Chapter 57: Unity of Heaven and Man! Rank 39!
Of course...
The Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was a ruler well-versed in the complex dance of political maneuvering. With his careful mind, he naturally would not allow Liu Yuan and Vina to travel to the Star Luo Empire unescorted.
While Liu Yuan's combat prowess far exceeded his peers and Vina possessed more than enough ability to protect herself, the journey ahead was long and arduous. Crossing national borders meant traversing unpredictable terrain, and the hidden risks lurking in the shadows were impossible to estimate.
, these two youths represented the absolute future of the empire. One was the hope of the royal family; the other, a peerless prodigy of the Body Sect. If even a single hair on their heads was harmed, it would be a catastrophic loss the Heavenly Soul Empire could not bear.
Therefore, on the morning of their departure, an elite detachment of imperial guards stood in perfect formation at the gates of the Imperial City.
At the very forefront of this vanguard stood an elderly man. His build was burly, his shoulders broad enough to carry a mountain, and his bearing exuded an unshakable composure.
He was a true pillar of the Heavenly Soul royal family—a Rank 92 assault-system Titled Douluo.
Ju Chui Douluo.
His clan had sworn absolute loyalty to the Heavenly Soul royal family for generations. His martial soul, the Giant Hammer, was renowned for its crushing, tyrannical weight. Having forged illustrious military achievements on countless battlefields, his prestige echoed throughout the entire empire.
Upon seeing the old veteran, Vina stepped forward and offered a graceful, respectful bow. "The journey to Star Luo is fraught with hardship. I am deeply grateful for the trouble of having Elder Luo escort us personally."
Liu Yuan followed suit, bringing his hands together in a crisp, cupped-fist salute. His tone was calm and measured. "Thank you for your protection, Senior."
Ju Chui Douluo's sharp gaze shifted to the youth. He could sense the restrained, deep soul power fluctuations hidden beneath Liu Yuan's skin. A flash of genuine admiration softened the old man's weathered eyes.
He put on no airs of a Titled Douluo. Instead, he offered a faint, hearty smile, his voice booming like a great bronze bell. "Your Highness, young friend Liu Yuan, there is no need for such formalities. Protecting the royal bloodline and the empire's greatest talent is my sworn duty. For the rest of this journey, with my hammer here, I will ensure everyone's safety."
With a single, commanding wave of Ju Chui Douluo's hand, the convoy officially set off.
To cultivate a deeper bond between the two youths, the Emperor had issued strict, unspoken orders regarding the travel arrangements.
Ju Chui Douluo and the imperial guards maintained a deliberate distance from the central, luxurious carriage. They either patrolled the distant perimeter or trailed far behind in the rear guard. Unless an enemy attack occurred, they were absolutely forbidden from disturbing the occupants.
Inside the spacious, velvet-lined cabin of the carriage, Liu Yuan and Vina sat opposite each other.
Notably, Vina had not brought her personal maid, Mu Xue. Her intention was as clear as a cloudless sky. She genuinely wanted to use this long, isolated journey to close the distance between herself and Liu Yuan.
Yet, Vina was a woman of exceptional wisdom. She understood perfectly that matters of the heart could never be rushed.
When two people spent days on end in an enclosed space, even the most engaging conversations would eventually run dry. Vina did not force idle chatter just to fill the silence. She knew Liu Yuan's pragmatic, quiet nature. If she appeared too eager or overly talkative, it would only trigger his psychological defenses and breed quiet resentment.
Instead, they fell into a comfortable rhythm. When the carriage passed a particularly striking landmark, they would exchange soft, casual words. When the gentle rocking of the wheels made them drowsy, they would push open the wooden window frames, letting the cool breeze wash over them as they watched the rolling plains blur past. And when the silence stretched on, they simply closed their eyes and sank into their respective cultivation states.
This natural, unforced dynamic made Liu Yuan feel an unmatched sense of relaxation.
He despised being coerced by external expectations. The quiet freedom Vina offered proved that her companionship was not a suffocating burden, but rather a tacit understanding of mutual respect.
However, on the tenth day of their journey, a sudden shift disrupted their routine.
Vina sat by the window, idly turning the pages of an ancient text. She glanced up, expecting to see Liu Yuan in his usual meditative trance. Instead, she realized with a start that he had maintained the exact same posture for an entire day and night. He had not so much as twitched a muscle.
More alarmingly, the soul power fluctuations that usually hummed around his body had vanished entirely. Even his breathing had grown so faint it was practically nonexistent. To her senses, Liu Yuan was no longer a person sitting in the carriage; he had completely merged into the flowing air, the creaking wood of the cabin, and the rustling grass outside.
