As he spoke, Lin Xiao glanced outside the crowd, and soon several soldiers appeared on the platform carrying a huge soul tool cage.
Inside was a pitch-black creature that looked somewhat like a sheep but not quite, somewhat like a horse but not quite. Everyone present was well-informed and had seen many types of soul beasts, but for a moment, none could tell what exactly was in the cage.
Not only that, the soldiers on the platform did not stop there. Soon, several more cages were brought before everyone. At a glance, there were five or six of them, and some cages even contained more than one of those peculiar creatures.
Their appearances bore no resemblance to each other at all, but they all emanated the same aura.
The cages were steadily placed in the center of the platform. Those pitch-black creatures fidgeted restlessly inside, emitting low, hissing sounds.
Gradually, whispers arose around them. All eyes were fixed on those creatures, trying to identify what they were and pondering Lin Xiao's intention in displaying them.
Lin Xiao sensed the many puzzled gazes around him and said nothing more. He simply raised his hand and pointed, and one of the creatures in the cage collapsed instantly. In the next moment, all the power within its body completely vanished between heaven and earth.
Unlike other soul beasts that would leave behind soul rings, it left not a single trace. If it hadn't just been right in front of everyone, it would have seemed as if it had never existed.
The whispers around them gradually died down, and the scene fell silent for a moment. Even some soul masters who had not seen many soul beasts now sensed that something was wrong.
The creatures in the cages were fundamentally not soul beasts as they understood them.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Lin Xiao's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, overpowering the eerie hissing from the cages.
"Everyone present here is a person of profound cultivation, either sect masters or elders from academies. Does anyone know what these things are?"
Silence fell over the platform below; no one could answer.
Lin Xiao swept his gaze around and did not answer directly.
"The Continental War has been over for a long time. The people are recuperating and living in peace and prosperity. All of you are able to interact and spar with one another. Unfortunately, beyond this world, there are still threats that prevent us from feeling truly at ease."
As he spoke, Lin Xiao raised his hand and pointed to the cages beside him. "As you have all just seen, they have no soul beast characteristics at all, because they do not belong to the continent beneath our feet, and... they do not belong to any place in our world."
"They come from beyond our world. Unlike soul beasts, and unlike us, they possess only endless desires for destruction and devouring."
Lin Xiao watched the constantly changing expressions on everyone's faces, pausing slightly to let them gradually accept this momentarily unbelievable news.
He knew better than anyone that the failure of the Demon Emperor several years ago would not stop the arrival of the Abyss plane; it had merely delayed it slightly.
Now, more and more Abyss creatures were appearing on the Douluo Continent. Relying solely on the disciples of the Tongming Church was no longer enough to resolve them in time. It was time to inform others of this news.
One day, the threat of the Abyss plane would fall upon everyone, and stopping the Abyss plane would likewise require the power of all soul masters across the entire Douluo Continent.
"I call these creatures Abyss demons."
Seeing that everyone's expressions had calmed, Lin Xiao spoke again softly. "In fact, Abyss demons already appeared on the Douluo Continent several years ago. At the beginning, they only spread in the extreme northern lands."
"The disciples of my Tongming Church did everything they could to hold these demons back in the extreme north, which is why they have not appeared in other parts of the continent..."
So many years had passed. Lin Xiao's strength had drawn the attention of many people. Likewise, his past and the origins of the Tongming Church had become known to more people.
Many knew that the Tongming Church, to which Lin Xiao belonged, was a place where a group of evil soul masters had gathered and settled after the Holy Spirit Church disappeared.
At first, quite a few people had criticisms of the Tongming Church, but out of respect for Lin Xiao's strength and the Tongming Church's connections with the Sun Moon Empire, they had ultimately not raised them openly.
But now, hearing that the Tongming Church had been secretly doing such things, they suddenly did not know how to evaluate it. It seemed as if even their original identities as evil soul masters had been forgotten.
Lin Xiao never concealed the origins of the Tongming Church. For any disciple in the church, wanting to break away from their original identity as evil soul masters could not be achieved simply by not mentioning it. To become the kind of person they wanted to be, they had to realize it themselves.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Continental War has ended, but another, even harsher war is drawing closer. From today onward, the soul tool trains heading to the extreme northern lands from various parts of the empire will no longer charge fees."
"Whether you wish to verify the truth of this matter or personally confront the demons from another world, the Sun Moon Empire will provide the greatest assistance."
"I only hope that all of you here, as the top experts of the continent, can understand the threat from another world and become the mainstay in resisting the invasion and protecting the continent in the future."
As Lin Xiao finished speaking, the surroundings did not calm for a long time. Of course, this was within Lin Xiao's expectations.
After all, if someone suddenly told anyone that the world they lived in was not safe and that there were invaders from beyond the world already eyeing it covetously, that person probably would not believe it right away.
Even if the person delivering the message was the Calamity Douluo, the publicly acknowledged strongest soul master on the continent.
However, no matter how everyone reacted, the Abyss's invasion had indeed arrived.
Their arrival was much earlier than in Lin Xiao's memories, and the method was also different, but they had ultimately descended upon the Douluo Continent.
Faster to react than the crowd were the armies of the Sun Moon Empire. Amid the questioning voices, several soul mentor legions equipped with soul tools newly researched and produced by the Mingde Hall had long been prepared and were ready to head to the extreme northern lands.
The Title Douluos no longer had the mood to continue the competition. The surrounding audience also gradually dispersed. This edition of the Peak Competition ended somewhat abruptly, and everyone left one after another with different thoughts.
In the imperial palace, Juzi stroked the fiery red armor but had no intention of putting it on. She merely let out a soft sigh.
"Have the National Teacher and the people from Mingde Hall already set out?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the National Teacher announced the news of the Abyss plane during the Peak Competition and headed straight to the Tongming Church headquarters without waiting for responses from the other experts."
"Lord Hongchen from Mingde Hall has also made preparations. The first batch of soul mentor legions has already boarded the soul tool trains heading to the extreme northern lands."
"I understand."
After the continental war, the Douluo Continent, which had long been without the smoke of war, finally welcomed war once again.
Although the Sun Moon Empire had unified the Douluo Continent through war, everyone knew that war was never a good thing.
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"Douluo: Sword of Judgment and Eternal Ice 30 Advance chapters"
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master the novel is already finished on Patreon."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon the novel is already finished on Patreon."
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