Wang Feng wandered through the Great Star Dou Forest once again.
He activated his lotus ability to attune himself with nature.
Day after day passed without satisfactory results.
One morning,
Wang Feng efficiently packed up his tent. His recent frequent camping had made him adept at quickly setting up and dismantling it.
"Another morning, another disappointment," he muttered.
"Twenty days already..." he sighed heavily. "Still no spirit beast that truly meets my requirements."
He wiped his brow, brushing off the morning dew clinging to his forehead.
His search was far from over.
The forest air carried the scent of damp moss and something metallic - perhaps a nearby spirit beast's territory marker. His fingers brushed against the lotus pendant at his neck, its surface warm from his body heat. "At this rate, I'll be an old man before I find the right spirit ring."
He resumed walking through the mixed zone. It wasn't that he didn't want to venture deeper—his current strength simply wasn't enough for that yet.
The spirit beasts he had encountered over these 20 days either had the attributes he desired but were too young or were sufficiently aged but had unremarkable traits.
Wang Feng sighed again, his gaze drifting deeper into the forest. "Should I stay longer? Or risk entering the core area despite the danger?"
Suddenly—
Ssshhkk!
The sound of tearing air.
From the empty space in front of Wang Feng, a pair of glowing yellow eyes with slit pupils appeared out of nowhere, followed by the massive body of a serpent—its scales a dark blue-black with translucent, smoke-like roots writhing around it.
Wang Feng was startled, but before he could retreat, the serpent coiled around him and dragged him toward a spatial rift that had abruptly opened.
He struggled to break free but couldn't. As the rift drew closer, he forced himself to calm down.
With his mind steady, he tried several methods to escape.
Then he remembered—his Shenlong Emperor Martial Soul had an innate suppression effect on all spirit beasts with draconic lineage.
In this critical moment, he immediately summoned it.
Behind him, the phantom of the Shenlong Emperor materialized before merging with his body.
An overwhelming draconic aura erupted from Wang Feng.
Every spirit beast within a hundred-meter radius under ten thousand years of age instantly knelt. Even those tens of thousands of years old froze in place.
The serpent, sensing this aura, stiffened immediately.
Seizing the opportunity, Wang Feng channeled all his strength, amplifying the Shenlong Emperor's pressure to weaken the serpent's grip. His body blazed with golden energy, forcing the coils to loosen.
"Hmph!"
With a swift motion, he shattered the remaining binds and leaped back, maintaining a defensive stance while keeping the draconic aura active.
The serpent seemed confused, even fearful. Its once-ferocious eyes now flickered with hesitation—unsure whether to attack or flee.
Now free, Wang Feng finally got a clear look at the creature.
Its body glistened like polished obsidian, its scales a deep black with hints of indigo, reminiscent of a starless night sky. Though smooth, they faintly reflected light.
The serpent's pale yellow eyes, shaped like crescent moons, bore vertical pupils sharper than any cat's—hypnotic and piercing.
Each gaze felt like it could pierce through one's soul, sending an eerie chill down the spine.
Wang Feng studied the legendary beast warily, the Shenlong Emperor's aura still radiating from him.
"A Voidroot Serpent?" he thought, shocked. "A spatial-type spirit beast that freely traverses dimensions?"
"But why did it attack me so suddenly?"
The answer came instantly.
The serpent's slit eyes narrowed, its forked tongue flicking out as if tasting the air. Wang Feng suddenly understood—it saw him as prey.
"So I'm just food to it..." His lips twitched in a mix of amusement and defiance.
Assessing its appearance, Wang Feng estimated its age.
A juvenile Voidroot Serpent measured only a few meters, while an adult at ten thousand years reached ten meters—growing another ten meters for every additional ten thousand years.
This one was roughly thirty meters long.
"Thirty thousand years old."
Instantly, Wang Feng wanted to make it his spirit ring. Spatial-attribute beasts were exceptionally rare, and he was eager to see what abilities it might grant.
But desire alone wasn't enough.
Without Elder Xuan's help, he had no way to subdue it.
His Divine Dragon's Annihilation skill, while fast, couldn't match the serpent's spatial teleportation. It could simply vanish before the attack landed.
Unless someone lured it into a vulnerable position, buying time for him to strike—
But where would he find such help in this forest?
....
Core Region, Life Lake.
In a darkened space, a figure knelt on one knee, bowing deeply to a presence shrouded in shadows. A faint silver glow pulsed in the depths.
"Di Tian pays respects to Your Majesty."
The man—tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp golden eyes and a streak of gold in his black hair—spoke with reverence.
Before him, the air shimmered like a heat mirage before resolving into a feminine silhouette wreathed in silver mist. The figure stood tall, her presence making the very atoms of the air vibrate with restrained power.
"Di Tian, do you bring urgent news?"
A woman's voice, clear yet indifferent, carried an undertone of majesty.
"Your Majesty, I've sensed that powerful draconic aura again—the same one from five years ago."
"I know. I felt it too," the voice replied. "Its bloodline... it resembles the ancient Dragon God's."
Di Tian's expression tightened. "But how? The Dragon God's lineage was split in two—one with you, the other held by the gods. If this aura mirrors the Dragon God's, could it mean...?"
"No," the voice cut in. "This isn't the Golden Dragon King's aura."
A pause. Then, softly:
"Bring this person to me."
Di Tian hesitated. "Your Majesty, what if this is a trap? Those wretched gods wouldn't hesitate to bait you."
"Then let them try," the voice answered, icy calm. "This time, I'll be the one setting the trap."
Di Tian bowed deeper. "As you command."
As he turned to leave, the voice added:
"Oh, and Di Tian... Do not harm them."
The unspoken threat lingered.
"Understood."
Alone again, a whisper faded into the dark:
"A person with the Dragon God's aura... I pray this isn't the gods' ploy."