Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

Chapter 380 One Month Later
"Let's go."

Lu Jingming snapped out of his thoughts and addressed the crowd.

"I've been to this world before and left some plans. I haven't paid attention to it for a while, so I'll take this opportunity to see how it's developed."

He knew very well that the spacetime tunnel opened by the fireworks was connected to the parallel world that the Black Tower had precisely anchored using the Thousand Worlds One Ratio, and it was also the world where he first used the World Tree to conduct experiments.

It was that experiment that laid the foundation for later cooperation with the will of the Douluo plane and the Holy Grail War, ultimately achieving a win-win situation.

He also planted a World Tree sapling in this world. Although it was far less perfect and powerful than the one in the main world, it was also quietly absorbing the negative energy of this planet and transforming it into nutrients that promoted its positive evolution.

The extraordinary levels of spiritual energy and vibrant life force in this Starry Sky Forest are clear evidence that the World Tree is taking effect.

"With such a significant improvement in the environment, it seems that some of the negative energy that was generated should have been eliminated."

Lu Jingming thought to himself.

He thought of the several particularly powerful aggregates of negative energy he had previously discovered.

Outside Tiandou City, there were negative energy entities representing him and Liu Ying, as well as negative energy entities representing Kevin, Fu Hua, Osel, and others.

"If even the most troublesome ones have been dealt with, it means that at least one of Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue in this world has successfully entered the god-level realm."

Lu Jingming analyzed.

As for Tang San in this world? In his view, his original path to obtaining the inheritance of the Sea God and the Asura God had long been completely disrupted.

Poseidon Island is inhabited by Oser's negative energy entities, while the City of Slaughter is guarded by Kevin's negative energy entities; there are too many variables.

Unless the laws of fate and causality in this world are exceptionally active and stubborn, forcibly turning history back on track, it will be difficult for Tang San to repeat the path to godhood.

According to Lu Jingming's perception, the fate and causal forces of this parallel world seem to be in a rather inert state.

He had previously turned the world's history upside down, yet there was no powerful causal backlash or fate-correcting force to punish him.

This shows that in this world, the general trend is not immutable. Anyone can become the author of history as long as they have enough power and means.

"After all, parallel worlds are endless, each with its own origin and development trajectory, and differences are the norm."

Lu Jingming took one last look at the forest, which was both familiar and unfamiliar, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Then let's see what kind of world this world, into which I have sown the seeds of change, will grow into."

After the earth-shattering Holy Grail War in Mingdu ended, time quietly passed, and a month went by in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of the past month, through various overt and covert channels, the major empires and top powers on the Douluo Continent gradually learned of the shocking changes that had occurred in the Mingdu of the Sun Moon Empire.

Despite the many conflicting details and rumors, a few key pieces of information spread like wildfire, accompanied by panic and disbelief, rapidly reaching every corner of the mainland.

The pride and symbol of the Sun Moon Empire, the magnificent Mingdu, which gathered the continent's most advanced soul guidance technology and was known as the "City That Never Falls," has been reduced to scorched earth in a series of earth-shattering battles and completely erased from the map, leaving only a chilling spacetime tunnel and a bottomless abyss.

The elders of the Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy, the top experts of the Clear Sky Sect, and the core figures of the Holy Spirit Cult have all been confirmed to have appeared in Mingdu and been involved in that fierce battle that was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. They suffered heavy casualties, and even several Limit Douluo who stood at the pinnacle of the continent were confirmed to have perished. This news spread throughout the entire continent like an earthquake.

Even more unsettling is the fact that a bizarre passage to an unknown world has been opened in Mingdu, swallowing up many powerful individuals, including remnants of Shrek Academy and members of the Holy Spirit Cult. Their whereabouts and fates are unknown, casting a deeper shadow of mystery and fear over the incident.

The sudden death of the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, coupled with the support of some powerful force, led Crown Prince Xu Tianran to swiftly seize control of the domestic situation with an iron fist, further unpredictable the situation on the continent.

Just as various forces on the mainland were still struggling to digest these shocking news, with internal debates raging and uncertainty raging, a proclamation that shocked the world was issued from the new power center of the Sun Moon Empire—a large military fortress called Yangcheng, temporarily located southeast of the former Ming capital.

The new emperor, Xu Tianran, officially ascended the throne in the Yangcheng Imperial Palace, which was renamed Xinmingdu, announcing the rebirth of the Sun Moon Empire and igniting the fuse of war.

