Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

"Are you asking me to save the Angel God?"

Lying on the ground, Chen Ming suddenly opened his eyes. It was already broad daylight. Everything within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes appeared tranquil and harmonious, yet Chen Ming inexplicably felt a sense of urgency.

No, it wasn't inexplicable. Chen Ming carefully sensed it and realized that this agitation stemmed from his connection to the consciousness of the world.

This wasn't the first time Chen Ming had interacted with the consciousness of the world, but in the past, the world consciousness had mostly been indifferent to him. This time, however, it was clear that the world consciousness wanted him to do something.

To save the Angel God, and not to involve others—otherwise, they would become pawns.

This was suspicious, incredibly suspicious, so much so that Chen Ming wondered if he had fallen victim to some mental-type Title Douluo's hundred-thousand-year ninth spirit ability.

But the connection between him and the world consciousness had undeniably deepened, and he could feel the urgency coming from the consciousness.

This feeling couldn't be faked. Even gods couldn't fake something like this. After all, to achieve such a feat, one would need to completely control the world consciousness or at least hold mastery over more than half of its authority.

During the era of Douluo 2, it might have been possible for Tang San's using his parents to impersonate the world consciousness. However, in this era, such deception was impossible.

Chen Ming took a deep breath, feeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The energy actively gathered toward his body, ready to be refined with just a single thought.

Raising the Poison God Staff in his hand, Chen Ming closed his eyes and carefully controlled it. Following his will, a thick, purple-black poisonous cloud surged out from the staff, condensing mid-air. Eventually, it took on a texture that resembled a cloud.

Chen Ming opened his eyes, stepped onto the cloud, and, with the assistance of the wind elements in the air, he truly stood atop it.

Just as Chen Ming began flying on the cloud, a gust of nameless wind blew directly toward him, as if trying to push him in a specific direction.

"I need to notify Grandpa first!"

Chen Ming complained to the world consciousness through their mental link. The consciousness immediately responded with a vague reply:

"I… will… send a dream… Hurry!"

Under the increasingly forceful wind, Chen Ming, standing atop the cloud, was forcibly blown toward the northwest of the Douluo Continent. He didn't even need to control his position or maintain his balance; his entire body moved forward in a straight line.

The strong wind continued for nearly a day before slowing down. For the last time, the voice of the world consciousness echoed in Chen Ming's mind:

"Beware of Asura."

With that single, complete reminder, Chen Ming felt his connection to the world consciousness abruptly severed.

The elements of heaven and earth continued to flow, and everything appeared normal. But Chen Ming alone could sense that the connection between soul masters and the Douluo world had been blocked by some formless power.

Jumping down from the cloud, Chen Ming began running forward at a rapid pace. Before long, a city came into view. However, the city gates were tightly shut. Large barricades were placed in front of the gates, the drawbridge had been raised, and the moat was teeming with ferocious carnivorous fish, with even one or two ten-year soul beasts mixed among them.

On the city walls, fully armed soldiers watched every corner vigilantly. Patrol teams moved back and forth, as if on high alert for an imminent threat.

The entire city had entered a state of war readiness. The soldiers seemed as tense as if they were bracing for an attacking army.

Yet this was the northwestern corner of the Douluo Continent, deep within the Heaven Dou Empire's territory. It was separated from the Star Luo Empire by an immense distance. Short of the Star Luo Empire annihilating the Heaven Dou Empire's army and invading all its territories, there shouldn't be any connection to war here.

Recalling the rumors he had heard at the Royal Academy a few days ago about Crown Prince Xue Qinghe inspecting accounts, Chen Ming narrowed his eyes.

"Could this be treason? An attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince?"

Chen Ming's eyes narrowed into slits, though he didn't jump to conclusions. If this were merely a plot to harm the Crown Prince, Qian Renxue's bodyguards alone would be enough to handle these people.

The world consciousness had mentioned pawns and the God of Asura.

Suppressing his aura, Chen Ming advanced toward the city at a normal pace. As soon as he entered the archers' line of sight, someone on the wall immediately beat a drum. A team of soldiers quickly gathered on the wall, and a large number of archers readied their bows.

"Who are you?"

The officer on the wall shouted through a speaking device of unknown origin. Beside him, several guards had already drawn their bows, their arrows aimed at Chen Ming.

Though it seemed excessive to make such a fuss over one person, this was the Douluo Continent. High-level combatants here were indeed capable of single-handedly decimating armies.

If it had been a small caravan passing through, they wouldn't have made such a fuss. But the more ordinary Chen Ming appeared, the more suspicious he seemed—could he be a top-tier soul master?

As subordinates of Earl Glamorgan, they were acutely aware that their current actions carried the penalty of death. Any negligence could result in the annihilation of their entire family.

"I'm just a passing soul master looking to resupply," Chen Ming shouted back, amplifying his voice to a level akin to that of a Soul Elder.

"This city does not welcome passing soul masters!" The officer responded curtly, still keeping a close eye on Chen Ming. After a moment of thought, he added:

"Recently, spies from the Star Luo Empire stole a storage soul tool containing ten years' worth of tax revenue from Earl Glamorgan. By the Earl's decree, no suspicious individuals may enter the city, and no suspicious persons may leave!"

Ten years' worth of taxes stolen at once? An entire decade's tax revenue packed into a single storage soul tool?@@novelbin@@

Chen Ming wasn't a child—he could easily recognize this as a cover-up.

Judging by their fully armed, battle-ready appearance, Chen Ming could tell with just a bit of thought that this so-called Earl Glamorgan was likely evading taxes owed to the Heaven Dou Empire and had pinned the blame on supposed Star Luo Empire spies.

These soldiers weren't preparing to deal with Star Luo spies; they were preparing for the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. At best, they might be trying to capture the prince for negotiation. At worst, they were outright rebelling.

"What am I supposed to do if I need to resupply?" Chen Ming asked.

"Follow the main road for five miles. Earl Glamorgan has set up a temporary marketplace where you can purchase supplies. If you go any further, you will face the wrath of Earl Glamorgan's army. Without the Earl's permission, no outsiders may enter the city, and no unauthorized individuals may proceed further!"

PS: This Asura God is similar to Tang San in Soul Land 2. Although meddling in mortal realms is forbidden, they still do it shamelessly.