Su Chen looked at the faint thread of lightning winding around the surface of the giant egg, and the corner of his mouth curved in satisfaction.
At this rate, the pure-blooded Green-Scaled Eagle would hatch in less than half a month.
He put away his Unique Cave Heaven and was just about to get up and wash.
Outside, a faint set of footsteps suddenly sounded.
Then the Green-Clad Attendant's voice came from beyond the door.
"Shopkeeper."
"There's a guest outside in a black robe who says he'd like to see you."
Su Chen's hand paused slightly as he held his teacup.
He didn't even need to sense who was standing outside to guess.
"Let him in."
Su Chen set down his teacup and sat back in his grand chair.
Before long, someone gently pushed the door open from outside.
A middle-aged man clad in black armor, his long black hair falling over his shoulders, stepped into the room.
His steps were exceptionally steady, but the moment he entered, he proactively reined in every trace of his aura, even suppressing his breathing to the utmost.
It was none other than Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King and one of the true rulers of the Star Dou Forest.
Di Tian entered the room, his gaze lingering on Su Chen for a moment.
Then this peerless Ferocious Beast, who had lived for eight hundred thousand years on Douluo Continent and thought nothing of even humanity's strongest experts, bent both knees and knelt before Su Chen.
"This junior, Di Tian,"
"pays his respects to Mr. Su."
Di Tian's voice was low, his manner exceedingly respectful.
Looking at Di Tian kneeling on the ground, Su Chen wasn't surprised.
He merely leaned back in his chair and looked at him with a placid gaze.
"An eight-hundred-thousand-year-old Black Dragon King."
"You're one of the beings at the very peak of Douluo Continent."
Su Chen spoke casually:
"There's no need for such a grand gesture. Get up and speak."
Hearing Su Chen reveal his identity and cultivation at once, Di Tian's heart jolted, and his reverence for Su Chen deepened further.
He slowly rose, but still kept his back slightly bowed, not daring to overstep in the slightest.
"Mr. Su possesses divine powers beyond measure. This junior's meager abilities are but a glowworm's light before you."
Di Tian spoke with utmost sincerity.
"This junior has already seen the Bone Text Precious Technique that Da Ming and Er Ming brought back last night."
"By bestowing such a heaven-defying technique upon us, you have shown the Soul Beast Clan a kindness akin to giving us a new lease on life."
At this, Di Tian drew a deep breath.
He looked up at Su Chen, his eyes filled with the resolve of one who had burned his boats.
"This junior has dared to come today to ask you a favor."
Su Chen looked at him and spoke mildly.
"For the woman beneath Life Lake, who was gravely wounded?"
Di Tian nodded repeatedly.
"Since you know of Lord's existence, you must also know how severe the Dao injury within her is."
"Today, this junior heard you tell the story of Willow Deity bestowing dew to create a god."
Di Tian swallowed, his tone turning exceedingly urgent.
"This junior wishes to know whether you still possess such an unparalleled divine treasure capable of repairing the laws of one's origin."
"If you're willing to heal Lord,"
Di Tian clasped his fists fiercely.
"the million Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest are willing to serve you, generation after generation!"
"Even if you want this junior's Dragon Core, I won't hesitate!"
Looking at Di Tian, who seemed willing to give everything, Su Chen gave a faint laugh.
"Your Dragon Core?"
"I really have no interest in the Dragon Core of a mere eight-hundred-thousand-year cultivator like you."
The words were exceedingly arrogant, but Di Tian didn't dare show even the slightest displeasure. He could only lower his head with an awkward smile.
Su Chen lightly tapped the tabletop twice.
"If she wants treatment, let her come see me herself."
"What, does she think she's so important that I need to personally deliver the medicine to her?"
Di Tian's expression changed instantly. He hurriedly waved his hands and explained.
"Mr. Su, you've misunderstood!"
"Lord has no such intention!"
"It's just that the methods those false gods from the Divine Realm left behind back then are far too vicious."
"The Dragon God Core within Lord has developed a crack. The slightest misstep could attract the Divine Realm's attention."
"She can't leave Life Lake at all right now."
"If she forces her way out, not only will her Dao injury erupt completely, but she'll also draw the combined attack of those God Kings!"
Hearing Di Tian's explanation, Su Chen gradually let the smile fade from his face.
"The Divine Realm's attention?"
"Several God Kings?"
Su Chen slowly rose and went to the window, pushing it open.
"Go back and tell her."
"As long as she steps across the threshold of my Listening Rain Pavilion,"
Su Chen turned around, his gaze domineering.
"don't mention a few so-called God Kings."
