The long-missed fresh air relaxed Lin Yun completely. Stepping out of the barrier Wan Yaowang had formed with his soul power, he bathed in the misty drizzle, as if it could cleanse even his soul.
Di Tian and the others remained silent, watching as the figure before them spread his arms, as if embracing the heavens and earth.
No—it wasn't just an embrace. He truly was embracing the world. Everything around him seemed to rejoice in his presence. Bi Ji, the one most attuned to life, and Wan Yaowang, a fellow plant-type soul beast, could faintly sense the purest joy emanating from all living things nearby.
BOOM—
A deep thunderclap echoed from the skies above. The dark clouds parted slightly, allowing a single beam of sunlight to break through and shine directly upon Lin Yun.
Deep meditation.
Somehow, in this very moment, Lin Yun had entered his first deep meditation since arriving in Douluo Continent.
The slow-flowing soul power within his body suddenly surged, following the pathways of the Sun Scripture. A brilliant golden light erupted from Lin Yun's body, resonating with the sunlight from above.
The only light in the hazy rain.
The only light for Star Dou Forest—no, for all soul beasts.
"I believe the Honored One will save us from the abyss of darkness, just like this beam of light," Bi Ji murmured reverently, clasping her hands in prayer.
Di Tian shot her a sidelong glance, his eyes tinged with resentment. What, did darkness offend you or something?
When will us dark-attributed soul beasts finally rise up?!
Wan Yaowang, however, wholeheartedly agreed with Bi Ji. "The Honored One's abilities truly surpass our imagination. With just a few small moves, he has already dealt a severe blow to Shrek Academy's reputation—something we've struggled with for years. If he deploys his full plans, Shrek Academy might not be universally despised, but they'll be close."
"So… what exactly has the Honored One done this past year?" Zi Ji couldn't help but ask curiously.
The Ice Empress and Wan Yaowang exchanged glances, but neither knew where to begin.
They had watched Lin Yun's schemes unfold step by step, yet even they couldn't fully comprehend how he had achieved so much. Still, they pieced together a rough explanation of his actions at Shrek Academy.
Now, the ones racking their brains weren't just two soul beasts—but an entire group. Only Di Tian seemed to vaguely grasp that Lin Yun's methods targeted the human heart, exploiting mankind's inherent nature.
But if asked to elaborate, even Di Tian couldn't put it into words.
"Enough of this. We just need to follow the Honored One's lead," Wan Yaowang finally said, rubbing his temples to soothe his headache from overthinking.
The reason they couldn't decipher Lin Yun's plans wasn't due to lack of intelligence—it was because none of them truly understood humans.
Star Dou's soul beasts only knew how to guard their territory while waiting for the Silver Dragon King to awaken.
The Evil Eye Storm Lord of the Demonic Forest kept to himself, blissfully unaware until Huo Yuhao came knocking.
The Extreme North? Don't even get started. The two Emperors and two Kings were all under the threat of heavenly tribulation. Without Huo Yuhao, they wouldn't have stood a chance. By the time of Douluo Dalu 3, they even let the Abyss Plane's entrance open right in their backyard.
As for the immortal herbs of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well? They were practically Tang San's livestock, raised for slaughter.
Conclusion: They were doomed.
If these soul beasts had known how to manipulate human nature, would they have ended up so miserably in the original timeline?
Thus, Wan Yaowang—the smartest among them—made the wisest decision: If we can't figure it out, just stop thinking and follow the Honored One.
The other Fierce Beasts's nodded silently.
Among them, Xiong Jun was the happiest. He was probably the only one enthusiastic about ditching his brain entirely.
"By the way, Di Tian, did you find that soul beast the Honored One asked for?" the Ice Empress suddenly asked.
Before returning, Lin Yun had muttered something about it under his breath. Hearing it, she had kept it in mind.
Wan Yaowang also turned to Di Tian.
After all, he was the one who had relayed the message to Di Tian in the first place. So, naturally, he knew exactly which soul beast Lin Yun was looking for.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Yes—that tiger.
After Lin Yun had accidentally awakened a sliver of time-manipulation ability due to Cao Jinxuan's desperate attack, the first thing he thought of was changing his plans for his fourth soul ring.
Originally, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger hadn't even been on his list. No matter how strong it was, its attributes simply didn't align with the Golden Dragon King.
But with time manipulation now in play?
Everything changed.
Not just the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger—even the Evil Eye Storm Lord had caught Lin Yun's eye. That giant eyeball had managed to grasp Time and Space Light, a top-tier soul skill, purely through spiritual power.
This was the beauty of Douluo Continent. While its power ceiling was embarrassingly low, progression was simple. Just slap on a soul ring, and boom—instant upgrade.
Once Lin Yun confirmed that his Golden Dragon King bloodline indeed contained traces of time power, his first order was for Wan Yaowang to inform Di Tian: Find me a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger for my fourth ring.
The nature of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's species meant it could never grow too powerful. The last one had been hunted down by the "gatekeeper dogs" Da Ming and Er Ming, eventually becoming Tang San's soul ring.
Its growth relied on devouring other beings, making it an enemy of all soul beasts.
Especially now, with the Heaven Dream Ice Silkwerm gone and the Fierce Beasts's like Di Tian awake, any Dark Demon Evil God Tiger foolish enough to act up in Star Dou Forest would be diced into eight pieces and stuffed into a jar.
Forced to grow in secret, how strong could it possibly be?
Thirty to fifty thousand years, at most.
Perfect for Lin Yun's fourth soul ring.
Under the expectant gazes of the other soul beasts, Di Tian turned around, hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of invincibility.
"Hmph. If I take action, failure is impossible. Since the Honored One desires its soul ring, even if it hid within the cracks of space, I would drag it out!"
With a wave of his hand, a heavily injured, weakened black tiger materialized by the Lake of Life—trapped firmly within a cage of spatial power.
A fifty-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!
(End of Chapter)
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