Chapter 10: Major Powers, a Misunderstanding.
"Hey! Old Dong, that's not right. Do you think I'd watch my apprentice get bullied? Don't forget, I'm not just a God-level Mecha Master, I'm also a Four-Character Battle Armor Master."
Muye glared at Dong Zi'an, pushing him away with his arm. He then put on a smile and looked at Jiang Xiu.
"Let's go, apprentice. Master has made all the arrangements. Let's set off for the Spirit Pagoda headquarters now."
He loved Jiang Xiu no matter how he looked at him. He was annoyed no matter how he looked at Dong Zi'an.
"Okay, Master."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, carefully putting away the two medals. His heart was filled with excitement. Fusing his first soul spirit marked his true first step in cultivation, entering the vast world of soul masters.
Furthermore, as his strength grew, the Abyssal Plane could also proceed with its next plan, gradually eroding its territory.
"Go ahead, cultivate well."
Dong Zi'an smiled faintly. Jiang Xiu's childhood with Muye was a good choice. After all, Jiang Xiu was too young to follow him back to the barracks.
"Goodbye, Master."
Jiang Xiu waved goodbye, then followed Muye outside.
It was dusk, the western sky lingering with the last glimmer of brilliant sunset, while faint stars began to appear in the east. The temperature had dropped slightly.
Soon, Jiang Xiu followed Muye to a towering, crimson, god-level mecha. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the mecha resembled a magnificent work of art, radiating a mesmerizing crimson glow. Muye stroked it, his expression softening slightly.
"Xiaohong."
"I'm here."
A gentle female voice echoed, and the cockpit slowly opened, revealing its exquisite interior.
"Enter. Today, I'll let your disciple experience the charm of a god-level mecha."
Muye's face lit up with pride as he led Jiang Xiu inside. Across the Douluo Continent, no mecha master dared to claim to be better than him in the field of mechas.
And in this field, he had already carved out a new world of his own.
"Boom!"
Its dark red wings unfolded, and the mecha instantly soared into the air, appearing a thousand meters away from him in an instant, as if teleporting through space. It then flew away at an extremely high speed.
"Commander, the casualties have been tallied. Over half of the casualties in Snow City..."
Li Jie approached Dong Zi'an and hesitantly relayed the results, his eyes filled with unspoken grief.
"Report this to the Federation, stating that this is my request. Ensure the surviving civilians are properly resettled and Snow City is repaired as quickly as possible. All expenses will be reimbursed by the Federation."
"As for those powerful forces, let them contribute financially and physically."
Dong Zi'an's face remained calm, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light as he gave his instructions methodically.
After this incident, not only would Snow City suffer heavy casualties, but it would also trigger a chain reaction.
They faced not only the Abyssal Plane directly ahead, but also the venomous Holy Spirit Cult, a hidden force whose power should not be underestimated.
...
High in the sky.
Jiang Xiu watched the clouds swiftly pass by, his mind reflecting on the various factions, constantly plotting his own path.
Thousands of years ago, the Sun-Moon Federation unified the Douluo Continent. The Douling Empire and the Xingluo Empire, however, turned the struggle for continental supremacy into a battle for island dominance. Unable to defeat the Sun-Moon Empire, they each fled overseas to rebuild their own nations.
Shrek Academy remained resilient, having designated Shrek City as its own autonomous region with its own garrison. The Tang Sect, after Huo Yuhao's reign, flourished, its arms sales spread across the continent.
The Spirit Pagoda controlled the lifeblood of spirit masters. Due to the unique power of spirits, it held a preeminent position. However, within the Spirit Pagoda, numerous major clans existed, with the Qiangu Clan firmly at the top.
The Federation was even more divided between the Hawk and Dove factions, a complex web of power encompassing various factions.
The spirit beasts were nearly extinct, but after a millennia of waiting and endurance, Lao Ditian finally saw what he considered hope.
"This era is truly chaotic, yet also filled with boundless opportunity. If I truly wish to control my own destiny, besides strength, I must also carefully plan."
Jiang Xiu mused silently. While geniuses abounded in this era, achieving godhood was difficult. Besides Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena, the only other Devil Emperor to achieve godhood was a clown schemed against by all sides.
"The way out lies in the Abyss. I must manage that well."
Soon, Jiang Xiu had a clear plan for his future: to flourish in both the Douluo Realm and the Abyss.
"Disciple, how is this mecha?"
Seeing Jiang Xiu's eyes flickering, Muye, assuming he'd taken an interest in mechas, asked with a smile.
"Master, this mecha is powerful. I've never seen one in Snow City,"
Jiang Xiu said with admiration. This era also saw the rapid development of soul technology. Mechas and battle armors proliferated, significantly narrowing the gap between soul masters.
Mechas also ushered in the era of intelligent control.
"If you're interested, I can teach you, but battle armor is your first choice."
Muye laughed heartily, but still offered a warning. Although he hated to admit it, in reality, a god-level mecha couldn't compare to a four-character battle armor.
This was universally acknowledged throughout the soul master community.
"Alright, get some sleep. We'll be in Shrek City tomorrow morning."
Muye rubbed Jiang Xiu's head and handed him a fiery red leather blanket.
Because of the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, its headquarters was located in Shrek City, as was the Tang Sect's headquarters. One city, three powerful factions.
"Well, Master, you should go to bed early too."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, took the blanket and covered himself with it, closing his eyes slightly.
Too many things had happened today, and soon Jiang Xiu felt tired and slowly fell asleep.
After confirming that Jiang Xiu was asleep, Muye casually cast a soul power soundproofing shield and called softly.
"Xiaohong."
"Boss, I'm here."
The gentle female voice sounded slowly.
"Boss, I'm very happy today. I finally see the hope of revival of our Body Sect. The future is promising."
"Congratulations, Boss."
Joy surged in Xiaohong's electronic voice, and a small smiling face appeared on the screen in front of him, as if happy for Makino.
"Hahaha, it's great to have you to accompany me, Xiaohong."
Makino laughed and said leisurely as he looked at the night scene around him.
"Xiaohong, will you always stay with me?"
"Boss, I'm not human. I'm just a product of souls and rare metals, a bit like a piece of intelligent code. If I lose energy, I'll even fall into a deep slumber."
Xiaohong said hesitantly, the smile on the screen turning into one of grievance, and two small hands appeared, touching each other.
"It's okay, boss. I'm just a product of flesh and blood. One stroke of my neck, and I'll be gone."
Makino waved his hand nonchalantly.
In his view, a soul constructed from metal and souls is closer to a human than some combination of flesh and blood.
Falling in love with a piece of code isn't a terrible thing; after all, it's just a collection of cells.
"Boss, don't worry. As long as you don't abandon Xiaohong, Xiaohong will always be by your side, forever."
"Silly Xiaohong, how could I abandon you?"
Makino shrugged, his tone utterly serious.
Silvery moonlight scattered, and under the night, the red mecha streaked across space, hurtling towards the dawn that would soon arrive.
Shrek City.
A spatial crack suddenly appeared, then suddenly disappeared, and a girl with silver hair and purple eyes fell from it with a "plop". Her fair face wrinkled, and she looked around in confusion with her purple eyes.
"Where is this place? How did I get here through a spatial crack?"
(End of this chapter)