"Even if the entire Divine Realm came out in force,"
Su Chen picked up the folding fan on the table and snapped it open.
"if I let them bring down even a single bolt of lightning over Heavenly Dou Imperial City..."
"I'll write my surname Su upside down."
Su Chen spoke so casually, but his words struck Di Tian's ears like thunder.
The Divine Realm.
The God Kings.
They were the butcher's blade hanging over every Soul Beast's head.
For hundreds of thousands of years, whenever the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Forest even mentioned the Divine Realm, they had breathed with extra care.
But this young man in white treated the Divine Realm as nothing.
He even dared to declare that the entire Divine Realm could come out in force.
Di Tian looked at Su Chen's calm eyes.
He realized Su Chen wasn't joking, nor was he putting on a show.
It was the gaze of someone looking down from above, straight from the heart.
"This junior understands."
Di Tian took a deep breath and bowed even lower.
"This junior will relay your words to Lord, every last one."
"If Lord decides to come, this junior will personally hold your reins and whip."
With that, Di Tian bowed deeply to Su Chen once more.
He didn't linger any longer. He slowly backed toward the door, opened it, and left.
Not a single footstep sounded in the corridor. Di Tian's aura soon vanished completely from Listening Rain Pavilion.
Su Chen was alone in the room once more.
He went to the table and poured out the cup of tea that had gone cold.
"System, bring up the lottery panel."
Su Chen issued the command in his mind.
[ Ding! The God-Level Lottery Wheel has been activated. Each draw costs two million popularity points.] [Remaining popularity points: 12.8 million.]
"Draw five times in a row."
Su Chen didn't hesitate.
Popularity points only had their greatest value when converted into tangible trump cards.
[ Ding! One million popularity points deducted. The lottery begins...]
Before his eyes, the ancient wheel began to spin rapidly.
The pointer swept past one slot after another.
[ Ding! Better luck next time.] [ Ding! Better luck next time.]
Two consecutive empty draws rang out.
Su Chen's expression didn't change. The odds on the God-Level Wheel were low to begin with, so empty draws were normal.
Then the pointer began to slow, finally stopping squarely on a section radiating dazzling golden light.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've drawn one of the Ten Fiends' precious techniques: Kunpeng Precious Technique (Complete)!]
Hearing the name, a glint flashed in Su Chen's eyes.
Kunpeng Precious Technique!
An unparalleled technique of one of the Ten Primordial Evils.
It could transform into a roc and soar ninety thousand li, commanding ultimate speed and ferocious power;
it could also transform into a Kun, sink into the depths of the sea, and devour the heavens and earth.
It was an unrivaled precious technique that evolved the power of yin and yang to the extreme.
With this technique, Su Chen's shortcomings in movement and close-quarters combat would be completely made up for.
The wheel continued to spin.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've drawn an item from Perfect World: Willow Deity Nirvana Liquid (one drop)!] [ Ding! Better luck next time.]
The five draws were over.
Su Chen immediately claimed his prizes.
A vast and profound body of knowledge surged into his mind.
It contained the complete cultivation method and combat insights for the Kunpeng Precious Technique.
Su Chen closed his eyes, and the Unique Cave Heaven behind his head slowly appeared.
A golden Kunpeng phantom swam within his cave heaven, then transformed into countless golden runes that were deeply imprinted into his bones and blood.
Su Chen opened his eyes and clenched his fist.
He could feel his physical strength had increased tremendously once more. His body felt incredibly light, as though he could tear through space at any moment.
Then he looked at the small jade bottle that had appeared in his palm.
Inside, a single drop of emerald-green liquid floated quietly.
The drop radiated an extremely rich vitality. Just one breath of its wafting scent swept away an entire day's worth of Su Chen's fatigue.
"Willow Deity Nirvana Liquid."
Su Chen put the bottle into his Spatial Ring.
His words to Di Tian hadn't been empty talk. With this drop of Nirvana Liquid, no matter how badly the Silver Dragon King was injured, she could recover instantly.
After finishing, Su Chen went to the washbasin and splashed his face, took off his outer robe, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.
Night deepened, and Listening Rain Pavilion was utterly quiet.
Meanwhile, in a rundown slum on the outer edge of Heavenly Dou Imperial City,
the steady drizzle had turned the streets into mud, and the air reeked of mildew.
Inside a shabby inn whose signboard was nearly falling off,
Tang San sat on a hard wooden bed.
His hair was a little disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the flickering flame of the oil lamp before him.
In the narrow, damp room,
Yu Xiaogang paced back and forth before the bed with his hands behind his back and his brow tightly furrowed.
