Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

"Why did they have to use the Eye of the Divine Realm and keep it hidden from us?" After sitting quietly for a while, the Goddess of Life asked.

The God of Destruction shook his head. "Even after invoking the Eye of the Divine Realm, we still can't know what exactly they were watching... I have some guesses, though. It might be related to the Dragon God's situation from back then. After all, aside from whether or not to expand the Divine Realm, how to handle the Golden Dragon King has been our biggest disagreement in nearly a century."

"I never understood why the three of them refused to kill the Golden Dragon King. They only claimed that the dragon cocoon he transformed into couldn't be broken, and it would cost the power of the Divine Realm to seal him away."

The God of Destruction frowned and spoke in a low voice.

The Goddess of Life absentmindedly stroked his silver hair, quietly listening.

"But if Asura could split the Dragon God in half when he was near death, no matter how firm that golden dragon cocoon was, wouldn't the combined strength of the five of us Gods be enough to completely kill the Golden Dragon King? If we used his power to expand the Divine Realm, how much better would it be? So many talented young people wouldn't be trapped in the lower realm anymore."

"Now that it's come to this, the Dragon God can no longer fulfill his duties. Killing a part of him to release the Golden Dragon King's power back to the world to nourish all living things would be the best choice," the Goddess of Life said indifferently.

"I have reservations about that," the God of Destruction turned his face and looked at his wife.

They had disagreements in many areas, but it did not affect their love for each other.

"Xiao Lü." After a while, the Goddess of Life hesitated before speaking.

"Hmm?"

"Recently... I've been thinking about something," her voice sounded somewhat confused.

"What's on your mind?" the God of Destruction asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure yet." The Goddess of Life smiled bitterly, shaking her head, and leaned into the God of Destruction's arms. "Let me figure it out, and I'll tell you later."

"Alright" The God of Destruction's voice now carried a touch of sleepiness.

Although gods do not need sleep, the sense of peace and tranquility while cuddling with a loved one was so comforting that sleepiness quietly crept up on him.

"You know, do you think we made the right choice back then?" the Goddess of Life suddenly asked. "Asura and the others insisted that the Dragon God was arrogant and wanted to destroy the Divine Realm and establish a world ruled by the Beast Tribe... So back then, to maintain the stability of the Divine Realm, we chose to join Asura and suppress the Dragon God."

"Xiao Lü, You have to understand that our stance was aligned with the Divine Realm," the God of Destruction's sleepiness evaporated entirely. He sensed that the issue troubling his wife was quite serious. "The only choice we had was to quickly quell the battle to prevent further harm to the Divine Realm... and the Dragon God's side was outnumbered compared to Asura's side, so joining Asura's side was the quickest way to calm the rebellion."

"But the forest is so lonely," the Goddess of Life murmured, her voice filled with confusion and pain. "The Forest of Life... It's just plants now. There are no flying birds, no animals, no insects. The forest shouldn't be like this..."

After the great war, all the divine beasts were imprisoned in the divine forbidden zone that suppressed the Golden Dragon King, never to be free again.

"All life is equal between heaven and earth..." The Goddess of Life lowered her head.

She loved and respected all life—a small insect, a flying bird, a wild wolf, a human... In her eyes, all life held the same value.

"If life in nature cycles and recycles, and everyone fights to survive—sheep eat grass, wolves eat sheep—then everything is just an instinctive action of living beings, and that's fine."

"But what is happening now? Asura and the others are oppressing the beasts like this... They even rewrote the laws of the Douluo Continent, turning the Beast Tribe into soul beasts, providing soul rings for humans to cultivate... From now on, they'll eternally endure human exploitation." She shook her head and smiled bitterly. "If the Dragon God had won, with his demeanor, he wouldn't have oppressed humans to this extent."

"This kind of Divine Realm..." she whispered, "This kind of Divine Realm..."

Does it still need expansion...? A Divine Realm that brings suffering to all living things for the selfish desires of the gods...

"Xiao Lü, you're overthinking this," the God of Destruction said in a deep voice. "Isn't nature about the survival of the fittest, the strong prevailing? Don't think too much."

"Ah..." The Goddess of Life smiled bitterly, then rubbed her face. "Alright, I won't think about it. Let's talk about something else."

"Mm."

"From what happened today, it's clear that we lack a source of information from the lower realm." She held up a fist. "Come on, stretch out your hand."

"This is... the seedling of the ancient tree of life?" The God of Destruction hesitated, looking at the golden light that had fallen into his palm.

"By planting them in the lower realm, we can also use the ancient tree of life's offshoots to see the situation in the lower realm."

