Inside a thousand-meter-high mountain composed entirely of crystalline stone, located in the Tianhu Domain west of Tianmu Mountain, the powerful figures of the Domain all looked up toward the two young women seated upon the altar.
One of them appeared gentle and serene, while the other exuded a cold and ruthless aura. Despite their starkly contrasting temperaments, they bore a striking resemblance to each other—both were extraordinarily beautiful, with black hair and dark eyes, their breathtaking appearances comparable to the most renowned women of the Douluo Continent, such as Leng Yaozhu and Yali.
It was not just their looks but also their strength that commanded respect. Both women possessed nine spirit rings—seven black and two red—marking them as powerful Titled Douluo. Moreover, they each had two hundred-thousand-year spirit rings.
As they activated their martial souls, nine immense fox tails emerged behind them, followed by a pair of jade-like fox ears that stood erect, covered in soft, snow-white fur.
With their hands forming intricate seals, a vague image flashed momentarily above the altar.
"Pfft…"
The instant the vision appeared, both women simultaneously coughed up blood.
"Chieftain! High Priestess!" The powerful figures of the Heavenly Fox Domain immediately rushed forward.
"We're fine," the girl on the left, the one with the ruthless gaze—referred to as the High Priestess—shook her head and raised a hand to stop them.
She was none other than Xinyuehu, the High Priestess of the Heavenly Fox Domain, as well as the leader of the Green Skull Organization.
"Sister, it seems Heaven's guidance was indeed correct. Xia Yi is undoubtedly the person we've been searching for. Even with our combined efforts, we were unable to glimpse his future and were instead met with backlash." Xinyuehu looked toward her sister, seated across from her.
"His martial soul also appears to be the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, though different from ours. Sister, do you think he might be of our Domain's bloodline, just with a mutated martial soul?" The gentle and serene young woman wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and spoke softly.
She was also Xinyuehu, her sister's namesake, and the Chieftain of the Tianhu Domain.
While she managed the internal affairs and stability of the Tianhu Domain, her sister Xinyuehu was responsible for honoring Heaven and leading the resistance against the Star Luo Empire.
In terms of personal strength, they might not match the likes of the Heavenly Kui Douluo or the Ten Punishments Douluo, but the forces they commanded were something the Star Luo Empire coveted beyond measure.
"We can't rule out that possibility. Once he arrives in the Tianhu Domain, we'll have him undergo the baptism of the Void Perception Pool. If he can obtain the power of Void Perception, then he must be of our bloodline," Xinyuehu declared.
The Star Luo Continent was originally known as the Eight Kings' Domain, a land symbolizing the eight most powerful tribes.
Each of these tribes possessed a divine pool:
The Void Perception Pool of the Heavenly Fox Domain, which granted insight into time and space.
The Colorless Pool of the Colorless Domain's Colorless Tribe.
The Primal Pool of the Immortal Fire Domain's Undying Phoenix Tribe.
The Vajra Pool of the Mighty Tribe, a group of true body martial soul users who gained enhanced physical strength from its baptism.
The Asura Pool of the Myriad Beasts Tribe, which allowed them to summon their martial souls for independent combat—similar to the two-hundred-thousand-year-old Seagod's teacher.
The Myriad Elements Pool of the Elemental Tribe, which enhanced elemental affinity.
The Longevity Pool of the Longevity Tribe, a group composed entirely of healing-type soul masters.
The Earth Treasury Pool of the Poison Domain, which granted poison- and corrosion-related abilities.
The infamous Ghostwood Douluo was from this very tribe.
Although all eight divine pools had since been relocated to the Heavenly Fox Domain, many of them had become unusable due to the extinction of their respective tribes.
For instance, the Colorless Tribe and the Undying Phoenix Tribe had vanished.
The Colorless Tribe was once the undisputed strongest among the Eight Kings' Tribes.
During the Star Luo Empire's invasion, they were the first to face its assault.
Records in the Tianhu Domain state that during this time, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire—the younger brother of the God of Emotions and an Ultimate Douluo known as the Blood Tiger Douluo—was slain by the ninety-eighth-level chieftain of the Colorless Tribe.
