Tribulation Clouds

"So, besides the film and television visuals, we also needed to work on the music in tandem to build a complete auditory image for the 'God of Emotions'?" Zi Ji accepted the preliminary proposal Huo Yuhao handed back, a thoughtful gleam flashing through her violet eyes. Her slender fingers lightly tapped the tabletop. "This was indeed a direction worth exploring. Good scores and theme songs often reached people more deeply than visuals did, becoming anchors for their memories. I had solid connections with several top soul-tool music producers and popular singers on the continent. They were all extremely enthusiastic about lending their voices to works related to the 'Ice Douluo' or the 'God of Emotions,' and their contact information was readily available."

She recalled, "Back when Battle Against the Dragon King was made, its theme song, Oath of Ice and Soul, was sung by Silver Bell, the heavenly-voiced songstress of the Star Luo Empire. Her ethereal yet epic voice added greatly to the film, and the single became incredibly popular. This time, we could go further." Zi Ji's business mind spun rapidly. "Perhaps we could first tailor one or two exclusive pieces in the style of 'oracles' or 'hymns' for your image as the 'God of Emotions.' They would not be tied directly to any particular film, but would instead serve as the background music and spiritual symbol of this divine position. Then we could collaborate with Xiaoling's game studio and incorporate these musical elements into major plot points or character themes in the game, creating a cross-media resonance of faith."

"Not a bad idea." Huo Yuhao nodded approvingly, then opened another, thicker document Zi Ji had handed him. "This is... a detailed proposal for a new project? Abyssal Shadow? A spy-themed... television series?" He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, a spy drama about infiltration, intelligence, and desperate maneuvering at the limit." Zi Ji's eyes gleamed with a planner's shrewdness and passion. "The protagonist is set to be a top agent with extraordinary spiritual power, skilled in disguise, covert operations, and solo combat. This would be perfect for artistically presenting the abilities and thrilling experiences you had back when you were the 'ultimate individual soldier,' especially your signature methods such as spiritual detection, simulation, and soul shock. I have already given the settings artistically altered names, avoiding unnecessary trouble from direct parallels while building an entirely new world filled with conspiracies and danger."

She leaned closer and explained in detail, "Choosing a television series instead of a film was a long-term decision. A well-produced series could keep viewers watching for a long time, and its buzz could last for months or even longer. It would have a more lasting effect than a one-time viewing when it came to maintaining and deepening the presence of the 'God of Emotions' or his incarnations in the public's mind. We could release episodes weekly, constantly creating suspense and discussion."

At that moment, Di Tian, who had been listening silently, interjected. "I have seen the draft for the second major film. It focused on god-level battles with grander spectacles, which fit modern audiences' preference for visual stimulation. People in peacetime really did enjoy that sort of thing." His tone shifted, and a trace of doubt passed through his golden dragon eyes. "However, speaking of villains... news of Evil Soul Master activity on the continent seemed to have become abnormally scarce these past few years."

At those words, the atmosphere by the lake subtly tightened. Evil Soul Masters—shadows that clung like parasites to bone—had once brought countless disasters to the continent. Their powers were strange and formidable; they could not possibly have vanished without cause. Over the past five years, they seemed to have slipped into the deepest darkness overnight. Even the Spirit Pagoda and the Shrek Inspection Corps had rarely detected traces of large-scale activity.

"This abnormal silence often foretold a greater storm brewing." Huo Yuhao's expression was grave. "Zi Ji, it was a good choice to use Evil Soul Masters as the hidden thread or even the main villains of your television series. This was not merely for dramatic conflict; it was also a subtle warning to the world—the darkness had never gone away, only hidden itself more deeply. We needed to use stories to remind people to remain vigilant. At the same time, the plot could reasonably portray the spiritual strength and unwavering will needed to fight evil. That itself was a positive form of guidance through the power of faith."

"Understood." Zi Ji made a serious note. "When the screenwriting team builds the Evil Soul Master faction, I will have them emphasize its secrecy, its infiltrative nature, and the oppressive sense of a massive conspiracy in the making, so viewers could feel that underlying crisis even as they enjoyed following the series."

The discussion temporarily came to an end. Huo Yuhao's expression turned solemn as he held out his palm, and the grayish-white gateway to the Undead Plane appeared again. This time, wisps of extremely pure dark-golden energy were slowly drawn out, though they still radiated an unyielding and violent aura. These energies had been separated from the main divine core and partially "digested" by the Undead Plane, stripping away some of their violent intent and making them relatively "gentler." Yet their essence remained incomparably powerful. They swirled and condensed above Huo Yuhao's palm, ultimately forming a palm-sized dark-golden dragon scale that seemed tangible, gleaming with metallic luster and intricate patterns.

"This is a portion of the Golden Dragon King's source power that the Undead Plane currently could not fully convert. Its nature was too overbearing, and leaving it there would also be a hidden danger." Huo Yuhao offered the dragon scale to Di Tian. "Di Tian, you are a dragon and possess a powerful bloodline. Perhaps you could try absorbing it. This should count as a rather... unconventional 'blessing of the Dragon God'?"

