The woman beside him—his wife, A'Yin—knitted her brows tightly, filled with unease.
Of course, she wasn't worried about the soul beast race, nor about Di Tian.
She was worried about the restless feeling in her heart.
"Brother Hao, my heart is pounding fiercely. I feel an unease that stems from my very bloodline. I fear something unexpected might happen."
"Relax, Xiao San is still here."
Tang Hao reassured her, "He just sent word that Wulin's Golden Dragon King bloodline erupted again. The Golden Dragon King is a part of the Dragon God. It's normal for you, as his grandmother, to feel a bloodline-induced sense of unease."
"Is that so..."
However, at this moment, neither gods nor mortals had realized the true source of danger.
One of the most important relics left behind after the Dragon God's fall—the Dragon God Core—was currently inside Di Tian, being refined by waves of dragon flames and divine-level seven-colored lotus fire.
The scorching heat, capable of melting any metal in existence, caused the Dragon God Core to radiate and unleash wisps of god-king-level power.
At any moment, it could aid Di Tian in forcefully ascending to face the Cosmic Divine Tribulation.
At this moment, the countdown of two days had reached its end.
Di Tian, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his golden dragon eyes. A fleeting trace of madness flashed within them—an intent so destructive that it could obliterate the entire plane.
It was the resolve to perish together with his enemies.
Tang San had been weighing risks and rewards, and Di Tian was no different. He, too, was engaging in a zero-sum gamble, as precarious as walking a tightrope.
The Dragon God's place of origin, the Mountain Dragon King's body, had become the land itself. This was the birthplace of the dragon race—how could he not be attached to it?
If not for being left with no other choice, who would willingly destroy their homeland? Who would willingly wander as a foreigner in an alien land?
"Drip... drip..."
In the sky, the pitch-black darkness gathered into dense, ominous clouds, and rain began to fall.
Di Tian's expression eased slightly as he extended his dragon claw, catching drop after drop of rainwater.
"Since you choose to continue gambling on the future, how could I not play along?"
His subtle movements were instantly noticed by the human powerhouses who had already arrived.
Among the eight great legions of the Sun-Moon Federation, seven had already taken their positions. Dozens of fully armed soul engineer regiments were stationed according to military strategy and tactical plans.
Powerhouses from the Sun-Moon, Star Luo, and Dou Spirit continents had all gathered in the skies, numbering nearly a thousand—each one a powerful Titled Douluo.
More Titled Douluos continued to arrive. A thousand was no exaggeration.
Even a few hidden Limit Douluos had emerged, such as Yuanen Zhentian, patriarch of the reclusive Yuanen Clan.
As the Federation's newly appointed ultimate weapon and one who had already steeled himself for death, Chen Xinjie took on the responsibility of commanding the entire human coalition.
Standing at the forefront of the masses, he shouted sternly, "You instigated a war between our races—what exactly is your goal?"
Di Tian's momentary ease faded. His laughter, filled with mockery, traveled across the vast space between them, landing clearly in the ears of every human warrior.
"Heh... heh..."
"You claim that I started this war between our races? Do you even have the shame to say that?"
"Since the birth of life on this continent, soul beasts have always resided in forests, mountains, the Extreme North, and the endless seas."
"Humans, on the other hand, have always settled in plains and grasslands."
"But in pursuit of cultivation, in pursuit of resources, how many times have you invaded and seized my people's habitats?"
"To obtain spirit bones and higher-quality soul rings, you have waged endless massacres against soul beasts."
"In an attempt to put an end to this slaughter, I once entertained the naive and extravagant hope of peace between us."
"Ten thousand years ago, I co-founded the Spirit Pagoda alongside Huo Yuhao, and I personally led countless soul beasts to form soul-spirit contracts with human soul masters."
"But tell me! How did you humans repay us?!"
"After obtaining soul spirits and growing stronger, you continued to massacre soul beasts in even greater numbers to develop artificial soul spirit technology!"
"Ten thousand years ago, the Star Dou Forest and other soul beast habitats were still lush and abundant. But today, what has become of them?!"
"Now tell me—who, exactly, started this war between our races?!"
Faced with Di Tian's biting accusations, his enemies found themselves unable to refute a single word.
At this moment, only silence remained.
Only silence.
Di Tian did not respond with silence in kind, nor did he continue dredging up past grievances.
"You want to know my demands? Fine. I'll tell you now."
"First, the continent must provide my soul beast race with sufficient living space."
"This living space includes, but is not limited to, the original range of the Star Dou Forest. Humans must help the soul beast race rebuild the Star Dou Forest, the Extreme North, the Evil Soul Forest, the Jingyang Mountains, and the coastal wetlands recorded in history—all at their peak historical scale."
"Furthermore, the Evil Soul Forest and Jingyang Mountains, which no longer exist, must have their equivalent areas added to the Star Dou Forest Park, which must be directly connected to the Extreme North and the Northern Ice Sea."
"Once established, the Star Dou Forest will become a forbidden zone for humans. No human shall enter without explicit permission."
"Second, the Sun-Moon Federation must coordinate with the Star Luo Empire and Dou Spirit Empire to establish soul beast sanctuaries of no less than the Star Dou Forest's scale. The same conditions as the first rule apply."
"Third, all human soul tool technology must be fully and immediately shared with the soul beast race."
"There. I have spoken. Who agrees? Who opposes?"
At this moment, Di Tian had already taken on a human form. Hands clasped behind his back, he coldly surveyed nearly all of humanity's top powerhouses.
Securing an adequate living space for the soul beast race was his core objective.
And with the cooperation of human forces, the time needed to accomplish this would be drastically reduced.
Of course, at this moment, Di Tian fully expected to be met with outright rejection.
"This is impossible!" Chen Xinjie immediately declared without hesitation.
As the apex of the food chain and the dominant species of the ecological system, humans could never accept such an outrageously unequal treaty.
If they truly followed Di Tian's demands and returned all of the soul beasts' former territories, it would result in the displacement of billions of people. The casualties from starvation and forced migration alone would number in the billions.
Not to mention the financial and infrastructural losses—ordinary citizens would never accept such a proposal.
In an era where civilian soul tool technology had already pushed the limits of the land's carrying capacity, ceding territory would be nothing short of suicide.
"I'm not here to negotiate," Di Tian stated coldly. "There is nothing to negotiate. You must comply."
As he spoke, he extended his right hand and clenched it into a tight fist.
(End of Chapter)