Showdown, SacrificeLake of Life.
"Dai Yao, has your mind still not changed? I can't give you much more time."
Looking at Dai Yao opposite him, Di Tian smiled.
His dark eyes were like a deep pool, making it impossible to discern his inner thoughts.
He realized something was wrong.
First, although twenty days have passed and Dai Yao's attitude has been softening, he has not backed down on fundamental issues.
Secondly, Xiong Jun has not returned since he accepted the mission and left. It has been a full ten days. Even if Xiong Jun was delayed by something, he should have returned long ago.
Most importantly, his animal instincts were pounding wildly, as if something terrifying was constantly approaching.
According to his estimation, if the war in the Heavenly Dou Empire proceeded normally, it could last for at least a year. But he couldn't wait any longer; that ominous premonition sent chills down his spine!
Upon hearing this, Dai Yao paused slightly with his hand hovering in the air, and lowered his gaze, as if he had something on his mind.
"Di Tian, are you really that impatient? This is a matter of great importance that will determine the fate of our two races. You know better than I what the consequences will be if we rush things. Can't you give me a little more time to think it over?"
Dai Yao said in a low voice.
Only twenty days had passed, leaving a ten-day gap between his agreement with Bibi Dong for the agreed-upon one-month period. Moreover, even if the agreed-upon deadline arrived, he would have to do everything in his power to delay further. Taking over the Heaven Dou Empire within a month was already a tight timeframe; allowing for some buffer time was a responsible act towards the human race.
Upon hearing this, Di Tian, who was already prepared, said in a deep voice:
"Ten days. I can only give you ten more days at most. You must give me an answer."
After saying that, Di Tian disappeared from the spot.
The atmosphere around the wooden table gradually became heavy. Biji and Ziji couldn't help but exchange a glance, and then both looked at Dai Yao.
In the eyes of the two women, Dai Yao stood frozen in place like a statue. After a while, he suddenly laughed, his laughter revealing his dejection. He placed his hand on Bi Ji's shoulder, caressing her alluring curves, and leaned in to kiss her intimately, leaving Zi Ji dumbfounded.
"Come on, Brigitte, we must have a proper celebration tonight."
Dai Yao spoke somewhat frantically, as if he were caught between humans and soul beasts and wanted to escape.
What are we celebrating?
Brigitte asked in confusion.
"Celebrate peace, which is as precious as gold!"
Dai Yao raised the wooden cup filled with the water of life and laughed loudly.
A deep sense of doubt flashed in Bi Ji's clear eyes. Was the same person who, on that rock, Dai Yao, so full of vigor and boundless ambition as he rode above her, making a vow to resolve the hatred between their two races, the same person who was now so dejected, cowardly, and incompetent?
But all the confusion turned into a single "hmm".
"Sister Brigitte, you...!"
Zi Ji glared at Bi Ji, her beautiful eyes filled with anger and confusion at Bi Ji's lack of progress.
Even though they were gifts from Di Tian to Dai Yao, they were still among the top-ranking soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, and they had their own dignity. Anyone or any soul beast who could conquer them would be either a continent-unifying overlord or a hero among heroes.
But Dai Yao's cowardly behavior is completely unworthy of them!
But why does Brigitte have to be so submissive?
Brigitte didn't answer her question. Instead, she followed Dai Yao away from the Lake of Life and headed into the dense forest. Purple Princess knew without a doubt what was about to happen.
"An incompetent man is a piece of trash who only vents his hatred on women!"
Zi Ji harbored deep resentment.
An hour later, the sounds in the woods gradually subsided. Dai Yao, his clothes half-undone, leaned against a thick tree trunk. Gazing up at the rising moon, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes—a glint that Zi Ji had never seen before.
"Di Tian is getting more and more anxious; he must have discovered something. Ten days—I wonder if ten days will be enough? Bibi Dong, how far have you progressed?"
Dai Yao's mind raced.
