Sun Moon Empire.
Mingdu.
For the native inhabitants of the Douluo Continent at this point in time, this is a futuristic city so vast and magnificent that words cannot describe it. Even the original Douluo Continent... The combined capitals of the Three Great Empires were not even half as large as it.
This level of detail alone wouldn't be enough to justify the above assessment. Standing high above, one can see that the vast majority of buildings here are five stories or higher, with many exceeding ten stories. Especially to accommodate the Spirit Master and Spirit Tool, each floor is at least 4-5 meters high. Wide streets are interspersed among the high-rises, with some main thoroughfares exceeding thirty meters in width. As night falls and countless lights illuminate the city, the Soul Guidance City will reveal its true charm.
On a street, a dazzling combination of lights caught the attention of passersby.
A handsome middle-aged man with black hair and golden eyes.
A purple-haired, icy beauty.
A dashing blonde girl.
A young master with loose black hair and a somewhat cynical expression on his face.
Look at that young man and woman, arm in arm, and the man and woman following behind them. Which family's young master and young lady are they leaving with two guards?
However, the male guard was indeed tall and handsome, with an extraordinary temperament and a commanding presence, which stirred the hearts of the young girls by the roadside. As for the female guard, she was so alluring yet as cold as ice; it was anyone's guess who could conquer her.
The stunningly beautiful blonde girl and the enigmatic young man need no further explanation regarding their extraordinary qualities.
I can't afford to mess with them...
Unlike the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms, this capital city lacks a city guard for law enforcement; instead, it boasts a more dedicated and professional enforcement team. Technology is a product of civilization, and compared to the Original Douluo Continent, Mingdu is closer to the modernity An Zhen remembers. Besides the increasing number of spirit-powered gadgets on the streets, Mingdu secretly possesses a state-of-the-art underground water system—a feature even Shrek City lacks, surpassing the Original Douluo Continent in urban sanitation. The Three Great Empires are several levels above.
"That's not bad."
Di Tian commented that this was the largest human city he had ever seen, and it didn't even have city walls. But in the place where the city walls should have been, he actually felt a slight threat. Well, just a slight threat.
The group of four consisted of Di Tian, Zi Ji, An Qiuer, and An Zhen.
"Of course." The black-haired boy was in a good mood.
Because I have returned to my hometown, which I have been away from for a long time.
The current appearance is not a disguise, but a mimicry of the Spirit Ability, the second ability of the Spirit Eye. According to the previous plan, An Zhen's true face must not be seen by those he does not trust.
Di Tian noticed that his uncle's mood had improved a lot since he came to this city. It wasn't a deliberate observation, but rather because his uncle's happiness was practically written all over his face.
Is this city special to my uncle?
"Do you remember what I said before?" An Zhen asked.
"Yes." Di Tian nodded gently.
An Zhen, without batting an eye, transformed his past experiences into an account of infiltrating and exploring the human world. He told Di Tian that he would later tell his allies, whom he had recruited using his human identity, that the reason they were able to win Di Tian over was due to Divinity's orders.
Di Tian didn't think anything of it.
After all, these humans have never seen a god. No matter how outrageous Uncle's words are, they can still fool these humans who fantasize about Divinity as an omnipotent being.
The group walked slowly towards the south of Mingdu.
Back in his familiar hometown, An Zhen's initial eagerness to start the plan calmed down, and he even had the leisure to introduce An Qiuer to the nearby buildings and some strangely shaped spirit tools.
An Zhen didn't go out often before. But she was quite familiar with some streets she frequented. After more than two years away, her memory of the streets hadn't changed much, but there were some subtle differences, such as a new street lamp here and a patch of greenery that had been moved there...
"Does your uncle like it here?"
"Um."
Perhaps it's because of the added filter of hometown.
Or perhaps it's because this place holds too many traces of memories from a past life.
An Qiuer curiously observed the human world.
These things were all very novel to her.
"Alright." An Zhen affectionately ruffled An Qiuer's hair. "I'll take you out to play again when we have time. Right now, it's not appropriate for us to stay in the sight of outsiders for too long."
We can't completely dismiss Mingdu's intelligence system as idiots.
Given their extraordinary and unfamiliar appearances, it was uncertain how much dedication those ghost employees still possessed, but they should still exercise due caution and try to avoid too many unexpected changes before everything was settled.
"Mmm." A happy smile appeared on An Qiuer's fair cheeks as she snuggled against An Zhen. She knew that if she looked at a novel thing for too long, she might lose interest. This was what she had always wanted.
A corner.
Utter darkness quietly emerged.
It swallowed everyone whole, like a gluttonous maw, without causing the slightest ripple.
Continuing south, on the edge of Mingdu, lies a cluster of buildings in a hexagonal shape, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, whose area is comparable to that of a medium-sized city. And hundreds of meters underground, the sacred place that every Soul Guide yearns for— Mingde Hall —is located.
