Life Gold is the lifeblood of the Star Dou Forest. If it were all taken away, the Star Dou Forest would be finished.
The Silver Dragon didn't immediately refuse Yun Ze. From the destruction caused by Yun Ze's fall and the terrifying pressure from him, she could sense that he was no ordinary being. She was almost certain that this being was at least a God King level existence, or even something more terrifying. Otherwise, he would not be able to exert such immense pressure on her. The bloodline aura he gave off felt stronger than that of the Dragon God.
The stronger he was, the greater the potential benefits he could provide her, perhaps greater than the value of the Spirit Gold itself. That was why she didn't directly refuse him.
"How do I know that after you obtain the Life Gold, you won't turn on me?" the Silver Dragon questioned.
"You don't know me. Even if I say more, it's useless. Now, it's up to you whether you're willing to take the gamble."
"Choose to trust me, and I promise you won't regret this decision. If you don't trust me, then pretend I never spoke to you."
"After all, it's just an additional thousand years of waiting for me. It's nothing more than a waste of time," Yun Ze said. His voice remained calm, and he wasn't begging for the Spirit Gold. If he got it, that was fine; if not, he could accept it as well.
If the Silver Dragon understood Yun Ze, she would know that in the Immortal cultivation world, if Yun Ze made such a proposition, they would have agreed immediately. Any hesitation would have been disrespectful to the Phoenix Immortal Emperor.
The Silver Dragon didn't reject or agree right away. She hesitated, unsure whether to trust this unfamiliar being.
"Master, don't agree," the Black Dragon, Di Tian, advised softly.
The Silver Dragon ignored Di Tian and, after a long moment of contemplation, spoke up: "I want you to help me revive the Soul Beast race. Can you do that?"
"Tell me the specifics of your Soul Beast situation, and to what extent you wish to revive them," Yun Ze did not immediately agree.
If the matter took too long, more than a thousand years, then he wouldn't bother agreeing.
"Di Tian," the Silver Dragon said, gesturing for Di Tian to explain the current state of the Soul Beasts. She had only just awakened and was planning to go to the human world to learn more about them before seeking revenge. Before she could leave, she encountered Yun Ze, whose terrifying energy shattered the spatial portal she had opened, forcing her to resist and resulting in some serious injuries.
Di Tian, though reluctant, began to speak about the Soul Beasts' situation. As he spoke, the surrounding Soul Beasts showed expressions of sorrow, unable to stop themselves from roaring to the sky in anger.
The Soul Beasts had once flourished, but now their situation was dire. In a few hundred years, there might be no more Soul Beasts in the world.
Above the forest, outside the shield, upon hearing these roars, the mech soldiers stationed outside retreated a little, their guard heightened.
After Di Tian finished speaking, the Silver Dragon's face was filled with hatred as she said: "If possible, I want you to help me exterminate humanity, so that only Soul Beasts remain in the world."
"Exterminate humanity? Don't even think about it. It's best you not have such thoughts. The human race is the main force of the heavens and is beloved by the world."
"If you attempt to annihilate them, the heavens will punish you. At that time, the Soul Beasts might accompany humanity to the grave. There's no need for both of us to perish together."
"Moreover, the Life Gold you offer isn't enough to increase the burden of such a massacre."
"What I can do for you is to accelerate the growth of the Soul Beasts, increase their intelligence, and create a peaceful environment for them to live in."
"The reason the Soul Beasts are on the brink of extinction is that their reproduction and development are too slow compared to humans. I'm offering to solve the root of the problem for you."
"If you accept this, give me the Life Gold. If you don't, then forget about it," Cloud Ze said.
"How can you accelerate the growth and intelligence of the Soul Beasts?" the Silver Dragon asked in disbelief.
If he could really do that, exchanging the Spirit Gold for it would be worthwhile. After all, the Star Dou Forest was nearly gone, and once it vanished, perhaps those metals would become cheap to humans.
Rather than letting the humans benefit from them, it might be better to use them now to exchange for a better opportunity for the remaining Soul Beasts.
"I have my methods. How I do it, you'll know later. Right now, all you need to do is make a decision: trust me or not."
The Silver Dragon didn't hesitate this time. She chose to trust Yun Ze. "I choose to gamble."
"I will give you all the Spirit Gold, but if you take it and don't fulfill your promise…"
"Then both I and the entire Soul Beast race will never forgive you. We'll make you pay the price for deceiving us."
Yun Ze didn't respond to the Silver Dragon's threat. He simply said, "You won't regret this decision."
"Take me to where the Yun Gold is located."
The oppressive aura emanating from the Phoenix Egg vanished, and the Silver Dragon used her energy to lift the Phoenix Egg, disappearing from the scene.
"Di Tian, do you think Yun Ze is trustworthy?" the Emerald Swan, Bi Ji, asked.
"I don't know," Di Tian shook his head helplessly. After a pause, he added, "But I trust our master. Since she has decided to do this, all we can do is support her unconditionally."
"Hmm," Bi Ji nodded reluctantly. Now, it seemed they had no choice but to trust Yun Ze.
"Di Tian, the shield has a hole. Should we break out?" the Bear King asked, filled with murderous intent.
"Roar…" The other Soul Beasts also emitted excited roars, all suggesting breaking out.
Di Tian looked up, seemingly seeing through the black mist to the mechs and Soul Masters outside. His eyes narrowed, and a chilling murderous intent spread through the air.
However, in the end, reason triumphed over bloodlust. He soon calmed down and said, "Don't make any moves until our master gives the order."
Upon hearing "our master," the Soul Beasts quieted down. They were all very respectful of their newly awakened leader.
At the bottom of the Lake of Life, in some space, the life force from the Spirit Gold was being continuously extracted and transferred into the Phoenix Egg.
The irregularly shaped Life Gold, with a diameter of about half a meter, was rapidly vanishing, its vast life force accumulated over millions of years being transferred.
"I probably need another year to break out of the egg," Yun Ze informed them.
The Silver Dragon understood and didn't leave immediately, intending to stay and observe for a while.
Above the shield, seeing that no Soul Beasts rushed out, the Soul Masters stationed outside relaxed a little but were filled with confusion.
Why hadn't the Soul Beasts charged out?
"Commander, these Soul Beasts seem to have really been tamed like pets. They're too docile, too cowardly," one Soul Master mocked.
"Haha, I thought we'd have an exciting battle, but these beasts are so cowardly they don't even have the courage to charge out," another added.
The red mech pilot, who was considered the commander, felt disappointed. He stared at the black mist, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
He could sense that there was no massive fire burning in the forest, even though the fireball had clearly fallen here. Why hadn't the forest been burned to the ground? According to the terrifying temperature of the fireball, it should have incinerated everything. But now… it was strange, really strange.
He wanted to go in and investigate, but out of fear of the powerful beasts inside, he dared not take action.
(End of Chapter)