Three days later, it was also the final day of the hotel reservation Bi Ji had made.
After just getting Na'er to sleep, Yang Fan felt his heart shudder beneath a surge of dragon might. The space rippled like water, and two figures suddenly appeared in the room.
The man at the front wore a black robe. His features were stern, and his deep eyes seemed to hold the domineering air of one who looked down upon the world. He was none other than Beast God Di Tian.
Behind him followed Bi Ji, dressed in a long emerald-green gown.
The two came straight to stand before Yang Fan.
Looking at Na'er, who had already fallen asleep, Di Tian casually waved a hand and set up a barrier around the three of them.
He began sizing up the seemingly ordinary human before him, his eyes full of scrutiny and wariness.
"Human, you went to such lengths to lure me here. What exactly do you want?"
Di Tian's voice was low and oppressive.
Yang Fan calmly met his gaze. "Senior, I'm here to discuss a mutually beneficial partnership. I can help you fulfill the Soul Beast Clan's long-cherished wish to rise again, and in return, you'll help me with something."
"Arrogant! I, Di Tian, the dignified Beast God, need a human's help to restore our race?"
Di Tian gave a cold snort. Black mist surged around him, and a terrifying wave of Soul Power locked onto Yang Fan in an instant.
"A mere human dares to speak of the Soul Beasts' future?"
Yang Fan smiled faintly and slowly took an ancient jade box from his Soul Tool, opening it with care.
A golden scale lay quietly inside, glowing faintly beneath ancient, mysterious patterns.
The moment he saw it, Di Tian's icy pupils contracted sharply. Even Bi Ji, standing beside him, couldn't help covering her red lips, her eyes wide with shock.
"This... is this the Golden Dragon King's scale?!"
Bi Ji cried out.
"How could you possibly have this?"
"Not only do I have it, I also know its true origins."
Yang Fan gently brushed a fingertip over the scale, his tone certain.
"Long ago, the Dragon God split apart and the Divine Realm fell into turmoil. This treasure was born of that catastrophe. The locals of Douluo Continent probably don't know about it. This is also my proof of identity, and my show of good faith."
Yang Fan had found the scale while running the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion on Douluo Continent. At first, he'd thought it was just an ordinary Golden Dragon scale and planned to use it later as bait to fool either the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or Yu Xiaogang.
But during its appraisal, the mental power his Martial Soul returned had tipped him off that something was wrong.
Could a Golden Dragon scale really have pushed his mental power straight into the Spirit Sea Realm? This had to be the legendary Golden Dragon King Reverse Scale. It was probably the scale the Asura God had cut from the Golden Dragon King during his death battle against the Divine Realm.
The mind was an endless sea, vast and boundless.
It was also thanks to reaching the Spirit Sea Realm that he'd managed to gain a slight edge over Ning Rongrong in their treasure-appraisal contest.
Without Spirit Sea Realm mental power, his Martial Soul's appraisal ability could only be said to rival the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
Its innate sixth-level quality still limited his Martial Soul. Once he returned to Douluo Continent, he planned to start plotting how to use an Immortal Herb to evolve it.
Di Tian stared fixedly at the Golden Dragon King Reverse Scale. The hostility in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep shock and solemnity.
He drew a deep breath, his tone finally softening. "Who exactly are you? Why do you possess such a long-lost treasure?"
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is what I can bring to the table."
Yang Fan put away the jade box and fixed Di Tian with a burning gaze.
"I know what you're plotting. I can give you my Golden Dragon King Reverse Scale—and even the world coordinates—as a backup plan in case your scheme to bring down the Spirit Pagoda fails. In return, you'll help me enter the Spirit Pagoda as a hidden clan."
Di Tian fell silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons at lightning speed.
The human's proposal was audacious, but it did strike at the Soul Beast Clan's most pressing problem.
As for taking it by force, he had considered that.
