And at that very moment—
As the cold, familiar system notification echoed once more within his mind…
Liu Yuan felt every pore in his body relax, his heart flooding with incomparable excitement.
"It's here! It's finally here!"
He nearly jumped up on the spot, his face filled with uncontrollable joy.
The system mission—had returned!
To be honest, these three months of steady, step-by-step cultivation had almost driven him mad.
Watching his spirit power inch forward at a snail's pace was pure torture for a transmigrator used to rocketing through levels.
"As expected, cheating is the right way to play," Liu Yuan muttered to himself.
"Cultivating honestly is just way too tedious."
Without the system, he might still have become a powerhouse—but it would've taken decades, or even centuries.
With the system, he could skip countless long, stagnant periods of growth.
Using the system to level up was obviously superior.
"So… what kind of mission this time?"
With his excitement barely contained, Liu Yuan focused his consciousness on the system interface.
A pale-blue virtual light screen slowly unfolded before his eyes.
[Limited-Time Mission: Evil Hunt]
[Mission Description: Within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire, a deranged Eight-Ring Evil Soul Master has appeared. This individual practices an evil cultivation technique, surviving by harvesting the life essence and souls of young girls. His crimes are unforgivable. Host, proceed immediately, eliminate him completely, and rid the people of this scourge.]
[Mission Objective: Hunt the Evil Soul Master "Ghost Infant Douluo" — Gu Qi]
[Target Information: Spirit power level 85, martial soul "Ghost Infant Banner," cunning temperament, elusive movements]
[Current Location: Xiewa City, Sun Moon Empire]
[Time Limit: Ten days]
[Mission Reward: Sixth god-bestowed spirit ring (automatically adapted to Spirit · Mega Rayquaza)]
The instant Liu Yuan finished reading, his gaze turned ice-cold.
Harvesting young girls.
Those words alone ignited a violent surge of killing intent deep within his heart.
In both his past life and this one, what he despised most were scum who preyed on the innocent and weak.
"A Rank 85 Spirit Douluo…" Liu Yuan frowned slightly, fingers tapping unconsciously against the ground.
This was the strongest human opponent he had ever faced head-on.
An Eight-Ring Evil Soul Master—someone even Ma Xiaotao couldn't compare to.
But so what?
A cold smile curved at the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth.
He wasn't alone anymore.
He had the Snow Empress—a seven-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast whose combat power rivaled that of a Limit Douluo.
And this wasn't the Soul Master Tournament.
Against an Evil Soul Master, there was no reason to fight fair.
He could directly summon the true forms of Mega Rayquaza and Primal Kyogre.
Hunting an Eight-Ring Evil Soul Master?
That was practically guaranteed.
…
"Let's go."
Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Yuan stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the cultivation room.
Before leaving, however, he still needed to request a leave of absence.
Naturally, with his current status as a duke, that was effortless.
Inside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Jing Hongchen was adjusting a massive ninth-tier soul tool cannon when Liu Yuan arrived. He showed only mild surprise.
"What is it?" Jing Hongchen asked, wiping machine oil from his hands.
"Dean, I need to take a long leave to handle some private matters," Liu Yuan said bluntly.
Jing Hongchen agreed without a second thought.
"You may go. With your strength and status, you're no longer bound by academy rules. Be careful."
Regarding Liu Yuan, Jing Hongchen's stance was crystal clear.
This was a prodigy to be befriended and supported—not restricted.
As long as Liu Yuan didn't harm the Empire, granting him maximum freedom was the unanimous decision of the imperial family and Mingde Hall.
"Thank you, Dean."
After receiving approval, Liu Yuan left without delay.
Returning to his grand Duke's Mansion, he headed straight to the second floor and pushed open the luxurious bedroom of the Snow Empress—decorated like a royal princess's chamber.
Sure enough, the ruler of the Far North was sprawled across a massive velvet bed, sleeping soundly.
Liu Yuan walked over and unceremoniously pinched her soft little nose.
"Mmm… who…?"
Snow Empress opened her eyes groggily. When she saw it was Liu Yuan, she slapped his hand away, rolled over, and muttered lazily, "What is it… it's so early… can't a beast sleep…"
"Get up," Liu Yuan said flatly. "Change into practical clothes and come with me."
"There's work to do."