The Colorless Tribe was terrifyingly powerful. Their chieftain, with a single attack—Heaven and Earth Shrouded—made the Star Luo Empire's army hesitate, afraid to take another step forward. Had the God of Emotions not descended and slain the chieftain himself, the Star Luo Empire might never have conquered the Eight Kings' Domain.
During the Sun-Moon Empire's invasion of the Star Luo Empire, the God of Emotions never appeared.
He only descended once when the Star Luo Empire was forced to retreat into the Eight Kings' Domain.
It is rumored that the Ten Punishments Douluo may carry the bloodline of this once-mighty tribe.
However, he failed to receive the baptism of the Colorless Pool.
Similarly, the Primal Pool's bloodline had also died out.
The Primal Pool originally belonged to the Immortal Fire Domain and was controlled by the Undying Phoenix Tribe.
Yes, the second strongest tribe among the Eight Kings was a soul beast tribe.
When the Star Luo Empire coveted the Primal Pool, they launched a massive offensive against the Immortal Fire Domain, resulting in the total annihilation of the Undying Phoenix Tribe.
The tribe's final beast lord transformed its soul into a spirit soul, passing down through the generations in the Tianhu Domain, hoping to aid its warriors in defeating the Star Luo Empire one day.
For ten thousand years, it had helped many warriors of the Tianhu Domain reach the peak of their power.
Now, it resided within the Ten Punishments Douluo.
He was also the most promising candidate in the Domain to break through to Ultimate Douluo.
But that was only a possibility—for throughout history, no one in the Eight Kings' Domain had ever broken through to Ultimate Douluo.
Xinyuehu had once asked Heaven why.
The answer: Dimensional Suppression.
The people of the Tianhu Tribe believed in Heaven's words. Both the ninety-eighth-level Heavenly Kui Douluo and the Ten Punishments Douluo had already begun to feel the repulsion of the world's laws.
The Dark Dragon King knew a way to bypass this suppression. However, the cost was too great, and if these people became Ultimate Douluo, they might no longer need him—perhaps even become a threat. Thus, he never helped them advance.
During this ritual, as Xinyuehu worshipped Heaven—the Dark Dragon King himself—he revealed to her that Xia Yi possessed the means to help the warriors of the Tianhu Domain break through to Ultimate Douluo.
This revelation threw the Tianhu Domain into an uproar.
Without hesitation, Xinyuehu sought out her sister, and together, they attempted to divine Xia Yi's past and future using the power of the Void Perception Pool.
The result? Both suffered backlash.
"But will he come?" Xinyuehu asked.
"If Heaven says he will come, then he certainly will. Besides, he currently holds the title of 'Tianhu Duke' conferred by the Star Luo Empire. In that sense, we should actually thank the Star Luo Empire," Xinyuehu's gaze grew even colder and more ruthless. "If both the Ten Punishments Douluo and the Heavenly Kui Douluo break through to Ultimate Douluo, we will no longer fear the Star Luo Empire."
"In that case, we shall await him together."
———
Star Luo Empire
For the past few days, the Demon Empress had been visiting the marketplace daily. All attempts by the Star Luo Empire to capture her had ended in failure.
Gradually, news spread throughout Star Luo City—Lan Haijun was still alive.
The Star Luo Empire could no longer suppress the rumors.
In desperation, they officially declared that the woman resembling Lan Haijun was merely a lookalike and that Lan Haijun had already committed suicide out of guilt.
Regardless of their explanation, whether the citizens believed it or not was out of Dai Tianling's control.
Meanwhile, Xia Yi and Gu Yue had been forced to accompany the Demon Empress and her daughter, eating rabbit meat and drinking Blue Silver Soup every day.
But today, at last, that ordeal was coming to an end.
The Sun-Moon Federation's exchange delegation had been ordered to gather in Haibin City within five days.
The Sun-Moon Federation had begun a large-scale evacuation.
Seeing this, even Dai Tianling began to panic.