Chapter 22: A Failed Scheme That Ends Up Costing More Than Expected

“The power of a deity?”

The fierce beasts trembled inwardly upon hearing this, their faces instantly shifting in shock. They had contemplated many reasons why Di Tian feared that little human girl, but none had ever considered it might be divine power—it was simply too incredible.

Biji pondered for a moment, then looked toward Di Tian with curiosity. “That girl comes from the Martial Soul Hall, and her surname is Qian. Could she be the angelic deity of the Qian family?”

Since Qian Yunyu assisted Qian Renxue in hunting down the Bright Phoenix, Di Tian and the others had taken notice of this extraordinarily powerful girl. Thus, Biji had some understanding of her identity.

The fierce beasts were no strangers to the angelic deity; after all, they had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years and had witnessed the angelic deity’s ascension to godhood during those long epochs.

“No, not the angelic deity!” Di Tian shook his head, his voice heavy with gravity. “It is a divine aura entirely distinct from the angelic deity—ancient, majestic, and profound, like an age-old bedrock!”

“Another deity!” The beasts exclaimed in alarm; they knew all too well what the arrival of an unfamiliar god signified.

The Martial Soul Hall already had one angelic deity; with the divine blessings bestowed, the continent’s evil soul masters had been nearly eradicated by the angelic clan. The Martial Soul Hall’s foundation was so formidable that even these fierce beasts dared not probe its depths.

This demonstrated just how profound the legacy of a deity’s blessing could be.

Now, with this young lady of the Qian family backed by a mysterious deity even stronger than the angelic deity, the Martial Soul Hall effectively had two gods standing behind it. From the Martial Soul Hall’s standpoint, they could no longer guarantee that conflicts with the Starry Forest would not arise.

Yet, should such a clash occur, the deterrence of two deities—even if their lord were to awaken—would be formidable. Moreover, who knew how long it would take before their lord’s resurrection?

The only consolation for Di Tian now was that deities could not easily descend to the mortal realm. They still had time to strategize, although they needed to find a way to accelerate their lord’s awakening.

Two days later, Qian Yunyu opened her eyes and ceased her cultivation, rising from the water. She reckoned that if she did not stop, the mysterious presence beneath the lake would grow restless. Having cultivated for two days, she had gained considerable benefit and decided to withdraw before provoking the enigmatic being below.

“Jiuyou, it’s time we went to meet up with my sisters.”

Upon hearing this, Jiuyou—the massive Azure Luan—emerged from the lake. As a bird-type soul beast, his dark blue feathers remained completely dry despite rising from the water.

Qian Yunyu flew onto Jiuyou’s back, and together they contentedly departed from the Lake of Life.

Their gains this time were abundant: Jiuyou’s cultivation advanced by about fifty thousand years, and Qian Yunyu’s soul power increased as well. Yet her greatest gain was the transformation of the system’s essence within her body, which had grown significantly stronger.

As Qian Yunyu left the Lake of Life, Zhong Li glanced through space at Di Tian once more. Seeing Di Tian’s dark, sullen expression, he shook his head.

Zhong Li surmised that the soul beasts led by the black-clothed, golden-eyed man had discovered Yu’er’s uniqueness and sought to lure her into the Lake of Life, intending for the Silver Dragon King beneath the lake to devour her. Yet, they had not expected a deity to protect her, and with Zhong Li’s own deterrence present, neither they nor the lake’s entity dared to act. Instead, Yu’er absorbed much of the lake’s life energy—a classic case of a plan backfiring.

Zhong Li then withdrew his gaze and vanished from the system space as his consciousness returned to his true body. Wendi, noticing Zhong Li’s awakening, was astonished to see the extensive wear he had suffered suddenly vanish.

“Tsk tsk, you left your body for a while and yet so much wear disappeared. Tell me, what benefits did you gain over there?” Wendi circled Zhong Li, her verdant eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Zhong Li calmly sipped his tea and smiled. “No benefits for me. It was Yu’er who gained an opportunity that transformed her power, strengthening her purification ability.”

Wendi returned to her seat, grinning. “Only you, old master, could find a way to evolve wear just by taking on a disciple. Your little apprentice is a real treasure!”

Zhong Li nodded seriously, his voice gentle. “Yu’er truly is exceptional.”

...

Di Tian and the others returned to the Lake of Life and saw the life energy growing diluted. Their expressions darkened.

“Damn it! More than half the life energy is gone—the little brat and that blue-feathered bird sure have big appetites!” the hot-tempered Bear Lord roared, then glared fiercely at Di Tian. “Di Tian, this is all your rotten idea’s fault! Now that brat’s life essence is still intact, but she’s drained most of the lake’s life energy. What a bloody loss!”

Zhong Li’s guess had been absolutely correct. When Di Tian witnessed Qian Yunyu releasing the Moon Angel Martial Soul, he sensed a potent life essence contained within her soul weapon.

Di Tian’s original plan had been to lure Qian Yunyu into the Lake of Life so that the Silver Dragon King beneath might devour her life essence to hasten its resurrection. He had never expected a deity to guard her, and with no other choice, he had to let her absorb the lake’s life energy, resulting in their current predicament.

Biji frowned at the Bear Lord’s disrespectful outburst. She stood with Di Tian and naturally did not want to see his authority challenged. She admonished, “Bear Lord, Di Tian acted for the sake of our lord. Besides, when we executed this plan earlier, you were the most enthusiastic. Why did you not say it was unfeasible then?”

“Biji, you...” The Bear Lord was about to retort, but Di Tian’s voice, calm yet resolute, cut him off: “Silence! Do you think I am not pained by losing over half the life energy? But that girl from the Martial Soul Hall is protected by a deity—it was something none of us anticipated. This was my misjudgment. Rest assured, I will find a way to make up for the lost life energy.”

At Di Tian’s words, the Bear Lord fell silent, grumbling inwardly, “Make up for it? We’ll see about that. Apart from that brat’s life essence, what else on the continent can rival our lord’s life power? Should we try to steal from the divine realm?”

Di Tian would never dare to venture into the divine realm—he could not even get there, and if he could, he would likely perish without a trace. Instead, he intended to use his two hundred thousand years of cultivation to compensate.

Biji knew Di Tian well and clearly guessed his plan. After the others dispersed, she looked at Di Tian solemnly. “Di Tian, you cannot do that!”

“The loss of cultivation represents a decline in strength, but under the current circumstances, you absolutely cannot afford to weaken. Among the three top human champions, although the Sea God Island’s figure will not intervene in the continent’s affairs, and the one from the Haotian Sect has long since withdrawn, do not forget the one from the Martial Soul Hall remains active. At present, only you can rival her, so your strength must not falter.”