As soon as Di Tian quietly uttered the words "Successor of the Thunder God," a deathly silence swept over the scene. All present felt their pupils contract sharply, with disbelief and fear spreading across their faces.
Among them, Snake Spear Douluo and Porcupine Douluo exchanged confused looks, utterly at a loss. What on earth did this mean?
The sudden revelation struck them so hard that, for an instant, it even buried the terror of Di Tian's overwhelming presence.
As Chen Yi met the gaze of Di Tian's golden dragon eyes, which seemed to see through everything, ripples of unease stirred within his heart.
Apparently, during his last hunt for the sixth spirit ring, he hadn't completely escaped detection from the Beast God. Or perhaps it wasn't the Beast God who discovered him, but the Silver Dragon King asleep at the bottom of the Lake of Life.
In any case, this, the greatest of his secrets, was now likely no longer secret in the eyes of the other party.
Regaining his composure, Chen Yi returned a gentle smile and offered a polite bow.
"Junior Chen Yi greets the Beast God. May I ask to what do I owe this visit?"
Hearing Chen Yi's words, neither humble nor arrogant, but laced with the respectful deference of junior to senior, a subtle smile flickered in Di Tian's always-cold eyes.
Despite the pressure from the Beast God and the abrupt reveal of his secret, this human youth maintained admirable presence of mind. He was truly worthy of being the one chosen by Thunder God.
"Do you think I have a choice?" Di Tian's voice remained steady. "Your sixth spirit ring was taken from the Azure Bull Python. They are considered one of my guardian beasts."
"You stole from me, do you think I need another reason to come?"
Chen Yi's eyes twitched slightly at that.
Guardian beast?
The Azure Bull Python?
He could only harbor doubts. While the Azure Bull Python was undeniably a sovereign with a hundred-thousand-year legacy in the Star Dou Great Forest, it was still far from joining the ranks of the true core fierce beasts.
In the original story, its confidence rested on little more than potential; it could hardly endure a hundred thousand years of tribulation, nor did its masters come to its aid when it was pursued.
Standing nearby, the Grand Elder emanated increasingly refined energy from beneath his green robe, a sense of sacredness flashing in the depths of his bright eyes as he took stock of Di Tian. He knew he stood no chance against the Beast God, but if Di Tian truly tried to harm Chen Yi, he might still have a small chance to flee with the boy.
Unruffled by the invisible pressure, Chen Yi simply shook his head and replied calmly.
"Senior, you must be joking. If it really were for the Azure Bull Python, you would have appeared back then. Why wait until today? Surely you have another reason for coming here?"
Appreciation deepened in Di Tian's eyes, and he gave a small, approving "Hm." It was tacit acknowledgment of Chen Yi's words.
"You are clever, Chen Yi. Indeed, I did not seek you out for such a trivial matter."
His gaze lingered on Chen Yi, then his voice gained a note of curiosity and nostalgia.
"You carry the auras of the Water Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King."
It was not a question but a statement.
Chen Yi felt a faint tremor in his heart but didn't deny it. He nodded openly.
"Senior, you are wise. Once, I had the opportunity to enter the eternal resting place of both the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings. By some fortune, I obtained gifts left by both seniors."
As he spoke, a thought flashed in his mind. With a gentle "shhh" sound, a pair of enormous dragon wings—one covered in icy blue, the other in deep scarlet, strange patterns glowing with pale flame and cold—unfurled behind him. The fusion of supreme cold and burning heat blended into pure draconic majesty, emanating from him in waves.
Instantly, the surrounding temperature fluctuated violently, frost crystals condensing amid shimmering air. Some, like Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, felt little, but Douluo-level experts like Dugu Bo, Ye Cien, and even Qian Renxue felt the immense force and ancient noble bloodline hidden in those wings.
As the Frostfire Heavenly Wings spread, the familiar aura, etched into the souls of dragonkind for millennia, engulfed Di Tian. For the first time in thousands of years, the eternal ice of his expression gave way to genuine excitement.
"It's truly…the aura of Water Dragon King and Fire Dragon King…"
Di Tian muttered, his voice trembling so slightly it was barely audible.
As the son of the Dark Dragon King and the Light Dragon Queen, he grew up loved by many dragon kings, among whom the Water and Fire Dragon Kings were especially gentle, caring for him as close elders would. Countless years passed, the dragons declined, and the connection to the God Realm was severed. Now, once again, he sensed the aura of those two elders, but it resided within a human youth, stirring up all sorts of emotions.
After a while, Di Tian slowly resumed his calm, his eyes shifting to deep, complex hues. Waving his hand, he said,
"Enough. Put that away."
Chen Yi complied, retracting the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings. As they folded away, two almost invisible points of light flashed at the roots of the wings before vanishing into the depths of his body. Di Tian didn't seem to notice or care, fixing Chen Yi with a steadier, slightly more solemn gaze than before.
"Chen Yi, you are not of my dragon bloodline, yet you carry the legacy of both the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings. In this, you are now tied to the destiny of dragonkind. Will you acknowledge this connection?"
"Of course I do, Senior," Chen Yi replied earnestly.
The enhancement brought by the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings did much more than provide a powerful external soul bone. The attributes of extreme ice and fire, and the subtle nourishment and strengthening of his body, were benefits no cultivation method or elixir could ever duplicate. Especially since cultivating the Immaculate Golden Body, Chen Yi rarely focused on physical training. But the frostfire power silently refined his marrow to the highest level. He was sure he would naturally reach the "reformation" stage even before ascending to the Soul Sage realm—a blessing directly inherited from the dragon race.
He continued, meeting Di Tian's eyes with unwavering clarity:
"This is a debt I owe the dragon clan. I once swore before them—should I ever have the strength, I will do what I can for the soul beast race."
Di Tian, overwhelmed with emotion, thought to himself: "Water Dragon King, Fire Dragon King... even as they perished, perhaps they left behind one last hope for the soul beast and dragon clans." As the last shining legacy of his kin, he'd always been forced to simply watch the dragons' decline from afar, suffering wordless grief and guilt.
Soon regaining his composure, he fixed his gaze on Chen Yi, his tone sharpening.
"Remember what you said today."
Chen Yi put his palms together and answered solemnly:
"Rest assured, Senior. Since I made the promise, it will always be in my heart. If the chance comes, I will never forget you."
Di Tian said no more. He glanced at the holy feathered crane behind Chen Yi, still struggling in the lake. The gaze shocked Ye Cien, Dugu Bo, and the others, tensing their nerves; to hunt soul beasts of Star Dou in front of the Beast God was surely too much and might anger him.
But Di Tian just looked away indifferently. The laws of the soul beast world were cruel and direct: survival of the fittest. That the Sacred Feather Spirit Crane became the prey of stronger human soul masters was merely due to its lack of strength and fortune.
Unless their actions touched upon core interests or taboos, he would not interfere in such a "normal" hunt for soul rings. Seeing this, Ye Cien and the others breathed a little easier, though they dared not truly relax.
At this moment, a three-eyed golden lion, who had been standing quietly by with her golden eyes glimmering, saw that the adults' serious conversation had ended. She elegantly trotted over to Di Tian and, with a noble tilt of her head, gazed up at him, golden eyes full of barely hidden longing and mischief, her voice sly and coquettish:
"Di Tian—"
…
Bonus chapter at 100 PS