Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, beside a swamp shrouded in miasma, the canopies of ancient towering trees blotted out the sky and sun, leaving even moonlight struggling to penetrate.
Li Changsheng tread across the ground carpeted with decaying leaves, moving soundlessly through the dense forest. Now and then, he stepped on a dead branch with a faint crack, but the sound was swiftly swallowed by the surrounding chirps and beast roars.
The deeper he went, the denser the Soul Power fluctuations in the air became, even carrying a faint, elusive pressure—the aura unique to soul beasts over a hundred thousand years old. If ordinary soul masters ventured here, that pressure alone would be enough to frighten them out of their wits.
Yet Li Changsheng paid it no mind, as though he were merely taking a leisurely stroll.
Before long, he arrived at the core of the Star Dou Great Forest—the Lake of Life.
Just then, the ground began to tremble faintly. An enormous black shadow slowly rose from beneath the water. Its scales gleamed with a dark blue luster in the dim light, and its pair of lantern-sized golden vertical pupils suddenly lit up, locking firmly onto Li Changsheng.
It was the emperor of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King—Di Tian.
"You're here." Di Tian's voice was like a great bell, yet it carried not a trace of hostility.
His massive body slowly shrank before Li Changsheng, eventually transforming into a middle-aged man dressed in black robes. His features were stern, but his eyes held a measure of approval for Li Changsheng.
Li Changsheng glanced at him, then walked straight over and sat on a smooth bluestone. His tone was casual. "Mm-hm. Di Tian, how are the preparations for what I told you about?"