This power… it was almost like the work of a Creator God—so far beyond the Azure Bull Python's comprehension that it couldn't even begin to understand it.
Resist?
With what?
Even Er Ming, renowned across the continent for his brute strength, had ended up in such a pitiful state. If he charged forward now, his own fate wouldn't be much different.
Fear—an unprecedented, bone-deep terror—clamped down on the Azure Bull Python's heart.
"Now," Lan Yu's voice remained calm, as if he had done nothing of consequence, "do you still wish to stop me?"
The sphere of light hovering at Lan Yu's fingertips flickered gently, as though it might shoot forward again at any moment.
"I…"
The Azure Bull Python's throat went dry. Not a single word would come out.
Even a mere thought from the enemy was enough to crush them.
Er Ming could lose consciousness in an instant and fall into the state of a mindless beast—forever.
Lan Yu watched its internal struggle, his tone steady and unhurried:
"I can return his life source to him. I can even give him more than what he possessed before."
"But that depends on your choice… and on the attitude of the one dwelling beneath the lake."
Lan Yu's gaze shifted once more toward the tranquil depths of the Lake of Life.
A violent shudder ran through the Azure Bull Python. At last, it understood the hidden meaning behind Lan Yu's words.
The man's goal was never the two brothers.
It was something… at the bottom of the lake?
But what could possibly be down there?
Just as the ancient python fell into turmoil—A power even more terrifying than the combined might of both it and the Titan Giant Ape suddenly erupted from the heart of the lake!
Who dares flaunt power before the Lake of Life?!
A deep, majestic voice—carrying boundless draconic might—thundered across the core of the Star Dou Forest.
Shu—!
The waters of the lake split apart.
A colossal figure rose from the depths—its body clad in obsidian dragon scales, its eyes blazing gold like twin suns.
A supreme ferocious beast—The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Ditian, cultivation at 890,000 years!
The moment Ditian appeared, his gaze locked onto Lan Yu.
Then he saw Er Ming—weak, diminished, his intelligence clearly damaged.He saw the Azure Bull Python trembling, its eyes filled with terror.
A terrifying fury ignited instantly within Ditian's golden pupils.
Even if you beat a dog, you must first consider its master.
Though these two had trained for over a hundred thousand years, in Ditian's eyes, they were still no more than ants—But they were his ants.
Lan Yu's actions showed blatant disregard.
However—The moment Ditian extended his spiritual sense toward Lan Yu's inner being, his anger was swallowed by a tidal wave of shock.
His spiritual power vanished without a trace—like a stone plunging into the ocean, sinking into bottomless void.
This young man, who appeared human on the outside…
Inside, he contained a primordial chaos infinitely deep and utterly incomprehensible.
A force even older, purer, and closer to the origin of life than Ditian himself.
"You… are not human!"
The conclusion startled even Ditian.
At last, Lan Yu withdrew his gaze from the lake and met Ditian's golden dragon eyes. A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips.
"Ditian, you've finally awakened."
The words struck Ditian like thunder.
He knows me?
Not only that—he knows everything about me.
"My name is Lan Yu," the young man said, his voice echoing across the lakeshore."Just like you… I, too, am a soul beast."
"I've come today to seek an audience with your master—the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena."
Ditian's golden pupils constricted sharply, waves of shock roaring through his heart.
Lan Yu.
He remembered that name vividly.
Twenty thousand years ago, during a rare moment of consciousness, his master had exchanged insights with a transcendent existence from across the sea—A being of unparalleled power, a supreme plant-type emperor.
A being of Blue Silver.
Ditian had never seen that entity…But he had heard the legends.
Never could he have imagined that this supreme being would one day stand before him—In human form, no less.
And even more astonishing:Lan Yu's human disguise was flawless. Its harmony and natural aura were so perfect that even with 890,000 years of cultivation—nearly half a step into godhood—Ditian had failed to detect it.
"Gu Yuena… Silver Dragon King?"
Ditian repeated the name quietly, suspicion flickering in his voice.
"My Lord… does not have such a name."
To him, she was simply the Master, the supreme Silver Dragon King, the hope of the Dragon Clan.
When had she ever adopted something so human-like?
Just as his confusion reached its peak—
A cold, ethereal female voice—tinged with an unmistakable fragility—echoed directly into the depths of both their souls.
"Ditian. Let him enter."
The voice paused, as though recognizing Lan Yu's aura, then added softly:
"He is the one I once spoke of… the Blue Silver Emperor from the distant continent."
Boom—
Ditian's mind went blank.
It really was him.
Twenty thousand years ago, that emperor already ruled a continent and conversed with the greatest masters from across the ocean.
Before Lan Yu sent his avatar to the Douluo Continent, his colossal root network—spanning half the planet's ley lines—had briefly connected him with the Silver Dragon King hidden deep within the forest.
He had even visited the Star Dou Forest again…But Ditian and the other ferocious beasts had remained entirely ignorant.
Swallowing hard, Ditian muttered to himself:
No wonder…No wonder his aura is so unfathomable.No wonder he saw through my foundation… and Er Ming's.
"Yes, my Lady!"
Ditian withdrew all hostility at once, bowing his enormous dragon head.When he lifted his gaze toward Lan Yu, those golden eyes were filled with profound respect and complex emotion.
"Honored Lord Lan Yu… please follow me."
Lan Yu nodded slightly; this outcome had been expected.
Before entering the Lake of Life, he cast a final glance toward the still-weak Titan Giant Ape and the anxious Azure Bull Python.
He flicked his fingers.
The light sphere extracted from Er Ming—now containing even more refined vitality—transformed into a beam of radiance and sank back into the ape's body.
"Hrnnn…"
The Titan Giant Ape let out a low groan as its aura surged upward.Its shrunken frame swelled, rapidly restoring to its peak hundred-thousand-year state.
More than that—Its life origin felt stronger, purer, as though tempered through rebirth.
The ape stared at Lan Yu with deep, trembling awe—fear replaced by reverence.
Lan Yu barely spared it a glance.
Even though Gu Yuena might not care for the fate of a mere hundred-thousand-year guard beast, it was still her guardian.
And as the saying went—Even when beating the dog, one must respect the owner.
Lan Yu came here seeking cooperation, not enemies.