Chapter 156

The leader was a black-robed man with a stern, resolute appearance; his black hair hung loose behind him, exactly reaching his heels, neither more nor less. Amidst his black hair, two strands of unruly gold stood out, hanging quietly before his eyes.

Behind him were three others: two men and one woman.

The sole woman was extremely beautiful; her eyes and her smooth long hair were both jade-green. Her slender figure was perfectly outlined by a water-green long dress, and her arms, as white as lotus root, were bare.

Most remarkably, she had a pair of wings on her back, wings that looked as if carved from emerald.

Each feather appeared splendid and dazzling, the vivid, dripping green brimming with vitality, further enhancing her captivating aura like that of a nature goddess.

As for the other two, the man on the left was a thin middle-aged man, not particularly handsome, his complexion somewhat bluish, even his eyes were blue-green.

Unlike the vibrant jade-green of the previous beautiful woman full of life, this was a sinister, deep green, filled with strange light within its depths.

He wore a dark-green robe that moved without wind, and his long hair of the same color floated likewise—only his hair was excessively long, trailing ten meters behind him.

On the right stood a man over two meters tall, a stark contrast to the left's middle-aged man; his entire body was bulging with muscle, and his eyes hid a fierce light.

Chi Wang immediately darted out of the cave, bringing the Three-Eyed Golden Viper to appear before the four.

"Sorry, Emperor Tian, I failed to guard the auspicious beast." Before the black-robed leader, Chi Wang lowered its three large heads, its crimson eyes flashing with light and a hint of reverence.

Naturally, the only one who could make the three-headed Crimson Magic Hounds so obedient was the current leader of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Emperor Tian.

The other three were, respectively, the fourth-ranked among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, Bi Ji, whose true form is the Jade Swan.

Fifth-ranked Wan Yao Wang, whose true form is the Demon Eye Magic Tree.

Sixth-ranked Xiong Jun, whose true form is the Dark-Gold Fearclaw Bear.

According to their distinct appearances, it's easy to tell them apart: the stunning woman with emerald-green wings on her back is Bi Ji; the sallow, thin middle-aged man is Wan Yao Wang; and the muscular man whose eyes glare with ferocity is undoubtedly Xiong Jun, the hot-tempered, mighty king of the Dark-Gold Fearclaw Bear.

Bi Ji's eyes showed clear worry; seeing the Three-Eyed Golden Viper with vacant eyes and its Fate Eye closed, she quickly flapped her emerald wings and hovered before it. Only when she sensed at close range that its aura had stabilized did her ample bosom rise and fall, finally letting her relax.

Emperor Tian coldly regarded Chi Wang; his brilliant golden eyes suddenly brightened. The radiant gold emitted an awe-inspiring majesty, and the king-like formidable pressure condensed into a tangible golden shield that enveloped Chi Wang.

"Why did you abandon your post, letting the auspicious beast leave the core area alone, Chi Wang? You need to give me a reason."

A calm, unperturbed voice sounded in the air, seemingly devoid of emotion, yet Chi Wang's eyes filled with terror; the hovering Chi Wang plummeted to the ground, cracking the earth layer by layer.

The three heads of the Crimson Magic Hounds were all pressed into the dirt, looking miserable; its body emitted a dark-red halo as it desperately resisted Emperor Tian's pressure.

Wan Yao Wang and Bi Ji remained silent, while Xiong Jun, seeing the miserable Chi Wang, sneered with eyes full of schadenfreude. Having long disliked Chi Wang, Emperor Tian's die‑loyal follower, Xiong Jun wished the two beasts would fall out.

Chi Wang lowered its brows, appearing to admit fault and accept punishment, and whispered: "It's my fault; I was absorbing the ice silkworm's soul power and didn't notice the auspicious beast leaving."

"Did you not notice, or did you not care?" Emperor Tian snorted coldly, like a thunderclap exploding.

He raised his right hand, and a huge, ink‑black claw shadow materialized from the space before Chi Wang; in Chi Wang's terrified gaze, the Three‑Eyed Golden Viper stepped in front of it.

"It has nothing to do with Chi Wang; I ran out on my own!"

The claw shadow stopped just in front of the auspicious beast; the beast was unharmed, but Chi Wang's massive body instantly turned into a blur, rushing toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, carving a continuous trench in the ground, leaving only drifting dark‑red fur dancing in the air.

Bi Ji's originally stern expression softened slightly, her eyes showing delight; the auspicious beast could actually speak—it seemed this misfortune had turned into fortune, gaining a great opportunity.

Emperor Tian still had restraint; the Dragon God Claw did not directly strike Chi Wang, for Chi Wang was not Xiong Jun's ultimate damage‑tolerant king, unable to withstand such a blow—a true hit from the Dragon God Claw would likely cost him his life.

Behind them, Wan Yao Wang wore a look of reverence, while Xiong Jun snorted disapprovingly, "You hit Chi Wang so lightly, yet you hit me so hard! How can the ferocious beasts practice such discrimination?"

Emperor Tian didn't even glance at the direction Chi Wang flew; upon approaching the Three‑Eyed Golden Viper, the coldness in his eyes softened, and his low voice now carried a hint of indulgence.

"You little rascal! You're really too mischievous. I've told you before: for us soul beasts, the greatest danger is human soul masters, and human greed is the most terrifying thing in this world. From now on, don't leave the core circle lightly; even if you wish to leave the core area, you must tell the Chi Wang guarding you. If it hadn't arrived in time today, you'd be in trouble."

"Given the soul‑power fluctuation of that woman who just left, even facing Chi Wang head‑on she wouldn't be a match; if she hadn't acted unintentionally, we might not have been able to rescue in time."

The bewilderment in the Three‑Eyed Golden Viper's eyes faded considerably; it lifted its head to look at Emperor Tian, its eyes holding a strange hue, sensing Qian Renxue's aura, with the five ferocious beasts gathered, it wondered whether someone like her could truly lose to Tang San.

"Emperor Tian, I have seen myself, and I have seen the future of the soul beasts."

Upon hearing the Three‑Eyed Golden Viper's words, Bi Ji, Wan Yao Wang, and Xiong Jun all simultaneously turned their gazes toward it.

A flicker of surprise appeared in Emperor Tian's eyes; the Imperial Auspicious Beast possessing the Fate Eye indeed had various miraculous abilities, but possessing Fate Power does not mean it can see its own future.

Emperor Tian pondered for a moment, slowly clenched his fist, then asked: "What did you see?"

"I sacrificed myself for a human, dying ten thousand years later; after that, the soul beasts have been bringing about their own demise. The ferocious beasts fear the gods, shrinking within the Star Dou Great Forest, not venturing out, watching as humans hunt soul beasts, human strength grows ever stronger, technology advances continually, until later the forest's area diminishes, the entire perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest was encircled by human iron cages, and finally the soul beasts were driven from this planet."

Emperor Tian fell speechless, the light in his eyes wavering uncertainly; the auspicious beast actually knew the concept of a planet. As a black dragon left over from the era of the Dragon God, only the Master and he knew that the Douluo Continent was actually a planet.

Emperor Tian stared fixedly at the auspicious beast's closed eyes of fate, his voice hoarse as he asked: 'This is impossible. Where is the Master? With the Master here, we could never become helpless prey! As long as she recovers from her injuries, she can lead the soul beasts back to glory! Could something have happened to the Master? Did the gods join forces to hunt her down?'

The Three-Eyed Golden Rhinoceros fell silent for a moment, then spoke carefully: 'She-she is fine; she is in love with a human, she has fallen for a human male.'

「。」

「。」

「。」

A deathly silence swept over the valley; the ferocious beasts' hearts were filled with mixed emotions, they wanted to speak but couldn't, only silence remained.

The auspicious beast had watched them grow up; it would not lie about this. Emperor Tian's chest rose and fell continuously, his eyes full of complexity—could his choice have been wrong? Bear Lord, eyes red, cursed: 'I said it long ago, what damned Master, occupying the best position yet doing nothing! In the end she even ran off with humans!'

'Bear Lord!' Emperor Tian bellowed, his eyes flashing a warning.

Emperor Tian had always been loyal to the Dragon God, loyal to the dragon race; no matter how deficient the Master might be, no one could slander her—he was simply that foolishly loyal.

Moreover, there might be hidden circumstances to this matter; the Master must have been schemed against by the gods of heaven, and what the auspicious beast saw may not be the whole truth—there must be some misunderstanding.

Bear Lord pouted, feeling wronged; he hadn't spoken incorrectly—if the auspicious beast said it, why couldn't he? Had he known Emperor Tian would be like this, he wouldn't have come.

Soon, Emperor Tian adjusted his mindset; as the leader of the ferocious beasts, anyone could despair, but not him. His low voice carried a killing intent: 'Tell me, who is that human?'

'He hasn't been born yet; that person is a human from twenty thousand years in the future.'

The killing intent in Emperor Tian's eyes did not diminish: 'And your sacrifice—is it also for a human? Who is scheming against you?'

The Three-Eyed Golden Rhinoceros stared dumbfounded at Emperor Tian, clearly aware of such a powerless future. Yet Emperor Tian quickly rallied, continually seeking solutions—why wouldn't he despair? Was it because he was the leader? Just like Qian Renxue, she too is a leader of humanity.

