These methods could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.
To resolve the age-old conflict between the two groups, they had to break out of this vicious cycle and let the two races coexist in harmony, each benefiting the other.
Gu Yuan nodded. He didn't deny it. Then his tone shifted, and a glimmer of insight into the future flashed through his eyes.
"That's why I prepared a method long ago to resolve the conflict between humans and Soul Beasts once and for all, starting at its root."
Every Ferocious Beast held its breath in an instant, all turning to look at Gu Yuan, disbelief written in their eyes.
The conflict between humans and Soul Beasts was like an unsolvable riddle.
Humans had to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings if they wanted to cultivate; Soul Beasts had to resist the humans' hunts if they wanted to survive.
That was how the hatred between the two sides had grown deeper and deeper, and the bloodshed had grown ever more severe. No one had ever found a way to resolve it.
But now the Dragon God said he had a way to resolve this conflict at its root?
"This method is called the Soul Spirit Method."
Gu Yuan slowly spoke the words. His voice wasn't loud, but they crashed into the minds of every Ferocious Beast like a bolt of thunder.
"The Soul Spirit Method?" Di Tian murmured, repeating the words. His eyes were full of confusion.
"W-what kind of method is that?"
"It's a secret method that allows Soul Masters and Soul Beasts to coexist."
Gu Yuan explained slowly, "With traditional Soul Hunting, humans must kill Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings, taking their Soul Rings and Soul Bones. A Soul Beast gives up its life just to provide a human with a Soul Ring of a fixed age, and the Soul Skill is limited by the Soul Beast itself."
But the Soul Spirit Method was entirely different.
A Soul Beast didn't need to give up its life. It only had to willingly separate off a portion of its soul origin and form a symbiotic contract with a human Soul Master, becoming their Soul Spirit.
Humans could gain Soul Skills far beyond those of a Soul Ring of the same age. Their Soul Rings could even grow in age as they matured, granting them greater power.
In Gu Yuan's plans for the future, promoting and improving the Soul Spirit Method was a crucial step.
Soul Beasts would be able to dwell in the Spiritual Sea of human Soul Masters and share in their Soul Power cultivation. This wouldn't harm their lifespan; on the contrary, it would let them break through the shackles of their species, greatly extend their lives, and even overcome heavenly tribulations alongside their human Soul Masters to reach higher levels of cultivation.
"Soul Beasts who become Soul Spirits will always retain their independent consciousness and freedom of spirit. Once the contract expires, or if the human Soul Master harms the Soul Beast, the Soul Spirit can end the contract at any time."
Gu Yuan's words left every Ferocious Beast in the hall frozen in place, their faces filled with stunned disbelief.
They had never dreamed there could be such a method! Humans could obtain Soul Rings without killing Soul Beasts, and Soul Beasts could benefit too—even extending their lives and advancing their cultivation!
It turned everything they knew about Soul Rings and cultivation on its head!
"C-could this be true?" Di Tian's voice trembled. He stared fixedly at Gu Yuan, his eyes brimming with elation and disbelief.
"Does Your Majesty truly possess such a secret method? Can humans and Soul Beasts really stop slaughtering one another and instead coexist, with both sides benefiting?"
"Of course it's true." Gu Yuan smiled faintly and nodded.
"I saw the beginnings of this secret method in my memories of the future. It wasn't supposed to appear on Douluo Continent for another two hundred years or more. But that early version was incomplete. It still caused considerable damage to Soul Beasts' souls and came with many restrictions."
"I'll work with someone to correct every flaw in the method and perfect the symbiotic contract, so it won't harm Soul Beasts in the slightest and will instead bring them endless benefits."
In the future, the Soul Spirit Method would be spread to every corner of the continent by Douluo Hall.
It would let Soul Masters across the continent know that if they wanted stronger Soul Rings and to go further, they didn't need to hunt Soul Beasts at all. They only needed to form symbiotic contracts with Soul Beasts and become partners, and both sides would benefit."
Gu Yuan gazed out of the hall. His deep eyes seemed to see countless years into the future. "Once this secret method becomes widespread, once all human Soul Masters accept the existence of Soul Spirits, no one will ever be willing to risk their life hunting Soul Beasts again."
Only then would the slaughter and hatred that had endured between humans and Soul Beasts for tens of thousands of years finally come to an end.
Only then could the Soul Beast Clan truly escape the fate of being treated as "cultivation resources" and stand as equals with humans, coexisting side by side.
The moment his words fell, cries of joy and tears broke out throughout the Crystal Palace.
Di Tian stood rooted to the spot, his whole body trembling with excitement.
The Soul Beast Clan had waited for this chance for tens of thousands of years!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Di Tian dropped to his knees with a thud once more and prostrated himself. His voice choked with tears, carrying a resolve and elation unlike anything before. "On behalf of every Soul Beast on the continent, I thank Your Majesty for granting us a path to survival!"
"We thank Your Majesty!"
Every Ferocious Beast knelt as one and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan. Their cries of joy and tears rang through the entire Crystal Palace and across the Life Lake.
At last, they had waited long enough to see true hope for the Soul Beast Clan.
Seeing the light rekindled in their eyes, Gu Yuan's lips curved into a faint smile.
He turned and walked back to the dragon throne. With a wave of his hand, a treasure radiating vast power slowly floated before Di Tian.
It was a dark golden jade bottle, half-filled with golden liquid. An incredibly dense aura of draconic origin emanated from it. Just a wisp escaping the mouth of the bottle made the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King bloodline within Di Tian tremble wildly.
