empire
The Evildemon Forest.
A place shrouded in endless dusk, it stood as the most dangerous and forbidden region within the Sun Moon Empire.
Though not as vast as the legendary Great Star Dou Forest, it was still the largest forest under Sun Moon territory. Positioned to the west of the Jing Yang Mountain Range, its northern proximity shaped it into a dense coniferous forest. But unlike ordinary woods, its conifers bore twisted, dark-greyish branches and withered leaves, creating a canopy so thick that not even sunlight could pierce it.
Darkness ruled here.
The forest was a known haven for soul beasts, especially those aligned with shadow, poison, and chaos. This wasn't just a sanctuary—it was a dominion.
The center of beastly power in the sphere of influence of the Sun Moon Empire, and the very core of that dominion, was ruled by a single name that echoed through beast bloodlines.
The Evil Eye Tyrant Clan.
Among them, there was one who reigned unchallenged.
The Evil Emperor.
Ranked second among the Top Ten Fierce Beasts, his existence was terrifying even to those who had never seen him.
A colossal blood-red eye over three hundred meters wide, pulsing with eerie vitality. Surrounding him, eighty-one massive tentacles writhed like dark-red whips, each more than five hundred meters long. Every one of these appendages ended with a smaller eye identical to the main one, each glowing faintly with bright-silver light.
He was no kind being.
Not even close.
Arrogant by nature, the Evil Emperor was the embodiment of ruthless dominance. His strength granted him the right to ignore most affairs, dismissing anything beneath his interest. And yet, right now, even he was disturbed.
It wasn't panic. But it was not peace either.
This beast, born with the rare abilities of space and spiritual perception, felt something wrong. His powers should have reached beyond the bounds of ordinary senses. His grasp of space should have scanned all dimensions nearby. Yet now, everything returned blank.
A silent void. No resistance. But no feedback either.
He hovered in place above the twisted canopy, his massive eye blinking once in cold reflection. "There is a great terror forming between the Heaven & Earth. Whether it becomes an opportunity or a disaster depends on who dares to wield it."
A pause followed, the tentacles twitching in thought: "Di Tian. The next time we clash, it won't be me retreating in defeat and disgrace."
The memory burned like a vicious venom.
Many years ago, he had entered the Great Star Dou Forest. There, he had challenged its ruler, ranked number one among the Ten Fierce Beasts. Their battle had shaken the forest for three days and nights. He had lost. He had tried to destroy the very treasure they fought over in his rage before a mysterious voice echoed through the forest—an unseen entity that even he dared not challenge. It had forced him to retreat in humiliation. He had not forgotten.
It shifted its gaze beyond its vast territory. Just at the very edge of the forest, nestled beneath the ever-darkened treetops, lay a human settlement.
Unlike most outsiders, these humans were not immediately targeted or expelled. One that currently operates in cooperation with the forest's lord, it's a tense, shallow alliance based solely on mutual benefit.
The Evil Emperor tolerated them. Barely.
He could see through them. Their greed, their false diplomacy, the lies layered behind smiles, and most of all, the evil and savagery that festered beneath their human skin. Even by the standards of soul beasts, the corruption harbored within their hearts and souls was foul.
But for now, the forest endured their presence. But it would not last forever.
The Evil Emperor blinked once more, and a faint ripple of spatial energy shimmered across the sky.
Something was coming.