At this moment, deeper underground in Mingde Hall, in a spacious room resembling a private laboratory, a middle-aged man with silver hair had a table piled with various messy blueprints in front of him. A half-finished spirit tool core magic circle was placed on it, as if he had encountered some kind of creative block.
"Cough cough~"
A deliberate cough sounded.
"!"
Just after Mirror Hongchen injected spirit power into his portable spirit tool, a familiar voice rang out.
"Grandpa, it's me."
The figure of the black-haired boy, who had retained his original appearance, appeared before him.
"Xiao Zhen?"
Only when he felt that the figure was real and not a false illusion did Mirror Hongchen release the intense energy fluctuations that seemed to be gathering momentum within him.
Beside them stood three extraordinary figures.
To make a long story short, An Zhen briefly explained the identities of Di Tian and Zi Ji, following the previous Divinity orders. An Qiuer was a good friend of theirs. The identity of Emperor Rui Beast was extremely sensitive, not only to humans but also to Di Tian.
Mirror Hongchen sorted out his thoughts.
Having already been confronted by An Zhen, he naturally knew that the so-called Divinity was utter nonsense; it was power that his grandson had somehow managed to abduct from outside. Wow, two of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts' Dragon Kings had actually been lured over, and one of them was even subservient to him.
However, when you think of Electrolux, that super strongman from another world, this Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King doesn't seem so shocking... Just kidding, he's the number one ferocious beast on the continent's list of ferocious beasts.
Mirror Hongchen glanced at the purple-haired, icy beauty.
Tsk, submission? Given that the other party is a woman, and considering her understanding of her own grandson, this word does easily evoke certain associations. Has Xiao Zhen's interest begun to expand beyond humanity?
"I see. Thank you for your help, Mr. Di Tian," Mirror Hongchen said.
"It's just a command from God," Di Tian said expressionlessly.
Mirror Hongchen smiled broadly.
You can make up whatever you want, as long as it works for us.
"Ahem, since that's the case, then I'll formally inform you of the plan," An Zhen said.
Electrolux, Di Tian.
Putting everything else aside, if it were just a matter of brute force, the undead army would be enough to sweep through the Sun Moon Empire. But what An Zhen needs is not a desolate ruin, but a powerful Empire.
Control and enslave a certain number of Ninth-Level Soul Engineers.
This is the first step.
This is also a very important and fundamental step.
Soul Guide is an extremely expensive profession. Not to mention the precious metals required, many of which are unavailable even with money. Even if a skilled Soul Guide can sell spirit tools to alleviate financial pressure, what about advanced knowledge? Therefore, these Ninth-Level Soul Engineers represent not only their own powerful combat capabilities but also their status and position in the Sun Moon Empire. Holding high positions is very common, and even those who dislike power have inextricable ties with the Empire's higher-ups.
As for why the first step wasn't to kill Dragon Xiaoyao and Leaf Evening Water, those two Limit Douluos?
An Zhen wasn't quite sure what it would be like when they actually started fighting.
This is reality. It's not a game where you can start over from a saved game. While it's not about finding a cave to cultivate in seclusion for a hundred years, An Zhen has to be extremely careful in everything he does, preparing for the worst-case scenario so that he won't be caught off guard by unexpected situations.
If the commotion becomes too great and is noticed by the other members of the Holy Spirit Church, it could potentially lead to a riot by the Evil Soul Masters, or even expose Electrolux as a trump card. However, if An Zhen were to gain control of the Sun Moon Empire at that moment, he could use the Empire's power to suppress those Evil Soul Masters.
An Zhen considered turning Leaf Evening Water and Dragon Xiaoyao into ghosts.
It's unclear how much of their strength they can retain. This certainly avoids most of the waste, but the key issue is that the undead state is still easily seen through by strong individuals.
As for why we didn't just wipe out the Evil Soul Master?
Disaster.
God knows where these guys are.
Let Electrolux turn them into undead one by one and go find them?
Over time, as the number of people increases, there is a risk of exposure, and if chaos ensues, it will be even more dangerous for the civilians of the Sun Moon Empire.
All An Zhen could do was kill the two Limit Douluos and some other high-ranking members of the Holy Spirit Church, and finally use the power of Empire to deal with the remaining Evil Soul Master.
"We still need to find the location of those two guys."
An Zhen tapped lightly on a spot on the map on the table.
" Fiend Forest ".
"A soul search by the high-ranking members of Holy Spirit Church who remain at their headquarters should be able to find them."
"However, there is also an Evil Eye Tyrant Overlord inside, and if there are other Holy Spirit Church powerhouses, although Electrolux and Di Tian are not afraid, it will still be troublesome."
