Chapter 43: and ===GLOSSARY=== sections

At that critical moment, a flash of resolve crossed A Rou's eyes. Seeing her delicate body tremble, brilliant light burst from within her, instantly enveloping her whole self as she fully unleashed the invulnerable power of her Invincible Golden Body.

The Invincible Golden Body soul skill cannot be pierced by any ability below the god level, but it lasts only five seconds—a long time in a duel between experts, which ends in an instant. Yet against Bear Lord, it is useless; A Rou's all‑out defensive attack was merely a casual strike from him.

Bear Lord waited for the pink‑red light to fade, then lashed out with another Darkgold Terror Claw. Although A Rou had exerted herself to the utmost and forcefully triggered a second Invincible Golden Body, the soul skill requires a cooldown between uses; by the time she activated it, part of the claw's aura had already pierced her body.

Had she not gritted her teeth and endured the backlash to activate a second Invincible Golden Body, she would surely have been torn apart by Bear Lord by now.

Her Invincible Golden Body actually failed—she had never been in such a sorry state before. As a Soft‑Bone Alluring Rabbit, lacking strong offensive means, she can only passively defend or evade when facing a powerful foe.

At the same instant, her figure flickered, a pale pink light shimmering as she employed Instant Movement to try to evade the oncoming Darkgold Terror Claw.

A Rou gritted her teeth and unleashed her Alluring Technique. A dreamlike, illusory light blossomed in her beautiful eyes, emitting a soul‑snaring power that shot toward Bear Lord. In that instant, his gaze flickered with momentary bewilderment.

But Bear Lord, being immensely strong, soon shook off the charm's influence. Meanwhile, A Rou, having endured the residual force of the Darkgold Terror Claw plus the backlash from using her Alluring Technique and Invincible Golden Body, was already gravely injured.

Her complexion turned as pale as paper, trickles of blood seeping from the corners of her mouth and eyes, her delicate frame swaying on the verge of collapse, as if she might fall at any moment.

A Rou's expression grew grim as she strained to burst forth a splendid pink radiance from within. That pink light swirled like a dreamy ribbon, tightly encircling her.

As the light flickered, A Rou's form began to blur, seeming to merge gradually with the surrounding space.

The pink undulations of soul power leapt like sprites, bearing A Rou through this space at unimaginable speed—the Soft‑Bone Alluring Rabbit's multiple Instant Movement soul skill!

In the blink of an eye, A Rou's figure vanished from the spot, leaving only lingering pink light that slowly dissipated in the air; she had successfully escaped this perilous space.

Only Bear Lord remained, helplessly furious, cursing, 'That damned slippery rabbit!'

"All right, don't chase her—she knows what to say and what not to." Emperor Tian's voice sounded slowly, and the feral beasts finally settled. The Invincible Golden Body and Instant Movement—though the Soft‑Bone Alluring Rabbit's bloodline isn't strong, these two innate soul skills are indeed unique; otherwise Emperor Tian wouldn't have sent the Ten Thousand Monster King to invite A Rou to join.

It's just unfortunate that her luck ran out—her daughter has attracted the attention of the gods.

The waters of the Lake of Life suddenly churned violently, and then A Rou's figure shot out from within, shouting, "Stop! Don't fight anymore!"

Qian Renxue's eyes lit up—finally she had emerged. She wasn't the least bit afraid of the feral beasts lurking in the lake; her grandfather possessed angelic divine power, and to avoid exposure in the eyes of the god realm, it was best not to stick her head out, for there are influential figures above her in the Qian family.

The Golden Crocodile and Er Ming paid no heed to A Rou, continuing their close‑quarters brawl, which was now in full swing.

One could see Er Ming's massive, mountain‑like body entwined tightly with the Golden Crocodile's incarnation as the Golden Crocodile King; the two were like frenzied beasts engaged in the most primal and fierce close‑quarters combat.

Er Ming swung his pillar‑thick arms, each strike carrying the force of moving mountains and seas, smashing hard into the Golden Crocodile.

The Golden Crocodile would not yield; its gleaming, icy claws left a series of horrifying wounds on Er Ming's body. Yet Er Ming seemed oblivious to pain, continuing to fight the Golden Crocodile with unmatched bravery.

The air around them seemed to boil from the turmoil, dust and sand flying everywhere.

The roars of the Golden Crocodile and the bellows of Er Ming intertwined, deafening, filling the entire core of the Star Dou Great Forest with a chilling aura. They fought fiercely, every move harboring a deadly threat, as if they would not cease until the other was torn apart.