At the grand yet somber coronation ceremony, he wore a black dragon robe embroidered with sun and moon totems, and with a sorrowful expression, he mercilessly pinned the immense guilt of the destruction of Mingdu and the deaths of millions of his people on the heads of Shrek Academy, Star Luo Empire, Heavenly Soul Empire, and Douling Empire—the three original Douluo Continent nations and their affiliated forces.

In the carefully crafted narrative of the Sun Moon Empire, this was a despicable sneak attack and terrorist assault, meticulously planned by Shrek Academy in collusion with the three great empires, targeting the very heart of the Sun Moon Empire.

Xu Tianran passionately accused Xuanzi and others from Shrek Academy of infiltrating Mingdu with the intention of destroying the core of the Empire's soul tool research and causing a massive explosion. The three empires, on the other hand, provided support from the outside and even used unknown, inhumane, and forbidden methods, ultimately leading to the destruction of Mingdu and heavy casualties among civilians.

As for the Holy Grail War, Servants, parallel world portals, and other unconventional phenomena, they are deliberately blurred, downplayed, or distorted by the official propaganda machine as terrifying anomalies caused by the evil soul techniques used by the three great empires, in order to cover up their crimes.

The propaganda machine of the Sun Moon Empire was fully mobilized, constantly exaggerating the empire's tragedy and anger through soul guide screens, leaflets, official announcements, and impassioned street speeches throughout the empire, portraying Shrek Academy and the three great empires as heinous warmongers and executioners who slaughtered civilians.

Xu Tianran, in the name of revenge, upholding the dignity and survival of the empire, declared a state of war across the country, calling on all citizens to unite in hatred against the enemy and prepare to avenge the blood debt owed by the evil invaders.

This manipulation of public opinion was extremely effective and deadly.

The destruction of Mingdu is an undeniable fact, and the deaths and displacement of millions of citizens of the Sun and Moon Empire are an unforgettable pain. The immense grief and sense of loss brought about by national humiliation urgently need a clear outlet.

Under the conscious and systematic guidance of the authorities, public sentiment was completely ignited, and hatred towards Shrek Academy and the three great empires spread like wildfire throughout the Sun Moon Empire, providing a strong public opinion foundation for the pro-war sentiment.

The shadow of war loomed over the entire Douluo Continent with unprecedented intensity and oppression.

Faced with the Sun Moon Empire's aggressive accusations and clearly irreconcilable hostility, the Star Luo, Heavenly Soul, and Fighting Spirit Empires, after their initial shock upon hearing the proclamation, immediately raised their highest level of vigilance.

They naturally denied all of Xu Tianran's accusations and vehemently condemned them as a clumsy pretext sought by the Sun Moon Empire to launch a long-planned war of aggression and attempt to shift the blame for the war onto others. Almost simultaneously with receiving the Sun Moon Empire's declaration, the three empires acted swiftly, demonstrating an unusual level of coordination.

Border troops from various countries immediately entered a state of maximum combat readiness, and countless elite legions began to assemble on a large scale and with high efficiency along the long border line bordering the Sun and Moon Empire.

On the western border of the Star Luo Empire and the southern border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, banners blotted out the sun, camps stretched as far as the eye could see, and the unique energy glow of the Soul Guidance Arrays, when activated, shone day and night, creating a tense and almost suffocating atmosphere.

Even the Douling Empire, which does not directly border the Sun Moon Empire, understands the principle of mutual dependence and quickly mobilized its elite troops to support the border defenses of the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul Empires by passing through their territory.

Faced with the unprecedentedly powerful and clearly hostile Sun and Moon Empire, the three empires demonstrated unprecedented unity, quickly forging a strong alliance of offense and defense, and swearing an oath to jointly deal with the threat of the Sun and Moon Empire.

The ruling classes of all nations understood that an unprecedented, all-out continental war, a matter of survival for their empires, seemed inevitable.

Leaders of various countries have begun to urgently mobilize their national strength, frantically stockpile strategic materials, and massively conscript registered Soul Masters, shifting the entire national machinery onto a wartime track in an effort to make full preparations to deal with a possible thunderous attack from the Sun Moon Empire.

Under the immense pressure of impending war, the plan to deploy troops at the entrance of the Star Dou Great Forest by the three great empires to exert pressure on the soul beasts and even seek revenge, which was triggered by the destruction of Shrek City by the beast tide, was temporarily shelved.

