Yu Tianlong held the Reverse Scale in both hands. It felt heavy in his palms—not because of its weight, but because of the weight of the affection behind it.
"Senior Di Tian... this is too precious. I..."
"Take it." Di Tian cut off his protest. "I'm not giving it to protect you, but to protect those two Luo Sanpao of yours. They carry our Lord's bloodline. We can't let anything happen to them."
He made it sound casual, but Yu Tianlong knew the gift carried far more weight than Di Tian let on.
"And this, too."
A gentle voice came from nearby. Bi Ji approached gracefully, carrying a small jade bottle in her hands. It was filled with clear, crystalline liquid that shimmered with a faint blue glow in the moonlight.
"This is water from the spring at the Lake of Life. I took some and bottled it." Bi Ji handed the jade bottle to Yu Tianlong. "There are ten bottles in all, with ten drops in each. Take one drop when you're injured, and it will speed your recovery. As long as the wound isn't fatal, it can save your life."
Yu Tianlong took the bottle and gazed into Bi Ji's gentle eyes, his throat tightening.
"Senior Bi Ji... Senior Di Tian... I..."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say so much to thank them, but when the words reached his lips, he realized he couldn't say anything at all.
He was just an orphan abandoned by his family, a fugitive hounded until he had nowhere left to run. Yet these Soul Beasts—whom humans regarded as ferocious, savage, and inferior—had given him the sincerest help and the most selfless protection.
He thought of his years in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Those "family members" who smiled at him to his face but secretly schemed about how to devour him.
Those "elders" who would stop at nothing for their own gain, who wouldn't even spare a child.
Then he looked at the Soul Beasts before him.
Di Tian could have ignored him. Yet because the two Luo Sanpao carried the Dragon God Bloodline, he had been willing to take Yu Tianlong in, protect him, and guide him.
Bi Ji was no relation to him, yet she had cared for him and looked after him like a kind elder. She had even given him her own precious life-giving water.
Xiong Jun, King of Ten Thousand Demons, Zi JI... They never said it outright, but Yu Tianlong could feel that they had accepted his presence and allowed him to move about the core area.
Sometimes, Soul Beasts were more humane than humans.
"Thank you." In the end, those were the only two words Yu Tianlong could manage. But he bowed deeply, pouring all his gratitude into that single gesture.
Di Tian said nothing, only nodding slightly.
Bi Ji smiled and gently patted him on the shoulder. "Safe travels."
The next morning, the first light of dawn appeared.
Yu Tianlong stood beside the Lake of Life and took one last look at the towering ancient tree, the blue lake, and the forest that had given him a new life and hope.
Then he turned and set off on a new journey with Little Gold and Little Silver, never looking back.
At daybreak, a figure quietly emerged from the edge of Star Dou Forest.
Yu Tianlong glanced back at the seemingly endless sea of trees, a complicated emotion flickering in his eyes. After a month together, he had developed an indescribable attachment to this forest.
Here, he had found friends who treated him sincerely, guidance given without reservation, and helping hands extended at the brink of life and death. The human world, by contrast, had given him betrayal, pursuit, and slander.
"Once I've taken care of what needs doing, I'll come back to see you." He spoke softly, as if making a promise to someone. Then he turned and strode toward Sunset Forest.
He didn't go straight to Heaven Dou City.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see Dugu Bo; he couldn't. Since Yu Yuanzhen had already publicly declared him a traitor, he had surely placed spies around Dugu Bo, waiting for Yu Tianlong to walk right into their trap.
He trusted that Dugu Bo wouldn't harm him, but with his current strength, he wasn't capable of slipping in and out of Heaven Dou City unnoticed under the nose of a Titled Douluo.
So he chose another route—going straight to Sunset Forest.
Since Dugu Bo had already discovered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, his temperament meant he would visit often to explore it. Rather than risk entering the city, Yu Tianlong would be better off waiting in Sunset Forest for him to show up.
The journey from Star Dou Forest to Sunset Forest was a long one. Yu Tianlong traveled by day and camped by night, and after several days, he finally reached his destination.
The entrance to Sunset Forest still looked just as he remembered: a landscape of reddish volcanic rock. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and scorched earth, a stark contrast to the fresh, damp air of Star Dou Forest.
"We're finally here." Yu Tianlong stood on a raised rock and gazed across the vast forest ahead, letting out a long breath.
He didn't hurry inside. Instead, he found a secluded cave on the forest's outskirts and settled in for the time being. He knew Dugu Bo would come to Sunset Forest, but he couldn't stay there every day. Yu Tianlong needed to prepare for a long wait.
But plans never kept pace with change.
On the third day of waiting for Dugu Bo, Yu Tianlong discovered a problem: Little Gold was hungry.
Not just a little hungry. Its hunger had reached the point where its appetite for devouring had been roused to the utmost. Its eyes shone, its mouth watered, and everything it saw looked like food.
Ever since absorbing the Soul Rings of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and the Blazing Sun Snake, Little Gold's craving for the flesh of high-quality Soul Beasts had grown stronger and stronger.
Back in Star Dou Forest, with Di Tian's protection, it could hunt high-year Soul Beasts without restraint and eat until its mouth was slick with grease.
But on the journey these past few days, it had only been able to hunt ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beasts to stave off its hunger. To Little Gold, it was like watery soup—hardly enough to get between its teeth.
"Luo!" Little Gold nudged Yu Tianlong's waist with its head, its dark golden eyes full of longing. Then it turned to look into the depths of Sunset Forest. Its meaning couldn't have been clearer: I want to go hunting!
Yu Tianlong laughed helplessly and rubbed its head. "All right, all right. I know I've been starving you. Let's go. We've got nothing else to do anyway, so we might as well take this chance to sort out your third Soul Ring."
His Soul Power had already reached level thirty-five. He was still some way from level forty and becoming a Soul Ancestor, but there was no harm in preparing for his third Soul Ring ahead of time.
The man and his two beasts set off into the depths of Sunset Forest.
Sunset Forest was smaller than Star Dou Forest, but it still covered tens of thousands of square kilometers. Its terrain was complex, ranging from volcanic rock to coniferous forests and broadleaf woods, with all kinds of ecosystems.
Though its variety and number of Soul Beasts couldn't compare to those in Star Dou Forest, it still had its share of rare specimens.
Yu Tianlong had planned to search at his own pace for a suitable Soul Beast, but Little Gold clearly couldn't wait.
It lowered its head and took a good, leisurely sniff of the ground. Then it raised its head, let out an excited growl in a certain direction, and bounded off on all fours.
"Hey—wait!" Yu Tianlong froze, then slapped his forehead and gave a wry laugh. "I almost forgot. Your nose is sharper than a dog's..."
He hurriedly called Little Silver along and raced after Little Gold.
Little Gold moved at tremendous speed, its four hooves flying as it nimbly darted through the dense woods. Every so often, it stopped to sniff the ground, then lifted its head to find its bearings, leading Yu Tianlong farther and farther into Sunset Forest.