A flash of golden light passed, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual projection vanished from the spot as well.
It did not dare stay here alone.
Though it shouted about "that old black loach Di Tian" every day, if it truly had to face Scarlet King's three heads by itself, it was still terrified.
After all, it was now just a Soul Ring relying on others for shelter. If a fight broke out, it would not even have anywhere to run.
Time to go.
The shore of the Lake of Life returned to tranquility.
Scarlet King remained beside the Nine-Colored Deer for a while longer. Only after confirming that it showed no signs of discomfort did he sway his three heads and slowly walk away.
As he walked, he muttered, "When Lord Di Tian returns and learns that the Auspicious Beast succeeded in its tribulation, he'll definitely be happy..."
The Nine-Colored Deer stood alone by the lake, lowering its head to look at its reflection on the water.
Its cultivation, which had just broken through to a hundred thousand years, was still circulating slowly within its body. It had yet to fully adapt to that newborn power. It was like wearing a new outfit—pretty, but somehow a little tight.
It lightly shook its head, scattering several specks of starlight from its antlers. They landed on the lake, spreading rings of fine ripples.
Just as those ripples reached the center of the lake, something beneath the surface moved.
It was not a fish, not aquatic grass, nor any low-level Soul Beast active at the lake bottom.
It was an extremely faint pulse of energy, so faint that it was like a sleeping person turning over in a dream.
Yet that simple movement caused all the water in the Lake of Life