"Using me as a stepping stone, you're quite bold, little brat!"
Di Tian was momentarily stunned before his breathing grew heavy. Furious, he let out a cold laugh.
"I may have fallen from the godly realm all these years, but I remain an unmatched existence. To put it in human terms, the salt I've eaten is more than the rice you've consumed in your life."
"Let's see how you plan to use me as your stepping stone."
"Di Tian, be careful. This girl isn't simple," Bi Ji warned softly.
"Hmph, not simple? I'm even less simple than her."
To think she'd dare provoke him, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, just by relying on some trickery to obtain a soul ring beyond her limits—maybe even a god trial that dyed her earlier soul rings black.
What sheer arrogance.
Di Tian glanced at Bi Ji and said, "Step back. I don't want you caught in the crossfire."
"Ah…"
Bi Ji sighed and quietly retreated a few steps, making her stance clear.
Even at the same 99th rank, though she wasn't combat-oriented, Di Tian's claim that the aftermath of their fight could severely injure her was pure nonsense. But if he wanted to show off, so be it.
She just hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself—otherwise, she'd have to carry him away.
Bi Ji's gaze sharpened as she studied Ning Rongrong.
Though only a seven-ringed Soul Sage, there was an ethereal aura about her—something even Ning Fengzhi didn't possess.
Was it because of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda?
The martial soul in Ning Rongrong's hand had one more layer than Ning Fengzhi's.
Regardless, it was best to stay cautious.
"Come, human brat. Let's see what you're capable of."
Di Tian crossed his arms.
A faint black energy coiled around his body as the pressure of a Quasi-God slowly spread.
Even this mere release of soul power was enough to weigh heavily on Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.
Cold sweat beaded on Ning Fengzhi's forehead as he stole a glance at Ning Rongrong's petite figure.
"Rongrong, are you really confident?" Truthfully, Ning Fengzhi had never fully understood his daughter—whether before or after her breakthrough.
She claimed to be a support-type soul master, yet she effortlessly erased the lingering resentment of the Evil Spirit Orca King when Lou Gao absorbed its soul ring.
If that could still be considered within the scope of a support soul master, then what she did earlier—severing the ninth soul ring of Tang Hao's martial soul and teleporting both the ring and the external soul bone back—was nothing short of unbelievable.
That was definitely not an ability the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda possessed, but rather a power unique to Ning Rongrong herself.
Recalling Tokisaki Kurumi's words:
"There's no need to interfere with Ning Rongrong. She cares more about her own safety than you do."
Did that mean even against two 99th-rank powerers, Rongrong still had a way to handle them?
In truth, upon learning of Di Tian and Bi Ji's arrival, Ning Fengzhi's first thought had been how to ensure Rongrong's safe escape. As long as she lived, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would still have hope.
But Tokisaki Kurumi had transmitted her voice to stop him, saying, "If we don't make Di Tian truly wary, the Star Dou Great Forest may retaliate against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Sigh…
Feeling the boundless soul power radiating from Di Tian, Ning Fengzhi realized his own weakness for the first time.
This was different from facing Bi Ji—back then, it had only been her avatar, not her true form.
Moreover, Bi Ji had just broken through to the 99th rank and wasn't a combat-oriented soul beast.
But this Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian was a Quasi-God, a former first-grade deity. He might even be more terrifying than divine servants or the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
"Pfft—"
The air filled with the pungent scent of blood.
Ning Fengzhi's expression froze in shock.
Di Tian, who had been brimming with confidence moments ago, now had his dark energy in complete disarray, his spirit visibly weakened.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand and coughed several times.
"Cough— Human, in hundreds of thousands of years, you're the first to injure me."
"Oh? Is that so? Then I should be happy."
"What do you want?" Di Tian's eyelids lowered slightly. Beside him, Bi Ji frowned. "Di Tian, you—"
Di Tian waved his hand, signaling her to stay silent.
"It's not about what I want, but what you can offer me," Ning Rongrong replied calmly. "I'd like the million-year-old Sky Dream Iceworm—but I assume you won't hand it over, right?"
"You even know about that thing?" Di Tian's eyes flashed with wariness.
Not even when facing Qian Daoliu had he felt this level of caution. Talking to this brat made him feel as if all his secrets had been laid bare.
"I know far more than you can imagine. I have no intention of making an enemy of the Star Dou Great Forest, but you've come to provoke me multiple times. If you don't pay a price, that wouldn't be fair, would it?"
"What do you say, Lord Di Tian?"
Di Tian gritted his teeth, itching to crush her with a single Dragon God's Claw—but he couldn't.
"Return everything you took from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. You know what I'm referring to."
"Impossible." Di Tian shook his head. "The remnants of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King's souls are out of the question. It's not that I won't give them to you—I can't."
"Oh? Is your master recovering from her injuries?"
"Human, has anyone ever told you that knowing too much shortens your lifespan?" Di Tian's brows furrowed deeply. "Brat, not even twenty years old yet—such excessive knowledge doesn't bode well for your survival."
"Of course, compared to an old fossil like you who's lived for hundreds of thousands of years without ascending to godhood, I suppose my lifespan is indeed shorter."
"But becoming a god? I do have some aspirations in that regard. Don't you agree?"
"You—!" Di Tian's eyelids twitched violently.
Old fossil?!
Damn it, if he was an old fossil, then what did that make the Silver Dragon King? A prehistoric relic?!
Suppressing his rage, Di Tian took a deep breath. "I can give you the remains of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King. If placed back, their effects will persist for a few hundred years."
Though their souls were gone, the bones of the two Dragon Kings were no longer mere skeletal remains—they had become part of the natural landscape.
As long as they were returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they could still reactivate its properties, albeit not for long.
"A few hundred years? Lord Di Tian, are you trying to swindle a beggar?"
Ning Rongrong raised an eyebrow.
She had originally intended to use the remnants of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' souls for another purpose, but she hadn't expected Gu Yuena to absorb them directly. Though given her injuries, even two first-grade deity remnants wouldn't have done much to restore her.
"How about adding Lady Bi Ji to the deal? I've long admired her!"
Before Bi Ji could respond, Di Tian's draconic fury erupted. "Brat, do you really think injuring me once means you can defeat me?"
Bi Ji's status in the Star Dou Great Forest was, in some ways, even more crucial than Di Tian's.
"If you want to provoke a beast tide from the Star Dou Great Forest, go ahead. It'll be mutual destruction."
"Di Tian, barking like a mad dog won't change anything." Tokisaki Kurumi stepped forward, twirling her gun. "Yes, you can launch a beast tide. You can destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
"But we can just as easily turn the Star Dou Great Forest into a barren wasteland. What meaning would your ten-thousand-year and hundred-thousand-year soul beasts have then? How would you fulfill your grand mission of restoring the soul beast race?"
"You—!"
As expected, Di Tian's face darkened with apprehension upon hearing this.