Di Tian's Concerns

As the figures of Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong vanished completely beyond the Star Dou Forest, the lingering ripples of annihilation and eternal divine power surging within the Crystal Palace gradually subsided.

Di Tian, accompanied by Bi Ji, Bear Lord, Ten Thousand Demon King, and Scarlet King, stood bowing beneath the dais.

Yet, this 830,000-year-old Beast God, whose dark golden eyes had been filled with excitement and fanaticism while receiving the blessing of the Dragon God, now held only a deep, impenetrable worry.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his fingers unconsciously clenched until his knuckles turned white.

He stood in place, wanting to speak several times, but whenever his gaze met Gu Yuan's on the main seat, the words died in his throat. His shoulders were slightly tense, and the entire beast radiated an undisguised restlessness.

Behind him, Bi Ji also frowned slightly, her emerald eyes filled with concern. She tugged gently on Di Tian's sleeve and whispered, "Di Tian, just say what you have to say. The Supreme One is discerning; he will surely understand our concerns."

Bear Lord chimed in with a muffled, gruff voice, "Exactly! Just spit it out! Don't be so wishy-washy like a woman! Lord Dragon God is here, what is there that cannot be said?"

Ten Thousand Demon King also hunched his back and nodded, "We all harbor the same worries in our hearts; if you don't speak, we don't know how to bring it up either."

The gazes of all the fierce beasts fell upon Di Tian.

Like him, they all carried a heavy stone in their hearts. Ever since Gu Yuan proposed that Qian Renxue and her mother establish the Douluo Hall and cultivate countless human powerhouses, this stone had hung over them, though they had been too intimidated by the occasion to speak rashly.

Gu Yuan took all of this in. He sat upright on the dragon throne, his fingertips tapping lightly against the armrest. There was not a hint of surprise in his deep eyes, as if he had long since seen through their thoughts.

He spoke calmly, his voice gentle, carrying a power that instantly settled everyone: "Speak your mind. Di Tian, I have seen you restless since just now; tell me whatever concerns you have."

Having received Gu Yuan's nod, Di Tian could no longer hold back.

He stepped forward, dropped to one knee with a thud, and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan. His voice carried suppressed panic and a reverence carved into his very marrow: "Supreme One, this subordinate is guilty for questioning your decision. But there are things I must say; if I do not, I will have no peace of mind, and I would be failing the entire Soul Beast race and betraying your trust."

"Rise and speak," Gu Yuan said, gently lifting him up with a wave of his hand.

"You are the guardians of the Soul Beast race, having protected this homeland for countless years; it is only right that you have concerns."

Di Tian stood up, his dark golden eyes heavy with an unshakable burden. He took a deep breath and laid out the worries hidden in his heart.

"Supreme One, you have ordered Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong to establish the Douluo Hall, to cultivate countless top-tier powerhouses within two hundred years, and to build a super-faction capable of rivaling Shrek. This subordinate understands that this is a grand strategy you have laid out to oppose Tang San and overturn the order of the God Realm. I also absolutely believe in their loyalty to you; their hatred for Tang San ensures they will never betray the covenant."

He paused, his tone growing heavier as he shifted the subject: "What this subordinate worries about is not them, but the future!"

"My Lord, you know that the cultivation of human soul masters can never be separated from soul rings and soul bones. The higher the level of the powerhouse, the greater the demand for high-level soul rings. A Title Douluo requires nine soul rings, and among them, at least several must be ten-thousand-year or even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings to support their cultivation."

Before Di Tian could finish, Gu Yuan already understood his concern.

If the Douluo Hall rose to power in the future, filled with experts, their demand for soul rings would be an astronomical figure!

Di Tian's voice trembled slightly. In his 800,000-plus years of life, he had seen too much bloody slaughter triggered by human greed for soul rings.

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were surrounded and killed by human soul masters until not a bone remained; entire soul beast species were hunted to extinction due to the human pursuit of rare rings.

Countless soul beasts on the outskirts of Star Dou were hunted like grass by human soul-hunting teams, who spared not even the cubs.

The Douluo Hall to be established would be even more powerful than the Martial Soul Hall of the past, and it would cultivate even more experts. When these experts wanted to break through their bottlenecks and grow stronger, their eyes would inevitably fall upon the soul beasts!

High-level soul beasts were already scarce, and those over a hundred thousand years were precious resources.

Once the powerhouses of the Douluo Hall began to hunt high-level soul rings on a large scale, the first to bear the brunt would be Star Dou, the largest habitat for soul beasts!

Even if Young Mistress Qian Renxue and Lady Bibi Dong strictly forbade it, the greed of the human heart could never be blocked!

"By then, the Soul Beast race will face a slaughter even more tragic than today's, and we will march toward extinction even faster!"

