160: Chapter 160: Every reform comes with risks!

She seemed to have just ended her meeting with Lu Jing, or perhaps, she had simply been deep in thought alone within that silent Life Space for a long time.

On her stunningly beautiful face, the shock, anger, confusion, and fragility from before had vanished, replaced once again by that bottomless tranquility belonging to the Master of the Spirit Beasts.

Yet, deep within those amethyst-like eyes, a trace of complex light faintly swirled.

It was weighing, it was contemplation, it was a kind of... indecisive hesitation.

"Master."

A low, respectful voice came from not far behind her, breaking the tranquility of the lakeside.

Space slightly distorted, and Di Tian's tall, upright figure, dressed in black dragon robes, appeared silently three steps behind the Silver Dragon King, like a shadow merging into the night.

He bowed slightly, his golden eyes lowered, his posture incomparably respectful, waiting for the Master's instructions.

The Silver Dragon King did not turn around; her gaze remained fixed on the north, as if she could pierce through layers of mountains and the curtain of night to see that human city and that unconventional human male who had just left.

She was silent for a moment before she asked softly, using her ethereal, melodious voice that seemed devoid of any worldly aura:

"Di Tian, do you think... that human... has the possibility of cooperation?"

Her question was very direct, without any unnecessary preamble, clearly indicating that she had been thinking about this matter for a long time.

Upon hearing this, a trace of obvious surprise flashed in Di Tian's golden eyes; he had not expected that the Master would summon him only to ask about this.

He looked up at the Master's flawless profile, then followed her gaze toward the north, his mind rapidly recalling all the information about Lu Jing.

Successor to the God of Destruction, with a close relationship with the Snow Empress.

"Master, are you referring to... cooperating with him to seek the abolition of the ban that prevents Spirit Beasts from becoming Divinities?" Di Tian asked tentatively, his tone cautious.

The Snow Empress is a Spirit Beast; although her talent is extraordinary and her status noble, she ultimately cannot become a Divinity. Therefore, to achieve this, the Divine Realm must lift the restriction preventing the Soul Beast Clan from becoming Divinities.

"Not just that."

The Silver Dragon King slowly shook her head, a faint glimmer in her purple eyes, and said softly: "Perhaps... more. His way of looking at problems, his... uniqueness, might bring some variables we have never considered. Moreover, if we could establish some form of connection, it might provide unexpected benefits for the future plans of the Soul Beast Clan."

Her words caused Di Tian's heart to tremble. To think the Master valued that man so highly?

Even considering long-term cooperation and leveraging his influence?

But immediately following this, a wave of intense worry surged into Di Tian's heart.

He stepped forward half a pace, his voice lowered, reminding her with a hint of urgency:

"Master, please think twice! That human is the successor to the God of Destruction! The God of Destruction is one of the five God Kings of the Divine Realm, wielding the laws of destruction and ending, and was one of the prime culprits who caused the fall of His Majesty the Dragon God and the decline of the Divine Beasts! Cooperating with him is no different from seeking skin from a tiger! Moreover, the God of Destruction has always been known for being overbearing and cold, and his successor's character is likely not someone to be trifled with. Cooperating with him carries too much risk! If he were to turn on us in the future, or reveal our plans to the Divine Realm, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Di Tian's concerns were not without reason.

The God of Destruction and the Soul Beast Clan had a deep blood feud.

Even if Lu Jing's personal attitude was ambiguous, he was ultimately the successor of Destruction, and their positions were naturally opposed.

Cooperating with him was like dancing on a tightrope over a bottomless abyss; one wrong step would lead to eternal damnation.

The Silver Dragon King listened quietly to Di Tian's admonition, her stunningly beautiful face showing no change in expression, as if she had long anticipated him saying this.

Not until Di Tian finished speaking did she slowly turn around. Those amethyst-like eyes looked calmly at Di Tian, her voice still ethereal:

"I understand everything you have said. Cooperating with the successor of Destruction certainly carries risks."

