Snow Empress's crisp and icy voice echoed through the silent forest. At some unknown moment, the steady footsteps had already vanished. Before them, visible ripples began to distort the space, like waves surging upon the sea. In the next instant, a sharp cracking sound rang out as the space before them slowly split from top to bottom, as though torn apart by immense force. A violent, dark gale burst forth from the rupture. Then, within the boundless darkness, a pair of golden eyes suddenly appeared, accompanied by the faint sound of a dragon's roar ringing in their ears. In a flash, the world before them shifted into a completely different scene.
In a world filled with gold and black, a massive black dragon coiled between heaven and earth. Its golden eyes shone as brilliantly as the sun, exuding an indescribable aura of dominance and oppression. The Snow Empress snorted coldly, and icy blue soul power surged around her. In the next moment, the three others suddenly snapped back to consciousness, realizing they were still within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Not far ahead stood a golden-haired middle-aged man in a long black robe, hands clasped behind his back. His features were striking—handsome and resolute—with an aura so overwhelming it was beyond words. His golden eyes were fixed coldly on the four of them, and then, his voice rang out like thunder, frigid and indifferent:
"Snow Empress, it's been a long time. Nearly ten thousand years have passed, and yet you haven't improved in the slightest. Still stuck at the same bottleneck."
Snow Empress met Di Tian's gaze evenly, her voice just as emotionless—flat, devoid of any feeling.
"This is fate, Di Tian. In that regard, I truly cannot compare to you."
The Ice Empress, seeing Di Tian speak directly to Snow Empress while ignoring her entirely, couldn't hide a flash of irritation in her eyes. She called out indignantly:
"Di Tian, you're ignoring me again!"
Di Tian only gave the Ice Empress a fleeting glance before shifting his gaze back to the Snow Empress.
"Ice Empress, if you were as powerful as the Snow Empress, I wouldn't mind sparring with you. But as you are now... you're still too weak to even stir my will to fight."
"You—!"
The Ice Empress glared at Di Tian, teeth clenched. Long ago, Di Tian had once visited the Extreme North and fought Snow Empress in the central core zone. That battle had ended inconclusively due to various circumstances.
But when it came to her turn, Di Tian merely glanced at her indifferently—just as he had now—and said:
"When you reach four hundred thousand years, perhaps I'll see you differently. Until then, don't meddle."
Those words had remained etched in her memory. She was used to being revered in the Extreme North—when had she ever suffered such humiliation? Enraged, she had attacked Di Tian, only to be effortlessly flung away with a single hand, crashing through three glaciers before coming to a stop. By the time she regained her senses, Di Tian had already vanished from the Extreme North. It was a stain on her pride—etched onto her pillar of shame. If not for the fact that few soul beasts had witnessed it, she would have been too embarrassed to show her face again.
Snow Empress's expression didn't change. She looked at Di Tian and said:
"We didn't mean to offend you. We're simply here to retrieve something. Now that we have it, we won't trouble you any longer."
Di Tian silently regarded the group, then suddenly spoke:
"You chose a human as your final attempt at survival, Snow Empress. I truly never imagined you'd come to this."
Snow Empress gave a faint smile and replied:
"Di Tian, I'm not your equal. The tribulation at seven hundred thousand years is an impassable chasm for me—and for Bing'er as well. We don't fear death, but we also yearn for eternal life. You know far more than we do, so you must also understand the plight our soul beast race faces. To that end, we had no choice but to try cooperating with humans—to unite the strength of both races and forge a new god. Only then might a turning point arise."
As Di Tian listened to her words, his gaze fell upon Shu Yan.
Shu Yan slowly raised his head, and his eyes met those golden pupils. In that instant, it felt as if the weight of the world had fallen upon him. The air was sucked away, his martial soul activated instinctively to protect him, and his five soul rings fluctuated violently under the overwhelming pressure.
Di Tian narrowed his eyes slightly and withdrew his gaze. After a moment of silence, he looked at Shu Yan and spoke in a calm tone:
"No wonder... You actually found a human prodigy with a complete Ice Jade Empress Scorpion martial soul. Thirteen years old, at the Soul King level. No wonder you devised this path. Backed into a corner, you've managed to find a glimmer of hope."
"You may leave. As fellow leaders of the continent's soul beasts, I understand your difficulties and won't interfere with your fate or choices. As long as you don't regret it in the end, that's enough. But stay out of my Star Dou Great Forest—or I won't show any mercy."
With those words, Di Tian's gaze swept over them with a hint of menace. Then, without another look, he turned and walked into the depths of the forest. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished, and the surrounding forest sounds gradually returned to normal.
As Di Tian left, Snow Empress let out a barely perceptible breath of relief. Facing Di Tian outside the Extreme North had placed her under immense pressure.
Fortunately, Di Tian's attitude was surprisingly lenient. He didn't even question why they were here.
Still... that departing posture—why did it seem slightly hurried?
Never mind. Snow Empress dismissed the thought. Long ago, she had been filled with suspicion and curiosity about the Star Dou Great Forest.
Aside from Di Tian, it seemed there was an even more terrifying and powerful force hidden deep within the forest—one that even Di Tian served. Of course, she had no evidence to support this theory, and proving it meant little to her. So, she didn't bother to dwell on it.
Ice Empress glared hatefully in the direction Di Tian had gone. But the moment she turned back to face Snow Empress, her expression instantly shifted to one of pitiful grievance.
"Xue'er…"
Snow Empress sighed and helplessly patted Ice Empress's head.
"Di Tian… Forget it. That's just the way he is. If you lack the strength and confidence to back it up, he won't even spare you a glance. That's the pride of the strong. Given Di Tian's strength, his attitude isn't exactly unreasonable…"
Ice Empress remained silent for a while, then finally nodded, eyes brimming with reluctant grievance.
On the other side, Xu Jiujing was still panting, clearly shaken. She leaned against Shu Yan, her legs trembling slightly, a dazed look in her eyes mingled with disbelief.
The strongest being on the continent, the foremost of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts—the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King known as the Beast God—had just appeared before her eyes. It was utterly mind-blowing…
But thankfully, she had experienced this kind of shock once before. It didn't take long for her to recover. Though her face was still pale, at least she didn't completely lose her ability to think like last time.
Shu Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, took one last deep look at the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest and his mind began to race…
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix