Chapter 0 - Prologue
Prologue
A dense canopy of overarching trees blocked out the sun, serving as an impenetrable barrier to the sun’s glare. Shrouded in darkness, sunlight was completely forbidden from entering the depths of this forest.
Deep within the forest laid a small lake whose clear waters allowed even the lakebed to be visible. This clear and pure water resembled a deep blue crystal in richness, but the waterline rested far below the shores, as if it could dry up at any moment.
A breath of life within the lake waters rippled out, but it wasn’t very intense; truthfully, it was rather weak.
A lone man stood beside the lake.
He wore a black robe and looked to be in his forties. A strand of golden hair hung down from his forehead to rest alongside his cheek, accentuating his handsome and resolute appearance.
He simply stood there, lifeless, an aura of listlessness radiating off him.
A short distance away from him stood several people of varying heights and sizes. They had all sorts of appearances, but one common trait among them was their expression: an expression full of gloom.
“Beast God.” A woman in a green jade cheong sam had quietly arrived at the black robed man’s side, a respectful tone lacing her voice when she spoke up.
The black robed man addressed as the Beast God began trembling, a tint of agony gracing the corners of his mouth. “Beast God? I fear that we are all that is left of the soul beasts. Who am I supposed to be the god of?”
The green robed woman went silent for a moment before softly saying, “Ten thousand years have already gone by. Ten thousand years have gone by since Huo Yuhao established the Spirit Pagoda. The Spirit Pagoda still exists today, but as for us soul beasts… we are nearing extinction.”
The Beast God bitterly remarked, “Humanity… They have already grown too powerful for us to contend with. Star Dou Forest is the sole haven left for us soul beasts.”
“That’s right…” The green robed woman trailed off in silence.
The Beast God suddenly raised his head, two golden blazes of rich light emitting from his eyes. In that moment, a terrifying aura broke out, causing the entire world to shudder.
Hum… The ground beneath their feet shook for a moment before increasing in intensity The lake waters were still as clear as before, but bubbles were now rapidly rising from its surface. After another moment, the quivering of the earth intensified even further, becoming even more violent.
“What’s going on? Have the humans come?” The green robed woman cried out in alarm.
“Let us fight to the death then!” A powerful, burly man bellowed out as his entire body underwent a sudden transformation. He transformed into a ferocious bear over thirty meters in height, his entire body covered in a dark gold luster.
“Bear Lord, calm down. It isn’t the humans!” Beast God shouted out. His formerly grim face was now overcome with an indescribable euphoria.
“Finished! Finished! Finished!” A muffled voice resounded throughout the forest without warning. The voice seemed to echo from all directions, which, in addition to it being muffled, made it difficult to determine the gender of the voice.
Bang! The earth cracked open, and the entire forest shuddered. The little water still within the lake was sent spraying upwards, instantly exposing the barren lakebed.
Bang! A silvery light bubbled up from the crevice in the earth and then heavily smacked into the shore.
It was a giant claw of a glorious silver color. That silver claw was covered in numerous silver hexagonal scales, each one refracting light to create an astonishing splendor. That pounding sound brought with it an incomparable oppressive power that made all living beings kneel reverently.
The Beast God’s rapt gaze grew even brighter as he took a step forward and kneeled down on one knee. He respectfully proclaimed, “I welcome the lord!”
The earth exploded forth instantly, releasing a powerful aura that even caused the ferocious, thirty meter tall bear to be sent flying. A gigantic figure over three hundred meters in length suddenly soared out before landing heavily.
The nearby towering trees that had once stood tall were now replaced by this giant beast. When faced with this silver colossus, however, they could only prostrate themselves before it.
“It died, but I still live!” The deep voice roared with sorrow. “Those despicable humans want to exterminate us!? Since I have awakened, their day of destruction has arrived at last!”
A resplendent silver light blinded all of the soul beasts. They could only kneel, head lowered, as their bodies trembled with ecstasy.
The Beast God eagerly said, “Lord! Humanity has already grown too powerful! Even I am unable to contend for very long against their best soul mechas! Humanity has managed to thoroughly suppress us with their science and technology!”
The silver figure slowly lowered its head and spoke, but this time, its voice didn’t resonate throughout the forest. “In order to destroy them, you must first understand them! Follow me! Since our world is already on the brink of destruction, then we will go and conquer their world!
The gigantic figure slowly stepped forward, towards the forest’s exit. Through the canopy of the of towering trees, a single ray of light broke through and illuminated its tremendous form. But with each step it took, it slowly began to shrink in size. Just as its figure disappeared into the distance, it had taken on the form of a human being.