Just then, a pair of slender arms reached out and wrapped around his neck. Bi Ji pressed herself tightly against Dai Yao's body, her face still flushed, and she looked closely at this utterly dejected man. She had a feeling that Dai Yao was hiding something from her.
Bi Ji's slender, jade-like fingers traced across Dai Yao's chest. With gentle grace and allure, she softly said:
"Dai Yao, you harbor a secret as deep and unfathomable as the lake of life within your heart. Can you let me know?"
Dai Yao grinned, but the smile quickly turned icy.
"Curiosity is a good thing, but excessive curiosity is the source of destruction. I will tell you everything when the time is right, but not now."
Brigitte was stunned. She had never seen Dai Yao so majestic. His golden pupils seemed to burn with gold, making it impossible to look directly at him. It wasn't the majesty of a god, but the aura of some supreme being, making her soul tremble.
His former decadent image was completely burned away at this moment, revealing a side of Dai Yao that she had never seen before.
"Don't tell anyone. I will keep my promise. The fate of humans and soul beasts is in your hands."
Dai Yao stared at Bi Ji's azure eyes, which were so close to his own, and said in a cold voice.
The overly intimate contact, no matter how well Dai Yao tried to hide it, still made the perceptive woman, Bi Ji, notice something amiss.
If Dai Yao chooses to continue concealing the truth and deceiving Bi Ji with lies, given Bi Ji's sensitivity, she might directly tell Di Tian about his unusual behavior these past few days. It's important to understand that, even in his omniscient state, Dai Yao hadn't detected any messages Bi Ji had sent to Di Tian in the past few days.
This is why Dai Yao had the confidence to confront Brigitte.
Moreover, Brigitte has always hoped that humans and spirit beasts could coexist peacefully, and she would never want humans and spirit beasts to go to war unless absolutely necessary.
Bi Ji stood there stunned for a long time, her heart churning with shock. Dai Yao had indeed plotted something. For a moment, she was in turmoil. If she told Di Tian what Dai Yao had been hiding from her, there would be no turning back for humanity and the soul beasts; but if she didn't tell Di Tian, how could she face the soul beast race?
After a long pause, she stared intently at Dai Yao and slowly said:
"You promise you will keep your promise."
Dai Yao pulled Bi Ji into his arms and solemnly said:
"I have never broken my promise, and my reputation is not so cheap."
Biji felt much more at ease, but she still wanted to know what Dai Yao was hiding from her; she didn't want it to be a conspiracy detrimental to the soul beasts. But since Dai Yao said the time wasn't right, she would wait.
Her mind was in turmoil, and she didn't want to think anymore; she decided to let herself temporarily succumb to her madness...
······
But before the tenth day had even passed, just the third day, a strange change occurred.
A Soul Master with missing limbs arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest, holding a grayish-brown scale, and met with Di Tian.
Lake of Life, on its shore.
The four ferocious beasts, led by Di Tian, stood to the side, their expressions changing drastically as they listened to Tang Hao's account. Anger surged within them, and their fists clenched tightly.
"A few days ago, the Spirit Empire mobilized an army of 300,000 and twelve Title Douluos, and Bibi Dong even personally came to Zhennan Pass. Senior, I urge you to launch the beast tide immediately, otherwise, once Heaven Dou City falls, the Heaven Dou Empire will truly be destroyed."
Tang Hao, leaning on his cane, spoke excitedly to Di Tian and the others.
"Damn it, that kid is lying to us! He's deliberately stalling for time! Beast God, bring him here! We want to confront him face to face!"
The Crimson King was incredibly excited, his body engulfed in flames that seemed to burn everything to ashes.
"What should we question him about? How did he manage to manipulate us so easily?"
The Demon King glanced at Di Tian and spoke indifferently.
Di Tian remained motionless, like a stone statue. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, making it impossible to discern his emotions. However, his dragon claws, which had torn apart countless enemies, were clenched tightly, and the veins on his arms bulged, clearly indicating that he was extremely agitated.
