Ever-Deeper Debts

"?!"

Xiong Jun's scalp tingled as he looked at Di Tian, his eyes full of question marks.

Loosen up his muscles?

More like you wanted to tear me apart!

A full three hours of inhumane... no, inbearable beating! He had practically been kicked around like a ball by Di Tian. After the very first move, he had spent the entire fight getting pummeled.

After this battle, Xiong Jun finally understood that Old Deng had never fought him seriously before. He had been hiding his strength the whole time.

Damn it! He actually set me up!

Just wait. Once I become stronger, we'll fight again!

"You win. Let's go. I'll take you to my clansmen." Xiong Jun gave a sullen snort and turned toward the depths of the forest.

Di Tian returned to human form, raised his brows, and followed Xiong Jun with some surprise.

It was not easy to hear the words "you win" from Xiong Jun's mouth. It meant that Xiong Jun had bowed his head before Di Tian.

Just as Bijie had expected, he would probably behave himself for quite some time.

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears were not social Soul Beasts. They generally preferred to live alone, only dwelling together as a male and female pair when it was time to reproduce.

As for Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear cubs, once they grew into ten-year Soul Beasts, their parents would basically "kick them out of the house" and leave them to live independently from then on.

Therefore, finding the already scarce and widely scattered Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears in the Star Dou Great Forest was practically impossible. Unless one was extraordinarily lucky enough to happen upon one, Xiong Jun had to lead the way.

Before long, Xiong Jun stopped before an ancient tree with a massive hollow and let out a low growl.

A low growl answered him from within the hollow. Then, a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear roughly eight or nine meters tall crawled out of the tree.

Looking at the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear before him, Xiong Jun's gaze was especially complicated. He growled twice and communicated with it in the language of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Clan.

Upon hearing Xiong Jun's growls, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear trembled almost imperceptibly. A trace of fear appeared in its eyes, but it quickly overcame those negative emotions and responded with low growls.

Di Tian's figure silently appeared, standing in midair beside Xiong Jun. He asked in surprise, "This is your son? Xiong Jun, you're actually willing to let your son become the Honored One's Soul Ring?"

Brilliant light erupted from Xiong Jun's enormous bear body. When the light contracted, he became a rough-looking, three-meter-tall burly man wearing a beast-hide coat.

"The lives of the other clansmen are lives, and my son's life is also a life. As the son of Xiong Jun, he has enjoyed the reverence and glory of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Clan. He must likewise give something for the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Clan." Xiong Jun spoke calmly, but the flash of reluctance in his eyes still betrayed his true feelings.

If he could, he did not want to send his own son to his death either. But he could not avoid it. He was the chief of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Clan, so this was the only thing he could do.

Di Tian sighed and reached out to pat Xiong Jun's shoulder. "Don't worry. As the master's Soul Ring, he is not truly dead. You know that our Soul Beast souls are stored within Soul Rings. Once the master returns to his peak, he can be resurrected."

Di Tian had not wanted to say any of this, because he did not know whether Lin Yun would devote effort to reviving his Soul Rings.

But since Di Tian had said it now, he would certainly bring up the matter to Lin Yun in the future and ask him to resurrect these Soul Beasts.

"Really?" Xiong Jun furrowed his brows, a flash of shock passing through his eyes.

He was a Soul Beast born and raised in Douluo, so he naturally knew nothing of the methods of gods. Otherwise, he would not have stubbornly picked a fight with Di Tian.

"Really. The Honored One can absolutely do it." Di Tian nodded.

"That's good. All right, take him away. I won't be coming with you." A measure of relief appeared on Xiong Jun's face. He turned and left without looking back.

Di Tian fell silent as he watched Xiong Jun's departing back.

This bear bastard was really only a little too arrogant, and he had simply chosen the wrong target for that arrogance. In truth, he was quite strong. With Gu Yuena idling away at the Lake of Life, Xiong Jun was probably the strongest combatant in Star Dou apart from Di Tian. Even the Myriad Demon King could not defeat him.

Setting aside the flaw that his brain was all muscle, Xiong Jun was actually quite decent. He just offended people easily.

"Wuwu—" Xiong Jun's son, lying nearby, whimpered twice, as though giving Xiong Jun a final farewell.

Xiong Jun's steps paused slightly. His right fist slowly clenched, but in the end, there was only a long sigh that gradually faded into the air.

"Let's go." Di Tian waved his hand, and irresistible Power of Space descended upon Xiong Jun's son, carrying him away as he silently vanished from the spot.

Lake of Life.

Lin Yun and Bijie had long since returned and were quietly waiting by the lake.

The moment the battle ended, Lin Yun knew that this Soul Ring was secured. Now, as long as Di Tian returned, he could bring Lin Yun's third Soul Ring before him.

Di Tian did not keep Lin Yun waiting long. Lin Yun had only been at the Lake of Life for a short while when Di Tian emerged from space with a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Even though he had already seen Xiong Jun's true form, he had watched from a distance then. Only at such close range did Lin Yun truly feel the explosive power contained within the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's body.

It truly deserved its reputation as an existence capable of battling and killing giant dragons. The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear lived up to its name.

"Honored One, I have brought back the Soul Ring you requested." Di Tian bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your hard work, Di Tian!" Lin Yun smiled and nodded. Then he said, "But judging by that expression, it seems that something happened between you and Xiong Jun after I left—something I don't know about."

"Why not tell me about it?"

The complicated look on Di Tian's face was far too obvious. Especially considering that he wore an expressionless face nine days out of ten, this sentimental appearance was even rarer than the expressions he had shown when acting as a lackey.

After hesitating for a moment, Di Tian still told him everything that had happened afterward, including the identity of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear before them.

"Therefore, I hope that after the Honored One returns to his peak, you can resurrect him." Di Tian lowered his eyes, bowed, and spoke softly.

"So, he's Xiong Jun's son..." Lin Yun walked to the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's side and stroked its seemingly hard but actually soft dark-gold fur.

As Xiong Jun's son, his talent was undoubtedly among the very best even within the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Clan.

Lin Yun...

Seemed to be owing more and more favors in the Star Dou Great Forest.