At this moment, a dazzling golden light erupted from beneath the sea, and the waters surged as if some treasure had appeared on the ocean floor.
In a matter of moments, a golden road connecting to the beach appeared before the eyes of the world.
"Hiss—"
Gu Yuena, Di Tian, and other "beings" gasped in astonishment. They knew this Martial God was powerful, but each time he managed to bring them a new sense of awe!
The titled powerhouses lurking in the shadows also felt a chill run down their spines, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
The strength of the Martial God was beyond the imagination of the world!
The legendary Sea God and the Angel God, they did not possess the ability to turn the sea into land.
This Martial God fulfilled all the fantasies people had about gods!
Turning the sea into land, moving mountains and filling seas...
It was utterly terrifying!
If the Martial God willed it, not only could he change the situation on the Douluo Continent, but he could also alter the very geography of the continent with ease, right?
No need to say more, truly no need...
"Let's go, time to head back."
"Huh?"
The companions were somewhat puzzled, looking at the person who had spoken with confusion.
"What's the point of staying here?"
"He's the Martial God! Picking a fight with him would be suicide!"
"Martial God, Martial God—martial arts that reach the divine!"
The person shook his head and muttered.
What Zhongli wanted to do, they simply couldn't stop. Just like how the soul masters from the Illustrious Virtue were teaching in Liyue, they might resent the Illustrious Virtue Hall and even the Sun Moon Empire, but they dared not question Zhongli's actions.
For the weak to question the strong was not rational.
They had no desire to become the second or even the third Shrek Academy.
"No one's talking about fighting the Martial God, who would dare think that?"
"But these spirit beasts... Shouldn't we observe them a bit more?"
Hearing this, the person rolled his eyes and said somewhat helplessly, "With our level of cultivation, do you think we can hide from these Beast Kings?"
"Or from the Martial God himself?"
"The fact that they haven't taken action is likely because we haven't done anything out of line. If we keep watching, it's just plain rude."
"Uh..."
That made sense!
Although they were both Titled Douluos, considered the pinnacle of human power, within the ranks of Titled Douluos, they were relatively weak.
One was level 93, the other level 94.
Even the weakest Beast King could handle them like child's play.
And these were the Beast Kings who hadn't even made it onto the rankings!
The top ten Beast Kings wouldn't even need both hands to kill them...
"Such a grand display means they are guests of the Martial God, and highly valued ones at that."
"Let's go."
"Alright."
Without further ado, the two turned and left, not lingering for another moment.
Spies from other factions made the same decision!
As they said, continuing to investigate would just be rude!
They were on guard against spirit beast uprisings, which was correct.
But being wary of the Martial God's "guests"? That was a grave mistake!
Seeing this, Gu Yuena, Di Tian, and the others nodded.
These humans were quite sensible. After realizing their purpose, they didn't take action but merely observed from a distance.
"The soul master system has created a conflict between spirit beasts and humans, but it's not unsolvable."
"What we lack is communication."
"It's not a language barrier, it's arrogance."
Spirit beasts looked down on humans, and that was a fact.
In the eyes of spirit beasts, humans were a weak race.
Their lifespans were limited, their bodies frail.
But the speed at which humans grew was something spirit beasts couldn't match!
By the time spirit beast powerhouses truly realized this, it was already too late. This was why spirit beasts faced the danger of extinction.
"The Lord is right. In the past, we were indeed too arrogant."
Di Tian nodded in deep agreement.
As the Dragon God's guard, he had witnessed the prosperity of the beast race, the rise of humans to godhood, and the overthrow of beast rule.
He had also witnessed the humans of the Douluo Continent grow into beings he could no longer contend with.
The dragon race was inherently superior to humans. Wasn't it natural for them to be arrogant?
Being arrogant in the past didn't mean they were wrong. But continuing to act arrogantly when they knew it was no longer feasible, that was the real mistake!
Xiong Jun stood to the side, arms crossed, but said nothing.
In his view, the beast race should reign supreme over humans. Humans were merely food for the beasts, that was the original rule of the Douluo Continent.
But... humans had grown far too powerful now.
"Arrogance isn't wrong, but it requires sufficient strength."
Xiong Jun thought to himself, but didn't voice it out.
Everyone thought the old bear was stupid, but in reality, he wasn't stupid at all.
How could someone who became the leader of the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear clan and one of the top ten Beast Kings be just a simple-minded brute?
Sometimes, true wisdom lies in appearing foolish!
At that moment, a figure quickly appeared in the sight of the "beings."
His hands were clasped behind his back, his posture straight, his gaze forward. Although he appeared to be walking normally, each step covered hundreds of meters.
Seeing this, the "beings" pupils contracted.
"So cool, I want to learn that!"
In the blink of an eye, the figure appeared on the beach.
"Greetings, Martial God!" ×2
"Greetings Zhongli."
Zhongli nodded, responding with an unchanged expression. "Welcome, all of you, for coming from afar. Please!"
He made a gesture of invitation, asking Gu Yuena and the others to proceed to Liyue.
Originally, transferring these spirit beasts to Liyue wouldn't have required such trouble. He could have simply taken them into his inner world or used his divine power to "capture" them and bring them to Liyue.
But propriety must not be neglected!
These spirit beasts had come for the sake of their race's survival and the future of spirit beasts, volunteering for the spirit soul experiment. They possessed a spirit of selfless dedication.
How could one use "capture" on such noble beings?
Even if they were just spirit beasts, such disrespect was unacceptable!
The Martial God's personal welcome, this was giving the utmost respect to these noble beings.
Spirit beasts that had reached ten thousand years of cultivation had intelligence no different from humans.
Though they didn't fully understand the significance of such treatment, they felt a strange stirring within!
Was the spirit soul method meant to help spirit beasts? Was Zhongli reversing the order?
Not at all. Zhongli respected their character, their spirit of sacrifice for their race.
The spirit beasts exchanged glances, eventually turning their eyes to Gu Yuena and Di Tian.
"Zhongli, after you!"
Gu Yuena took a step forward, arriving at Zhongli's side. The two walked shoulder to shoulder.
Seeing this, Zhongli didn't waste words, simply nodding in agreement before heading toward Liyue.
Di Tian, Xiong Jun, and the other spirit beasts followed behind the two.
Some of the more naive spirit beasts even stomped on the golden road, feeling the solidity of the stone.
Land-dwelling creatures, when deprived of solid ground, often felt a sense of emptiness.
This road brought them a sense of security.
The weight of the stone was truly comforting!
As for the curious behavior of the spirit beasts, Zhongli simply smiled faintly, offering no comment.
"Gu Yuena, you've come at the perfect time. I've completed the construction of the spirit soul realm."
"When a soul master dies, the spirit souls can return to the spirit soul realm through the contract formation, thus preserving themselves."