Under Di Tian's oppressive pressure, a flicker of resentment passed through Xiong Jun's lowered eyes.
"Roar—" With a low growl, he transformed into a massive bear, standing fifteen meters tall. In terms of sheer presence, he surpassed even the Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff, Scarlet King, in his true form. His body was covered in dense, heavy, dark golden fur, and his extraordinarily long arms dangled past his knees, each over ten meters in length. The muscles on his shoulders bulged like small hills.
In terms of cultivation and ranking, he was inferior to Bi Ji and the Myriad Demon King, but in combat prowess, even Bi Ji, the Myriad Demon King, and Scarlet King combined might not be his match.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was a creature capable of tearing apart giant dragons, its bloodline so noble that among the top ten ferocious beasts, only Di Tian, the pure-blooded Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, could firmly surpass it.
Dark golden light surged from Xiong Jun's massive, razor-sharp claws, significantly reducing the pressure from Di Tian's aura. His emotions flickered, forcibly suppressing the deep-seated resentment in his eyes.
He lacked wisdom and had challenged the Beast God Di Tian's authority multiple times. But he wasn't foolish—he understood Di Tian's strength better than the other three ferocious beasts.
"Di Tian, I did eliminate an eight-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger back then. I never imagined there would be a second one in the Star Dou Forest," he said in a deep, rumbling voice after transforming into his true form.
"You didn't imagine, or you didn't take the Myriad Demon King's warning seriously?" Di Tian snorted coldly, his voice like a thunderclap.
Raising his right hand, a massive black claw shadow materialised in the space before Xiong Jun, striking his true form in the next instant.
With a pained cry, Xiong Jun's enormous body turned into a blur, hurtling toward the depths of the Star Dou Forest, carving a continuous trench in the ground.
Only scattered strands of resilient dark golden fur remained floating in the air.
Scarlet King and Bi Ji's expressions grew solemn. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's defence was formidable, yet as the king of his kind with four hundred seventy thousand years of cultivation, Xiong Jun couldn't withstand a casual strike from Di Tian.
The Myriad Demon King, who had been hovering behind Di Tian, had already descended to Scarlet King's side, his face full of reverence.
Di Tian didn't spare another glance at the direction Xiong Jun had been flung. When he approached the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the coldness in his eyes instantly turned to warmth and affection.
"You little one, don't leave the core zone so easily in the future. If you must leave, at least inform Scarlet King, who's guarding you. If he hadn't arrived in time today, you'd have been in great danger. Those two human Titled Douluo didn't act against you, but that was only because of Scarlet King's presence. I've told you long ago that for us soul beasts, the most dangerous beings are human soul masters. Never underestimate human greed and malice."
The daze in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes faded considerably. It looked up at Di Tian, its gaze tinged with a strange light.
"Di Tian, are all humans as you describe?"
At these words, Bi Ji, Scarlet King, and the Myriad Demon King simultaneously turned their attention to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Di Tian met its gaze, pausing briefly before responding faintly.
"Little one, I haven't lived in the human world, so I can't give you a definitive answer. But at the very least, the vast majority of human soul masters who enter our Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts are like that. Human soul masters and we soul beasts are inherently opposed."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion fell silent, lost in thought.
"Alright, let's head home. Later, let Bi Ji thoroughly check your condition. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger possesses the ultimate evil attribute. If that evil aura has infiltrated your body, it could affect your future growth," Di Tian said, his low voice laced with a hint of murderous intent. "Over our ten thousand years together, I've come to see you as my friend, even my child. That Dark Demon Evil God Tiger dared to harm you, so it must face my wrath. Myriad Demon King, issue my command: have all of Star Dou's forces search for that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's whereabouts."
"Yes, Di Tian," the Myriad Demon King stepped forward, responding respectfully.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion rose dazedly, about to follow Di Tian's words and leave, when it suddenly turned to look in the direction where the Azure Flame Dragon had departed. The memory of that young human grew more vivid in its mind, though it would take considerable time to fully process it.
