Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

In this era, soul beasts cannot become gods—at least, theoretically, they can't ascend to godhood.

However, since it is merely a theory, unexpected situations are bound to arise in practice.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, due to its transformation by the power of the Evil God, might have the potential to become a god. The Auspicious Beast, bearing the fate of the soul beast race, also has the possibility of ascending. The Thunder Hell Prison Vine, thanks to its Thunder God's bloodline, could theoretically become a god. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King came very close to ascending to godhood. As for Di Tian, the Beast God of the Star Dou Forest, he too could attempt to become a god.

It was mentioned during Douluo Dalu IV's era: if not for the inherent inability of soul beasts to become gods, Di Tian's accumulated power would have been sufficient for him to ascend to godhood ten times over. Currently, this narrative takes place tens of thousands of years before that era, but the truth is, Di Tian's current power is not significantly weaker than it was during Douluo Dalu IV.

If Di Tian were to forcefully attempt to transcend the heavenly tribulation and ascend to godhood, he would have a 10% chance of succeeding, even on Douluo Star. And if he succeeded, with his accumulated power and bloodline, there was no doubt he would immediately become a first-tier god.

While Di Tian is not yet a demigod, if he were to go berserk and unleash all of his latent power to wield the Dragon God's Claw at full strength, even a third-tier god would not be his match, and his combat strength could rival that of a second-tier god.

When Di Tian activated his bloodline and dormant power, it would accelerate the arrival of his next heavenly tribulation and potentially draw the attention of the Divine Realm. But to prevent the Star Dou Forest from fading into history, Di Tian still chose to take this risk.

The power of his Dragon God's Claw surged dramatically, clashing directly with the Angelic Holy Sword. Though his dragon claw was bloodied by the sharpness of the sword, its immense power still sent Qian Daoliu flying backward. The strange energy from the attack struck Qian Daoliu, nearly causing him to lose control of his martial soul avatar.

Seeing Qian Daoliu forced back, Bibi Dong, who had initially wanted to hold back her power, immediately narrowed her eyes. She raised her hand and summoned the broken Rakshasa Scythe from her spiritual sea. The ominous Rakshasa power coiled around her body, instantly drawing the attention of those present.

The enormous, incomplete scythe in her hand radiated an aura of evil and foreboding. Yet, on this battlefield, no one had the luxury of worrying about such a seemingly trivial matter.

Bibi Dong had gone mad, but she was not foolish. Qian Daoliu absolutely had to die—but not here, not today, and certainly not at the hands of a soul beast. If he were to die now, she would be the next to fall.

She was not ready to die yet. Her dream of ascending to godhood and exacting vengeance upon the world remained unfulfilled. So, even though she felt utterly disgusted as if she had swallowed filth, Bibi Dong had no choice but to wield the Rakshasa God's divine weapon and pretend to shield Qian Daoliu.

Di Tian was unaware of the complex relationship between Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu. Upon seeing the Rakshasa Scythe, the wariness in his eyes increased significantly. He hesitated, retracting his Dragon God's Claw, which had been poised to launch another attack on Qian Daoliu.

Looking around at the encircling Titled Douluo and numerous Soul Douluo, at the soul beasts in disadvantageous positions, and the corpses on the ground adorned with red and black soul rings, Di Tian burned with the urge to fight to the death with the human soul masters. He even considered triggering a lightning tribulation to drag them all down with him.

At that moment, however, Di Tian suddenly received a transmission.

It was the voice of the Silver Dragon King.

["Di Tian, do not act rashly. Allow the soul masters to leave the Star Dou Forest. I suspect the gods of the Divine Realm are currently watching Douluo Continent. If your true power and identity are exposed, the gods, led by the Five Divine Kings, will surely launch a bloodbath against the soul beast race."]

["Though it pains me, we must endure for now."]

"But, my lord, are we just going to let so many soul beasts die in vain?" Di Tian asked bitterly.

