Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

In that instant, Xuexing had no idea whether she was just too scared or had actually encountered something.

Because in front of him appeared someone who should never have appeared, someone who was already dead, or rather, the protagonist of this banquet—Xue Qinghe!

Xue Qinghe seemed exactly the same as he had been five years ago, still as handsome and refined as ever, unlike the sinister and terrifying image that ghosts and monsters in novels and paintings should have.

But this only made Xue Xing more frightened, because Xue Qinghe appeared as if he had suddenly appeared, very close to him, no more than an arm's length away, and no one else could detect him at all.

At this moment, Song Xuan replied to Xue Xing without any awareness, "Your Highness, the Chief Minister is also a relative of the Crown Prince, and we can also entrust her with our care."

Following Song Xuan's words, Xue Qinghe spoke up, just like a real person, even his tone was just as he remembered, "Uncle, are you even going to take Hong'er's money?"

At this moment, Xue Xing felt as naked as Xue Qinghe.

He was even more certain that Xue Qinghe was really dead, but he had come to cause trouble for him because he had harbored thoughts of something he shouldn't have towards Wan Jin!

Xue Qinghe was incredibly powerful back then, even Ning Rongrong today can hardly match him. Just his presence gave everyone confidence.

But this only applies to friends. If they are his enemies, consider the Star Luo Empire. Even after his death, his lingering influence was enough to unify the entire continent.

Such a person is dead and that's it; naturally, no one will think about him anymore. But how could he possibly reappear? How could he possibly still be as intimidating as he was in life? How could he possibly still terrify Xue Xing herself?

Seeing that Xuexing hadn't responded, Songxuan, unaware of the situation, spoke up to remind her, "Your Highness?"

Suddenly, when Xue Xing turned her gaze to Song Xuan, Xue Qinghe disappeared, and he was able to move again.

His legs did move, but they were trembling. With a thud, Xuexing couldn't help but kneel down on the floor, startling Songxuan and Qianmei, who took several steps back.

His actions drew everyone's attention.

But Xue Xing didn't care anymore. He went crazy and climbed up Xue Qinghe's photo wall, then started banging his head against the wall with all his might.

While kowtowing, she kept muttering, "Qinghe! It's all my fault! Please don't blame me! Please don't blame me!"

Having finished his business, Qian Shui slipped back to his teammates early on, excitedly boasting, "Just ask me, aren't you strong!"

"No, Brother Shui, will that old man hurt his head?" With a doctor's heart, Yin Jin's subconscious concern was whether the man would be alright.

But the next moment, Xue Luochuan rushed forward and grabbed Xue Xing, who was about to smash her head. "Uncle! Uncle! Don't do this!"

For a moment, Xue Luochuan, a grown man, couldn't hold Xue Xing back until Xue Haizang came to help, and they were finally separated.

After that, the three uncles and nephews left early, because Xue Xing couldn't stay any longer. She cried her eyes out after leaving the former Crown Prince's residence, constantly muttering Xue Qinghe's name.

Even Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong, who were arguing with their father, had to be interrupted by this bizarre situation. Instead, they calmed down and went back to take charge of the situation.

Faced with this situation, Oscar, who had been thinking it over and over, decided to return to Tiandou City with the army. He stood in a corner, lost in thought.

If he wasn't mistaken about the reactions of those around him, coupled with his peculiar insight into Qian Shui's physique, then the so-called Ning Huohuo who was captured by Song Xuan was indeed Qian Shui. Moreover, many old acquaintances weren't surprised at all; instead, they were full of ridicule.

Then came Xue Xing's lewd behavior. Although Oscar didn't see what happened, he clearly saw Ning Huohuo's sudden disappearance and sudden appearance.

Based on Xue Xing's words when she kowtowed, Oscar had reason to believe that Qian Shui must have shown Xue Xing something absolutely unbelievable, such as Xue Qinghe!

At this moment, a long-held idea became increasingly firm in his mind.

So Oscar approached Xiao Wu, who had the strongest reaction, since Qian Shuishui was unlikely to pay him any attention, Bai Chenxiang was acting strangely, and Ning Rongrong was extremely busy.

Only Xiao Wu should be familiar with Qian Shui, and she doesn't seem to have much of a brain.

"Xiao Wu, I want to ask you something." Oscar pulled Xiao Wu aside without hesitation.

