In the far north of the Douluo Continent, deep within the Eternal Forbidden Land, inside the Frozen Abyss—
The thick layers of ice slowly began to melt. A man who had been frozen for tens of thousands of years slowly opened his eyes. He moved his body slightly, took a deep breath of the icy mist, and revealed a long-lost smile on his face.
"At last, I've returned to the Douluo Continent. Compared to watching from the divine realm, experiencing this world firsthand might hold more meaning," he said softly.
"You're back, Yuhao." The Snow Empress, who had been guarding the Frozen Abyss, spoke with a trace of warmth in her tone.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "From now on, I will walk this continent under the name Huo Qiqiang. That will be my identity in this era."
"How have the resources been accumulating over the years, Snow Empress?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"They've all been stockpiled in the Eternal Forbidden Land, ready for your use whenever you need them," she replied.
Huo Yuhao nodded and began inspecting each warehouse one by one. Inside were rare materials for refining Xuan Shui Pills and Soul Ascension Pills, whale glue to enhance physical strength, and precious components for manufacturing soul tools—everything was in place. The stockpiled resources in the Eternal Forbidden Land were enough to create several superpowers on the level of the Clear Sky Clan.
To Huo Yuhao, who was born ten thousand years in the future and had studied the continent's development over millennia from the divine realm, every technique he knew—especially his evolved version of the Xuantian Manual—could easily spark a revolution in this era. Even just unveiling soul tools alone would be enough to plunge Tang San, who aspired to revive the Tang Sect and its glory, into utter despair.
Yet, Huo Yuhao had no intention of drastically altering this era.
He hoped that when Tang San returned to this world, everything would be as it had been—a world with the warmth of home. And only at the critical moment would he unveil the treasures he had prepared.
Just as Huo Qiqiang was lost in these thoughts, a booming voice roared from the direction of the temple:
"Who dares trespass in the Eternal Forbidden Land?!"
The voice carried immense soul power. Just as the person speaking was about to strike Huo Qiqiang, the Snow Empress stepped forward, raising her delicate hand to block the incoming giant hammer of soul force.
"How dare you! Stand down!" the Snow Empress shouted sternly, repelling the attacker.
Huo Qiqiang took a good look at the intruder. It was a muscular man with bronze skin, hair like steel needles, and a massive hammer in hand. Nine soul rings circled his body—eight black, one red.
This man was Tang Chen, currently the Grand Worshipper of the Eternal Shrine, tasked with guarding the Eternal Forbidden Land.
At the moment, he stood there, shocked and uncertain, staring at the Snow Empress.
"Do you even know who you just attacked, Tang Chen?" the Snow Empress scolded.
"I hadn't displayed any traits that marked my identity. It's understandable that the Grand Worshipper mistook me for an intruder," Huo Yuhao said with a faint smile, casting a sidelong glance at Tang Chen. "In fact, this just proves how loyal our Grand Worshipper is to the Eternal Forbidden Land. Let's just have him stand down."
Seeing that Huo Qiqiang had no intention of punishing Tang Chen, the Snow Empress didn't press the matter. "Did you hear that? Get back to your post and guard the core of the Eternal Tower."
"Yes." Tang Chen respectfully replied to the Snow Empress, giving Huo Qiqiang one last puzzled glance before leaving.
"I plan to walk the continent openly now," Huo Qiqiang said, snapping his fingers.
In an instant, his soul power surged to the peak just below godhood, and nine blood-red god-bestowed soul rings encircled his body. "Do you think this is too attention-grabbing?"
"Do you want the truth?" the Snow Empress asked.
"Of course," Huo Qiqiang replied.
"Yes. Very," she said bluntly.
"All right then, best not to be too flashy." With another snap of his fingers, Huo Qiqiang suppressed his aura, lowering his power from Rank 99 (Limit Douluo) to Rank 97 (Super Douluo). His soul rings also changed to yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red.
"This should be fine," he said. "Now, continue with the resource collection plan across the continent. I'm leaving the Eternal Forbidden Land in your hands."
The Snow Empress nodded. "Understood."
…
After bidding farewell to the Snow Empress, Huo Yuhao left the Far North and began traveling across the Douluo Continent of this era. He could clearly feel how different it was compared to the Douluo Continent ten thousand years in the future.
In comparing the two eras, Huo Yuhao felt that although this one was less advanced, it was far more civilized; while the future Douluo Continent was technologically superior, it was also more barbaric.
This was still a primitive era, with no soul tool inheritance, lagging behind in development. But the world's order was relatively stable. The later era, by contrast, was utter chaos.
In the First Era of Douluo, Spirit Hall had been cast as the villain, but their existence had never been detrimental to commoners. It was the nobles who saw them as enemies. In the Second Era, however, the true villains were the Holy Spirit Cult—evil soul masters who left devastation in their wake, strengthening themselves through slaughter and bloodshed.
In the First Era, evil soul masters did exist, but they were forced into hiding. Huo Yuhao came to realize how crucial the Angel Spirit was in suppressing evil soul masters. When the Angel Spirit lineage ruled as Popes during the First Era, there was no room for evil soul masters to flourish—they were all driven to Slaughter City in search of a perverse kind of freedom.
But given the choice, would these wicked souls really choose a confined freedom in Slaughter City over openly walking the continent in broad daylight?
Sadly, this era didn't last. Tang San, under the pretext of eradicating evil, destroyed Slaughter City. But while a place can be destroyed, can the evil in human hearts be so easily erased? The answer is no.
After Spirit Hall was destroyed, none of the factions left behind by Tang San—Clear Sky Sect, Shrek Academy, or the Tang Sect—were capable of exerting absolute control over evil soul masters.
What people saw in the Second Era was the school life of noble sons and daughters, saving the world—but what they didn't see were the massacres in remote villages and towns, carried out by evil soul masters. Only someone who had lived in that era, like Huo Yuhao, could understand the painful truths behind Legend of the Divine Tang Sect—far deeper and darker than the novels described.
Even the awakening of martial spirits differed between the two eras.
In the First Era, putting aside the Angel inheritance and Bibi Dong's eventual empire, Spirit Hall functioned more like a public welfare institution than a religious one. Awakening was free. Even if someone had talent but didn't want to join Spirit Hall, they weren't forced. They even received a monthly stipend—unthinkable in the Second Era.
In the Second Era, people could still awaken their martial spirits, but it was no longer centralized. Nobles and clans held the power. In their territories, they charged citizens for awakening services. As a result, they controlled basic awakening data—knew who the geniuses were—and could train them if they pledged loyalty. If not, they had ways of "convincing" them, or simply suppressing their potential, ruining their futures.
The recommendation letter system became a tool for class hierarchy. Only those with a recommendation letter could enroll in elite schools, ensuring that nobles monopolized educational resources. Schools made it easy for noble children to enroll, and any genius who pledged loyalty would receive a letter and a path to Shrek or other top academies. Once admitted, those students were bound to their sponsoring power for life—just like Huo Yuhao, who enrolled through the Tang Sect and was forever tied to it.
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