At the end of the official road lay the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
From a distance, the endless primordial forest looked like a slumbering giant dragon stretched across the earth.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and the rich breath of life wafted from deep within the forest, mingling with the roars and snarls of Soul Beasts, the shouts of human Soul Masters, and the clash of weapons.
But when the two of them truly entered the Star Dou Forest, Qian Renxue's brows drew tightly together.
"This place is completely different from ten thousand years ago." She gazed at the scene before her, her voice tinged with an almost disbelieving sorrow.
Ten thousand years ago, she had come to the Star Dou Forest with Qian Daoliu. Back then, even the outskirts teemed with endless thousand-year Soul Beasts; ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts could be seen everywhere in the middle region, while the core region was guarded by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. The forest had been nearly twice as large as it was now.
But now, human Soul Masters had long since carved broad roads through the outskirts of Star Dou. Camps belonging to Soul Hunting teams dotted the route, and the corpses of slain Soul Beasts lay discarded by the roadside, rotting and stinking.
They had walked nearly a hundred li. They had seen hardly any Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, let alone thousand-year ones. Now and then, they came across a few ten- or hundred-year-old Soul Beast cubs, all fleeing in blind panic, their eyes filled with fear of humans.
"When Spirit Hall still existed ten thousand years ago, there were strict rules for Soul Hunting." Qian Renxue's voice was soft, tinged with an unmistakable sense of regret.
"Slaughtering cubs was forbidden, as was overhunting any one area. Each Soul Hunting team had a strict annual limit on how many Soul Beasts it could hunt. Back then, even the outskirts of Star Dou had a complete ecosystem. Soul Beasts and humans were at odds, but they still maintained a balance."
"But now Spirit Hall is gone, and no one follows those rules anymore." She looked at the body of a young deer-like Soul Beast by the roadside, its Soul Ring stripped away. A complicated emotion flickered in her golden eyes.
"People only know how to hunt without end, taking Soul Rings and Soul Bones. But if the Soul Beasts go extinct, the profession of Soul Master will reach its end too."
Gu Yuan's steps slowed. A trace of barely perceptible chill flickered in his deep eyes.
He was the Dragon God, sovereign over all Soul Beasts. The blood of every Soul Beast on this continent came from the same source as his. They were all his people.
After the Dragon Clan was wiped out and he fell ten thousand years ago, the Soul Beast Clan lost its greatest protection and had been driven step by step into its current plight. Watching his people slaughtered so wantonly stirred his anger, despite the countless ages he had lived and the stillness of his heart.
"That's also why we had to come here." Gu Yuan's voice turned a little deeper. He raised a hand and set up a barrier that concealed their presence, hiding them completely from view.
"The Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm killed me and split my soul in two, creating the Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King. The Golden Dragon King was sealed in the heart of the Divine Realm and watched over by the Five Great God Kings themselves. The Silver Dragon King fled to Douluo Continent with the Dragon Clan's legacy and fell into slumber in the very heart of this Star Dou Forest—at Life Lake."
Qian Renxue stopped abruptly, shock filling her golden eyes.
She knew the secrets surrounding the Dragon God's fall, but she had never known that his divine soul had split in two, nor that the Silver Dragon King was in this Star Dou Forest.
"The Silver Dragon King..." Qian Renxue steadied herself and asked in a low voice.
"How is she?"
"Not well." Gu Yuan shook his head, his tone grave.
"When she fled the Divine Realm, she took a full-force strike from the Five Great God Kings. Both her divine soul and body suffered irreversible injuries, and she could only fall into a deep slumber, relying on the life energy of Life Lake to mend her wounds. She has been asleep for countless years. I came here first to heal her. The Dragon Clan's revival and the Soul Beast Clan's escape from its current plight both depend on her help."
"Second, I came to look after the next generation of the Soul Beast Clan." Gu Yuan gazed into the depths of the forest.
"The Soul Beast Clan is in decline. There are fewer and fewer powerful ones capable of shouldering its burdens. I had to come and see for myself, and leave them a thread of hope. Besides, we'll need the Soul Beast Clan as a natural ally when we face the Divine Realm and Tang San in the future."
Qian Renxue slowly nodded, now fully understanding his intentions.