Sensing something extraordinary was happening, Vina immediately used a soul power voice transmission, urgently calling Ju Chui Douluo to inspect the situation.
A heavy gust of wind swept through the cabin as Ju Chui Douluo materialized inside. The knowledgeable Titled Douluo took one look at the seated youth and froze completely. His weathered eyes widened, revealing a mixture of deep shock and raw envy.
"This is... the Unity of Heaven and Man?" Ju Chui Douluo sucked in a sharp breath, immediately lowering his booming voice to a mere whisper, terrified of shattering the deep, mysterious state.
Vina looked at him, her elegant brows furrowing in confusion.
Ju Chui Douluo let out a long, complex sigh. "Your Highness, young friend Liu Yuan's talent is truly enough to shake the earth and make the gods weep."
He stared at the unmoving youth. "This level of cultivation is a realm that many high-tier Soul Masters, even Titled Douluo, might never brush against in their entire lifetimes. This is a state where the physical body and the laws of heaven and earth achieve perfect alignment. Cultivating in this state... a single day is worth a hundred."
The old veteran shook his head, a bitter smile touching his lips. "Countless experts try every extreme method to force themselves into this realm, only to fail bitterly. Yet he simply slipped into it while sitting in a bumpy carriage. Such heart-nature... I am ashamed to even compare myself to him."
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Vina immediately issued a silent command. The entire convoy ground to a halt.
They parked the carriage in a secluded, quiet valley. The imperial guards set up camp on the spot, weaving a tight, impenetrable defensive perimeter around the area. Strict orders were given: absolutely no noise was permitted.
For three full days, the convoy remained frozen in place.
At dusk on the third day, as the sky bled into shades of violet and gold, Liu Yuan finally opened his eyes.
Deep within his Double Pupils, a dark red light flared violently before vanishing into the depths of his irises, replaced by a deep, crystalline clarity.
His soul power rank had broken through once again. Rank 39.
Feeling the surging, dense energy coursing through his meridians, Liu Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid white air. He was now merely a single step away from the bottleneck of Rank 40.
Sensing the shift in energy, Ju Chui Douluo entered the carriage once more. Feeling the elevated, razor-sharp aura radiating from the youth, the old man let out a hearty laugh, clapping a heavy hand onto Liu Yuan's shoulder.
"Good lad! Rank 39! This speed of advancement is rare even in the entire history of the continent. This child will surely achieve heaven-shaking feats in the future."
Ju Chui Douluo then turned his gaze toward Vina, a meaningful glint in his eye. "It is a great fortune for Your Highness to find such a companion. It is also the absolute good fortune of our Heavenly Soul Empire."
Hearing the word companion spoken so bluntly, Vina's usually composed face instantly flushed a brilliant crimson. She lowered her head, her slender fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her skirt, entirely too shy to offer a rebuttal.
The convoy set off once more, their morale soaring higher than ever.
After several more days of relentless travel, the horizon darkened. A continuous, sky-covering expanse of primeval forest loomed ahead like a sleeping green leviathan.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
It was the most infamous and dangerous soul beast habitat on the Douluo Continent. According to their planned route, they only needed to skirt the outer edges of this dense woodland and cross a brief stretch of plains to reach the borders of the Star Luo Empire.
However, the moment the carriage wheels crunched against the damp earth at the forest's edge, the ambient temperature plummeted eerily.
The crisp, lively chirping of birds vanished in an instant, replaced by a suffocating, dead silence. A nauseating stench of decay, accompanied by an extremely oppressive, evil aura, began to silently seep out from the thick mist ahead.
"Stop!"
Ju Chui Douluo's voice exploded like thunder. His burly figure blurred, instantly materializing at the very front of the convoy.
A massive, pitch-black heavy hammer materialized in his grip, its surface shimmering with a dense, metallic luster. Beneath his feet, nine soul rings flared to life, illuminating the gloom. The terrifying, crushing aura of a Titled Douluo was fully unleashed, pressing down on the surrounding woods.
From the twisting shadows of the ancient tree trunks, three figures wrapped in tattered, pitch-black robes drifted forward like ghosts.
Thick, suffocating Death Qi swirled around their bodies. Beneath their feet, soul rings pulsed with an eerie, sickening dark red and purple light.
The figure in the lead radiated extremely violent soul power fluctuations. The oppressive weight of their aura revealed a chilling truth: this was an Evil Soul Master at the Titled Douluo level.
"Ju Chui, you old dog! Finally, I've caught you."
A voice, dripping with venom and malice, echoed through the dead woods.
"This time, I will definitely avenge my late husband!"
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