Yu Xiaogang paid no heed, even carrying an air of arrogant superiority, as though everyone else was drunk while he alone remained sober.
"The foundation of a Soul Master is the martial soul and Soul Power."
"These ingenious tricks are nothing more than a heretical path."
"Exploding with the power of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast without any Soul Power fluctuations? That violates the first principle of the Ten Core Competencies theory of the Soul Master World!"
"This Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking must be exaggerating and misleading the world!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, as though his authority had been gravely challenged.
In his eyes, if one could grow stronger without a martial soul, then wouldn't the theories he had studied his entire life become a joke?
Then what value did he, this "Grandmaster," still have?
Yet this time, no one echoed his words.
Ning Rongrong curled her lips, a trace of impatience flashing through her eyes.
"Grandmaster, the Heavenly Dao has even shown us the picture. How could it be fake?"
"Your theories are ancient history by now."
Ma Hongjun also muttered quietly from the side.
"Exactly. Is it really that hard to admit someone else is impressive?"
"If that Mechanical Beast's claw had come down, even a Titled Douluo would probably have had to dodge."
Though no one voiced their contempt outright, their gazes were like needles, pricking Yu Xiaogang all over and making him deeply uncomfortable.
His face flushed red as he was about to argue further.
Golden light erupted from the Heavenly Curtain once more.
This time, the mechanical voice from before was gone, replaced by a beastly roar that shook the soul.
Roar—!
The sound was vast and ancient, carrying a primal aura from the dawn of time.
The air throughout Chang'an City seemed to become thick and viscous in that instant.
[Heavenly Dao Power Ranking, Third Place!]
The golden light faded, revealing an endless sea of green forest.
[Star Dou Great Forest!]
The moment those five words appeared, every Soul Master across the continent felt their hearts skip a beat.
A soul beast faction?
How was that possible?
In the eyes of human Soul Masters, Soul Beasts had always been prey, sources of soul rings and Soul Bones.
Though powerful, they mostly fought alone and lacked intelligence.
How could they possibly form a massive organization ranked third on the Power Ranking?
Yet the picture gave humanity little time to think.
The view drew closer, passing through layers of mist and arriving at the deepest core of the Star Dou Great Forest.
It was a forbidden zone of life that even Titled Douluo did not dare enter lightly.
Beside the vast Lake of Life.
A black figure stood silently.
He was broad and muscular, his black hair hanging loose, his eyes like two bottomless black holes.
Beast God, Di Tian!
And deep within the lake, something even more terrifying seemed to be slumbering.
The view flashed past, revealing only a single corner of the silver giant dragon's scales.
Even from that fleeting glimpse, the suffocating dragon might passed through the Heavenly Curtain and forced countless low-level Soul Masters to kneel on the ground.
Gu Yuena!
Lord of Soul Beasts, Silver Dragon King!
Immediately afterward, massive Ferocious Beasts began flashing across the picture.
Three-Headed Crimson Demon Mastiff, Emerald Swan, Demonic Eye Demon Tree...
Every one of them was a super Ferocious Beast with cultivation exceeding two hundred thousand years!
[Power Leader: Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena (currently asleep), Beast God Di Tian.] [Core Members: The Ten Great Ferocious Beasts and an army of Soul Beasts numbering in the hundreds of thousands of years.] [Record: Has repeatedly repelled invasions by human Titled Douluo, protecting the soul beast race's last pure land.]
At this moment, everyone fell silent.
The Elders of the Clear Sky Sect put down the hammers in their hands.
The clan head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan trembled as he stared at the dragon shadow in the Heavenly Curtain.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Star Luo Imperial Family, and even Bibi Dong, who had just been plotting against Mechanism City.
Every face was filled with shock.
So it turned out that the true masters of this continent had never been humans.
Before this terrifying Soul Beast Empire, humanity's meager strength, once a source of pride, seemed so insignificant.
Then the reward descended.
[Star Dou Great Forest, Source of Ten Thousand Beasts.] [Bestowed: All Core Soul Beasts shall unconditionally gain between ten thousand and one hundred thousand years of cultivation!] [Additional Reward: Awaken Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena and restore thirty percent of her injuries!]
Boom!
The entire continent erupted.
Increasing cultivation was one thing.
Awakening the Silver Dragon King?
That legendary Lord of Soul Beasts?
This Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking was about to tear the sky of the Soul Master World apart!
Inside the Imperial Study of Daming Palace.
The atmosphere remained sensual, barely affected by the turmoil outside.
Li Xin reclined against a soft couch, idly turning an exquisite wine cup in his hand.
Wu Zetian had already lost her previous languidness.
Her long Beautiful Legs moved away from Li Xin's body, and her bare feet stepped onto the soft carpet.
The golden hem of her dress swayed gently with her movements, revealing an ankle as white as snow and jade.
Those phoenix eyes, once full of allure, now carried a measure of gravity.
"Soul Beasts..."
"I only knew that the Star Dou Great Forest was dangerous before, but I never expected it to hide so many monsters."
Wu Zetian walked to the window and looked at the Beast Tide picture covering the sky and earth on the Heavenly Curtain.
"That Silver Dragon King's aura alone makes one's heart tremble."
"If she truly awakens and leads the Soul Beasts in a counterattack against the human world..."
She turned around and looked at the man who still appeared utterly calm.
"Those not of our kind..."
Hearing this, Li Xin merely smiled faintly.
He set down his wine cup and beckoned to Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian walked over obediently and nestled into his embrace once more.
Li Xin's fingers lightly traced her smooth back, sending a faint shiver through her.
"They are merely a few larger wild beasts."
Li Xin's voice was as calm as though he were discussing the day's weather.
"That Gu Yuena, even at her peak, was only a God King."
"Besides, the Star Dou Great Forest is not the only soul beast faction in this world."
Wu Zetian froze slightly upon hearing that.
She raised her head and looked at Li Xin's sharply defined chin.
"There are others?"
"Could it be Haiyue Empire..."
Though she had always remained in Chang'an, she knew that Li Xin had an enormous overseas presence.
That unseen Haiyue Empire had always been a mystery in her heart.
Li Xin lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
"Haiyue has long since swallowed the Far North Land."
"The Ferocious Beasts you saw are merely the Land Overlords."
"And in the endless deep sea, as well as upon the Ice Plains of the Far North, there are no fewer powerful beings than in the Star Dou Great Forest."
Wu Zetian's rosy lips parted slightly. Clearly, she had been startled by the news.
"The Far North Land... was annexed?"
That was a forbidden zone among forbidden zones for humanity.
And it had actually been subdued by that woman Haiyue?
A fierce desire to compete rose within Wu Zetian's heart.
She was the Empress of Great Tang, ruling over countless people.
And Haiyue merely ruled as a tyrant over the seas.
Why could she achieve such a thing?
Before you continue