Beast God Ditian

In the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, the air was thick with the damp, lush scent of vegetation. Towering trees blotted out the sky and sun, and only the occasional ray of sunlight struggled through gaps in the branches and leaves, falling upon the moss-covered ground.

"Humans, leave this place. You may take this Sacred Flame Sky Tiger." Faint flames flickered around Scarlet King as he assumed a wary defensive stance. His thick limbs were planted firmly on the ground, his massive body shielding the Imperial Beast behind him.

A few sparks escaped from his mouth. The ferocity expected of one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts was nowhere to be seen, replaced entirely by worry and tension. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.

"Why? Scarlet King, this Sacred Flame Sky Tiger is my prey. Why should we give it to them?" At those words, the Imperial Beast's lively eyes instantly widened. The golden flames around her flared up with a whoosh, tongues of fire rolling wildly.

She had been doted on by all in the Star Dou Great Forest since childhood. From the day she was born until now, no one had ever dared to openly steal her prey. How could she possibly tolerate this?

"Oh, and you have no way to prove that this Sacred Flame Sky Tiger is your prey. Why can't you give it to us?"

Lu Jingming reacted swiftly and immediately retorted.

"You...!" The Imperial Beast was left speechless. She anxiously paced back and forth, her golden fur standing slightly on end from anger. The way she looked at Lu Jingming seemed as though she could breathe fire.

It was this human. Again and again, he used such tricky questions to make things difficult for her, making her feel as though she was about to grow a brain.

Scarlet King looked utterly helpless. His three heads swayed uneasily as he inwardly cursed his bad luck.

All he wanted now was to send these two humans away as quickly as possible. It was only a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast; in the Star Dou Great Forest, where soul beasts were plentiful, there was no shortage of them.

Besides, that Sacred Flame Sky Tiger had nearly become the Imperial Beast's meal anyway, but he truly had no way of dealing with her.

In the entire Star Dou Great Forest, only Di Tian and Bi Ji could keep this little ancestor in line. The other ferocious beasts, even the powerful Bear Lord, could only shake their heads and sigh in the face of the Imperial Beast's willfulness.

"Imperial Beast, let's go. I'll help you find another Sacred Flame Sky Tiger, one with a higher cultivation age than this one." Scarlet King tried his best to make his voice sound gentle and enticing.

A trace of hesitation flashed through the Imperial Beast's eyes. A Sacred Flame Sky Tiger with a higher cultivation age would definitely taste even better. The thought alone tempted her.

But she glanced once more at Lu Jingming and the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger frozen solid in ice, then stubbornly shook her head. "No, unless you tell me how I can prove that this Sacred Flame Sky Tiger is my prey."

Scarlet King was instantly dumbfounded. He raised a forepaw and scratched his head. The Imperial Beast was simply too stubborn. How was he supposed to prove it? She had not marked the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger beforehand.

Besides, anyone with eyes could see that the human on the other side had captured it first.

"It's simple. As long as you prove that you're stronger than him, then it's your prey." A deep, authoritative voice suddenly rang out.

At the same time, the space before Scarlet King began to ripple violently, like a massive stone had been thrown into a still lake.

The next moment, space seemed like an enormous pane of glass covered in countless cracks. Then, with a crash, it shattered, revealing a bottomless, pitch-black spatial rift—and the middle-aged man dressed in black, Di Tian.

"Di Tian, you finally came." The moment Scarlet King saw Di Tian, he felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. His tense body instantly relaxed, and he let out a long breath.

Thankfully, nothing major had happened. Otherwise, he would have been in serious trouble. Now someone could finally clean up this mess.

The Imperial Beast blinked her watery eyes, as though enlightenment had suddenly struck her. "That's right! I'm stronger than you, so the prey is mine!"

Only then did she realize that this was how things had always worked in the forest. If she was stronger than other soul beasts, she could take their prey whenever she wanted.

The same reasoning applied now. She was stronger than this human, so even if the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger had not been hers in the beginning, it could become hers.

Having figured this out, the Imperial Beast looked brightly at Lu Jingming, her eyes filled with eager excitement. She could hardly wait to settle the matter with him.

The instant Di Tian appeared, Lu Jingming decisively moved to shield his teacher, Jing Liu, in front of him. His survival instincts were fully activated.

Jing Liu remained calm. She ignored the Imperial Beast's provocation and merely looked quietly at Di Tian. Even behind the blindfold covering her eyes, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Di Tian's gaze was likewise fixed tightly upon Jing Liu. The atmosphere suddenly became exceedingly grave, as though the surrounding air had been compressed by an invisible force, turning heavy and oppressive enough to make breathing difficult.

Sensing that something was wrong, the Imperial Beast temporarily gave up on troubling Lu Jingming. Somewhat frightened, she retreated several steps, her eyes filled with terror and unease.

Crack! A deafening boom like thunder erupted as black-red lightning exploded out of thin air.

Invisible shockwaves surged skyward from the two of them, instantly scattering the thick clouds high above.

Lu Jingming only heard a clear sword cry and a thunderous dragon roar ring out almost simultaneously. Then he saw Jing Liu and Di Tian's figures blur at the same time as they each took half a step back.

A bottomless sword scar had silently appeared in the ground between them. Its edges were neat and smooth, with traces of frost remaining upon them. Beside it was a claw mark, equally bottomless and radiating dark energy.

Clearly, in that instant, the two had already exchanged a probing strike. Yet aside from themselves, even Scarlet King, despite his formidable strength, had failed to see what had happened. He had only felt light and shadows flash before his eyes; everything had happened far too quickly.

"Humans truly are favored by heaven. Since when did someone as strong as you appear?" Di Tian's expression darkened. His gaze toward Jing Liu was filled with gravity and wariness. He had never heard of a human expert of this caliber emerging.

"Beast God Ditian, your reputation is well deserved!" Jing Liu replied calmly, her expression still tranquil as water, though ripples could not help stirring within her heart.

This was the first time she had failed to gain the upper hand in this world. Though Di Tian would not have been worth mentioning at her peak, at least for now, his strength was enough to be her opponent, stirring a long-forgotten trace of interest within her.

"Do you see, Imperial Beast? I can't prove that I'm stronger than her, so I don't get to decide who this prey belongs to." Di Tian turned around and spoke gently to the Imperial Beast behind him, patiently teaching her.

"I understand, Di Tian," the Imperial Beast said softly, her voice filled with disappointment.