Dai Mubai roared. Countless golden orbs coalesced behind him, then hurtled toward everyone like falling meteors.
This was an area attack on the level of a Titled Douluo!
If those orbs landed, not only would Feng Xiaotian and the others die, but the innocent civilians nearby would also be doomed.
"We have to fight!"
Feng Xiaotian shouted, ready to burn through his Soul Power and stake everything on one desperate struggle.
Just then,
a breeze swept through the street.
It was light and soft.
It held none of a gale's biting howl, nor a storm's raging fury.
It was like a gentle hand, softly brushing across everyone's face.
And yet,
that gentle breeze brought the golden meteors crashing down from the sky to an instant halt in midair.
Then,
pop, pop, pop—
The orbs, each containing terrifying Soul Power, burst soundlessly in the breeze like bubbles, vanishing into nothing.
"This..."
Dai Mubai's pupils contracted. His face was full of disbelief.
How was this possible?!
This was his fourth Soul Skill. Even a Titled Douluo of the same level wouldn't dare take it head-on. How could a mere breeze have blown it away?
"Oh, dear."
"The streets in this city were just repaired. If you smash them up, the repairs will cost a fortune."
A light, slightly lazy voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
On the rooftop beside the street, a green figure had appeared at some point.
The boy sat on the ridge, holding the half-eaten red apple in his hand as he gazed down with a cheerful smile.
White stockings, a green cape, and a hat adorned with a Cecilia Flower.
The tension drained from Feng Xiaotian all at once. He nearly collapsed onto the ground.
He looked at that familiar figure, his eyes growing hot.
"Teacher!"
Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Bai Chenxiang, and Dugu Yan were even more overcome with joy. They cried out together:
"Brother Venti!"
"Dean!"
Venti took a bite of his apple and waved to everyone.
"Hey, you're all here."
"Looks like I came back just in time."
His gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on Dai Mubai and Yu Xiaogang.
His eyes were still clear and smiling, yet Dai Mubai felt a bone-deep chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his crown.
"So you're the ones who disturbed my nap?"
"And you wanted to tear down my city?"
Venti asked softly.
His tone was calm, yet it made Dai Mubai, a level ninety-five Titled Douluo, feel an urge to turn and run.
Just as the atmosphere between the two sides grew taut, on the verge of erupting into an even greater conflict,
the Sky Curtain high above the heavens let out another deafening roar.
A new ranking had arrived.
This time, the golden radiance did not shine upon a city, nor did it fall upon a pass.
Instead, it was cast upon the heart of the continent—
the primeval forest known as a forbidden zone for humanity!
[Second Place on the Power Ranking: Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest!]
The moment those words appeared, the entire continent erupted in an uproar.
Soul Beasts?
Could Soul Beasts also count as a faction?
The scene unfolded.
It showed no human buildings, but rather a Life Lake that looked like a celestial paradise.
Ancient trees towered along its banks, and the spiritual energy was so dense it seemed almost tangible.
On the small island in the middle of the lake, a breathtaking silver figure stood quietly.
Her long silver hair fell like a waterfall, reaching all the way to her ankles.
Her violet eyes seemed to contain the stars of the universe, profound and mysterious.
She wore no shoes. Her crystalline jade feet rested lightly on the grass, and with every step, the flowers and plants around her seemed to leap for joy.
Her beauty transcended race and gender.
She was the Creator's most perfect masterpiece.
[Star Dou Soul Beasts: The last pure land of the Soul Beast Clan, hiding the truth of the world!] [Leader of the faction: Gu Yuena (Silver Dragon King, half-God-King-level powerhouse, recovering from severe injuries)!] [Faction's prodigy: Di Tian (Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, 890,000 years of cultivation, Beast God)!] [Key members: Emerald Swan Bi Ji, Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Xiong Jun, King of Ten Thousand Monsters, Scarlet King...] [Overall strength: Ranked second on the Power Ranking!]
Faced with this lineup so luxurious it was almost suffocating, both Bibi Dong at Jialing Pass and Tang San in the Heaven Dou military camp were dumbfounded.
Eight hundred and ninety thousand years?!
And that Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena—half-God-King-level?!
Was this really the Star Dou Forest they knew, where Soul Beasts could be slaughtered at will?
But the shock was only beginning.
[Reward for Gu Yuena, leader of the Star Dou Soul Beasts, issued!] [Dispel the Asura God Sword's will from her body! Completely heal the hidden damage to her divine soul! Restore her peak combat strength!] [Reward for Di Tian, the faction's prodigy, issued!] [Grant 100,000 years of cultivation! Bring him to the brink of one million years! Purify his divine beast bloodline!] [Star Dou members: All core Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are granted one exemption from a heavenly tribulation!]
At the heart of the Star Dou Forest,
the Life Lake boiled.
A silver pillar of light shot into the sky. The Asura God Sword's will, which had tormented Gu Yuena for countless millennia, rapidly dissolved beneath the Sky Curtain's golden radiance like snow in the sun.
"Roar—!"
A resounding dragon's cry rang through the clouds.
A soul-stirring brilliance flashed in Gu Yuena's violet eyes.
The long-lost feeling of power returned to her perfect body.
She gently raised her jade hand, feeling the elemental power dancing at her fingertips. At last, a captivating smile bloomed across her cool, breathtaking face.
"Asura God..."
"Divine Realm..."
"It's time to settle accounts for the shackles you placed upon the Soul Beast Clan."
Gu Yuena's voice was clear and melodious, yet it carried an authority that made heaven and earth tremble.
Beside her,
the Beast God Di Tian, now in human form and dressed in black, was trembling with excitement.
He could feel the bottleneck that had trapped him for countless years beginning to loosen.
Becoming a god at one million years!
That was the ultimate dream of every Soul Beast!
"Congratulations, my lord! My lord, may you rejoice!"
Di Tian dropped to one knee, his eyes filled with fervor.
The other Ferocious Beasts, Bi Ji, Xiong Jun, and the rest also fell to their knees, their cheers shaking the forest.
Yet after his delight, a trace of doubt rose in Di Tian's heart.
"My lord, now that you've recovered and our Star Dou Forest is so powerful, why are we only ranked second?"
"Is there truly a faction in this world stronger than us?"
At his words, Gu Yuena narrowed her violet eyes slightly and looked toward the Sky Curtain.
"First place..."
"I'm curious too—who could possibly outrank me, the Silver Dragon King?"
The Spirit Hall Empire's camp.
The arrogance Bibi Dong had gained upon becoming a god was doused halfway by this cold shower.
She stared blankly at the image on the Sky Curtain, feeling a chill run down her spine.
"The Silver Dragon King..."
"Such a monster was hidden deep within the Star Dou Forest?"
She remembered how she had once led people deep into the Star Dou Forest's core to hunt Daming and Erming.
That had been like dancing on the doorstep of the underworld!
If she had disturbed this being back then, Bibi Dong would have long since been nothing but a pile of fertilizer.