Douluo: The Unrivaled Demon Lord

Chapter 10: The Four Great Douling Families, Star Hunter Soul

In the second half of the night, a strong wind blew away the dark clouds covering the sky, and the moon and stars revealed their true appearance again. The starlight and moonlight intertwined together and then fell to the earth together.

Gu Yun sat on a thick branch of the ancient tree, supporting her head with one hand, her eyes fixed on the campfire below where laughter could be heard from time to time.

For about an hour, Shu Yan and Han Ruoruo talked about their cultivation over the years, then about their lives, and then about their considerations for the future. They got along just as well as always, and the atmosphere was very pleasant and warm.

As they chatted, the topic between the two finally turned to matters related to the soul hunting.

"Ayan, what you mean is that we should try to search for space-attribute soul beasts that are over ten thousand years old, and if that doesn't work, then search for a suitable dark-attribute soul beast?"

Han Ruoruo frowned slightly. It wasn't that she felt troubled or surprised, but it was just that space-attribute soul beasts with a cultivation level of more than ten thousand years were extremely rare. Even in a vast forest like the Star Dou Great Forest, there might not be many of them.

Shu Yan leaned his head back against the wooden stake, then nodded slightly.

"My plan for the Jiaozi spirit is to do my utmost to develop and enhance its spatial attribute. Compared to top-tier attributes like spatial, the dark attribute is also good, but its inherent development potential and capabilities are still far inferior to the spatial attribute."

"Sister Ruoruo, you know that with my personality, I can't possibly choose a relatively safe path over a better one with more potential..."

Han Ruoruo rolled her eyes at Shu Yan, blinked her eyelashes like a small fan, and then said:

"Sister, I will do my best. However, space-attributed soul beasts are extremely rare. If you can't find any, don't worry. I can use my connections to help you search within the three kingdoms of the original continent..."

"OK OK…"

Shu Yan interrupted the wealthy woman Han.

Of the four great Douling clans, the Shu family is a military family, commanding the Douling Empire's most elite and powerful army. The Han family, similar to the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, is highly successful in the commercial sector, and their network of relationships is the most complex, encompassing nearly all three kingdoms of the original continent.

The remaining Ye family and Luo family are gradually developing into secluded families. The Ye family's inherited martial spirit is the Nine-Hearted Begonia. Yes, it is the Nine-Hearted Begonia that is known as the "Miracles of Martial Spirits".

Speaking of the origin of the Ye family, it can actually be traced back to ten thousand years ago.

But the Ye family's real rise was after the invasion war of the Sun-Moon Empire more than 4,000 years ago.

The inheritors of the Nine-Hearted Begonia spirit of that generation were a mother and daughter. They could not bear to see countless lives die in despair in the war, so they have been active in the most dangerous areas of the front battlefield, constantly treating seriously injured soldiers and civilians.

After the war, the mother and daughter's lifespans were greatly shortened due to damage to their essence. However, during that war, they saved tens of thousands of lives. Suddenly, the Nine-Hearted Begonia's fame spread throughout the continent. The emperors of the three great empires of the original continent personally ordered statues to be erected in their honor, and even Shrek Academy praised them as "role models of soul masters," recording their deeds in the history books, leaving them shining brightly throughout history.

Later, the mother of the pair passed away, and the daughter got married soon after and became pregnant the following year.

What was shocking was that the woman gave birth to a pair of twin brother and sister very smoothly. The brother and sister awakened the same Nine-Hearted Begonia Martial Soul at the age of six, and even had a rare innate full soul power. In the end, the woman did not die from the curse, but died of old age.

Later, there were rumors that the kindness of the mother and daughter moved the heavens, so the curse that had appeared on the owners of the Nine-Hearted Begonia martial spirit for generations was broken.

With the miraculous healing ability of the Nine-Hearted Begonia Martial Spirit, the Ye family rose rapidly and finally came to the Douling Empire and took root about three thousand years ago, naturally becoming one of the four major families.

The last of the three, the Luo family, was different from the other three. They rose to prominence the latest and had the shallowest foundations, but their relationship with Shrek Academy was the strongest of the four. The reason was simple: the Luo family's first patriarch was the Dean of Extreme Wind, a descendant of a Douluo with ultimate attributes. Despite their shallow foundations, they eventually joined the ranks of the four major families thanks to their recent success.

Of course, the Luo family has declined severely in recent years. The other three families all have strong men at the Titled Douluo level, but the strongest man in the Luo family is only a level 89 Soul Douluo. To be honest, they are indeed far inferior to their ancestors.

……

Back to the point.

After interrupting Han Ruoruo, Shu Yan took out a complete map of the Star Dou Great Forest from the storage soul guide, on which several areas were specially circled in red.

Shu Yan handed the map to Han Ruoruo and said:

"Over the years, my parents have sent many people into the Xingdou Great Forest for field research, and they have marked out areas where space-attribute spirit beasts may be found."

"Sister Ruoruo, you have already reached the level of Soul Saint, and with Aunt Yun here, as long as we don't get too unlucky, we shouldn't encounter too much trouble in the mixed circle or even the outer core circle."

Han Ruoruo took the map, took a look at it, and then returned it to Shu Yan.

"Come on, uncle and aunt, how can we feel at ease until you have safely entered Shrek City? I guarantee that there are definitely your Shu family's shadow guards nearby. That's why you act so relaxed."

Shu Yan just smiled and said nothing...

Shadow guards? Shu Yan was certain that there were family shadow guards following him, but at the same time, Shu Yan was also very clear that they would only take action when he was in a life-or-death crisis. Under normal circumstances, even if Shu Yan actively summoned them, they would never show up.

……

The rising east sun slowly dispelled the night from the distant sky. A few drops of crystal dew were still hanging on the green branches and leaves. A few birds with bright feathers flew through the branches above the head, and then landed in pairs on the branches not far away, looking over here with their heads tilted.

"Ayan, wake up, we should go..."

In a daze, Han Ruoruo's pleasant voice sounded in her ears, and her tone was so gentle, as if coaxing a child.

Looking at the boy who rubbed his head against her thigh and then fell asleep again, Han Ruoruo looked helpless, but when she saw a hint of fatigue on the boy's angular profile, she couldn't help but feel distressed and touched.

She also knew some of the things going on within the Shu family. The way they educated their offspring was somewhat similar to that of the White Tiger Royal Family of the former Xingluo Empire. The advantages and disadvantages of this educational method were also obvious. As long as they could hold on, they would not be mediocre in the end. But if they couldn't hold on... well, well, at least their lives wouldn't be in danger.

In fact, compared to the White Tiger royal family's disregard for family affection and infighting, the Shu family's education method is actually quite humane. Of course, as a military family, if the family tradition and even the education of the younger generation are not strict, it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the army full of powerful people.

The army is not a place to reason with you. What is respected there is the principle of who has the bigger fist.

Since ancient times, the saying that a kind person cannot command an army has never been an empty statement.

(End of this chapter)