After leaving the ruins of Holy Soul Village, which had been reduced to a complete mess, Gu Tian took Gu Yue and Na'er through Spatial Teleportation and returned to the luxurious apartment at Nuoding Academy in an instant.
By then, Xiao Wu had followed Gu Tian's instructions and packed all the luggage.
Several elegant suitcases were piled on the hall floor. Gu Tian glanced at them and couldn't help laughing. "Xiao Wu, you were quick. But I bet there isn't much of my stuff in these cases, is there?"
Xiao Wu pinched the hem of her clothes, looking a little embarrassed. Blushing, she said softly, "Well... Gu Tian, you bought us so many clothes that I just packed them all. As for your things... there really isn't much to bring. Just two or three changes of clothes."
Indeed, compared with the girls' cases full of gorgeous silk dresses, delicate deerskin boots, and all kinds of glittering hair ornaments, Gu Tian's personal belongings seemed meager and sparse.
Gu Tian waved his hand. The Dragon God Ring on his right hand flashed with a faint, sacred, nine-colored light in the afterglow of the setting sun. In an instant, the large and small cases on the floor vanished as if drawn into an invisible black hole, all of them collected into the vast inner storage space, as boundless as the sea and seemingly its own world.
This Storage Soul Tool had been given to him by Gu Yuena. Its space was countless times larger than Tang San's Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night.
"Come on. We've been at this for ages. Let's get something to eat first. As for Tang San, forget him. Not our problem."
Gu Tian stretched and left the apartment with the four beauties. He couldn't care less whether Tang San lived or died. The pain and fury born of Tang San's obsession wouldn't hinder him. If anything, they were quietly accelerating his Divine Trial progress.
They went to the most luxurious restaurant in Nuoding City, the Nuoding Grand Hotel.
Gu Tian reserved a private revolving room on the top floor. It had an excellent view, overlooking the city lights below. Rare delicacies arrived at their table as if they cost nothing: century-old Spirit Deer Tenderloin, century-old abalone from the waters around Sea God Island, and Jade Spirit Ginseng Soup that gave off a faint medicinal fragrance.
The girls ate until their faces glowed, especially Xiao Wu, who happily gnawed on a thousand-year-old jade spirit ginseng root, having long since tossed Tang San and Holy Soul Village's troubles to the far corners of her mind. Faced with absolute luxury and doting affection, those humble emotional ties seemed so fragile.
"I'm terribly sorry, but we only have three servings of century-old abalone left." The waiter apologized repeatedly. That meant that apart from Xiao Wu, who didn't eat meat anyway, one other person would have to go without.
Gu Tian generously gave the servings to Gu Yue, Na'er, and Meng Yiran.
"Gu Tian, what will you eat?" Na'er asked curiously as she watched him put century-old abalone on her plate.
"It's fine, Na'er. You girls eat. Tonight, I'll get to eat three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast abalones." Gu Tian glanced at the girls around him. Meng Yiran hadn't been won over yet, but he still had three others, didn't he? And they were all transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
After the meal, Gu Tian wiped his mouth and looked at Meng Yiran, who was leaning back in her chair, looking a little languid from eating too much. Lowering his voice, he said, "Yiran, the place we're going in a little while is rather special. It's in the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest. I plan to tell you a huge secret, but you must swear never to reveal a word of it to anyone—not even your grandparents, whom you're closest to."
Seeing how serious Gu Tian looked, and noticing that Gu Yue and Na'er had also grown solemn, Meng Yiran felt both sweet and nervous. The feeling of being brought into her sweetheart's inner circle and entrusted with something important made her lift her chin and promise earnestly, "Don't worry, Gu Tian. If I let even one word slip, may my Martial Soul turn against me!"
"It's not that serious. Relax." Gu Tian chuckled and gestured for Na'er to open a space passage.
The silver gate of light shimmered, and the group appeared once more in the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest—at the Lake of Life.
The moment Meng Yiran landed, she was utterly stunned. The dense life force, almost liquid and flowing through the air like a pale green mist, made every pore in her body open. Her Soul Power began circulating of its own accord, even though she wasn't meditating. She had never seen a lake so clear and green, like a colossal emerald set into the earth. Nor had she ever imagined that in the heart of this famously perilous Soul Beast forest lay such a transcendent paradise.
