First Stop, Star Dou Great Forest

The morning mist was left behind. Before climbing the mountain peak ahead, Gu Tian took one last look in the direction of Ancient Dragon Village, then resolutely stepped onto an unknown journey.

He clutched the map left by Gu Hai. It was a route map drawn on parchment, marked with dark red ink indicating some borders and important cities of the Douluo Continent.

"Sister Linxi, where exactly are we going?" Gu Tian asked softly in his mind.

"The border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire; there lies the most massive forest on this plane." Ao Linxi's voice drifted from the villa balcony in the sea of consciousness. She swirled the nine-colored juice in her hand, appearing composed. "Since we are to recast the glory of the Chaos Dragon God, you must first go and meet that little girl who guards the gate."

"The little girl who guards the gate?" Gu Tian was stunned, then his heart gave a jolt.

As a transmigrator, he knew all too well what that forest signified—the Star Dou Great Forest. And who else could be called the "little girl who guards the gate" by Ao Linxi, other than the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena, who lay sleeping at the bottom of the Lake of Life?

According to the current timeline, Gu Yuena was still in slumber and would not truly awaken for about ten thousand years.

Over the next week, Gu Tian spent almost all his time trekking over mountains and through waters.

He crossed the arid wilderness of the Xingyao Principality and climbed over the treacherous Dragon Cry Mountains. Along the way, whenever his physical strength was exhausted, the Nine-Turn Dragon Breath within him would spontaneously circulate. This warm energy flooded his entire body, allowing him to recover to his original state in a very short time.

Finally, at dusk on the seventh day, an endless emerald sea of forest appeared at the edge of the horizon.

That was the Star Dou Great Forest.

The scenery here was breathtaking, exuding an ancient and desolate aura. Massive trees rose from the ground, each one dozens or even hundreds of meters tall. Those thick trunks were like bronze pillars supporting the heavens, their surfaces covered in thick moss and crisscrossing vines.

The lush foliage blotted out the sun, cutting the sky into fragmented patches of azure. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, turning into countless tiny golden spots. These spots, like dancing sprites, dotted the roots covered in lichen and flickered upon the colorful mushroom caps.

The air was filled with the fragrance of soil and the scent of vegetation. Compared to this rich sense of vitality, the desolate and dead Ancient Dragon Village felt like a projection from another world.

Gu Tian stepped into the forest, his feet treading on fallen leaves that had accumulated for who knows how many years. Those leaves were layered thick, feeling soft and springy underfoot, like walking on a plush carpet. The surroundings echoed with crisp birdsong and the faint, distant roars of beasts. Occasionally, a few colorful butterflies flew past, their wings as light as a vivid dream.

Watching the birds occasionally darting in the distance, Gu Tian couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.

"Sister Linxi, this is a paradise for soul beasts. If I run into those powerful soul beasts that are thousands or even tens of thousands of years old, my small frame won't be able to withstand a single bite from them."

"Useless," Ao Linxi curled her lips, her voice carrying an innate arrogance. "You are the heir to the Chaos Dragon God bloodline, their ancestor. In their territory, you are the only monarch. Release a bit of your martial soul's aura; as long as they haven't lost their minds, no one will dare touch you."

Gu Tian, half-doubting, channeled his soul power.

As the Chaos Dragon God possessed him, a faint nine-colored aura radiated from his body. This aura was extremely subtle, but to the senses of soul beasts, it was like a thunderclap on a clear day.

Sure enough, the surrounding environment instantly fell silent.

The insects that had been chirping in the grass went quiet, and the monkeys playing in the treetops froze instantly. Gu Tian walked a distance forward and was surprised to find that, let alone soul beasts, he hadn't even encountered a slightly larger wild animal along the way.

In the minds of soul beasts, the dragon race was destined to be kings, and the aura emanating from Gu Tian far surpassed that of ordinary dragons.

The entire forest seemed to fall into a collective silence at this moment. All living creatures huddled in the shadows, bowing their heads in terror, allowing this young monarch to walk slowly through their territory.

As he ventured deeper into the forest, the surrounding vegetation became increasingly strange. Some giant flowers had diameters of two or three meters, their petals crystal clear like translucent jade. Pale purple spores drifted through the forest, emitting a faint fluorescence, adorning the dark, dense woods like a dream. These plant-type soul beasts had at least several thousand years of cultivation.

It was estimated to be another day's journey to the Lake of Life in the core area. As the sky darkened, the light in the forest became extremely dim. The distant tree shadows looked like ghouls baring their fangs and brandishing claws, huge shadows intertwining in the woods, and one could faintly hear the sound of large creatures crushing branches as they moved.

