"Human... you smell so good."
A gentle, clear, feminine voice, filled with innocent curiosity and unconcealed longing, echoed in the forest clearing.
Everyone was stunned by these utterly unexpected words.
At first, Qian Renxue's golden eyes flickered with confusion. She quickly realized the strange golden soul beast had spoken, and those words—were indeed aimed at her.
In an instant, a surge of anger and humiliation welled up within her.
Who was she?
The young miss of the Spirit Hall. The sole angel clan genius in over four thousand seven hundred years, born with full spirit power at level 20. Never—never once had a soul beast "appraised" her like fine cuisine.
"Oh?"
Turning her gaze to the lion-shaped soul beast, Qian Renxue let out a cold laugh. Her voice, befitting Spirit Hall's young miss, regained its calm confidence and arrogance, but her eyes turned razor sharp.
"What an unusual...and ignorant animal! Such beautiful fur, perfect for a winter coat."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned, blinking its golden eyes as though unable to comprehend.
This human...so arrogant! Did she know who she was talking to? Yet the scent she exuded—an enchanting fragrance, pure light mixed with burning heat—stirred its instincts.
Winter coat? Was she trying to threaten or provoke it?
As tension mounted between Qian Renxue and the strange lion, and while Dugu Bo's group was astonished that this beast could actually speak, Chen Yi stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Qian Renxue.
She frowned slightly, confused, watching his back.
Chen Yi locked his gaze on the golden beast, and with slow gravity spoke:
"Emperor's Divine Beast... the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?"
"Eh?"
Surprise deepened in the lion's golden eyes. Lifting one paw, it scratched its chin almost humanly.
"Human, you know me?"
It was only a little surprised that he knew its name.
The four Douluo—Dugu Bo, Ye Cien, Serpent Lance, and Porcupine—looked on in shock.
Emperor Beast? They'd never heard such a title! How did Chen Yi know the origins of this golden, speaking spirit beast?
"Emperor's Divine Beast? Such arrogance!"
muttered Serpent Lance Douluo, eyes full of wariness.
A spirit beast capable of human speech had usually lived at least a hundred thousand years—yet this one's aura seemed far from that level. Truly mysterious.
Chen Yi ignored the question. His divine sense quietly radiated, scanning shadows all around with a probing gaze.
"Only you appeared? Where's your...'bodyguard'?"
The golden lion was again shocked. Not only did Chen Yi know its identity, he also knew about its guardian.
Instinctively, the lion turned to look at a deep shadow nearby, where almost no light shone. Its voice, now tinged with dependence and flattery, called out:
"Uncle Scarlet King, they seem to know who we are."
As the voice faded, the shadow seemed to come alive, and a wave of cold, malicious aura swept out. From within, a figure slowly emerged.
A towering man, over two and a half meters tall, his short, bright red hair spiked upward like burning flames.
His face was angular, his golden eyes radiating a ferocious, soul-tearing light.
Simply standing there, the terrifying, ferocious aura accumulated over the years made even Title Douluo like Dugu Bo and his group feel their hair stand on end, soul power unconsciously whirling through their bodies.
A formidable presence!
This was no ordinary hundred-thousand-year beast—this was something far, far stronger! The oppressive feeling recalled the terror of confronting Golden Crocodile Douluo. This beast's strength likely rivaled even a level 98 peak Douluo.
Crimson King's blade-like gaze swept over Chen Yi's party, finally locking on Chen Yi. His deep, hoarse voice rumbled like grinding stones:
"Leave. This is not your place."
Domineering. Tyrannical.
A tremendous pressure descended upon all, making them consider: must we back down? With the Sacred Feather Spirit Crane right before them, and Ye Lingling's soul ring so close at hand...
If they didn't retreat? Even if the four Douluo joined forces, there was no guarantee of victory against this red-haired giant, the mysterious emperor beast, and any other lurking threats in the shadows.
The party hesitated, atmosphere tense. At that moment, Chen Yi stepped forward, unflinching before Crimson King's fierce eyes.
"Crimson King?"
The golden pupils of Crimson King shrank visibly, astonishment flashing across his face.
"You...know me?"
It had been countless years since he appeared before humans in this form, yet this young man had named him immediately.
Chen Yi smiled enigmatically.