Xu Zihuang's tumultuous twelve years of life had profoundly impacted the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
That earlier contact hadn't just exchanged their memories; for some unknown reason, much of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's pure golden dragon bloodline had been drawn out by Xu Zihuang. The power of destiny it intended to transfer to Xu Zihuang through the connection, was rejected—not by Xu Zihuang's conscious will, but because his stronger fortune suppressed it.
As the darling of destiny, the Auspicious Beast rarely faced threats. Threats arose for only two reasons: encountering an opponent whose fortune perfectly countered it, or meeting its fated destiny.
Due to its partial control over the power of destiny, the Auspicious Beast was bound to encounter bottlenecks in its fortune, much like soul masters faced bottlenecks in their cultivation.
Xu Zihuang might be that bottleneck—it's fated destiny or an opponent whose fortune countered it.
Clearly, Xu Zihuang was the latter. Unfortunately, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was unaware of this. Even though Xu Zihuang's fortune countered it, under the guidance of destiny, their paths were destined to cross again.
"What's wrong?" Noticing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's odd behaviour, Bi Ji asked gently.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion shook its golden head.
"Nothing, Sister Bi Ji. Let's go back."
…
Meanwhile, in the northwestern outer zone of the Star Dou Forest.
Two figures stumbled out of the Star Dou Forest in disarray.
Though it appeared as only two figures, there were actually four people, as two were unconscious, carried on the backs of the others.
Leading the way was a girl of about fifteen, her demeanour cold and her figure tall. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her white combat outfit clung tightly to her body, her long legs particularly striking.
But now, she looked utterly dishevelled, covered in dirt, with strands of her bound hair falling messily across her delicate face.
"Weina! Weina!" The girl's chest heaved as she anxiously called out to the other girl on her back.
The girl called Weina, about the same age, had long azure hair cascading down her back, dressed in a goose-yellow combat outfit. Her beauty rivalled Jiang Nannan, Shrek Academy's reputed outer court beauty. Her eyes were closed, long lashes resting on her lids, but her face was deathly pale, her breathing faint. Even in her unconscious state, she exuded a delicate, gentle aura.
Sensing this, the cold girl's expression changed drastically, and she stopped in her tracks.
Following closely behind was a lean young man, carrying a middle-aged man covered in blood. The middle-aged man, appearing around forty, seemed to have shattered bones, his limbs dangling limply.
The lean young man reached out to check the middle-aged man's breathing, his voice trembling as he roared, "Miss, what do we do? Big Brother's almost gone!"
The cold girl bit her lip tightly, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Their original plan was to hunt two suitable soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, with cultivations of around five thousand years.
Their group was led by Mo Feiyun, the "Big Brother" the lean young man referred to, a Soul Sage-level powerhouse, accompanied by five Soul Kings.
Such a lineup should have been more than sufficient to hunt two thousand-year soul beasts, but by ill fate, they were caught in the clash between the Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff, Scarlet King, and the fifty-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger in the mixed zone.
Worse, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's escape route overlapped with their location.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger paid no heed to these "ants," but the shockwaves from such a high-level clash were not easily endured. Four of the five Soul Kings perished on the spot, leaving only the lean young man alive.
Mo Feiyun, protecting the two girls, was gravely injured. The cold girl fared slightly better, but Weina was in dire straits. As a support-type soul master, Weina's physical resilience was far inferior to combat soul masters. Her position was closest to the epicentre of Scarlet King and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's clash.
Though Mo Feiyun shielded Weina from the shockwaves at the cost of his life, she still fell unconscious.
The cold girl tried to calm herself, a sudden thought striking her as she looked firmly northwest.
"Go to Shrek. The people at Shrek Academy must have a way to heal Weina and Master Mo's injuries," she said with unwavering determination, clinging to her last hope.
"Weina, you must hold on. As the princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire, you carry a greater responsibility."
…
At Shrek Academy, an Azure dragon over thirty meters long soared through the sky, its massive wings casting a shadow as it flew toward the Sea God Pavilion. The dragon's body was wreathed in domineering Azure flames, with only its majestic claws protruding from the blaze.
