Ch.4: Qinglong City
As the fifteen translucent figures in front of the masked being vanished, the space around them began to shift.
The once bright and boundless white expanse started to crumble—folding, tearing, and collapsing in on itself like fragile parchment crushed under invisible force.
Cracks spread across the air, and soon the outer layer peeled away, revealing an entirely new world behind it.
A dark void stretched endlessly, scattered with distant stars and galaxies glowing faintly, their light beautiful yet cold and far apart.
It was a breathtaking sight—but not the main attraction.
At the heart of that vast expanse floated a radiant formation of runic symbols intertwined with impossible precision.
Every line, curve, and contour seemed crafted to embody perfection itself.
Each rune appeared to contain within it an entire world made of even smaller runes—worlds within worlds, spiraling into infinity without end.
Together, they formed a great sphere, looking from afar it looked like a unnaturally bright star, even more so than the so called O- type stars.
But having a close look one can see that things are not as simple as just that.
Rather it was not a star at all.
It was a construct so intricate and harmonious it seemed to represent the totality of universal laws.
As if all laws in existence had a record on it, unending and infinite.
If there existed a true center of reality—an anchor of all timelines—it would be this sphere.
Soon a figure appeared in front of the bright sphere as if quietly waiting for it to acknowledge it's existence and grant an audience.
This figure was none other than the hollow masked being.
But this time, he didn't look like someone out of the horror game introduction guide. The previously hollow mask had seamlessly become his face, even sharp and inhuman features had vastly became humanoid.
Even the ever present sinister expression on his face had mellow down to something far more serious and acceptable.
As if being presentable had an example the being had tried its best to become one.
And the sphere too didn't keep him waiting for too long.
Its surface shimmered with light brighter than any star, followed by a childlike voice which reverberated through the fabric of reality itself.
"Welcome, O honorable God of Reincarnation and Transmigration. Thank you for granting the 'Voice of Omniverse' a wish on such short notice!"
A wry smile crossed the being's face. "You jest. It's my honor to assist the Voice of Omniverse itself—and to complete the task you entrusted to me."
Then, his tone turned more serious. "Still, I must ask—how effective was my intervention in averting the coming calamity?"
A soft, playful giggle filled the void.
"You needn't worry~. For a god who enjoys these little 'games'—sending souls across worlds to change their fates, and watch them kill each other for entertainment you've done rather well!
"I was skeptical at first, but seeing your results even the unconventional means of yours can't be questioned... perhaps even your so-called uniquely worthless 'hobbies' have their own merit in keeping~!"
"Heh... thank you for your praise," he replied awkwardly. "But perhaps we could focus less on my personal habits and more on whether the changes were truly effective?"
Being exposed like that by the Voice itself was hardly pleasant.
Every word spoken here would be recorded by time, and the thought made his expression twitch.
'Damn it! Now each and every god in existence will know about my embarrassing pastime,' he thought bitterly, but dared not complain aloud.
Some entities simply couldn't be crossed, no matter how powerful one became.
And one in front of him was the same kind.
"Hehe, sure, sure~. Lets focus on what you asked, here!"
Followed by those words a luminous screen appeared before him, covered in complex data and shifting graphs covered in so much details that thousand of encyclopedia's will can be filled in here and still appear spacious.
But even the seemingly complex analytical structure was very simple in the beings eyes.
Perhaps this is what means to be a god a high level being, a single glance can let you know so much that ordinary mortals will not be able to read through even if given a thousand years.
Then Voice continued, cheerful yet disturbingly calm.
"The original timeline of that world had, for unknown reasons, developed a temporal wormhole connecting it to another realm. And single trace of foreign aura leaked through, which again travelled through multiple worlds constantly mutating, with each passage becoming stronger and ominous setting off a chain reaction across thousands of worlds.
"It would've spread, corrupting core of hundreds of neighboring universes until all of them together self-destructed, giving birth to a even greater form of energy capable of affecting even high level worlds triggering an even greater cascade of destruction.
From universes to multiverses to even grander scale, and the conclusion was that it would've consumed ninety-nine percent of the Omniverse itself before gods were granted permission to act and stopped the reaction."
The Voice paused briefly before continuing, almost playfully.
"But your interference changed everything. You followed the laws that does not allow direct intervention from higher beings in low level worlds and instead let reincarnated souls make wishes, using your way to find a loop hole, creating indirect shifts in destiny. A bit unconventional, perhaps~ but the crisis has been contained before it could grow.
"Some side effects may appear, of course," the childish voice added with a teasing lilt, "but they won't extend beyond a few multiverses, so no~ need~ to worry~!"
Hearing those words, the being's expression softened for a moment, but his calm soon faded into a frown.
"Wait—what do you mean a few multiverses may be affected? Isn't that still dangerous? Can I intervene again—perhaps through another reincarnation cycle to stabilize it?"
A light laugh echoed through the space.
"Well, you could try, but it wouldn't change anything. It's only a few multiverses being disturbed, not destroyed. You can relax a little. Besides, wasn't it you who gave those mortals such excessive wishes in the first place~?"
The being's voice grew tense. "Even so, there must be something we can still do!"
He sounded agitated, and understandably so. The multiverse where he resided was close to the one where the original chain reaction had begun. The thought of any imbalance reaching his home filled him with unease—especially when he was forbidden from direct interference.
