In just one morning, Gu Yunxiao gained a thorough understanding of those ten soul beasts.
Once all ten soul beasts had been introduced, the day's task should have been over.
But Gu Yunxiao felt his mind could still handle more-far more, in fact.
So he asked Bi Ji to continue.
Bi Ji did not refuse. Instead, she had the Scarlet King capture another ten soul beasts and bring them over.
To Bi Ji's surprise, Gu Yunxiao's ability to absorb information far exceeded her expectations. He even possessed a photographic memory, never forgetting anything he had seen.
Bi Ji was not the only one who noticed this. Di Tian, who was guarding him from the shadows, did too.
Seeing Gu Yunxiao grow so quickly, Di Tian revealed a rare smile, his eyes full of gratification.
The Soul Beast Clan... is finally going to rise!
Di Tian sighed inwardly.
Then he continued watching Gu Yunxiao.
He had only one task: to ensure Gu Yunxiao's safety.
Before long, Gu Yunxiao finished his day of theoretical study. He had learned about thirty soul beasts, yet his mind remained clear, without the slightest confusion.
Even when Bi Ji tested him with questions, his answers flowed effortlessly.
This brought one smile after another to Bi Ji's face.
The days that followed passed much the same way. Besides growing rapidly in the Star Dou Great Forest, Gu Yunxiao also set aside time to visit the Far North and study Ice Control.
Moreover, during his visits to the Far North, Gu Yunxiao would spend time in nearby human cities, interacting with humans.
On several occasions, he even traveled to the major cities of the various empires.
With Beast God Di Tian guarding him from the shadows, his safety could not have been more secure.
Of course, Gu Yunxiao did not rely on Di Tian to solve everything. He handled matters involving others his own age himself.
As a result, he made a few friends-and a few enemies.
Above the continent lay the Divine Realm.
It was a place the beings of the lower realm yearned for, yet none knew whether it truly existed. All they knew was that only by becoming a god could they discover the answer.
One day in the Divine Realm was one year in the lower realm.
Six days earlier, a storm of spacetime turbulence had swept through the entire Divine Realm.
A mysterious demon dragon with nine heads had suddenly descended. His strength was so terrifying that it surpassed even the Dragon God of old.
Had the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon not already been injured, even the combined might of all the gods would have been no match for him.
Although the Divine Realm had won, it had paid a tremendous price. Its former splendor had been destroyed, and the palaces of the gods had been reduced to ruins.
Worst of all, more than a third of the gods had fallen, while many others had been left with lingering afflictions within their bodies.
Even among the Five Great God Kings, three had suffered grievous injuries that would take months, perhaps even a year, to heal.
Somewhere in the Divine Realm, several God Kings gathered in a divine palace that remained relatively intact.
Bang!
The God of Destruction slammed his hand onto the table, his face furious. The power of destruction within him swirled around his body, barely contained.
"That damned Nine-Headed Demon Dragon! He cost the Divine Realm so dearly!"
"He appeared out of nowhere and slaughtered the gods without so much as asking right from wrong. Even if he wasn't a surviving remnant of the Dragon Clan from back then, he was no better!"
"To think we let a wisp of his soul escape! Damn it!"
Whenever the God of Destruction thought of the fallen gods, his heart bled.
They had been the very foundation of the Divine Realm!
"Xiao Zi, calm down."
The God of Life's voice was weak and her aura unstable, but she still spoke to soothe the God of Destruction.
"Xiao Lu, how are the three of you doing?" The God of Destruction looked at the God of Life, the God of Kindness, and the God of Evil.
"The power the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon used is incredibly overbearing. There's simply no way to eradicate it." The God of Life shook her head.
"Not only that, it's destroying the divine power inside me. I can't stop it at all. I can only use my divine power to cancel it out little by little."
The God of Kindness looked slightly pale. The power inside her body caused her great discomfort.
"It's strange."
The God of Evil instinctively looked toward the God of Destruction. "Destruction, the power the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon used is very similar to your power of destruction, but it's even more terrifying."
"Yes."
The God of Destruction nodded. "The most terrifying thing about this power is that any divine power that touches it will be destroyed, regardless of its attribute."
"What's more, when my destruction divine power comes into contact with it, it gets devoured."
"Does anyone know where the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon came from?"
All three God Kings shook their heads.
"The Nine-Headed Demon Dragon arrived with the spacetime turbulence. He most likely came from another world and probably has nothing to do with the Dragon Clan of old."
"But his very existence is a threat to the Divine Realm."
"A wisp of his soul escaped. That, too, is a tremendous hidden danger. No one can guarantee he won't return."
"I suggest that, while we rebuild the Divine Realm, we also assign more people to monitor other worlds and search for traces of the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon."
After calming down, the God of Destruction offered a suggestion.
The three God Kings considered it briefly, then all nodded.
"Where's Tang San? Why isn't he here yet?"
The God of Destruction's face darkened, displeasure coloring his voice.
Whoosh-
Just a second after the God of Destruction finished speaking, a light flashed outside the palace, and a figure with long, lake-blue hair walked in.
From behind alone, it was impossible to tell whether the figure was a man or a woman.
Even from the front, his features made his gender difficult to distinguish.
If not for the Adam's apple at his throat, no one could have been certain whether he was a man or a woman.
He was none other than the renowned Asura God, Sea God Tang San.
"My apologies, everyone. I'm late."
Tang San smiled and took his seat quite casually.
"Hmph!"
The God of Destruction snorted, making no effort to hide his hostility. "Tang San, the Divine Realm has suffered such a calamity. As one of the Five Great God Kings, do you still feel no sense of urgency?"
"Destruction, what's done is done. What good would a sense of urgency alone do?"
"I don't know whether a sense of urgency would help. But what I do know is that you must take responsibility for the gods who fell this time!" The God of Destruction stared coldly at Tang San.
"Destruction, what do you mean by that?"
Tang San frowned, somewhat displeased.
"Tang San, don't play dumb with me!"
The God of Destruction flew into a rage. "If you hadn't dawdled and dragged your feet, how could so many gods of the Divine Realm have fallen?!"
Had Tang San arrived in time, the Five Great God Kings could have joined forces to unleash creation god power. They could certainly have prevented many of those deaths.
But Tang San had not.
As someone who possessed dual godhood, and who held the strongest godhood of all-the Asura God's-his failure to be there from the outset was his fault.
Most of the fallen gods had died buying time... buying the Five Great God Kings enough time to unleash their combined strike.
The thought alone left the God of Destruction seething.
"Destruction, I've already told you. I was reinforcing the seal on the Forbidden Land of Gods to prevent the Golden Dragon King..." Tang San's expression slowly turned cold as well.
"Prevent him, my ass!"
The God of Destruction grew more agitated as he spoke, his voice rising. "The moment the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon descended, the Golden Dragon King was so terrified that he immediately suppressed his aura. He didn't even dare let out a fart!"
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