At the forest's outskirts, Huo Yuhao's wrist-mounted unit suddenly issued a faint alert that only he could perceive—an extremely dangerous, ultra-high-intensity spatial distortion was forming nearby! He instantly tensed, but did not panic. The energy buffer layer within his spirit armor lining glimmered faintly as his spiritual power gathered in readiness.
The rift opened, and Di Tian and Bi Ji stepped out.
When Di Tian's sharp golden eyes, cold as ancient ice, fell upon Huo Yuhao, he immediately saw through Huo Yuhao's true condition: gravely wounded, stripped of divine power, with his origin damaged. The bizarre seal inside him and the Golden Dragon King's curse were even more alarming. Yet at the same time, Di Tian noticed the deep-blue inner armor that clearly did not belong to mortal craftsmanship of this era, as well as the exquisite silver-gray wrist guard. They emanated an exceedingly faint yet sophisticated aura of Divine Realm craftsmanship, forming a stark contrast with Huo Yuhao's weakened state.
The Ice Douluo of ten thousand years ago and the well-equipped yet visibly downcast "fallen god" before him overlapped in Di Tian's eyes, making the contradiction all the more poignant.
"Ice Douluo, have you been well?" Di Tian's voice remained low and imposing, betraying little emotion. His gaze briefly lingered on Huo Yuhao's wrist guard and inner armor. "It seems that even in misfortune, the guest from the Divine Realm did not return empty-handed. Your condition, and this wall... after ten thousand years, it seems neither of us has found peace as we wished."
Bi Ji also nodded slightly. Her gentle gaze swept over Huo Yuhao's equipment, and a flash of understanding, along with deeper curiosity, passed through her eyes.
Huo Yuhao slowly rose to his feet. Though the inner armor made his movements much smoother, the weakness stemming from his origin was still obvious. Meeting Di Tian's gaze, he said frankly, "Di Tian, Bi Ji, it has been a long time. Saying I am well would be a lie, though I have not exactly returned empty-handed. I still have a few old trinkets to keep me company. As for this wall, and why I ended up here, that is a long story. This probably isn't the place to catch up, is it?"
His tone was calm, carrying the hoarseness of a grievously wounded man, but also the composure born of his own preparations. He no longer carried himself purely as the weak seeking protection.
Di Tian gave him a deep look, his eyes sweeping over the unit on his wrist and the armor on his body. He said no more. "Come."
With a sweep of his sleeve, spatial power enveloped all three of them, and they vanished from the spot. Only faint ripples in space testified to this reunion across ten thousand years and the barrier of the great wall.
Before the dizziness of spatial transfer had fully faded, Huo Yuhao's feet had already touched solid ground. A rich life aura and primal Soul Power, so dense they were almost viscous, rushed toward him, utterly unlike the oppressive confinement outside. He steadied himself as the spirit armor lining automatically adjusted to the energy environment. Data streamed rapidly across the edge of his vision from the wrist-mounted unit, displaying the terrifying energy density here and no fewer than six powerful life signatures far beyond his understanding.
Before him lay a tranquil lake. Its clear waters reflected towering ancient trees and the sky—a whole sky, untouched by the wall. Several figures already stood by the shore, their gazes settling on him almost tangibly.
At their head stood Di Tian in black robes and golden eyes, with Bi Ji beside him, gentle yet concerned. Behind them, however, the atmosphere was entirely different.
"Roar—! Human! You still dare set foot here?!" A furious roar exploded through the air. Before Di Tian could speak, a terrifying Dark Gold figure, carrying a gale that tore through space, suddenly appeared before Huo Yuhao's flank. The phantom of a gigantic Dark Gold claw blotted out the sky, descending mercilessly with ten thousand years of pent-up rage and pure destructive intent! It was Bear Lord, the most violent-tempered of them all! He had no intention of hearing any explanation. Fixing on the dual identities of "human god" and "founder of the Spirit Pagoda," he intended to kill Huo Yuhao beneath his claw!
