Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, Simulating Godhood

Chapter 35 The Imperial City Shakes! The Vanished Soul Beast!

You pulled yourself together, calibrated your bearings, and stepped out of the valley, which had been completely transformed. The moment you stepped out of the crevice, the bright sunlight streamed down upon you. You squinted slightly, feeling the warm touch, and knew clearly in your heart that you were getting closer and closer to that once unattainable name.

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of the Sun and Moon Imperial City, a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere enveloped the entire court.

The emperor sat on the golden dragon throne above, his face ashen, his fingers gripping the armrests tightly, his knuckles white.

He was about forty years old, with a resolute face and an air of authority that came with long holding a high position, but at this moment his face was filled with anger and resentment. A row of civil and military officials stood on both sides of the hall, heads bowed, not daring to breathe loudly, for fear of offending the emperor at this critical juncture.

Below, in the center, the five-ring Soul King general who had narrowly escaped death knelt on one knee. His armor still bore the scorch marks and cracks of battle, his face smeared with undried blood and deep exhaustion. Head bowed, he reported the results of the mission in a hoarse voice.

"—Following Your Majesty's decree, we led our troops deep into the southeastern primeval forest. After locating the soul beast, we set up soul-guided guns and cannons and launched a probing attack. The first volley of fire did hit the target, but—the soul beast's defenses far exceeded our expectations. The cannonballs only left shallow marks on its body. The soul beast then enraged and retaliated. We—we were no match for it; more than half of us were killed or wounded, and all ten soul-guided guns were destroyed. I had no choice but to lead the remaining troops in retreat."

The general's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible. He kowtowed heavily, saying, "Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me."

The emperor remained silent for a long time, the only sound echoing in the hall being his rapid breathing. Finally, he slammed his hand on the armrest with a loud bang, making the shoulders of the ministers on either side tremble. "Punishment? What use is punishment! Three hundred elite troops, ten soul-guided guns and cannons—this soul-hunting team that I poured countless efforts into building—is now almost entirely gone! Tell me, what use is punishment!"

The general lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head, cold sweat dripping from his forehead onto the cold gold bricks. After venting his anger, the emperor gradually calmed down and said in a deep voice, "Get up. Heal your wounds first." The general, feeling as if granted a pardon, kowtowed in gratitude and tremblingly retreated to the side.

The emperor rose and paced back and forth in the hall, his face as somber as the sky before a storm. He suddenly stopped, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, his voice low and cold: "This defeat has made me realize one thing: with our current soul-guided firearms, we are still insufficient to deal with 100,000-year-old soul beasts. The gap is still vast."

He paused, his tone becoming more decisive: "Issue my decree: effective immediately, funding for all soul tool research and development projects in the Imperial Workshops will be doubled. We will recruit all talented individuals across the continent who understand the principles of soul tools, regardless of their background, as long as they possess a skill. I intend to increase the power of soul-guided guns and cannons by at least five times within three years!"

"Furthermore," the Emperor's gaze shifted to an elderly man dressed in civil official attire, "organize the Archaeological Department and dispatch skilled personnel to conduct a comprehensive exploration of all known ancient sites within the country. Anything discovered that relates to soul tools, soul power technology, or ancient traditions should be brought back to the workshop for research. Any significant discoveries will be richly rewarded by me!"

The elderly civil official bowed and accepted the order: "Your subject obeys."

A resolute glint flashed in the Emperor's eyes. He sat back on his dragon throne and said in a deep voice, "The scales of that soul beast can withstand soul-guided guns and cannons, indicating that it is at least 100,000 years old. If we can successfully hunt it down, its soul ring and soul bone will belong to me. At that time, I will have the opportunity to advance further, break through to Soul Douluo, or even Title Douluo! I will not allow anything to stand in my way!"

The atmosphere in the main hall remained heavy, but everyone could sense the unwavering determination emanating from the emperor.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded at the entrance of the main hall. A scout clad in leather armor rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee, and cried out urgently, "Your Majesty! Urgent report from the southeast forest region!"

The emperor frowned: "Speak."

The scout, catching his breath, quickly reported, "I was ordered to remain on the outskirts of the forest to monitor the soul beast's movements after the army withdrew. About three hours later, a fierce battle broke out deep within the forest. I sensed intense energy fluctuations from afar; the ground shook violently, even the outer edges trembled. After about one or two hours, the fluctuations completely subsided."

The emperor sat bolt upright: "And then?"

The scout swallowed hard and continued, "After confirming it was safe, my subordinate and several other scouts ventured deeper into the forest. When we reached the valley, we discovered—the spirit beast was gone. In the center of the valley, only a large amount of plant remains, broken roots, and fragments of what appeared to be scales remained on the ground. There were obvious signs of a battle, but no indication that the body had been taken. My subordinate deduces—the spirit beast was likely killed in the battle, and its spirit ring and spirit bone had been taken."

These words caused a stir throughout the hall. The faces of the civil and military officials were filled with disbelief, and murmurs rose and fell among them. The emperor's expression, which had turned ashen, became utterly grim. He stared intently at the scout, his voice low and menacing: "Are you sure? No bodies were found at the scene?"

The scout replied decisively, "I thoroughly searched the entire valley and surrounding area, and found absolutely no soul beast corpses, not even large chunks of flesh. There were only scattered plant remains and broken scales."

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice as cold as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar: "Investigate. Investigate this matter thoroughly for me."

Anyone capable of killing a 100,000-year-old soul beast and leaving so easily in such a short time could not possibly be an unknown individual. Contact all intelligence networks, mercenary guilds, and adventurer organizations across the continent; report any suspicious clues immediately.

"Yes!" the ministers responded in unison.

The emperor stood up, walked to the window of the main hall, and gazed at the distant, hazy outline of the mountains, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"I want to see who stole what's mine—"

The simulation is still ongoing.

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