The Snow Empress's clear, cold voice echoed in the silent forest. Unbeknownst to them, the steady sound of footsteps had disappeared. The space in front of their eyes visibly rippled, like surging waves. The next moment, accompanied by a crisp crack, the space slowly tore open from top to bottom, as if ripped apart by immense force.
Dark and violent air currents rushed out. In the next moment, amidst the endless darkness, a pair of golden pupils suddenly appeared. A faint dragon roar sounded in their ears, and the World before everyone's eyes suddenly switched to a completely different scene.
In a World filled with gold and black, a massive Black Dragon was coiled between heaven and earth. Its golden pupils were as dazzling as the great sun, exuding an indescribable pressure and dominance.
The Snow Empress let out a cold snort, and ice-blue spirit power surged around her. The next moment, the three of them suddenly woke up, only to find that they were still in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Not far in front of the four of them, a middle-aged man with golden hair wearing a black robe stood with his hands behind his back. His face was extremely handsome and resolute, and his entire body exuded an indescribable aura. At this moment, his golden eyes were fixed on the four of them. The next moment, a cold and indifferent voice suddenly exploded like angry thunder:
"Snow Empress, it's been a long time. Nearly ten thousand years have passed, and you haven't made any progress at all, still stuck at that step, unable to move."
The Snow Empress also gazed at Di Tian, her voice equally indifferent, without a trace of emotion.
"Fate dictates it, Di Tian. On this point, I truly am not as good as you."
The Ice Empress looked at Di Tian, who was talking directly to the Snow Empress and ignoring her, a hint of annoyance appearing in her eyes. She immediately shouted, "Di Tian, you're ignoring me again!"
Hearing this, Di Tian only glanced slightly at the Ice Empress, then his gaze returned to the Snow Empress.
"Ice Empress, if you were as powerful as the Snow Empress, I wouldn't mind fighting you. But you... are still so weak that I have no desire to fight."
"You...!" The Ice Empress gritted her teeth as she looked at Di Tian. A long time ago, Di Tian had visited the Extreme North Land and fought the Snow Empress in the Core Circle. In the end, due to various reasons, they didn't truly determine a winner.
But when it was her turn, Di Tian merely glanced at her indifferently, just like now, and then said, "When you break through four hundred thousand years, I might look at you with higher regard. As for now, you'd better not join in the fun."
The Ice Empress remembered these words vividly. At that time, she was used to being the ruler in the Extreme North Land. How could she have ever suffered such humiliation? Immediately, she fiercely attacked Di Tian, but in the end, she was sent flying back by Di Tian with just one hand, even crashing into three ice mountains consecutively.
By the time she recovered, Di Tian had already left the Extreme North Land. This incident could be said to have nailed her to the pillar of shame. If not for the fact that not many monster beasts were watching at the time, she, the Ice Empress, might truly have had no face to continue staying in the Extreme North Land...
The Concession of the Strong
The Snow Empress's expression didn't change. She looked at Di Tian, then said, "We didn't intend to offend. We just came here to look for something. Now that we have it, we won't bother you further."
Di Tian just quietly looked at the four of them, then suddenly spoke, "You chose humans as your last resort for struggle, Snow Empress. I truly didn't expect that you would face this day."
The Snow Empress merely smiled faintly at this, then said, "Di Tian, I'm not as good as you. The seven hundred thousand year heavenly tribulation is like an insurmountable chasm for me, and the same goes for Bing Er.
We aren't afraid of death, but we also long for eternal life. You know far more than us, so you naturally understand even more clearly just how dire the situation of our monster beast race has become. For this, we can only try to cooperate with humans, to combine the strength of both races to create a god. That way, everything will have a turning point."
Di Tian listened to the Snow Empress's words, his gaze also falling on Shu Yan.
Shu Yan slowly raised his eyes, happening to meet those golden pupils. In an instant, Shu Yan felt as if the World itself was pressing down on him. The air was rapidly drawn away, his Martial Soul automatically released to protect his body, and his five spirit rings fluctuated violently, as if under immense pressure.
Di Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, slowly withdrew his hand, and was silent for a moment. Then he looked at Shu Yan and said indifferently, "No wonder. You actually found a human genius with a complete Ice Sky Snow Woman Martial Soul. Thirteen years old, Soul King (Level 50 - 60) cultivation. It's no wonder you could come up with such a path. In a desperate situation, it can be considered a glimmer of hope."
"You may leave. As the leaders of the Continent's monster beasts, I understand your difficulties and don't want to interfere with your fate and choices, as long as you don't regret it in the end. Of course, don't come to harm my Star Dou Great Forest, otherwise, I absolutely won't show mercy."
Saying that, Di Tian's gaze swept over the four of them with a hint of threat. After that, he no longer looked at them, turned around, and walked toward the depths of the forest. In just the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared without a trace, and everything around them slowly regained sound, returning to normal.
Lingering Thoughts
Seeing Di Tian leave, the Snow Empress also subtly breathed a sigh of relief. Facing Di Tian outside the Extreme North Land, the pressure she felt wasn't small at all.
Fortunately, Di Tian's attitude was unexpectedly easy to talk to, and he didn't even ask what they came for.
However, looking at Di Tian's appearance when he left, why did he seem a little rushed...?
Never mind. The Snow Empress stopped thinking about these things. A long time ago, she had developed great doubts and curiosity about the Star Dou Great Forest.
Aside from Di Tian, it seemed that another more terrifying and powerful force was hidden in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, to the extent that even Di Tian merely served this force. Of course, the Snow Empress had no evidence to prove her conjecture, and at the same time, proving these things held no meaning for her. Thus, the Snow Empress was too lazy to think about it.
The Ice Empress glared hatefully in the direction Di Tian had left, but the moment she turned to face the Snow Empress, she instantly changed her expression to a pitiful look, like a face-changing act.
"Xue Er..."
The Snow Empress rubbed the Ice Empress's head helplessly, then said, "Di Tian... forget it, he's just that kind of person. When you don't have strong power and sufficient confidence, he won't even bother to look at you twice. This is the pride of the strong. Given Di Tian's strength, it's really not excessive..."
The Ice Empress was silent for a moment, then finally nodded her head tearfully.
On the other side, Xu Jiujiu was still panting with lingering fear. She leaned in Shu Yan's embrace, her legs still trembling slightly, her eyes blank with a deep sense of disbelief.
The strongest person on the Continent, the head of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, the Golden Eyed Black Dragon King known as the Beast God, had actually appeared before her like this. How astonishing this was...
But fortunately, Xu Jiujiu had experienced this feeling once before. In less than a moment, she had already adjusted her state. Although her face was still pale, at least she wasn't shocked into losing her ability to think like last time...
Shu Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, took a deep look into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, and his thoughts couldn't help but become active...