Chapter 593: Di Tian, You Will Regret This! Xiong Jun, I Am the Beast God!
As the Beast God, Di Tian had to act in the best interest of the entire soul beast race.
Even though he felt immense frustration at being threatened by Huo Yuhao, he knew he had no choice but to negotiate.
After all, Huo Yuhao's threat had struck at his greatest fear.
He wasn't afraid to die but he was afraid that something would happen to the Lord.
If anything happened to her, the soul beast race would be left wandering in the dark, with no hope of revival.
Thus, his only option was to try and negotiate a mutually beneficial exchange to keep Huo Yuhao in check.
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and said, "I want to collaborate with you to promote the Soul Spirit system, allowing soul beasts nearing the end of their lifespan to continue existing in another form. At this stage, this is a win win situation for both humans and soul beasts.
"However, since you just tried to threaten me, causing me some mental distress, I'll need you to compensate me for the psychological damage."
Di Tian's face darkened.
"Psychological damage?! You're the one who threatened us! If anyone should be traumatized, it's us!"
Who would have thought that a human not only the inheritor of the Water Dragon King's legacy but also someone who knew about the Lord's existence would actually use her as leverage against him?
Di Tian snorted coldly.
"Compensate you? Hmph! Human, don't push your luck!"
His golden eyes flashed coldly, exuding an undeniable sense of authority.
Even though he knew he would have to offer something, he wanted to assert dominance first.
Negotiation was about lowering the opponent's expectations, minimizing the loss to Star Dou Forest.
After all, after dealing with humans for centuries, Di Tian prided himself on understanding human nature.
Huo Yuhao met Di Tian's gaze calmly.
"First, I want a large number of soul bones. That shouldn't be too difficult for you to collect, should it?"
Di Tian's eyes narrowed in fury.
"Huo Yuhao, do you even understand what you're asking for? A large number of soul bones? Are you telling me the Beast God to slaughter my own kind just to satisfy your greed? Do you think I'd still be worthy of my title?!
"I'd rather fight you to the death than betray my race!"
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"Di Tian, I never said you had to kill soul beasts. I am only interested in the soul bones that already exist within the Star Dou Forest those left behind by fallen soul beasts and deceased soul masters."
Star Dou Forest had existed for countless millennia.
Over time, countless soul beasts had perished within its depths.
Even though not every soul beast left behind a soul bone, after thousands of years, the number of unclaimed soul bones must have reached an astronomical amount.
Moreover, soul masters had also died within Star Dou Forest, leaving soul bones unclaimed.
These weren't many, but even a small number was still valuable.
As for soul beasts, they had no real use for soul bones they couldn't absorb them, and even chewing on them would be pointless.
Di Tian furrowed his brows.
"Your request is excessive. I cannot agree to this."
Qiu'er, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
"Di Tian, I remember you once said that soul bones were useless to soul beasts. So why not just give them to Yuhao?"
Di Tian's face darkened.
"Why are you siding with him?! Those soul bones don't mean much to us, sure but this is a negotiation! Do you understand how bargaining works?!"
He felt a deep pang of sadness.
Qiu'er, the beloved Imperial Auspicious Beast, was now defending a human.
Why?
Why did she have to fall in love with a human?!
Huo Yuhao chuckled.
**"Di Tian, just hand over the soul bones. They're useless to you, but with them, I can work on developing true artificial soul bones.
"If I succeed, I can further reduce the hunting of soul beasts by humans."
Di Tian's expression darkened further.
"Artificial soul bones? You mean that twisted method where humans massacre soul beasts of the same species in large numbers to refine soul bones using secret techniques?!"
Di Tian had encountered such soul masters before those who attempted to craft soul bones through slaughter and rituals.
Of course, every single one of them had been torn apart by his own hands.
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"Of course not.
"With advanced research and technological progress, it will one day be possible to mass produce artificial soul bones just as artificial soul spirits are being developed."
In the future, some artificial soul spirits and soul bones would be created using genetic technology.
Of course, the early versions which relied on normal animals or plants as genetic sources were incredibly weak.
The best versions were those made from soul beast genes.
In Soul Land 3, Gu Yuena had already successfully created artificial soul spirits that lasted for thousands of years.
By Soul Land 4, technological advances allowed the Spirit Pagoda to manufacture 100,000 year artificial soul spirits.
Though they lacked some intelligence and depth, they were still incredibly powerful.
Di Tian's expression changed.
"Huo Yuhao… If you can truly create artificial soul bones and soul spirits…
"Then perhaps the conflict between humans and soul beasts can be significantly reduced…
"Fine. I agree to give you the soul bones."
For the first time, Di Tian felt hope.
Huo Yuhao had already created soul spirits, so maybe just maybe he could develop true artificial soul bones and soul spirits.
He turned toward Bi Ji.
"Bi Ji, gather all available soul bones and deliver them to him."
"Understood." Bi Ji nodded.
Before long, a vast collection of soul bones began arriving at the Lake of Life.
Huo Yuhao watched as the number of soul bones piled up, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Just then, a massive dark gold furred bear let out a furious roar.
"Di Tian! Do you realize what you're doing?!"
"Humans have slaughtered countless of our kin yet you are now handing them our soul bones?! Are you trying to strengthen them so that even more of our kind will be slaughtered in the future?!"
"You will regret this!"
Di Tian's expression turned ice cold.
He spoke in a voice filled with undeniable authority.
"Xiong Jun.
"I am the Beast God.
"Not you."
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