After hearing the thousand-year history of blood and tears of the human race on the Sun Moon Continent as told by Xu Yu, Zhao Hui, and Kong Ze, the side hall fell into a deep silence.
Ye Zhilan, Avril, and Yang Xueqi all revealed expressions of unbearable sympathy and compassion in their eyes.
Qian Daoliu wore a solemn expression, while Tang Chen furrowed his brows tightly, his fists clenched; he was clearly filled with indignation at the tragic state of the human race, which had been slaughtered to the point of a cultural collapse.
Yu Yuanchen tapped his fingertips lightly against the armrests of his chair, his gaze deep and profound.
Judging by the content of the original story, he could basically confirm that the disappearance of the six Titled Douluo a thousand years ago was 99% related to that terrifying existence deep within the Evil Spirit Forest—the Evil Eye Tyrant Lord.
That was a King of Fierce Beasts capable of going toe-to-toe with the Beast God Di Tian; its strength had definitely reached the level of a demigod, and its spiritual power might have even touched the threshold of the god level. Even if it were in a poor state, killing six Titled Douluo—the highest of whom was only at level 97—would certainly not be a difficult task for it.
As for why the Evil Emperor was in a poor state and had remained silent for thousands of years, to the point where the Sun Moon Continent had no records of it?
Yu Yuanchen recalled the original story, which mentioned that with the powerful recovery power inherent in Di Tian's Dragon King bloodline, and possessing a treasure of the world like the Lake of Life, it still took over a thousand years of healing to fully recover after taking a direct hit from the Evil Emperor's Light of Time and Space.
Therefore, it was a perfectly reasonable speculation that the Evil Emperor, having failed to seize the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and likely having suffered even heavier injuries, had spent thousands of years dormant to heal. Thousands of years of silence were enough to let any memory of it vanish into the long river of history.
This explained why the humans of the Sun Moon Continent knew nothing about it and dared to rashly break into the depths of the Evil Spirit Forest. The powerhouses of the three great empires probably died without ever knowing what kind of terrifying existence they had provoked.
Silver Dragon... Evil Eye Tyrant Lord... Yu Yuanchen silently recited these two names in his heart. The former was the direct catalyst for the suffering of the humans on the Sun Moon Continent, while the latter was the even more terrifying existence hidden behind the scenes. To truly pacify the Sun Moon Continent, these two hurdles had to be cleared.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the group, his tone steady and resolute: "The past is gone. We feel the pain of the human race's withering as if it were our own. However, wallowing in the past is useless. The top priority is to end this thousand-year-long predicament and create a new life for the human race."
Upon hearing this, the spirits of Xu Yu and the others were lifted, and they all looked at Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen continued: "Unifying the continent is not a task that can be accomplished in a day. The current priority is to eradicate the greatest threats, deter the soul beasts, and win time and space for the human race to develop and grow. My intention is to divide our forces into three paths."
"The first path," he looked at Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen, "Brother Qian, Brother Tang, I must trouble you both to head to the known gathering places of the soul beasts and 'pay a visit' to those hundred-thousand-year Beast Kings."
He deliberately emphasized the word "visit," and Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen immediately understood his meaning.
"Remember, the purpose of this trip is not slaughter," Yu Yuanchen emphasized. "The focus is on deterrence. Order them to strictly control their subordinate soul beasts and forbid them from actively launching beast tides to harass human settlements. If there are any who refuse..."
A cold light flashed in his eyes, "You may punish them, but try to spare their lives to avoid them being driven to desperation, triggering an all-out war and causing unnecessary carnage."
Yu Yuanchen was not soft-hearted; he was weighing the pros and cons. Although the three of them were strong, the Sun Moon Continent was vast, and the human tribes were scattered.
If they forced those Beast Kings to take risks and launch a massive beast tide regardless of the consequences, the three of them could save one place, but not everywhere.
At that point, the human tribes would inevitably suffer heavy losses, which would run counter to their original intention of unifying the continent and strengthening the human race.
