Douluo Continent: Dragon's Journey Across the World

After leaving Death Valley, Yang Ping'an did not rush to fly, but simply walked on the road dressed in ordinary black clothes.

Everything around seemed to have changed drastically since I arrived. The once bustling town had become relatively quiet, with even fewer pedestrians.

Having not eaten properly for almost nine months, Yang Ping'an went straight to the biggest restaurant in the small town, ordered a table full of dishes, and began to savor them carefully.

As a level 98 peak titled Douluo, his soul power was inexhaustible, so he could go without food for a long time without any problems. However, Yang Ping'an still liked the atmosphere of home cooking.

Sensing something amiss, he immediately called over a waiter: "Waiter, I just came from training in the deep mountains, why do I feel like something's not right in the city?"

A Soul Master like Yang Ping'an is the most prestigious profession in the entire Douluo Continent, and he is a rare and important figure among service personnel.

The waiter spoke nervously, "Esteemed guest, there have indeed been far fewer people in Ironclad City lately, all because of this damned war."

Yang Ping'an was a little confused: "Isn't the battlefield far from here? What does it have to do with you?"

The waiter sighed, "How could it be nothing? Many people in Ironclad City have been conscripted. For example, two of our chefs have been conscripted to the army as cooks. In addition, almost everyone in the small town who is a little young and strong has been conscripted by the Empire."

"There are no blacksmiths left in our Ironclad City. We can't even repair a kitchen knife. All the blacksmiths have been conscripted to the front lines to repair weapons, while the young and strong men have been conscripted to do things like transportation."

"There's another point. All the Soul Masters in our city have already been conscripted. If they don't obey the conscription, they will all be arrested as enemies and spies, which will make things even more troublesome."

"Honorable guest, I see you are dressed as a Soul Master, so you should be careful. Although Soul Masters are noble, all the major powers are vying for them. Most of the members of the largest Soul Master families in Ironclad City have gone to the front lines, and even our reclusive Soul Emperor ancestors have been recruited."

Yang Ping'an was also taken aback when he heard this. Normally speaking, the highest level in a small town like this would be a Soul Master, and maybe a few Soul Emperors would return to live in seclusion after they get old. But judging from the current situation, most of the free Soul Masters in the folk have been recruited by the major forces.

Yang Ping'an was still a little confused: "Waiter, if I remember correctly, this should be within the territory of the Elephant Armor Sect. It shouldn't be too far from Elephant Armor City, which is the head of the three upper sects. Don't they care about this? Logically speaking, each sect should manage its own order within its territory."

The waiter was immediately alarmed: "Sir, we dare not address those important figures of the Elephant Armor Sect directly. Although we are within the territory of the Elephant Armor Sect, and the Elephant Armor Sect does manage order, they also charge high management fees. Moreover, the city lord of our Ironclad City is also from the Elephant Armor Sect, and all the students who graduated from the junior soul master academy last year have also joined the outer sect of the Elephant Armor Sect."

……

After the waiter left, Yang Ping'an roughly understood the current situation. It seemed that the three great empires had begun to fight a war, and the war was spreading very widely. It was likely that a large-scale decisive battle would take place soon.

The three great empires all had a million troops, but the Heavenly Dou Empire was relatively weak, so it adopted a more defensive approach. The Star Luo Empire, on the other hand, had a large army and stronger military power, and was probably the strongest of the three great empires overall.

Now, the three great empires have basically pushed their war potential to the limit for the sake of war. Ordinary people and civilian soul masters have all been drawn into this war and have been affected by it to varying degrees.

The so-called sects are actually similar to nobles or fiefdoms. The people and population around the sects are under their rule, and even the laws and rules are set by them, which is somewhat like the feudal kingdoms of ancient Earth.

However, according to the waiter, the Elephant Armor Clan members are relatively well-behaved and at least don't cause trouble. They are quite good to commoners. It's probably similar to the entire Spirit Empire, since many of its high-ranking officials come from commoners. Overall, it's better than the two great empires, and there are basically no people who act recklessly.

For some reason, Yang Ping'an still felt very resistant to this social structure, especially since he came from Blue Star in his previous life and was very resistant to this top-down imperial ruling class. The imperial sects seemed to be relatively balanced, but ordinary people and commoner soul masters did not seem to have much of a way out.

Yang Ping'an himself was a commoner Soul Master, and he knew very well that commoner Soul Masters lacked resources, educational knowledge, and even Soul Rings and Soul Bones. This was countless times more difficult than for ordinary students on Blue Star. Otherwise, he would not have carefully selected a Beast Academy.

Compared to other advanced soul master academies, the Beast Academy is able to accept ordinary students and does not discriminate about whether students stay or leave after graduation, which is the most valuable feature of all academies.

Even the Elemental Academy has very high requirements for its students. On the one hand, they are required to be nobles, and on the other hand, once they join, they are basically required to follow the school's arrangements. In the eyes of advanced soul master academies, students are considered semi-private property. Even Tianshui Academy, the only Elemental Academy that recruits commoners, is somewhat similar.

Just then, a group of people suddenly arrived at the restaurant, seemingly heading straight for Yang Ping'an.

Yang Ping'an didn't take it seriously at all and just continued eating. He hadn't eaten at a restaurant for a while, and the food did have a different flavor compared to dry rations.

The man was a rather strong-looking middle-aged man with extremely solid muscles, seemingly following the path of strength similar to the Elephant Armor Sect.

