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The night in the Great Star Dou Forest was never quiet—crickets chirped, beasts roared, their cries rising and falling in an endless chorus.
Huo Yuhao and his companions took turns keeping watch, their rest uneasy—but with soul power flowing through their bodies, they rose each morning refreshed and alert.
The next day, they pressed deeper into the mixed zone, searching for a Spirit-type soul beast suitable for Huo Yuhao.
Yet Spirit-type soul beasts were rare to begin with; those reaching the ten-thousand-year level were rarer still. After an entire day of searching, they found nothing.
Huo Yuhao was anxious, but he remembered his body had been strengthened by the Life Gold essence—he could now withstand a ten-thousand-year soul ring. He refused to settle. He forced himself to wait.
Fate's threads often weave themselves in silence—or perhaps, auspicious beings are drawn to one another.
The Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—normally confined to the core region of the Great Star Dou Forest—had, for reasons unknown, chased a rare, thirty-thousand-year Light-Dark Twin Giant all the way to the edge of the mixed zone.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion resembled a lion, its entire body covered in brilliant golden fur, as if woven from sunlight itself. A vertical eye on its forehead pulsed with infinite mystery and authority.
Wherever it passed, surrounding plants thrived with renewed vigor, and an invisible aura of auspicious energy spread through the air.
It possessed dual Ultimate attributes—Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light—and was a blessing of the Great Star Dou Forest, accelerating the growth of all soul beasts within its vicinity. It had one peculiar habit: it delighted in consuming the brain marrow of Light-type soul beasts.
The thirty-thousand-year Light-Dark Twin Giant was strong within its own species—but before the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, it was like prey confronting its ultimate predator. Its Light-Dark energies were utterly suppressed by pure Light, leaving it with little will to resist.
In mere exchanges, the Lion's sharp claws and fangs tore through its defenses, piercing its skull with precision, and it began savoring the warm, radiant brain marrow.
This scene was captured by Xuan Zi, who hovered above, lazily scanning the surroundings with his Spiritual Power.
"Huh? That's… the Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?!"
Xuan Zi's cloudy eyes lit up instantly with shock and greed. "The legendary Imperial Auspicious Beast… if I could capture it…"
He dared not imagine the magnitude of the enhancement it would grant as a soul ring or soul bone.
Clearly, he knew of Auspicious Beasts—but had no true understanding of their critical importance to the Great Star Dou Forest.
Though he sensed the Lion's power was only at the ten-thousand-year level, its aura radiated terror comparable to that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Yet Xuan Zi's confidence in his own strength was absolute.
In an instant, his body vanished from the sky like a phantom, descending with overwhelming force. The terrifying pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo erupted without restraint—a colossal, yellow palm, formed entirely of soul power, blotted out the sun as it reached for the Lion, still feasting.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt the mortal threat. It roared in furious alarm, unleashing torrents of Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire in desperate resistance.
But under Xuan Zi's full assault, its power seemed as feeble as that of a cub. The massive palm loomed closer—its capture inevitable.
At that critical moment—
Hum!
Space twisted violently.
A figure appeared without warning between the Lion and Xuan Zi.
Clad in dazzling, flowing Battle Armor that shimmered with iridescent light, the newcomer's soul power fluctuated like that of a Titled Douluo—yet his aura stood unyielding against Xuan Zi's, neither yielding nor faltering.
It was Gu La.
He had been hiding nearby, drawn by the Lion's presence—yet he had not anticipated Xuan Zi's sudden attack.
Even more astonishing: the moment the Lion appeared, Gu La felt a subtle, inexplicable connection form between himself and the Auspicious Beast—an invisible bond between two beings chosen by fate.
Xuan Zi's palm halted abruptly meters from Gu La. His pupils contracted sharply. From beneath the armor, he sensed an aura of profound danger—so intense it sent a chill through his very core. This was no ordinary being.
"Who are you?!" Xuan Zi's voice was heavy, every fiber of his soul power tensed. The shadow of the Taotie Bull Soul loomed behind him, barely visible.
Almost simultaneously, another terrifying, savage aura erupted from nearby.
A crimson figure crashed into the scene like a meteor of flame, revealing a monstrous, dog-like beast with three snarling heads, wreathed in dark red fire—the Scarlet King, the Lion's guardian, a soul beast of over three hundred thousand years.
"Human! Release the Auspicious Beast! Or the Great Star Dou Forest will unleash a soul beast Tide—and crush your human world to dust!"
The central head of the Scarlet King roared, thunderous and brutal. Its three pairs of eyes locked onto Xuan Zi and Gu La, filled with fury and menace.