"This is Myriad Dragon Marrow, refined from the remains in the Dragon Graveyard combined with the Dragon God's Power," Gu Yuan said slowly.
"This bottle of Myriad Dragon Marrow can purify the origin of every Soul Beast with dragon blood, letting their bloodlines return to their ancestral roots and regain the realm of pure-blooded true dragons. Not only you, but Scarlet King, Zi JI, and the other Ferocious Beasts with dragon blood can all use it to break through their bloodline shackles and advance their cultivation."
Di Tian gazed at the three treasures before him, his hands trembling slightly. Every one of them was a treasure that could drive the entire Soul Beast world mad. Yet the Dragon God was handing them to him without reservation.
"Your subordinate... Your subordinate will not fail you!" Di Tian solemnly accepted the treasures, as though he were holding the future of the entire Soul Beast Clan in his hands, and bowed as he accepted his orders.
Gu Yuan looked at him and gave a slight nod. Then he raised his hand again, and a dragon egg, entirely crimson, slowly appeared in his palm.
The egg was half a person's height, its shell engraved with countless intricate Fire Dragon patterns. Inside, surging laws of fire and the origin of the Dragon Clan pulsed faintly. Even through the shell, one could feel the vibrant life force of a pure-blooded Fire Dragon.
The air around the egg shimmered under the scorching power of Ultimate Fire, but a gentle layer of the Dragon God's Power wrapped around it, keeping even a trace of that power from leaking out.
The moment the dragon egg appeared, the temperature throughout the Crystal Palace instantly rose several times over.
Di Tian stared at the egg, his pupils shrinking. His voice brimmed with shock and elation. "Th-this is the Fire Dragon King's egg?"
As a direct descendant of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, he was all too familiar with the bloodline aura of the Nine Great Dragon Kings.
The bloodline within this dragon egg belonged to the purest direct lineage of the Fire Dragon King, who commanded Ultimate Fire, one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings!
"That's right." Gu Yuan gazed at the egg, a trace of nostalgia and sorrow flashing through his eyes.
For countless years, the egg had remained sealed. Only after Gu Yuan awakened had its seal been lifted, rousing the life origin within.
Her name was Jialing. She was the last descendant of the Fire Dragon King and the hope for the Fire Dragon Clan's revival in the future.
Gu Yuan gently placed the Fire Dragon egg in Di Tian's hands and regarded him solemnly. "Di Tian, I'm entrusting her to you. From this day forward, raise her yourself. Use the origin of the Life Lake to nourish her, and protect her until she hatches and grows up safely. I'm leaving her in your care."
Di Tian had raised the Emperor Auspicious Beast and, ten thousand years later, had cared for Gu Yuena as if she were his own daughter. He surely had plenty of experience raising children, so there was no one more suitable for the job.
Di Tian cradled the warm dragon egg in both hands, feeling the vibrant dragon bloodline within, kin to his own.
He was a direct descendant of the Dragon Clan, yet he had failed to protect it. He had watched the once-glorious Dragon Clan fall into decline, until only a handful of descendants with diluted dragon blood remained.
But now the Dragon God had not only returned; he had also entrusted Di Tian with the final direct descendant of the Fire Dragon King.
The hope of the Dragon Clan's revival rested in his hands!
"Rest assured, Your Majesty!" Di Tian hugged the dragon egg tightly and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan.
"Even if it costs me my life, I will protect Jialing! I'll see that she hatches and grows up safe and sound! I will restore the Dragon Clan to glory and not fail you, or our ancestors!"
Gu Yuan nodded with satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder. "All right, go on. I've already made everything clear. I'm leaving the affairs of Star Dou and the future of the Soul Beast Clan in your hands."
"Your subordinate will obey!"
Holding the Fire Dragon egg, Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts bowed deeply to Gu Yuan and to Gu Yuena, who stood quietly beside him, before leaving the Crystal Palace one by one.
The vast hall was left with only Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena.
Gu Yuena walked over to Gu Yuan. Her purple-gold dragon eyes held the warmth of one who shared his origin. "Is everything arranged?"
"Mm." Gu Yuan nodded slightly and looked toward the depths of the palace.
"The board in the mortal world has been handed over to Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong; the Soul Beast Clan's foundations have been entrusted to Di Tian and the others. Now it's our turn."
He turned to Gu Yuena, a glimmer flashing through his deep eyes. "Two hundred years will pass in the blink of an eye. In the future, we'll face the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, Tang San with his Dual Godhood, and the entire order governing the Divine Realm. Our current strength is far from enough."
"I'm going into seclusion to fully fuse with the Dragon God Origin and return to the Divine King realm at my peak. You need to complete all the fragments of the laws and resonate with my origin, so we can both return to the Divine King realm. Only then will we have enough strength to stand against the Divine Realm in the war to come."
Gu Yuena looked at him and slowly nodded. There was no trace of retreat in her purple-gold eyes, only longing for the future. "We'll revive the Dragon Clan and secure the Soul Beasts' future together."
Gu Yuan looked at her, a relieved smile curving his lips.
He raised his hand. The doors to the inner hall at the very heart of the Crystal Palace slowly opened.
Inside lay an endless force of life origin. It resonated perfectly with the Dragon God Heart, forming the ideal secret realm for cultivation.
The two exchanged a glance and stepped into the inner hall.
The heavy crystal doors slowly closed, shutting out everything beyond them.
The waters of the Life Lake flowed quietly.
Before you continue