Slowly, Di Tian turned his gaze toward the Scarlet King.
"Scarlet King," his voice was calm, far too calm for comfort. "I recall giving you a simple order — to keep watch over the Auspicious Emperor."
One of the three heads of the Scarlet King lowered instinctively. His deep red eyes avoided Di Tian's golden glare.
"I… I did, my Lord.. But she's, too unpredictable. I never imagined—"
Before he could finish, Di Tian's aura surged, a suffocating storm of rage and killing intent bursting outward. The ground beneath them cracked; trees hundreds of meters away were flattened under invisible pressure. Even the other Fierce Beasts took a cautious step back.
"Enough," Di Tian said coldly. "You never imagined—and now look."
The Scarlet King's second and third heads bowed low, their jaws pressed against the dirt in shame. His body trembled as Di Tian's gaze filled with anger swept across his body.
Just as the Beast God's fury seemed moments away from erupting further, a soft, serene glow appeared beside him.
"Di Tian," Bi Ji's gentle voice echoed through the chaos, her emerald wings spreading slightly, her voice calm. "This isn't the time for blame. The Auspicious Emperor's condition… it's deteriorating. We should see to her first."
Di Tian's golden eyes flickered, and he retracted his killing intent. He crouched beside the fallen Auspicious Emperor, pressing his hand gently against her brow. His spiritual sense delved deep into her body—then froze.
Moments passed.
Then, Di Tian's face darkened further.
When he finally spoke, his voice trembled—not with fear, but fury.
"I cannot feel the Golden Dragon King Bloodline along with the power of fate…" he said through gritted teeth. "It's gone."
Everyone froze.
A heavy silence descended. Even the air itself seemed to grow heavier, darker.
The Auspicious Emperor was the anchor of fate for all soul beasts. Her existence stabilized the luck of every creature within the Star Dou Forest. Without her auspicious aura, their race would gradually fall into decline, perhaps even face extinction over time.
Bi Ji's eyes filled with sorrow as she laid a glowing hand upon the Auspicious Emperor's back. "Her lifeforce is intact… but what makes her the Auspicious Emperor is gone."
Di Tian's claws clenched. His knuckles cracked like thunder.
Then came his roar.
"ROAR—!"
The sound wasn't merely a cry—it was a storm that ripped through the entire Star Dou Forest. Birds fled into the sky, weaker soul beasts fainted on the spot, and the very waters of the Lake of Life rippled violently.
The earth shook, echoing the fury of the Beast God himself.
That night, every soul beast, from the mighty Ten-Thousand-Year soul beast to the newborn cub, raised their heads in fear and submission. They knew—their king was enraged.
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, stationed at the edge of the Lake of Life, exchanged glances, their enormous bodies trembling.
The Sky Azure Bull Python sighed, his ancient eyes filled with weary wisdom. "And that only means one thing—someone has provoked a calamity. We should be thankful… Sister Xiao Wu left for the human world. She need not bear this wrath."
Di Tian once again transformed into his colossal Black Dragon form. The ground trembled beneath his claws as an overwhelming aura of fury and despair poured out of him, distorting the air and turning the nearby lake waves into spiraling torrents. The surrounding forest fell silent — even the cries of spirit beasts ceased, suffocated under the weight of the Beast God's wrath.
Just as he opened his maw to issue the order that would summon a beast tide — a catastrophic march of every soul beast in the Star Dou Forest — a cold yet ethereal voice resonated directly inside his mind.
'Di Tian… stop it.'
The voice was calm, melodious, and carried an irresistible authority — one that made his very soul tremble.
That voice… belonged to Her.
The Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena — the true sovereign of all soul beasts, the other half of the Dragon God.
Di Tian froze mid-roar, his golden eyes wide, his scales trembling.
He bowed his enormous head toward the direction of the Lake of Life.
"...My Lord," his voice reverberated like rolling thunder, half in reverence and half in suppressed fury. "But the Auspicious Emperor has been attacked! Her golden dragon bloodline—her destiny—has been stolen!"
The Silver Dragon King's calm, echoing voice replied in his mind once more
'I know, Di Tian. I felt ' HER' aura. Not only alive… she is stronger than two years ago.'
Her words struck Di Tian like a bolt of divine lightning.
"Stronger…?" he muttered, disbelief clouding his draconic features. His massive pupils constricted as his divine sense swept over the surroundings. For the second time in tens of thousands of years, the mighty Beast God felt something more, fear.
The first time he had felt it 2 years ago and he does not want to recall it.
Gu Yuena's voice softened slightly, yet carried a warning that froze the marrow in his bones.
'Return at once, Di Tian. Do not provoke 'HER'. If you stay here… you might not survive.'
The air fell silent. Even the lingering echoes of her voice faded, replaced by an oppressive stillness.
Di Tian's mind was blank for a moment. He turned his enormous head around, scanning the shadowed forest, his golden eyes darting nervously across every flicker of light and every ripple in space, as though expecting a pair of eyes to meet his own from the void.
Di Tian felt nothing. But that nothing was even more terrifying.