["There is no 'but.' Once I recover from my injuries, everything will change. Right now, the soul beast race needs time. In no more than twenty thousand years, I will fully recover and regain power comparable to that of the Divine Kings. At that time, the soul beast race will launch a counterattack against the Divine Realm and reclaim the glory of the God-Beast Era."]

The Silver Dragon King's voice was calm, as though the fallen soul beasts—top-tier hundred-thousand-year soul beasts and countless others with the potential to reach that level—were nothing more than roadside rabbits or blades of Blue Silver Grass. They seemed unworthy of concern.

Though Di Tian was nominally the Beast God and the ruler of the Star Dou Forest, his loyalty remained with the Dragon God and, by extension, the Silver Dragon King, who was now the half-body incarnation of the Dragon God. Despite his many thoughts, Di Tian remembered the Dragon God's grace and chose loyalty for the sake of the soul beast race's millennia-long plan.

Thus, despite the heavy price that had already been paid, Di Tian suppressed his emotions under the Silver Dragon King's command. He unleashed his dragon aura, indiscriminately intimidating nearly everyone present.

"Humans, do you truly wish for mutual destruction? My cultivation has nearly reached 800,000 years. I have long suppressed my power, but if I were to stop holding back and trigger a lightning tribulation, none of you—neither the heirs of gods nor the high priests—could survive!"

"The one who attacked your Spirit Hall soul masters was a single soul beast, not the collective will of all soul beasts. This was a misunderstanding. Moreover, the culprit has already been slain by your hands. Must you truly pursue mutual destruction by forcing the soul beasts of Douluo Continent to retaliate against humanity and drag you back to the era of ten thousand years ago?"

The meaning of his words was secondary; what truly mattered was the pressure emanating from Di Tian. To Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, Di Tian was like a tightly coiled thunderstorm, exuding an overwhelming sense of danger. If he exploded, he could obliterate the entire Spirit Hall. Even the Angel God or Rakshasa God might not be able to completely suppress him.

Though Di Tian's aura was not divine, it was infinitely close. If this black dragon truly triggered the heavenly tribulation and ascended to godhood, it would be a catastrophe that no one could bear.

Staring at the corpses on the ground, Qian Daoliu forcibly suppressed his fury. Glancing at Chen Ming, who was reversing the effects of the domain to heal the soul masters, Qian Daoliu cast a cold look at Di Tian before retracting his Angelic Holy Sword.

"Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, I hope you remember today's lesson. If the soul beasts dare to disturb humanity again, don't blame the Spirit Hall for leading the soul masters and humans of Douluo Continent in exterminating you."

"Arrogant words!"

Di Tian was furious at Qian Daoliu's statement but could do nothing about it. If the three human gods intervened, even with the Silver Dragon King's aid, the soul beasts had no chance of winning.

With both sides in a deadlock, the factions gradually separated. The fierce beasts gathered together to recover under Bi Ji's healing, while the human soul masters recuperated with Chen Ming's sixth soul skill.

The tension in the air peaked but eventually began to dissipate.

In the end, Qian Daoliu and Di Tian stood in a mutual standoff until the Spirit Hall's soul masters orderly retreated.

Of course, despite the risk of provoking the soul beasts, the soul masters did not hesitate to drag away the corpses of the fallen soul beasts. The bodies of the hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were specially guarded by Bibi Dong and the elders of the Worship Hall to prevent anyone from stealing the soul bones.

After the Spirit Hall retreated from the core region to the mixed zone, Qian Daoliu's aura finally subsided slightly. He cast one last glance at Di Tian before flapping his wings to rejoin the main force of the Spirit Hall.

This era is vastly different from the Peerless Tang Sect era ten thousand years later. In the future, Shrek Academy, built near Spirit City, would fear the Star Dou Forest's beast tide and approach Di Tian with caution and persuasion.

But in this era, it is the soul beasts of the Star Dou Forest who fear the human soul masters' tide. When faced with the High Priest of the Angel God wielding a divine weapon, Di Tian must resort to negotiation.