Xu Zihuang sat cross-legged on the dragon's head, already in a state of deep meditation. Not far behind, Qian Duoduo supported the still-unconscious He Caitou.
At that moment, morning classes at Shrek Academy's outer court were about to begin, and many students heading to class witnessed this awe-inspiring scene.
"That's a martial soul true form?! A Titled Douluo?!" someone exclaimed upon seeing the nine soul rings pulsing around the Azure Flame Dragon.
Ying Ke'er, leaning against the railing of the second-year Class Three corridor, said in surprise to Ning Tian beside her, "Sister Tian, look! Isn't that Yu Tianhuang on the dragon's head?"
Ning Tian followed Ying Ke'er's gaze, spotting not only Xu Zihuang but also He Caitou and Qian Duoduo, the vice-dean of the Soul Tool Department, behind him.
She had met the vice-dean when she accompanied Xu Zihuang to study soul tools.
"Could something have happened?" Ning Tian's eyes filled with deep concern.
If it wasn't an emergency, their return to the academy wouldn't be so dramatic.
The Azure dragon flashed by, landing steadily atop the Sea God Pavilion.
Xian Lin'er reverted to her human form, glaring at Xu Zihuang, who was meditating in front of the pavilion, her anger barely contained.
Her actions naturally alerted Shrek Academy's higher-ups. Not only the elders of the Sea God Pavilion but also the dean and vice-dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er, and even Zhang Lexuan, a reserve member of the Sea God Pavilion, rushed to the scene.
At that moment, Elder Mu's gentle voice sounded in everyone's ears.
"Duoduo, take He Caitou to rest. Lexuan, stay by Tianhuang's side and watch over him. Everyone else, come inside."
"Yes, Elder Mu," the group responded in unison.
The elders entered the Sea God Pavilion one after another. Elder Mu, as always, lay on a recliner at one end of the long table, gesturing for everyone to sit. He then asked Xian Lin'er, "Tell us, Lin'er, what happened?"
"Yes, Teacher," Xian Lin'er said, sitting up straight and recounting their experiences in the Star Dou Forest in full detail.
"A fifty-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?" The elders' faces changed dramatically at this revelation.
Yan Shaozhe asked uncertainly, "Does the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger really exist in this era? And with fifty thousand years of cultivation? Lin'er, could you have mistaken it?"
"Yan Shaozhe, are you suggesting I'm lying to the elders? Or do you think any other soul beast with around fifty thousand years of cultivation could fight a three-hundred-thousand-year Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff, Scarlet King, without being clearly outmatched?" Xian Lin'er, already simmering with anger, stood and snapped back.
"Didn't our ancestor Tang San once kill a sixty-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and absorb its soul ring? Why couldn't one exist today?"
"Lin'er," Elder Lin, seated to Elder Mu's right, frowned and chided her.
Xian Lin'er took a deep breath, calming herself, and returned to her seat.
Elder Xuan, on the other hand, looked excitedly at Elder Mu. More than the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, he was focused on the strange golden lion Xian Lin'er mentioned last.
"Elder Mu, that golden lion must be the Emperor Auspicious Beast, right? And from Lin'er's description, it seems Yu Tianhuang completed an attribute connection with it. That's an immense opportunity."
"A time of great contention," Elder Mu murmured, his conviction growing stronger. At that moment, he was certain Yu Tianhuang was the Child of Destiny born for this era.
A time of great contention referred to an era where numerous exceptionally talented individuals emerged, and the continent's situation grew turbulent. The Child of Destiny, born of fate, would rise above all others, reshaping the continent's order.
He felt immense relief that Yu Tianhuang hailed from one of the three original Douluo Continent empires. If he had come from the Sun Moon Empire, then…
"It seems the records in the ancient texts hold deep meaning. We must accelerate this child's development. Lin'er, based on this extreme test, you and Duoduo draft a follow-up training plan for them. Once this child emerges from his deep meditation, formally begin implementing the Extreme Individual Soldier Plan. Everyone, disperse. Today's meeting is strictly confidential."
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