After swallowing the food that was stuffed into her mouth, Xiao Wu asked, "Oh? What is it?"

Oscar cautiously glanced around and transmitted his voice, "Xiao Wu, what I want to ask is whether the true identity of the Immortal Lord is..."

Just as Xiao Wu was about to take a sip of wine to rinse her mouth, she spat it out again.

"Oscar, I suggest you stop thinking too much and just find a good girl to marry!" Xiao Wu said, pointing to her former rivals.

For example, Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er formed a small circle, and as soon as they finished talking, Xiao Wu ran away, clearly not wanting to continue the topic at all.

Oscar was even more bewildered, but little did he know that Xiao Wu was actually doing this for his own good.

After all, Oscar probably wouldn't want to know that his goddess is actually a man, right?

The social aspects of weddings and funerals may always be the same, but people's joys and sorrows are different. For example, there is the lonely Yu Tianheng, and the couple Huo Wufeng Xiaotian.

Ultimately, however, Xue Qinghe's memorial service was largely a formality, organized only because someone particularly wanted this special experience.

The most crucial element was actually the ambiguous invitation that Qian Shui had painstakingly sent out, which mentioned the 100,000-year-old soul bone catalyst and announced the start of the sect-wide conference.

At this moment, the leaders of the seven major sects gathered together, along with a group of experts from the academic factions, including those veteran academies from the former elite competition arena.

But when Ning Rongrong was about to announce something important, these people discovered the terrifying background behind her.

This includes, but is not limited to, the two elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Jian Gu and others, the six titled members of the Mythical Team from back then, and Ning Rongrong's own teammates.

This lineup was what deterred the seven major sects from making any rash moves.

At this moment, everyone stared intently at Ning Rongrong. With a flick of her right hand, a crystal-clear, blue-gold right leg soul bone appeared in her hand.

In an instant, everyone present narrowed their eyes, especially Tang San, whose expression became extremely solemn. His focus was not even on the soul bone, but on his uncle, Tang Xiao, the sect master of the Clear Sky Sect.

Tang San quickly grabbed Tang Xiao, and secretly rejoiced that Tang Hao hadn't come, otherwise everything would have been a disaster.

Looking at the soul bone that seemed to shimmer with starlight, Tang Xiao's muscles tensed to the extreme. If Tang San hadn't stopped him, he probably would have rushed up and snatched it away at any moment.

"It comes from the right leg bone of the Blue Silver Emperor, a 100,000-year-old soul beast."

Ning Rongrong's announcement explained the origin of this soul bone.

"Your Excellency the Governor!" However, Tang Xiao couldn't help but ask, "May I ask where this soul bone came from?"

"There's no need for Sect Master Tang to inquire about that. If the Clear Sky Sect can win the championship of this continent-wide Soul Master Gathering, it would be only right to inform you." Ning Rongrong was quite assertive, and as she spoke, she put the soul bone away.

Then Ning Rongrong added indifferently, "If anyone wants to obtain it in advance, Rongrong is right here. You might as well give it a try."

The atmosphere fell silent, including that of Tang Xiao, the sect leader of the Haotian Sect, and Yu Yuanzhen, the sect leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect; no one said anything.

Ning Rongrong's meaning was very clear: she was absolutely confident that she could keep everyone here. If everyone was peaceful and participated in the conference in a calm and orderly manner, she could give them a fair chance to compete.

The fact that the Wind Witch, who could single-handedly control a town and a city, was still standing behind Ning Rongrong was enough, even if she hadn't done anything.

"However, please rest assured, the prize for first place is generous, and whether you win it or not depends on your ability. The competition is divided into different levels to select the strongest in each title."

"Of course, this is not fair. Everyone's actual combat strength is different. Some people can defeat those with titles even if they are at a higher level."

"Therefore, the tournament is divided into the 'Heavenly Ranking,' which can also be called the Battle Power Ranking. It is a one-on-one elimination tournament where anyone can challenge the strongest position. The top ten will all receive rewards, all of which are soul bones, and none of them are less than ten thousand years old. The top one hundred strong individuals will all receive gold soul coins as a reward, which I will not go into detail about. Of course, the top prize is this one hundred thousand-year soul bone."

"Secondly, there's the 'Earth Ranking,' also known as the points competition. Its format is the same as the Elite Competition, except that there are no age or strength restrictions. As long as seven people are present, it's a knockout tournament. The champion's prize is one billion gold soul coins!"