"Gu Tian, this place is..."
"This is the Lake of Life, and the site of the Dragon Palace." Gu Tian led them toward the crystalline building that shimmered faintly at the lake's center.
Silver starlight still sparkled inside the main hall of the Dragon Palace, and every pillar of crystallized starlight was engraved with ancient dragon totems. Gu Yuena sat in the place of honor, silver hair falling to her ankles, sacred and beyond compare.
But today, someone beside her gave off a powerful presence that was unfamiliar to Gu Tian.
It was a gentle life force, like jadeite, glowing with maternal warmth, yet steady as a mountain that had stood for ten thousand years.
"My lord, you're back."
At the sound of the gentle, rippling voice, a woman slowly emerged from the starlit shadows behind Gu Yuena.
Gu Tian's pupils contracted sharply.
She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, so lovely that the starlight around her seemed dim by comparison. Her long, lush green hair flowed down her back like emeralds, and tiny firefly-like green lights occasionally danced at the ends. They were the mark of life energy condensed to its utmost. Her eyes were a deep, clear green, filled with boundless tenderness and compassion. It seemed that one look from her could soothe every pain in a person's soul.
She wore a pale green silk gown, its elegant cut hugging her mature, full curves. Its layered hem resembled a swan's white wings, and its edges were dotted with tiny star-shaped gems. With every step she took, tiny phantom flowers of life seemed to bloom on the crystalline floor beneath her feet, then quietly fade away.
Her figure wasn't as fiery and assertive as Chiyan's, nor did it have that same aggressive edge. Instead, she had a balanced, elegant beauty, soft yet brimming with vitality. Her snow-white skin glowed with a warm, ivory sheen against the green of her dress.
Her aura was utterly holy, like a saint of the forest or a deity who had come to save all living things.
"This is Bi Ji. Her true form is an Emerald Swan who has cultivated for more than five hundred thousand years." Gu Yuena stood and introduced her to Gu Tian. "She's the first true high-level combat force I've awakened recently."
Bi Ji dipped into a curtsy, her lowered head as gentle and graceful as a water lily too delicate to withstand the breeze. She greeted Gu Tian with an impeccable ancient salute, her voice ethereal and melodious. "Bi Ji pays her respects to the Dragon God's envoy. My lord has told me about the plan to revive our race. I am willing to offer my meager life force to the Dragon God's rise."
Gu Tian looked at Bi Ji, inwardly amazed. A Ferocious Beast with more than five hundred thousand years of cultivation was practically invincible in the outside world.
Gu Yuena walked over to Gu Tian and took his hand. At the same time, she sent him a private telepathic message. "I chose to awaken Bi Ji first for three reasons. First, she was sleeping right here at the bottom of the Lake of Life, so she was the easiest to contact and the most loyal. Second, she's the pinnacle of healing. She can not only keep you safe, but also regulate your meridians at any time, ensuring your body doesn't collapse when you forcefully absorb high-level Soul Rings that exceed your limits..."
Gu Yuena paused. A hint of meaning flashed in her violet eyes, and a sly curve tugged at her lips. "Third... Bi Ji is gentle and even-tempered, and she's the most likely to grow attached to others. I hope she'll fall in love with you as soon as possible, so she can help you complete that damn second Divine Trial and awaken an even deeper level of your bloodline. With a partner who has cultivated for five hundred thousand years at your side, no one will be able to threaten you."
After hearing that, Gu Tian couldn't help looking at the gentle, jade-like Bi Ji again. She was watching him with a trace of curiosity and shyness.
A gorgeous older woman brimming with maternal warmth, holiness, and a gift for redemption... Gu Yuena's help had landed right in the softest part of Gu Tian's heart.
Meanwhile, Meng Yiran had gone completely dumbstruck, her mind buzzing. She looked from the Silver Dragon King, as divine and demonic as a god, to the green-haired woman whose aura was so terrifying that even looking directly at her was difficult.
At last, she realized just how enormous the secret Gu Tian had mentioned was. This wasn't some ordinary genius from a Soul Master Academy. He was the ruler of the entire Soul Beast Realm, a true god about to overthrow the Divine Realm!