Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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In the secret records of the Spirit Pagoda, some deeds of its founder, the Spirit Ice Douluo, were documented.
Those yellowing pages, those ancient words, recounted the life of that legendary figure.
And among them, one of the most legendary tales was the story of him and the Auspicious Beast. The Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Child of Luck of the Star Dou Great Forest, took on human form and fell in love with Huo Yuhao. She accompanied him, protected him, and gave her all for him. In the end, she even chose to sacrifice herself to save Huo Yuhao. At the cost of her life, she gave all her Luck and power to him.
The Star Dou Great Forest lost the Auspicious Beast, and ten thousand beasts rioted. Because of this, they even launched a beast tide targeting Shrek Academy. It was a catastrophe, and Shrek Academy was almost destroyed.
It was precisely this beast tide that led Huo Yuhao to introduce the Spirit Soul system, which finally calmed the anger of the Star Dou Great Forest and brought peace.
Of course, Huo Yuhao had also heard quite a few love stories about "himself" and the Auspicious Beast from his good brother, Du Qingyuan, who was an enthusiast of unofficial histories. Those stories were more convoluted, more moving, and more bizarre than the official history.
Although he knew there was little credibility in them, Huo Yuhao was still significantly influenced. Those stories were like seeds planted in his heart, taking root, sprouting, and growing into a dense forest.
Therefore, now that he had truly seen the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao's emotions were very complex. His heart was like an overturned spice jar, with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors all mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish what he was feeling. There was surprise, emotion, heartache, and a bit of unexplainable guilt.
Although the Auspicious Beast before his eyes had not yet taken human form, had not yet become "Wang Qiu'er," and had not yet met that "Huo Yuhao." But Huo Yuhao knew that in the original trajectory of fate, she was the only one in the future who had given her life for him! That story was like a knife carved into his heart, leaving him unable to find peace.
The Auspicious Beast's gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Huo Yuhao, lingering for a long time. This was not only because Huo Yuhao was looking at it with a strange expression, but also because it sensed an unusual "fate" fluctuation on him. That fluctuation was something it had never felt from any human, yet it felt inexplicably familiar and close, as if there was some invisible connection between the two.
Faced with the Auspicious Beast's brazen "food snatching" behavior, Xuan Zi, who had the highest cultivation, stepped out. He stepped forward and examined the Auspicious Beast, a flash of brilliance passing through his earthy-yellow eyes.
Then he glanced at Wang Dong and said, "This Spirit Beast also has the Light attribute; it is much stronger than that Radiant Winged Wolf."
Sensing the malice from Xuan Zi, the Auspicious Beast spoke again, "No human can withstand my spirit ring."
Its tone was calm, without the slightest fear, as if it were stating an obvious fact.
Xuan Zi clearly did not believe such a claim. He snorted coldly, instantly completed his Spirit Body Enhancement, and a majestic aura erupted from his body. The two horns on his head suddenly lit up, and an earthy-yellow light shot towards the Auspicious Beast as fast as lightning. An earthy-yellow light shield instantly formed, enveloping the Auspicious Beast within it.
Just at this moment, three roars came from the distance. The roars were deafening, like thunderclaps, echoing through the forest. In the blink of an eye, a streak of red light flashed by. Its speed was astonishing, and another figure appeared before the group.
This was also a Spirit Beast, over five meters long, extremely robust, and covered in crimson fur.
The red was as intense as fire, like burning magma, emitting a scorching aura amidst the dappled light and shadows. It looked somewhat like a lion, but it had three huge "dog heads." Three heads, six eyes, each mouth wide open, revealing snow-white fangs, ferocious and terrifying.
As soon as it appeared, it stood in front of the Auspicious Beast, its massive body completely shielding the Auspicious Beast. Its three pairs of eyes were filled with vigilance, sweeping across the faces of the four people one by one, carrying unconcealed hostility.
It stared at Xuan Zi and said, "You are that guy from Shrek Academy."
Xuan Zi recognized the opponent, and a hint of solemnity flashed in his earthy-yellow eyes.
He said in a deep voice, "Chi Wang?"
That's right, the one who appeared at this moment was naturally the Auspicious Beast's personal bodyguard and nanny, Chi Wang, ranked eighth among the ten great Vicious Beasts!
Chi Wang knew he was no match for Xuan Zi. His mind quickly organized his words, thinking that protecting the Auspicious Beast was paramount; he could not provoke the other party, nor could he show weakness.
A moment later, he looked at Xuan Zi and said, "The one behind me is the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest. Release it, and we will leave immediately."
"If you dare to hurt it, the entire Star Dou Great Forest will not let you off."
He was not bluffing. The Emperor Auspicious Beast was the source of Luck for the Star Dou Great Forest; if anything happened to it, the entire Star Dou Great Forest would riot.
Xuan Zi glanced at the Auspicious Beast trapped behind Chi Wang by his Earth Prison, a hint of contemplation flashing in his earthy-yellow eyes. In his mind, he also recalled some records of Shrek Academy; those ancient texts indeed mentioned the existence of the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
With a thought, the yellow light cage trapping the Auspicious Beast slowly rose, carrying the Auspicious Beast as it floated toward him.
Chi Wang's aura erupted instantly, his crimson fur standing on end like a burning flame. His three heads opened their mouths simultaneously, revealing snow-white fangs, and he let out a low roar.
His voice was full of anger and anxiety: "What are you doing? Are you really prepared to bear the wrath of the entire Star Dou?"
Chi Wang dared not attack rashly, fearing that Xuan Zi would recklessly harm the Auspicious Beast.
And Xuan Zi seemed to see Chi Wang's hesitation, so he snorted, "Rest assured, I will not take its life."
The Auspicious Beast floated in front of Xuan Zi, and the earthy-yellow light cage, like an invisible hand, held it steadily in mid-air.
Chi Wang could only watch helplessly, like an incompetent husband. His three heads were raised high, and his six eyes were wide open. He wanted to rush up and save the Auspicious Beast, but he dared not. He was afraid that if he made a move, that human would attack the Auspicious Beast.
He could only stand there, his claws digging deep into the soil, emitting a low, suppressed roar.
Xuan Zi chuckled, his laughter full of triumph and calculation.
He stroked his gray beard and said, "Since we've met, it must be fate. It is said that where the Auspicious Beast is, it is protected by ten thousand beasts; its attribute is supreme, and humans can guide it."
Xuan Zi then looked at Huo Yuhao, a flash of anticipation in his earthy-yellow eyes.
He added, "Fate Guidance can channel the Auspicious Qi of this Auspicious Beast onto you, which will have immense benefits for your future Cultivation!"
After knowing that the opponent was the Auspicious Beast, Xuan Zi made this decision. This was not only because, in his eyes, Huo Yuhao was the future of Shrek Academy, a Prodigy-like existence. It was also to thank Huo Yuhao for turning the tide during the All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, which prevented a past mistake of his from leading to irreversible consequences.
Chi Wang roared again at this moment: "No! Put the Auspicious Beast down!"
Chi Wang did not know what this so-called Fate Guidance was, but it dared not take the risk.
Xuan Zi completely ignored Chi Wang's roar. His gaze remained on Huo Yuhao's face, waiting for the young man's reaction. But he did not see excitement or agitation in Huo Yuhao's eyes; instead, he sensed a trace of anger between his brows.
This really left Xuan Zi somewhat confused. He was clearly helping Huo Yuhao, giving him a tremendous Opportunity, so why was he not happy?
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.