Shu Yan felt like this journey had been a terrifying rollercoaster ride. And he meant that literally.
Had anyone ever plummeted from ten thousand meters at high speed without any protection? He imagined very few people had experienced that kind of stomach-dropping thrill. Yet, after this trip, Shu Yan had joined that select group.
Now, he was leaning against a slender tree in the forest on the edge of the Extreme North Land, his face pale. Snow and ice had melted to form gurgling streams. Flowers and plants were everywhere, life energy was constantly flowing, and many small Soul Beasts were running by in groups. It was a vibrant scene he'd never expected to find so close to the barren Extreme North Land. His stomach was still churning, and the extreme shock of the fall had left his senses dazed; for a moment, he couldn't even manage to speak.
A short distance behind him, the Snow Empress looked helplessly at the Ice Empress. She reached out, tapped the other woman's forehead, and sighed:
"You... you're always getting into trouble! He's only a Soul King. If his physical body wasn't unusually strong, he really might not have survived your little torment."
The Ice Empress kicked the pebbles on the ground and pouted, sounding a bit wronged:
"How was I supposed to know he had such poor endurance? I just took him bungee jumping from ten thousand meters a few times, and then I accidentally threw him a bit too far! How was I to know he would...?"
The Snow Empress was exasperated. She had long known the Ice Empress enjoyed teasing Shu Yan; whenever the two were together, they were bound to have a verbal spar. But this was the first time things had gone this far. Now, the Snow Empress could only hope Shu Yan wouldn't hold a grudge against her friend. Otherwise, she would be stuck in the middle, which would surely give her a massive headache.
A Moment of Respite and Reflection
After resting for about half an hour, Shu Yan finally started to recover. The Ice Empress seemed to realize her mistake and didn't take Shu Yan flying again. Instead, she let the Snow Empress take over their travel.
The three of them were now deep within the borders of the Heavenly Soul Empire. The areas near the Extreme North Land had always been sparsely populated, with most people living in large cities and only a few scattered villages or towns.
However, the scenery now was entirely different. The Ice Empress was curiously looking all around them as they flew, and while the Snow Empress wasn't as obviously excited, her gaze still lingered on the nearby world.
Shu Yan's thoughts also slowly began to calm down. Looking down at the seemingly boundless land beneath his feet, a strange feeling couldn't help but rise in his heart.
Ten thousand years ago, after the God Realm war, the territory that once belonged to the Martial Soul Hall was divided between the two Great Empires. The entire Continent slowly returned to a state of peace.
But a century later, the seven Gods ascended to the God Realm. Without the direct control of the Gods, people with ulterior motives slowly began to appear openly again over time. The two Great Empires faced the exact same trouble.
A History of Conflict
Kingdoms within the Empires frequently showed signs of unrest as their own strength grew. Corruption once again swept through the entire aristocratic class. This time, it was even worse than it had been in the era when the Gods were suppressing them.
The corruption of the Heaven Dou Empire's aristocracy wasn't a sudden development. It was a deep-seated problem that had existed since Tang San's time. Its complete resurgence now was simply a matter of time and inevitability.
Against this backdrop, the common people once again lived in misery. Uprisings and rebellions occurred in many places, eventually covering almost the entirety of the two Great Empires. For a time, the entire Continent was piled with corpses and rivers of blood, as if it had been beaten until all its former vitality was gone.
The war lasted for nearly a hundred years before finally calming down. However, the original two Great Empires had split into three because of this conflict. The Star Luo Empire remained intact. In contrast, the Heaven Dou Empire split into the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Spirit Empire.
The Star Luo Empire didn't suffer the same tragic fate as the Heaven Dou Empire. Although they paid a heavy price to suppress the kingdom rebellions within their borders one by one, the damage was at least kept within an acceptable range. During the war, however, the lineage of the original imperial White Tiger Dai family was almost completely wiped out. Forced by reality and necessity, that generation's Star Luo Emperor voluntarily gave up the throne. He abdicated to the Star Crown Sect, which had made the most significant contributions to stopping the rebellion. The contemporary Sect Master took over the position of Star Luo Emperor. From that point on, the imperial Dai family ceased to exist in the world, leaving only the Star Luo Duke White Tiger Dai family.
What happened after that was simpler. The Sun Moon Continent collided and merged with the Douluo Continent, effectively doubling the Continent's area. The brand-new Soul Guider system appeared for the first time in the eyes of the people from the original three countries of the Douluo Continent. Naturally, various conflicts and problems between the Empires re-emerged. The Continent, which had just achieved a brief period of stability, was once again thrown into bloodshed and war.
But the final outcome is clear. Under the brief shared hatred of the original three Douluo Continent countries, the Sun Moon Empire was defeated. The new continent was named the Douluo Continent.
The war slowly ended, and the Four Empires confronted each other, falling into a stalemate once again. This stalemate has lasted for nearly four thousand years, all the way up until the present day...
Into the City
Just as Shu Yan was lost in his thoughts, the Snow Empress's gentle voice suddenly sounded in his ear:
"There's a human city not far ahead. Should we go down and take a look?"
Shu Yan looked up into the distance. Beyond the rolling green low mountains, he could indeed see a small city on the distant plain. It didn't look very big.
After thinking for a moment, Shu Yan spoke:
"Let's go down and see. This is a good chance to get you two familiar with the human world. That way, you won't cause any trouble when we get to a massive city like Star Luo City, which has a population of over ten million."
Shu Yan didn't even realize that his words carried a slight double meaning.
The Snow Empress simply smiled silently after hearing it, seemingly not minding at all, and softly hummed in response.
Shu Yan realized his awkward wording belatedly and quickly gave a soft explanation to the Snow Empress. She gently reassured him with a few words, and then didn't say anything more about it.
The three figures streaked across the sky at high speed, then landed on the road less than two li from the city gate. They walked toward the city on foot.
The Ice Empress was still in high spirits, skipping and hopping ahead of them. Her dark green high heels made crisp sounds as they stepped on the hard road surface. Her waist-length dark green hair was tied into twin ponytails, making her look at first glance like a pure and lovely girl from next door.
Of course, this 'girl' is actually an ultimate narcissist and an Extreme North Tyrannosaurus. As the ancient saying goes: you can't judge a book by its cover! Fail to heed that, and you'll suffer a big loss sooner or later...
The Snow Empress subtly hid the cold and detached feeling that surrounded her, making her appear like a goddess who had descended to the world. Even so, a faint chill still radiated from her, enough to make anyone who dared to glance at her stand rooted to the spot and remember it for the rest of their lives.
Shu Yan didn't mind the attention. Although he rarely went out when he was in Star Luo City, he had visited many bustling metropolises in his previous life. In this small city, even though the three of them attracted nearly ninety percent of the gazes on the road, it was still far less than what he had experienced in his previous life or while in Star Luo City.
Not long after the three paid to enter the city, the sky gradually darkened. The lights within the city slowly brightened. The moonlight seemed somewhat dim, covered by dark clouds. Night always arrives so perfectly...