Douluo Dalu.
Star Dou Great Forest.
This was a vast forest, its trees so dense that sunlight couldn't penetrate, leaving the entire forest dim and gloomy.
In the central region of the forest lay an immense lake, so clear one could see its bottom. Even from afar, a colossal amount of life force could be felt emanating from it.
Due to this extremely potent life force, it was named the Lake of Life.
By the lake's shore stood a person.
He wore a long black robe. Though his face wasn't exceptionally handsome, it possessed a resolute and valiant quality. His long black hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his aura was extraordinary.
At first glance, one might mistake this person for a human, but he was in fact the Beast God – Di Tian. His true form was the Golden-eyed Black Dragon King, and his cultivation base was 700,000 years.
Di Tian remained motionless, his head bowed as he gazed at the Lake of Life. His golden eyes revealed a clear sense of melancholy, and he pondered for a long time, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. His golden eyes narrowed as if trying to pierce through all things.
At that moment, there was nothing unusual in the sky, but a moment later, a streak of crimson light appeared, flying at an incredibly high speed, hurtling towards the Lake of Life.
In an instant, that streak of crimson light landed by the lake's shore, not far from Di Tian's position.
Although the entire event unfolded in less than a blink of an eye, it caused no small stir.
Immediately, several figures appeared beside Di Tian.
Among them, leading the way was a beautiful woman. She wore a dignified long green dress, and her gentle face exuded purity.
She approached Di Tian and softly asked, "Tian-ge, what was that?"
Di Tian turned his head, looked at the woman, and calmly said, "I don't know."
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Before Di Tian could say anything more, a burly man with a broad back and wide shoulders among the group spoke up, "Hmph, why overthink it? If it caused such a significant stir, it's certainly no ordinary object. Who knows, it might even help us soul beasts reclaim the God Realm."
Di Tian glanced at the burly man and slowly said, "Perhaps, but it's best to consult with the Lord first before deciding how to handle it. Caution is always better."
Upon hearing Di Tian mention the two words 'Lord', the others, including the woman in the green dress and the tall burly man, immediately adopted solemn expressions. No one dared to show the slightest delay.
Just then, a mysterious voice rang out, its hoarse tone making it impossible to distinguish whether it belonged to a man or a woman: "Di Tian is not wrong. I also don't know what that object is, but it gives me no small amount of pressure. Observe it carefully. If anything unexpected happens, I will act."
"Yes, Lord!"
Di Tian and the others immediately bowed towards the Lake of Life in salute.
Having received the command, Di Tian quickly gave his orders.
He turned to the burly man and said, "Xiong Jun, your defense is the strongest. Come with me to the front."
The burly man called Xiong Jun immediately agreed, "Understood!"
Next, Di Tian turned to a man and a woman and said, "Chi Wang, Zi Ji, you two follow behind Xiong Jun and me."
The man called Chi Wang and the woman called Zi Ji did not reply, but simply nodded silently, indicating their agreement.
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Finally, Ditian turned his head towards the woman in the green dress and said, "Biji, you go to the very back. We don't know if that thing will harm us, so you must observe its movements carefully. If anything unusual happens, immediately heal us."
"Understood!"
After giving his instructions, the group formed a formation according to the positions Ditian had designated and cautiously advanced towards the spot where the blood-red light had fallen. A solemn expression appeared on everyone's face.
However, before Ditian and his group could get close, an anomaly appeared at the spot where the blood-red light had fallen.
Seeing this, Biji, who was at the back, immediately activated her soul power, ready to heal at any moment.
At the position closest to where the blood-red light had fallen, Ditian and Xiong Jun transformed into their true forms.
A Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, over thirty *zhang* long, and a Darkgolden Dreadclaw Bear King, over thirty *zhang* tall, appeared, shielding the group behind them.
And in front, at the spot where the blood-red light had fallen, a sapling appeared, its color a deep, blood-red. In an instant, a hundred *zhang* radius around it was filled with the faint scent of blood. If one didn't notice the sapling's color and the surrounding blood scent, anyone would think it was just an ordinary sapling.
The moment the sapling appeared, at the Lake of Life, a vast amount of life force, as if manipulated by something, rapidly surged towards the sapling and burrowed into its interior.
After devouring a vast amount of life force, the sapling began to grow. In the blink of an eye, it grew to a *chi* tall. Within a hundred *zhang* radius, the smell of blood grew increasingly pungent, and a layer of red mist could vaguely be seen surrounding it.
Ditian and his group were all standing within the range of the blood mist, naturally smelling the pungent blood. Everyone's expression turned grim.
At this moment, Ditian immediately turned his massive dragon head backward and roared: "Retreat!"
Immediately, Ditian and Xiong Jun quickly transformed back into their human forms and retreated with Ziji and the others.
After retreating from the range of the blood mist, Ditian and his group's faces were all ashen, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They quickly sat down to heal their injuries.
Because if they had been even a little slower just now, they might have died.
After a while, having recovered partially, Ditian was the first to regain consciousness.
He looked towards the sapling that was now a *chi* tall, and recalling what had just happened, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Because the very moment that sapling began to grow, Ditian felt a vast amount of his own life force being sucked towards it, as if someone was draining it from him. The pain was indescribable.
Because of this, the moment the thought crossed his mind, he immediately ordered a retreat.
Thinking back now, Ditian felt he had made the right decision.
After pondering for a while, Ditian finally noticed the hundred *zhang* radius around the sapling.
Within the range of the blood mist, the ground was no longer a lush green carpet of grass, but barren earth and rocks. Occasionally, patches of withered grass could be seen slowly disappearing, as if ceasing to exist.
Seeing such a sight, Ditian once again felt how wise he had been.
A day later, Biji, Xiong Jun, and the others also woke up, but their faces still showed signs of fatigue, clearly not having fully recovered.
At that moment, Bích Cơ spoke first: “What is that tree? I’ve never seen it before, and why can it drain our life force?”
“I don't know, but I don't think we should interfere with this. We should let the Lord handle it, otherwise, we'll all die.” Đế Thiên replied coldly.