"Di Tian, the Sacred Beast has appeared—" A terrifying giant bear with dark golden fur charged towards the lakeside and transformed into a muscular man wearing dark golden armor.
A loud and angry roar resounded, like thunder suddenly striking the ground. The Bear King immediately froze, and his voice weakened by three points. The muscular man awkwardly laughed, "Oh, so the Tiger Queen is also here."
"We already know the Sacred Beast has appeared," Di Tian spoke slowly. His mood was quite good at this moment, and he didn't mind the Bear King's intrusion. If one looked closely, there was even a hint of a smile in his brilliant golden eyes.
"The appearance of the Sacred Beast in our Star Dou Forest is truly a blessing from the heavens." At this moment, other powerful soul beasts, such as the Emerald Swan Princess Bi Ji and the Demon-Eyed Magic Tree Wan Yao Wang, appeared around the beautiful lake in the heart of the Star Dou Forest.
"Although the Sacred Beast has appeared in Star Dou, it is still in its embryonic stage. Before it is officially born, no ferocious beasts may disturb it too much." After the ferocious beasts had gathered near the Lake of Life, Di Tian spoke seriously. He glanced at the Tiger Queen and paused for a moment, "Red King, Fox King, you two will guard three kilometers away from the Sacred Beast. If any humans approach, kill them without hesitation. If you encounter an opponent you cannot defeat, request reinforcements immediately."
"Yes." The three-headed giant dogs and a slender nine-tailed silver fox responded in low voices before transforming into streams of light and flying towards the southeast direction of the Star Dou Forest.
"We will wait for the Sacred Beast to be born. When that happens, with the Sacred Beast as a protector, the strength of the Star Dou Forest will definitely reach new heights," Emperor Tian said.
The ferocious beasts present all responded in agreement and left, leaving the Lake of Life in peace.
The Tiger Queen did not leave. She lay by the lakeside, lazily swatting the water with her tail.
A woman in a green dress approached her side.
The Emerald Swan Princess Bi Ji was already quite tall for a humanoid form, but when she stood next to the Tiger Queen, she appeared as delicate as a porcelain doll.
She reached out to stroke the giant tiger's chin, and the large cat's chest rumbled with a thunderous purr.
"Dark Cloud…" Bijie spoke, her voice filled with sincere sadness, "The Sacred Beast can increase the chances of ferocious beasts passing through the heavenly tribulation. It is almost born. Can you… give up your plan? I can replenish your lost vitality. I—"
"Bi Ji." The Tiger Queen An Yun interrupted her words with an incomparably calm voice. "When have you seen me regret anything?"
"With the Sacred Beast, perhaps you won't have to die!" Bi Ji cried out desperately, tears streaming from her beautiful emerald eyes. "When you made that decision, there was no Sacred Beast. You thought you wouldn't survive the 700,000-year heavenly tribulation! But now the Sacred Beast has appeared, and if you don't stop now, there will really be no chance!"
The Tiger Queen remained unmoved, only licking Bijie's hair with her tongue.
"Di Tian! DI Tian, persuade her!" Bi Ji tugged at the Tiger Queen's fur and turned to Di Tian, pleading.
"I understand the Tiger Queen. She will not turn back," the Beast God said lightly, as if the creature in front of him was not his longtime friend facing death. "So I will not waste my effort. I respect her decision."
"Alright, good girl." The giant tiger stood up, stretched lazily, and yawned, exposing a set of sharp teeth and a tongue covered with barbs. "Don't sigh for me. We still have ten thousand years."
The Emerald Swan let out a loud sob.
Outside of Star Dou, top-level soul beasts from other regions also sensed the change and looked towards the Star Dou Forest.
At the deepest part of the Magic Whale Sea, the largest Magic Whale, suddenly stopped swimming. After a moment, it emitted a strange humming sound.
"The land-dwelling creatures are really lucky," the massive Deep Sea Magic Whale King muttered in its unique whale language. "The Sacred Beast is about to be born."