The Three-Eyed Golden Rhinoceros did not answer Emperor Tian's question; instead, with a hint of longing, it asked: 'Emperor Tian, can I also become a leader? To become someone like you.'

Emperor Tian stared, his killing tone softening again: 'Of course. You are the auspicious imperial beast that brings prosperity to the entire Star Dou Great Forest. When you were born, all the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest called out your name; they awaited you, solely so you could come into this world smoothly.'

'Emperor Tian, do you believe me?' the Three-Eyed Golden Rhinoceros continued to ask. 'Certainly.' Emperor Tian gazed at it earnestly.

The Three-Eyed Golden Rhinoceros's eyes were full of resolve; it had found its own purpose! It would guard the soul beast clan, and for that, even if it had to contend with the gods, it would spare no effort!

'We can no longer remain in the Star Dou Great Forest; that would be nothing but a slow death. Let us invade human cities, conquer them, civilize them—only by learning to use them. As long as we have mutually beneficial dealings with humans, the soul beasts will not be exterminated. We need to build a city of our own, whose upper echelons are ferocious beasts! We will rely on humanity's own strength to overthrow humanity! Let them fight each other like dogs!'

At this moment, the Red King who had returned from afar sighed helplessly, "What nonsense is this dog-eat-dog? Auspicious Beast, do you have any manners? What did the dog ever do to you?"

The seemingly carefree Bear King actually approved, he looked approvingly at the Auspicious Beast and said, "Well said! Let's go straight to their doorstep and seize their territory! Those weak Title Douluo, how could they possibly block the fierce beasts?"

Di Tian glared at him, pondered for a moment, then said, "Auspicious Beast, the Douluo Continent is far from as simple as you imagine; the gods have always been watching this place. We cannot act rashly, for behind humanity stand the gods, yet the Master's body has not yet recovered."

The Three-Eyed Golden Peng hurriedly said, "I know! It's precisely because gods will appear in the future that we must act now!"

"I saw it! I saw a future where a human will drive the spirit beast race to a dead end and attain godhood—his name is Tang San, the Sea God Tang San! He is the future Sea God! We must kill him! The fate of all spirit beasts is entirely his scheme! My sacrifice too! Even even the person she likes is Tang San's son."

"What are you saying?!" The dim light on Di Tian's body kept fading; it seemed he wasn't as calm as he appeared.

The Three-Eyed Golden Peng rejoiced; Di Tian finally grasped the seriousness, saying, "Gods must not meddle arbitrarily in the mortal realm—though there are few restrictions on those God Kings, currently the gods of the God Realm are each in a restrained state; as long as she does not reveal god-level power, the God Realm will not notice!"

"But after Tang San becomes a god, it's different; once the remaining four God Kings have finished transferring power, the rules of the God Realm will be mere decoration! By then, spirit beasts will truly have no future! We must seize every moment—kill him!"

Having said that, the Three-Eyed Golden Peng paused, then solemnly asked, "Di Tian, my body carries the fortune of the Star Dou Great Forest; do you think I can become a god?"

Di Tian stared blankly at the Auspicious Beast; its eyes were bright, containing a mysterious flame, and for some reason an inexplicable feeling welled up from his heart. Di Tian turned his head to look at the other fierce beasts beside him, discovering they were just like him, seemingly also drawn by the light in the Auspicious Beast's eyes—the light that the fierce beasts had already extinguished.

Di Tian turned his head away, not daring to look into the Auspicious Beast's eyes; he gritted his teeth but could not utter that cruel truth.

"You definitely can!"

"Then I will become the god of spirit beasts! The strongest god!"

"Mm!"

"So, let's go seize human cities later!"

"Okay!"

"And we still have to kill that Tang San!"

"Kill!"

Unbeknownst to them, compared to the ever-sleeping Master, the fierce beasts now seemed more inclined toward the youthful Imperial Auspicious Beast.

At the same time, the outer region southeast of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Qian Renxue's eyes at this moment had turned a brilliant gold, with complex, obscure patterns swirling around her pupils; her entire demeanor underwent a complete transformation, as if she were the supreme ruler of all.

Since completing the attribute conduit with the Three-Eyed Golden Peng and gaining the power of fate, she has felt a faint sense in the dark—this is fate's guidance.

This illusory, elusive feeling made her feel quite novel.

Just then, a cheeky voice came over, startling Qian Renxue's spirit: "Brother's big, you have to endure it."

Soon, the patterns in Qian Renxue's eyes faded, and she saw a strange sight.

A silkworm entirely of white jade, crystalline and translucent, stood before the two shocked elders; beneath its skin, halos flowed, and on its head were a pair of tiny golden eyes. Most remarkably, starting half a meter from its head, at regular intervals there were golden rings encircling its body—nine in total from head to tail, and even beneath the ninth ring lay a nascent golden ring.