Di Tian took the dragon scale. It felt heavy in his hand, and a scorching, power-filled pulse instantly spread from his fingertips, making the dragon blood throughout his body faintly boil. He carefully sensed the true intent of "immortality" and "power" contained within it, then said in a deep voice, "It truly was tyrannical beyond compare, far surpassing the energy level of ordinary dragon remains. But..." Golden light flared in his eyes as fierce fighting spirit ignited within them. "Since it is power from the same source, what would I, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, have to fear?!"

Before his words had even faded, his five fingers clenched fiercely!

Crack!

The dark-golden dragon scale shattered in response, but it did not turn to dust. Instead, it burst into countless smaller yet more dazzling golden motes. Like living stardust, they instantly enveloped Di Tian's entire body! The golden light swiftly solidified, forming a tightly sealed golden cocoon taller than a person. Its surface shimmered brilliantly, faint dragon-shaped phantoms swimming across it. The powerful energy fluctuations even slightly warped the surrounding space.

Everyone's gaze focused on the cocoon of light, filled with nervous anticipation. Huo Yuhao watched especially closely, spiritual fluctuations faintly surfacing in his ice-blue eyes as he remained ready to deal with any accident.

The cocoon's radiance faded from its peak, its color gradually growing lighter and more transparent, as though the energy was being rapidly absorbed. In only about a quarter of an hour, the cocoon completely dissipated, revealing Di Tian within.

The "freshly manufactured" Di Tian had undergone subtle yet striking changes in appearance. His originally profound purplish-gold dragon eyes were now stained with a more dazzling dark-golden hue, like molten gold. Whenever his gaze shifted, divine light shone brilliantly from them, stealing one's very soul. The black dragon scales covering his entire body appeared denser and harder, carrying a cold metallic glimmer. On the scales at key locations—his chest, shoulder armor, and forehead—ancient dark-golden dragon patterns had silently emerged, appearing and fading intermittently, adding several degrees of majesty and mystery. Though his aura was restrained, he gave off the weight and subtle pressure of mountains looming over an abyss, as if a power capable of tearing apart the heavens slumbered within him.

Di Tian slowly raised both hands and clenched his fists. A series of faint pops rang from his bones. Feeling the unprecedented strength surging through his blood, as well as the "immortal" quality that both conflicted with and gradually fused into his black dragon bloodline, he broke into a satisfied, confident smile. "Wow... this felt... extremely good! I was full of power!" He looked at Huo Yuhao and nodded, indicating that everything had gone smoothly.

Growing stronger required practice for testing and adaptation. Di Tian shifted his gaze toward Bear Lord, who had long been eager to fight, and his battle intent rose. "Bear Lord! Stop standing around. Put on your full set of gear and spar with me! Let me test this newly gained power!"

"Haha! I've been waiting for you to say that, Boss!" Bear Lord roared excitedly, his voice shaking the surroundings. Without any flashy movements, a thought from him caused a set of Three-Word Battle Armor to emerge from within his body. It was dark, heavy, metallic in color, and wild and savage in design, completely covering his mountain-like muscular frame. At the same time, several small soul-power amplification devices installed at the armor's key joints hummed to life, emitting dangerous red light. Most eye-catching of all were the high-intensity soul-tool thrusters mounted on his back and along the outer sides of his arms. Their nozzles already glowed faintly blue-white.

Bear Lord did not use any soul skill. He drew a deep breath and assumed the simplest, most force-concentrating opening stance—building momentum! His feet rooted themselves into the earth as he lowered into a slight bow stance. The terrifying power contained in his tightly tensed muscles surged frantically toward his left arm like rivers returning to the sea. The soul-tool thruster behind that arm was pushed to maximum output, blasting out fierce blue-white flames with a deep roar like a giant beast's howl, providing the final acceleration and explosive force for this strike of pure physical strength.

This punch combined Bear Lord's racial divine power as a Darkgolden Dreadbear, the enhancement of the Three-Word Battle Armor, the reinforcement of the amplification devices, and the kinetic energy of the thrusters. It was the ultimate manifestation of his physical attack—simple, brutal, yet carrying terrifying might capable of splitting mountains and shattering earth!

Sensing the destructive energy gathered around Bear Lord's fist, enough to make an ordinary Titled Douluo lose his soul, golden light burst from Di Tian's eyes. He neither dodged nor evaded. With a low shout, he took one equally direct step forward and swung his right fist! There was no dazzling glow around it, only an extremely solid layer of dark gold, as though it was not flesh and blood at all but forged from the most indestructible divine metal.

"Everyone, defend yourselves!" Bi Ji cried softly. A jade-green curtain of light spread out first, gently covering the core region of the Lake of Life. With a wave of Myriad Demon King's hand, tough vines and roots broke through the ground, intertwining into a second buffering barrier. Crimson King's three heads howled in unison, and blazing rings of fire spread outward, forming a high-temperature deflection field. Zi Ji lightly swept her jade-like hand, causing ripples to spread through space and weakening any potential spatial shockwaves.