At the words there's work to do, Snow Empress instantly became more alert.
She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and asked reluctantly, "What kind of work? Can I skip it? I already promised Tianzhen we'd go to the new amusement park in the south of the city today."
"We're killing an Evil Soul Master," Liu Yuan replied calmly.
Snow Empress froze.
She looked at him—and saw absolute seriousness.
"Hmph, fine."
She pouted.
After all, she'd been eating his food, drinking his wine, spending his money, and living like royalty. As humans said—soft hands after taking, soft mouth after eating.
And besides, she had never liked Evil Soul Masters to begin with.
She hopped off the bed, changed quickly into combat-ready clothes, and nodded.
"Let's go."
"Mm."
Without alerting any servants, the two figures flashed into streaks of light, shooting into the sky and racing toward Xiewa City.
At their current cultivation levels, traveling at full speed was terrifying.
In just half a day, a grand ancient city appeared on the horizon.
But just as they were preparing to land, the system alert sounded again.
[Warning! Target has departed Xiewa City!]
[Re-tracking trajectory… successful]
[Latest movement detected: Target is heading at full speed toward the Star Dou Great Forest]
"Damn it—he ran!"
Liu Yuan hovered midair, his expression darkening.
Either Gu Qi was extremely cautious—or he had just committed another crime and fled immediately.
"What's wrong?" Snow Empress asked.
"He's heading for the Star Dou Great Forest," Liu Yuan replied coldly. "We pursue."
Before his words even finished, his body turned into a streak of light, shooting off like a sharp arrow.
Snow Empress followed close behind.
High in the sky, two long white vapor trails cut across the heavens as they began a thousand-mile pursuit.
…
As the sun dipped westward and painted the horizon with blazing clouds, an endless emerald sea came into view.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
The oldest and largest gathering place of spirit beasts on the Douluo Continent.
A paradise for beasts—and a forbidden land for humans.
"System, lock onto his exact location," Liu Yuan commanded.
[Precise lock-on in progress… success]
[Target located at the boundary between the outer perimeter and the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest. Coordinates: (3444, 2234). Target currently stationary.]
"Found him."
Cold light flashed in Liu Yuan's eyes.
He led Snow Empress downward like a falling meteor, landing silently within the dense jungle.
The two concealed their auras completely, moving like ghosts through the forest.
Soon, they stopped at a clearing wrapped in massive vines.
At its center sat a gaunt man in blood-red robes, cross-legged on the ground.
In his hand was a pitch-black banner. Twisted infant faces could be vaguely seen upon it, and streams of black qi seeped out, carrying nauseating resentment.
Ghost Infant Douluo—Gu Qi.
Sensing life nearby, Gu Qi snapped his eyes open.
They were turbid, blood-red eyes filled with madness.
His gaze swept over Liu Yuan first—dismissive.
A kid not even twenty, spirit power seemingly below Spirit Saint? Worthless.
But when his gaze fell upon Snow Empress—
His pupils shrank violently.
What perfect prey.
A tiny girl, carved from jade, like a celestial spirit.
And the life essence within her—pure, vast, boundless—surpassing that of a hundred girls combined.
"Top-grade… a peerless gift from the heavens!"
Gu Qi let out a hoarse laugh, saliva dripping from his shriveled mouth.
He licked his lips and rasped, "Boy, leave the girl behind. This old man will grant you a quick death."
To him, this was perfection—kill the nuisance, refine the sacrifice.
Liu Yuan showed no emotion.
He looked at Gu Qi calmly—like a dead man.
Then he spoke, his voice cold and steady.
"Are you done with your last words?"
"Courting death!" Gu Qi roared.
But Liu Yuan had already raised his right hand.
"Come out."
BOOM—!
Two terrifying, utterly different auras descended upon the forest.
Dark clouds gathered instantly. Thunder roared. The earth trembled violently.
Gu Qi's pupils shrank in absolute horror.
From the clouds descended an emerald divine dragon, runes glowing gold across its body. Its colossal form coiled through the sky, golden dragon eyes blazing like twin suns.
At the same time, behind Liu Yuan, a mountain-like phantom of an ancient blue whale emerged, its body etched with molten-gold patterns. Vast oceanic energy churned around it, as if ready to drown the world.
Mega Rayquaza.
Primal Kyogre.
Descend.