Ten thousand years earlier, shortly after Lin Mu entered the God Realm, his nine soul spirits completed their transformations into gods and obtained divine positions suited to their respective powers.
Once their transformations were complete, Lin Mu fulfilled two promises he had made in the mortal realm.
Using his divine power, he resurrected Er Ming and Xiong Jun, the Bear Lord.
Their bodies had long since perished, but Lin Mu had preserved enough of their spiritual origins to restore them. With the power he possessed after inheriting the divine position of the God of Destruction, recreating their bodies was no longer impossible.
After resurrecting them, Lin Mu gave them the choice he had promised.
They could return to the Star Dou Great Forest and resume their lives as soul beasts, or they could remain in the God Realm and cultivate as divine beasts.
Er Ming made his decision without hesitation.
Da Ming and Xiao Wu were already in the God Realm. With both his sworn elder brother and sworn younger sister there, Er Ming had no reason to return to the Star Dou Great Forest alone.
"I'll stay in the God Realm," Er Ming declared. "Wherever Big Brother and Xiao Wu are, that is where I belong."
Xiong Jun's decision was equally straightforward, though his reasons were different.
The Bear Lord had always pursued greater strength. Returning to the Star Dou Great Forest would allow him to rule over other bear-type soul beasts, but it would also limit how far his cultivation could progress.
The God Realm offered far greater opportunities.
Furthermore, Lin Mu had fulfilled his promise and resurrected him without demanding an unreasonable price. This proved that following Lin Mu would not result in him being exploited or discarded.
After considering the matter, Xiong Jun also chose to remain.
"I will guard your temple," he said. "In exchange, I want the opportunity to continue growing stronger."
Lin Mu accepted his decision.
Guarding the gates of the Temple of Destruction was hardly a humiliating position. Countless divine beasts would have fought for the opportunity to remain near one of the most powerful God Kings in the God Realm.
Xiong Jun therefore believed that he had gained far more than he had lost.
Once the matter of their resurrection was settled, Lin Mu activated the Asura Armor again.
This time, he intended to travel into the past, returning to the period when he had still been a teacher at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
There was an unresolved conflict between Tang San and Xiao Wu that he needed to address.
Back then, Lin Mu had vaguely sensed that someone powerful was hidden nearby, silently observing events from the shadows. At the time, he had been unable to identify that mysterious presence.
Only now did he understand the truth.
The person he had sensed had been his future self.
Since Er Ming had now been successfully resurrected, Lin Mu needed to travel back and complete the closed loop of events that had already occurred.
He could no longer remember the exact day or hour when the confrontation between Tang San and Xiao Wu had taken place. However, that was not a serious problem.
The Asura Armor could locate a point in time through his memories and the traces left by his spiritual perception.
Traveling through time placed an enormous burden on one's will. Before becoming a god, Lin Mu could not have used the armor carelessly without risking severe damage to his consciousness.
Now that he had become the God King of Destruction, every aspect of his existence had undergone a tremendous transformation. His body, soul, divine consciousness, and willpower were all vastly stronger than before.
The cost of traveling slightly more than a century into the past was no longer enough to threaten him.
Space and time twisted around Lin Mu.
When the distorted scenery stabilized, he found himself standing outside the Emperor Team's training grounds at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Two familiar voices came from nearby.
"Brother, you've changed," Xiao Wu said, her voice trembling with anger and disappointment. "How are you any different from those soul beasts that kill without distinguishing right from wrong?"
Tang San answered with a cold laugh.
"What a joke. At the very least, I'm human, not a soul beast."
"Then you're worse than a soul beast!"
"What right do you have to say that to me?" Tang San snapped. "Don't forget that you were once a soul beast too. No matter what you look like now, that fact will never change!"
Xiao Wu's entire body trembled.
She stared at Tang San as if she could not believe those words had truly come from him.
Her eyes quickly reddened, but she refused to let her tears fall in front of him. She abruptly turned away and ran toward the academy's exit without looking back.
Hidden nearby, the future Lin Mu watched the confrontation with a strange expression.
Tang San had already described the general events to him, but Lin Mu had not expected his younger disciple to speak so harshly.
The resentment Tang San had accumulated toward Xiao Wu's identity as a soul beast had clearly erupted all at once.
Although Tang San cared deeply for her, Er Ming's death and the surrounding conflict had forced him to confront feelings he had never properly resolved. His anger had overwhelmed his judgment, causing him to say words that would be difficult to take back.
