Chapter 153: Your Highness, save me!

This strange soul beast is less than 1.5 meters tall, its shoulder height about six feet, looking like a remarkably handsome large dog, very spirited.

"It's a Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu!"

Atolisi looked at the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu with envy, it's so handsome! How great would it be if this could be a soul ring? The earlier Azure Shadow Lion was too hasty.

"Ake Sis, do you want to use it as your second soul ring? How many years of cultivation does it have?"

Xueke twitched the corner of her mouth, slapped him on the back, "Idiot! How would I know how many years it has?! I've never seen this thing before!"

"Moreover, the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu symbolizes the fortune of the Star Dou Great Forest; touching it would provoke all soul beasts to hunt it! Are you trying to provoke a beast tide?!"

Qian Renxue pretended not to understand and asked, "Do you know this soul beast?"

Xueke solemnly nodded, grabbed Qian Renxue's arm to prevent her from acting impulsively.

"Legend has it that the Star Dou Great Forest has a strange auspicious beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu, also called the Imperial Auspicious Beast, the emperor of all soul beasts; as long as it is present, the cultivation speed of all soul beasts in this forest is more than double the normal rate."

"Moreover, it can bring auspiciousness to the entire forest; its status in the Star Dou Great Forest is equivalent to that of a Saintess of the Spirit Hall."

"Most importantly, ferocious beasts exist at the very center of the Star Dou Great Forest, each a super soul beast exceeding the hundred-thousand-year limit; our strongest here is only a Soul Emperor, so it's better to stay far away, for who knows if ferocious beasts follow to protect it."

If we encounter the dedicated bodyguard Red King, that would be disastrous.

Even if Qian Renxue's combat power were stronger, she is still only a Soul Emperor; moreover, Xueke does not believe she could have the energy to protect herself and Atolisi while fighting the Red King.

Xueke's eyes flashed with a hint of essence, "You see that Palm Bear, at least fifty thousand years of cultivation, yet it appears in the mixed zone; it fully deserves to occupy a spot near the core area, why does it live here? Is it because of something?"

"The Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu can bring auspiciousness; the place where it resides or temporarily stays must have treasures. Moreover, such a young Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu is not protected by ferocious beasts but appears here; it seems to have come prepared."

"It might have sensed something through the power of fate, prompting it to occupy the Palm Bear's valley; otherwise, even as an Imperial Auspicious Beast, it would not provoke a Palm Bear far stronger than itself. It seems the Living Spirit Gold has not been taken, or rather, it has not yet found it!"

Qian Renxue glanced at her and whispered, "Then after they leave, shall we go down and take a look?"

"Great! Great! I love treasure hunting!" Aside from Atolisi being a bit worried, Xueke also looked eager to try, "Such an opportunity is rare, absolutely unique."

A sharp whistle sounded, the airflow suddenly became strong; Xueke cautiously poked her head out and saw that in the valley, the Palm Bear was being driven farther and farther by the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu, heading off into the distance.

This is a narrow, elongated valley, and no one knows where its end leads.

The two soul beasts' figures grew smaller and gradually disappeared at the edge of their vision; it seemed to be rubbing its stomach, wanting to go out to forage, while also avoiding this little ancestor, cursing the bear too harshly.

"They left?" Xueke exhaled in relief.

Atolisi said, "It appears no other soul beasts show up in this valley; likely because of the presence of that fifty-thousand-year Palm Bear."

"Let's go!" Qian Renxue's eyes flashed, she rose silently and moved toward the valley below; her spiritual sense also detected no ferocious beast aura in this valley.

Qian Renxue grabbed the two of them and leapt down; after a moment, the three arrived at the bottom of the valley.

Gazing far into the distance toward the valley's end, the mist lay thick; the two soul beasts had vanished without a trace, seemingly not returning anytime soon.

"Look quickly." Xueke's voice suddenly came.

Qian Renxue turned to look in the direction she pointed, and her eyes lit up instantly.

Not far from them at a bend, there was a dark cave, about ten meters high, pitch-black, leading who knows where.

Qian Renxue pinched her chin, "Judging by this size, it's indeed the Palm Bear's territory."

Qian Renxue flashed forward, leading the charge toward that direction, with Xueke and Atolisi hurrying to follow.

"Urgh—such a foul smell, both fishy and rank." As soon as they entered the cave, Xueke retched, her face full of disgust.

Qian Renxue's complexion also looked a bit strange, but considering there might be treasure, she could endure it.

They quickly entered the cave and then swiftly proceeded deeper.

The cave interior was pitch-black, but upon entering they discovered a spacious cavern; its height quickly exceeded ten meters and kept expanding.

Fortunately, after turning a bend, a faint sweet fragrance could be sensed ahead.

Bones of soul beasts and various shattered honeycombs began to appear on the ground; the honey and unhatched larvae inside had been completely eaten, leaving only scattered remnants.