Using absolute strength to deter them first, forcing the Beast Kings to restrain their subordinates and stabilize the situation, was the best strategy.
"Understood." Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. By nature, he valued order and disliked unnecessary killing, so he had no objections to this arrangement.
"Haha, good! My hands are itching anyway; I'll go meet those so-called Beast Kings!" Tang Chen rubbed his palms, eager to try. If he couldn't kill them, surely he could beat them up to vent some frustration?
"The second path," Yu Yuanchen turned his gaze to Xu Yu, Zhao Hui, and Kong Ze, "Three leaders, integrate the forces of your three major tribes and send envoys to contact all known small and medium-sized tribes on the continent. Inform them of today's events and our vision of establishing a 'Federation' to resist the soul beasts together and create a prosperous era."
"Those who are willing to join are most welcome, and they will naturally have a place in the future alliance. As for those who are stubborn or collude with the soul beasts..."
Yu Yuanchen's tone turned cold, "Then there is no need for them to exist. In extraordinary times, we take extraordinary measures. The path to unity cannot tolerate stumbling blocks."
Xu Yu and the others felt a chill in their hearts and quickly bowed in response: "We will strictly follow your orders, Your Excellency! We will certainly do our utmost to facilitate this!"
They understood that this was a pledge of loyalty and an opportunity to establish the leading position of the three major tribes in the future alliance.
"The third path," Yu Yuanchen slowly stood up, his gaze cast toward the east, as if piercing through layers of mountains to see the land known as the Jingyang Mountain Range, "That Silver Dragon has occupied the Jingyang Mountain Range for countless years and is the culprit behind the calamities of the Sun Moon humans. I will deal with this beast myself."
His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable resolution and killing intent. The Silver Dragon had to die; this was not just for revenge, but a symbol—a declaration!
A declaration to the humans of the Sun Moon Continent that a new master had arrived, one who possessed the power to draw swords against top-tier soul beasts and emerge victorious!
This would greatly boost the morale of the human race, which had long been suffocated by soul beasts, and clear the psychological obstacles for subsequent unification and reform.
"Yuanchen, be careful." Ye Zhilan whispered, her eyes filled with concern but also absolute confidence in Yu Yuanchen.
In Ye Zhilan's view, although the Silver Dragon only had over three hundred thousand years of cultivation, its experiences in the Evil Spirit Forest were strange, and it might be hiding some trump cards. However, she had full confidence in her husband, and her warning was merely an instinctive act.
Yu Yuanchen smiled at her, casting a reassuring look: "It's fine, it's just a three-hundred-thousand-year-old Silver Dragon."
"Besides..." Yu Yuanchen's eyes suddenly sharpened, "I have roughly guessed the secret within the Evil Spirit Forest. This is also why I am the one to deal with the Silver Dragon instead of Brother Qian or Brother Tang."
With the plan decided, everyone took action immediately.
Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen each chose their targets. Since Qian Daoliu was faster, he chose to head to two soul beast gathering places—the Death Desert in the west and the Scorching Volcano Cluster in the south—while Tang Chen headed to the Dark Radiance Forest in the northeast. The situation in the Evil Spirit Forest was unclear, so they would not act rashly there for now. Xu Yu and the others provided detailed information on all known soul beast gathering places on the continent, as well as the characteristics of the potential Beast Kings.
A moment later, two streams of light shot into the sky from Purple Blazing Dragon City—one holy like light, the other violent like thunder—heading in different directions.
Qian Daoliu's path.
His first stop was the Death Desert in the west of the continent. The environment here was extreme, with ten thousand miles of yellow sand and no signs of life, yet it was home to a hundred-thousand-year-old "Desert Scorpion King." It was highly toxic, skilled at controlling quicksand, and was the nightmare of the western human tribes.
Qian Daoliu's figure appeared in the sky above the core zone of the Death Desert; the scorching sunlight had no effect on him. He did not hide his aura; his vast, sea-like Angelic Divine Might spread out like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire desert!
