The End of the Beast Tide, Di Tian's Final PlanStarry Sky Forest, Lake of Life.
"King of Ten Thousand Demons, how is the human defense?"
Upon seeing the suddenly appearing Demon King, Zi Ji stepped forward and asked. Although she tried her best to remain calm, one could still hear the anxiety she was trying to hide.
Since being deceived by Dai Yao and plunging the soul beast race into dire straits, Di Tian's prestige has suffered a major blow. Although people still respect him, they are far from the obedient and godlike attitude they once had.
Of course, the most important thing now is the fate of the Soul Beast race.
With human defenses complete, the beast tide could not be launched, and the beasts lost their bargaining power with humans, leaving them at their mercy. Whether Zi Ji's anxiety stemmed from the fate of the soul beast race or from Di Tian, no one could say for sure.
When Di Tian gave her to Dai Yao as a gift, her unspoken feelings for Di Tian were quietly hidden away.
The Demon King first glanced at Di Tian beside him, and Di Tian, who had been silent for a long time, also raised his head and looked at the Demon King. His black dragon eyes were like a deep pool, making it impossible to see his inner emotions.
The Demon King paused for a moment, then said with a grave expression:
"I explored the forest edge using plants."
"In the southern part of the forest, the human defenses are the strongest. Although there aren't many regular forces, the strength of their Soul Masters is quite remarkable, with at least four or five Title Douluos. One of them even seemed to sense my presence. If I hadn't been far away and hadn't cut off the mental detection in time, I probably would have been discovered by him."
"That unstoppable aura could only have been blocked by the former Xiong Jun."
"As for the other three directions, the defensive forces are much weaker."
"In the north, the main force of the Martial Soul Empire should be the one that just fought the Heaven Dou Empire at Zhennan Pass. They are well-disciplined and are an elite force. In the east and west, although they are also elite, their numbers are smaller. Judging from their appearance, they have just arrived at their garrison, and their defensive facilities are not yet complete. More troops are continuously pouring in."
"If we had launched the beast tide earlier, before they had established a firm foothold, we might not have been able to break through the human defenses in the north and south, but we would have certainly taken the east and west."
The Demon King was somewhat annoyed. Although he didn't say anything to anyone, everyone could hear the unspoken meaning hidden in his resentful tone.
If Di Tian hadn't been intimidated by that human woman named Bibi Dong, and had instead decisively launched the beast tide, the situation wouldn't be as dire as it is today.
As soon as he finished speaking, the other soul beasts couldn't help but glance at Di Tian, their feelings complicated. Even the Crimson King, who respected Di Tian the most, remained silent, unable to defend him.
They didn't mean to blame Di Tian, but years of respect made them unable to tolerate their Beast God, who was like a deity in their hearts, being deceived by a mere human.
Without Brigitte mediating the conflict, the scene fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, Di Tian slowly spoke:
"After a few days' delay, the human defenses in the East and West should be almost complete. Even if a beast tide is launched, it won't pose a significant threat to the human world. Moreover, launching a beast tide will only unite humanity in hatred against a common enemy, temporarily setting aside internal conflicts."
"It's actually disadvantageous for us."
"Therefore, I propose setting aside the beast tide and having a proper talk with the humans. Do you have any other opinions?"
The spirit beasts looked at each other in bewilderment.
They are not stupid. They know that humans have set up an impregnable defense and are just waiting for them to run into it. If they still launch a beast tide, it would be tantamount to courting death.
This is irresponsible towards the clan.
Moreover, there are three inheritors of the divine power in the human world. Once these three become gods and begin to investigate the human casualties in the beast tide and launch a revenge campaign, the humans will be unable to stop them.
Therefore, the best approach now is to reconcile with humanity.
Taking advantage of the war between the Spirit Empire and the human empire, the spirit beast race seized the opportunity to act, and the initiative was entirely in their hands. This is why they approved of Emperor Tian's plan; in their view, Dai Yao, the chosen one, had no way to break the deadlock and could only agree to their conditions.
But what they never expected was that such a vast empire would crumble within days, with tens of millions of people surrendering to the Martial Soul Empire. Even tens of millions of pigs couldn't be caught in a few days, right?
They simply couldn't understand what kind of person could have destroyed the empire's foundation in just a few days.
Otherwise, they could have remained calm and collected, without having to confront the Spirit Empire's military might or face the difficult decision of whether to launch a beast tide.
