145: Chapter 145: The Answers to Four Questions

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barriers of space to look toward an unknown distance, his voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia:

"My acquaintance with the Snow Empress began six years ago. At that time, I was still very weak. Due to some special reasons, I needed to venture deep into the Far North to obtain a spirit ring. As for the Snow Empress, due to some reasons of her own, after a moment of thought, she followed me out of the core of the Far North. And just like that, we met."

"In the beginning, we certainly couldn't be called friends; it could even be said that we were wary of and probing each other. She was the high and mighty ruler of the Far North, looking at me, a human boy, like an ant."

"But later, some things happened."

Lu Jing slowed his speech, seemingly deliberating on what could be said and what could not: "We were forced to face some powerful enemies together and shared some life-and-death crises. During those processes, I displayed some things... which perhaps made her feel that I was not an ordinary Spirit Master, such as my inheritance. And she, too, protected me at critical moments."

"Later on, because of some more complex reasons and common interests, we began to travel together. This traveling together has lasted for six years."

Lu Jing's voice was steady, as if he were telling someone else's story, but the sense of familiarity and trust accumulated over the years they had spent together could not be faked.

"Six years is neither long nor short. But for two beings who have lived together day and night, faced storms together, and shared secrets, six years is enough to change many things."

He raised his head and looked at the Silver Dragon King again, his eyes clear and open: "Even if it started as an ice cube, as solid ice, after the passage of six years, after experiencing life and death together, and under the warmth of treating each other with sincerity, it should have melted a little, right? At the very least, the trust and bond we have built are real. She is willing to step forward when I face danger, and I am willing to give my all when she undergoes her tribulation, even if awakening the remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon King would expose my own secrets. Isn't this enough to call us friends?"

Lu Jing's account had no flowery language, no deliberate sentimentality; it was merely a plain narration of an acquaintance and mutual understanding that transcended species.

But it was precisely this plainness that made it feel even more real.

The Silver Dragon King listened quietly, the coldness and doubt in her purple eyes gradually replaced by a complex contemplation.

She thought of the relationship between herself and Di Tian.

That was also a deep friendship and trust, built over long years of struggling to survive together and fighting for the future of the Soul Beast Clan, that transcended a simple superior-subordinate relationship.

She seemed... to be able to understand a little.

If what this youth said was true, six years of living together day and night, shared life-and-death experiences, special identities and circumstances... perhaps, it could really carve a crack in the Snow Empress's frozen heart.

After a moment of silence, the Silver Dragon King did not dwell on the definition of 'friend' anymore, but just nodded slightly, signaling Lu Jing to continue.

It was considered an acknowledgment of this possibility.

"The second question!"

Lu Jing raised his second finger and replied: "About your identity—the Silver Dragon King. How I found out."

He answered this question even more simply and directly, even with a hint of rascal-like frankness: "Well... actually, telling you is useless. Because even if I said that it was the God of Destruction who, during the inheritance, told me the ancient grievances between the Divine Realm and the Soul Beast Clan, including the Dragon God War, the Silver Dragon King escaping to the Douluo Continent, and other secrets, you wouldn't be able to go to the Divine Realm to verify it with the God of Destruction, right?"

He spread his hands with a 'believe it or not' expression: "Or, you could also think that I learned it by chance in some extremely ancient ruins or lost documents. In short, I know your identity, I know you share the same origin as the Golden Dragon King, that you are half of the divided Dragon God, and that you are the current co-ruler and hope of the Soul Beast Clan. As for exactly how I know... that's not important. What's important is that I know, and for now, this doesn't seem to pose any threat to you; on the contrary, it saves you the trouble of introducing yourself, doesn't it?"

The Silver Dragon King's purple eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Lu Jing for a few seconds, seemingly trying to find some trace of a lie on his face.

But Lu Jing's expression was too calm, calm to the point of being almost shameless.

She indeed could not verify whether the God of Destruction had really told him, and as for the talk of ancient ruins, there was no way to investigate it.

In the end, she just gave a light snort, which counted as accepting this explanation.

Indeed, knowing her identity in the current situation did not seem to be a bad thing; at the very least, it saved a lot of explanation.

"The third question!"

Lu Jing continued, raising his third finger: "About awakening the remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon King."

Speaking of this, his expression became a bit more serious: "This was not something I did intentionally; it was more of a forced action due to chance. At that time, when the Snow Empress's heavenly tribulation descended, the will of destruction contained in the final heavenly punishment had already exceeded the limit of what she could endure. And I, as it happened, possessed the original inheritance of the God of Destruction, and my Spirit, the World-Destroying Black Lotus, also contained the ultimate laws of destruction and ending."

"In the urgency, I thought that this place was formed by the fall of the Ice and Fire Dragon King, and its remnant souls' obsessions and original powers existed here for a long time. Perhaps, the destruction aura, which also belonged to the top level, could stimulate or resonate with their dormant wills. Coupled with the terrifying pressure of the heavenly tribulation at that time, it was itself a form of stimulation to this land and their residual obsessions."

"Therefore, I took the risk of mixing a trace of Divine Power of destruction and the original power of my Spirit, combined with my will and questioning, and injected it into the core of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Fortunately, I won the bet. The remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon King were perhaps awakened by the aura of destruction, perhaps angered by the provocation of the heavenly tribulation, or perhaps... touched by the mention of the Soul Beast Clan's younger generation and the camaraderie of the same clan in my words, they finally manifested and defeated the heavenly punishment."

Lu Jing's explanation was logically clear and basically matched the situation at that time.

The Silver Dragon King nodded slightly; she accepted this explanation.

The level of the law of destruction indeed made this possible.

"The last question!"

Lu Jing put down his hand, his expression becoming unprecedentedly grave. He took a deep breath and said slowly, his voice exceptionally clear in this quiet space: "About the future of humans and the Soul Beast Clan."

He did not immediately give a conclusion, but first threw out a cruel fact:

"If things continue to develop along the current trajectory without making any fundamental changes... then, the future of the Soul Beast Clan has only one ending—extinction. High-level Soul Beasts will be hunted to extinction, and low-to-mid-level Soul Beasts will become resources kept by the Empire of Spirit Masters. spirit rings will completely become luxury items that only the continent's top forces and wealthiest families can enjoy. And the human Spirit Master system will also, due to the depletion of spirit ring resources, see a sharp decline in the number of strong individuals, an overall decline in strength, and the path of cultivation will become more difficult and more reliant on bloodlines and inheritance."

He paused, looking at the Silver Dragon King's suddenly deep purple eyes, and continued: "I believe that as the co-ruler of the Soul Beast Clan, having witnessed with your own eyes the number of Soul Beasts constantly decreasing over the past ten thousand years, their habitats constantly being compressed, and Soul Beasts over one hundred thousand years old becoming almost extinct, you should be clearer about this than me, and also... more heartbroken."