Di Tian felt nothing. But that nothing was even more terrifying.
He retracted his aura instantly. The suffocating pressure disappeared from the forest..
Lowering his massive frame, Di Tian carefully picked up the unconscious Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
His expression darkened as he looked toward his subordinates — Bi Ji, Scarlet King, Zi Ji, Yao Ling, and the others — all watching him with wide, questioning eyes.
With a grave, controlled tone, Di Tian finally spoke:
"Let's go back… now. Do not look back, do not speak. Move."
The authority in his voice allowed no argument. Even Scarlet King, who moments ago had been bracing for punishment, lowered all three heads submissively and turned toward the Lake of Life without a word.
Bi Ji's gentle gaze lingered on the unconscious Auspicious Emperor in Di Tian's claws. Her emerald eyes were filled with sorrow and confusion.
Still, she followed in silence.
The other fierce beasts — Zi Ji, Yao Ling, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and the Titan Giant Ape — exchanged uneasy glances
Di Tian looked around one last time. His vast golden pupils swept across the trees, searching for even the faintest ripple of someone's presence.
Only after confirming that nothing lingered nearby did he finally allow himself a slow, heavy exhale.
The pressure in his chest eased, but a shadow of dread remained.
He turned away and followed the other fierce beasts toward the inner realm of the Lake of Life, their enormous bodies silently gliding through the night air. The rippling silver glow of the sacred lake reflected off Di Tian's dark scales as he sank beneath the canopy, and his thoughts drifted back — unwillingly — to the events that had left this scar in his heart.
Because just recalling what happened two years ago made even the Beast God's soul tremble.
----
Two Years Ago
The Star Dou Forest had been drenched in despair.
After the death of Xiao Wu's mother, the once-mighty Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python were consumed by grief and rage.
In his fury, the Titan Giant Ape unleashed a devastating gravity shockwave at the Lake of Life. The surrounding mountains cracked, and the lake itself seemed to boil as ancient the sleeping fierce beasts were disturbed.
That single act awakened those who slumbered in its depths — fierce beasts whose presence was legend even among the soul beasts.
A majestic aura erupted from the lake, pressing every creature within one thousand km to the ground. Then, from the heart of the lake, a colossal black shadow rose — eyes burning with gold and darkness intertwined.
Di Tian had awakened.
When his massive form emerged from the lake, the air itself bent around him. His roar silenced the chaos, shaking the souls of every beast that still lingered.
The Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python immediately lowered their heads, trembling.
"What has happened?" Di Tian's voice rumbled through the forest, like rolling thunder carried by the wind.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's tone was bitter and low as he recounted the story — the human encroachment, the loss of Xiao Wu's mother, the failed beast tide, and the new human fortresses rising near their sacred territories.
By the time he finished, Di Tian's golden eyes gleamed with wrath.
"So… even after countless sacrifices, humans still dare expand their claws?"
His killing intent shook the air. The surface of the lake rippled as though frightened by his fury.
He turned to the gathering of fierce beasts — Bi Ji, Scarlet King, Zi Ji, and the Myriad Demon King — all who had gathered upon awakening.
"The era of silence has lasted long enough," he declared. "If the humans believe they can hunt us, cage us, and use us as their stepping stones— then it is time they witness the true power of soul beasts!"
A deafening roar erupted from the assembled beasts, shaking the heavens. The decision was made. A war was coming.
What Di Tian did not know was that at that very moment, far beyond his understanding, someone's carefully woven plan had already been disrupted.
Someone had already taken notice of the Beast God's movement.
And so, when Di Tian led his legions toward the outer edges of the Star Dou Forest's inner region, preparing to crush the human strongholds and reclaim the pride of soul beasts — his march was stopped.
Because standing at the forest's exit, bathed in the filtered sunlight, was a petite girl — golden hair cascading down her back, eyes shimmering with an ethereal amethyst glow.
Her presence was tranquil as she stood alone before an army of ancient beasts, her figure small yet unyielding, and her gaze calm — too calm.
Before Di Tian could even open his mouth, the golden-haired girl spoke first.
Her voice was calm, yet each word cut into his soul like a blade wrapped in sunlight.
"Looks like newborn calves are truly unafraid of tigers."
Her tone was casual, almost teasing, but in Di Tian's ears it was an unbearable insult.
His fury, already simmering from the knowledge that the humans had forced the soul beasts back into their forests, finally erupted. The air around him twisted, and the aura of an eight-hundred-thousand-year beast surged like a black tide.
"Little twerp!" Di Tian roared, his voice shaking the canopy. "I'll crush you first, then drown the human cities in blood!"
Without another word, his colossal body blurred. One claw — large enough to blot out the sun — descended like a mountain falling. Trees, rocks, and even the air itself shattered under the pressure of that blow.
But when the claw struck the ground, there was no scream, no blood, no corpse.
Instead, a delicate hand was holding his claw in place. The girl didn't even flinch.
( Author notes: The poor Fierce beasts does not have the system protecting them like Ren Xuan)