Soul Land IV (Douluo Dalu) : Ultimate Fighting

820 – Mysterious Cave

“Okay, okay.” After the surprise, Lan Xuanyu’s heart was instantly filled with joy. Success, he actually succeeded.

Although based on previous experiences, it should have been this way. However, he was well aware of the difference between ten thousand years and one hundred thousand years! Breaking through to the level of one hundred thousand years meant something significant, and he understood it very well. From this moment on, he was no longer the weakest cultivator in the team. Moreover, he now possessed a Dragon Core that rivaled the Soul Cores. His cultivation itself should not be inferior to a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, especially with the characteristics of his Twin Martial Souls and Dragon God Bloodline, as well as the Dragon God Transformation. Facing Tang Yuge one-on-one, he should also have the power to fight. It was hard to say who would win or lose. Being the leader of the team, not having enough strength had always been his regret. After this breakthrough, everything should change.

He was eager to try out the extent of his cultivation improvement and the state of his combat abilities.

Elder Shu smiled faintly and said, “Senior Er Ming’s suggestion just now was indeed good. The Spirit Pagoda’s Ascension Platform is a good place to hone your skills. In the Advanced Ascension Platforms, you can encounter simulated soul beasts even at the level of a hundred thousand years. Fighting in there would be of great help. After we return, I will report to the academy and devise a solution for you. If we can weaken Spirit Pagoda’s Ascension Platform, I believe the Sea God Pavilion wouldn’t oppose the idea at all. However, we need to figure out how to cover up for you and avoid trouble from the Spirit Pagoda. Your true abilities should not be exposed yet.”

“Okay, I understand. I will follow your arrangements,” Lan Xuanyu quickly replied.

Just then, the green light converged, and in the next moment, they felt the ground beneath their feet.

The surroundings were still filled with greenery, just like in Sen Luo Planet. Lan Xuanyu wasn’t familiar with this place, so he naturally didn’t know where they had arrived. But judging from the flight time earlier, it should be quite far from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.

In front of them stood a green mountain range, undulating and stretching endlessly. Every peak was covered with all kinds of green vegetation, exuding a moist and vibrant aura of life.

Lan Xuanyu remained silent. Although he didn’t know where this place was, since Da Ming had brought them here, there must be something he wanted them to see.

Elder Shu, however, understood it well and approached Da Ming’s side.

With a flick of Da Ming’s wrist, something appeared in his hand. Lan Xuanyu was astonished to find that it seemed to be a metallic card.

Da Ming pressed on it, and instantly, a beam of light projected out from the card and landed ahead. Then he was shocked to see that with a creaking sound, the ground in front suddenly moved horizontally, revealing a huge entrance to an underground chamber. What’s more, the entrance appeared to be mostly made of metal.

Metal? This was the Sen Luo Planet, a world filled with soul beasts and the aura of life. A metallic underground chamber and it even looked quite high-tech. It truly subverted his understanding.

Da Ming walked inside first, followed closely by Elder Shu. Lan Xuanyu didn’t dare to lag behind and quickly followed suit, his heart filled with curiosity.

As they entered, the entrance behind them slowly closed.

The light underground was dim, but there were emerging lights around, and after a moment of adaptation, they could see clearly.

What exactly was this place? Lan Xuanyu was extremely curious. Most of the surroundings were rocks, indicating that they had been excavated, but many areas were reinforced with metal. Judging by the metallic feel, the metals used were of excellent quality, and some places were even alloys composed of rare metals mixed with common ones.

The deeper they went, the larger the underground chamber became. Soon, Lan Xuanyu saw a vast space.

Within this enormous space, it was approximately 300 meters high and several kilometers long and wide, incredibly immense. It was many times larger than the largest stadium Lan Xuanyu had ever seen.

From the walls around them, it was clear that this place had been excavated. In other words, the mountain he had seen earlier should be hollow inside.

He could also sense that there were specialized soul tools releasing energy, providing complete protection within. Although he didn’t know the specifics of these energies, there was no doubt that they had the ability to isolate external exploration.

Was this a secret place of the soul beasts on the Sen Luo Planet?

The cavern was very spacious, with nothing visible. But in the next moment, everything changed.

Da Ming waved the card in his hand, and a glimmer of light flickered. Then he took a step forward, and his body disappeared as if it were water ripples.

While Lan Xuanyu was still amazed, Elder Shu pulled him and followed suit.

A strange energy fluctuation swept over them, and in the next moment, a cacophony of sounds emerged, accompanied by a complete upheaval of the scenery before their eyes.

The cavern was still the same massive underground chamber, but within it, Lan Xuanyu could clearly see countless busy figures. They were soul beasts of all kinds, all bustling about. What shocked Lan Xuanyu the most was the massive figure at the center of it all.

It was a colossal body measuring over three hundred meters in length, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a gigantic soul beast. The soul beast resembled a large bird, but its entire body was covered in scales without any feathers. The scales were silver and emitted a brilliant radiance. The massive body lay prostrate there, unmistakably devoid of any signs of life.

A corpse? The corpse of a powerful soul beast?

The soul beasts bustling around it seemed to be coming and going around its body. When their bodies approached the gigantic soul beast, a silver light would shimmer, and they would autonomously burrow into it, then disappear.

What were they doing? A big question mark appeared in Lan Xuanyu’s mind.

Da Ming turned to Elder Shu by his side and said, “The basic work has been completed. The next step is the experimental process. Once the experiment is successful, we will continue with the manufacturing. Please explain it to Xuanyu.”

“Okay.” Elder Shu nodded, and Lan Xuanyu couldn’t wait to look at him.

Elder Shu spoke solemnly, “This is a project, a collaborative effort between our academy, the Tang Sect, and the Sen Luo lineage of soul beasts. This project is called the Biological Warship. The colossal beast you see before you is an extinct soul beast that existed in ancient times called the Silver Armored Great Peng. It had a cultivation base of one hundred thousand years. It used to exist on the same level as the Phoenix. After its death, its body did not completely decompose, leaving behind this massive corpse.”

“With the development of our soul technology, soul beasts have become increasingly weaker in the face of humanity. They don’t have soul tools, warships, or spacecraft. Even divine-level powerhouses cannot travel across space without the support of our Battle Armor. So, Senior Da Ming proposed to the academy whether there was a way to grant them the ability to fly in space. After years of research, the Biological Warship project was born.”

Lan Xuanyu’s lips moved, wanting to say something, but he held back.

“Are you wondering why the Biological Warship project seems to only benefit us soul beasts, and why the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy are helping us?” Da Ming asked Lan Xuanyu.

Lan Xuanyu felt somewhat embarrassed but nodded nonetheless. After all, in the past, soul beasts and humans were known to be in opposition. Setting aside how the Biological Warship project was executed and completed, if soul beasts became too powerful, wouldn’t that pose a threat to humanity once again?

Da Ming spoke with a deep voice, “Firstly, it is true that we are collaborating with humans. However, our true trust lies not in the Douluo Federation but in Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect. For us soul beasts, we need the ability to protect ourselves. Even though we live on Sen Luo Planet and it seems like we have our own place, in reality, everything is still under the control of the Douluo Federation. We don’t truly have our own freedom. But once the Biological Warship experiment is successful, we will be able to explore the outside world, to seek our own living space without being controlled by humans.”