In an instant, Di Tian understood many things. Those strange occurrences that had puzzled him before suddenly became clear after hearing Tang Hao's explanation. It seemed that Xiong Jun's disappearance was inextricably linked to Dai Yao!
As he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and was about to speak, a loud laugh suddenly rang out from the forest at the edge of the Lake of Life.
The soul beasts looked in the direction of the sound and saw Dai Yao slowly walking towards them with Bi Ji and Zi Ji.
"Gentlemen, it looks like we have guests today."
Dai Yao put his arm around Bi Ji's slender waist, laughed freely, and kept his gaze fixed on Tang Hao.
In his omniscient state, Dai Yao sensed Tang Hao's arrival. The moment Long Lin appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest, Dai Yao knew he couldn't hide it any longer. Even if he could instantly kill Tang Hao with teleportation, Di Tian had already sensed Long Lin's aura, so he simply let Tang Hao enter the Star Dou Great Forest.
Tang Hao stared blankly at Dai Yao, completely unable to believe that there was actually a human in the forbidden area for humans. Moreover, this human was the one who had plunged his son into endless suffering.
Anger was burning fiercely in his chest, and he roared:
"Kid, I should have killed you back in Spirit City, no matter the cost!"
Back when the Continental Soul Master Tournament ended, Tang Hao appeared and rescued Tang San. But as he left, he intended to deal with Dai Yao as well. At that time, the seven Title Douluos of the Spirit Hall were temporarily suppressed by Tang Hao. Fortunately, Sword Douluo intervened and stopped Tang Hao. Otherwise, if Dai Yao wanted to live, he would have had to expose the Chaos Green Lotus.
"So now I will kill you, and I will kill your son, Tang San."
Dai Yao smiled and said, making no attempt to hide his killing intent.
He has an irreconcilable blood feud with Tang San and his son; it's either you die or I die.
As soon as he finished speaking, a purple figure leaped out from beside Dai Yao and returned to Di Tian's side.
Zi Ji glared at Dai Yao, only then realizing she had been fooled for so long. Dai Yao's so-called negotiation was just a delaying tactic. And she had foolishly believed him, almost losing her virginity to him. But what about Sister Bi Ji…?
Thinking of this, Zi Ji gritted her teeth, looked at Bi Ji who was still beside Dai Yao, and said through gritted teeth:
"Sister Brigitte, he's been lying to us for so long, we have to make him pay! Come back right now!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao stared blankly at Dai Yao. Only then did he realize that the woman beside Dai Yao was actually a ferocious beast that had existed for hundreds of thousands of years! But why was Dai Yao here, and why was her relationship with the ferocious beasts so complicated?
All the spirit beasts looked at Bi Ji, wanting to know her choice. Previously, everyone had been deceived by Dai Yao, so they sent Bi Ji and Zi Ji to please him, but now that Dai Yao had revealed his true colors, Bi Ji should return to the spirit beast family.
However, Brigitte remained standing beside Dai Yao, unmoved.
Are you going back?
Dai Yao released Bi Ji's hand from her waist and asked with a smile.
Brigitte was somewhat bewildered.
She then understood the meaning of what Dai Yao had told her a few days earlier. No matter what happened, Dai Yao's promise would not change.
She belongs to the spirit beast race, but she also hopes that humans and spirit beasts can coexist peacefully. And Dai Yao is the key to achieving this goal.
Although she knew very well that staying by Dai Yao's side was an extremely risky move, because it meant that she was betraying the soul beast race, Di Tian's plan had already failed. The only options were to launch a beast tide and fight to the death with humans, or to submit to humans.
Now that things have come to this, she should get closer to Dai Yao, understand and change his attitude towards soul beasts. Of course, if Dai Yao chooses to attack soul beasts, she will not hesitate to return to the soul beast clan.
Biji took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the several ferocious beasts one by one. Finally, her gaze lingered for a moment on Di Tian's unreadable face before she slowly said:
"No, no need."
Just four words, yet they brought stillness to the entire lake of life.
"Sister Brigitte, how could you do this?! You mustn't let him bewitch you!"
