The Crimson Domain—an upgraded version of the Abyssal Plane. If the Abyssal Plane could be compared to the Douluo Plane, then the Crimson Domain would be equivalent to the Douluo God Realm.
The Abyssal Plane, having split off from the Crimson Domain, was only a small part of it. Their relationship was fundamentally one of subordination.
For over six thousand years, the Douluo Plane had been plagued by the Abyssal Plane and the Abyssal Sage King. But they were merely following the orders of the Crimson Domain's ruler—the Mother of Crimson.
As the sovereign of the Crimson Domain, the Mother of Crimson possessed a half-step God King cultivation.
Through the immense energy devoured by the Crimson Domain over the years from across the universe, the Mother of Crimson had long possessed enough power to break through to the God King level.
However, breaking through required more than just power. Her understanding of laws and forces was lacking. That deficiency had prevented her from advancing further.
Once she had reached the half-step God King level, she found herself unable to progress, and the excess power within her was then split off, which led to the creation of the Crimson Domain itself.
At this moment, however, the Mother of Crimson was excited—for the first time in countless years, she saw a chance to break through to the level of God King.
Right before his death, the Abyssal Sage King transmitted an image to her—the image showed Leng Yaozhu breaking through in spiritual power to the Divine Origin Realm.
Though it only lasted a few minutes, the Mother of Crimson saw her breakthrough opportunity within it.
The Abyssal Sage King had once aimed to capture Leng Yaozhu. If he could obtain her cultivation method, he believed he could ascend to God King and escape the Mother of Crimson's control.
Unfortunately, just after arriving at the Douluo Plane, he was killed by Gu Yue and the Nine Dragon Kings.
In his final moments, the Abyssal Sage King sent the image of Leng Yaozhu's breakthrough and information on the Douluo Plane's energy system to the Mother of Crimson.
If he could see hope for a breakthrough in Leng Yaozhu, then surely the Mother of Crimson could as well.
As long as she desired to break through, she would certainly avenge him—and maybe even resurrect him.
In his eyes, even counting Gu Yue, the Douluo Plane had only ten second-level gods. Even with the Plane's consciousness on their side, they stood no chance against the Mother of Crimson.
Just as he had predicted, upon receiving the transmission, the Mother of Crimson immediately set out from the Crimson Domain toward the Douluo Plane.
"Maybe the Douluo Plane has hidden powers… but so what? Could they possibly rival the Crimson Domain?" the Mother of Crimson murmured to herself, reassuring her confidence.
Had it not been for Leng Yaozhu's extreme importance, she would never have acted personally.
Though the Crimson Domain had hundreds of ultra-divine-level powerhouses comparable to first-level gods, it also had an obvious weakness.
All these ultra-divine beings had been split off from the Mother of Crimson herself. Just as all abyssal creatures died with the Abyssal Sage King, if she died, all life in the Crimson Domain would die with her—including those powerful beings.
The Mother of Crimson understood this flaw. That's why she typically remained in the Crimson Domain, commanding subordinates like the Abyssal Sage King to gather energy throughout the universe.
Her personal appearance now, disregarding the safety of the Crimson Domain, showed just how much she valued Leng Yaozhu.
Her resolve was absolute.
"This speed is still too slow. Taking the whole Crimson Domain with me—we might never reach the Douluo Plane at this rate," she said, watching as the gathered ultra-divine-level beings assembled. Then, she finally revealed herself.
The Mother of Crimson stood about 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a flowing dark-red gown. Her face was stunning, framed by long, dark-red hair cascading behind her. Her pale skin gleamed with a gentle radiance, and her whole being emitted an otherworldly aura.
On both sides of her cheeks were crimson magic marks, strange patterns made of curves and sharp triangles. These weren't mere markings—they felt alive, radiating a soft glow.
Her eyes were a deep crimson, as radiant as rubies—but within those ruby-like pupils, one could faintly glimpse the starry expanse of the universe.
Her fingers were long and slender, like spring onions. The fingernails at the tips of her delicate hands extended over a foot in length, a deep red color, shimmering with an iridescent gleam.
"Mother!" the hundreds of ultra-divine-level beings knelt in unison. Created or split off from her, like the Abyssal Sage King, they all revered her as "Mother."
"No need for formalities," the Mother of Crimson raised her hand slightly. Looking at them, she asked solemnly, "I'm thinking of going to the Douluo Plane ahead of you. You'll follow later with the Crimson Domain. What do you think?"
"That's too dangerous, Mother! If something happens to you, the entire Crimson Domain will be annihilated!" they responded without hesitation. Of course, if she died, so would they. How could they let her take such a risk?
"I've already made up my mind," the Mother of Crimson raised her hand again to silence them. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Without absolute certainty, I won't expose myself."
Due to years of hunting and pursuit from various god realms, the Mother of Crimson had developed a mastery of concealment and escape techniques.
If she didn't want to be found, even a God King would have trouble detecting her.
If she could infiltrate the Douluo Plane, she believed she could uncover all hidden powerhouses.
If none could threaten her, perhaps she could claim what she needed from Leng Yaozhu even before the Crimson Domain arrived.
She had absolute confidence in her own ability.
"Douluo Plane… God King level… here I come." After explaining everything, the Mother of Crimson transformed into a streak of red light and shot out of the Crimson Domain, disappearing into the depths of space after several spatial jumps—far faster than the Crimson Domain itself.
She continued with space jumps for several years, bypassing all planets. She wasn't sure how many light-years she had crossed when she finally appeared outside the atmosphere of the Douluo Plane.
"So this is the Douluo Plane… Not bad. I'm here." The Mother of Crimson smiled faintly and was just about to step forward into the plane.
But in that instant, she suddenly looked up. In her ruby eyes, the starry sky began to rhythmically pulse, as if orbiting some unseen force.
"This is… a God Realm. Someone has created a God Realm—a powerful one." The Mother of Crimson's expression froze. She couldn't see it, but with her cultivation, she could clearly sense the pressure of an immensely strong God Realm.
The stars were orbiting due to the gravity of this newly formed divine realm.
"A God Realm of this caliber… must have a God King sitting in it." Her face turned pale.
Had the Crimson Domain arrived with her, she wouldn't fear even a God King—unless there were many. But now, she was alone. If a God King discovered her, she and the entire Crimson Domain could be annihilated.
"To be able to create such a powerful God Realm… the Douluo Plane must hold many secrets—and my chance to break through. But to turn back now, without even setting foot in the plane… I can't accept that!" She clenched her teeth, then took a step forward, disappearing into the atmosphere of the Douluo Plane.
Shrek City, Spirit Pagoda Sub-Branch
"I hereby announce—the annual recruitment of the Spirit Pagoda begins now!" As the gates slowly opened, a wave of outstanding talents from across the continent surged into the tower.
Though the Spirit Pagoda had joined the Sun-Moon Federation, and the Shrek City branch had been downgraded to a sub-branch while the Mingdu branch was elevated to Headquarters, the core technologies and powers still resided within the Shrek City Spirit Pagoda.
Therefore, for recruitment, the majority of applicants still flocked to Shrek City.
(End of Chapter)