Qian Renxue carefully set down the two unconscious people and began to examine them.

Both elders had a small cyan sword embroidered on their chests; they were members of the Wind Sword Sect of the Lower Four Sects, their soul power cultivation not weak—one was a Soul Sage, the other had just entered the Soul Douluo rank, their breath unsteady, as if they had just broken through; these two had come to hunt for an eighth soul ring.

The Wind Sword Sect, such a small school, actually produced a second Soul Douluo? Could it be the sect's vice‑master? She usually pays no attention to sects outside the Upper Three Sects, powers that don't even have a Title Douluo—she didn't consider them worth her notice.

She had no interest in those two, but her eyes lit up as she stared at the strange ice silkworm—this had to be the Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream! The seventh soul ring she had long dreamed of, why would it appear in the outskirts? Wasn't it captured by the fierce beasts? The Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream has a round, plump head, looking meaty, with a diameter of over a meter; its body slowly wriggles, its length exceeding seven meters.

At this moment, the Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream seemed to be merging with that Soul Douluo; its round head pressed against the Douluo's forehead, and the nine golden rings on its body undulated as if they had come alive.

As the Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream poured itself into the Douluo's body, an invisible wave of mental energy spread outward from it; the terrifying mental power almost instantly covered every corner within a radius of a hundred li.

Unfortunately, the Wind Sword Sect's Soul Douluo soon bled from the seven orifices, his breath growing weak; in the next instant, his Sea of Consciousness shattered and his head exploded outright.

"Damn! How could this happen? No way! He's clearly a Soul Douluo, he hasn't even reached nine rings yet—he should be able to absorb Brother's Wisdom Soul Ring! Why did it fail? Brother's having it rough! Now I can only try that Soul Sage instead; I absolutely must not be caught again!"

The Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream turned its gaze again toward the unconscious Soul Sage.

"Hehehe, don't worry—this time Brother will be gentle; come accept Brother's love for you!"

Just as the Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream was about to proceed as before, a domineering mental force surged forth without warning, and a voice echoed in its mind.

"Rather than choosing those old people with no future, why not choose me?"

The Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream jumped in shock—being able to directly enter its Sea of Consciousness and communicate, could it be that the fierce beasts had finished their business and come after it again? "Waaah! Brother's life is so hard; just out of the wolf's den, now entering the tiger's mouth—don't kill Brother! Brother is a good silkworm!"

The little silkworm curled up pitifully on the ground, begging for mercy, but it quickly reacted, spreading its mental power to probe the surroundings, and the golden patterns on its body began to shine.

Just as if to answer its expectation, a young, stunning girl stepped out from behind the trees.

The girl had a head of brilliant gold hair, the ends slightly curled, flowing freely behind her, messy yet still beautiful; her eyes were a mysterious deep purple, like a purple gemstone, lustrous.

Her delicate features were adorned with exquisite details, her appearance extremely beautiful, cool and aloof.

Although she was in a damp forest, she wore a clean black wolf pelt over her shoulders, giving her a noble air—especially her long legs, which were especially eye‑catching; the brilliant gold soul power aura on her body burst forth unreservedly, and the golden strands of hair resting on her chest fluttered along.

The Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream's human‑like tiny eyes instantly showed a flash of astonishment, but it quickly came to its senses, swearing in its heart: "Heaven knows no second!" Its heart held only Bingbing as its sun! Although this girl looks even more beautiful than Bingbing's human form, as the most devoted of the Extreme North, it would absolutely not shift its affection! This is its absolute confidence as Bingbing's devoted follower.

The Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream's mental power had swiftly reached Qian Renxue, and it writhed excitedly: "What powerful mental strength! You are a mental‑attribute soul master, this soul power fluctuation—you're so young yet a Soul Emperor? No way! With such an aura, you're still only a Soul Emperor?"

"I never expected Brother to encounter such a peerless genius of mental‑attribute martial souls—too bad Brother can't cry, otherwise tears would surely stream down! Fifteen years old in bone age, soul power already at rank seventy; what's more rare is that this extraordinary physique can endure even more of Brother's primal power."

"Could Brother be dreaming? Surely heaven sent you to save Brother—oh wait, I mean heaven sent Brother to guide you!"

The Ice Silkworm of the Sky Dream cheekily whipped the Soul Sage beneath it with its tail, sending him flying; the nine rings on its body and the nascent golden ring vibrated together.

Finally, a brilliant golden light burst forth from its very body without reservation, leaving only a thin pale‑gold film where it had been.

"We unite!"

(End of chapter)