"Come on, let's go home!"
The tuft of golden fur atop the Three-Eyed Golden Lion stood tall once more, its entire being revitalized.
"Wait, hold on—almost forgot something!"
Sniffing the fragrance still lingering in the air, it bounded over to the barbecue rack. A golden radiance flowed from its body, lifting the rack into the air.
"This is the compensation that human left behind. I'll be taking it."
It padded back to Ditian's side, speaking lightly, clearly in a cheerful mood.
"Alright, bring it back then."
Ditian's gaze lingered on the rack, his eyes a little complicated.
"Humans… such a curious race, full of endless potential, always pushing forward."
Memories flashed in Ditian's eyes. Tens of thousands of years ago, the continent of Douluo was the domain of soul beasts—they were the true protagonists of this world.
Back then, humans were no more than insects to them, little morsels after a meal. Pathetically weak, surviving only by huddling together around a fire.
But later, soul masters appeared among humanity. From then on, mankind rose up. They were no longer prey that could be bullied at will. Some humans, gifted enough, could achieve in mere decades what took soul beasts tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years.
As time passed, humans only grew stronger, while soul beasts steadily declined. Now, aside from the seas, only a handful of major gathering grounds for soul beasts remained.
"Where is the path forward for our kind?"
Ditian sighed inwardly. He had once visited the Sun-Moon Empire and witnessed their soul tool technology. Humanity never ceased in its pursuit of advancement.
Soul beasts, though born stronger than human infants, were hampered by low intelligence. Many could not even think clearly until after tens of thousands of years. This doomed their race to stagnation.
From this, Ditian understood one truth: wisdom and intellect could change everything.
At times, he even wondered if soul beasts would one day fade completely from Douluo's stage, reduced to mere livestock raised by humans…
"No matter. We still have our Lord. When he awakens, Douluo will once again belong to soul beasts."
Shaking his head, Ditian pushed aside these thoughts. Just remembering the one who slumbered deep within the forest's core rekindled his confidence.
Walking beside the Golden Lion, his eyes flickered as a thought came.
"Red King."
"Present!"
The Red King, who had been avoiding his gaze all along, froze in dread the moment it heard Ditian's voice.
It couldn't escape after all.
The heart it had been clinging to finally sank.
"This time, you failed to properly protect the Auspicious Beast. But that human was not someone you could have resisted anyway. Consider yourself fortunate—since the Auspicious Beast was unharmed, your merits and faults balance out. I'll spare you this once."
"Thank you, Beast God!"
Hearing Ditian absolve it, the Red King was overjoyed.
"But one more thing. Go fetch Bear Lord. I want to see if he's made any progress these past days."
Ditian nodded slightly, raising his hand.
The Red King blinked, then bowed, silently offering a moment of mourning for Bear Lord.
At that very moment, the slumbering Bear Lord shivered, a chill running down its back…
"Young human, I have a feeling that before long, we will meet again."
The third eye on the Golden Lion's brow trembled slightly as it gazed up at the bright full moon, seized by an inexplicable sense.
…
"Hahaha!"
Far above, away from the Star Dou Great Forest, a thunderous laugh resounded.
It was Du Busi and his companions, just emerged from the forest.
"No matter how strong Mu En and Longxiaoyao may be, They doesn't have my guts."
"Beast God Ditian, next time I return, I will have stepped into the Limit."
Du Busi's blood surged with excitement as the landscape raced by beneath them.
The bottleneck that had bound him for so many years—he hadn't expected it would loosen today.
"Could it be… this boy Jiang Jue is the lucky star of our Body Sect?"
Glancing at the calm Jiang Jue beside him, Du Busi steadied his body, guiding them down toward a wide stretch of open wilderness.
"Jiang boy, Weina, you two can absorb the soul rings here. These soul beasts are on their last breath."
With a flick, he tossed the two subdued beasts to the ground, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"That Red King was unexpectedly generous—both of these are top quality."
"Indeed. The Crimson-Eyed Bloodfiend and the Xuanqing Snowwood Spirit. Both are excellent."
Jiang Jue's lips curled slightly as he studied the beasts.
Of course he recognized them. Especially the one wreathed in blood mist. But in truth, the Crimson-Eyed Bloodfiend had a foul reputation in the soul beast world.
Though it was a spiritual-type beast, its power also carried blood-based abilities. Savage and bloodthirsty by nature, it reveled in killing and drinking blood.
Often it would slaughter countless beasts, creating pools of blood to dwell in and cultivate. Its infamy was worse than even the Emerald Demon Bird. Among soul beasts, it was like an evil soul master.
The Red King had done the forest a favor by capturing it.
But to Jiang Jue, it was nothing less than a perfect soul ring.
"Sixty thousand years… Jiang boy, can you absorb it? Don't force yourself. If you can't, I'll catch another."
Du Busi frowned slightly, a trace of worry in his voice. He had been doubtful from the start, when Jiang Jue named his conditions.
"Jiang Jue, this will be your fifth ring. Are you sure?"
Weina too was worried, biting her lip softly as she asked.
"Don't worry, Sect Master. My spiritual power is very strong."
Jiang Jue shook his head with full confidence.
For a soul master, absorbing a soul ring depended on two things: the strength of one's spirit, and the toughness of one's body.
His mental power had already reached the level of being tangible yet formless—he had no fear of a sixty-thousand-year Bloodfiend.
Moreover, he had the Soul Refining Banner. The Bloodfiend would find its new home "well accommodated."
As for his body, after years of tempering, with the Ice Empress's origin and his soul bone, it was more than sufficient.
"Very well. Go ahead and absorb it. I'll guard you."
Remembering Jiang Jue's insight in the Hall of Comprehension that day, Du Busi relented, offering only a word of caution.
"Alright."
Jiang Jue's eyes lit up as he looked at the Bloodfiend sprawled on the ground.
"This time, my method of dispelling the hidden danger of the Soul Refining Banner depends on you."
Carrying the banner of "light" had always been risky. Better to seize this chance to make his own reveal.
Absorbing an evil soul beast's ring, his martial soul would undergo a "slight" change…
With that, Jiang Jue summoned the Soul Refining Banner. A warm, radiant aura of light flowed forth, golden brilliance shining as the banner floated behind him.
"Not bad. A first martial soul of light and spirit dual attributes? Its quality is outstanding."
Du Busi nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes—light alone is already a supreme attribute. Coupled with spirit, this is simply monstrous."
"And light happens to be the natural nemesis of those vile evil soul masters."
Weina's beautiful eyes sparkled, her words sincere.
Evil soul masters—nothing was more detestable!
(End of Chapter)