"Second Uncle, everything is predestined. We can't change the past, but the future is still in our hands, isn't it?"
After hearing Yu Hengqing's words of comfort, Yu Hezai realized he had been overthinking things. He smiled and patted Yu Hengqing on the shoulder.
"You're right, Xiao Qing. I'm only in my forties. If I work hard at cultivating, perhaps I can break through to Titled Douluo before I turn sixty."
With Xiong Jun and the others no longer in their way, Yu Hengqing and Yu Hezai soon made their way out of Star Dou Forest together.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait for you in town?"
Yu Hezai looked at Yu Hengqing, who stood at the entrance to Star Dou Forest, his voice full of concern.
He was afraid that after he left, even if Yu Hengqing managed to escape, there would be no one to meet him.
"No need. Second Uncle, go back and tell my dad not to worry about me. I'll show up at Thunder Valley in seven days to temper my body with lightning."
"If I still haven't returned after seven days, have everyone leave Thunder Valley and wait for me back at the sect."
Yu Hengqing didn't know how long he would be staying at Life Lake, but a week would be more than enough time for him to negotiate with Di Tian and secure a chance to go to Thunder Valley.
If he failed, it could only mean that he had either died or been imprisoned by Di Tian and the others. In that case, there would be no point in Yu Yuanzhen continuing to send people to wait for him.
Before Yu Hezai could say anything, Yu Hengqing turned and entered Star Dou Forest. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, Yu Hezai wouldn't want to return to the sect.
Entering Star Dou Forest alone for the first time, Yu Hengqing felt a strange thrill as he listened to the leaves rustle beneath his feet.
After walking for a while, Yu Hengqing suddenly stopped. Turning his head, he spoke with some surprise to an empty patch of ground beside him. "I never expected you to come personally to escort me to Life Lake."
Silence fell over the surroundings for a moment, but Yu Hengqing kept staring at the empty patch of ground.
Realizing he had been found out, Di Tian appeared there without warning.
"Now that our guest has arrived, it would be rather impolite of me, as the host, not to come and welcome him."
Even now, Di Tian still didn't know why Yu Hengqing could sense his arrival so precisely every time. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he calmly answered Yu Hengqing.
After speaking, Di Tian clapped his hands. A ten-thousand-year-old Thunder-Clap Bird emerged from behind him and came to stand in front of Yu Hengqing, lowering its head.
"To save you the trouble, I'll have this Thunder-Clap Bird carry you there."
After speaking, Di Tian leaped onto the bird's back and quietly waited for Yu Hengqing to decide.
At that, Yu Hengqing used his Self-Created Soul Skill, Thunder Step, and sprang up, landing steadily beside Di Tian.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"
Seeing how easily Yu Hengqing had climbed onto the bird's back, three or four meters off the ground, Di Tian no longer felt like giving him a hard time. He clapped his hands and signaled the Thunder-Clap Bird to take off.
At Di Tian's command, the Thunder-Clap Bird cried out, spread its wings several meters wide, and suddenly launched itself into the air.
As he watched the ground recede beneath him, Yu Hengqing briefly felt as though he were on an airplane.
Once the Thunder-Clap Bird was airborne, Di Tian raised a Soul Power barrier to protect Yu Hengqing from the gusts created by its ascent, keeping him steady on its back.
Even though the Thunder-Clap Bird flew almost as fast as an airplane, it still took Yu Hengqing and Di Tian half an hour to fly from the outermost reaches of Star Dou Forest to the core area around Life Lake.
During that half-hour journey, standing on the bird's back gave Yu Hengqing his first truly clear glimpse of the vastness of Star Dou Forest.
But only a forest this vast could sustain Douluo Continent's Soul Masters as they continually hunted Soul Beasts for Soul Rings.
By the time Yu Hengqing reached the skies above Life Lake, Bi Ji and the other Ferocious Beasts had all taken human form and gathered beside the lake.
As for Daming and Erming, the Ferocious Beasts had long since "invited" them out of Life Lake. Two Soul Beasts who had only just reached the hundred-thousand-year level had no place at a gathering like this.
