Di Tian was the first to pledge his loyalty. The other Ferocious Beasts quickly followed suit.
Looking at the Ferocious Beasts before him, Tang Heng felt a little giddy with excitement.
Of the Ferocious Beasts standing before him, even setting Di Tian aside, Xiong Jun could easily defeat an Evil Soul Master with Three-Word Battle Armor. His strength was already at the demigod level, on par with a Limit Douluo.
The others, Myriad Monster King, Scarlet King, and Zi JI, were no weaklings either. They could hold their own against Super Douluos.
Bi Ji, whose true form was an Emerald Swan, also possessed extraordinary abilities in Douluo Continent, where medicine was underdeveloped and high-level treatment relied entirely on healing-type Soul Masters.
Soul Beasts as a whole might not measure up to humanity, but any one of them could give a faction trouble on their own. If they resorted to a few underhanded sneak attacks instead of fighting fair, Shrek, the Tang Sect, and the Spirit Pagoda would all have a tremendous headache.
And now, they were all his underlings!
"You'll all be carrying out missions from now on. It's important that you grow stronger. Since we're no longer in the Douluo Plane and don't have to endure Heavenly Punishment's suppression, go and raise your cultivation."
Xiong Jun scratched his head and said, a little thickheadedly, "I think I'd cultivate faster in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest. The energy of heaven and earth here isn't that rich."
Myriad Monster King nodded slightly as well. All he could see were plains and hills. A vast forest would have been far more suitable for his cultivation.
Tang Heng simply smiled and gestured for Di Tian and the others to gather around him.
The Ferocious Beasts were confused, but since it was the Venerable's command, they would obey.
With a thought, Tang Heng selected the Star Dou Great Forest on the map and teleported there with all of them.
As soon as the teleportation ended, Di Tian sensed a familiar presence. He froze.
"Th-this place really is..."
He hurriedly took to the sky and looked down over the land.
Dense forests stretched into the distance, their end nowhere in sight. Soul Beasts could be seen among the lush green trees.
Birdsong and insect chirps mingled with the roars of tigers and dragons.
"We're back. We're all back... The homeland in my memories!"
Staring at the forest beneath him, Di Tian could no longer hold back his emotions. He had never imagined that one day he would see the Star Dou Great Forest of the past again.
Now, back on Douluo Planet, all that remained of his homeland was a small patch of forest in the core area. Even the Lake of Life was nearly dried up.
That tiny forest had survived only because he had stubbornly kept guarding it, and the people in the Spirit Pagoda didn't want to fight him to the death.
Besides, the Spirit Pagoda still needed living Soul Beasts as specimens for its Soul Spirit research.
At last, the final trace of doubt in his heart vanished the moment he saw the Star Dou Great Forest again.
Whether Tang Heng was the Dragon God from another timeline no longer mattered much.
Di Tian felt that being able to see his homeland once more, and to see so many fellow Soul Beasts living freely in this forest, was enough. Even if he had to die tomorrow, he wouldn't have a single regret.
"Boss, look! It's the Lake of Life!"
Myriad Monster King came to the edge of a rippling lake and exclaimed with delight.
As a Plant-type Soul Beast, he loved places rich in natural energy and vitality. Cultivating in a place like this would be twice as effective with half the effort.
"What pure life force! And all this Life Gold—it's even more abundant than what we have, and the quality is excellent."
Myriad Monster King was thrilled.
The Star Dou Great Forest where they lived had once been the natural core of the plane, brimming with the breath of life.
But over the past ten thousand years, as humans had continually cut down forests and killed Soul Beasts, the natural core had shifted elsewhere.
On top of that, their master needed to recover from her injuries and had used up a great deal of Life Gold.
So the Lake of Life in the core area no longer had anywhere near as much life energy as it had ten thousand years ago.
"Heh heh, I love soaking in this lake. It's the best~"
Xiong Jun grinned. Myriad Monster King gave him a look of utter exasperation.
You bastard! That's what I drink every day, and you use it to wash your feet?
Unfortunately, Myriad Monster King could only grumble to himself. He didn't have what it took to teach Xiong Jun a lesson.
Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears were all reckless brutes, and Xiong Jun was the worst of them. He had even attacked their boss once and managed to injure him a little.
Xiong Jun transformed into his true form and leapt toward the Lake of Life, eager to dive in for a bath.
But just as he reached the shore, he spotted a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear in the lake.
"Hey, kid over there! Make some room. This Lord is taking a bath."
Xiong Jun shouted, striking a haughty, superior pose.
The newly reorganized million-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear turned around. The instant it saw Xiong Jun, it locked onto its target, sprang from the lake like a bolt, and lunged at him.
A Dark Gold Terrorclaw descended out of nowhere. Its terrifying pressure made even Di Tian's expression change as he shouted:
"Look out!"
Xiong Jun, thickheaded as ever, didn't react in time. He took the million-year-old member of his own kind's Dark Gold Terrorclaw straight to the face, and his health plunged.
Seeing that things were going badly, Tang Heng took the Ferocious Beasts back to the Overworld.
"This is a potion I refined from Life Gold. It works very well for treating injuries. Take some."
"Thank you for the gift, Venerable."
Di Tian took the potion and handed it to Xiong Jun.
Xiong Jun looked miserable. That earth-shattering blow had trampled the defense he was so proud of into the dirt.
His back was a bloody mess, the wound deep enough to expose bone. Even with Di Tian and Bi Ji working together, they couldn't completely dispel the tearing force embedded in his flesh. The pain had him gritting his teeth.
The last time he'd felt pain like this was when he'd tried to sneak attack their boss.
That fellow of the same kind was strong!
"You should understand: no humans disturb the Star Dou Great Forest in this world, and it isn't suppressed by the Dragon God's laws. So it's perfectly normal for some Soul Beasts to have lived for a very long time."
"When cultivating in the core area, watch out for those of your own kind. If they don't come looking for trouble, just keep your distance and don't provoke them."
Tang Heng explained. There was no fear in Di Tian's eyes as he listened. If anything, he looked excited.
For so many years, Di Tian had never felt pressured by any Soul Beast other than their master.
If he could use the strength of these powerful fellow Soul Beasts to temper himself, he would probably improve even faster!
Tang Heng warned the Ferocious Beasts about some of the Overworld's basic rules and taboos. Then he left Xiong Jun and the others in the Minecraft Plane to continue cultivating, and returned to Douluo Planet with Di Tian.
Na'er was still where they had left her, her little face streaked with tears. She looked heartbreakingly pitiful.
"Big Brother!"
The moment she saw Tang Heng, Na'er hurried over and threw herself into his arms.
Her petite body trembled slightly, and she unconsciously released a wisp of mental power to check whether Tang Heng was injured.
Tang Heng put an arm around Na'er's waist and comforted her softly. "Don't worry. I promised that I'd take care of everything. From now on, you don't have to shoulder the so-called fate of the Silver Dragon King. You're just my little sister, my Na'er."
Na'er lifted her little face and looked at Di Tian, who stood respectfully behind Tang Heng.
"Explain things to Na'er, and make sure you follow through on what you promised me. I'm going home for a bit so our parents don't worry."
"Yes, Venerable."
Before leaving, Tang Heng wiped the tears from the corners of Na'er's eyes and smiled before heading home ahead of them.
Di Tian looked at the somewhat bewildered 'master' and began to explain.
Before you continue