"One of the kings of Star Dou Forest's core regions, with over three hundred thousand years of cultivation... the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff King. I've heard of you before—it's not surprising I know your name."
At the same time, Chen Yi used his telepathy to quickly inform Qian Renxue, Dugu Bo, and the others behind him of Crimson King and Three-Eyed Golden Lion's terrifying true natures.
300,000 years?
Serpent Lance and Porcupine Douluo felt a cold chill down their spines, gasping.
Even Dugu Bo and Ye Cien's faces turned pale.
A savage beast with a lifespan of three hundred thousand years—that was beyond all common sense. No wonder its aura was so terrifying. And that Three-Eyed Golden Lion, called the 'emperor divine beast,' had such a mighty guardian, even more imposing than Qian Renxue herself!
Crimson King's eyes flashed again, but soon returned to their cold, intimidating cast.
"Human, knowing all this, you must realize this is not your place. The Sacred Feather Spirit Crane already belongs to the divine beast.
You can go. I'll pretend I never saw you."
At this, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion again nudged up to Crimson King, rubbing its head against his leg, raising a paw and pointing straight at Qian Renxue, voice still brimming with innocent longing:
"Uncle Scarlet King, that human smells so good... much better than this stupid bird!"
Qian Renxue's gaze turned icy on the spot. Thanks to Chen Yi's telepathy, she now knew that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion favored the brains of powerful beings with strong spirit power and rare attributes! The mere thought of being described as "delicious" made her nauseous and cold.
But with such a monstrous being—one that even a 300,000-year fierce beast only served as bodyguard—standing behind it, she had no choice but to rein in her anger and killing intent.
Crimson King eyed Qian Renxue, sensing her angelic martial spirit's blazing light and fire attributes—traits that were especially "nutritious" and attractive to auspicious divine beasts.
Once again, tension skyrocketed. Though Crimson King's attitude shifted slightly after being recognized, his intentions had not changed. Meanwhile, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's "interest" in Qian Renxue made the atmosphere even more perilous.
Just then, Dugu Bo and the others clenched their fists, preparing to fight to the death—if only to cover Chen Yi and the others' retreat.
Suddenly, a new figure appeared before them.
"Grand Elder."
"Grand Elder, we greet you!"
The Grand Elder had arrived at their side.
Everyone immediately bowed, feeling as if a heavy weight was lifted from their hearts. With him present, even the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff King—who had lived three hundred thousand years—was rendered less threatening.
The Grand Elder nodded, green robes swaying lightly, his gaze falling upon Crimson King and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with a quiet, formidable presence.
When his eyes fell on the lion, even the usually collected Grand Elder allowed a hint of surprise to show.
Without looking at the suffering Sacred Feather Spirit Crane, the Grand Elder instead lifted his head slightly, piercing through the canopy and staring straight at a point somewhere in the void. His voice was gentle yet clear:
"Since you've come so far, why not show yourself?"
In the next instant, all felt the very light around them dim momentarily.
A figure appeared out of nowhere, right in front of Crimson King and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
It was a man, about two meters tall, dressed in simple black clothes, long black hair like a waterfall falling casually over his shoulders.
His features were handsome yet cold and ancient; his eyes were pure molten gold, gaze so chilling it seemed to freeze space itself.
Just by standing there, the man seemed to become the axis of heaven and earth and king of all beasts.
"Di Tian..."
"D...Di Tian!"
Both Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Crimson King blurted out, obviously shocked to see even the true rulers of the Star Dou Forest acting so guarded.
The Grand Elder's gray eyes met Di Tian's golden dragon gaze. Di Tian spoke slowly, meaningfully:
"It's you."
In the Lake of Life, that supremely dangerous presence—he instantly recognized that these golden eyes belonged to the man before him.
Di Tian also studied the Grand Elder for a moment, rare admiration flickering in his eyes.
"Your spiritual power may have reached the divine realm, but your soul power has not yet reached the limit of the human world... Human, you are outstanding."
As he spoke, Di Tian swept his gaze over the wary Dugu Bo and others, then finally fixed his attention on Chen Yi—protected at the center of the group.
His all-seeing golden eyes trembled slightly.
"Greetings...
...successor of Thunder God."
...
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