Compared to the imminent war between human empires that is a matter of national survival, the threat of the beast tide in the Star Dou Great Forest seems to have taken a back seat.

The three great empires made a rational but helpless choice without prior agreement.

The main force was withdrawn from the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest, leaving only a small number of experienced elite scouts to monitor the movements of the soul beasts and prevent them from taking advantage of the chaos.

The main military forces, Soul Master resources, and strategic focus were all transferred without reservation to the direction of defending against the Sun Moon Empire.

The conflict with the soul beasts can be put on hold for now, since the soul beasts seemed to have given up after the battle of Shrek City, and there are still doubts about the truth of the matter. However, the long-sharpened military might of the Sun Moon Empire is already aimed at the throat of the three great empires.

A month earlier, above the ruins of Mingdu, the epic battle that had been abruptly halted by the appearance of a time portal had also reached its final conclusion.

After confirming through special channels that Princess Vina had safely returned to the Heavenly Soul Empire, Fei Xiao chose to retreat without hesitation rather than fight Xing Xiao to the death.

For her, the Holy Grail War had already ended due to the unexpected appearance of the time portal, and continuing to entangle herself with it would not only be meaningless but might also cause unnecessary complications.

More importantly, her battle-hardened, almost beast-like intuition issued a strong warning to her—if she continued to entangle with Xingxiao, she might be left forever on these ruins.

And indeed, her intuition proved to be accurate.

If Feixiao had hesitated even a moment longer, Huanlong, who was hiding in the shadows, would have launched a sneak attack. Given Huanlong's restored strength and abilities, Feixiao would have had no chance of escaping.

Feixiao's timely return undoubtedly injected a powerful calming agent into the Heavenly Soul Empire, which was somewhat turbulent and lacked confidence due to the severe injuries of Du Busi and the loss of elites from the Body Sect.

With a top-tier expert in perfect condition in charge, the morale of the Heavenly Soul Empire's army and people was greatly stabilized.

At this point, the landscape of Douluo Continent a month later was already clear.

Under the leadership of the new emperor Xu Tianran, the Sun Moon Empire is united in its hatred of the enemy, and its war machine is fully activated, like a powerful bow being drawn to its fullest extent.

The three empires that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent were forced to join forces and build a solid defense line along the long border, nervously awaiting the arrival of the storm.

Meanwhile, the soul beast forces of the Star Dou Great Forest unexpectedly gained a respite, temporarily becoming bystanders outside of the impending human civil war.

The future of mainland China is completely shrouded in the smoke of war and uncertainty.

Haiyuan City, a miraculous city formed by the combination of unique technology and soul guidance technology, is now the most magnificent city on the continent, even though Mingdu has been reduced to ruins and the new Mingdu is still under construction.

Its unique architectural style and flowing energy exude an extraordinary aura.

In a simply furnished yet cozy guest room in the city, Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan sat together, listening to Qing Que enthusiastically recount the various interesting card games and local anecdotes of her hometown, Xianzhou Luofu.

Qingque tried to use this lighthearted and cheerful approach to ease the heavy unease and confusion that had been weighing on the two girls' hearts for days.

Over the past month, they have received far too much unbearable news through various channels.

The Shrek Academy group was sucked into a time-space tunnel and their whereabouts are unknown. The tension between the Sun Moon Empire and the three great empires is escalating... But what breaks their hearts the most is undoubtedly the destruction of Shrek City.

When Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao first heard the rumor, their first reaction was to absolutely not believe it—Shrek City, which has been passed down for thousands of years and is a sacred place in the hearts of soul masters on the continent, how could it be reduced to nothing overnight?

But when Jiang Nannan met her mother, who had been protected by Ningguang and safely brought to Haiyuan City, and confirmed the catastrophic beast tide with her mother, she had no choice but to accept this cruel reality.

Upon receiving the devastating news, Jiang Nannan and Xiaoxiao were both plunged into deep confusion and helplessness.

Jiang Nannan was relatively stronger. After the initial grief, she felt more fortunate—at least her mother was safe and sound, and she also had Ningguang's protection.

She had feelings for Shrek Academy, but not enough to completely break her down.

However, Xiao Xiao felt differently. She had a deeper affection for Shrek Academy, the place where she grew up and where her dreams took flight. At this moment, she felt a sadness of homelessness.

She was completely at a loss, feeling utterly confused and helpless.

(End of this chapter)