Xuan Zi's face darkened instantly. He realized he had grossly underestimated the importance of the Imperial Auspicious Beast. A soul beast Tide—the threat was one even Shrek Academy could not survive.
Yet Gu La, caught between the two titans, appeared utterly indifferent to their standoff.
Slowly, he knelt and reached out, gently stroking the golden fur of the Lion, which had flinched slightly in fright.
"Nice texture," he remarked calmly, as if evaluating a piece of art.
The Lion blinked, startled. From this armored human, it sensed a strange sense of kinship—as if they shared the same origin, yet separated by a veil of mist. It did not resist the touch.
It tilted its head, the vertical eye on its brow flickering, and spoke in a soft, feminine voice: "Who are you?"
"Later," Gu La replied, standing and turning his gaze to Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King.
In that same instant, almost instinctively, both Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King attacked.
Xuan Zi targeted Gu La—he needed to know this mysterious figure's identity and purpose. He thrust forward a palm, soul power surging, infused with the devouring essence of the Taotie Bull.
The Scarlet King's target was the Lion—he sought to rescue it. All three heads simultaneously unleashed torrents of black-red flame capable of melting steel and stone, engulfing Gu La.
Gu La reacted instantly.
With a flick of his left hand, invisible spatial power formed a cage around the curious, wide-eyed Lion—protecting it while preventing it from fleeing.
At the same time, a flash of light erupted behind him—and a thunderous, earth-shaking roar of a bear shook the forest.
A colossal, muscular spirit soul emerged—its body radiating primordial energy, covered in thick, earthy yellow light. Every movement seemed to warp the gravity around it.
It was Gu La's first spirit soul—the Titan Giant Bear—forged from the ancestral fusion of three top-tier soul beast bloodlines.
Through Gu La's cultivation and its own inheritance from the Gravity Titan lineage, though still at the hundred-thousand-year spirit soul level, its mastery over Ultimate Earth and Gravity granted it combat power far exceeding that of a normal hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
The Titan Giant Bear roared and charged the Scarlet King. Its massive paw slammed down, warping gravity so violently that the Scarlet King's infernal flames twisted, shattered, and dissolved before they could reach their target.
The two titans clashed instantly—earth cracked, trees toppled, the spectacle terrifying beyond words.
Though the Scarlet King was immensely powerful, he was now pinned under the Titan Giant Bear's overwhelming strength, defense, and gravity control. He roared in fury, unable to break through.
On the other side, Gu La faced Xuan Zi.
His Starlight Soul Core spun violently, devouring vast quantities of Heavenly Energy. The "Ancient Eternal Solid" Three-Word Battle Armor on his body blazed with light, temporarily elevating his soul power level to match that of a standard Titled Douluo.
In his hand, a longsword of emerald green materialized—formed from the gathered life force of the surrounding forest.
In the next instant, a piercing, cutting aura surged skyward—Sword Soul Realm!
"Let me see the strength of the Taotie Douluo."
Gu La's voice, filtered through his helmet, carried a hint of challenge.
He intended to use this Level 98 Titled Douluo as a whetstone—to glimpse the legendary Sword God Realm under pressure. Even if he failed, he would forge an unshakable foundation for his Sword Path.
"Arrogant brat!"
Xuan Zi exploded in rage. He had seen through the youth's true age and the artificial soul power surge granted by his soul guidance device.
A mere boy wielding soul guidance devices dared challenge him? The Taotie Bull martial soul solidified into a mountainous shadow, crushing down with devouring terror.
"Come on!"
Gu La did not dodge. His sword, forged from the life essence of a hundred-meter radius, glowed emerald and alive.
Yet at the moment their powers were about to collide, his sixth soul ring flared.
A cold, sinister aura flashed—fleeting, yet unmistakable.
Behind him, the Yin-Yang Ghost Emperor Soul of Yin Wansheng flickered into view. The martial soul's unique trait was triggered—Yin and Yang reversed, attributes inverted. The Sword Soul's life-giving intent instantly twisted into its opposite.
The torrent of life energy transformed into pure, annihilating death energy. The emerald blade darkened, withered, and turned gray—lifeless, deathly. Its killing power surged exponentially.
"Evil soul master!" Xuan Zi gasped, pupils contracting. This pure death energy could not be wielded by any righteous soul master.
Gu La offered no explanation. Good. Let him be called an evil soul master. Power itself held no morality.
His understanding of death came from two of his avatars deeply connected to death—it was profound.