In a strange way, the argument almost sounded like something that should have occurred in Lin Mu's own life.
However, Lin Mu did not have a transformed soul beast as a lover.
Although Gu Yuena lived beside him, she was one half of the Dragon God rather than an ordinary soul beast that had transformed into a human.
Lin Mu quickly pushed those irrelevant thoughts aside.
"Completing the timeline is more important."
His figure disappeared from outside the training grounds.
When he reappeared, he was already beyond Heaven Dou City's walls.
He concealed his aura and waited quietly.
Not long afterward, Xiao Wu ran through the city gates. Her eyes were red and swollen, and tear stains remained on her cheeks. She had clearly been crying throughout the journey.
She did not stop after leaving the city.
Instead, she continued walking until the road and the nearby guards were some distance behind her.
Lin Mu appeared silently behind her.
Before Xiao Wu could notice his presence, he placed both hands on her shoulders and activated his spatial power.
The scenery changed instantly.
The city walls vanished, replaced by the dense trees of a secluded forest.
Xiao Wu barely had time to release a startled cry before an invisible force restrained her body.
"Mm!"
Her pupils contracted as terror spread across her face.
She struggled with all her strength, attempting to release her martial soul and activate her teleportation soul skill, but none of her soul power responded.
It was as though every part of her body had been sealed.
The realization filled her with dread.
Whoever had abducted her was unimaginably powerful, perhaps even stronger than Teacher Lin Mu.
Why had she been taken immediately after leaving Heaven Dou City?
Had this mysterious person been watching her all along, merely waiting for her to separate from the others?
Xiao Wu's thoughts became increasingly chaotic.
She had always been confident in her appearance and charm. In previous battles, she had even used her beauty and Soft Boned Rabbit abilities to distract opponents.
Now, however, that confidence became a source of fear.
She was alone in a remote forest with someone so powerful that she could neither fight nor escape. If her captor had abducted her for sinister reasons, she would be completely helpless.
Against a soul master below the Soul King level, Xiao Wu might have found an opportunity to escape using teleportation.
Against this unknown powerhouse, she could not even move a finger.
Within only a few seconds, she imagined the worst possible outcome.
Fear and humiliation surged through her, accompanied by a painful sense that she would be betraying Tang San despite having no control over the situation.
She immediately regretted running out of the academy in anger.
If something terrible happened to her here, she felt that she would never be able to face Tang San again.
"Calm down. I have no intention of harming you."
The man's composed voice sounded from behind her.
Xiao Wu froze.
The voice was strangely familiar.
Although it carried greater authority and maturity than she remembered, its tone immediately reminded her of someone she trusted.
Her frantic struggles gradually stopped.
Sensing that she had calmed down, Lin Mu released the force restraining her but continued concealing his appearance.
"I come from more than a hundred years in the future," he explained. "After hearing my voice, you should already have some idea of who I am."
"More than a hundred years in the future?"
Xiao Wu stared ahead in disbelief.
The claim sounded impossible. Nevertheless, something about the man's aura and familiar voice made her instinctively believe him.
She turned around slowly.
Although she could not clearly see his features beneath the concealing divine power, she could make out the outline of a young man.
"Teacher Lin Mu?" she asked tentatively.
Lin Mu removed the concealment around his face.
Xiao Wu stared at him in shock.
He appeared similar to the Teacher Lin Mu she knew, yet there was an immeasurable difference in his temperament. The man before her possessed a calm majesty that made the entire forest seem insignificant.
After confirming his identity, Xiao Wu's fear immediately transformed into resentment.
"You frightened me half to death!"
She had genuinely believed that she had been abducted by a villain who intended to violate her. Looking back at those thoughts now, she found them both humiliating and absurd.
Lin Mu ignored the accusation and went directly to the reason he had come.
"The conflict between you and Tang San began because of Er Ming's death," he said. "You are also afraid that Da Ming will eventually be hunted for his soul rings."
Xiao Wu lowered her gaze.
She did not deny it.
Lin Mu had promised that he would resurrect Er Ming, but Xiao Wu had no way of knowing whether such a thing was truly possible.
Er Ming had already died because of the conflicts surrounding them. If Da Ming were also killed, Xiao Wu would lose the last family member who had accompanied her throughout her life in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Her fear of losing Da Ming had affected the way she viewed Tang San and humanity as a whole.
