Chapter 17: A Millennium-Long Plan—Turning the Tables

Hope emerging from despair—the stronger this hope, the more magnificent the power of faith erupted by the last remnants of the soul beast clan. It would undoubtedly forge the Beast God's divine position as a first-rank god. The moment it manifested, Di Tian would immediately ascend to the realm of a first-rank god.

Becoming a god through the creation of a divine position would not trigger a divine tribulation. Di Tian only needed to use the Blood River God-Slaying Array to shield himself from the planar suppression, allowing him to condense his divine position and achieve godhood in a short time.

Using the Blood River God-Slaying Array to circumvent planar suppression not only made the process of godhood more convenient but also carried a strategic advantage—killing two birds with one stone.

By following the Tang Clan's millennium-long plan and turning the tables, Tang San used Shrek Academy, the very institution he once belonged to, as bait—a place teeming with millions of living beings—to lure the Abyssal Sage King. The cost of silence would increase significantly, forcing the Plane's Master to remain even more cautious and refrain from acting rashly to obstruct his revival of the soul beast clan.

After all, in the eyes of the second-rank divine Plane's Master, he was nothing more than an appetizing dish—even as a million-year soul beast. This so-called revival of the soul beast clan was nothing more than a dying clan's final, fleeting struggle before its ultimate extinction.

Having determined the next core strategy for the soul beast faction, Di Tian once again shifted his gaze to the dragon bones scattered across the Dragon Valley, exposed to the wilderness.

As the former chief guard of the Dragon God, a close attendant of the celestial throne, Di Tian had once witnessed many of the dragon race's high-ranking figures.

Many of the fallen divine dragons here were either his old acquaintances or close friends. How could he bear to let their remains be exposed to the elements?

Moreover, the reason he had reached his current achievements, survived the million-year soul beast tribulation, and become the only million-year soul beast on the continent was entirely due to the legacy left behind by his kin and comrades.

Having received their cause, he must now fulfill his responsibility.

"Forgive me."

Murmuring softly, his right hand radiated with a nine-colored divine light—the Dragon God Claw, personally bestowed upon him by the Dragon God, manifesting in its full glory.

Using a divine technique granted by the Dragon God to lay his kin to rest was the highest form of respect.

As Di Tian gently raised his right hand, deep pits of equal size appeared beside each dragon skeleton.

Then, with a slight curl of his five fingers in a grasping motion, followed by a subtle shift downward, all the true dragon bones in the Dragon Valley seemed to be lifted by an invisible giant hand. Slowly, they ascended into the air and were placed into the prepared graves.

A mysterious yellow light burst forth from the nine-colored Dragon God Claw, resonating with countless earth elements, which then filled each pit with compacted soil.

Afterward, a tombstone stood before each grave, inscribed personally by Di Tian, recording their origins and lineage.

[Mountain Dragon King: Sacrificed a thousand-zhang-long dragon body to transform into the land itself, providing all living beings with a place to stand and survive. Personally bestowed by the Dragon God: "All who reach adulthood shall be kings."]

[Holy Light Dragon: The elemental dragon closest to the pinnacle of light within the lineage of the Light Dragon King, an elder of the dragon clan.]

[Thunder Dragon…]

After erecting the tombstones and engraving the inscriptions, Di Tian used the dragon clan's secret techniques to set up a restriction formation at the core of the Dragon Valley's small world, linking it with the realm itself.

Even if humans entered this domain in the future, they would only be able to absorb the residual dragon aura drifting outside and would be unable to penetrate the restriction to disturb the dragon remains.

Should anyone attempt to forcefully break the formation, it would collapse along with the entire Dragon Valley small world.

The restriction formation served both as a protective barrier and as a stabilizing force replacing the Dragon God's lingering soul to maintain the small world's equilibrium.

As for the Dragon God's Tears? Unlike Tang Wulin, who performed an exhausting yet devout thousand-day burial ritual for the dragons, Di Tian did not impose such a demand upon himself.

As the saying goes, if fate wills it, it shall come; if not, there is no point in forcing it.

If he was fortunate enough to obtain it, he would accept it as a blessing. If not, he would take it as fate's decree.

"If one day, I possess the power to reestablish the Divine Realm, I will ensure that you rest not in this desolate wasteland like a pauper's grave, but in a magnificent and spiritually rich land, a place of eternal peace."

Leaving these words behind, Di Tian turned and departed, walking toward the outskirts of the Dragon Valley small world.

Though the internal spatial barriers of the Dragon Valley small world were sturdier than the external ones, Di Tian's greatly enhanced strength made tearing open a spatial passage trivial.

The reason for walking away was merely to avoid disturbing this burial ground.

After he left, deep within the Dragon Valley, the low murmurs of dragon cries echoed—mournful yet serene, as if expressing gratitude, as if offering blessings, as if filled with solace...

All emotions coalesced into tearful ripples, surging and gathering together.

The entire dragon burial ground trembled gently as a misty, glowing fog seeped from beneath the earth. This mist took on every conceivable hue.

Eventually, the gathered radiance formed into a seven-colored halo, spiraling and condensing into teardrop-shaped crystals. Inside, nine-colored beads shimmered, transforming into a slender nine-colored bracelet that flew in the direction where Di Tian had left.

…

At this moment, Hu Jie, the head of the Tang Sect's Star Luo Continent branch, had arrived at the Dragon Valley's location.

As a Black-Class Fighter, he was considered a high-ranking member of the Tang Sect. The thirty White-Class Fighters accompanying him were among the most talented, with many coming from noble martial soul families of the Star Luo Empire.

Many days had passed without any of the sect's disciples returning, prompting their families to inquire at the Tang Sect. Even the Black-Class Fighter assigned to oversee them had completely lost contact.

What worried Hu Jie even more was that Wu Lao, the titled Douluo guarding the Dragon Valley small world, had also gone missing at the same time.

The situation was far too strange. If they had been slain… someone capable of killing a three-word battle armor-wielding titled Douluo was extremely rare across the continent.

Thus, Hu Jie had invited his old friend—the Imperial Advisor of the Star Luo Empire, an Ultimate Douluo and a four-word battle armor master, En Ci—to accompany him.

His cautious nature had been the key to his rise from the Body Sect to the position of the Tang Sect's Star Luo Continent branch master, second only to the Tang Sect's two Ultimate Douluo-ranked sect masters.

Upon arriving at the Dragon Valley's location, he realized that his caution had been well-founded.

Because standing before him was a mysterious black-robed figure whom he could not perceive—at all.

The figure was clad in a black robe that obscured their features, with only wisps of white hair visible. Enshrouded in an eerie mist, they exuded an aura so impenetrable that Hu Jie could not sense even the slightest trace of their presence.

Neither could En Ci.

Immediately, both men summoned their four-word battle armor, synchronizing their positions as they confronted the black-robed figure—the Demon Empress.

Beneath his seamlessly fitted battle armor, Hu Jie spoke coldly, "Who are you? Why have you slaughtered my Tang Sect disciples and occupied our sacred ground?"

Yet, the Demon Empress showed no inclination to answer. Her icy gaze flickered as she silently confronted them without making a move.

Indeed, with her overwhelming strength, she could effortlessly kill both four-word battle armor masters before her. However, if they were determined to flee, hunting them down would likely result in a prolonged battle spanning half the continent.

She constantly reminded herself—her only duty at this moment was to safeguard Di Tian's tribulation. She must not act recklessly.

While the Demon Empress contemplated how to swiftly eliminate the two, Hu Jie and En Ci were also exchanging telepathic messages.

"What do you think, En Ci? Can you handle this?"

(End of Chapter)