The Sword Soul Realm Death Intent unfurled—its movements eerie, elusive, yet lethally precise. Each strike carried the weight of decay, of all life returning to nothingness.
Xuan Zi dared not meet this Death Sword Intent with his Taotie Bull martial soul—he feared the death aura would corrode his very Soul origin. He could only rely on long-range blasts and evasive maneuvers, his movements constrained, his frustration mounting.
Yet his Taotie Bull martial soul was formidable. In battle, it continuously absorbed scattered soul power from his opponent, attempting to turn the fight into a war of endurance.
Gu La's pressure grew. He realized he had underestimated the depth of a Level 98 Titled Douluo.
Even with the Three-Word Battle Armor, the quality and quantity of soul power between them remained vastly unequal. A prolonged battle favored Xuan Zi.
He changed tactics immediately.
His First Soul Skill—Endless Forest Realm—activated.
The endless trees around them came alive. Branches and vines transformed into countless emerald or gray-white blades, surging like tidal waves from all directions toward Xuan Zi.
Gu La himself vanished into the chaos. His sword strikes shifted constantly—sometimes intricate as ten thousand falling leaves, sometimes simple as a single thrust—using Xuan Zi purely as a training partner, no longer seeking a killing blow.
Xuan Zi's face turned livid. He saw it clearly—the boy was using him as a sparring dummy!
Yet he was powerless to stop it. The boy's realm merged perfectly with the forest, granting him astonishing recovery. His plant-based attribute also countered Xuan Zi's Earth defense. Though he could not fathom how an evil soul master controlled plants, he had no way to pin down this slippery "evil soul master."
Meanwhile, the Scarlet King was also being crushed under the Titan Giant Bear's gravity field and overwhelming power. Deep claw marks scarred his body, and his roars of fury were futile—he could not break free.
Gu La calculated the time. He could not afford to delay.
Di Tian had likely already sensed the Auspicious Beast's distress and was on his way. If the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King arrived—someone who could not even be bested by Xuan Zi—and faced a true dragon of at least half-god level, the situation would spiral into disaster.
He activated his spatial ability, teleporting beside the Lion, still imprisoned in the spatial cage.
"What are you doing?!" Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King shouted in unison, both fearing for the Lion's safety, desperate to intervene—but both were held fast by the Titan Giant Bear's overpowered gravity field.
In one second, Gu La placed his hand upon the Lion's forehead. His immense spiritual power resonated gently with a thread of auspicious energy.
He did not harm it. He left only a spiritual imprint—and one phrase.
Then he spoke to Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King:
"Three days from now, at this very spot, I will return it—unharmed, not a single hair damaged."
Without waiting for the Scarlet King's reply, Gu La gripped the Lion. Space around him rippled violently—and he vanished without a trace.
That supreme spatial teleportation left Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King frozen in stunned silence.
The Scarlet King stared at its three heads, roaring in fury—but could do nothing. The opponent's power was unfathomable, his spatial ability divine. He could not track them.
He shot a venomous glare at Xuan Zi—had it not been for this human, the Auspicious Beast would never have been endangered—and then transformed into a streak of crimson light, racing back to the core to report this earth-shattering news to Di Tian.
The Auspicious Beast had been abducted by a mysterious, immensely powerful human!
Xuan Zi's expression shifted wildly. He abandoned any pretense of giving Huo Yuhao "training."
His powerful spiritual power swept the mixed zone with frantic speed—until he found a newly awakened ten-thousand-year Spirit-type soul beast: the Three-Eyed Illusion Fox, whose attributes were reasonably compatible.
He forcibly subdued it.
Then he swiftly located Huo Yuhao and his companions, gave a brief, edited account—omitting his own attempt to seize the Lion and Gu La's appearance—and led them, along with the captured soul beast, away from the Great Star Dou Forest at maximum speed.
Moments after their departure, a terrifying dragon aura erupted from the heart of the Great Star Dou Forest, sweeping across the land.
Di Tian appeared in the sky, his face dark as a storm.
He listened to the Scarlet King's terrified report, his golden eyes flickering with restrained fury.
"Worthless!" Di Tian roared, his voice shaking the earth. "Myriad Demon King, mobilize every plant-type soul beast. Search every inch of the Great Star Dou Forest. Find the Auspicious Beast—even if you turn the forest inside out!"
Deep within the forest, ancient trees stirred silently, as if the entire forest had opened its eyes.
A massive search for the Auspicious Beast began.
Meanwhile, the captured Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, now gazed curiously at the human who had taken it from the battlefield. It felt no danger—only a thrilling sense of escape from its monotonous existence.
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