The strike was swift as lightning and incomparably vicious. Even an ordinary Title Douluo would have struggled to react. Bi Ji cried out, "Bear Lord, don't!"
Di Tian's eyes turned cold, yet he did not immediately intervene. A trace of scrutiny flashed through his golden dragon eyes. He wanted to see just how much foundation this "old acquaintance," who was in such terrible condition yet carried creations of the Divine Realm, still possessed.
The instant Bear Lord erupted into motion, every hair on Huo Yuhao's body stood on end as the shadow of death descended. Yet he had endured countless life-and-death trials, and his will was already firm as stone. His thoughts erupted in less than a thousandth of a second!
The surface of the Realm Patrol Soul Tool vehicle, which had been parked nearby in concealed standby mode, suddenly blazed with light! Its streamlined body transformed and unfolded like liquid metal in an instant—not into a weapon, but into a massive deep-blue diamond-shaped shield, positioning itself with perfect precision between Huo Yuhao and the descending Dark Gold claw!
Boom—!!!!!
A muffled, earth-shaking crash, like two mountains colliding, exploded over the Lake of Life! A violent shockwave burst outward in a ring, flinging lake water and earth into the sky as the surrounding ancient trees swayed violently. Streams of light raced across the deep-blue shield's surface. Countless minute composite Soul Tool formations flashed frantically, dispersing, redirecting, and neutralizing the terrifying force of Bear Lord's enraged strike layer by layer. The shield trembled violently and released an overloaded hum. Fine cracks even appeared on its surface, but it ultimately received the blow steadily. Behind the shield, Huo Yuhao was only pushed back two steps by the blast. His face grew paler, but he was uninjured.
"What?!" A flash of astonishment, followed by even greater fury, appeared in Bear Lord's enormous beastly eyes. Though he had not used his full strength, that claw strike had been enough to shatter a mountain. Yet it had been blocked by this strange human creation?
"Bear Lord! Insolence!" Only then did Di Tian's furious shout boom like thunder. An even vaster, more majestic dragon's might descended abruptly, like invisible shackles pinning Bear Lord, who still wanted to continue attacking, firmly in place. "Without this Emperor's command, who dares act rashly?!"
Bi Ji hurried forward as well. Green light flickered as she soothed the disturbed space and restless energy. At the same time, she looked in astonishment at the deep-blue Soul Tool vehicle, which was slowly returning to its original shape as the cracks on its surface repaired themselves. "This... this is absolutely beyond the reach of modern human Soul Tool technology," she said softly, her tone full of shock.
The other fierce beasts also revealed themselves because of the sudden clash. Myriad Demon King emerged from the shadow of an ancient tree, a cold, amused expression on his humanoid face as he examined Huo Yuhao and his vehicle. Scarlet King's three heads growled, their fighting spirit still unquenched. Zi Ji stood silently farther away, her gaze wary. Demon Spirit hid behind a large tree, peeking out with both curiosity and fear.
"Di Tian! Why stop me?!" Bear Lord roared unwillingly. The phantom of his Dark Gold claw slowly withdrew, but his savage gaze remained locked on Huo Yuhao. "The Spirit Pagoda imprisoned our kind and drained our foundation, all because of this man! Now that he has delivered himself to us, it is time to repay blood with blood!"
"Fool!" Di Tian snapped coldly. His gaze swept over all the fierce beasts before finally resting on Huo Yuhao, whose breathing had steadied and whose expression remained calm. "If he truly intended evil, or were one with the Spirit Pagoda of today, why would he come in such a state and rely on this artifact for protection? Why would he activate the token of an old pact from ten thousand years ago? You all saw that shield just now. The laws governing its energy circulation and its material craftsmanship differ vastly from the Soul Tools used by the Spirit Pagoda today. Instead, they are closer to..." He paused. "Closer to the legacy of the Divine Realm, and the work of a god skilled in creation and laws. And as far as I know, no such being stands behind the Spirit Pagoda."
Myriad Demon King's effeminate voice rang out. "Di Tian makes sense. This thing... is exquisitely crafted. It seems more suited for survival and research than warfare or slaughter. If humans possessed such technology, they would have long used it to reinforce that wall or create even more terrifying war Soul Tools. Why would they make such an impractical vehicle?" His analysis always cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Only then did Huo Yuhao speak. His voice was still hoarse, but it carried the calm of one weathered by countless years. "I understand Bear Lord's anger. When I saw that wall, the rage and guilt in my heart were no less than yours." He pointed to the Realm Patrol, which was repairing itself. "This, along with the things on my person, were all made during my leisure time in the Divine Realm. Ten thousand years in the Divine Realm pass differently from time below, but I did indeed observe the course of human Soul Tool technology's development. The Spirit Pagoda's technology today may appear prosperous, but in truth it has entered the crooked path of extreme control and plunder. Its core principles have long diverged completely from what I envisioned back then."
He calmly met the suspicious and furious gazes of Bear Lord and the other fierce beasts. "I founded the Spirit Pagoda because, in an era when soul beasts were inevitably declining, I wished to find a new path for humans and soul beasts to coexist, replacing slaughter and absorption with Soul Spirit contracts. I never imagined, nor would I ever wish to see, it become a cold machine that imprisons soul beasts, monopolizes soul rings and Soul Spirits, and may even drain the fortune of the soul beast race."
"Easy for you to say!" Bear Lord growled. "The Silver Dragon King also believed your so-called talk of 'peace' and 'coexistence' back then, and that was why... why she left the core region, only to vanish without a trace!" When he mentioned the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, Bear Lord's voice was filled with indignation and a deeply buried sense of loss.
The moment those words were spoken, even Di Tian's eyes dimmed slightly. Bi Ji sighed softly. The Silver Dragon King's departure was the deepest scar of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Huo Yuhao keenly caught that information, and his heart trembled. The Silver Dragon King had left? This was an unexpected and crucial development. But it was not convenient for him to ask further now. He merely said slowly, "I do not yet know what happened to the Silver Dragon King. However, I appeared here this time because I suffered a great calamity. My divine power was completely lost, and I fell into this world." With a bitter smile, he pointed to his chest. Even beneath the spirit armor, the abnormality within could still be sensed. "As for the one who injured me... he could be considered to have some connection to all of you."
"Oh?" Myriad Demon King raised a brow.
Huo Yuhao tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a rather strange expression tinged with self-mockery and teasing. "The Golden Dragon King. That old enemy who had been sealed in the Divine Realm for countless years somehow became absurdly powerful and even learned to use his brain. My father-in-law... ah, that is, Poseidon Tang San, the God Kings of Destruction and Life, and I fought him together. The result, as you can see, was that his final counterattack beat me into this state. My Divine Godhood nearly shattered, so I was thrown down here to 'recuperate.'" He spoke lightly, even with the comical tone of someone who had simply taken a nasty fall outside.
The scene fell strangely silent for a moment.
"The... Golden Dragon King?" Scarlet King's middle head blinked.
"Pfft... hahahahaha!" Bear Lord suddenly erupted into earth-shaking laughter, rocking back and forth as even his Dark Gold fur trembled. "Beaten down here by the Golden Dragon King?! Hahahaha! Retribution! That is truly retribution! You Divine Realm dogs bit each other, and you deserved it!" His rage seemed to have faded slightly because of this absurd reason and Huo Yuhao's miserable state, replaced by a nearly gloating delight.
Myriad Demon King also wore a faintly amused smile. Bi Ji covered her mouth, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Even Zi Ji's lips seemed to twitch. Demon Spirit poked farther out from behind the tree, curiously watching this unlucky god who had been beaten down by the Golden Dragon King.
The corner of Di Tian's mouth also moved almost imperceptibly before he resumed his cold expression. Huo Yuhao's explanation appeared self-deprecating, yet it neatly drew a clear line between himself and the Spirit Pagoda of today. It also explained his weakness—grave injuries from a Divine Realm war—and invisibly brought him closer to the soul beasts. After all, he and the Dragon God's evil thought incarnation from their legends were enemies too, and he had suffered greatly at its hands.
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