"So, Xiao Zhen, what do you think we should do?" Mirror Hongchen asked, looking at his grandson.
The same applies to Di Tian and Zi Ji.
An Zhen serves as the "bridge" connecting the two parties in this collaboration, and is also the backbone of both sides.
As for An Qiuer, he was simply curiously playing with some of the spirit tools in the lab.
"First, target the Ninth-Level Soul Engineers, launch a coup to seize power. The current emperor rose to power by relying on the Holy Spirit Church. If those two come out, that would be best; lure them to another location and kill them." An Zhen said slowly.
"If they fail to emerge and successfully seize power, then use the Sun Moon Empire's level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannons to wipe out Fiend Forest!"
"Search their souls, then go find those two guys."
Truth is right on your face.
Are you scared?
Mirror Hongchen glanced at Di Tian.
Fiend Forest is, after all, a gathering place for Spirit Beasts.
Di Tian's face remained completely expressionless.
Many years ago, when he fought the Evil Eye Tyrant Overlord, he knew that the other party was an outsider, not a subject of His Majesty the Dragon God, nor willing to submit to His Majesty the Dragon God. What did their life or death have to do with him?
The general discussion of the plan has been completed.
Mirror Hongchen had no objection to this; the plan was indeed prudent. Di Tian was unaware of the general situation; he and Zi Ji were, respectively, he a henchman and a bodyguard, and they only needed to follow An Zhen's orders.
The next step is details and execution.
A plan is just a plan.
In reality, you may encounter all sorts of unexpected things.
But this plan is already the safest one, after all, they already possess such powerful strength.
"Grandpa, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you from now on." An Zhen looked at Mirror Hongchen.
"Leave it to me."
After more than a year of deliberation, Mirror Hongchen has decided which old friend to target first. Well, it's not so much about targeting them, but following Mirror Hongchen means he'll definitely treat these former colleagues well, since people always strive for higher positions.
Loyalty to the Sun Moon Empire royal family?
A bunch of bastards who collude with Holy Spirit Church don't deserve his Mirror Hongchen's loyalty.
Moreover, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier. Given this opportunity to elevate the Hongchen Family to new heights, how could Mirror Hongchen possibly pass it up?
"Finally, it's my identity."
An Zhen needs the power of faith.
My faith in him.
This isn't something that can be done simply by building a statue of him; in fact, if a statue were made that looked exactly like him, it would directly expose his identity.
Shocking! The next Sea God Pavilion Master has become a follower of the Sun Moon Empire?!
According to Gu Yuena, the authenticity of the name and appearance is not important, since there are countless people in the world with the same name and similar appearance, although there is no one who looks exactly like An Zhen. Even sculptures can be replaced with "Spirit," weapons, or anything else that is characteristic of this person.
The key is to let the public know who this person is, even if it's just a fake name and a fake appearance. And most importantly, what did this person do?
Only by doing the latter, by doing what this person does, can one absorb or utilize this power of faith. The former merely facilitates the gathering of this power of faith.
"This isn't too difficult." An Zhen saw An Qiuer, who showed no interest in these half-finished or failed spirit tool core arrays, come closer and affectionately hugged the blonde Valkyrie-like girl. " True Hongchen, this identity is already registered with the Sun Moon Empire, although the following actions do not require the identity to be legal."
"As for Spirit?"
An Zhen smiled slightly, " Twin Spirits, the first Spirit" Holy Angel.
Mirror Hongchen asked in confusion, "Xiao Zhen, have you ever met someone who possesses a Holy Angel?"
Holy, angelic. If you add the first two words, then it's something else entirely.
An Zhen gently shook his head. "I know someone, but I need you to help me find them, Grandpa. If that doesn't work, I can use an angel as a substitute. I have a way to extract the sacred meaning from them."
After all, it's about collecting the power of faith.
We need to fix the styling.
"As for the other Spirit, it's more like an ability than a Spirit."
First Soul Skill, Reflection — Necromancer Saint, Undead Scourge, Electrolux!
Those Ninth-Level Soul Engineers will definitely need to contact Electrolux.
If that's the case, why would An Zhen keep such a powerful force hidden?
A deathly gray necromantic power emerged, turning the boy's jet-black hair into an illusory gray, and transforming his clear eyes into deathly gray ones. Gray flames appeared out of thin air, transforming the chair beneath him into a necromantic throne.
In an instant, even An Qiuer jumped out of An Zhen's arms.
That was not a rejection of An Zhen.
Rather, it is the fear that living beings experience when they truly come into contact with death.
"How is it?" the Holy Son of the Undead asked.
Electrolux's legacy is divided into three parts, with the other two being taken by Long Haochen and Sheng Cai'er.
And he, An Zhen, will surely restore the glory of the necromancer!
Angels are my mercy.
The dead are my violence.