"Purple Blood Ice Lion? To think I’d see the Beast Soul of this Exotic Demon Beast in a place like this..." Shen Lang swept his gaze left and right, taking in the entire scene.
The space ahead, where the Fierce Beast resided, was indeed the central hub of the Twelve All Heaven Beast Array, just as Shen Lang had anticipated. The area within this stone pillar served as the core for all the other pillar spaces, connected to them by numerous distinct pathways. Although the other spaces remained blurry, the wills of thousands of Beast Souls inside them had coalesced and converged entirely onto Shen Lang.
If Shen Lang had not fused with the War Emperor’s soul and comprehended the Emperor Realm, his single strand of Divine Thought would have been instantly obliterated under the vast, majestic will of all these Beast Souls before it could last even a second. His gaze sharpened slightly, and he spoke with measured politeness. "The people of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land left this place over ten thousand years ago. Whether they will ever return remains unknown. Everyone here has been trapped within the Twelve All Heaven Beast Array for so many years. Are you truly prepared to wait indefinitely? If they never come back, are you going to stay here for another few thousands or tens of thousands of years, just like before?"
The Fierce Beast blocking the spatial entrance sneered. "A shameless, ignorant, and cowardly human actually dared to scheme against us? Ignorance truly breeds fearlessness. Should I admire your courage or despise your stupidity?
"You actually thought you could subjugate us with such meager skills? Do you think we are on the same level as those Low-level creatures behind you? Did you not realize that by probing your Divine Thought into this place, I could follow its trace right back to you, causing your Sea of Consciousness to instantly collapse and resulting in your Soul Scattering?"
Shen Lang shook his head. "First of all, you are mistaken about one thing. I have no intention of subjugating anyone here. I know my own limits.
"Given your immense strength, you should have already noticed without me saying it. These Beast Souls behind me are my friends, not my slaves. I did not use any special methods to force them into submission.
"All I seek is cooperation. A mutually beneficial partnership."
The Fierce Beast’s face twisted into an anthropomorphic sneer. "Even for a partnership, you lack the qualifications."
Hearing this, Shen Lang could not help but laugh. Whether it was this Purple Blood Ice Lion or the other formidable Beast Souls hiding within the pack, the strongest among them hovered merely around the Emperor Martial Realm Peak. If the Master of War God Hall, the War Emperor, was unqualified to cooperate with them, then very few people in this world possessed that right. Strictly speaking, however, the Beast Soul was not wrong.
The Shen Lang standing before it, no matter how one looked at him, possessed a Cultivation of merely the King Martial Realm Second Heaven. With such a meager Cultivation, any random Beast Soul pulled from the Twelve All Heaven Beast Array would be more than enough to crush him. The Human Race revered the strong, but the law of the jungle and the absolute supremacy of power were even more absolute among Demon Beasts.
For someone at the King Martial Realm Second Heaven to attempt to ally with these powerful entities—especially in the eyes of these Beast Souls who possessed high Spiritual Wisdom and strength rivaling the Middle to Late Stage of the Emperor Martial Realm—it was nothing short of a joke. No, it was more than a joke. It was the ultimate insult.
"This despicable, cowardly human actually dared to indulge in such wild fantasies. Is he not afraid I will trace his connection, invade his Sea of Consciousness, and damn him beyond redemption?"
The Purple Blood Ice Lion and the other mighty Beast Souls could not wrap their minds around it. The Ghost-faced Person standing before them was ignorant, sure; humanity was plagued with countless fools. But daring to cast a spell with that blood-red ring to open a two-way bridge connecting directly to the space inside the stone pillar was the height of stupidity. Because the channel went both ways, the kings among these Beast Souls needed only a single thought to send the collective will of ten thousand beasts crashing into Shen Lang’s Sea of Consciousness, instantly shattering or dominating his mind.
Had the people of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land not spent countless years educating them and wearing away the hostility within their souls, the Purple Blood Ice Lion would have never let this Ghost-faced Person stand there and talk.
Just as Shen Lang was organizing his thoughts to persuade the Beast Souls, a lazy voice echoed through the space.
"Instead of hurrying up to the Fifth Floor, you’re down here wasting all this time. It seems you haven’t taken this dragon’s matters to heart, have you? That’s not the attitude a proper partner should have..."
With the arrival of this voice, a vast and unfathomable Dragon Mighty aura swept over the area. The Beast Souls within the complex, interconnected stone pillar spaces—as well as those inside Shen Lang’s Ten Thousand Beasts Circle—instantly let out trembling wails. They threw themselves to the ground in unison, shivering uncontrollably.
Immediately after, the red-haired Lu Qianqiu appeared within the central stone pillar space. Without him making any visible movement, the surrounding Beast Souls were pushed back by an invisible force, scattering like smoke to clear a massive empty space around him. He still wore his trademark lazy expression, narcissistically stroking his own red hair. This time, however, his complexion was rather grim, and his eyes revealed intense displeasure.