She paused, her gaze shifting back to the distance, as if staring into the unfathomable river of fate:

"But, Di Tian, have you ever thought about this? Given the current situation of the Soul Beast Clan, if we stick to the rules and follow the beaten path, how much time do we have left? How much hope remains?"

"The Star Dou Great Forest is shrinking, high-level Spirit Beasts are decreasing, human technology is advancing, and the gaze of the Divine Realm has never truly left us. The power we have secretly accumulated may seem considerable, but it is still fragile before the Divine Realm. What we need is not just power, but variables—the possibility to break this stalemate."

"Lu Jing might just be that variable."

The Silver Dragon King's tone carried a hint of certainty as she explained: "He is different from ordinary Divinity successors; his thinking is not bound by the orthodoxy of the Divine Realm. He acts only based on pros and cons, not constrained by race or stance. This is both a danger and an opportunity. If we can produce something that truly moves him—something he cannot refuse—perhaps we can turn him, and even the God of Destruction behind him, from a potential enemy into an external force we can leverage, or at the very least, a force that remains neutral."

"As for the risks..."

A cold, sharp glint flashed in the Silver Dragon King's purple eyes as she reminded him: "Any reform comes with risks. Being enemies with the Divine Realm is already the greatest risk of all. If we remain stagnant out of fear of risk, then the Soul Beast Clan will truly have no future."

Di Tian fell silent.

The Master's words struck his heart with every single syllable.

How could he not know the plight and crisis of the Soul Beast Clan?

Had he not endured for ten thousand years and painstakingly planned, precisely for that one glimmer of hope?

It was just that, cooperating with the successor of Destruction...

This move was simply too dangerous.

"But, Master!"

Di Tian ultimately voiced his greatest doubt, which was also the question Lu Jing had posed to the Silver Dragon King: "Even if we are willing to risk cooperation, what do we have that we can offer—something sufficient to move a future God King and make him willing to oppose the potential rules of the Divine Realm for us?"

"That is the key."

The Silver Dragon King nodded slightly. For the first time, a look of obvious contemplation and gravity appeared on her stunningly beautiful face: "Wealth, treasures, power... these are meaningless to a God King. Power? We ourselves are still insufficient. Knowledge? The inheritance of the Divine Realm is far older than ours. Emotional ties? His friendship with the Snow Empress might influence him to help her personally, but it is not enough to make him take risks for the entire Soul Beast Clan."

She furrowed her delicate brows slightly. That appearance of deep contemplation, in the faint morning light, was breathtakingly beautiful, yet it also carried a heartbreaking weight.

"We need to find... something unique that has irreplaceable value to him personally, or to the very few people he cares about. Or perhaps something that can touch the depths of his heart, some need or desire that does not conflict with our goals."

"This is difficult, Di Tian. But it is not impossible."

The Silver Dragon King's voice gradually lowered, as if she were talking to herself: "He mentioned something worth it... What could that be? Is it some key regarding the Snow Empress's future? Is it some hidden danger or flaw in his own Destruction inheritance? Or does he have some unknown, deeper scheme for this World?"

"We need to understand him better, Di Tian. Not just his identity and strength, but also his past, his experiences, what he truly cares about, and what he ultimately desires deep down."

She looked at Di Tian, her purple eyes regaining clarity and decisiveness:

"This matter is entrusted to you. Use every power at your disposal, and in the most secretive way possible, investigate everything about Lu Jing. From his birth, to his upbringing, to obtaining the Destruction inheritance, to meeting the Snow Empress... I want to know every clue that can be found. But remember, you must not alert the enemy, especially do not arouse the suspicion of him himself, or the Snow Empress and others in Heaven Dou City."

Di Tian's heart shivered; he knew that the Master had already made her decision.

He no longer tried to dissuade her, bowing respectfully to accept the order: "Yes, Master. This subordinate will personally arrange it and clear up his background as soon as possible."

"Hmm." The Silver Dragon King responded softly, her gaze once again cast toward the north, as if traversing time and space, seeing the figure of the man who had just left but had already left a deep mark in her heart.

"Whether we cooperate or not is still unknown. But at the very least... we must find out if we truly have the... chips to sit at the gambling table."