"Hey! Old Dong, that's not right. Do you think I'd just stand by and watch my disciple get bullied? Don't forget, I'm not just a God-level Mech Pilot, I'm also a Four-Word Battle Armor Master."
Mu Ye glared at Dong Zi'an, shoved him aside, and put on a smiling face towards Jiang Xiu.
"Let's go, disciple. Master has made arrangements. Let's head to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters now."
He liked Jiang Xiu no matter what.
He found Dong Zi'an annoying no matter what.
"Yes, Master."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, carefully putting away the two medals. He was also excited, because fusing with his first soul spirit meant that he had truly taken his first step in cultivation and entered the vast world of soul masters.
And as his own strength increased, he could proceed with the next step of his plan in the Abyss Plane, gradually encroaching upon it.
"Go, cultivate well."
Dong Zi'an smiled slightly. It was a good choice for Jiang Xiu to follow Mu Ye in his childhood, after all, Jiang Xiu was too young now and it was not suitable for him to return to the military camp with him.
'Goodbye, Master."
Jiang Xiu waved goodbye and followed Mu Ye outside.
It was evening; the last rays of the sunset lingered on the western horizon, and faint stars began to appear in the east. The temperature had dropped slightly.
Soon, Jiang Xiu followed Mu Ye to a tall, red, god-level mecha. Bathed in the setting sun, the mecha resembled a magnificent work of art, radiating a mesmerizing red glow. Mu Ye stroked it gently, his expression softening.
"Little Red."
"I'm here."
A gentle female voice rang out, and the cockpit slowly opened, revealing its exquisite interior.
"Go in. Today, I'll let you experience a god-level mecha and feel its charm."
Mu Ye's lips curled into a proud smile as he led Jiang Xiu inside. Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, no mecha pilot dared claim to surpass him in mecha piloting.
And in the realm of mecha, he had already carved out his own new world.
"Boom!"
The dark red wings unfolded, and the mecha instantly took to the air, as if teleporting, appearing a thousand meters away in an instant, and then hurtling off at an extremely high speed.
"Commander, the casualty figures have been tallied. More than half the casualties in Snow City..."
Li Jie approached Dong Zi'an, his face showing hesitation as he presented the results, his eyes filled with unspeakable sorrow.
"Report to the Federation. Say it's my request. Make sure the surviving civilians are properly resettled, and Snow City is repaired as quickly as possible. All expenses will be reimbursed by the Federation."
"And those major powers, have them contribute money or manpower as needed."
Dong Zi'an's expression was calm, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as he methodically gave his orders.
After this, not only would Snow City suffer heavy casualties, but it would also trigger a series of chain reactions.
And they would face not only the Abyss Plane directly, but also the Holy Spirit Cult, a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, and the Holy Spirit Cult's strength should not be underestimated.
High in the sky.
Jiang Xiu watched the clouds rushing past, his mind replaying the situations of various powers, constantly planning his own path.
Thousands of years ago, the Sun Moon Federation unified the Douluo Continent, while the Douling Empire and the Star Luo Empire turned the continental struggle into an island war. Unable to defeat the Sun Moon Empire, they each fled overseas to re-establish their own nations.
Shrek Academy remained standing, even designating Shrek City as its own autonomous region with its own garrison. The Tang Sect, after Huo Yuhao, also flourished, its arms trade spreading throughout the continent.
The Spirit Pagoda controlled the lifeline of Soul Masters, and due to the special nature of Soul Spirits to Soul Masters, it held a transcendent status. However, the Spirit Pagoda was now filled with various families, with the Qian Gu family firmly at the top.
Within the Federation, there were two factions, Eagle and Dove, with complex and intertwined forces from all sides.
As for Soul Beasts, they were nearly extinct, but after ten thousand years of waiting and forbearance, Lao Ditian finally saw what he considered to be hope.
"This era is truly chaotic, yet it's also full of endless opportunities. To truly control one's own destiny, besides strength, one must also plan carefully,"
Jiang Xiu thought to himself. Although geniuses abound in this era, becoming a god is not easy. Apart from Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena, the only other person to achieve godhood, the Demon Emperor, was a clown manipulated by various factions.
"The way out lies in the Abyss; I must control that place well."
Soon, Jiang Xiu had a clear plan for his future path: to flourish in both the Douluo Continent and the Abyss.
"Disciple, what do you think of this mecha?"
Seeing Jiang Xiu's sparkling eyes, Mu Ye assumed Jiang Xiu was interested in the mecha and asked with a smile.
"Master, this mecha is very strong. I've never seen anything like it in Snow City,"
Jiang Xiu said with admiration in his eyes. This era was also an era of rapid development in soul guidance technology. Mechas and battle armor were everywhere, greatly narrowing the gap between soul masters.
Mechas had also ushered in the era of intelligent control.
"If you're interested, I can teach you, but battle armor is your first choice."
Mu Ye laughed, but still gave a word of advice. Although he was unwilling to admit it, in reality, a god-level mecha was no match for a four-word battle armor.
This was a consensus in the entire soul master world.
"Alright, go to sleep. We'll be in Shrek City by tomorrow morning."
Mu Ye rubbed Jiang Xiu's head and handed him a genuine red leather blanket.
Due to the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, the headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda was built in Shrek City, as was the headquarters of the Tang Sect. One city, three powerful forces.
"Yes, Master, you should go to sleep early too."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, took the blanket and covered himself, closing his eyes slightly.
Too much had happened today, and soon Jiang Xiu felt drowsy and slowly fell asleep.
After confirming Jiang Xiu was asleep, Mu Ye casually set up a soul-power soundproof barrier and softly called out,
"Xiao Hong."
"Boss, I'm here."
The gentle female voice slowly sounded.
"Boss, I'm very happy today. I finally see hope for the revival of our Body Sect. The future is promising!"
"Congratulations, Boss."
Joy welled up in Xiao Hong's synthesized voice, and a small smiley face appeared on the screen in front of her, as if happy for Mu Ye.
"Hahaha, that's great, Xiao Hong is here with me."
Mu Ye laughed heartily, looking at the surrounding night scene, and said leisurely.
"Xiao Hong, will you always stay with me?"
"Boss, I'm not human. I'm just a product of a soul spirit and rare metals, somewhat like a piece of intelligent code. Even if I run out of energy, I'll fall into a deep sleep."
Xiao Hong said hesitantly, and the smiley face on the screen turned aggrieved, with two small hands touching each other.
"It's alright, boss. I'm just a product of flesh and blood. One slit in the throat, and I'm gone."
Mu Ye waved his hand dismissively.
In his view, a soul built from metal and spirit was closer to a human than some aggregates of flesh and blood.
Falling in love with a piece of code wasn't scary; after all, he was just a bunch of cells.
"Don't worry, boss. As long as you don't abandon Xiao Hong, she'll always be by your side, forever."
"Silly Xiao Hong, how could the boss abandon you?"
Mu Ye shrugged, his tone incredibly serious.
Silver moonlight scattered, and the red mecha sliced through space under the night sky, rushing towards the approaching dawn.
Shrek City.
A spatial rift suddenly appeared and then vanished, and a silver-haired, purple-eyed girl fell out with a "plop," her fair face scrunched up, her purple eyes filled with bewilderment as she looked around.
"Where am I? How did I get brought here by a spatial rift?"
(End of Chapter)