Huo Yuhao's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared intently at his retreating back.
A thought flickered in her mind—she wanted to follow him, to venture into the human world alongside him. But as the roars of approaching soul beasts grew louder, she reluctantly abandoned the idea of chasing after him.
"Then, see you next time, Yuhao," she murmured softly.
The eye of destiny between her brows whispered to her that now was not the right time. Besides, while friendship was precious, family and her responsibilities were equally important.
Though she was well-protected by the fierce beasts around her, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion understood her significance to the Star Dou Forest. Staying behind was for Yuhao's sake as well.
With a resigned sigh, she lay down on the ground, her tail swishing lazily, a hint of discontent in her demeanor.
Not long after, a dark red figure approached boldly. This soul beast stood over five meters tall, exuding an aura of majesty.
Its form was a mix between a dog and a lion, with three identical heads, each more than a meter in diameter. Its terrifying fangs gleamed with a red-golden hue.
This was the guardian of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the eighth of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts—the 300,000-year cultivation Red King.
The Red King was having a tough time. Taking care of a child was no easy task, especially when that child held such immense importance to the Star Dou Forest.
If anything were to happen to the auspicious beast, even his formidable strength wouldn't be enough to withstand Beast God Di Tian's wrath.
After being separated from the auspicious beast for just a short while, the Red King returned to find his home in disarray. Following the lingering scent of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, he detected a strange presence in the distance—a human!
The audacity of this human to set his sights on the Emperor's auspicious beast infuriated the Red King. How could such a weak human soul master be so bold? Did he really think the Red King was a pushover?
"Are you okay, Rui Shou?" the Red King asked, his voice tinged with concern.
There was no response. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion remained silent.
"Hmph, that human ran fast. He saved his own life. What a lucky boy," the Red King muttered, trying to lighten the mood.
"Can soul beasts and humans really not coexist peacefully?" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion asked hesitantly after a moment.
"Oh, my little ancestor, you mustn't think like that," the Red King replied, his tone firm. "If you encounter a human soul master with ill intentions, you must fight. If you can't defeat them, I will. Remember the lesson of the soft-bone rabbit—never forget it."
At this, the Red King launched into a story, hoping to capture the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's attention.
"Long ago, a 100,000-year-old soft-bone rabbit met a tragic end at the hands of a cunning human soul master."
"Later, her descendants abandoned her alliances with Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python, choosing instead to transform into humans and enter the human world to seek revenge. There, she met a destined man..."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion chuckled softly. Strangely, the story that had once captivated her now paled in comparison to the simple joy of chatting with Huo Yuhao while eating grilled fish.
Of course, part of her disinterest stemmed from the fact that the Red King had told countless versions of such tales, and she already knew how they would end.
As the Red King reached the climax of his story, his voice grew dramatic. "...And after enduring countless trials, the soul master finally resurrected the soft-bone rabbit. His hoarse cry echoed through the Sunset Forest and reverberated across the entire continent."
"Resurrection! My love!" the Red King exclaimed theatrically.
"Uncle Red King," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion interjected, her tone curious, "didn't you say humans are insidious and cunning? Why did that person resurrect the soft-bone rabbit?"
The Red King was momentarily stunned by the question but quickly recovered. "Naturally, it was because the soft-bone rabbit still held value. To ascend to the divine realm, the soft-bone rabbit was an indispensable part of his plan. It was all calculated!"
"Is that so?" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion murmured, shaking her head in confusion. She decided not to press further.
After all, she was certain Huo Yuhao wasn't that kind of person. Besides, her life as a soul beast was long, and there would be plenty of time to figure things out when they met again.
"Uncle Red King, I want to eat grilled fish!" she declared, her tone suddenly cheerful.
"Grilled fish? What about these snacks?" the Red King asked, holding up the brain of a light soul beast.
"I want them all! I think the fish from the Lake of Life would be perfect," she replied eagerly.
"Alright, alright. Just wait, and I'll grill the fish for you," the Red King said confidently.
As a three-headed red demon mastiff with traces of true dragon bloodline, the Red King wielded the flames of hell—a fire close to the ultimate flame. Grilling fish was child's play for him.
With that, the two beasts walked and chatted, leaving the mixed area behind.
On the other side.
After activating the third-level Light Rainbow Gu and reaching a safe distance, Huo Yuhao ceased its activation.
Although he had the support of the Tianyuan Treasure Lotus Gu, simultaneously activating the Strength Gu and the Light Rainbow Gu consumed a significant amount of energy.
In truth, releasing the Light Rainbow Gu didn't require the assistance of the Strength Gu. However, under the immense pressure exerted by the Red (Scarlet) King, Huo Yuhao's current strength alone wouldn't suffice to break through without external aid. Thus, he employed both Gu simultaneously.
With both Gu activated, Huo Yuhao's enhanced physical fitness allowed the speed of his rainbow transformation to increase significantly. This combination could be considered a fusion skill.