Demon Spirit reacted the fastest. Almost the instant Bear Lord began gathering momentum, she flashed in front of the still somewhat weakened Huo Yuhao. Several portable high-level soul-tool shield generators jointly produced by Deep Space Dragon Domain and Three-Headed Spirit Scent activated simultaneously on her body. Layer after layer of translucent shields with varying attributes instantly unfolded, tightly protecting both her and Huo Yuhao. Her little face was filled with tension and determination.

At the instant before Di Tian's fist collided with Bear Lord's punch, which carried all his strength and had been accelerated to its utmost limit by the thrusters—

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Then—

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!

An indescribable roar exploded! It was not sound so much as a pained groan from heaven and earth themselves! At the center of the collision, an extreme flash of light first swallowed everything. Then a sphere-shaped ring of destructive energy, mixed with dark gold and dark red, expanded madly in all directions, visible to the naked eye!

Bzzzz—!!!

The multiple defensive barriers erected jointly by Bi Ji and the others shook violently, releasing overloaded hums. The jade-green light curtain flickered erratically, the vine barrier snapped apart inch by inch, the rings of fire were forcibly extinguished, and the spatial ripples were brutally smoothed away! Fortunately, the barriers ultimately held firm against this first and most concentrated wave of impact.

However, the aftermath of the collision did not fully dissipate, instead continuing to sweep outward!

The outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Spirit Pagoda observation station.

Piercing alarms rang throughout the entire building!

"Warning! Warning! Forest energy monitor units one through fifteen have all lost signal! An immeasurable high-energy reaction has been detected erupting within the central region! Energy level... exceeded! Exceeded!" The monitor stared at the snow-white soul-tool screens and wildly flashing red indicators, shouting himself hoarse.

The supervisor rushed into the control room, his face livid. "What happened? What is the energy source? A soul beast riot or a natural disaster?!"

"I-I don't know! The instruments were completely destroyed in an instant! The energy waveform has never been recorded before... Wait, Supervisor! It's coming! The shockwave is coming!!" The monitor pointed outside the window, despair in his eyes.

In the distant forest, it was as though an invisible giant plow had torn through the land. Towering ancient trees fell in rows, crushed to pieces! The sturdy outer walls of the observation station twisted and split apart like paper! The auxiliary buildings of the Spirit Pagoda branch established at the forest's edge collapsed by half before the lingering force of that heaven-and-earth might, sending smoke and dust soaring into the sky!

The surviving staff crawled out of the rubble, filthy and shaken, staring toward the center of the forest. The next moment, they all froze, their pupils contracting sharply.

Above the sky over the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, an incomparably thick mass of dark tribulation clouds had somehow gathered, slowly rotating! Golden, purple, and black lightning serpents raced madly through the clouds, radiating heavenly might that made souls tremble! This apocalyptic sight had somehow been completely concealed until now, only just revealing its true form!

The central region, by the lake.

The soul beasts stared at the terrifying tribulation clouds overhead in stunned silence.

"Tsk, I almost forgot." Di Tian scratched his head. Looking at his fist and then the sky, he smiled helplessly. "A blessing was a blessing, but this generous gift from the Golden Dragon King was ultimately external power. To fully make it my own, the laws of heaven and earth still had to go through the process and send down a trial... I seemed to have gotten the order backward. I took the power first, then made up the 'exam' afterward."

Bear Lord shook his somewhat numb arm and grinned. "Boss, your 'exam' was making quite a spectacle!"

At that moment, Demon Spirit urgently reported through the hidden detectors scattered throughout the forest, "Uncle Di Tian, Uncle Bear Lord! The aftermath of that clash just now shattered several layers of the outermost concealment barriers and interference devices we set up! The people outside had definitely noticed the huge disturbance here and the tribulation clouds in the sky!"

Bi Ji made a swift decision. "Put away all soul tools immediately! We cannot let them discover that we were using such advanced human technological products here!" Everyone moved quickly, flashes of light blinking in succession as the Azurefall Celestial Ring, various testing instruments, amplification devices, and other items were swiftly stored away in spatial soul tools. The scene immediately looked far more "natural." Other than the massive crater and fallen trees, it resembled damage caused by an extremely high-level soul beast duel or tribulation.

Di Tian did not care in the slightest. He waved a hand, utterly composed. "No matter. So what if the people outside saw it? Good. I intended to undergo this 'heavenly tribulation' under their watchful eyes. As for the earlier disturbance, we could attribute it to the precursor of the tribulation clouds gathering. Demon Spirit, take Yuhao away from the central region first and find a place that was safe with a good view. The rest of you should also withdraw for now. I will handle this 'exam' myself."

He raised his head toward the increasingly oppressive tribulation clouds, within which lightning faintly flickered. Rather than fear, his dark-golden dragon eyes burned with fierce battle intent. His newly acquired power surged through his veins, resonating with his black dragon bloodline. He craved a thoroughly satisfying battle to truly master this "blessing" and announce to the entire continent that he, Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, had taken another step forward!