Da Ming, who had been guarding Xiao Wu's cocoon, first showed delight, but soon his joy turned to uncontrollable rage.

"Auntie Rou, you've finally returned!"

"Auntie Rou, how did you end up like this! Those bastards bullied you?" A Rou first glanced at Xiao Wu's transformed cocoon, saw it was fine, and then let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine. In a moment I'll take them away. Da Ming, from now on Xiao Wu is entrusted to you and Er Ming—please help Auntie guard her safety."

Da Ming hurried to intervene, "Auntie Rou, how can a mere beast like you stand against them? Besides, you're injured. We are clearly soul beasts of the same kind—those few scumbags at the lake bottom refusing to act is one thing, but how dare they hurt you!"

A Rou gave a bitter smile, "If not for this, none of us four could escape today. My body has been gravely wounded by the aura of Ultimate Gold; even if these humans leave, I won't live much longer. Rather than die unwillingly, I'd rather die meaningfully."

Da Ming's bull‑headed eyes brimmed with tears; he never imagined that Auntie Rou would not die at human hands, but be persecuted by the very soul‑beast kin she was sworn to protect.

A Rou stroked the scales on Da Ming's bull head and soothed, "After I'm gone, don't go stirring trouble at the lake bottom—you're no match for them. Pretend you never saw them, and keep Er Ming and Xiao Wu safe."

Da Ming nodded, then let out a furious roar. "Er Ming, stop fighting! Auntie Rou has returned—come back quickly!"

Er Ming's formerly blood‑red eyes regained a hint of clarity. Auntie Rou had returned.

Thereafter, Er Ming surged forward and collided violently with the Golden Crocodile, the powerful impact spreading outward like a surging tide.

Er Ming seized the moment, using the tremendous force from the impact to launch himself backward like an arrow released from a bow.

He traced an arc in the air, his sturdy limbs landing firmly on the ground, leaving a deep gouge that kicked up a cloud of dust.

The Golden Crocodile exhaled deeply—it hadn't felt this good in a long time.

A Rou nodded at Er Ming, then walked forward with composure and grace—though her gravely wounded state looked terribly sorry—"Humans, we can talk."

Her voice was soft yet plain: "You came here for nothing more than a hundred‑thousand‑year soul ring and soul bone. I am willing to sacrifice myself; you can take all of me in full, using my everything to exchange for peace and tranquility."

A Rou calmly regarded Qian Renxue, seeing clearly that among the three, it was Qian Renxue who called the shots.

"Good! As long as you sacrifice yourself for me, we'll leave right now." Qian Renxue's eyes brightened—truly an admirable woman. Although she does not meddle in human affairs, no one respects those who willingly sacrifice themselves for others more than she does.

Of course, respect is respect, but I will certainly take your soul ring and soul bone—that's the quality of a wicked woman.

"Not only that, I demand that you never again enter the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"Impossible." Qian Renxue shook her head. Although they currently hold the advantage, and while she only needs A Rou's second soul ring—planning to use a god‑granted soul ring for the later ones—she cannot simply agree outright.

A Rou hesitated a moment, then said, "Twenty years—within twenty years you must not enter the core region." Twenty years is enough for Xiao Wu to mature and leave the Star Dou Great Forest.

As for Da Ming and Er Ming, she could do nothing more; having exposed themselves to the gods' gaze while protecting Xiao Wu, the feral beasts could no longer accept them, so all she could do was buy them twenty more years.

She had no choice either; she could only trust the humans before her—if they didn't gamble, all four would die together; if they lost the bet, all four would still die together; but if they won, Da Ming and the others could survive.

Qian Renxue feigned hesitation, "I've heard that when a soul beast sacrifices itself, one can freely choose the soul bone's position—I don't want the usual spot; if you give me an externally attached head soul bone…" The Soft‑Bone Alluring Rabbit is a spirit‑type soul beast, so naturally an externally attached head soul bone is of higher value.

Come on, brothers, tomorrow's sacrifice, the invincible golden body is indeed overpowered, this soul skill makes fierce beasts with strong attack power invincible below god level, too overpowered, the original says it's unbreakable below god level, which is too ridiculous, although the soft-bone charm rabbit's stats are low, she is a mechanic monster, I feel that in the original, the soul bone and soul ring skill given by Xiao Wu is much more awesome than the soul skill given by Da Ming and Er Ming, finally, ask for a wave of tickets, love you all (≧≦)/(end of chapter)