"Master, I'm late."
From the distance, a beautiful figure appeared before everyone, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in Ma Hongjun's arms.
When Brigitte realized that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had already formed a bond with this new soul beast master, her expression changed slightly.
She looked at Ma Hongjun.
Having watched the Three-Eyed Golden Lion grow up, she naturally cared deeply for it.
"This..."
As the new leader of the soul beasts, she found herself unsure of what to do.
The moment the Three-Eyed Golden Lion saw Brigitte, its eyes lit up with joy. It leapt into her arms, nuzzling her affectionately before hopping back into Ma Hongjun's embrace.
Left holding nothing, Brigitte's eyes briefly flashed with disappointment.
"It really does like him."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded—clearly, it liked Ma Hongjun's aura.
"Master," Brigitte said softly, "the Three-Eyed Golden Lion is still young. It shouldn't go to the human world yet."
"Even though it's bonded with the Phoenix God, it's still too dangerous."
After hesitating for a while, she looked to Gu Yuena.
At that moment, Di Tian and the others arrived, quickly grasping what had happened.
He nodded gravely.
They had already been worried about Gu Yuena entering the human world—sending an emperor beast would be even more dangerous.
"The human world is full of deception. Emperor Beasts are simple-minded and easily manipulated," Di Tian said.
Even with Gu Yuena's protection, he couldn't help but worry.
Gu Yuena's eyes flickered with thought.
If the Emperor Beast remained by the Phoenix God's side, his strength would increase even faster thanks to the lion's powers.
But the human world truly was perilous for an emperor beast.
If the Spirit Hall learned of its existence, they would stop at nothing to capture it.
Even if her full strength were restored, Gu Yuena might not be able to protect it from the many human experts.
"Let the little one stay in the Soul Beast Forest," Ma Hongjun said, gently patting the lion's head. "The human world is too dangerous. It's not safe for him."
He fully understood how precious the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was, and yes, he did envy its rapid cultivation.
But he also understood that once its existence was exposed, endless threats would follow.
Even though he wasn't afraid for himself, he couldn't let his teammates and teachers suffer the consequences.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to understand, and a flicker of sadness appeared in its eyes.
That look melted everyone's heart.
"Take it with you," Ma Hongjun finally said, handing the little lion to Brigitte.
Without hesitation, Brigitte accepted it and vanished from sight with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in her arms.
She knew that if she stayed any longer, the lion would surely throw a tantrum.
And knowing how everyone doted on it, they might just give in and let it follow them into the human world.
Leaving swiftly was the best choice.
Only after the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had left did Di Tian and the others breathe a collective sigh of relief.
"Master, your former companions seem to be heading this way," Di Tian said, sensing their approach and looking toward Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun was surprised that the teachers had ventured so deep into the Soul Beast Forest.
"That's not good… Maybe we took too long and they're worried," he muttered with concern.
He wasn't worried about being attacked—soul beasts avoided him now—but his teachers didn't have the same protection.
If they unknowingly entered a powerful beast's territory, things could turn dangerous very quickly.
And sure enough, Flander and his group had already run into trouble.
He stood staring at a massive Gale Wolf, his face solemn.
The Gale Wolf seemed to be a mutated soul beast. Its wings gave it incredible speed, and it could control wind energy—wind blades cut through the air like flying knives.
Flander moved with lightning speed, grabbing Ning Rongrong with one hand and Oscar with the other, dodging a deadly wind blade.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were managing on their own.
They could dodge the attacks, but Oscar and Ning Rongrong were far too slow to avoid them.
If Flander hadn't reacted so quickly, the two of them would likely be dead.
Liu Erlong's eyes burned with fury.
She was already enraged by the mysterious disappearance of several students, and now this soul beast dared to attack them?
Her rage reached a boiling point.
To everyone's shock, Liu Erlong transformed into a blazing red fire dragon and unleashed a torrent of flames.
The flames spread wide, completely blocking any escape for the Gale Wolf.
Feeling the searing heat, the Gale Wolf's eyes—almost human in their expression—revealed fear.
But Liu Erlong didn't stop. She raised a massive claw and brought it down hard toward the Gale Wolf's back.
It was said that the weakness of wolf-type soul beasts lay in their soft waists. If the claw struck true, the Gale Wolf would likely die on the spot.
But this was no ordinary soul beast. It had survived for 30,000 years, and it wouldn't be taken down so easily.
It twisted its body, generating a swirling tornado that intercepted the dragon claw.
Liu Erlong narrowed her eyes and retracted her claw.
Then she kicked off the ground and launched herself into the air once more.
Now, her speed was comparable to the Gale Wolf's.
She aimed to strike from above, but the Gale Wolf, sensing danger, swiftly distanced itself from her with a few graceful leaps.
"Dean, don't worry about us! fight together with Teacher Erlong!" Ning Rongrong called out.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in her palm, gleaming brightly.
The earlier attack had frightened her—and angered her.
If Flander hadn't acted in time, she might've died.
Determined, she activated several buffs, sending streams of energy into Flander and Liu Erlong.
Feeling the surge of power, Liu Erlong let her fierce instincts take over once more.
Her dragon claw slashed across the Gale Wolf's back with frightening force.
The speed boost made it nearly impossible for the wolf to dodge.
Deep, bloody wounds appeared on its body, causing it to howl in pain.
Driven mad by the injury, the soul beast let out a chilling wolf cry.
Suddenly, countless dark green eyes lit up in the shadows around them.
"Damn it... it's not just a thirty-thousand-year soul beast... it's the Wolf King!"
Flander's face turned pale.
He hadn't expected this Gale Wolf to be the king of the pack.
As Swift Wolves slowly emerged from the darkness, eyes gleaming with bloodlust, he frantically searched for a plan.