At the end, Di Tian knelt again, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, his voice filled with deep pleading: "Supreme One, this subordinate does not mean to question your decision, it is just... just that our Soul Beast race truly cannot withstand such turmoil anymore."

Over countless years, the Soul Beast race had lost too many of their kin; they truly had nowhere left to retreat.

Behind him, Bi Ji, Bear Lord, Ten Thousand Demon King, and the other fierce beasts all knelt in unison.

Bi Ji raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and added with a choked voice: "Lord Dragon God, what Di Tian said is the worry in all our hearts. In my life, I have seen countless kin hunted by humans; I still cannot forget their wails before they died."

Bear Lord also knocked his head heavily against the floor and said in a muffled voice: "Lord Dragon God, I, Bear Lord, do not fear death! As long as you give the order, I would tear apart countless humans even if it cost me my life! But I don't want to watch my race be destroyed like this!"

The entire Crystal Palace echoed with the tearful pleas of the fierce beasts.

They were the top-tier fierce beasts of the Douluo Continent, existences that made countless human soul masters tremble with fear, yet at this moment, they were like a group of children with nowhere to turn, begging their ancestor for a path to survival.

They did not distrust Gu Yuan; they were simply terrified by eons of slaughter.

For ten thousand years, they had watched their kin die one by one, their homeland slowly eroded, and their race step-by-step toward extinction. They had tried their best, yet they could change nothing.

Now that they had finally waited for the return of the Dragon God and the hope of their race's revival, they could not stand by and watch this hope become the final straw that broke their people.

Gu Yuan listened quietly without interrupting. Looking at the sea of kneeling beasts, seeing the despair and pleading in their eyes, a deep sense of bitterness and guilt welled up in his own heart.

He was the Dragon God, the common master of all soul beasts.

Yet, it was precisely because of his fall back then, the destruction of the Dragon Clan, and the loss of the soul beasts' greatest protection that they had fallen into their current state of being at the mercy of others.

Their worries, their fears, and their pleas were all caused by him.

Not until all the fierce beasts had finished pouring out their concerns and the hall had fallen silent again did Gu Yuan speak, his voice devoid of any displeasure.

"All of you, rise. I understand your concerns. The things you worry about, I had already considered before I decided to establish the Douluo Hall."

He walked slowly down from the dragon throne and stood before the fierce beasts, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces as he said, word by word: "My return is to revive the Dragon Clan, to let the Soul Beast race escape the fate of being slaughtered and kept in captivity, and to give you a path to survival that can truly last. I will never let the path you have paved with all your might become a dead end for you. Never."

These words were like a stabilizing needle, instantly calming the hearts of all the fierce beasts. They slowly raised their heads to look at Gu Yuan, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Regarding the matter of the Douluo Hall hunting soul rings, I have already set firm rules with Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong," Gu Yuan said slowly, clearly laying out the rules he had already established before them.

All soul masters belonging to the Douluo Hall must swear by their martial souls: whenever a soul ring of ten-thousand-year cultivation or higher is required, hunting is strictly forbidden; it must be a voluntary sacrifice by the soul beast.

During the sacrifice, the soul beast's complete soul and origin must be preserved; no form of damage to the foundation of the soul beast's divine soul is permitted.

Should anyone violate this rule, regardless of who they are or how great their talent may be, they will suffer the backlash of the divine soul contract, resulting in the disintegration of their origin, the annihilation of their divine soul, and eternal damnation.

Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong shall be the supreme rulers of Douluo Hall, and they will personally oversee the enforcement of this rule; anyone who violates it shall be executed without mercy.

Di Tian suddenly raised his head, the worry in his eyes largely dissipating.

With this contract in place, it could at least ensure that the higher-ups of Douluo Hall would never wantonly hunt high-level soul beasts over one hundred thousand years old.

"That is not all," Gu Yuan continued.

"Douluo Hall will establish protected areas in all soul beast habitats across the entire continent. Without the permission of Douluo Hall, no one is allowed to step foot inside, and anyone who trespasses will be killed on sight."

Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong would use the power of Douluo Hall to guard the homes of the soul beasts and block those greedy soul hunters.

Bi Ji's eyes lit up instantly; she had spent her entire life striving to protect soul beasts, yet no human faction had ever been willing to establish protected areas for them or shield them from human slaughter.

If these rules could truly be enforced, countless soul beasts would be spared from the fate of being slaughtered.

"But, Lord Dragon God..." Di Tian was still somewhat uneasy, frowning as he spoke.

"Even with these rules, humanity's need for soul rings will always exist. The hunting of low-level soul beasts will continue, and in the long run, it will still shake the foundation of our soul beast clan."

Even if Douluo Hall could restrain its own people, there were still countless other sects and soul masters across the continent who would always hunt for soul rings to advance their cultivation.

It seemed as if the relationship between humans and the soul beast clan was an eternal deadlock, one that could never find a way to coexist peacefully.