Gu Tian found a hidden cave by the roadside and crawled inside.

He nimbly cleared a space and started a fire. The flames danced, reflecting on the stone walls and casting long shadows. Gu Tian took out the dry rations Lin Ping had made by hand from his bosom. The rations were a bit hard, but after being roasted over the fire, the wheaty aroma instantly stirred a touch of homesickness.

Just as he took a bite of the biscuit, a fishy wind suddenly blew in from outside the cave.

"Roar—!"

A low growl erupted from outside the cave entrance.

By the light of the fire, Gu Tian saw a massive soul beast slowly pacing toward him.

It was a Saber-Toothed Tiger covered in sword-shaped markings, standing two meters tall. That pair of half-foot-long canines flashed with a chilling, murderous glint in the firelight, looking incredibly sharp. Judging by its size and soul power fluctuations, this was at least a thousand-year-level soul beast.

Gu Tian was startled, and the dry ration in his hand nearly fell into the fire. This was his first time facing a thousand-year soul beast without any obstacles, and the pressure belonging to a predator made the hair on his body stand on end.

"Beast!"

Inside the sea of consciousness, Ao Linxi, who had been lying on the sofa, sat up abruptly, her beautiful face covered in frost.

She felt her dignity had been greatly provoked. The heir she brought out was actually frightened by a feline that hadn't even fully developed its intelligence? More importantly, this little wild cat dared to bare its fangs at a candidate for the Dragon God?

"Kneel before This Seat!"

Ao Linxi's cold, clear voice rang out like a divine decree.

Gu Tian only felt a terrifying bloodline pressure explode from his heart.

This sacred power, carrying absolute hierarchical suppression, spread crazily along the cave, shaking the surrounding air into ripples.

The Saber-Toothed Tiger, which had intended to pounce, froze the moment it felt this aura. Its pupils contracted violently, and its fierce expression was instantly replaced by extreme terror.

Immediately after, before Gu Tian's stunned eyes:

The thousand-year-level Saber-Toothed Tiger's four legs began to tremble violently.

"Splash—"

A foul odor spread; this majestic jungle overlord had actually been scared into incontinence on the spot!

The Saber-Toothed Tiger let out a distorted whimper. It wanted to run, but because its legs were so weak, it tripped and tumbled. It scrambled out of the cave, not even daring to look back, and fled into the depths of the bushes with a mournful howl.

Gu Tian stared blankly at the wet patch at the cave entrance, then looked at his own hands, which were gradually calming down.

"Sister Linxi, this... isn't this too powerful?" Gu Tian swallowed his saliva and praised sincerely.

"Hmph, it's just a thousand-year soul beast. In front of This Seat, it doesn't even have the qualifications to beg for mercy," Ao Linxi lay back on the sofa, her tone full of disdain. "This soul beast must be a descendant of the White Tiger! I don't know how she manages them."

"White Tiger? Who is that?" Gu Tian asked with curiosity, sensing the hidden meaning in Ao Linxi's words.

When it came to the White Tiger, the first thing that came to mind was the inherited martial soul of the Star Luo royal family: the White Tiger martial soul.

"Little Tian, let me think about where to start," Ao Linxi pondered for a moment. "As you know, the cultivation speed of soul beasts is far slower than that of human soul masters; they require several times the effort to reach the same level as a soul master. Before I fell, to prevent the soul beasts of the Douluo Continent from being bullied, I distributed my power of fortune among several soul beasts, turning them into auspicious beasts to assist in their cultivation."

"The first batch of auspicious beasts were: Qilin, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. That Saber-Toothed Tiger from just now is a descendant of the auspicious beast White Tiger."

Hearing the names of these five auspicious beasts, waves of realization surged in Gu Tian's heart. According to Sister Linxi, the descendants of the Azure Dragon established the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the White Tiger led to the Dai Family, the Vermilion Bird should correspond to the Phoenix Sect, and the Black Tortoise to the Xuanming Sect. No wonder these families became the top-tier sects.

"However, as I just said, the power of fortune for those beasts was something I bestowed upon them. And you, as my successor, will naturally inherit all of my power of fortune," Ao Linxi said with a mischievous grin.

Gu Tian shook his head with a wry smile. "Power of fortune? What use is that?"

"For example: you will never lose at rock-paper-scissors!"

The corners of Gu Tian's mouth slowly curled upward. "Heh heh heh, in that case, I've thought of something fun."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I'm not telling you, heh heh."

The night passed without incident.