"Hiss—!"
From deep within the desert came a sharp, ear-piercing hiss, filled with shock and anger.
With a loud boom, the yellow sand exploded, and a giant scorpion over fifty meters long, covered in dark gold armor with a hook on its tail flashing with a ghostly blue toxic light, burst out of the sand. Its two compound eyes stared fixedly at the holy figure in the sky that was emitting an aura that made its soul tremble.
"Human! Why have you trespassed into my territory!" The Desert Emperor Scorpion let out a mental roar, filled with wariness. It felt a power level far beyond its understanding from the human before it.
Qian Daoliu hovered in the air, the phantom of a Six-winged Angel vaguely visible behind him. His voice was cold and majestic, directly entering the depths of the Emperor Scorpion's soul: "I have come today specifically to inform you: from this day forward, strictly restrain your subordinate tribes and forbid them from launching beast tides to harass the human race. If you dare to defy this, your body and soul will be destroyed."
His words were calm, yet carried the absolute authority of a divine decree, as if he were stating an established fact.
"Roar! Arrogant!" The Desert Emperor Scorpion was furious. It had dominated the desert for tens of thousands of years; when had it ever been threatened like this? The ghostly light on its tail's venomous hook surged, and a condensed ray of venom, mixed with a terrifying sandstorm, shot straight at Qian Daoliu!
Qian Daoliu's gaze was indifferent; he did not even bother to draw the Angel Sacred Sword. He simply raised his right hand slightly and pointed his index finger forward.
"Purify."
A holy light, pure to the extreme and seemingly capable of melting away all filth in the world, erupted from his fingertip. The ray, containing toxic and destructive power, collided with the sandstorm and, the moment it touched the holy light, dissolved and disintegrated silently like snow meeting the sun! Even the dense, ferocious aura surrounding the Desert Emperor Scorpion was more than half purified!
The Desert Emperor Scorpion's massive body shuddered violently, its compound eyes filled with incomparable terror! The attack it had unleashed with all its might had been neutralized by the opponent so casually?! The gap was simply too vast!
Qian Daoliu pressed his fingers together like a sword. A hundred-meter light sword, condensed to the extreme and seemingly composed of pure Law of light, appeared out of thin air. Carrying the magnificent Divine Might of judgment, it slowly descended toward the Desert Emperor Scorpion!
Wherever the light sword passed, space distorted slightly, emitting a destructive aura!
The Desert Emperor Scorpion let out a terrified shriek. It desperately channeled its Soul Power to lay down layers of Sand Shield in front of itself while retreating violently!
But the Angel light sword seemed to have locked onto it. Though its speed appeared slow, it crossed space in an instant, easily tearing through all the shields and hovering right above its head!
The terrifying power radiating from the light sword left the Desert Emperor Scorpion with no doubt: if this sword fell, it would undoubtedly die!
The shadow of death instantly enveloped it! It finally understood that the human before it possessed the absolute strength to kill it with ease!
"Last time: obey, or die." Qian Daoliu's voice rang out again, devoid of any emotion.
At the same time, an even more terrifying pressure descended, as if the entire sky were collapsing, pinning the Desert Emperor Scorpion firmly to the ground, unable to move!
The Desert Emperor Scorpion finally understood the absolute gap between them and struggled to emit a humiliated and fearful mental fluctuation: "I... I obey! I... I will restrain my kin and never... come out of the desert again!"
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, the holy light retracted, and the pressure dissipated: "Remember your promise. If you break this oath, I will take your life even to the ends of the earth." Having said that, he no longer looked at the shivering Desert Emperor Scorpion. His figure turned into a stream of light and disappeared into the horizon, heading to the next stop—the Scorching Volcano Cluster in the south.
Tang Chen's path.
