Life Gold, a Deal with the Soul Beasts

Life Gold was the lifeblood of the Star Dou Great Forest. If all of it were taken away, the Star Dou Great Forest would be finished. Silver Dragon did not immediately reject Yun Ze. From the destruction caused by his fall and his terrifying pressure, she could tell that he was extraordinary. She was almost certain that this person was definitely a God King-level existence, perhaps even more terrifying. Otherwise, he could not possibly have exerted such immense pressure on her. Moreover, his bloodline felt even stronger than the Dragon God's. The stronger he was, the greater the benefits he could bring her. Those benefits might even surpass the value of the Life Gold, which was why she had not refused him outright. "How do I know that you won't turn on me once you obtain the Life Gold?" Silver Dragon questioned. "You and I do not know each other. No matter how much I say, it would be useless. It depends on whether you are willing to take a gamble."

"Choose to trust me, and I guarantee you will not regret this decision. If you do not trust me, then pretend I never said anything."

"At most, I would only need to wait another thousand years or so. To me, that would merely be a waste of some time," Yun Ze said. He remained calm throughout. He was not begging for the Life Gold; having it would be good, but he could accept not having it. Silver Dragon simply did not understand Yun Ze. If Yun Ze had made such an offer in the Cultivation World, they would have agreed long ago. Any hesitation would have been disrespectful to the Divine Phoenix Immortal Emperor. Silver Dragon neither refused nor agreed. She was conflicted, uncertain whether she should trust this stranger. "My Lord, do not agree to this," Black Dragon Di Tian urged in a low voice. Silver Dragon ignored Di Tian. After pondering for a long time, she said, "I want you to help me restore the Soul Beast Clan. Can you do that?"

"Tell me specifically about the situation of your soul beasts and to what extent you wish to restore them," Yun Ze said, not agreeing immediately. If this would take too long—more than a thousand years—then there would be no need for him to agree. "Di Tian," Silver Dragon said, signaling for Di Tian to explain the soul beasts' situation. She had only just awakened herself and had been preparing to go to the human world to learn about them before seeking revenge. Before she could leave, she encountered Yun Ze falling from the sky. That terrifying energy had even shattered the Space Passage she had opened, forcing her to resist it head-on and leaving her with considerable injuries. Di Tian reluctantly began describing the soul beasts' circumstances. As he spoke, the surrounding soul beasts all wore sorrowful expressions and could not help roaring furiously at the sky. The more prosperous the soul beasts had once been, the more tragic their current state was. In a few hundred years, there might no longer be any soul beasts in the world. Above the forest, outside the barrier, the mecha pilots guarding the area stepped back slightly upon hearing the beastly roars, becoming even more vigilant. After Di Tian finished, Silver Dragon said with hatred, "If possible, I hope you can help me completely exterminate humanity, leaving only soul beasts in this world."

"Forget about exterminating humanity. You had best not even entertain that thought. The Human Race is the favored race of heaven and earth."

"If you exterminate them, the heavens will bring down punishment. When that happens, your soul beasts may well be buried alongside humanity. There is no need for mutual destruction."

"Besides, that Life Gold is not enough to make me incur such slaughter Karma for no reason."

"The extent to which I can help you is to increase the growth rate of soul beasts, make them more intelligent, and create a peaceful living environment for them."

"The reason your soul beasts are on the verge of extinction is simply that your reproduction and development rates cannot keep up with those of humans. This can be considered solving the root of your problem."

"If you can accept that, then give me the Life Gold. If not, then let the matter drop," Yun Ze said. "How will you increase the growth rate and intelligence of soul beasts?" Silver Dragon asked in disbelief. If he truly could accomplish that, then exchanging the Life Gold for it would not be impossible. After all, little remained of the Star Dou Great Forest. Once the forest vanished completely, those metals might even end up benefiting humanity. Rather than letting humans benefit from them, it would be better to trade them now for a better chance of development for the remaining soul beasts. "I have my own methods. You will learn how later. Right now, all you need to do is make a decision: trust me, or do not."

This time, Silver Dragon did not hesitate for long. She chose to trust Yun Ze. "I choose to take the gamble."

"I will give you all the Life Gold. But if you take the Life Gold and fail to fulfill your promise—"

"I, along with the entire soul beast population, will fight you to the death. We will make you pay the heaviest price for deceiving us."

Yun Ze ignored Silver Dragon's threats and simply said, "You will not regret this decision."

"Take me to where the Life Gold is."

The pressure emitted by the Phoenix Egg vanished completely. Silver Dragon lifted the Phoenix Egg with her energy and disappeared from the area. "Di Tian, do you think that Yun Ze can be trusted?" Emerald Swan Bi Ji asked. "I don't know." Di Tian shook his head helplessly, then paused before adding, "But I trust my lord. Since she has made this decision, all we need to do is support her unconditionally."

"Mm." Bi Ji nodded helplessly as well. It seemed that they could only choose to trust Yun Ze now. "Di Tian, the barrier has been torn open. Should we charge out and kill them?" Bear Lord asked, killing intent overflowing from him. "Roar! Roar!" The other soul beasts let out excited roars, all suggesting that they charge out. Di Tian looked up at the sky, seemingly seeing the mecha Soul Masters outside through the black mist. His eyes narrowed, revealing killing intent so cold that even the air seemed to freeze. Yet reason ultimately overcame his bloodlust. He quickly calmed down and said, "Until my lord gives an order, none of you are permitted to act rashly."

At the mention of their lord, the soul beasts all fell silent. They held great reverence for this lord who had only recently awakened. At the bottom of the Lake of Life, within a certain space, the life force of the Life Gold was continuously extracted and injected into the Phoenix Egg. The irregular spherical Life Gold, roughly half a meter in diameter, was rapidly dwindling as the immense life force it had accumulated over millions of years was transferred away. "I will probably need another year before I can break out of the shell," Yun Ze informed her. Silver Dragon understood. She did not leave immediately, intending to remain here and observe for a while. Above the barrier, seeing that no soul beasts charged out, the Soul Masters were relieved but also deeply puzzled. They still were not charging out?

"Commander, these soul beasts really have been raised as pets. They're too docile, too cowardly," one Soul Master mocked.

"Haha, exactly. I thought we were going to have a satisfying battle, but these beasts are such cowards that they do not even dare charge out."

The pilot of the Red Mecha, whom they called commander, also felt somewhat disappointed. Staring at the black mist that blocked all vision, deep confusion flashed in his eyes. He could sense that no great fire had erupted in the forest below, yet the fireball had clearly fallen into it. Why had the forest not been completely set ablaze? Judging by the terrifying temperature of the fireball earlier, it should have burned the forest to ashes. Yet now... strange, truly strange. He wanted to enter and investigate, but his fear of the ferocious beasts inside kept him from taking action.