She and Tang San shared a blood feud. Gu Yuan, too, had an irreconcilable grudge against the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm—including Tang San: they had wiped out his clan.
Their goals were aligned, and the power of the Silver Dragon King and the entire Soul Beast Clan would be their greatest asset in opposing the Divine Realm.
"Then should we head straight to Life Lake?" Qian Renxue asked.
"No need to rush." Gu Yuan smiled and raised his hand, dispelling the barrier while keeping only the most basic concealment of their presence.
"We'll make our way in slowly. We might as well see what the Star Dou Forest has become, and find out how much strength the Soul Beast Clan still has after ten thousand years."
They exchanged a glance and continued toward the depths of the Star Dou Forest.
They concealed their auras and reduced their presence to a minimum, passing silently through the outskirts like two shadows blending into the forest, before entering the middle region.
Here, the human Soul Hunting teams gradually became fewer. The ancient trees grew thicker, and rich Soul Power and life energy washed over them. Now and then, Soul Beasts with cultivation levels of a thousand or ten thousand years appeared.
Without exception, however, these Soul Beasts were filled with extreme hostility toward humans.
"It seems humans have hurt them deeply over the years," Qian Renxue said softly.
"The strong prey on the weak. That's the law of this world," Gu Yuan replied blandly.
"But human greed has long since shattered its balance. Soul Beasts give humans Soul Rings, yet humans would rather hunt them to extinction for the sake of power."
They walked and talked, discussing all sorts of things.
A bond had formed between them that no one else could match. They were allies, partners, the only ones across these ten thousand years who could understand each other's obsessions.
As Qian Renxue looked at Gu Yuan beside her, she couldn't help but feel moved.
Ten thousand years ago, she had never imagined she would walk shoulder to shoulder with the Dragon God, much less that she would gradually come to understand and adapt to this completely unfamiliar era.
Without Gu Yuan, she wouldn't be who she was now. She might have ended up dead, her spirit scattered.
"Gu Yuan," Qian Renxue suddenly said.
"Do we really have to go to war with the Divine Realm? The Five Great God Kings are united, and Tang San is an enforcer with Dual Godhood. The Divine Realm is far more powerful than we can imagine."
Gu Yuan stopped and turned to face her. His deep eyes held only the resolve of someone who had lived through countless ages.
"I'm not the one who wants this war. They never gave us a way to live." Gu Yuan's voice was soft, yet utterly decisive.
"They feared the power of the Dragon Clan and feared that I could threaten their rule, so they joined forces, laid a trap, killed me, and wiped out my clan. For countless years they have sat high above, treating mortals like ants and Soul Beasts like human fodder, manipulating the continent's fate as they pleased."
"Tang San rose from an ordinary mortal to become an Enforcer of the Divine Realm because the previous Asura God supported him."
"He destroyed Spirit Hall, seemingly bringing peace to the continent. In truth, he turned all of Douluo Continent into his own private garden—a vessel that endlessly provided him with the power of faith."
"Either we overthrow their rule, revive the Dragon Clan, and bring Soul Beasts and humans back to a balanced path, or we perish. There is no third option."
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, a matching light kindled in Qian Renxue's golden gaze.
She tightened her grip on the Angel Holy Sword and slowly nodded. "Ten thousand years ago, I failed to protect everything I wanted to protect. This time, I absolutely cannot lose."
Just then, a rustle of footsteps came from a nearby thicket.
A childish, surprised cry followed, tinged with fluster and a hint of grievance. "Ouch!"
The two of them stopped talking and turned toward the sound.
A little Soul Beast came stumbling out of the thicket nearby.
Its entire body was covered in brilliant golden fur, gleaming beneath the sunlight streaming through the leaves like a tiny ball of light.
It looked like an adorable little lion, but three vertical eyes sat on its head. The two on either side were clear gold, while the one in the middle was a beautiful rose red. All three were glistening with alarm.
A long, fluffy golden tail trailed behind it, swaying from side to side as it ran. It was utterly adorable.
It seemed to have been running too fast and tripped over a tree root. Its tiny body rolled twice across the ground before it clambered up, dazed. It shook its little head, blinked its third eye, and met Gu Yuan and Qian Renxue's gazes.
In an instant, the little one froze. All three eyes widened as it stood rooted to the spot, even forgetting to run away.
