Mobius's eyes brimmed with curiosity and fanaticism, but above all else, she was forced to admit to a certain… sense of defeat. In the realm of life sciences, she was indeed inferior to Ruan Mei. Taking a deep breath to suppress her inner turmoil, she stood before the massive curtain of light, silently watching as Ruan Mei recorded data.
"I want to see their current life statistics," Mobius said, her voice still pleasant.
Ruan Mei, pausing from her busyness, turned around. She maintained her gentle, elegant expression, her gaze indifferent to all, but offered Mobius a faint smile.
"Sure," she nodded in a flat tone, "All relevant treatments and modifications have been completed. There's nothing left of research value for me."
Having said that, she turned away—ignoring everyone as if these two miraculous creations were nothing more than discarded toys—continuing her work.
With permission granted, Mobius did not hesitate. She strode straight to the main console, her slender fingers swiftly swiping across the curtain of light, summoning up vast and intricate data streams: Di Tian and Shangguan Wei'er's genetic sequence changes, cellular activity indices, energy circulation models, and the soul fluctuation frequencies occurring every second from the start to the end of treatment… Everything was recorded in detail.
As she stared at the flashing data on the screen, Mobius's pupils immediately contracted, her breath quickening. The sheer scale of this information, as well as the ingenious treatment protocols and transformation concepts Ruan Mei adopted, left this master of life sciences dizzy and mesmerized.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of Mobius's absorption in the data, Lu Jingming began explaining to Gu Yuena and Ye Guyi.
"After capturing Dai Mubai and the others, Ruan Mei developed a deep interest in the biology of gods and soul beasts. This month, she nearly dissected four 'samples'—Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Tang Hao, and Ah Yin—from the ground up."
To her, there were no longer any secrets in the essence of life between gods and beasts.
Lu Jingming's words made Gu Yuena and Ye Guyi both shiver inwardly. Only these lawless geniuses around Lu Jingming could dare to use gods as research samples.
"So when treating Di Tian and Shangguan Wei'er, Ruan acted with a gentle approach… and used some special materials." A mysterious smile crept across Lu Jingming's lips.
"Of course, this is a great benefit for them." He turned to Ye Guyi and continued,
"Let's talk about Shangguan Wei'er first. Originally, her talent was at the Title Douluo level, and it was questionable whether she could break through to level 95 in this life—that was her limit.
But now, Ruan Mei not only purified the violent destructive force in her body, she perfectly and stably integrated that power into her martial soul and spirit. Now, Shangguan Wei'er is no longer just a pure-support Spirit Master. She possesses the dual attributes of 'Spirit' and 'Destruction.' Her potential has exploded—she could even become a God. As long as she doesn't slack off and cultivates to the extreme, reaching rank 99 Title Douluo is no problem."
Hearing this, Ye Guyi's beautiful eyes instantly filled with amazement and gratitude. She knew that for Shangguan Wei'er, this was a true rebirth.
"As for Di Tian…" Lu Jingming's gaze shifted to Gu Yuena, surprise coloring his tone, "He has undergone an even greater transformation.
Since a spirit occupied his body directly, the erosion and transformation by the power of destruction was far more thorough than with Shangguan Wei'er. When Ruan Mei treated him, she applied the results of her research on divine-beast lifeforms to him.
The outcome: Di Tian is now a true Divine Beast."
"What?!" Gu Yuena could no longer maintain her composure. Her violet eyes exploded with astonished light. Divine Beast meant little to her, but for soul beasts, this was the ultimate form—a way to break the shackles of fate and escape heavenly tribulation.
"Genetically, Di Tian can no longer be considered a traditional soul beast. He is a completely new species."
Lu Jingming, seeing Gu Yuena's shock, quietly added,
"But whether he is a soul beast or not isn't determined by his genes, but by himself. If he believes he is a soul beast, then he is the god of all soul beasts."
Gu Yuena nodded. She had no objections. Whether or not Di Tian was a soul beast didn't matter. What mattered was that Di Tian lived. Strictly speaking, she herself was not a pure soul beast, but simultaneously one of their co-owners.
Thinking of this, she slowly rose up on tiptoe. Her rosy lips brushed close to Lu Jingming's ear, and with a husky voice, she softly breathed,
"Thank you… Do you want a reward tonight?"
Lu Jingming could smell her unique, cool fragrance—like an orchid in a lonely valley. As her warm breath tickled his ear, a spark ignited in his heart. Without hesitation, he embraced her, lowering his head to gently kiss her crimson lips, chuckling,
"What more could I ask for? Not just a reward—I want double."
"No problem."
Gu Yuena didn't resist. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, showing a bright, moving smile he'd never seen before. She was in an excellent mood—not only because Di Tian had been healed, but also because a loyal Divine Beast had been gained. More importantly, she saw in Ruan Mei's planetary transformation and life-creating magic the true, radiant future of the soul beast clan.
Perhaps, they would no longer have to struggle for survival, nor die alongside humanity.
Lu Jingming silently held her, gently stroking her long, smooth silver hair. He knew that Gu Yuena's happiness was not only for Di Tian. Di Tian's healing—breaking the Dragon God's curse and becoming a true Divine Beast—was indeed a tremendous joy, and it thrilled her. But Lu Jingming also knew that, as the Silver Dragon King and bearer of her clan's destiny, Di Tian's fate was not solely personal.
As for Gu Yuena's request, Lu Jingming now knew she was his woman—and he would never leave her in a dilemma.
