Dugu Bo turned toward Long Yun and knocked his forehead against the floor with a loud thud.
Long Yun regarded him with unhurried composure.
"Treating the poison in your bodies would be no more than a flick of my hand."
"But I don't work for nothing."
Dugu Bo hurriedly replied:
"If you give the word, I'd climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire. I won't so much as furrow my brow!"
A smile touched Long Yun's lips as he shook his head.
"No need for that."
"I heard you have a rather unusual valley called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
"Hand that place over to me, and I'll guarantee your life and your granddaughter's."
At the mention of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo froze for a moment.
The valley was indeed wondrous, but the extreme heat and cold inside made it impossible for him to venture far. In ordinary times, he only borrowed the hot springs there to suppress the snake poison in his body.
To trade a valley that was more trouble than it was worth to him, and even dangerous,
for his life and his granddaughter's—
it was an unbelievably good deal!
"I agree!"
"I can hand the valley over whenever you like, without a single complaint!"
Dugu Bo was overjoyed, trembling with excitement.
Seeing how readily he agreed, Long Yun nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
"You may go. I'll visit the place myself in a few days."
Only after Dugu Bo had left the reception room with profuse thanks
did Long Yun lean back in his grand chair and sigh wistfully:
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well..."
"Come to think of it, those two Ice and Fire Dragon Kings who fell all those years ago were my juniors."
"I wonder if their lingering dragon souls still have a chance to be resurrected."
Just as Dugu Bo had left the gates of Rainbow Academy, the skies over the entire Douluo Continent suddenly began to tremble violently.
The auspicious clouds scattered, and a dazzling, almost blinding purple radiance began to gather wildly at the center of the Sky Screen.
Everyone immediately understood.
The ranking for the eighth-place King of Ten Thousand Demons had ended.
Now,
the long-awaited seventh place
was about to be revealed!
Dugu Bo, who had just walked out of the academy gates, looked up at the Sky Screen in astonishment.
"The Douluo Continent is far more mysterious and powerful than I imagined."
"But before the dean, these so-called divine wonders probably amount to nothing."
After experiencing that overwhelming pressure, as if he were standing before a god, Dugu Bo's admiration for Long Yun had reached its peak.
At that moment, the Sky Screen's barrage of comments began flooding by once more.
"It's here, it's here! Seventh place is about to be revealed!"
"The King of Ten Thousand Demons was 550,000 years old. Does that mean seventh place is pushing 600,000?"
"A 600,000-year cultivation base... My heavens, a being like that must be practically godlike on our continent, right?"
Under the expectant gazes of countless Soul Masters and Soul Beasts,
the light on the Sky Screen solidified.
Several lines of domineering golden text burst into view:
[Soul Beast Ranking, Seventh Place: Bi Ji]
[Species: Emerald Swan]
[Cultivation: 600,000 years]
As soon as those words appeared, the entire Douluo Continent filled with the sound of people drawing sharp breaths.
"An Emerald Swan... Bi Ji?"
"600,000 years of cultivation!"
"Good heavens, it really is 600,000 years!"
Next,
the scene on the Sky Screen slowly widened.
A vast lake, as still as a blue gem, stretched into view.
At its center, beneath the shade of an enormous ancient tree that seemed to reach the heavens,
a giant swan stood quietly on the water. Her graceful feathers shimmered with a soft, jade-green glow.
Her gentle, lively eyes were like the purest emeralds.
With each breath, countless soft green motes drifted through the air, lending the scene a sacred, peaceful aura.
As they watched the beautiful scene,
some viewers in the comments noticed something amiss.
"Wait... that lake, and that enormous tree..."
"Isn't this the forest from the King of Ten Thousand Demons' scene just now?"
"Right! I remember now! It's definitely the same place!"
"Holy crap! The Star Dou Great Forest!"
"This Emerald Swan, Bi Ji, is a Soul Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest too?!"
On the Sky Screen, the crystal-clear Lake of Life rippled with layers of light.
The ancient tree towering above it looked strangely familiar to countless Soul Masters.
After a brief silence, the barrage of comments surged again, rolling by with wild abandon.
"Wait!"
"Isn't that lake, and that huge tree, the same place that appeared in the King of Ten Thousand Demons' scene?"
"It's absolutely the same place! That tree blocks out the sky, and it looks just like the King of Ten Thousand Demons!"
"Good heavens, seventh-place Bi Ji is also a Soul Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"First Xiong Jun, then the King of Ten Thousand Demons, and now Bi Ji... Just what kind of blessed land is the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"It's hiding so many terrifying monsters, yet we humans always thought there were only two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in there."
"Do you think the legendary Beast God Di Tian might be from there too?"
"Definitely! The Star Dou Great Forest is outrageously powerful!"
Deep in the Star Dou Great Forest.
At the edge of the Lake of Life, in the core region,
the tranquil waters rippled with strange jade-green rings.
The Ferocious Beasts raised their enormous heads one after another, gazing at the incomparably graceful figure on the Sky Screen, radiating boundless vitality.
"As expected of Lady Bi Ji."
The Scarlet King shook his three enormous heads, his voice full of reverence.
Beside him, Zi JI pursed her lips slightly, unable to hide her envy.
"That old tree spirit, the King of Ten Thousand Demons, only ranked eighth, yet he got a 300,000-year cultivation increase and a top-grade Immortal Herb."
"Lady Bi Ji ranked even higher than that old tree spirit. The reward from the Sky Screen will probably be even more incredible, right?"
At Zi JI's words, Bi Ji, standing at the very front, couldn't help but break into a heartfelt smile on her fair, jade-like face.
Though she was gentle by nature and disliked fighting, she naturally yearned for rewards that could raise her cultivation and stabilize the fortunes of the Star Dou Great Forest.
With her 600,000-year cultivation base, advancing further would be a tremendous boon to the entire Soul Beast Clan.
"Bi Ji, congratulations."
Di Tian stepped over to her, warmth in his eyes, though above all, he looked deeply expectant.
Bi Ji gently shook her head and said softly:
"I never imagined I'd rank seventh."
Before you continue