As soon as Yu Hengqing jumped down from the Thunder-Clap Bird's back, he felt everyone's eyes turn toward him. Some gazes were hostile, while others were calm.
Ever since they confirmed that Yu Hengqing was the inheritor of the Thunder God, the Ferocious Beasts had split into two factions.
The faction led by Xiong Jun advocated killing Yu Hengqing outright to eliminate any future threat. They didn't believe he would side with Soul Beasts after becoming a god.
The faction led by Bi Ji advocated getting to know Yu Hengqing first, then persuading him to willingly join their side—or at least remain neutral.
After all, the gods of the Divine Realm had changed out by more than half since that war. If Yu Hengqing, as the Thunder God, stayed neutral, other gods would surely follow his example and protect themselves by staying out of the conflict.
"Let him in!"
The Silver Dragon King's voice rang out in the minds of all the Ferocious Beasts. Naturally, none of them dared disobey her command. They stepped aside, opening a path.
Seeing that the Silver Dragon King had awakened, Di Tian didn't want to waste time. He quickly led Yu Hengqing into the secret realm beneath Life Lake.
Passing through a silver portal, Yu Hengqing entered a space shrouded in a silvery glow.
"Xiao Qing, the concentration of heaven and earth energy and life energy in this space far surpasses that of the outside world. If you could cultivate here for a while, your meridians would surely heal!"
The moment he stepped into the strange space, Leiyi sensed the change in their surroundings.
"Leiyi, you're overthinking it. Di Tian would never let an outsider like me cultivate here. This is where the Silver Dragon King recovers her strength."
Yu Hengqing knew Leiyi was worried that the side effects might hinder his cultivation, but he also understood how important this place was to Di Tian and the others.
After following Di Tian for quite a while, Yu Hengqing finally caught sight of the Silver Dragon King. Her silvery-white body was as large as a hill, and each Dragon Scale was bigger than a human face.
When Di Tian and Yu Hengqing arrived, a cloud of white mist appeared from nowhere and enveloped the Silver Dragon King.
Within the mist, the Silver Dragon King's immense body rapidly shrank. In the space of a breath, she shed her dragon form and became human.
"Hello, inheritor of the Thunder God."
As the Silver Dragon King's voice rang out, the white mist that had surrounded her vanished without a trace, as though it had never appeared.
The tall Silver Dragon King wore armor formed from Dragon Scales. She walked over to Yu Hengqing and held out her right hand.
"Hello, Silver Dragon King. You don't need to call me 'inheritor.' Just call me Yu Hengqing."
Yu Hengqing shook the Silver Dragon King's hand. He didn't believe Bi Ji had failed to tell her his name.
She had called him "inheritor" because that was probably the only part of him she cared about!
"Mm. I invited you here today because I wanted to tell you something. Do you know how the previous Thunder God fell?"
"He fell during the Dragon God War, right?"
Seeing that Yu Hengqing actually knew about the Dragon God War, the Silver Dragon King's gaze suddenly turned dangerous.
"I didn't expect you to have heard of the Dragon God War."
Yu Hengqing looked up and met the Silver Dragon King's eyes, then calmly revealed something that made Di Tian's heart skip a beat.
"I also know where the Golden Dragon King was sealed in the Divine Realm! I know that if you absorb the Golden Dragon King, you can regain the Dragon God's power!"
"Silver Dragon King, don't you want to become the next Dragon God and lead the Soul Beasts and the dragons in restoring the prosperity of the Divine Dragon Realm?"
Even if Yu Hengqing knew about the Divine Realm and the Golden Dragon King, it wouldn't mean much to the Silver Dragon King, because she could sense the Golden Dragon King's location herself.
But the moment Yu Hengqing mentioned the Divine Dragon Realm, everything changed. As the Thunder God's inheritor, he was now worth investing in.
"What do you want?"
The Silver Dragon King leaned forward and lowered her head, staring into Yu Hengqing's eyes as she tried to read his thoughts.
At that moment, the Silver Dragon King truly began to take Yu Hengqing himself seriously, rather than merely his identity as the Thunder God's inheritor.
Before you continue