Di Tian's Gift

When Lin En saw that the visitor was Di Tian, he was just about to rise and greet him. After all, he was the undisputed boss of the Star Dou Great Forest.

In his previous life, he had served tea to plenty of big shots for the sake of starting a business. Lin En understood well that in life, one had to put on socks before shoes, and act like a grandson before becoming a master.

He needed to settle down first and rein in his claws and fangs. That was not cowardice, but wisdom for survival. There would always come a chance to shock the world.

Di Tian shook his head. "No need. Human worldly etiquette is far too cumbersome and lacks practicality. Even back in the Dragon God Realm era, they were like this, obsessed with all kinds of useless social rituals."

"For the Dragon Clan, hierarchy and etiquette have long been carved into our bloodlines. There is no need to deliberately express them. Lower dragons cannot look up at higher dragons. If they want to change their social standing, fighting a battle is the best method.

"Before the Ascension Dragon Pillar, defeating the strong while weak earns one the cleansing of ascension."

"Did your side have similar customs?"

Lin En thought back for a moment. "Probably not."

At least the Dragon God Realm had the Ascension Dragon Pillar, which gave lower-ranking dragons and all living beings room to rise. In the Dragon Clan's world, there truly was no room for advancement at all.

A Next-Generation Species was a Next-Generation Species, while a First-Generation Species could suppress a Next-Generation Species, or even directly nullify its Word Spirit.

That Black Emperor had never considered opening a path for advancement.

What kind of good thing could someone be if the first king and priest he had created, White King, rebelled against him, and even the eight Dragon Kings he had personally created wanted nothing more than to nail down his coffin lid?

He probably had plenty in common with the Dragon God here.

In fact, the Dragon God was somewhat better. There was nothing to criticize about him when it came to love, and under normal circumstances, he would not kill his own children. After breaking free from his madness and seeing the Dragon Kings dead and wounded everywhere, he had practically wanted to die himself.

Good and bad were all relative. Thinking about it that way, the Dragon God was not all that outrageous.

Di Tian did not say much more on the subject. Different worlds produced different Dragon Clans, and their incompatible dragon bloodlines were the best proof.

Lin En simply could not use Douluo Continent dragon blood to purify his own. He could only rely on Alchemy; the Dragon Clan's blood was far too corrosive.

Different Dragon Clans had different ultimate endpoints.

The endpoint of the Douluo Continent Dragon Clan was the Dragon God. It was also the Dragon God who led the Dragon Clan to victory in the Evolution War, turning them into a super race whose roars shook the cosmos.

Before the Dragon God rose to power, the Dragon Clan did not have a single God King. He was the Dragon Clan's first God King-level powerhouse, and the Dragon God Realm had been created by him.

The Divine Realm where all gods lived today was merely a small remnant of the Dragon God Realm.

As a former guard of the Dragon God, Di Tian had truly witnessed that golden age and seen its collapse. The despicable human gods had betrayed the beast race and raised their butcher's blades against the Dragon God.

Every time he dreamed, Di Tian missed that golden age of the Dragon Clan beyond measure.

It was that longing that made Di Tian willing to place every wager on the Silver Dragon King, because she was the Dragon God's half of wisdom. She would surely make the Dragon Clan great once more.

Returning to the present, Di Tian looked at Lin En and said,

"None? Then your world likely values bloodline hierarchy even more than ours."

"I still remember that sight. In the south of what is now Douluo Continent, the Ascension Dragon Pillar pierced the heavens, and its nine-colored radiance shone even brighter than the sun! It was carved with nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine True Dragons.

"All races could ascend to the Divine Realm through the Ascension Dragon Pillar, become gods, and enjoy eternal life."

"But after a great catastrophe, the Ascension Dragon Pillar vanished as well. It was likely stolen long ago by the human gods."

"The heavenly tribulation shackles facing soul beasts today were most likely imposed by the current Divine Realm as well."

Di Tian's golden eyes shone brightly. His tone was steady, yet the anger within it was impossible to miss.

Lin En bared his teeth. In his first life, he had read the Douluo series. Though his memories were distant, if he recalled correctly, it seemed the Dragon God himself had created heavenly tribulations. He had long forgotten why.

The Dragon God War seemed to have been a ridiculous misunderstanding. The human gods had not betrayed the Dragon God; the war had broken out by accident. The Dragon God had failed to ascend Divine Star and been ganked by the universe's consciousness.

"Uh, maybe... perhaps... there might have been some misunderstanding?

"Maybe humans back then were not as bad as you think?"

Lin En did not quite know how to put it. If an invasive species like him revealed the true history, which was even more absurd than unofficial history, Di Tian would probably take it as a provocation and spin him around like a top.

Di Tian smiled and shook his head. "Young dragon, this world is darker than you imagine. The truth is exactly this: humans are a despicable race that has usurped its position."

"Out in the outside world, it is best to remain wary of them. Otherwise, you will die terribly."