The conflict between soul beasts and humans always stemmed from soul masters needing soul rings for cultivation. Now, with the advent of stigmata, that conflict had lessened considerably. Yet, after so many generations of hatred, there were bound to be clashes between these races.
This is why Ruan Mei was so important. She could completely transform a planet into a suitable home for migrating soul beasts.
Lu Jingming was not an extreme human supremacist; his empire could accommodate other races. But a Douluo Star could not truly tolerate both species together forever. Yet for Lu Jingming, that was not a difficult problem.
Transforming a planet was hard for others, but for Ruan Mei, it was very simple.
The soul beast clan had long been oppressed by planar suppression and the Dragon God's curse, which prevented them from becoming gods. This curse was strongest on Douluo Star, since it was the Dragon God's birthplace.
Therefore, on Douluo Star, soul beasts would never give birth to another Dragon God until the next one appeared. But as long as they left Douluo Star, the planar suppression would naturally disappear. The curse would remain, but would not be nearly as powerful.
And Ruan Mei could not only transform a planet suitable for soul beast survival, but at that moment, also lift the Dragon God's curse imprinted on their bloodline genes.
…
While Haiyuan City basked in a tranquil glow of life and technology, on the far side of the Douluo Continent, the ancient city of Heaven Dou was utterly shrouded in the clouds of war.
Those black clouds were not natural phenomena, but a steel sky formed by thousands of spirit-guided flying warships, blotting out the heavens and sun. They hovered in formation above Heaven Dou, their cold metallic hulls reflecting a pale light on the leaden clouds, like countless vultures watching over carrion.
A deadly, silent oppression filled the air.
Beneath the warships, an even more terrifying ground force assembled. Endless ranks of massive mechas stood like a steel forest, energy cores gleaming on each shoulder. They were giants of war, and every movement made the earth tremble.
Among the mecha army were stranger, more dangerous forces—the antimatter legion. And finally, the largest contingent of all: the spirit mentor corps.
They were the cornerstone of this war, their soul guides fully charged, tens of thousands of muzzles aligned in perfect formation, pointing at the ancient, majestic city like a dense beehive.
In Heaven Dou City, a deathly silence prevailed. The once-bustling streets were empty. All residents hid in their homes, trembling as they gazed through cracks in doors and windows at the shadow of death cast over the sky. The oppressive, desperate atmosphere was like a congealed swamp, suffocating all.
The mood atop the city walls was altogether different.
The current emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire, though his hair and beard were flecked with gray, stood tall and straight as a pine. He wore golden dragon-patterned full-body armor and gripped the imperial sword passed down for millennia, standing at the very front of the city.
His eyes calmly swept over the steel storm outside the city—an overwhelming force capable of crushing all.
Beside him stood an elderly man, more robust and muscular than usual, shirtless and covered in intersecting scars. He stood silently, exuding a terrifying aura that seemed able to shake the heavens and earth with mere flesh.
His true form was the sect itself.
Behind them, more than a dozen elders with the same awe-inspiring presence stood, each a titled Douluo, each a foundation of their sect. They spoke not a word, but their stance was clear: to live and die with the Heavenly Soul Empire and Heaven Dou City.
"At a time like this, it may be inappropriate to say this…"
A slightly lazy yet clear voice rang in every strong man's ear.
Jing Yuan, dressed in ornate robes embroidered with cloud patterns, looked solemnly at Fei Xiao beside him before turning to the Poison Sect and the Heaven Soul Emperor.
"…But, with such a disparity in strength, have you truly not considered retreat?"
Jing Yuan respected these people's resolve, but could not condone throwing stones against boulders. Sacrifice was understandable; had not the war between the Sun Moon and the Douluo Continent brought enough? He would not condone pointless sacrifice.
This war had reached a stalemate. The Heavenly Soul Empire had not collapsed completely from the start only thanks to the high-level support of him and the two foreign advisors, Fei Xiao and himself. They had repelled several cautious assaults from the Sun Moon Empire, killing many of their titled Douluo and keeping hope alive for the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Yet, in his heart, he knew nothing would change. He and Fei Xiao were powerful, but their strength could not turn the tide of a war involving millions, especially when the enemy had their own monsters like Phantylia and Celenova.
This war was far from fair, Jing Yuan thought. He saw the end, but would not stop it. This was not Xianzhou Luofu—he had no obligation to defend this land. He would stay, for Fei Xiao's sake, and Fei Xiao only fought for her friendship with the little princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Weina.
None of them had a reason to fight to the end for the Heavenly Soul Empire.
The Sun Moon Empire's army was not truly evil, nor did both sides possess endless hatred, but their positions were different.
In his view, the best option was for the Heaven Soul Emperor to lead all Douluo elites out of Heaven Dou City, breaking south to join reinforcements from the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.
"Lord Jing Yuan," the Heaven Soul Emperor spoke slowly, his voice calm and resolute, unwavering,
"It is hard to leave one's homeland. The ground beneath my feet is the foundation built by the blood and glory of my ancestors.
I was born and raised here—I will die here. As the emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire, I will never abandon my people and capital and flee alone before the enemy."
His tone carried the majesty and pride of an emperor. Having said this, the Heaven Soul Emperor turned to Fei Xiao, who had remained silent, and in his once-majestic eyes was a father's plea.
"Your Excellency Fei Xiao, I have but one request. At the final moment, please take Weina, the last bloodline of the Heaven Soul royal family, with you. Do not let her fall into enemy hands."
He bowed deeply and solemnly to Fei Xiao.
Fei Xiao's face showed no change, but deep within her eyes, an unfathomable wave stirred.