Flender sat on a rickety wooden chair, holding a cup of cheap tea as he lowered his head and sighed.
Zhao Wuji leaned against the wall, bandages still wrapped around him.
"Teacher."
Tang San suddenly spoke:
"My father was taken away by Xue Qinghe. I don't know whether he's alive or dead."
"That storyteller put my father up for auction in front of all those people, treating him like a pig or a dog."
"If I don't avenge this, I, Tang San, am no son!"
At his words, Yu Xiaogang stopped pacing and looked at Tang San with a sigh.
"Sang, your father is in Xue Qinghe's hands. For now, his life isn't in danger."
"What the Heaven Dou Imperial Family wants is the Soul Bone on him and the Clear Sky Sect's cultivation techniques. Until they get those, they won't kill him."
Yu Xiaogang walked to the table and sat down.
"Our most urgent task now is dealing with that Su Chen."
Flender raised his head, his face bitter.
"Grandmaster, there's something seriously wrong with that man."
"I went out to gather information today. Guess what I heard?"
Flender swallowed.
"Clear Sky Sect's Sect Master, Tang Xiao, took five elders with him to Listening Rain Pavilion to cause trouble. Every one of them was a Titled Douluo."
"In the end, that Su Chen swallowed the Clear Sky Array they unleashed together with a single black ring of light."
"Now Tang Xiao and those five elders have all had their legs broken, and they're kneeling outside Listening Rain Pavilion."
When Flender finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Even Tang San's pupils contracted sharply.
Uncle? Uncle had taken Clear Sky Sect's elders to rescue Father, only for all of them to be subdued?
Six Titled Douluo!
Tang San felt it growing hard to breathe.
What kind of monster was that Su Chen?
Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted as he took in the news.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Flender, you've been fooled by appearances."
Yu Xiaogang tapped the tabletop, his tone utterly certain.
"I've studied that Su Chen carefully."
"There isn't the slightest trace of Soul Power fluctuation from him, and he has no Martial Soul. That means he isn't a Spirit Master at all."
"How could an ordinary person possibly defeat a Titled Douluo?"
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang.
"Teacher, you mean...?"
A flash of keen insight passed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
"A formation—or, more precisely, some powerful Soul Tool left behind from ancient times."
"Think back. Ever since we entered Listening Rain Pavilion, has Su Chen ever left that raised platform of his?"
"Has he ever stepped outside Listening Rain Pavilion?"
Flender and Zhao Wuji exchanged a glance and thought it over, then shook their heads at the same time.
"Exactly."
Yu Xiaogang slapped the table.
"All his power, all those unbelievable feats, depend on Listening Rain Pavilion."
"That teahouse is itself a massive defensive formation. That black ring of light is the core of the formation."
"As long as he stays inside it, he really is impervious to every attack."
"But the moment he leaves that building, he'll be a cripple who can't even fight a chicken!"
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's analysis, Tang San's eyes gradually lit up.
He thought his teacher made perfect sense. There was no way anyone in this world could become invincible without cultivating.
"Teacher, even if he depends on the formation, there's nothing we can do if he stays inside and refuses to come out."
Tang San gritted his teeth.
"He has the formation, and now even Emperor Xue Ye and Bibi Dong are trying to win him over. We can't even get close to him."
Yu Xiaogang gave a cold laugh.
"Sang, have you forgotten what your greatest advantage is?"
"A formation can block Soul Skills and devour Soul Power."
"But can it block physical objects? Can it block poison?"
Tang San's head snapped up.
Tang Sect Hidden Weapons!
Tang Sect Poison!
Countless names of the Tang Sect Ultimate Arts flashed through his mind.
"Teacher, I understand."
Tang San got out of bed and walked to the table. From Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, he took out a blueprint and several black metal components.
"Soul Power attacks won't work on him."
"Then I'll use pure physical Hidden Weapons, combined with the Tang Sect's deadly poison."
Tang San's gaze turned utterly resolute.
"This poison is colorless and odorless."
"Just a trace of it is enough to turn even a Titled Douluo into a pool of blood within three steps."
"Doesn't he like telling stories?"
"Tomorrow, while he's telling one, I'll find the perfect distance."
"The moment his formation shows the slightest opening, my Hidden Weapon will pierce straight through his throat."
But as Flender looked at the metal components gleaming coldly in Tang San's hand, he couldn't help feeling worried.
"Sang, Listening Rain Pavilion is full of powerful people now. If we fail, we'll all die there."
Tang San turned to look at Flender.
"Dean, I have no way back."
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