"As expected, as the number of Gu insects increases, so does their coordination," Huo Yuhao mused.
The dazzling golden light faded, revealing Huo Yuhao unharmed.
The Light Rainbow Gu's effect surpassed Huo Yuhao's expectations. With its assistance, he could fly ahead of time. Generally, aside from external aids like flying soul skills and soul guides, soul masters aiming to fly at high altitudes needed to be at least seven-ring Soul Saints to achieve brief flight through powerful soul power.
Huo Yuhao had another reason for stopping. It was the perfect opportunity to test the second-turn consumable Gu worm he obtained from Wang Dong—the Forced Extraction Gu (Forced Gu).
Relying on the Forced Extraction Gu, Huo Yuhao could extract any soul bone from a soul beast's corpse, including external soul bones. However, the location of the external soul bone obtained this way was randomly determined by the soul beast.
Additionally, a soul beast corpse that had already produced soul bones could no longer be used as raw material.
Moreover, there was a limit on the number of extractions. Only the external soul bones of thousand-year soul beasts were ideal targets. After all, they were here. External soul bones with growth properties would be of great help to him.
After randomly choosing a direction, Huo Yuhao began to explore horizontally. Naturally, he had extremely high standards for the type of thousand-year soul beast he sought.
In the soul beast world, cultivation was important, but the type of soul also determined its strength, as well as the strength of the soul rings and soul bones it dropped. Ideally, it would be a flying soul beast with a strong bloodline.
Although the Light Rainbow Gu provided assistance, a pair of wing-type external soul bones would be immensely beneficial to Huo Yuhao at this stage.
After eliminating nearly a hundred suitable flying soul beasts, Huo Yuhao finally found a suitable target—a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
Through spiritual detection, he sensed its surging blood and soul power fluctuations. Combined with his knowledge, Huo Yuhao accurately judged it to be a soul beast over two thousand years old.
A Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear—what luck!
Known as the "Earth Render," the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was one of the most powerful soul beasts, often referred to as the "war maniac of the forest."
Generally, soul beasts' abilities leaned toward specific traits, such as speed, attack, or defense. For instance, the Wolf Ape Huo Yuhao had encountered earlier was primarily inclined toward speed, with its attack power derived from its swiftness.
However, the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was an anomaly. It excelled in both attack and defense, a seemingly contradictory combination. It was said that the most powerful Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear could even rival a dragon.
'Bear King: Yes, it is me'
It was said to be evenly matched with Di Tian! Although Huo Yuhao wasn't sure if this was the same bear Xiao Xiao had absorbed in the original story, he had already decided on his target.
As for the wing-type external soul bone, he would definitely pursue it next time.
This giant bear was over three meters long and exuded an imposing aura. Its black fur had a faint metallic sheen, and the claws on its forepaws were exceptionally long, extending two feet outward.
Huo Yuhao activated his Imitation soul skill. This time, he also used his mental power to mask his scent.
Although this Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear had only two thousand years of cultivation, its strong bloodline allowed it to fight across levels, possessing the combat power of a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
Underestimating an enemy was a military taboo, and Huo Yuhao would never make that mistake. He always reminded himself that he was merely a three-ring soul master. Even a lion must use its full strength when fighting a rabbit.
As the distance closed, Huo Yuhao teleported near the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear using a spatial movement.
With the assistance of spatial control and the cover of Imitation, everything proceeded silently. The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear remained oblivious to its impending doom, still engrossed in devouring the soul beasts it had hunted.
Then, Witness Gu + Soul Shock.
A killing move—Soul Shock, weakened version.
Without the aid of the Righteousness Gu, Huo Yuhao also reduced the input of mental power, so the consumption wasn't as severe.
Additionally, Huo Yuhao had now reached the soul Elder level, with further improvements in his physical fitness and mental strength.
Soul Shock was no longer the trump card it once was, reserved for dire situations.
Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly lit up, becoming crystal clear in an instant. A faint purple-gold light flickered.
In the next moment, a violent surge of mental power swept over the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, causing its body to tremble violently. Simultaneously, the bear let out a piercing scream.
A dazzling bright purple soul ring emerged as the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear died.
It was a sure kill.
Although the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear's defense was formidable, how could it withstand a direct mental attack?
Huo Yuhao activated the Forced Extraction Gu.
He wasn't sure if it was good news, but he found that it couldn't be used.
Reaching out, he touched the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, then used the Ice Emperor's Claw to sever its right forelimb. In a few seconds, he dissected it, revealing a peculiar bone.
This bone was dark gold, emitting strong soul power fluctuations—clearly a soul bone.
Bad news: The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear had "dropped" gold coins.
Good news: It was the right metacarpal bone.
At the front of the right metacarpal bone were five narrow blades, resembling a miniature version of the terror claw. A dark golden halo flowed over the blades like water waves.
"It really is the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear from the original novel!" Huo Yuhao exclaimed.
Huo Yuhao sighed, "I can only let Xiao Xiao suffer this time."
…
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