Qian Renxue was stunned too. In all her years, she had never seen such a pure Soul Beast.
There was not a trace of ferocity about the little creature, only the purest life energy and fortune. Even standing there, it made the plants around it flourish, and the Soul Power in the air grow denser.
A knowing smile flickered in Gu Yuan's eyes.
He recognized the little Soul Beast at once: it was the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Forest, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was a unique auspicious Soul Beast, the only one of its kind in the world. It controlled fortune by nature. Within a radius of ten thousand li around it, Soul Beasts cultivated twice as fast and could avoid natural disasters and man-made calamities.
It was the treasure of the entire Star Dou Forest, a creature every Soul Beast would fight to the death to protect. He hadn't expected it to wander alone into the middle region.
The little one froze for a few seconds before finally coming to its senses. It shrank back and eyed the two of them warily, its third, rose-red eye glowing faintly as it seemed to probe their nature.
But the more it looked, the less wary it became. Instead, confusion and affection crept into its gaze.
It could clearly sense the pure light emanating from the golden-haired human woman. She had no ill intent; she was as warm as sunlight, making it want to draw closer.
But it couldn't see through the man in the dark robe. Its Eye of Destiny could see the fortune and future of all things, yet when it looked at him, all it saw was an endless golden sea of clouds. His fortune was so great it could envelop the entire universe.
It was an aura of supreme majesty unlike anything it had ever encountered. More unsettling still, a pressure emanated from the man that made it want to bow from the depths of its soul. It was an imprint carved into the deepest part of every Soul Beast's bloodline—the call of the sovereign of all Soul Beasts.
It could feel that this man would never hurt it.
The little one tilted its head and tentatively took a small step forward. In a soft, childish voice, it asked, "Who... who are you? Why do you feel so familiar?"
Seeing how adorable it was, some of the hardness in Qian Renxue's heart melted. She softened her tone and gently asked, "Little one, why are you all alone out here? Where are your guardians?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately puffed out its little chest, looking rather proud. But then its head drooped, and it swished its tail in grievance. "I snuck out to play... It's so boring in there, and nobody lets me wander around. I kept walking and walking, and then I couldn't find my way back..."
As it spoke, its three eyes grew watery again, making it look utterly pitiful.
Qian Renxue shook her head helplessly. She hadn't expected the Star Dou Forest's source of fortune to be a little runaway who had gotten lost while sneaking out to play.
Just then, Gu Yuan slowly crouched and held out his hand to the little one. A wisp of faint golden dragon energy curled around his fingertip: the purest Dragon God Origin, a supreme gift to every Soul Beast.
The little one's eyes instantly lit up. Without hesitation, it leaned forward and rubbed its little head against Gu Yuan's fingertip, closing its eyes in bliss.
The wisp of dragon energy flowed through its forehead and into its body. In an instant, its golden fur shone brighter, and its aura grew steadier. Its previously unstable cultivation consolidated considerably.
It could clearly feel the energy elevating its bloodline to the utmost degree. Even its Eye of Destiny seemed to have grown clearer.
The little one happily swished its tail, then looked up at Gu Yuan, reverence and affection filling all three eyes.
"I know who you are! You're... you're the sovereign of all Soul Beasts! Lord Dragon God!"
The moment its Eye of Destiny touched the Dragon God Origin, it had finally seen Gu Yuan's true identity.
Watching the interaction between the man and the beast, Qian Renxue's lips curved into a faint smile. She had never imagined that the Dragon God, whose name had shaken the ages, could be so gentle.
Gu Yuan rubbed the little one's fluffy head and softly asked, "Are you going back to Life Lake?"
The little one nodded vigorously, rubbing its head against Gu Yuan's palm, clingy as could be. "Mm-hmm! My home's beside Life Lake! I'll take you there! I know the way!"
With that, it sprang to its feet and ran ahead. It looked back at the two of them and swished its tail, clearly intending to lead the way. It was full of life.
The two of them followed the little one toward the deepest part of the Star Dou Forest.
The golden auspicious beast hopped along ahead, leading the way. Sunlight streamed through the leaves onto the three of them, casting long shadows across the forest path.
Life Lake was just ahead. The Silver Dragon King, who had slept for countless years, was about to meet someone she could never have imagined.
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