Star Dou Great Forest, Core Circle.
This was the most vibrant place in the entire forest. The lake water was emerald green, like jade, and teemed with life.
Beast God Di Tian, who had been cultivating in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes. His golden vertical pupils were filled with disbelief and towering rage.
"The Auspicious Beast... the Auspicious Beast's presence has disappeared?!"
Not only that, he could clearly sense that the immense fortune which had blanketed Star Dou Great Forest and protected its countless Soul Beasts had, in an instant... vanished completely!
It was as if something had forcibly severed it!
"Damn it! How is this possible?!"
Di Tian let out a roar that shook the heavens and earth.
"Who?! Who touched the Auspicious Beast?!"
At Di Tian's roar, several terrifying auras shot skyward from every corner of the Core Circle.
"What's going on? What happened?"
A low voice rumbled like distant thunder. A moment later, a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear as huge as a mountain tore through space and strode over. It was none other than Xiong Jun, one of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts.
Close behind him, Zi JI, Myriad Demon King, Bi Ji, and the other Ferocious Beasts arrived as well. Shock and confusion were written across every face.
"Di Tian, what exactly happened? Why are you so agitated?"
There was a note of anxiety in Bi Ji's gentle voice. As the Emerald Swan, she was exceptionally sensitive to the aura of life, so she had naturally noticed the unusual fluctuations in the forest's fortune, as well as the inexplicable pressure in her heart.
Di Tian's expression was frighteningly dark, and black flames seemed to burn in his golden vertical pupils.
"The Auspicious Beast has disappeared."
"And along with it, the fortune of our Soul Beast Clan... is gone too."
"What?!"
At these words, all the Ferocious Beasts were shocked.
The Auspicious Beast's importance to the Soul Beast Clan was beyond question. It was the key to their rapid growth and breaking through bottlenecks, and the hope of their clan's future.
Now that the Auspicious Beast had disappeared and their fortune had been severed, it was as if the very roots of the Soul Beast Clan had been cut off!
"How could this happen? Wasn't the Auspicious Beast under Scarlet King's protection? How could it just disappear for no reason?"
Myriad Demon King's face, wrinkled like old tree bark, was full of disbelief.
"Hmph! Those damn humans must have done this!"
Xiong Jun had the worst temper. At these words, he immediately flew into a rage, slamming his two enormous paws together with a clang like clashing metal.
At the mention of Scarlet King, Xiong Jun grew even angrier and roared:
"That useless Scarlet King! It can never get anything right! It couldn't even protect one Auspicious Beast, so what use is it?! If you ask me, we should twist all three of its heads off!"
The other Ferocious Beasts were also filled with resentment toward Scarlet King.
After all, protecting the Auspicious Beast was of the utmost importance. Scarlet King had actually managed to lose it—an utter dereliction of duty!
"Enough!"
Di Tian snapped, cutting off the beasts' argument.
He closed his eyes and carefully sensed Scarlet King's aura.
"Scarlet King is now... on the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest."
At the words "the outskirts," Di Tian's expression darkened further.
"Not long ago, I sensed that a battle had broken out there between powerful humans. It was just an internal conflict among humans, and as long as it didn't affect us Soul Beasts, I couldn't be bothered to interfere. In fact, the more powerful humans who died, the better it was for us."
"But..."
Di Tian opened his eyes abruptly, killing intent surging within them.
"That idiot Scarlet King! I repeatedly warned it not to take the Auspicious Beast anywhere near there! Did it take my words for wind?!"
"Now that the Auspicious Beast has disappeared and our fortune is severed, it must be connected to that battle between the humans! It may even... have been caught up in it!"
Hearing this, even Bi Ji, who was usually good-natured, couldn't help frowning.
"If that's the case, then Scarlet King is indeed unforgivable."
"Di Tian, what should we do now?"
Zi JI asked.
"What else can we do? Of course we'll find that useless fool and settle accounts! And we'll get the Auspicious Beast back!"
Di Tian snorted coldly. In an instant, he transformed into a streak of black lightning and sped toward the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest.
"Follow me! This concerns the fate of the entire Soul Beast Clan! If anything has happened to the Auspicious Beast, we'll make the humans pay in blood!"
By the quiet Small River on the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest,
Scarlet King stood like a statue, staring blankly at the water.
Its three heads drooped dejectedly, and despair and helplessness filled its six eyes.
Just moments ago, it had watched the golden figure dive into the river, and then... nothing.
Not a splash. Not a trace of an aura.
The Auspicious Beast had vanished from its senses completely, as if the river had swallowed it.
"It's over... It's all over..."
Scarlet King murmured to itself, its whole body trembling uncontrollably.
It could already imagine the terrifying punishment awaiting it when Di Tian discovered that the Auspicious Beast was missing.
Would he flay it and rip out its tendons? Devour it alive? Or lock it away forever in that lightless prison, never to see the world again?
Just as Scarlet King despaired, an utterly terrifying pressure descended.
"BOOM—!"
A pitch-black figure appeared out of nowhere above Scarlet King. Those golden vertical pupils looked down at it coldly, as if it were an ant he could crush at will.
"Scarlet King!"
Di Tian's voice boomed in Scarlet King's ears like rolling thunder.
"Where's the Auspicious Beast?!"
"I entrusted the Auspicious Beast to you, and this is how you protected it?! Tell me! What did the humans do to take it away?!"
Seeing Di Tian's fury, along with Xiong Jun, Myriad Demon King, and the others arriving behind him, Scarlet King collapsed to the ground in terror.
Scarlet King stammered, its voice choked with tears.
"The Auspicious Beast... it... it jumped into the river... and then its aura disappeared..."
"Jumped into the river?!"
Di Tian nearly laughed in anger at that.
"Are you trying to tell us that the Auspicious Beast jumped into the river and died?! That its aura vanished in an instant?"
"It's true!"
Scarlet King was so aggrieved that tears were about to fall.
"The Auspicious Beast jumped into this river, and then... then it disappeared! I tried to find it, but I couldn't find it anywhere!"
Di Tian gave Scarlet King a cold glance, then turned his gaze toward the ordinary-looking Small River before them.
To his senses, there was indeed something strange about this river.
It looked perfectly ordinary, but deep beneath its surface, some sort of power seemed to be hidden—one that even made him uneasy.
"Playing tricks!"
Di Tian snorted. As the strongest person publicly known on Douluo Continent, he didn't believe there was anything in the world that could stop him.
"Since you say the Auspicious Beast is in the river, I'll turn the whole thing upside down! Even if I have to drain every drop of water, I'll find it!"
"If the Auspicious Beast isn't in this river, Scarlet King..."
Di Tian gave Scarlet King a cold look. He wouldn't kill it, but it would certainly be punished.
Just then, the Small River rippled with a splash, and a figure slowly rose from its depths. He sat on a bluestone, holding a fishing rod, looking utterly at ease.
"So it really was the humans!"
At the sight, Xiong Jun flew into a rage and lunged to seize Lin Feng!