His style was much more direct and brutal. The first stop was the Dark Radiance Forest in the northeast. This place was shrouded year-round in eerie shadow energy and was a paradise for shadow-attribute soul beasts. Its ruler was a hundred-thousand-year-old Dark Demon Bat King, skilled in sound wave and mental attacks, with elusive movements.
Tang Chen charged directly into the heart of the forest, not bothering with pleasantries. His Clear Sky Hammer true form manifested, all nine rings appeared, and he radiated a terrifying aura that caused palpitations! He swung the giant hammer toward the densest area of darkness below, unleashing a "Shock Character Art"!
Boom—!!!!
The terrifying shockwave was like a Natural Disaster, instantly leveling a large swath of the forest. Countless soul beasts hiding within, caught in the crossfire, fled in terror! A sharp mental shock shot from the darkness toward Tang Chen, only to be shattered instantly by the tyrannical Bloodline Power surrounding him!
"You hiding, feathered beast, get out here!" Tang Chen's voice was like a booming bell, shaking the entire forest.
Squeak—!
With a shrill shriek, a giant bat with a wingspan of over twenty meters, pitch-black all over with scarlet eyes, was forced to reveal itself. It looked in terror at Tang Chen, who appeared like a god of war descending, its mental fluctuations filled with shock: "Human, you..."
"Shut up!" Tang Chen interrupted it impatiently. "I don't have time for your nonsense! Listen, from today on, keep your vermin in check. If you dare come within a hundred miles of any human city again, I'll smash this pathetic forest and you into dust! Do you hear me?!"
The Dark Demon Bat King was both shocked and furious, but feeling the terrifying power contained within that giant hammer—enough to blast it into slag—it dared not resist. It could only respond with suffocation: "Un... understood! I... I will restrain them!"
"Hmph! You're sensible!" Tang Chen put away the Clear Sky Hammer, clapped his hands, and glanced at the Bat King. "Remember my words, or next time I come, I won't be so polite!" With that, his figure shot into the sky, heading toward his next target—the Sunset Great Forest. He also had to help the Golden Sun Tribe deal with that neighbor who kept causing trouble.
Just as Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen set off, Yu Yuanchen also bid farewell to Ye Zhilan and the others.
"I shall return shortly." Yu Yuanchen smiled gently at his wife and then instructed Xu Yu and the others, "Proceed with the integration of the tribes with urgency. When I return, I hope to hear good news."
"Rest assured, Your Excellency! We wish you a triumphant victory!" The three of them bowed to see him off, their eyes filled with anticipation. If they could witness the slaying of the Silver Dragon that had brought a thousand-year nightmare to the Human Race, it would be an immeasurable boost to the morale and hearts of the people across the Sun Moon Continent!
Yu Yuanchen nodded, took a step, and his figure merged into the void. The next moment, he appeared in the high sky thousands of meters away, turning into a faint Purple Gold Lightning that traveled toward the Jingyang Mountain Range at a speed difficult for the Naked Eye to track.
His gaze was calm yet sharp, his aura restrained, yet he felt like an peerless divine weapon about to be unsheathed. The Jingyang Mountain Range, the Silver Dragon... it was time to put an end to this thousand-year grudge.
Although this Silver Dragon was the culprit behind the disasters that had befallen the humans of the Sun Moon Continent over the years, Yu Yuanchen knew that it was not necessarily evil.
Whether the three great empires had joined forces to hunt the Silver Dragon back then because of the few things it had snatched was debatable; perhaps that was part of the reason, but the benefits to be gained from hunting it certainly held significant weight.
It had wiped out the three great empires out of revenge, but Yu Yuanchen was a human; there was no need for him to stand from the perspective of a soul beast to think.
But the fact remained that this Silver Dragon had indeed nearly wiped out a human civilization. As a human, if he wanted to win the hearts of the remnants of this civilization, he had to avenge them. It had nothing to do with good or evil; it was simply a matter of interest.
However, Yu Yuanchen did not care to label the Silver Dragon as an evil soul beast just to burnish his own image of light and greatness. It was simply standing in his way.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan