Star Dou Great Forest, Lake of Life.
This place was like an emerald embedded within the vast Star Dou Great Forest.
The lake water held an unbelievable jade-green hue. Dense natural energy and life force had nearly condensed into substance here, becoming a faint mist that drifted across the lake's surface.
Ancient trees towered along the shore, their luxuriant branches and leaves blocking most of the sky. Only wisps of golden sunlight stubbornly pierced through the gaps in the foliage, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow.
This was the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts could only serve as gatekeepers here.
And now, upon a smooth dark-green boulder by the lakeshore in this holy land of the Soul Beast world, a creature lay still with its eyes closed, a gentle and sacred halo radiating around its body.
It was the Nine-Colored Deer Lin Wan had placed in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Its body was now much sturdier than when it had first arrived on the Douluo Continent, and its fur had become even smoother and more lustrous.
Nine colors flowed endlessly across its body under the nourishment of life force, as though they were alive.
The tips of the small, exquisite antlers atop its head were also wreathed in specks of starlight.
The Nine-Colored Deer was cultivating.
As a divine beast born bearing the auspiciousness of heaven and earth, its affinity for and command of energy were instincts it had possessed from birth.
When Lin Wan placed the Nine-Colored Deer in the Star Dou Great Forest, a strange connection naturally formed around it.
Its own pure, peaceful Auspicious Aura quietly spread out, instantly connecting and merging with the fortune of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Nine-Colored Deer remained calm about this, even finding it commonplace.
Throughout its long life, wherever it went, all things tended toward tranquility. Violent Ferocious Beasts calmed their hostility, withered plants regained vitality, and creatures on the verge of death received a trace of protection.
A forest's fortune taking the initiative to connect with it was simply a normal part of its existence.
To the Nine-Colored Deer, this was merely a trivial matter.
Although this forest was somewhat large, it was still only a forest to the Nine-Colored Deer.
After arriving in this forest of towering trees, it began exploring the area.
The Nine-Colored Deer sensed the weightiness of the earth, the fragrance of vegetation permeating the air, and the pulses of countless creatures, some strong and some weak.
This primal, vibrant atmosphere made it feel quite comfortable.
However, its exploration, which had only just begun, was soon forcibly brought to an end.
An enormous pitch-black figure tore through the sky without warning and descended before it.
It was a gigantic black dragon. Its scales gleamed with a metallic chill, while its golden vertical pupils were like two burning suns, containing endless majesty and power. Its terrifying pressure froze even the surrounding air.
The Nine-Colored Deer was peaceful by nature and disliked conflict, so it did not resist when confronted with a being whose level of power far surpassed its own.
It was not afraid of any danger, since it was still under the system's protection period.
Thus, the Nine-Colored Deer allowed the black dragon calling himself Di Tian to carefully lift it with his enormous dragon claw.
When it was set down again, it was already beside the emerald waters of the Lake of Life.
"Auspicious Beast, an Auspicious Beast beloved by heaven and earth! You are the hope of the Soul Beast race. You are too weak right now, and danger lurks everywhere beyond this forest. Before you grow strong enough, you must remain here and receive protection."
Di Tian's voice, like muffled thunder, rang directly within the Nine-Colored Deer's mind. It could hear an indescribable excitement and gravity in his tone.
A trace of confusion flashed through its clear, glasslike eyes.
An Auspicious Beast? The hope of the Soul Beasts?
It was a divine beast born to embody auspiciousness, but calling it an Auspicious Beast on the Douluo Continent seemed acceptable as well.
It wanted to explain, but Di Tian's unquestionable attitude and abyss-deep power made the Nine-Colored Deer wisely choose silence.
In this world, it was still far too weak.
Thus, the Nine-Colored Deer was forced to remain at the Lake of Life, and its exploration of the Star Dou Great Forest came to an abrupt end just as it had begun.
Soon, Di Tian sent a powerful guard to the Nine-Colored Deer's side.
A two-hundred-eighty-thousand-year Soul Beast—the Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff, Scarlet King.
All three of Scarlet King's heads stared fixedly at the Nine-Colored Deer as he guarded nearby without leaving its side for even a step.
Clearly, the Nine-Colored Deer was exceedingly important to them.
Before leaving, Di Tian urged the Nine-Colored Deer in an indisputable tone, "Cultivate diligently and increase your strength. Until you possess sufficient power to protect yourself, I will not allow Scarlet King to take you out of the Lake of Life region."
Seeing Di Tian treat it like a young cub that required strict supervision, the Nine-Colored Deer felt helpless, yet it understood.
Compared with beings like Di Tian and Scarlet King, its current level of power in this world truly was like that of a newborn infant.
It helplessly accepted its circumstances and made the Lake of Life its current shelter and place of cultivation.
The environment of the Lake of Life was a supreme treasure ground for any living creature, and even more so for an auspicious beast like the Nine-Colored Deer.
Dense life force and natural energy continuously flowed into its body, nourishing its origin and accelerating its growth.
What surprised it even more was that Di Tian seemed to place extraordinary importance on its identity as an Auspicious Beast.
Besides sending Scarlet King to protect it, the Beast King of the Star Dou Great Forest personally delivered a portion of incomparably pure energy essence containing an icy aura to the Nine-Colored Deer at regular intervals.
This energy was exceptionally pure and powerful, carrying the biting chill of ice and snow as well as the tenacity of life.
Di Tian did not explain its source to the Nine-Colored Deer, but it could sense that this energy had apparently been refined and was exceptionally suitable for its absorption.
Each time it absorbed this frigid energy, it was as though an ice lamp had been lit within its body. It not only accelerated the accumulation of Soul Power, but also wonderfully stimulated the transformation and elevation of the Nine-Colored Auspicious Light within it.
Nourished by the Lake of Life and aided by the ice-attributed energy Di Tian fed it, the Nine-Colored Deer's cultivation progressed at an astonishing rate.
Its Soul Beast cultivation rapidly increased, its body became more solid and resilient, and its Nine-Colored Divine Light grew ever more dazzling. A rudimentary domain filled with auspicious energy even faintly began to form around it.
The Nine-Colored Deer felt that it was not far from breaking through to the next major realm of Soul Beasts.
That day, as usual, the Nine-Colored Deer lay upon the dark-green boulder, immersed in deep cultivation.
It guided the essence of the Lake of Life and the accumulated frigid power within its body, allowing them to slowly flow through its meridians and cleanse every inch of flesh and bone.
The surroundings were silent. Only Scarlet King lay nearby, his three heads taking turns keeping watch as he let out faint snores.
Suddenly!
An exceedingly weak mental intent, like a drifting thread, carefully pierced the Lake of Life's heavy energy barrier and slipped into the Nine-Colored Deer's mind.
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