"After entering the God Realm, I successfully resurrected Er Ming," Lin Mu said.
Xiao Wu immediately looked up.
"You really did it?"
Rather than answering with words, Lin Mu extended one finger and gently touched her forehead.
A small fragment of his memories entered Xiao Wu's mind.
She saw the Temple of Destruction within the God Realm.
She saw Er Ming's spiritual origin gathering beneath Lin Mu's divine power. Flesh, blood, bones, and meridians formed around his soul until his enormous Titan Giant Ape body was completely restored.
She then saw Er Ming open his eyes and rise once again.
The memory consisted of only several brief images, but every detail was vivid and realistic. Xiao Wu could feel Er Ming's familiar aura within them.
Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Er Ming is really alive…"
"He has been resurrected and now cultivates as a divine beast in the God Realm," Lin Mu confirmed.
He then released a pale azure light from one of his soul rings.
The light gathered in the clearing and transformed into an enormous azure dragon.
The dragon's powerful body was covered in shimmering scales. Its dignified head rose above the surrounding trees, while an ancient dragon aura spread throughout the forest.
Although his appearance had changed dramatically, Xiao Wu recognized his presence immediately.
"Da Ming?"
Shock appeared across her face.
The soul beast before her no longer resembled the Sky Azure Bull Python that had lived with her in the Star Dou Great Forest for more than 100,000 years.
However, his aura and spiritual fluctuations were unmistakable.
Da Ming had completed his dragon transformation after becoming a god, evolving into a Sky Azure Divine Dragon and awakening a trace of an even more ancient dragon bloodline.
The transformation had greatly increased both his strength and future potential.
Da Ming lowered his enormous head toward Xiao Wu.
"Sister Xiao Wu, there is no need to worry," he said sincerely. "Master fulfilled his promise. Er Ming has already been resurrected."
Hearing the confirmation directly from Da Ming, Xiao Wu's final doubts disappeared.
The fear and resentment that had weighed upon her heart gradually faded.
Da Ming had not been deceived or forced into becoming Lin Mu's soul spirit. On the contrary, he was clearly grateful for the opportunity.
Becoming Lin Mu's soul spirit had allowed him to escape the limits of an ordinary soul beast, enter the God Realm, and evolve into a true divine dragon.
Er Ming had also been restored to life.
The future she feared would never come to pass.
"Thank you, Teacher Lin Mu."
Xiao Wu wiped the tears from her face and bowed her head.
Lin Mu accepted her gratitude before recalling Da Ming into his soul ring.
There was still one final matter to resolve.
"Xiao Wu, you cannot retain clear memories of this meeting," Lin Mu said. "Knowledge of the future could alter the timeline and create consequences neither of us can predict."
Xiao Wu hesitated.
"Will I forget that Er Ming is alive?"
"You will forget what you saw and who told you," Lin Mu answered. "However, I will leave the reassurance behind. Even without understanding why, you will feel certain that Da Ming and Er Ming will eventually be safe."
Xiao Wu slowly nodded.
She did not want to lose the memory of seeing Er Ming's resurrection, but she understood that revealing the future could place everyone in danger.
Lin Mu placed two fingers against her forehead.
His divine consciousness entered her spiritual sea with perfect precision. He erased only the memories related to his future identity, Er Ming's resurrection, Da Ming's transformation, and their conversation in the forest.
He did not damage any of her other memories.
At the same time, he left behind a subtle suggestion within her subconscious—a firm conviction that Da Ming and Er Ming would survive and that she did not need to destroy her relationship with Tang San out of fear for them.
Once the process was complete, Xiao Wu's eyes briefly became unfocused.
Lin Mu gently supported her before she could fall.
He then brought her back to the edge of the forest, placing her near the path she would have followed after leaving Heaven Dou City.
Xiao Wu soon regained consciousness.
She could no longer remember being abducted or meeting the future Lin Mu. She only felt strangely calmer, as though a burden she had carried for a long time had suddenly disappeared.
Hidden among the trees, Lin Mu watched her quietly.
A short time later, he sensed a familiar aura approaching.
It belonged to his younger self.
The Lin Mu of this era soon arrived, found Xiao Wu alone near the forest, and approached her.
Only after confirming that his past self had safely taken her away did the future Lin Mu withdraw his divine consciousness.
The events he remembered had now been completed.
The closed loop in the timeline was finally whole.