When a Dragon Race powerhouse at the Emperor Martial Realm unleashed their fury, it truly shook heaven and earth, forcing all beasts to grovel. Shen Lang also felt this overwhelming, mountain-crushing pressure. He had known early on that Lu Qianqiu would show up, so he remained completely unfazed.
"There’s still plenty of time. No need to be so anxious," Shen Lang said calmly. "As for whether I’ve taken your matters to heart... I am a man who either makes no promises or goes all out to fulfill them once made. You can rest easy on that front."
Lu Qianqiu’s expression softened slightly as he sat on a makeshift throne. He gave a wicked grin. "You certainly have a massive appetite, kid. Don’t you know how dangerous it is to project your Divine Thought in here?
"The power of these Beast Souls far exceeds the Resentful Fierce Souls found in the Hungry Ghost Dao. Your methods might be impressive, but your current self is in no position to withstand the ferocious collective will of ten thousand beasts."
Shen Lang’s lips curled into a faint smile. "With you here, why would I need to worry about such things?"
Lu Qianqiu looked startled before letting out a helpless laugh. "So you played me again? You knew I wouldn’t let you die so easily in a place like this, so you just swaggered right in. But it’s not good to be too greedy..."
Shen Lang dropped his smile. "I don’t toy with my allies or friends, nor am I insatiably greedy. The enemies I face are simply too powerful. My current Cultivation is still too weak, so I need some extra assistance."
"Is that so?" Lu Qianqiu said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Aren’t you doing all this to build your own faction and conquer the world?"
"Conquer the world? I genuinely have no such ambitions," Shen Lang replied with a shake of his head. "Imperial hegemony is nothing but dirt to me. What’s the point of declaring myself a solitary ruler? I am building a faction for the simple reason that my Cultivation is insufficient to protect the people around me. It’s that simple."
"Oh?" Lu Qianqiu clearly remained skeptical of this explanation.
From his perspective, he had already done more than enough. He had helped Shen Lang deal with the Abyss Lord, allowed him to strip the various herb gardens bare from the first to the second floor of the Dragon Scale Divine Hall, and was even going to hand over an Elemental Power Fragment and five Spirit Meridians. Taking any single one of those treasures outside would be an earth-shattering event, guaranteed to trigger tempests of blood and endless slaughter.
Cooperation was meant to be mutually beneficial. Lu Qianqiu had paid this massive price just so Shen Lang would rig the Life and Death Road on the Fifth Floor and assist him and the Abyss Lord in dealing with those Emperor Martial Realm Powerhouses. Yet here Shen Lang was, using him like a bodyguard or a servant, and even setting his sights on the countless Beast Souls of the second floor.
If these were merely ordinary Ghosts like the ones in the Hungry Ghost Dao, Lu Qianqiu might have helped him achieve his goal without a second thought. The problem was that these were Beast Souls, and Lu Qianqiu belonged to the Dragon Race. Put bluntly, dragons were also members of the Beast Race.
Furthermore, Shen Lang had actually pulled out a Magical Treasure designed to imprison Beast Souls right in front of him, fully aware that he was watching. Such a device was deeply despised by many within the Demon Race. Brandishing it in front of Lu Qianqiu felt like an unbearable provocation. Between the imprisonment tool and Shen Lang exploiting him to subdue the creatures, it had almost touched his reverse scale.
If Lu Qianqiu did not value Shen Lang so highly, admire his methods, and absolutely need his help to escape the Dragon Scale Divine Hall, he would have likely flown into a murderous rage by now. It was already a Herculean feat for him to speak so politely. He began to genuinely reconsider how to handle Shen Lang and questioned whether teaming up with him had been the right choice.
Right now, Shen Lang felt like an unholy amalgamation of a cunning fox and a ruthless, insatiably greedy wolf. Even an Elemental Power Fragment and five Spirit Meridians were not enough to satisfy his appetite. To the inherently covetous Dragon Race, this kind of existence was their natural enemy. Dragons only allowed themselves to be greedy and hoard treasures; they could not stand watching other races display such avarice in front of them.
Although Shen Lang remained silent, he took in Lu Qianqiu’s shifting expressions and grasped the dragon’s underlying frustration. After a brief pause, he suddenly asked a question that left Lu Qianqiu completely baffled.
"Back in that corridor, when the Purple-robed Person mentioned your Dragon Race, he said something specific. Do you still remember it?"
Lu Qianqiu gave a nonchalant smile. "Of course I remember. How could I forget? I remember every single word he said with crystal clarity!"
"When five dragons gather and the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron appears, the Dragon Race will naturally gain its freedom. When all Five-Colored Divine Dragons converge in Dragon Valley, and the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron appears there, that will be the moment of rebirth for your Dragon Race." Lu Qianqiu silently recited the prophecy in his mind before asking curiously, "What do his words and the affairs of the Dragon Race have to do with you? Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
Shen Lang stayed silent for a moment, then sighed. "Because by sheer coincidence, the item he mentioned happens to be on me."