"I... I'm willing to submit..."
It felt as though a century had passed. Gu Yuena's expression shifted again and again. In the end, unable to face Di Tian's gaze, she lowered her head in utter humiliation and voiced her choice.
She possessed astonishing wisdom and understood that, at this point, she had no choice left.
For the sake of her entire clan, she believed she couldn't die yet.
As long as she was alive, anything was still possible.
If she died, then truly, nothing would be left.
"My Lord... you can't, my Lord..."
"Our Soul Beast Clan would rather die than submit to these lowly humans!"
When Di Tian heard Gu Yuena's words, he immediately cried out in anguish.
He knew his lord must be feeling unbearable pain and humiliation right now. But no matter what, she couldn't submit to these lowly humans!
[ Ding~ The Soul Beast Co-Lord, Silver Dragon King, has submitted to the host. Congratulations, host, on completing her taming! ]
Unfortunately, nothing Di Tian said could change things now. The moment Gu Yuena declared her submission, the Containment Shelter had completed her taming.
"Silence. He is my master now!"
Gu Yuena immediately rebuked Di Tian.
"My Lord... you..."
Hearing Gu Yuena address Lin Yue that way, Di Tian's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. His gaze was full of disbelief.
It wasn't just him. Bi Ji, Zi JI, and the others were also overcome with an indescribable sorrow. The Soul Beast Co-Lord of their Soul Beast Clan had been forced into submission by a human.
If even their lord had been treated this way, what about them?
Since when could their Soul Beast Clan be bullied at someone's whim?
"Gu Yuena, he's too noisy. Kill him!"
Just then, Lin Yue spoke, directly ordering Gu Yuena to kill Di Tian.
He'd said it already: this dragon had earned his death.
It had nothing to do with anything else.
Truthfully, Lin Yue quite admired Di Tian's loyalty and resolve.
But he was too defiant, and had voiced his opposition to Lin Yue time and again.
Besides, Lin Yue needed someone to make an example of.
Even though Gu Yuena had just submitted, that didn't mean the other Soul Beasts were willing to follow suit.
So he had to make an example of someone, to frighten the rest of the Soul Beasts.
Don't assume that the ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts in the original story truly refused to yield just because they all chose to self-destruct at the last moment.
They did it because they knew they were doomed. If they didn't self-destruct, their enemies would kill them and take their bones and Soul Rings.
If they succeeded in self-destructing, their enemies would get nothing.
But things were different now. Lin Yue was only forcing them to submit, not trying to kill them.
"Master, I can persuade him to submit to you."
Hearing Lin Yue's words, Gu Yuena's expression changed at once, and she hurriedly made the suggestion.
She didn't dare disobey Lin Yue's command, nor would she. But she still wanted to try to save Di Tian.
"No need!"
Lin Yue replied indifferently.
"My Lord..."
"Y-you really intend to obey the command of a lowly human?"
Di Tian looked at Gu Yuena in disbelief. He seemed to see the bleak fate awaiting the Soul Beast Clan.
What dignity would the Soul Beast Clan have left from now on?
"My Lord!"
"My Lord!"
Zi JI, Bi Ji, Xiong Jun, and the other Ferocious Beasts who had come with Gu Yuena grew anxious as well.
They could understand why Gu Yuena had submitted. Lin Yue was too despicable; he had given her no other choice.
Submit, or die.
But they hadn't expected Lin Yue to be so ruthless, ordering Gu Yuena to kill Di Tian straightaway.
"Yes, Master!"
Facing Di Tian's disbelieving gaze, Gu Yuena's eyes reddened too, but she still respectfully accepted Lin Yue's command.
"Di Tian, you dared to slight my master. You deserve to die!"
"Elemental Annihilation!"
BOOM—
Gu Yuena immediately struck, unleashing her mightiest attack toward Di Tian's heart.
"My Lord..."
Faced with Gu Yuena's attack, Di Tian's heart turned to ash. He gave up resisting and simply let her strike land.
"Di Tian!"
"My king!"
"Lord Beast God!"
Xiong Jun and the other Ferocious Beasts cried out in alarm.
PFF—
But before they could react, Gu Yuena's attack had pierced straight through Di Tian's heart.
They likely hadn't expected Di Tian to leave himself completely undefended and make no attempt to resist.
"Pff—"
Di Tian stared blankly at the hole in his chest. After spitting out a mouthful of vital blood, he turned to Xiong Jun and the others who served him. "Cough, cough... you... you must... take good care of my lord from now on..."
THUD—
Di Tian's body collapsed to the ground, and he breathed his last.
At the sight, Ice Empress, Snow Empress, and the other Soul Beasts were deeply shaken, their expressions all terribly grim.
Di Tian, so powerful, had died just like that.
They looked at Lin Yue with even greater fear.
"Now it's your turn..."
"Will you submit, or be destroyed?"
Lin Yue glanced indifferently at Di Tian's corpse, then looked toward the remaining Soul Beasts.
"In my capacity as the Soul Beast Co-Lord, I command you to submit to my master with me!"
After composing herself, Gu Yuena quickly stepped forward and spoke to the other Soul Beasts present.
When she finished, Gu Yuena led the way, kneeling on one knee before Lin Yue.
"Roar—"
"If you want to submit, then submit. Even if I die, I'll never bow to a lowly human!"
BOOM—
Faced with Lin Yue's coercion, one of the ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts roared and blew itself up on the spot.
It was a ten-thousand-year-old Honey Badger.
But the other Soul Beasts weren't swept up in its fervor after seeing it self-destruct. Just like humans, the longer they lived, the less they wanted to die.
There was only one Honey Badger like that.
Daming was the first to prostrate himself before Lin Yue.
"Roar—"
Seeing Daming do that, Erming let out a furious, sorrowful roar, then knelt as well.
[ Ding~ Sky Azure Bull Python has submitted. Congratulations, host, on completing its subjugation! ]
[ Ding~ Titan Giant Ape has submitted. Congratulations, host, on completing its subjugation! ]
[ Ding~ Bi Ji has submitted. Congratulations, host, on completing her subjugation! ]
[ ... ]
While Lin Yue was subduing the gathered Soul Beasts,
at Shrek Academy,
in Tang San's dormitory,
"Teacher, that's everything I went through!"
"I really didn't take over someone else's body. I simply lived one more lifetime than other people!"
Tang San, whose Martial Soul had already been crippled, confessed his past to Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiao San, from what you've told me, Tang Hao really did misunderstand you, just as you said!"
"Unfortunately, what's done is done. He won't listen to your explanation anymore!"
"And you've lost your value to him now!"
"To put it bluntly, Tang Hao acknowledged you before because of the value he saw in you. He saw a certain hope in you."
"Now that the Soul Beasts are gone, your talent can no longer be realized, and his hopes have been dashed. That's why he exploded in anger."
"Sigh..."
"I never expected Tang Hao to be that kind of person!"
After hearing Tang San's account, Yu Xiaogang was deeply shaken. He was eager to investigate many things about Tang San.
So he chose to believe Tang San at once, then bitterly denounced Tang Hao's actions.