The situation has shifted from proactive to reactive. At this point, even if they were to launch a beast tide, it could only inflict some damage on humanity, without affecting the very foundation of humankind. Now, without the Heavenly Dou Empire, their strategy of launching a beast tide has changed from threatening and restraining Dai Yao to forcing him to agree to their conditions, to a direct confrontation with the main force of humanity.
This shift in identity was a huge strategic blunder.
The defeat at Zhennan Pass for the Heavenly Dou Empire meant the end of their promising situation and plunged them into a complete disadvantage.
If they had known what was happening in the Heavenly Dou Empire in time, they might have been able to make adjustments and seize that slim chance to turn the tide. But Xiong Jun, whom they sent to make contact, died silently at Dai Yao's hands, leaving them to let that precious time slowly slip away in complete ignorance, until they found themselves in their current extremely passive situation.
Now that things had come to this, they were helpless. After a moment of silence, the Demon King spoke first, saying:
"I support the Beast God's proposal."
Seeing this, the beasts had no choice but to agree.
A desperate gamble, unleashing a beast tide, is merely a desperate struggle. Preserve your strength and wait for the three inheritors of the divine power to ascend to the divine realm. At that time, the balance of power between humans and soul beasts will be restored. Then, when the time comes, who will win and who will lose is anyone's guess.
Time is on the side of their soul beasts.
Murasaki bit her lip and said dejectedly:
"If we give up launching the beast tide, what bargaining chips do we have to get humans to agree to our terms for peace? To achieve our goals, we can only be slaughtered! Xiong Jun is dead, and the Ice Silkworm is gone too. What can our Soul Beast race use to fight them?"
The beasts all felt a pang of sorrow; with the death of the Bear King before them, they all felt a sense of shared grief.
However, in the struggle between races, they cannot retreat an inch. If humans keep pressing forward, they will have no choice but to fight to the death, launch a beast tide, and perish together.
Di Tian's voice broke the silence, his voice as steady as ever, giving people a sense of reassurance:
"Humans dare not. Over the years, humans have indeed killed many of our people, taking their spirit rings and stealing their spirit bones. But if our spirit beast race is wiped out, where will those human spirit masters get their spirit rings and spirit bones? This peace talk will at most cause us some serious damage. As long as our lord is safe, it will all be worth it."
"In the human world, it may seem that the Spirit Empire is in control, but in reality, it is Dai Yao who is in charge. Bibi Dong, the master of the Spirit Empire, listens to Dai Yao's every word. If you want to negotiate, you only need to win over Dai Yao."
"With Brigitte by his side, she will also provide support. Overcoming this difficulty is not as hard as we imagine."
After hearing Di Tian's analysis, the beasts felt much more at ease.
Although it's hard to believe that the human world is dominated by Dai Yao, the fact that Bibi Dong ventured into the Star Dou Great Forest alone and served Dai Yao at his beck and call precisely confirms this.
Sending Biji to Dai Yao's side was an even more impressive move. With Biji acting as a go-between, they were able to contact Dai Yao; otherwise, completely in the dark, they wouldn't have been able to communicate even if they wanted to negotiate.
"Alright, I'll contact Brigitte soon. Everyone, return to the defenses to prevent humans from invading the Star Dou Great Forest..."
Di Tian sighed softly and gave the order.
The beasts agreed and scattered, leaving only Zi Ji behind.
Di Tian's gaze flickered slightly, as if avoiding Zi Ji's gaze, and he turned away, saying:
"Is there something you need?"
Seeing Di Tian's reaction, Zi Ji was taken aback, bit her lip lightly, remained silent for a moment, and then said:
"I know you. You're not the type to swallow your pride. You were tricked by Dai Yao and then chose to negotiate? This isn't the Beast God I know. You must have some trump cards up your sleeve. Can you tell me?"
Di Tian was also taken aback; he hadn't expected Zi Ji to know him so well. He did indeed have a backup plan, but it was a secret he had never told anyone.
After a moment of silence, he sighed deeply, turned to look at Zi Ji, and said softly:
"You're right, I still have one last trump card. Right now, our soul beast race is completely on the defensive, and even if we give our lives, we can't turn the tide. Therefore, the only way out is with Dai Yao."
"With this child's talent, his status in the divine realm will definitely not be low after he becomes a god."
"If Biji bears him offspring, our soul beast bloodline will have a place in the God Realm. As long as we continue to select suitable soul beasts to bear his offspring, our bloodline will become more and more prominent among his offspring."
"Even if these offspring who possess our bloodline do not acknowledge us, our bloodline continues. Until they usurp our place and occupy the realm of gods."
