I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the latest chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Patreon Link: Patreon.com/NineClouds69
--- Chapter 504 ---
After settling everything at the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda, Zhen Hua and Mu Ye brought Han Yuan back toward the Blacksmith Association. As for Han Tianyi, he remained behind to handle a few things.
Sitting in the comfortable backseat of the Spirit Guidance Car beside the Divine Craftsman, Han Yuan leaned back against the soft leather cushion, gazing silently out the window at the passing city skyline.
"Grandpa Zhen..." Han Yuan suddenly spoke up, his voice soft.
"Do you think all living beings were created equal?"
"The… what?" Zhen Hua instantly turned to glance at Han Yuan in shock. He hadn't expected the boy to throw out such a deep, heavy question out of nowhere. Then again, exceptional children often think and say the most unexpected things.
"...Why do you ask something like that all of a sudden, Xiao Yuan?" Zhen Hua refrained from answering directly, turning the question back to him instead.
Han Yuan kept his calm gaze on the distant horizon and replied unsurely, "I feel like... the world is slowly dying."
"The signs are all there... The spirit beast race that used to dominate the world is gradually going down the path of extinction."
"Nature is declining rapidly. The resources are going to run out very soon, and the corruption is going to swallow humanity not long after."
"It has been ten thousand years since anyone last ascended to Godhood. And the same thing happened twenty thousand years ago."
"Every ten thousand years... conflict erupts, the continent bleeds, people suffer... and a divine being rises to change the fate of the mortal world for better or worse."
"My talent. My twin God-level Martial Souls. Deep in my heart, I've always felt there is a reason I was given all of this."
"I can't help but feel that my existence isn't a coincidence. There must be a purpose behind my existence... something big."
"This..." Zhen Hua found himself at a loss for words. Now that he weighed it down to every single detail, everything Han Yuan said was the bitter, ironic truth of the Douluo Continent.
Ten thousand years ago, the Ice Spirit Douluo and his companion unified the world from wars and staved off catastrophe before ascending to the Divine Realm.
Ten thousand years before that, the Sea God led his era against the Spirit Hall, ascending after a continent-shattering war.
Han Yuan's words weren't the aimless ramblings of a child. They were like a key unlocking a broader, terrifying perspective of history for Zhen Hua and Mu Ye.
Yet, that realization brought chill to the Divine Craftsman's heart. If Han Yuan was correct about his place in the grand scheme of fate, then this silver-haired boy sitting beside him wasn't just a monstrous genius—he was the central pillar around which the future of the entire world would shift.
It made Zhen Hua feel an extreme surge of protective anxiety, not just for the continent, but for the young boy who had to carry such weight.
"What on earth are you two blabbering about back there? Damn it, stop talking nonsense and listen to the radio or something!" Mu Ye grumbled from the driver's seat, playing an easygoing piece of music and gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter than necessary.
He had naturally overheard Han Yuan's existential speech. While he was just as deeply shaken as Zhen Hua, he refused to entertain the ominous weight of that thought out loud.
It wasn't because he doubted Han Yuan's potential.
On the contrary, he believed the boy's bold words entirely, and that was precisely why he found it terrifying.
He didn't want a traumatized six-year-old child to burden himself with the belief that he had to become the long-awaited savior of a corrupt and chaotic world.
What neither Zhen Hua nor Mu Ye realized was that Han Yuan had spoken those heavy sentences with deliberate intent to plant an idea in their minds.
He didn't do it out of malice, but rather to prepare them. He was preparing them for a world on the verge of a great change.
Upon arriving at the Blacksmith Association, Han Yuan immediately went to his room, leaving Zhen Hua and Mu Ye sitting silently in the living room with somber, contemplative expressions.
As Han Yuan flopped onto his bed, the Spirit Guidance Clock mounted on the nearby wall suddenly flickered, its internal core humming to life.
Han Yuan glanced at the clock and offered a faint smile. "Brother Xu, you finally decided to contact me."
A hearty chuckle echoed from the clock's machine. "Hehe, Brother Han. I got tied up with some matters on my end and hadn't fully stabilized my condition yet."
"Some matters... like defeating the Sea God Pavilion Master, Yun Ming, and kicking Shrek and its allies off their high-and-mighty thrones?" Han Yuan commented casually.
"Ah, that. Those were certainly notable, but merely the first phase of my plan... or rather, our plan." The clock flickered as the voice paused briefly. "I can detect that the world's faith is currently in chaos."
"This is our window to seize the initiative."
Han Yuan rolled over on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Initiative, huh? Are you really going through with it? Don't you already know how much this will cost you—perhaps even your current existence?"
"Don't worry, Brother Han. I am well aware of the consequences. But with Gnosia supporting my core origin, I can recover in no time," Xu Deming replied with absolute confidence.
"Which means... the Douluo Network Domain Realm must be launched as soon as possible!"
The Douluo Network Domain (DND) Realm was a virtual domain, a digital world designed by Han Yuan, Xu Deming, and Hanlong Nuji to disrupt the continent's centralized faith network and sever the Tang Clan's ironclad psychological grip on the population.
After all, the Douluo Plane was currently under Tang Hao's watch, and the life core of Douluo Star remained tightly integrated with his wife. Making a virtual spiritual realm untouched by them was their only effective move.
Yet, initiating the DND Realm came with a price. To establish the baseline framework, Xu Deming had to sacrifice his Divine-level Core operational algorithm, creating an independent virtual realm where he would act as the core administrator.
Furthermore, pulling the minds of every living being on Douluo Star into the DND Realm required a massive, global trigger. Han Yuan had already prepared his side of the arrangement, and the stars would align soon enough.
Still, a secondary issue remained. Although Xu Deming claimed he could recover quickly, Han Yuan estimated it would take him several years to restore himself.
During that window, Han Yuan would have to navigate the world alone. To make matters worse, a certain dragon who was supposed to act as his secondary support hadn't shown her face at all.
"Speaking of our plan..." Han Yuan shifted the topic. "Have you detected Hanlong Nuji's presence anywhere?"
Xu Deming let out a helpless sigh. "Nope. That hopeless blue dragon's presence remains completely undetected, even after I swept the entire planet using every high-grade Spirit Guidance sensor available."
"I suspect she's already fast asleep inside some isolated secret realm or pocket dimension."
"That... actually sounds exactly like something she would do," Han Yuan said, utterly speechless.
Xu Deming's chuckle echoed through the speaker. "Alright then. I'll send my private line directly to your Spirit Guidance Communicator. Contact me whenever you need assistance or want to talk."
"Until the stars align, just maintain your current pace, Brother Han."
"Oh, by the way... your current 'vessel' holds a massive secret. Technically speaking, you and I could be considered relatives now."
"Anyway, talk to you later, bye!"
"What do you mean—?! Hey, wait, come back!" Han Yuan immediately called out, completely dumbfounded as the clock went silent.
That guy was actually dropping riddles on him now. Spouting mysterious hints was supposed to be his thing!