"What is the Sacred Beast?" A much smaller young whale, confused, asked. Its voice was much clearer and sweeter than the Magic Whale King, like a seabird beneath the ocean.
"It's a very useful cultivation accelerator," the Magic Whale King lowered its head, picking up the calf and placing it on its head. "When Daddy reaches a million years of cultivation, I'll go to land and catch it for you to play with~"
"Yay!" The silly young whale happily blew a series of bubbles on its father's head.
"Don't promise the kid so easily," the much smaller female whale whipped the Magic Whale King with her tail. "You, fool, when you go to the land, how will you fight the soul beasts guarding the Sacred Beast?"
"Oh no, dear, don't say that!" The Magic Whale King was not hurt but screamed theatrically. "Why do you always raise someone else's spirit and destroy your own? Don't you want the Sacred Beast to accelerate our cultivation? Besides, how am I not as good as that black dragon? Even if I can't win, I can at least take him down with me!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" The female whale was angry again and slapped the Magic Whale King with her tail. "What I want most is for our family to be safe. Ever since that human became a god, I've felt uneasy. You need to be more honest!"
"Humans who become gods can't come back. The Sea God has already left," the Magic Whale King said indifferently.
"But the sharks raised by the Sea God are still around Sea God Island, and the Sea God's priests are still there. I feel uneasy," the female whale said with concern.
"You need to have some confidence in me."
"Dad! Fly!" The small whale, perched on its father's head, didn't understand its parents' worries. When it saw its father not moving, it began to urge.
"Ah!" The ferocious Deep Sea Magic Whale King now looked full of love in his eyes. He tilted his massive head and tossed his young whale toward the ocean's surface.
The female whale watched as the father and child frolicked ahead, listening to the happy and clear chirps of the calf. She couldn't help but feel a trace of deep worry.
The family of three floated towards the bright surface of the sea.
In the extreme north, the Snow Empress, who had been speaking quietly with the Ice Bear King, suddenly stopped.
"Snow Empress?" The great white bear looked at her, confused.
"The Emperor Sacred Beast… has been born," the Snow Empress sighed softly. She gazed southward, her vision seemingly penetrating the vast snowfields. "That direction… should be the Star Dou Forest… Alas, it's a pity. The Sacred Beast was not born in our extreme north. If it had been, we would have had more confidence in breaking through the great tribulation"
"You are very powerful, you will definitely break through the great tribulation smoothly," the Ice Bear King said, nudging the Snow Empress's hand with its wet nose.
It didn't feel the Sacred Beast's presence and, being young, didn't understand its significance to the soul beasts. It only noticed the sadness in the Snow Empress's words and instinctively tried to comfort her.
"Mm." The Snow Empress's beautiful face showed a genuine smile, and she patted the big bear's head.
Farther away in the Evil Forest, the largest and most terrifying of the evil-eyed creatures woke from its nap.
"I felt the fluctuation of fate," the deep, ancient voice rumbled. "A lucky omen is coming."
"Huh?" Its most beloved offspring, a much smaller evil eye, confusedly raised its tentacle and scratched its big eye.
"Too far away. It has nothing to do with us," the Evil Emperor said impatiently to its offspring. "Hurry up and cultivate. Your older siblings have already reached ten thousand years of cultivation at your age. You're always wandering in the forest, never learning to work hard!"
The little evil eye muttered phrases like "Work and rest in moderation" and "Rest well before cultivating," before reluctantly returning to its training.
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm.
In a tower in the Forbidden Land, five-colored runes covered the structure, intertwining in intricate patterns to form a superbly complex formation.
This formation was created by the five great Divine Kings of the Divine Realm, and its sole purpose was to seal.
A pure golden double-headed spear was embedded in the center of the blood-red altar, like a golden heart, trapped in the array.
At this moment, this spear, which had been sealed by the five Divine Kings and was theoretically impossible to break free from, suddenly trembled slightly.
(End of Chapter 4)