"But the spiritual energy in the lower realm is so thin... How many years will it take for them to grow?"

"Three to four decades?" The Goddess of Life also wasn't certain. "Do you have a better solution?" she teased.

"No, no," the God of Destruction waved his hands quickly. "Xiao Lü is the smartest."

And so, a golden-green comet streaked across the sky above the Douluo Continent.

A golden-yellow seedling fell in the northwest of the Star Dou Forest.

...

Five thousand years later, the Heaven Dou Empire, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

"Third Brother! Time to eat!" A woman in pink jumped onto the back of a man in blue, her legs wrapping around his waist, and her dark scorpion braids swaying behind her as she called out. "I've made food with my own hands!"

"Did I actually get food made by my wife? I should eat a lot today." Tang San put down the book he was holding and smiled as he embraced Xiao Wu.

"What are you reading?" Xiao Wu curiously looked at the book Tang San had put down.

"It's some confidential documents I stole from the Spirit Hall," Tang San said with a smile. "Xuě Bēng just delivered it."

"We're about to go to the Divine Realm, why are you still reading this?" She reached for the book.

"I'm just looking through it. I'll give these documents to the teacher later, to be kept in the academy's archives," Tang San replied.

"…Golden-orange all over, with three eyes, its shape like a lion, its demeanor like a dragon, wherever it goes, all beasts bow down... Ah, humans even know about the auspicious beast?" Xiao Wu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Do you know what this is?" Tang San asked. "Even Teacher didn't know about this strange soul beast mentioned in the document."

"Of course I know! You should have asked me instead of reading," Xiao Wu casually tossed the book aside, looking proud. "I've lived in the Star Dou Forest for a hundred thousand years!"

"My amazing wife, can you tell me what kind of soul beast this is?"

"Hehe, trying to please me," Xiao Wu teased with a mischievous grin.

"I'll send you a kiss as a bribe."

"Hehe, now you're talking." Xiao Wu's face showed admiration. "This describes the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, a king among soul beasts, and the most noble existence in the Star Dou Forest!" Xiao Wu's face showed a trace of awe. "The auspicious beast has only existed for a little over five thousand years but already has nearly sixty thousand years of cultivation! As long as the auspicious beast is in the Star Dou Forest, it will protect the entire forest, causing all soul beasts in the forest to speed up their cultivation! The auspicious beast also carries the power of fate, and legend has it that it can bring good fortune to soul beasts. However, with my strength and race, I am not worthy of meeting the auspicious beast."

"Have Da Ming and Er Ming never met it?"

Xiao Wu shook her head. "There are so many soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest with over a hundred thousand years of cultivation, and many are more powerful than us... But Da Ming and Er Ming's race is strong, so if they cultivated for a longer time, they might have the chance to meet the auspicious beast."

"Sixty thousand years of cultivation... If I had known about it earlier," Tang San murmured, a dark glint flickering in his eyes.

"Third Brother, what are you thinking?" Xiao Wu warily pinched the soft flesh at Tang San's waist, her expression showing obvious protectiveness. "You better not try to make a move on the auspicious beast!"

"Ah, wife, my soul ring slots are already full. I was just joking!" Tang San raised his hands in surrender, but deep inside, he was filled with killing intent.

He would not allow his Xiao Wu to show such protectiveness toward any other being... even if it was just an animal.

[T/N: Fuck you Tang San]

That Emperor auspicious beast had already climbed to the top of his death list.

He would make plans.

From what Xiao Wu said, the auspicious beast's power of fate must be significant, and Tang San knew how important fate's power was.

Getting this Three-Eyed Golden Lion might help him advance even further as a god...

But how to obtain this power of fate and use the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to its maximum potential required careful thought.

Moreover, there was no more space for soul rings or bones on his body...

Before heading to the Divine Realm, he hadn't had a chance to deal with this matter, since he hadn't parted from Xiao Wu yet.

Well, Tang San shook his head, thinking he would consider this matter once the auspicious beast was left in the Star Dou Forest.

According to the old Asura God, once they arrived in the Divine Realm, if the method was used correctly, they would always find a way to intervene in the lower realm.

Time flows differently between the Divine Realm and the Douluo Continent, and by the time he was free to act, this Three-Eyed Golden Lion would likely have surpassed a hundred thousand years of cultivation.

Even if he couldn't use it as a soul ring, it would be a good gift for him and Xiao Wu's future children.

Unfortunately, Xiao Wu was completely unaware of this, and she lovingly hugged Tang San's neck, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"Let's go, Third Brother, it's time to eat! We're about to go to the Divine Realm, and food on the Douluo Continent will be a rare thing from now on!"