Half a day ago.
Deep within the Star Dou Forest, a mysterious and perilous place.
A soul beast with three eyes, each shimmering with a faint golden halo, resembling a lion, paused and raised its head. Its clear eyes flickered with a hint of doubt.
"What's happening?"
The three-eyed golden beast glanced around, its gaze eventually settling on the outer edge of the Star Dou Forest.
"An illusion? I sense an aura of destiny, just beyond the forest. How can there be a presence so similar to mine?"
As the emperor auspicious beast of the Star Dou Forest, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's habitat is a place where all soul beasts grow at twice the normal rate. The chances of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast breaking through a bottleneck are also doubled. Thus, the status of the three-eyed golden lion is supreme.
She is the treasure cherished by the ferocious beasts, free to roam and act as she pleases anywhere within the Star Dou Forest. Around her neck, she wears an aura-shielding reverse scale and a sensing device gifted by the Beast God, Di Tian.
Those who invoke the true name of the auspicious beast shall witness eternal life in reincarnation!
Gazing down upon eternity, across the stars.
Son of luck? Dare to take another step forward, and the world will be turned upside down!
At the pinnacle of the beast hierarchy, proud and unrivaled, with her, the auspicious beast shall reign supreme!
If she just shout "Di Tian, save me!", with a single strike, the Dragon God's claws would pierce through the air, obliterating all threats.
Whenever the three-eyed golden beast is endangered, her personal bodyguards are immediately dispatched. The three-headed red demon mastiff of the Red King is always the first to attack.
If even the Red King is helpless, the Beast God, Di Tian, will intervene directly.
"This strange feeling… it's the first time I've experienced something like this in my life. Could it be… my kin?"
The emperor auspicious beast, who has spent her years in the tranquil Star Dou Forest, felt a spark of curiosity.
Her initial doubt gradually gave way to intrigue. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head, her intelligence regaining control.
"Forget it. Filling my stomach is more important for now."
In the mixed Zone, when the terrifying explosion sound erupted, the outcome was already decided.
Soon, the corpse of the Three-Life Wolf Ape condensed into three dark soul rings.
Under the guidance of Skydream's spiritual power, these three soul rings fused together seamlessly.
"Success! Yuhao, you were right!"In the spiritual sea, Skydream danced with joy.
Though Huo Yuhao was somewhat weakened at this moment, the recovery power of the Tianyuan Baolian quickly replenished his depleted soul power.
"Thanks to yours assistance," Huo Yuhao smiled.
The fusion of the soul rings was within his expectations.
When the Three-Life Wolf Ape used its trinity fusion skill, it could simultaneously kill three beasts. This was the opportune moment Huo Yuhao had anticipated.
From the moment he laid eyes on the Three-Life Wolf Ape, Huo Yuhao had already conceived this plan.
After approaching the corpse of the wolf ape, he discovered three identical ten-thousand-year left leg bones, each exuding a purple-black aura laced with silver light.
Soul bones are exceedingly rare treasures, far more valuable than soul rings. Ten-thousand-year soul bones, in particular, are priceless.
Except for those at the hundred-thousand-year level, most soul bones possess only one soul skill. However, the more powerful the soul beast, the more formidable the soul bones it produces.
These three soul bones inherited the spatial attributes of the Three-Life Wolf Ape. Unsurprisingly, they contained the ability to teleport, making them exceptionally precious.
Huo Yuhao stored them away. Even if he didn't absorb them later, they would be valuable for fusion or crafting new soul bones.
Using them solely for fusion would be a waste.
If he recalled correctly, these three left leg bones could synergize when absorbed by different soul masters.
In addition to teleportation, they also possessed a unique skill: the ability to swap positions with other holders of the Three-Life Wolf Ape left leg bones within a certain range.
For now, though, absorbing the soul ring took priority.
Perhaps, the fusion of these three soul rings would yield a pleasant surprise.
"It's a pity that the lifespan of these three fused ten-thousand-year soul rings only exceeds twenty thousand years, not reaching thirty thousand," Skydream lamented.
She had worked hard, relying on the sealing soul ring skill she obtained in her dreams, but it seemed her efforts were in vain.
"Enough, Skydream. Focus on protecting Yuhao. Absorbing soul rings in the wild is still dangerous," the Ice Empress interjected coldly, her tone alert.
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy.
"Senior Sister, it's bad! Yuhao…" Ma Xiaotao burst into Zhang Lexuan's residence in a panic.
Her frantic demeanor suggested that Huo Yuhao had been captured by a soul beast and was on the brink of death.
"What's wrong, Xiaotao? Calm down and explain slowly," Zhang Lexuan's composed voice soothed Ma Xiaotao's anxiety.
After Ma Xiaotao's hurried explanation, Zhang Lexuan understood the situation and reassured her:
"Xiao Tao, you're overthinking this. Junior Brother has only been gone for less than two days. He'll be fine."
Although Huo Yuhao's letter instructed Ma Xiaotao to seek help from the senior sister after a week, only a day had passed.
Ma Xiaotao, sensing something amiss, had reported it to Zhang Lexuan promptly.
"Yuhao's Spirit Eye Martial Spirit requires a soul beast with spiritual attributes. Such creatures are rare and must be of a suitable age. Only by venturing deep into the mixed zone does one stand a chance of encountering them. It's a bold move."
Ma Xiaotao's expression was exaggerated as she continued.
"That's the perilous Star Dou Forest! Even when we go to hunt for soul rings, we form teams led by senior teachers…"
"Perhaps Junior Brother has his reasons. He's always cautious and wouldn't act recklessly."
At this, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but recall the last time Elder Xuan led them on a soul-hunting expedition.
For some unknown reason, Elder Xuan had disappeared, leaving a group of inner court disciples to face an exceptionally brutal hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Could they win?
It was a guaranteed death.
A normal hundred-thousand-year soul beast is comparable to a Titled Douluo, and the one they faced was not only bloodthirsty but also exceptionally savage.
At the time, Zhang Lexuan was only a level 80 Seven-Ring Soul Saint. Among the twelve team members, only two were Soul Saints, while the rest were Soul Kings and Soul Emperors.
With such a lineup, they were no match for the hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
The result was heavy casualties. Eight inner court geniuses, destined to become at least Soul Douluo, perished at the hands of the beast.
Every time Zhang Lexuan summoned her martial soul and saw her blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring, she was reminded of that harrowing experience.
As a disciple of Shrek's inner court, encountering emergencies is inevitable.
As Elder Xuan often said, one cannot become a true powerhouse without enduring life-and-death trials.
Perhaps Elder Xuan had failed in his duty as a team leader.
But from Zhang Lexuan's perspective, she could only hold herself accountable.
If only she had been stronger back then.
Time may have dulled Zhang Lexuan's guilt and sorrow, but it couldn't erase her determination and resolve.
She must strive to become stronger, to live up to the expectations of others, to protect Shrek… and to protect her junior brother.
"Xiaotao, in that case, I'll head to the Star Dou Forest to find Junior Brother," Zhang Lexuan declared without hesitation.
Even the slightest possibility was too great a risk to ignore.
Yuhao is Shrek's future!
"Big sister, I want to go too!"
"I'll go alone, Xiaotao. Inform Dean Yan and the others."
"Understood!"
And so, the rescue mission for Huo Yuhao began.
…
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