But if Yang Fan was telling the truth, the plane coordinates were the most important thing. Besides, legends of the Dragon God still circulated in the world. Perhaps that place was a realm overlooked by the Divine Realm, which would be of great importance to the Soul Beasts.
"Fine, I accept." Di Tian finally nodded, though a cunning glint flashed in his eyes. "But words alone are no guarantee. If we're going to work together, we need some assurance."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Di Tian took a scale streaked with seven-colored light from his robes.
"The Dragon God Reverse Scale!"
Bi Ji cried out in alarm, but she was already too late to stop him.
Di Tian's gaze, however, was unwavering.
Back then, the Dragon God seemed to have sensed something. Before attempting to ascend to godhood, he had entrusted his Reverse Scale to his most loyal Black Dragon Clan to keep safe. Unfortunately, even their Lord couldn't uncover its secrets. They might as well put it to use here.
He stepped in front of Yang Fan and, ignoring his attempt to dodge, pressed the Dragon God Reverse Scale—imbued with both destruction and creation—hard against Yang Fan's chest!
"Pfft—"
The Reverse Scale entered his body. No blood sprayed, but it transformed into a multicolored dragon-patterned mark that sank deep into the spot over Yang Fan's heart.
A force, icy to the bone yet brimming with tremendous vitality, coursed through his entire body, perfectly in sync with his heartbeat.
"This Reverse Scale is a treasure of my Dragon Clan."
Di Tian withdrew his hand and looked at Yang Fan coldly.
"It can grant you the Dragon Clan's bloodline, perhaps even a Second Martial Soul, but it's also a sword hanging over your head. If you dare betray the Dragon Clan or do anything to harm the Soul Beasts' interests, the Dragon God will personally pass judgment on you!"
Yang Fan felt the Reverse Scale at his chest pulsing. Far from feeling afraid, he let the corner of his mouth curl into a satisfied smile.
He held out his hand, and he and Di Tian shook on it.
"Agreed."
Under the night sky, the pact between man and beast was sealed.
Di Tian slipped alone into the darkness, leaving behind a low reminder: "Remember your promise. The hidden clan, Longyuan, will be waiting for you at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters."
Yang Fan looked down at his chest. The multicolored dragon pattern shimmered with a faint light beneath the room's lamps.
Bi Ji looked at Yang Fan, her eyes carrying an inscrutable expression.
"Does your world really have legends of the Dragon God? You're not lying to me, are you?"
She'd already coaxed this information out of him in their conversation a few days ago, but when she brought it up with Di Tian, he'd dismissed it as utter nonsense.
Although Di Tian's inherited memories of the Dragon Clan were incomplete, if he said it was nonsense, it had to be nonsense. After tens of thousands of years at Di Tian's side, Bi Ji had developed an almost blind faith in him.
That trust was precisely what made her life among the Soul Beasts so uncomfortable. Deep down, she longed for quiet, for peace, for humans and Soul Beasts to live in harmony.
Because of this, ten thousand years ago she had been the strongest supporter of Huo Yuhao's founding of the Spirit Pagoda. But ten thousand years later, the Soul Beasts had fallen into such dire straits.
The other ferocious beasts planned to wait for their Lord to regain his strength before launching a counterattack against humanity. But Bi Ji knew that humans were no longer a force the Soul Beasts could overthrow. She longed for peace and feared the Soul Beasts might be wiped out in a single war; yet because she trusted Di Tian, she didn't want to oppose his decision.
"Forget it. I won't press you about it anymore. Get your things together—we're leaving. I'll take you around and let you experience this era properly."
Seeing Yang Fan fall silent, Bi Ji sighed softly. She no longer had the heart to weigh right and wrong. The Dragon God Reverse Scale had already been given away and fused with Yang Fan.
The arrow was on the string. There was no turning back.
She could only hope that such a plane coordinate really existed, and that it would give the Soul Beast Clan a chance to preserve a spark of life if their plans for the future failed.