Chapter 38

"It's hooked."

The float suddenly plunged, and a ring of white spray burst across the surface, ripples spreading from the float throughout the Lake of Life.

The corners of Ye Guixu's mouth lifted. Gripping the fishing rod with both hands, he jerked backward, pulling the entire line taut and bending the rod into a breathtaking arc.

The next instant, a savage force surged back through the rod, as though something beneath the water was frantically pulling at him.

The ground sank beneath his feet. He stumbled a step forward under the pull, his soles plowing two shallow grooves into the stones along the shore.

"This fish... is pretty strong."

His eyes lit up. Rather than letting go, he looked as though he had found something entertaining, and his smile deepened.

The Void Star God Mecha materialized soundlessly, its black-and-gold metal body blocking half the daylight. Four floating thrusters slowly unfolded, hovering in midair like a pair of enormous pitch-black wings.

The fishing rod condensed from soul power expanded with it, instantly becoming a colossal object dozens of meters long. Like a pillar holding up the heavens, it stretched across the sky above the Lake of Life, reflected in the shimmering water.

Ye Guixu's enhancements stacked one upon another, his aura surging like a mountain torrent unleashed. The golden-green patterns on the Void Star God Armor lit up one by one, dark light flowing ceaselessly across its metal surface.

Terrifying waves of force swept across the entire lake with him at their center. The water surged and rolled backward, and even the vegetation along the shore bent beneath that invisible pressure, bowing low against the ground and rustling.

"Get up here!"

He abruptly exerted his strength, flicking the enormous fishing rod upward. Its dozens of meters of length traced a black arc through the air.

With a great splash, the entire lake's surface burst apart, as though something had torn through the underwater world. Layer upon layer of waves rolled back to either side.

An enormous silver-white figure was forcibly dragged from the lakebed by the fishing line. Her scales reflected dazzling silver light beneath the sun, like a long dragon condensed from liquid moonlight.

She traced a long arc through the air before crashing onto the shore. Dust flew, the earth trembled, and a deep crater formed with a boom where she landed, spiderweb cracks spreading outward from its edges.

The Emperor Auspicious Beast sat by the lake, not even noticing when her Void Profound Ice dropped to the ground. All three of her eyes went perfectly round, and even her breathing stopped for a moment.

My lord! My lord really got fished out!

Di Tian! Hurry back! Someone has fished our lord away!

The Silver Dragon King was somewhat dazed by the fall. Her enormous dragon body shifted slightly on the ground, her silver-white scales gleaming coldly in the light as her claws unconsciously scraped at the soil beneath her.

A moment later, the silver light receded. The giant dragon's body began to shrink and transform, finally becoming a girl with waist-length silver hair and deep purple eyes.

She had a lovely figure and an exquisitely beautiful face, but a transparent fishing line still hung from her mouth, making her look somewhat comical.

She blinked her purple eyes, her gaze still carrying the confusion of someone not fully awake, like a child just roused from a deep sleep.

She lowered her head to examine the line hanging from her mouth, then followed it with her gaze to Ye Guixu on the shore,

Then she turned to look at the half-gnawed piece of Void Profound Ice beside the Emperor Auspicious Beast. Suddenly reaching out, she drew that crystalline piece of profound ice securely into her palm.

The Silver Dragon King brought it to her nose and sniffed. A glimmer of excitement suddenly lit her eyes, as though she had discovered an extraordinary treasure.

Then she opened her mouth and bit into it with an unceremonious crunch, gnawing away noisily like a little beast that had been hungry for a long time, completely disregarding her dignity as the mighty Silver Dragon King.

There was no anger, no posture of attack, not even a question of "Who are you?" She simply crouched quietly where she was, her head lowered as she gnawed on the ice.

Watching her, the Emperor Auspicious Beast blinked all three eyes at once, her entire body going rigid.

My lord... why are you acting just like a cat?

After finishing a piece, the Silver Dragon King licked the ice fragments from her lips, still wanting more. Only then did she belatedly lift her head and look around.

Where was Di Tian? Where had those fellows gone?

Why was Xiong Jun dead?

Why had he even been cut into chunks of meat and roasted?

What was that fellow Di Tian doing?

She looked down and saw that the fishing line was still at her mouth. She simply ignored it and followed the line to drag over the fishing rod, dozens of meters long.

Holding that enormous rod condensed from soul power, she began crunching away at it, looking satisfied, as though she were eating some rare wild delicacy.