Murasaki was extremely anxious.
Biji was not only the second most ferocious beast in the Star Dou Great Forest after Di Tian, but also a benefactor to countless soul beasts. Her choice to stay by Dai Yao's side was a huge loss for the entire soul beast race.
Many ferocious beasts were also puzzled. The Crimson King wanted to persuade him further, but Di Tian stopped him with a gesture.
After giving Bi Ji a deep look, Di Tian said quietly:
"Bridget, this is your choice, and I have nothing to say. If it weren't for my misjudgment, you wouldn't have been sent to Dai Yao's side."
Brigitte bowed slightly, thus letting the matter drop.
Immediately, Di Tian's gaze locked firmly on Dai Yao, his immense pressure freezing the entire Lake of Life. He said in a deep voice:
"Dai Yao, I must say, I underestimated you. I've been outsmarted this time. If this human hadn't arrived in the Star Dou Great Forest in time, I would still be in the dark. I might not even have known that your plan was complete, and I would still be gloating over it."
"Now that things have come to this, are you prepared to unleash a beast tide?"
Dai Yao's expression turned serious, and he asked solemnly.
But Di Tian did not answer. Instead, he stared intently at Dai Yao and said:
"You must have a lot to do with Xiong Jun's disappearance."
Dai Yao didn't shy away from the truth. Since Di Tian was already certain that Xiong Jun's disappearance was related to him, he simply admitted it openly.
"That's right, I killed Xiong Jun, and its soul bone is still in my hands."
Upon hearing this, all the soul beasts looked at the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear Soul Bone in Dai Yao's hand as if struck by lightning.
The sharp aura emanating from Xiong Jun was undeniable. Xiong Jun was a powerful beast in the Star Dou Great Forest, second only to Di Tian in strength. Although Xiong Jun was not second in cultivation, its formidable attack power terrified all other soul beasts.
It's hard to believe that Xiong Jun died at Dai Yao's hands without even making a sound.
What shocked Bi Ji and Zi Ji even more was that they had been by Dai Yao's side every moment these past few days. Even when they were separated, it was only for a few minutes. If Dai Yao had killed Xiong Jun, it would mean that Dai Yao had to eliminate a powerhouse second only to Di Tian within minutes.
This is something even Emperor Tian probably couldn't do.
Hearing Dai Yao's answer, even though Di Tian was prepared, he still felt a little dizzy.
Bear King died just like that?!
"Dai Yao, I didn't expect I still underestimated you. The death of Xiong Jun is a huge blow to us soul beasts. If we're being rational, we soul beasts should submit and let you humans slaughter us. But rather than let the soul beast race die slowly, we might as well fight back."
"If you want peace, you have to fight for it!"
Di Tian firmly stated his position.
Di Tian slowly ascended into the sky, and invisible fluctuations slowly spread out. In the forest far from the Lake of Life, the cries of soul beasts could be heard continuously. The vast ocean of soul beasts was slowly gathering!
Dai Yao sighed softly. He absolutely could not allow Di Tian to unleash the beast tide. Without knowing whether Bibi Dong was ready, he had to stall. He whispered:
"I have no choice but to use my last trump card. I hope that by the time I play it, Bibi Dong will have made preparations to defend against the beast tide..."
As he spoke, the golden trident instantly landed in Dai Yao's hand, and the Poseidon's energy broke through the ground's restraints, striking the ice silkworm that had been imprisoned for ten thousand years.
"The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, if it doesn't emerge now, when will it?!"
Dai Yao gazed at the Lake of Life and roared.
Upon hearing Dai Yao's words, Di Tian instantly realized something and shouted:
"not good."
A vast spiritual wave surged from the bottom of the Lake of Life, soaring into the sky and almost enveloping the entire Star Dou Great Forest. A clear voice, tinged with a hint of foolishness, filled with the wild joy of finally being freed after enduring torment, roared with laughter:
"Dai Yao, your brother's here!" (End of Chapter)