"I said, chill."
The once playful tone turned colder, carrying an unmistakable weight.
"You have already done what was required of you. Do not overstep again. If you try to violate the Omniversal Laws once more, even you will be erased."
For a long moment, silence lingered between them.
At last, the masked being let out a quiet sigh and lowered his head slightly.
"…If you say so."
...
Qinglong City, Douluo Continent,
South-East of Qinglong, 11th Audience Hall.
Quinglong City, a city sat on eastern fringe of the Douluo Continent, neither large enough to rival the empire's core cities nor small enough to be ignored.
Built atop old trade routes, it had long since become an autonomous city-state, governed by its own council, guarded by its own soul masters, and rich enough to draw envy from its neighbors cities and even small kingdom's alike.
Build by the local grouping of more than 30 unaffiliated villages, the city is govern by soul masters who raise and born in the city itself, giving the city a sense of identity with the protection and prosperity ensured.
Then the city is mostly operated autonomously, even Martial Spirit awakening is only done without the assistance of Spirit Hall.
By the city personnel themself.
Every month, on the first day, the city's Awakening Ceremony was held.
For most children, it was the day their future was decided.
Whether they would spend their lives tilling fields, work as daily wage workers in the city industry or treading the path of spirit cultivation, become high level officials and enjoy a life of luxury was all dependent on this moment.
Each awakening ceremony is generally overlooked by the city lord's wife, Lady Li Xueya herself.
And today was no exception.
Seated on the throne like seats, on the raised dais of the audience room was a middle aged woman, with black hair and black eyes she excluded a sense of dignity and order.
Her aged figure despite approaching the 70's looked no older than in her 40's, her eyes steady with a small simile on her face give the watcher a sense of wisdom and grace.
This was the city lords wife Li Xueya a level 86 Spirit Douluo, a top powerhouse of the city second only to the city lord.
Today she was again here to overlook the spirit master martial spirit awakening as usual but something was different today.
To her right, seated at the middle seat there was another figure present on this place.
It was a handsome looking middle aged man with short black hair mixed with some of the white showing his somewhat aged appearance.
Similar to the woman beside him he was also a in his 70's but still looked around 40 years old.
There was no doubt about it, he was the City Lord of Qinglong city, Zhou Ming himself.
With his soul power level being 87 Spirit Douluo, he was the strongest figure in the whole reign with abilities and methods which made him invincible below rank Title Douluo.
Both the city lord and his wife were some of the lucky figure born with innate soul power in their run down villages with innate soul power no more than level 5.
It was their achievements which allowed them to grow till this stage.
Generally it is believed that someone with spirit power lower than 7 can never become a Spirit Douluo, someone with Spirit power lower than 8 can never become a Titled Douluo.
Unless you have a martial spirit which is very special in nature, the law of innate power proportional to future achievement is always true.
And this is not just a myth the Martial Spirit of neighboring Star Luo empire's Royal family the White Tiger and their eternal in law's Martial Spirit the Hell Spirit Cat are enough proof of this.
But they had broken the myth, reaching the level of a Soul Douluo with innate soul power they are the Idols of countless low leveled soul masters of the world.
So, the presence of both of them for such a ordinary occasion still drew everyone's attention.
As they both sat in middle of praise and awe of people around them.
There was one more figure sitting beside them who also did not go unnoticed.
But unlike the old couple, this figure was of a very young woman.
With black eyes and hair that shimmered faintly like polished obsidian beneath the morning light, she carried an air that made time itself hesitate. Her face was sculpted with such precision that even indifference seemed elegant upon it, her cherry lips curved just enough to suggest authority without effort.
A cool, almost divine composure rested in her expression, as though she looked down from a place ordinary people could never reach.
Her eyes were sharp, steady, and impossibly calm, eyes that did not simply see but measure. When they swept across the hall, everyone seemed to quiet down, bending around her presence.
Her every blink carried intent, like seeking anything worth her time.
She was dressed in a black with silver designing dancing along her outfit. Her voluptuous figure further accentuated by the choice of clothes.
But the pressure she excluded didn't allow anyone to stare long enough to notice.
Arrogant, yes, but she had the power and talent to back it up.
Born with full innate soul power and twin Martial Spirits.
Being the youngest Spirit Sage of the Continent, reaching the height of level 74 by the her late twenties, her arrogance was all but justified.
Even seated beside her grandparents, she seemed to stand above, not through posture or pride, but through the quiet, effortless certainty that the world would one day move at her pace.
She was Zhou Yueling, the heir to Qinglong City, and the third strongest person in a city otherwise filled with low-ranked spirit masters.
With all the top figures of Qinglong City present, seeing them gathered for such a seemingly ordinary event was a sight in itself.
Looking at that lineup was enough to make anyone in the city break into a cold sweat. After all, it wasn't every day that the strongest in Qinglong City left the safety of the City Lord's mansion and appeared together in public.
And today was one of those rare occasions.
Today was the day the young lady's so-called cheap disciple would awaken his martial spirit.
Many officials had some for the same reason.
No one expected much, some came out of appearance's sake, others out of curiosity.
But even so, the City Lord's family had decided to show face.
Same was true for Zhou Yueling.
Even if the boy was considered unworthy of her attention, attending his awakening was the least she could do—for appearance's sake, if nothing else.