After finishing the fishing rod, she licked her lips in satisfaction, then held out her hand directly to Ye Guixu and demanded with complete assurance:

"You were the one who dropped those ice cubes down there, right?"

"Have you got any more?"

Watching her take it all for granted, Ye Guixu raised his eyebrows and studied her with interest for a moment.

"Want some? Come here yourself."

Several more pieces of Void Profound Ice appeared in his hand, merging into a larger, even more translucent liquid ice crystal.

It gave off an astonishing fragrance even richer than before, and even the air became crisp and clear against that chill.

The Silver Dragon King's eyes lit up. She came straight up to him and grabbed his hand like a kitten catching the scent of fish, lowering her head to nibble straight from his palm. Her long silver-white hair spilled down and brushed the back of his hand, cool against his skin.

She was not on guard in the slightest.

The Emperor Auspicious Beast watched blankly for a while, then realized that her own Void Profound Ice had been eaten by her lord too.

She paced anxiously in circles beside them, hugging Ye Guixu's trouser leg and whimpering softly, all three damp eyes fixed on that ice crystal.

I want some too... sob...

Ye Guixu was somewhat helpless under her rubbing and casually tossed her another small piece. The Emperor Auspicious Beast immediately hugged the ice and ran aside, curling into a ball and burying her head in determined gnawing. Even her golden tail curled up with delight.

Yan Lingji and Tide Siren were roasting Xiong Jun's meat by the lake. Fat dripped into the fire with a sizzle, and the chunks of Xiong Jun's meat gradually turned golden and crisp over the charcoal, releasing a rich meaty aroma entirely unlike that of ordinary soul beasts.

The two exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths lifting slightly.

The fish Master was fishing for had taken the bait.

Meanwhile, within the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm, the five great ferocious beasts were experiencing the most humiliating, wretched moment of their hundreds of thousands of years.

Their soul power and vitality were continuously drained away, their auras weakening at a visible rate, while the five scarlet figures opposite them remained completely unscathed, their auras as formidable as ever.

Like predators toying with their prey, the puppet ferocious beasts repeatedly slammed them down, crushed them, and hurled them through the air. Every struggle was met with an even rougher shove back into the ground, as though they were hammering a piece of raw iron.

After several rounds of savage beatings, five bodies lay sprawled across the cold profound ice floor, without even a trace of strength left to get up.

Di Tian coughed up a mouthful of blood. It landed on the ice like a flower slowly blooming.

He lay on his back on the cold ground, his golden eyes gazing at the empty dome of the illusion realm, profound despair and helplessness churning in their depths.

My lord... I fear I can no longer keep protecting you...

But the next instant, heaven and earth spun.

The space of the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm seemed to be abruptly shattered by something outside. Ice crystals broke apart, and space twisted.

Amid the dizziness, dazzling sunlight entered his vision once again.

Di Tian struggled to prop up his upper body and looked around in confusion.

Familiar vegetation, familiar water, familiar auras...

They had returned to the Lake of Life.

Then he saw a sight he would never forget.

The lord he had fought to the death to protect-

The Silver Dragon King was leaning against a human without the slightest wariness, hugging his arm, her head resting on his shoulder and her long silver-white hair spilling across his lap.

She held a translucent ice crystal in both hands and nibbled it bite by bite, as though she were gnawing on the most precious candy in the world, a satisfied, peaceful smile on her face.

And that person's hand was casually stroking her long silver-white hair.

"M-my lord?!"

Even Di Tian's voice trembled, carrying unconcealable shock and disbelief.

Gu Yuena looked up at the sound. Seeing the utterly wretched state of Di Tian and the four great ferocious beasts, she blinked her purple eyes, her face full of surprise.

"Di Tian? How did you end up like this?"

She looked him up and down, taking in his battered dragon scales, the blood still wet at the corners of his mouth, and his face filled with despair and disarray. Suddenly, she frowned, her tone taking on a measure of displeasure.

"Why didn't you bring Guixu back the moment you found him? Now you've gotten yourself covered in wounds and come running back in this wretched state. Di Tian, shouldn't you reflect on yourself properly?"

Di Tian: "..."

The four great ferocious beasts: "..."

Weren't all these wounds the handiwork of the very person beside you?

Wait, what had their lord just called him??

Why was she addressing him so intimately??

Good heavens, their home had been stolen out from under them!!!