"Dark Devilgod Tiger!" Dugu Yan stared blankly at the girl before her, who wasn't wearing combat attire but rather casual clothing.
Her heterochromatic eyes were hidden behind her bangs, and her face wore an expression of clear dissatisfaction.
"Don't call me Dark Devilgod Tiger! Call me Tokisaki Kurumi, or just Kurumi!"
"That's my name now. Name, got it?"
"Uh, sure."
Dugu Yan's lips twitched. Why did this girl feel more human than she did?
"Your clothes seem different from before." Dugu Bo examined Tokisaki Kurumi with curiosity.
After all, a spirit beast becoming an artifact spirit was something unheard of in the Douluo Continent.
"That was my combat attire before. Of course, I wouldn't wear that normally." Kurumi rubbed her temples. "No, you've completely sidetracked me."
"If you noticed something was off, why didn't you leave quickly?" Kurumi turned to Ning Rongrong. "I had to desperately cover for you. Otherwise, your identities would've been exposed long ago."
"Manipulating the five senses is quite useful, isn't it?" Ning Rongrong countered with a smile.
"It is, but do you know how much pressure I was under?" Kurumi sighed helplessly. How had she ended up contracted to such an unreliable master?
She could only hope they wouldn't get themselves killed by some soul master or spirit beast before even ascending to godhood.
"Speaking of which, how did you confirm it was the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian?"
Ning Rongrong had only vaguely sensed the gaze, and then Kurumi had redirected it elsewhere using Kyōka Suigetsu.
Moreover, the other party had taken no action, so Ning Rongrong hadn't felt the need to rush.
But there was one question
How had Kurumi been so sure the one spying on them was Di Tian and not someone else?
"Ugh, this is giving me a headache!"
Kurumi clutched her forehead, exasperated. "I've fought that guy four times now four times! And escaped safely every single time. Do you think I'm joking around?"
"Uh… so you've developed a reflex after being beaten up too much?"
Ning Rongrong's words instantly made Kurumi's face darken. "I possess dark-attribute power, similar to Di Tian's. Is it really so strange that I could detect him?"
"Let me remind you, I'm a chosen tiger blessed by the Evil God."
"But Di Tian is also a former first-grade god, the leader of the Black Dragon Clan."
"Eh? Really?" Kurumi blinked in surprise.
"You didn't know?" Ning Rongrong studied Kurumi thoughtfully.
It seemed her tiger hadn't gained much memory from her before or after becoming an artifact spirit, nor did she seem to retain much of the Evil God's knowledge.
"Hmph! Even if he was once a first-grade god, he's just a measly level 99 now. No way he could've detected me."
"I think he did notice you." Ning Rongrong pondered for a moment. "He just chose not to act."
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Kurumi bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"With my 100% escape rate, how could that big oaf possibly have found me?"
"Well… I wasn't talking about Di Tian. I meant the other one with him."
"Who are you talking about?" Kurumi looked puzzled.
"Maybe it's just my imagination." Ning Rongrong didn't answer directly, instead turning her gaze out the window. "This funeral… doesn't seem like it'll be peaceful."
"Di Tian, you got played by that little tiger again."
A woman with emerald-green hair, exuding an air of intelligence, took a sip of wine from her glass.
"Tch " Di Tian's expression darkened. "You noticed, so why didn't you tell me?"
"What would telling you accomplish? Start a fight?" The woman set down her glass, her serene eyes drifting toward the window. "Don't forget our Lady's objective. We still don't understand the relationship between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and Qian Renxue."
"But we've confirmed that Qian Renxue is currently Xue Qinghe."
"Moreover, the young master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda… her aura is peculiar. It doesn't seem like power obtained by hunting spirit beasts."
"Bi Ji, what are you implying?"
Di Tian frowned, picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and chewing irritably.
"I'm different from you. I'm highly sensitive to life and soul energies." Bi Ji smiled. "I'd like to investigate further. After all, we're in no hurry."
"Or could it be that you, a mighty reincarnated first-grade god, are actually afraid of a mere Dark Devilgod Tiger?"
"Bi Ji, you're overstepping more and more." Di Tian set down his chopsticks, his expression turning cold. "Don't forget, I am the overlord of Star Dou Forest."
"Just like me we're both just running errands for our Lady."
Di Tian: "…"
Why did it feel like, after spending time in the human world, this Emerald Swan had become increasingly sharp-tongued?
Humans were truly born wicked. A few days of reading books had corrupted Bi Ji like this.
"Di Tian, what do you think of that little rabbit?" Bi Ji's gaze shifted back, her luminous eyes seemingly brimming with boundless vitality locking onto the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King.
"She's gotten too close to humans. She might even betray the spirit beasts."
"Unimportant. As long as she doesn't interfere with the plan, it's none of our concern."
"The Sky Blue Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape have been dutiful enough. Let them be."
"But if they obstruct our plans, then…" Di Tian didn't finish, but a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
"Ah…" Bi Ji rested her chin on her hand. "Why can't spirit beasts coexist peacefully with each other, or with humans?"
"Bi Ji, you know the answer to that better than anyone." Di Tian's voice was icy.
"Right… prey and hunter. Human soul masters have no path to strength except hunting spirit beasts. How tragic."
It was unclear whether her lament was for the spirit beasts or the humans.
"Di Tian." Bi Ji sighed. "Do you truly believe our Lady has a chance?"
BANG!
Di Tian slammed his palm onto the table.
Though he hadn't used force, the entire table shook violently, the sound echoing into the hallway outside.
"Honored guests, is everything alright?"
A waiter's anxious voice came from beyond the door.
"Nothing's wrong, young man. My friend here just got his finger pinched by a crab. He's overreacting a bit."
Bi Ji called out reassuringly.
Once the waiter left, her gaze returned to Di Tian, who now regarded her with cold detachment.
"Bi Ji, take back those disrespectful words about our Lady, and I'll pretend I never heard them."
"Words once spoken cannot be taken back." Bi Ji shook her head. "Di Tian, face reality."
"You know the Divine Realm better than I do. Even if our Lady recovers her full strength, she isn't the Dragon God. Do we have a way to safely let her absorb the Golden Dragon King and attain the Dragon God's throne?"
"Don't forget our enemies are the five God Kings."
"Di Tian, tell me even if we unite all the spirit beast forces on Douluo Continent, do we truly stand a chance against the Divine Realm?"
"Can you honestly say we do?"
"Bi Ji, stop speaking in riddles. Just say what you mean." Di Tian exhaled heavily.
He knew better than anyone how powerful the Divine Realm was. But their Lady was the spirit beasts' only hope.
"The reason I didn't inform you about the Dark Devilgod Tiger earlier was precisely because of this." Bi Ji explained. "After dealing with Qian Renxue's matter, I plan to speak with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"We must recruit every ally we can."
"Di Tian, you're proud. You look down on other spirit beasts and rightly so, as the leader of the Black Dragon Clan, a once-noble first-grade god. Your dignity is inviolable."
"But I, the Emerald Swan Bi Ji, struggled for tens of thousands of years to grow from a weakling to what I am now. I dare not be careless I've never been careless."
"Spirit beasts are weak… the Divine Realm is strong."
BOOM!
A deafening crash erupted as the door to their room was smashed open.
A muscular old man and a middle-aged man wielding a massive hammer stood in the wreckage.
The elder scrutinized Bi Ji and Di Tian, his voice grim.
"My deductions were correct. You two aren't human."