After a year, he was no longer the same person. He was about to break through to Soul Sect. Although still relatively weak, his growth rate couldn't be underestimated.
Suddenly, Du Bushi came to an abrupt halt. Huo Yuhao, who had been following closely behind, also stopped and cautiously scanned the surroundings.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Come with me." With that, Du Bushi grabbed Huo Yuhao by the shoulder. In the next moment, the two turned into afterimages and vanished on the spot.
In the mixed zone of the Star Dou Forest, a particular area was shrouded in darkness that stretched over two kilometers. Strangely, this black fog bore some resemblance to the red mist produced by Huo Yuhao's Domain of Demonic Severance.
At this moment, two soul beasts were facing off in this darkened zone. One was an enormous tiger, unlike any ordinary tiger—its entire body was pitch black. Two fleshy wings grew from its back, its tail was long and stood high, composed of countless joints, ending in a massive barbed hook.
The grotesque black tiger stared fixedly at its opponent. Its blood-red eyes radiated bloodlust, greed, and desire.
Facing it was a soul beast resembling a lion. Its golden fur shimmered with a crystalline sheen. Upon closer inspection, beneath the golden fur lay dense golden scales—this shimmer came from those scales. Looking further, its four limbs didn't resemble feline paws but more like the claws of legendary dragons, each paw engulfed in flames.
Additionally, there was a red vertical eye on its forehead, glowing with a strange crimson light. Below that, its two normal eyes sparkled like golden gemstones.
Any soul beast would immediately recognize this creature—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion (San Yan Jin Ni). It was an Auspicious Beast. Wherever it resided, all soul beasts would experience accelerated growth, and even those on the verge of ten-thousand-year breakthroughs had doubled chances of success.
At this moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was filled with vigilance. Suddenly, it spoke with a crisp, female voice:
"So you've been lying in ambush for a while now. But I don't get it—aren't you afraid of Di Tian and the others coming after you if you kill me? You've used a domain to suppress my aura for now, but after my death, they'll sense it. Are you sure this is what you want? Have you thought of the consequences?"
"Hehehe..." the black tiger replied in human speech as well.
"You carry the supreme bloodline of the dragon clan. If I devour you, there's a high chance I'll evolve my bloodline. Worst case, I'll break through to a hundred-thousand-year beast. Compared to that, what's a little risk? Besides, if I inherit your power of fate, what do you think Di Tian and the others can even do to me?"
With that, the black tiger burst into crazed laughter.
At that moment, a beam of black light flashed overhead. Du Bushi and Huo Yuhao suddenly appeared in mid-air, floating silently above the beasts.
The black tiger's laughter stopped abruptly. The sudden arrival of a human made it feel intense danger.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately focused its gaze on the young human in white. Her eyes held an indescribable emotion.
When Huo Yuhao looked down, he was stunned.
"The Auspicious Beast, Three-Eyed Golden Lion? And the Dark Devilgod Tiger? What kind of situation is this?"
Three-Eyed Golden Lion... so Wang Qiu'er is basically home now.
And speaking of the Dark Devilgod Tiger, it was said to have once been an ordinary white tiger, twisted by the most sinister attributes left behind by the evil gods of the divine realm. This beast was highly intelligent, almost human-like, and wielded powers of evil, darkness, lightning, wind, time, and space.
"I didn't think such a legendary soul beast still existed," Huo Yuhao muttered, both in awe and respect.
"And to actually try to attack the Three-Eyed Golden Lion? This guy's got guts the size of the sky..."
Damn it, it's definitely that power of fate causing trouble, the Dark Devilgod Tiger cursed inwardly. Still, it decided to try its luck:
"Human, you're strong. I mean no harm. You're here to help this junior get his fourth soul ring, right? I can sense he's spirit-type, and this Three-Eyed Golden Lion is perfect for him. Why don't we team up to kill it? You can take the ring and bone—I'll take the flesh. What do you say?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion showed no reaction, still staring at Huo Yuhao.
Du Bushi simply took that suggestion as complete nonsense. Kill the Three-Eyed Golden Lion? That would trigger a mass revolt in the Star Dou Forest.
"Damn, she's really not afraid I'll notice, huh," Huo Yuhao thought to himself, seeing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion staring at him nonstop.
"Master."
"Yuhao, you're not seriously thinking of using her as your soul ring, are you?" Du Bushi turned to look at his treasured disciple.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion remained laser-focused on Huo Yuhao.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's eyes lit up with hope. But then Huo Yuhao's next words shattered its fantasy completely.
"Master, I've decided—I'll make him my fourth soul ring. Go get him, Master! Beat him up!" He didn't point, but he clearly meant the Dark Devilgod Tiger, not the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. To punctuate it, he even mimed throwing a punch.
At the same time, he sent Du Bushi a mental transmission explaining the Dark Devilgod Tiger's abilities, just in case the old man got caught off guard.
Everything else could be managed, but that Life and Death Arena ability was absolutely disgusting—dragging enemies into a spiritual death match where they reverted to six-year-old states. Definitely a game-changer.
Du Bushi almost chuckled. This was the first time he'd seen Huo Yuhao so animated.
"Alright. Stay safe. I'll be back in a moment."
With that, Du Bushi immediately flew off to chase the Dark Devilgod Tiger, who had already started fleeing. He wasn't worried about the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—he'd made it clear he didn't want a fight, and he trusted she wouldn't pick one either.
"Damn it, Master, next time give me a heads-up before letting go!" Huo Yuhao wasn't capable of flight yet. Until now, Du Bushi had been holding him up by the shoulder. With that grip suddenly gone, he plummeted.
Thankfully, Huo Yuhao quickly summoned his Bloodflame Sword to stabilize himself. Otherwise, falling from dozens of meters up would've been brutal.
"You're not leaving?" Huo Yuhao landed and noticed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion still standing there dazed. He couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Human, thank you. No matter what, it was you who saved me." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion spoke, her voice lower and more reserved than before.
"Oh? So how do you plan to thank us?" Huo Yuhao asked, grinning with curiosity.
(End of Chapter)