Di Tian firmly believed in his understanding of the truth behind the Dragon God War. After all, the Silver Dragon King had not refuted it back then. She had personally witnessed Asura raise his butcher's blade against the Golden Dragon King, and the remains of the Nine Dragon Kings were still upon the altar.

Everything supported one another. The truth of the Dragon God War could not be wrong.

Lin En closed his mouth. Though a well-intentioned lie was still a lie, it was well-intentioned nonetheless. He should respect the fate of the local dragons. In any case, there were not many True Dragons left on Douluo Continent.

Before he became much stronger, there was no point in an invasive species like him saying anything.

Seeing Lin En fall silent, Di Tian said with satisfaction,

"It seems my words have touched your soul. I told you so much partly because you are also a dragon, and partly because of the Auspicious Beast."

Qiu'er's splashing still echoed in the distance, water spraying across the grass on both sides. A gentle expression appeared on the face of this beast god who shook the world.

"She has rarely been this happy. You should know how important the Auspicious Beast is to our Star Dou Great Forest.

"Evil Emperor and Snow Empress say that our Star Dou Great Forest is imprisoning the Auspicious Beast and depriving her of freedom."

"Heh, that is because the two of them are jealous. I truly hope she can run freely beneath blue skies, but the Power of Fate is both a blessing and a shackle."

"Once she enters the outside world, she will inevitably draw greedy eyes upon herself and may even encounter calamity."

"The Imperial Auspicious Beast is different from all of us. Strictly speaking, she has no hundred-thousand-year bottleneck. The Power of Fate allows her to live on indefinitely, but where in this world is there any gift without a price? The cost is always marked behind it."

"She is destined to face calamity. It may be a natural disaster, or it may be man-made."

"If I keep her in the Star Dou Great Forest, at least I still have the ability to influence that calamity and keep it from taking her life."

Di Tian sat down beside Lin En without the slightest air of a beast god, more like an old father.

"You gave her the name Qiu'er? She likes it very much. I thank you on her behalf."

"Honestly, I am ashamed that I never gave her a name. Perhaps, in my subconscious, names seemed dispensable.

"But on reflection, names are quite important, because they tell us who we are."

"My name was given to me by my parents. The two of them fought, and in the end, my mother won. She gave me this name and gifted me a sword.

"She wanted me to become the future leader of the Black Dragon Clan, point my sword at the Light Clan, and conquer them."

"It is rather funny. The Light Dragon Clan and the Dark Dragon Clan have always been enemies, yet the Dragon Kings of the two clans became husband and wife. I resemble my mother more; only my eyes came from my father."

"I am not a qualified guardian, but this is all I can do. The future of soul beasts remains shrouded in mist."

Di Tian looked at Lin En and flicked a finger. A glimmer of jade-green light landed in his palm.

Lin En focused his gaze and saw a fingernail-sized piece of emerald-green metal. Its dense life force nearly stirred jade-green ripples of life through the air.

This was Gold of Life! The strongest metal—Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million years of life had only produced a teardrop-sized amount of Gold of Life.

"I can sense that the life force within your body has already become one. Congratulations. You have finally returned to the right path."

"I will give this to you as payment for taking care of Qiu'er. This is the greatest treasure of the Lake of Life. Do not think it is too small. A Life Crystal that is too large will instead absorb your life force and make you wish you were dead."

"The life force contained in this Life Crystal is enough to let you live a hundred times over.

"Remember, never place this crystal together with other metals. This crystal is extremely domineering; any metal will be destroyed by it. And never swallow it, either. It will drain away your life force."

Di Tian solemnly warned Lin En. Life Crystals were dangerous. This was a supreme treasure used by his mistress to heal her injuries, and only she could make perfect use of it.

Back then, that Golden Tortoiseshell had gnawed away one-fifth of it and nearly enraged Di Tian to death. If Di Tian ever caught that fellow, he would peel off its shell and turn it into a chamber pot!

Giving Lin En even a small piece was already the greatest limit of what Di Tian could offer. Di Tian thought highly of this young dragon; investing in him could not go wrong, so long as it was not given to those despicable humans.

Lin En carefully put away the Gold of Life. Though it would have been fine to accept it directly, he had mooched off quite a lot from the Core Zone over the past year and could not take everything without giving anything back.

Qiu'er also often went to wreak havoc in Di Tian's medicinal garden, plucking countless spiritual herbs and fruits. She had nearly taken even the rare immortal herbs.

After pondering for a while, Lin En took a folding knife from his storage Soul Tool and handed it to Di Tian.

"This is a little toy I made when I had nothing to do. It is definitely useless in a fight, so just keep it as an art piece."

Di Tian took the folding knife. Its blade snapped out, covered in profound inscriptions. The characters themselves seemed to contain power, tugging at Di Tian's spiritual power.

This was an alchemical weapon crafted by Lin En. Its level was not high; it could only be considered a toy.