The middle-aged man bowed slightly to Yang Ping'an: "Friend, I am He Meng, the city lord of Ironclad City. Judging from your attire, you must be a Soul Master. Would you mind joining me at the city lord's mansion?"

While eating, Yang Ping'an casually said, "I'm not interested in you, nor am I interested in the Jia Sect. Don't disturb my meal."

He Meng's face darkened: "Friend, this is Elephant Armor Sect territory. According to the sect leader's rules, all Soul Masters must now join the Spirit Empire and serve under its command. Do you intend to refuse both the Elephant Armor Sect and the Spirit Empire?"

While eating, Yang Ping'an casually glanced at He Meng. Suddenly, an invisible force appeared in the space and gripped He Meng's neck tightly, lifting him up. No matter how much he struggled, it seemed that even his soul power and martial soul had been completely restricted, like a drowning person. Meanwhile, the others around him seemed to be under immense pressure and completely unable to move.

A few minutes later, Yang Ping'an snorted coldly, and He Meng fell directly from the sky, still panting heavily, his face flushed, and his eyes seemingly filled with fear.

Just then, another group of people walked in through the door. These people looked extremely tall, with a height of over 2.5 meters, and their physiques were very exaggerated, weighing at least 400 kilograms.

The visitor seemed very serious: "Friend, this is the territory of the Elephant Clan. If we have failed in any way to entertain you, please understand."

Yang Ping'an glanced at the newcomer casually, and was startled again. The person looked familiar, like Hu Yanli, whom he had met in the Heaven Dou Empire Soul Master Competition.

As Hu Yanli approached, he saw Yang Ping'an and felt he looked somewhat familiar. He was surprised and asked, "Are you Yang Ping'an from the Soul Master Competition?"

Yang Ping'an showed a hint of surprise: "Huyan Li, I don't remember meeting you during the Soul Master Competition."

Hu Yanli blushed: "I watched the other elemental academies' qualifying matches back then, so I have a vague impression of you."

Hu Yanli only participated in the preliminary rounds of the Tiandou region and did not enter the qualifying rounds, so the two sides naturally had no contact.

"I was unaware that Brother Yang had entered the territory of my Elephant Armor Sect. I am truly sorry to have disturbed you."

Immediately afterwards, Hu Yanli gave He Meng a wink, and He Meng immediately led his men away from there, though he still seemed shaken.

Huyan Li seemed to make no attempt to be polite, and sat down directly opposite Yang Ping'an: "Brother Yang is new to my Elephant Armor Sect, and we have not been very hospitable. This time, it's my treat."

Looking at Hu Yanli's brute-like appearance, Yang Ping'an felt that he was extremely shameless and did not care at all about whether they had interacted in the past.

"Not bad, you've actually become a Soul Emperor. It seems you just obtained a Soul Ring. Congratulations."

Yang Ping'an glanced at Hu Yanli casually. This kid had only been away from the Soul Master Competition for nine years and was only about thirty years old. He had actually reached the Soul Emperor realm. It seemed that his cultivation speed was basically no weaker than Qin Ming's. No wonder Hu Yanzhen had such high expectations for him.

Hu Yanli quickly spoke up: "My strength is far inferior to Brother Yang's. I heard that Brother Yang killed Tang Hao a year ago. I'm afraid his strength is far beyond what we can compare to."

Yang Ping'an seemed to have thought of something: "How far has the war progressed? Has Huyan Zhen arrived on the battlefield yet?"

Hu Yanli was taken aback by Yang Ping'an's question, as it concerned the privacy of the Spirit Empire. However, he seemed to remember something and quickly said, "My grandfather has already gone to the battlefield. It seems they are heading towards Jialing Pass. Several elders from the Spirit Hall have also gone to Jialing Pass. I wonder if a major battle will break out there."

……

Hu Yanli then introduced the current situation of the entire Soul Master world, and even the situation of the three great empires and the Heaven Dou Empire, especially the situation of the Haotian Sect.

After everything was introduced, Huyan Li spoke again: "Brother Yang, I also correspond with Brother Feng and Brother Huo. Would you be invited to visit Xiangjia City?"

Yang Ping'an looked at Hu Yanli calmly, and Hu Yanli immediately felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were carrying a heavy burden, and his breathing became rapid.

"No need. I have no interest in your Elephant Armor Sect. Just don't bother me."

After saying that, Yang Ping'an casually tossed down a bag of gold soul coins and left, ignoring Hu Yanli.

Yang Ping'an originally planned to go to Wuhun City first, where his master and uncle would be watching over him, making it easier to condense his second soul core. But now it seems that his master and uncle are probably too busy to keep an eye on things.

Yang Ping'an was also very cautious about his second soul core, and he was well aware of the risks involved. Huo Yuhao condensed his second soul core with Xuanzi's guidance and with Xue Di and the others watching over him, but even so, the process was extremely dangerous, which was what Yang Ping'an was always struggling with.

The danger of the second soul core is beyond everyone's imagination. If you are not careful, your soul will be destroyed. You must find an absolutely safe place, preferably with a top expert watching over you. Among the many titled Douluo, Yang Ping'an only truly trusts his master and his uncle.

Although Yang Ping'an trusted his master and uncle-master, he couldn't fully trust the Spirit Empire and Bibi Dong, especially after experiencing the trials of the River of Oblivion and witnessing the state of the world. Perhaps the Spirit Empire was slightly better than the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, but sooner or later it would also become a noble-based system, and Yang Ping'an was increasingly repulsed by this model. (End of Chapter)