"This creature is really unhygienic, no wonder the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu hasn't found the Living Spirit Gold; this place is so foul, I'd guess even the Pixiu wouldn't want to come in." Xueke glanced disgustedly at the ground.

Qian Renxue said, "Don't be so picky; if we find something soon we can leave quickly. Look carefully—I and Atolisi don't even know what the Living Spirit Gold looks like."

Meanwhile, Atolisi looked around; his earlier worry outside the cave had turned into excitement for exploration, he proudly said, "Even though my soul power is only rank fourteen and I have only two companions beside me, I, Atolisi, can still venture into the cave of a fifty-thousand-year soul beast!"

After turning another bend, the view suddenly opened up, but just then a sharp cry rang out from behind.

Immediately, a golden figure shot toward them from behind like a flowing light.

Hearing that sharp cry, Atolisi felt his hairs stand on end, but being the last in line, he could only brace himself.

How did the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu come back so fast? Did it return after driving off the Palm Bear? "Your Highness! Save me!"

Atolisi shouted loudly, his body blazing with golden light; the Sword of the Victory Oath appeared in his hand, his first soul ring flared, and simultaneously a blue-white arm guard and hand guard materialized on his right arm, completely encasing his right hand and arm.

A halo of pale gold light spread from beneath Atolisi's feet over a ten-meter radius.

He fiercely swung the holy sword in his hand at the oncoming golden figure.

In the face of mortal danger, he had no thought of hiding; a three-foot-long pale cyan blade burst from the Sword of the Victory Oath, Wind King's Iron Hammer! With a crisp clang, the wind coiled around the blade instantly released, the bright sword body revealed in the void, and a powerful wind pressure slammed hard into the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu.

The Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu flipped and landed far away, while Atolisi was flung backward.

At that moment, golden light welled up in the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu's mouth and it swiftly spat toward the airborne Atolisi, who had no point of leverage.

Atolisi vomited a mouthful of blood with a "wah," his qi and blood surged throughout his body; he could only stare in terror at the light projectile, and after exerting his full strength his body stiffened for a moment, now unable to continue resisting.

Qian Renxue's lips curled with an inexplicable smile; now this kid's hidden trump cards are fully revealed—similar to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's draconic armor ability, plus a strange domain, and the first soul skill mentioned earlier is not its final form; he really is a little crafty devil.

She flickered, directly reached out and crushed that light projectile, then lunged to grab the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu.

"Be careful!" Xueke's face behind her changed drastically, and she shouted loudly.

A huge figure suddenly burst from the corner, appearing behind the Three-Eyed Golden Pixiu—none other than the Palm Bear that the Pixiu had just driven away.

Its formerly honest face now bore a cruel, sinister expression; accompanied by a low growl, it swung its powerful arms to attack, its pair of bear claws fiercely slamming toward Qian Renxue.

At the same time, a mysterious pressure squeezed Qian Renxue's body, seemingly to prevent her from dodging.

The Palm Bear's innate soul skill is Gravity Control, able to suddenly increase gravity within a certain range; even a swift Soul Emperor would be caught off guard and subdued by this gravity manipulation.

At the same time, its chest puffed out, the white V-pattern on its breast burst forth with light, transforming into a strong beam that blasted toward Xueke.

Too bad it picked the wrong person; even the Ultimate Douluo-powered Yuezhen had been slain by Qian Renxue, let alone a mere fifty-thousand-year Palm Bear.

A violent roar swept through the entire cave, making the whole valley tremble as if the mountains were shaking and the earth quaking, with piercing screams and angry roars continuing nonstop.

Names: none? "cave" is generic, "valley" is generic. No proper names.

The intense golden-yellow soul power undulation turned into overwhelming pressure, leaving Xue Ke and A Tuolisi unable to move; as a Soul Emperor wielding seven soul rings, each at least ten-thousand-years old, her soul power eruption was terrifyingly powerful.

Names: Xue Ke and A Tuolisi are personal names; according to the rule, personal names should be written in Hanyu pinyin, so they are Xue Ke and A Tuolisi.

Also Soul Emperor is a rank/title; we have the glossary entry Soul Emperor, which must be used exactly.

Under the brilliant golden light, the intense light was shattered; the fifty-thousand-year-old brown palm bear instantly turned to dust, and though the three-eyed golden qilin reacted quickly and retreated, it was still blown away by the shockwave, suffering heavy injuries—let alone that it isn't even a true hundred-thousand-year soul beast; even if it were, how could it possibly stand a chance against Qian Renxue?

Names: the beast names should be translated as "brown palm bear" and "three-eyed golden qilin" respectively, following the rule that beast names are translated by meaning.

At that moment, a deep black soul ring of a brown palm bear slowly condensed before the three-eyed golden qilin.

Names: the beast names should be translated as "brown palm bear" and "three-eyed golden qilin" respectively, and the term meaning soul ring translates to "soul ring".

