She flicked her golden tail in annoyance, leaving a faint trail of flame in the air.
'They said there's a terrifying devil wandering near the outer forest — someone with golden hair and purple eyes, a being that even they must avoid. Hah! Lies! If such a thing existed, I would have sensed it long ago.'
A faint purr escaped its throat as it rubbed against a tree trunk, golden light flowing gently from its fur, illuminating the roots below.
'They just want to keep me locked in that gloomy inner realm of the lake of life forever. The outer part was also guarded by that muscle-headed ape and the bull-snake duo.'
It paused, tilting its head, a mischievous glint in its crimson eye.
'I'll wander a bit more before they notice. The forest smells different tonight… fresher, lighter.'
However soon, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly froze mid-step. Her sharp claws dug into the forest floor, muscles tensing as an unfamiliar voice echoed through the ancient woods.
"Oh… really. That is a little interesting."
The voice was clear and melodic, but the moment it reached her ears, every instinct in the Auspicious Emperor screamed of danger. Slowly, she turned her gaze upward.
A golden-haired, violet-eyed young girl sat casually upon a thick branch, legs crossed and swinging gently in the air. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, dancing across her fair skin. Her expression was serene, almost playful — as if this perilous Star Dou Forest was nothing more than a noble's flower garden, and she was simply admiring its blooms.
Qian Renxue tilted her head slightly, a faint pout appearing on her lips. "To be described as a devil by the Beast God, Di Tian… I'm really disheartened."
Her tone was light, almost teasing. Then she smiled, her lips curving into something ethereal, something that did not belong to mortals.
"Maybe," she said softly, her purple eyes shimmering with brilliance, "it won't be long."
Looking at the girl's innocent, radiant smile, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion — the Auspicious Emperor — felt her heart tighten. Her golden fur bristled, an instinctive chill crawling up her spine. The pressure she exuded without effort was not power in the physical sense, but something more profound…
In the next moment, Qian Renxue vanished from the branch.When she reappeared, she was right before the lion's face — so close that her reflection shimmered in those radiant eyes.
The sudden proximity made the Auspicious Emperor recoil with a growl. "Don't come close to me!" she warned, her voice laced with instinctive dread.
Qian Renxue leaned slightly forward, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh? And if I don't comply…" Her tone turned mischievous, almost mocking. "What would you do?"
That provocation was the final spark.
The Auspicious Emperor roared, her third eye blazing open with a burst of golden light. Ripples of power surged outward, bending space itself. From that eye extended invisible tendrils — threads of destiny — weaving through the air to grasp at the golden-haired girl's essence.
She invoked her greatest gift, her trump card: the power to see fate itself.To her, every being's destiny was a tapestry — strands of light and shadow, of birth and death, cause and consequence. But as those tendrils reached out to touch Qian Renxue's thread...
Something went wrong.
Qian Renxue merely stood there, smiling faintly, as if granting permission for the lion to look. Amusement danced in her eyes — as if she were curious to see what the beast would find.
But the moment the Auspicious Emperor's power brushed against Renxue's fate line, her mind exploded in pain. It wasn't a thread she touched… it was a wall. An immovable, infinite wall — so vast that her entire existence was like a grain of dust before it.
Her body trembled violently. The golden glow of her third eye flickered, then dimmed.
The Auspicious Emperor screamed.Through the connection of fate, she felt a pressure unlike anything she had ever known. It was as if all the destinies of the soul beasts in Douluo Continent combined amounted to less than a spark before the blazing sun standing in front of her.
Her cry turned into a strangled roar as blood streamed from her eyes, ears, and nostrils, staining her fur crimson.
Through that same power of fate, she suddenly saw — countless unseen gazes turning toward her.Eyes upon eyes upon eyes… watching her from the void between destinies.
The world darkened as her breathing quickened. She could not move. She could not even scream anymore.
And then, softly — almost tenderly — Qian Renxue's voice broke the silence.
"Curiosity," she said, "is a dangerous thing."
Just when the Auspicious Emperor felt her consciousness fading into the void, a soft, melodious voice brushed against her mind — gentle and calm, yet resonating with an unshakable authority.
"No," Qian Renxue said lightly, her tone almost playful. "That won't do. My heart is so kind… I can't let you die yet."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vision was blurred by blood and divine radiance. Through the haze, she saw the golden-haired girl step closer, her bare feet gliding soundlessly across the air. Then, before the soul beast could even flinch, Qian Renxue leaned in and pressed her smooth forehead against the open third eye on the lion's brow.
In that instant —the world erupted in light.
A blinding radiance surged skyward, tearing through the canopy. For a brief moment, the Star Dou Forest was illuminated as though the sun itself had descended. Trees bent under the pressure of divine power, and countless soul beasts fell to their knees instinctively, trembling as if the heavens had opened above them.
Behind Qian Renxue, a magnificent figure unfolded - Her Martial Soul — the Twelve-Winged Angel. Twelve wings unfurled in majesty, each feather shimmering in complex symbols. The face however was still not clear.
(Author notes : I will explain later why Qian Renxue was so easily able to find the Auspicious Emperor. It is related to her 6th soul skill and praying ritual)