When Di Tian spoke, he no longer had his previous domineering and indomitable air; instead, there was a hint of helplessness and a bitter smile in his voice.
In a completely passive situation, executing such a helpless plan is the choice of a loser.
But isn't that exactly how it is in the original work? Tang San possessed half of the bloodline of a soul beast; his offspring continued to marry Xiao Wu, resulting in Tang Wulin possessing three-quarters of the bloodline of a soul beast; Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena's offspring, Lan Xuanyu, possessed seven-eighths of the bloodline of a soul beast.
Is it human or beast? Who can tell?
The plan appears to have been a success.
Hearing Di Tian's words, Zi Ji's heart trembled, and a faint bitterness welled up within her. Although she had somewhat anticipated this, only now did she truly see the man before her. For him, the responsibility to his race outweighed any personal love he might have felt.
By revealing such a secret to herself, wasn't he forcing her to go to Dai Yao's side and bear him a child?
He gave a bitter smile and said:
"I understand now. So this is the real reason why you sent me and Sister Brigitte to Dai Yao's side. Even if your plan to force Dai Yao fails, you still have this plan as a backup, so that we won't lose completely."
"I'll go find Dai Yao and the others right now. Sister Biji is all alone, but Dai Yao has so many women around him. Even if your plan has a certain chance of success, how can the number of children Sister Biji has given birth to compare with the number of children those women have given birth to?"
"I am also a soul beast. If Sister Biji can do this task, I... can do it too."
Immediately, Zi Ji smiled sadly, leaped into the air, and with a loud bang, transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the sky.
Di Tian gazed silently at the shimmering Lake of Life before him. Only after Zi Ji had disappeared for a long time did he turn back to look in the direction she had vanished, a flicker of pain and struggle seeming to flash in his eyes.
"sorry······"
Faced with the survival of their race, everything can be sacrificed, including himself. When Tianmeng Ice Silkworm sacrificed itself to Dai Yao, if Biji hadn't given him a timely signal and stopped him, he would have sacrificed himself to Dai Yao as well, using his immense energy to destroy Dai Yao.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's soul power was already immense, and with the addition of his nearly 800,000-year-old soul beast soul power, even a peerless Douluo would not be able to withstand such an infusion of soul power.
If Dai Yao dies, the greatest threat to the soul beast race will disappear.
Fortunately, Bi Ji stopped him in time. Only then did he realize that the successor of the Rakshasa God was so obedient to Dai Yao. If Dai Yao died, the successor of the Rakshasa God would surely wipe the Star Dou Great Forest from the world after inheriting the divine position.
Of course, given Dai Yao's hidden trump cards, if Di Tian were to also make a sacrifice, it would only result in a great tonic.
······
Two streaks of light flashed across the azure sky.
"Dai Yao, aren't you afraid your wives will be angry with you for bringing me here so brazenly?"
Brigitte smiled knowingly and teased him.
Dai Yao's face stiffened for a moment, then he turned his head and smiled:
"Of course I'm afraid, but no matter what, I have to introduce you to them. There's nothing between us, but the two races of humans and spirit beasts need a bridge like you to communicate. If they can accept you, that's great, but if they don't, then it'll be a bit of a headache."
There was something Dai Yao didn't say: he trusted Zhu Zhuqing and the others, and believed they would understand his actions.
Back then, in the Star Dou Great Forest, forced by circumstances, Dai Yao had no choice but to swallow Di Tian's sugar-coated cannonball.
But this still caused Zhu Zhuqing to suffer injustice.
Since returning to the mainland, Zhu Zhuqing and the other women had repeatedly yielded. Their relationship with Hu Liena finally needed a resolution. For the safety of their sect and for their own feelings, he had to marry Hu Liena, and Zhu Zhuqing and the others reluctantly accepted it.
However, during this time, Dai Yao did something he couldn't tell anyone about, making him feel ashamed to face Zhu Zhuqing and the others.
Brigitte seemed lost in thought.
There wasn't much affection between her and Dai Yao; it was more of a rational choice driven by self-interest. As long as being with Dai Yao served the interests of both humans and spirit beasts, she would stay by Dai Yao's side. But if it didn't serve the interests of the spirit beasts, she would leave without hesitation.
Several hours later, the endless forest on the left remained as lush as ever, but suddenly a series of imposing military camps rose from the ground and came into view.
We've arrived at the headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Azure Lotus School. (End of Chapter)