"Squeak—" the three-eyed golden qilin's pupils contracted, its body trembled, and it let out a series of piercing screams.

Names: three-eyed golden qilin

Qian Renxue stepped forward, grabbed it by the back of its neck, and said with a smile, "You little thing, you're quite clever—you even know to bring a bear to do something as easy as catching a turtle in a jar. Not bringing fierce beasts to protect yourself is already excusable, but how dare you be so arrogant?"

Names: Qian Renxue; "bear" is generic.

At this moment, A Tuolisi also recovered, gritting his teeth as he rubbed his arm.

Names: A Tuolisi

Xue Ke stepped forward and used a soul skill to heal his injured arm, only then letting out a sigh of relief.

Names: Xue Ke; also soul skill (glossary entry).

She glanced ambiguously at the three-eyed golden qilin in Qian Renxue's hand; although it cannot be killed, its attribute of attracting and guiding is immensely beneficial to soul masters, and its human form is still very beautiful—Xue Ke is an ultimate appearance fanatic who judges by facial features.

Names: Qian Renxue, three-eyed golden qilin, Xue Ke; the term meaning soul master translates to "soul master".

These people or soul beasts are all sources of regret! Even soul beasts—she's just as much a sucker.

Names: none? "soul beast" is generic.

Names: none? "soul beast" generic

She didn't bring it up directly; otherwise, the one who would receive the attribute guidance would definitely be Qian Renxue, and we absolutely cannot strengthen her abilities any further. That fifty-thousand-year-old palm bear just now, facing Qian Renxue, turned to powder in an instant, and she didn't even use her martial soul! This guy is clearly just a Soul Emperor, how did he become like a Super Douluo? Xueke led the two of them deeper, continually searching for something.

Finally, in the deepest corner, Xueke discovered a skeleton leaning against a stone shaped like a huge millstone.

That skeleton exuded an extremely fierce aura; without a doubt, this is the burial ground of an evil soul master. Judging by his remains, he was even a Titled Douluo powerhouse, likely someone who had nowhere to flee after being hunted by the Spirit Hall, and thus died helplessly in the Star Dou Great Forest.

However, Xueke wasn't afraid; she stepped forward and kicked the black skeleton apart with one foot, then, with an obsessed expression, stroked the ancient, dark stone.

"Vital Spirit Gold! We've finally found it!"

Qian Renxue used soul power to seal the three-eyed golden mastiff's mouth, holding the slightly trembling big dog, curiously looking at the somewhat ordinary stone; however, upon closer inspection, the stone emitted a faint ancient simplicity, yet also a hint of gloom.

Atolisi asked, "Xueke sister, are you sure this is Vital Spirit Gold? It looks quite ordinary."

"Because it's been contaminated," Xueke explained with a satisfied smile.

"Contaminated?" Upon hearing this, Atolisi's face instantly showed surprise.

With a bang, Xueke kicked the skull that had just rolled to her feet into the air; if not for her current soul power level being unable to destroy that bone, she would have simply crushed it underfoot.

"Because this evil soul master wanted to achieve immortality by relying on this Vital Spirit Gold; when he fell, he fused his soul into this Vital Spirit Gold, so anyone who obtains it will be guided by him toward evil, and even be possessed by him, becoming the next evil soul master!"

"If no soul power is infused, the soul inside cannot be sensed, so it appears merely as an ordinary stone, after all, its life force has been nurturing that evil soul master's soul."

"There's an evil soul master inside?" Like a vicious dog upon seeing a bone, Qian Renxue's eyes lit up instantly; she immediately stepped forward, as she hadn't killed an evil soul master in a long time, and her hands were itching.

"Step aside, I'll purify him directly!"

Xueke was startled by her gaze; how could Qian Renxue be so excited at seeing an evil soul master? She rushed from behind, embracing Qian Renxue's slender waist, and hurriedly tried to stop her.

"Waaah! Don't, don't, don't! He's still useful! I have a great use for him!! If he's gone, I'll cry!"

"Huh?" Qian Renxue frowned slightly; she didn't object to Xueke using the evil soul master's soul, she just didn't think Xueke could evade the evil soul master's possession, since she isn't a spiritual-attribute soul master and is only at one ring, how could she possibly stand a chance against a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master?

"Are you sure you want to use the evil soul master's soul? What if he contaminates you?"

Xueke said confidently, "Don't worry, he's just a soul now; he can't beat me, and only this way will my martial soul evolve to become stronger!"

As they spoke, the third eye of the three-eyed golden mastiff suddenly emitted a purple-gold fluctuation, but it was suppressed by Qian Renxue's single hand.

Qian Renxue first slapped the restless dumb dog in her arms, then gently patted its head, and finally decided to give Xueke a chance to try; if she were truly possessed, she would simply kill the possessed Xueke and still obtain a sizable Vital Spirit Gold for free.

(End of chapter)