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A chilling surge of soul power erupted, plunging the surrounding forest into darkness.
Even Da Ming, who had seen extraordinary sights in the God Realm, couldn't help but blanch at this overwhelming display of might.
"Seeking death!" Di Tian roared furiously, instantly transforming back into his true form—the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King.
With Di Tian's discerning eye, he could clearly see the cultivation levels of Da Ming and Er Ming. Having lost his godly powers due to the passage of time, Di Tian had no choice but to unleash his full strength to subdue them.
"Dragon God Claw!!!"
Though not as potent as it once was, this Dragon God Claw far surpassed techniques like Mu En's "Dominion Over Heaven and Earth." It was a direct inheritance from the strongest God King of old.
A massive dragon claw enveloped the forest, seemingly intent on annihilating everything beneath it.
Da Ming's eyes widened in panic—he couldn't remember the last time he had faced such an imminent threat of death.
Instinctively, Da Ming unleashed his restraints.
A much smaller Azure Dragon appeared, defiantly meeting the descending black dragon claw head-on.
Though vastly disproportionate in size, Da Ming's True Body—Azure Dragon—was powered by divine energy. Even though Di Tian employed the authentic teachings of the Dragon God, the disparity in power levels caused his attack to crumble.
The moment the Dragon God Claw shattered, Di Tian understood—it was clear that the opponent was a servant of the God Realm.
At this moment, Ye Wen's voice reached Di Tian's ears.
"The two of them are high-ranking officials of the newly appointed Asura God King in the God Realm. They were originally two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts residing near the outskirts of the Lake of Life ten thousand years ago. You'd best tread carefully."
Di Tian glanced over. Ye Wen still appeared calm and composed, seemingly unfazed by the terrifying god-level forces before him.
But from those few words alone, Di Tian could tell that this human was far more than he appeared.
Still, Ye Wen bore no ill will.
The pressing matter now was these two traitors of the soul beast race.
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Da Ming seemed to realize his mistake in using divine energy and quickly restrained himself, reverting to his quasi-god level while maintaining the imposing Azure Dragon form to face off against Di Tian's Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King.
Strangely, neither side made a move, each wary of the other.
Da Ming inwardly sighed in relief. Di Tian's Ultimate Darkness was so overwhelming that even his earlier use of divine energy had been masked, avoiding detection from the God Realm.
Moreover, after their direct clash, Da Ming realized that Di Tian wasn't as formidable as he had feared. Though his current quasi-god level was slightly inferior to Di Tian's, there was no need to be overly intimidated.
By this time, Er Ming had recovered and, seeing the situation, re-entered his True Body form. The three colossal beasts now stood in a tense standoff.
Di Tian's stern gaze narrowed.
The Titan Ape clan had suffered heavy losses in a great battle long ago, so Di Tian still vaguely remembered the presence of the sole hundred-thousand-year Titan Ape. As for Da Ming's original Azure Bull Python form, it was a unique mutation—its aura unmistakable. Even after evolving into the Azure Dragon, traces of its former self remained.
These two had once been among the most talented individuals of the soul beast race, though they paled in comparison to figures like Xiong Jun or Chi Wang. Thus, Di Tian hadn't considered cultivating them or even meeting them. He had merely let them know of the terrifying presence at the center of the Lake of Life, indirectly making them guardians of the lake.
Yet Di Tian never expected that these two juniors, whom he had once looked down upon, would ascend to godhood before him—even if only as minor officials without divine thrones.
A tiger fallen on hard times is bullied by dogs. Especially since Di Tian still had to protect his master, the Silver Dragon King, he dared not take risks—even though Da Ming and Er Ming were no longer under the banner of the former Asura God King.
Thus, pretending not to recognize Da Ming and Er Ming, Di Tian growled coldly:
"Humans, I'll spare you out of respect for your hard-earned cultivation. Leave the Star Dou Forest now, or don't blame me for being merciless!"
As he spoke, Di Tian exuded a chilling killing intent. The blood on his hands as the former guardian of the Dragon God far outweighed anything Da Ming and Er Ming could claim.
Da Ming and Er Ming exchanged glances.
In the past, they hadn't known Di Tian personally. They only knew of the terrifying presence at the center of the Lake of Life. Even their mother, Ah Rou, who was Xiao Wu's mother, had mentioned how Xiao Wu's father and brother had vanished forever during an exploration of the lake's center. From then on, the heart of the Lake of Life became a forbidden zone for their family.
However, Da Ming and Er Ming harbored no hatred for Di Tian.
Their ties were with Xiao Wu and Ah Rou—not with some father or brother they didn't even recognize.
But they were here on Tang San's orders. For Tang San's faith-based power, they needed to ensure Tang Wulin greatly revitalized the Tang Sect—a task that required securing the strand of fate tied to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Da Ming spoke up: "Beast God Di Tian, we mean no harm. We've come simply to borrow that soul beast for a short while. We'll return it unharmed—I assure you, we won't harm its life."
Instantly, Di Tian's gaze turned even colder.
Though the Three-Eyed Golden Lion wasn't his child, years of raising it had fostered some attachment. Moreover, as the Emperor Auspicious Beast, it accelerated the cultivation of other soul beasts, providing a steady flow of faith-based power to Di Tian. Such a precious asset could not be allowed to suffer even the slightest injury.
Without hesitation, Di Tian barked, "Leave!"
Seeing that negotiation was impossible, Da Ming and Er Ming knew they had no choice but to fight. However, Ye Wen's presence nearby kept them on edge.
Suddenly, Da Ming's eyes darted, and he addressed Ye Wen: "Tianxing Douluo, how about we join forces against Beast God Di Tian? My brother and I can promise you—after killing Di Tian, his soul rings, soul bones, and even his corpse will all belong to you. We only want that little guy."
Ye Wen's lips twitched. Even after ten thousand years, though the cultural level of the Douluo Continent hadn't improved much, Da Ming clearly hadn't learned much about human cunning.
An 800,000-year-old Di Tian versus a 10,000-year-old soul beast? There was no comparison. If there was any, it only proved the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's value was far greater.
Ye Wen shot Da Ming a disdainful glance, as if saying, 'Do you think I'm stupid?'
This left Da Ming visibly embarrassed, but the situation left no room for further contemplation of why Ye Wen was looking at him that way.
Because Di Tian was truly enraged.
"Insolence! Die!"
Di Tian had remained silent earlier because he was thinking. Though the God Realm of Douluo was no longer the era of the Dragon God, every era required rules to maintain the realm's operation.
After brief analysis, Di Tian noted that Da Ming had retracted his divine energy, indicating restraint—likely due to the new God Realm's restrictions.
If both sides were quasi-gods, who was afraid of whom?!
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