Dongfang Jing clearly remembered being critically injured and on the verge of death.
Before losing consciousness, he saw a soul beast approaching.
Logically, he should have been its meal long ago.
Feeling a warm energy flowing through his body, repairing his final injuries,he turned his head with difficulty and then widened his eyes in surprise!
A swan, entirely emerald green with feathers as translucent as jade, stood beside him, its outstretched wings radiating a dazzling green light that enveloped him.
Under this green light, Dongfang Jing felt his strength and injuries rapidly recovering.
"This is... a swan soul beast? Why didn't it attack me? Instead, it's healing me?"
Dongfang Jing carefully observed the swan's appearance; it was a species he had never seen in the soul beast encyclopedia.
He judged that it must be an extremely rare healing-type soul beast.
Amidst confusion and curiosity, time passed slowly.
Under the healing green light, Dongfang Jing was able to stand and barely circulate his soul power.
Although his internal injuries still required a long period of recuperation, at least his life had been saved.
"Such amazing healing abilities." The boy flexed his wrists, genuinely marveling. "Just who are you...?"
The emerald swan folded its wings, the green light gradually fading.
It tilted its head, looking at the human before it with a dazed expression, its eyes pure and without a trace of malice.
Seeing that he could stand, it turned and gracefully walked away.
Dongfang Jing looked around. Dense forests blocked out the sky, and towering cliffs blocked the sun's position, making it difficult to even determine direction.
If he tried to climb the waterfall back the way he came, in his current state, he would probably collapse halfway due to exhaustion.
And if he activated his soul power, his internal injuries would flare up.
'I can't stay here any longer,' he thought to himself.
There were no soul beasts in this pool; it must be a drinking spot they frequented. If he encountered even one, it would be dangerous!
Lost and disoriented,Dongfang Jing felt utterly helpless. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to follow the seemingly harmless, mysterious swan.
In the shadows,Biji had already followed her people's scent and witnessed everything.
Seeing that the swan was following one of her own, she frowned slightly: "Human."
Dongfang Jing cautiously followed the emerald swan, maintaining a safe distance.
To his surprise, he hadn't encountered any spirit beasts along the way. Was this still the renowned Star Dou Great Forest?
He focused his gaze on the emerald swan.
The swan waddled, its rear swaying.
'This is too unusual,' Dongfang Jing mused. 'Could it be that this swan possesses some kind of pressure I can't sense, preventing other spirit beasts from approaching?'
But his immediate priority was to leave the Star Dou Great Forest as quickly as possible.
His inability to discern direction only increased his anxiety.
When being chased, he had only focused on fleeing deeper into the forest, hoping to use the complex terrain and spirit beasts to delay the giant hammer.
Now, he had no idea where he was.
"Damn it, a titled Douluo with no shame, bullying the weak, he's a real piece of work!"
Dongfang Jing couldn't help but curse.
'Where is this swan going? Am I going deeper into the forest?'
Just as he hesitated whether to continue following, the emerald swan suddenly turned towards a patch of grass.
Dongfang Jing hesitated for a moment, then followed.
In the grass, a thousand-year-old tiger-type soul beast lay dying, a fatal bite wound on its back.
The emerald swan spread its wings, a green light enveloping its wound, which soon healed completely.
The tiger spirit beast gratefully bowed its head, but upon seeing Dongfang Jing, it immediately bared its teeth and shielded the swan.
Dongfang Jing retreated hastily, about to unleash his spirit power,but the tiger suddenly seemed to sense something terrifying, letting out a terrified whimper before fleeing without looking back.
"What happened?" Dongfang Jing was utterly bewildered, touching his face. Was he really that scary?
He couldn't figure it out, but the crisis was over, which was always a good thing. In his current state, dealing with a thousand-year-old spirit beast was indeed difficult.
He looked at the emerald swan, who was also looking at him.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Dongfang Jing cupped his hands and said, "Thank you... for saving my life?"
The swan tilted its head, seemingly not understanding what the human was doing, then turned and continued on its way.
Dongfang Jing felt slightly embarrassed. It seemed the swan wasn't a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast and couldn't understand human language.
But judging from the tiger spirit beast's reaction, this swan seemed to hold a high position among spirit beasts and was someone who needed protection.
After a moment's thought, Dongfang Jing followed again.
Bi Ji emerged from behind a tree, her emerald eyes silently watching the human, but with a hint of doubt.
At that moment, a black bear crawled out of the forest, its eyes fixed menacingly on Dongfang Jing.
Bi Ji gently released a wisp of her aura; the black bear, sensing it, trembled uncontrollably and fled in terror.
The light in the forest gradually dimmed. Dongfang Jing looked up; although he couldn't see the sky clearly, he estimated it was dusk.
Then, his gaze followed the emerald figure ahead.
The Emerald Swan was perched before a small, hundred-year-old human-faced demon spider, its wings spread, emitting a gentle green light.
Several wounds on the spider's body were healing visibly under the green light.
Along the way, Dongfang Jing hadn't encountered any other soul beasts besides those that were injured and unable to move.
This swan was indeed excessively kind. Regardless of species or strength, it would stop to help anyone injured.
Dongfang Jing, the human, was a prime example.
After the treatment, the emerald swan folded its wings.
Just as the green light dissipated, the human-faced spider suddenly sprang into action, its eight legs stabbing straight at the unsuspecting swan!
"Clang!"
A dark purple mirror shield appeared just in time, blocking the attack.
Dongfang Jing condensed shattered mirror fragments into a fist and punched the spider, sending it flying.
He clutched his chest, feeling a dull pain, but it was still within tolerable limits.
The emerald swan turned its head, bending its slender neck as if expressing gratitude.
Dongfang Jing nodded slightly in return, then realized how strange he had become.
Along the way, he had seen many soul beasts express gratitude after being healed, but he had also encountered those like the human-faced spider who repaid kindness with enmity.
"Dongfang Jing could see that this swan had no fighting ability and was extremely fragile, yet it contained pure life energy. "
"Eating it would be a great tonic for any creature! "
Dongfang Jing sighed softly.
He could follow the swan, which would indeed be safe.
But the swan wouldn't lead him out of the forest; it would only relentlessly seek out and heal the wounded, even if they might bite him in return.
'No wonder it's not recorded in the Soul Beast Encyclopedia. If every one of them were as fragile and kind as it, they would surely be prey for other Soul Beasts, making their numbers scarce.'
But then he thought, Soul Beasts also have a sense of gratitude towards each other.
Ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beasts have developed intelligence; perhaps the Soul Beasts they've healed will protect them because of it.
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(End of Chapter)