Chapter 19: The Sea Soul Beasts

The Demon Empress, who had personally witnessed everything, turned her gaze toward Di Tian, astonishment flashing in her eyes.

"Can breaking through the million-year threshold really make a soul beast this strong?!"

Her shock was understandable. Before undergoing the tribulation to become a million-year soul beast, Di Tian's combat strength had been roughly on par with hers.

But now, those Limit Douluos whom she had to exhaust herself chasing down were utterly powerless before him. This increase in power was simply absurd.

"It was a coincidence," Di Tian explained. "That En Ci's martial soul is the Bright Holy Dragon, an exceptionally powerful dragon species. Against you, he could fight at full strength."

"But within me flows a trace of pure Dragon God blood, which suppressed nearly half his combat power, preventing him from igniting his life force for a final struggle."

"If it had been any other semi-divine Limit Douluo, they might have been able to withstand that last attack by burning their life force."

Since he had never encountered such a situation before, Di Tian's words carried a rare tone of humility.

The Demon Empress nodded in response. There was some envy in her eyes but no jealousy. After all, the legacy of the Dragon Valley Small World had ultimately belonged to the dragon race. Even if she had obtained it, she wouldn't have been able to survive the tribulation of a million-year soul beast.

Instead, she felt a sense of excitement. The stronger Di Tian was, the better it was for her and for all soul beasts. This increased the chances of reviving her husband.

As thoughts of her husband surfaced in her mind, the aftereffects of enduring En Ci's full-force attack suddenly erupted.

The pure light element from the Bright Holy Dragon agitated the negative consciousness within her, making it feel as if her spiritual sea was being torn apart.

Yet, despite the excruciating pain, her expression only slightly furrowed, and she let out a soft "hmph."

However, with Di Tian's current strength, even the slightest changes could not escape his senses.

"You're injured? The Bright Holy Dragon's aura—was it En Ci?"

"It's nothing."

"My soul beast body is already stronger than the most advanced human four-word battle armor, and I also used defensive techniques. His attack couldn't harm me."

"It's just an old issue from operating the Blood River Godslayer Array. The Bright Holy Dragon's power agitated my negative consciousness and affected my spiritual sea."

"A short rest will stabilize my emotions."

Before her blurred vision, a broad palm suddenly pressed against her forehead. A serene, peaceful nine-colored radiance flowed into her mind. Her delicate body trembled slightly, but in the end, she did not resist.

The hand belonged, naturally, to Di Tian. The nine-colored radiance emanated from the bracelet on his wrist—Dragon God's Tears, which had chosen to follow him, the last pureblood dragon.

The peaceful aura of the Dragon God's Tears was the manifestation of countless deceased dragon souls finally resting in peace. The emotions of countless divine dragons had gathered within it, making it naturally capable of converting the Demon Empress's negative consciousness into tranquil, positive emotions.

The pain in her spiritual sea dissipated. Her mind regained clarity. Her vision became sharp once more, as if a massive weight pressing on her mind had been lifted.

"Mm~"

"It's been so long since I've felt this light."

She exhaled softly, her breath like an orchid, and said, "Thank you."

Di Tian waved his hand dismissively. "We are the last pillars of the soul beast race. Supporting each other is only natural."

The Demon Empress did not continue being overly courteous. Their next exchange felt more natural, with much of their former rigid collaboration melting away.

"You've survived the million-year tribulation but chose not to ascend to godhood immediately. I assume you intend to create your own god position, correct?"

Di Tian nodded silently. He did not mention that the consciousness of the plane and its core of life had already been replaced by a human deity. By following their plan, he could increase their sunk costs in interfering with the mortal world.

Nor did he bring up Tang San, the shadowy manipulator behind the scenes.

Not only would revealing this information be of little practical use—serving only to add to their frustration—but the Demon Empress also had a deep-seated hatred toward the Tang family. If she learned that her revenge was merely a piece of someone else's elaborate scheme, her repressed violent nature might resurge uncontrollably.

Instead, he simply said, "By assuming the position of Beast God, I will lead the remaining soul beasts to restore our race and seize enough living space from humanity. The desperate struggle for hope will generate an immense amount of faith power. Coupled with the Blood River Godslayer Array to suppress the plane's interference, I will achieve the rank of a First-Class Deity."

"Uniting the remnants of the soul beast race for a resurgence, huh…" The Demon Empress murmured, a bitter smile appearing on her lips.

"You've been guarding the Great Star Dou Forest for so long that you probably don't realize that, aside from the Great Star Dou Forest and the Extreme North, there are no other soul beast habitats left on the continent."

"The Evil Emperor's Evil Soul Forest was razed by human soul technology and converted into a human civilian settlement. The Sunset Forest is controlled by the Tang Sect, and its current situation is unknown. The soul beasts in the Jingyang and Mingdou mountain ranges were wiped out by the Spirit Pagoda for their soul spirit research. On the two new continents of Star Luo and Tian Dou, soul beast habitats were long ago turned into human-controlled reserves…"

At this point, the Demon Empress suddenly froze. Then, as if realizing something, she turned to Di Tian and asked, "Wait… Are you planning to integrate the sea soul beasts and compete with the Sea God for faith power?"

"Of course!"

Di Tian's answer was firm. "The faith power required to quickly ascend to a First-Class Deity is enormous. The remaining soul beasts on land alone won't be enough."

"Besides, sea soul beasts are part of the soul beast race. If I am to revive our kind, I cannot exclude them."

As for the many soul beasts sealed within the Myriad Beast Platform, he chose not to mention them—at least for now.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered them, but rather that the Myriad Beast Platform contained many nearly extinct species. They were the seeds for the soul beast race's future revival—the torchbearers of faith power. He could not afford to disturb them yet.

Furthermore, the rulers of the Myriad Beast Platform, Da Ming and Er Ming, remained ambivalent toward both humans and soul beasts. It was better to keep them in the dark about his plans for now.

Suppressing his thoughts about the Myriad Beast Platform, Di Tian turned to the Demon Empress and asked,

"I don't know much about the current state of the sea soul beasts, so I wanted to ask you, as someone who was born among them."

Di Tian's lack of knowledge wasn't surprising. The original timeline rarely touched upon the vast ocean, and his previous ventures into it had mostly been for battles with strong sea soul beasts.

Thus, when it came to the sea, Di Tian knew far less than the Demon Empress.

As they discussed the revival of the soul beast race and the current state of the sea soul beasts, the two had already left the territory of the Star Luo Empire, heading back toward the continent controlled by the Sun-Moon Federation.

However, unlike their previous journey, this time, their pace had slowed significantly—so much so that it could now be measured in days and nights.

(End of Chapter)