The rules of this competition are easy to understand: individual duels are for obtaining Soul Bones, while team battles are for obtaining Money.

The original nine ten-thousand-year soul bones plus one hundred-thousand-year soul bone were already astonishing enough, and the rewards for the team competition were even more overwhelming.

You know, money can't do everything, but it can make the impossible possible! It can accomplish most things! Not to mention a billion dollars, which is beyond the imagination of these poor sects.

But in reality, this is nothing compared to the economic scale of the entire continent. Even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School itself were to withdraw its resources, it would only be enough to catch its breath.

As the banquet came to an end, the bigwigs returned to their lodgings.

Those who knew the inside story didn't think much of it, but those who didn't were in an uproar. Overnight, news of the grand event spread like wildfire, and everyone was eager to participate.

Since a 100,000-year soul bone is definitely out of the question, this 1 billion gold soul coins should be something to compete for with other 10,000-year soul bones.

People are all incredibly talented at making money. When the super strong compete for the Heavenly Ranking, they will inevitably fight tooth and nail. Wouldn't that be a huge boon for the rest of the group?

Especially in team battles, when the enemy is heavily injured and your team is in good condition, it's a perfect tactic.

And so, as the news spread and time passed, the massive Soul Arena outside Heaven Dou City was finally about to be completed.

Not being completed doesn't mean it can't be used. At least the core competition area, accommodation area, and training area have been completed ahead of schedule. The remaining areas are less important ones like the commercial area and spectator seating.

By this time, the Soul Masters who had come to Heaven Dou City to participate in the tournament had already settled in, getting a taste of the atmosphere in advance.

Although it doesn't quite meet Qian Shui's ideal of modernization, the well-developed sewer system is sufficient. The placement of the left and right toilets is also straightforward, and with the help of the soul guide device, there's no need for the stench to be unbearable.

In an instant, the Super Soul Arena, which resembled a giant city, ushered in its own era. At the same time, it became one of only two buildings, besides the Douluo Hall enshrined by the Spirit Hall, to be named after 'Douluo'.

It's just too big; the Arena is simply not enough to describe it.

So it was named Douluo Realm City.

Chapter 336 The Battle in the Shadows

"why?"

In an unknown corner of the Killing City, a huge dark purple whale was cut in two, while a huge dragon-shaped head slowly raised its head, its massive shadow obscuring the already scarce light in the Killing City.

"Food doesn't need to know why—don't you understand?!" The dragon-like head bared its blood-red fangs. "Oh dear—I forgot—food never sees itself as food!"

The voice was extremely eerie, neither male nor female.

The moment the words were spoken, the dragon's head lunged at the enormous whale.

Screams, accompanied by splattering blood and flesh, the pure, bestial tearing continued for a long time, perhaps all night? Until the wailing ended, until not a drop of blood remained, until the black and purple light, carrying a huge demonic scythe, broke through the city of slaughter and stretched across the sky.

A violent surge of soul power swept across the entire Douluo Star, announcing that someone had broken through to level 100.

At this moment, all the masters from across the continent have gathered in Douluo Realm City to participate in the grand opening ceremony.

As this aura arrived, all the experts above the rank of title turned their gazes to the southeast, accompanied by boundless, rolling laughter.

December 31st, 2650 of the Douluo Calendar, the last day of the year and also the new year after the promulgation of the new calendar.

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"Dad! Wake up!"

When Qian Shui, still half asleep, opened her eyes, she saw her own big-headed son.

After yawning, Qian Shui asked unhurriedly, "Why are you here?"

At this moment, Qian Shui was in a side hall in the former Crown Prince's residence. This place used to be an ordinary place, but now it can be seen at a glance that it has been transformed into an office space.

After all, the scattered documents and various writings clearly demonstrate all of this.

"It's Chinese New Year! Gan Gan and the others are all out there!" Qian Qingyu excitedly pulled her father to express her joy.

"Alright, alright, I got it~" Qian Shui smiled, stood up, and followed Qian Qingyu out.

Children always understand the festive atmosphere better than adults, and Qian Shui, who hadn't been with her for five years, naturally enjoyed playing around like this.

This year's New Year was exceptionally different; Douluo Realm City was completely open, and most people chose to spend the holiday there.

As a result, the original prosperity of Tiandou City seemed somewhat bland.