Hunting the Emperor Auspicious Beast?

Time passed. One month later.

Star Dou Great Forest, Mixed Zone.

Ancient trees towered as far as the eye could see, their luxuriant branches and leaves filtering the sunlight into specks of gold that swayed in the wind, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across the ground.

Three people walked through the depths of the forest.

One of them appeared to be over eighty years old, his lean body as straight as a javelin. He held a snake lance nearly twenty feet long.

The other was rugged and burly, his Whole Body covered in dark-gold chitinous armor studded with sharp bone spikes.

The two flanked a blond, refined young nobleman with a gentle temperament.

Judging by the characteristics of their Martial Souls, they were Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo respectively. The youth they protected was none other than the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.

Or perhaps he should have been called Spirit Hall's Young Master—Qian Renxue.

The three strode boldly through the depths of the forest, their steps unhurried as though they were strolling through their own courtyard. Their gazes occasionally swept the surroundings as they searched for traces of suitable Spirit Beasts.

"Snake Lance, this is too slow. We should release our spiritual power," Porcupinefish Douluo said in a deep voice.

"That won't do. Our spiritual power is too powerful and could easily alert the Spirit Beasts. Not only would they scatter, but it would be troublesome if we drew the attention of the two forest overlords." Snake Lance Douluo raised a hand and flatly refused.

"Then let me do it." Qian Renxue closed her eyes, and her spiritual power spread through the forest like a tide.

"Twenty meters away, a thousand-year Snake Vine Flower. Doesn't meet the requirements."

"Fifty meters away, a ten-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider. Excluded."

"Sixty meters to the right, a ten-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit. Trash!"

Her spiritual power continued to spread, yet she still failed to find an ideal target. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she had no choice but to search farther away.

Eighty meters ahead, a giant wolf covered in blue and clad in ice-crystal armor was running for its life. One of its icy wings had been torn off, while the other bore a bite wound so deep that bone was visible. It was in a wretched state.

"A sixty-thousand-year Ice Wolf... is fleeing for its life?" Qian Renxue's heart tightened.

With this Spirit Beast's cultivation, it could already dominate a region within the Star Dou Great Forest. What could have driven it into such a state?

"What is it afraid of?" Qian Renxue extended her spiritual power toward the wolf's rear.

There, she saw a golden figure relentlessly pursuing it. It resembled a lion, but had an elongated snout. Beneath its golden fur, fine scales could vaguely be seen. It was extraordinarily mystical.

"An unknown ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast!!" Qian Renxue was overjoyed.

"I found the target!" The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul instantly possessed her body, and four Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—rose beneath her feet.

An aura of holiness and flames spread from her body. With a beat of her wings, she shot toward the strange Spirit Beast.

"Young Master, don't act rashly!" Porcupinefish Douluo cried out urgently. The two Title Douluo followed close behind, not daring to delay for even a moment.

The Ice Wolf, which had been desperately fleeing, suddenly sensed two terrifying auras appearing ahead. It abruptly stopped, then turned to look behind it, only to see the Emperor Auspicious Beast still clinging to its pursuit.

It stood frozen in place, momentarily having no idea what to do.

As both sides rapidly closed in on it, a ruthless gleam flashed through the Ice Wolf's eyes. Its body suddenly swelled as if being inflated.

"BOOM—!!"

A deafening explosion resounded through the forest. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, dyeing the surrounding woodland crimson.

"Did it lose its mind?" Qian Renxue paused in shock, unable to make sense of it.

But she had no time to dwell on it. Her gaze passed over the mangled field of flesh and blood, locking firmly onto the golden Spirit Beast that had stopped.

The Emperor Auspicious Beast halted its pursuit. Its golden Pupils stared coldly at Qian Renxue and the others, filled with blazing fury.

That gaze actually carried a lofty, commanding majesty.

Qian Renxue studied it carefully, growing more satisfied the longer she looked. Its mystical form, its pure aura of light... everything perfectly met her expectations.

"I'll hunt it for my fifth Soul Ring!" Qian Renxue declared decisively, leaving no room for doubt.

Snake Lance Douluo looked at the Emperor Auspicious Beast and felt a chill run down his spine, as though something hidden in the darkness were watching them. He hurriedly tried to dissuade her. "Young Master, this Spirit Beast is too strange."

"Spirit Hall has never recorded such a Spirit Beast. To be safe, we should choose another one."

Qian Renxue waved him off. "This Spirit Beast possesses both light and fire attributes, and it is at the ten-thousand-year level. It was able to chase down an Ice Wolf, which proves that it must be extremely powerful."

"If I can absorb her as my fifth Soul Ring, my strength will definitely increase enormously."

This Emperor Auspicious Beast was only five thousand years old, but Qian Renxue had never seen one before. Combined with what she had just witnessed, she had made a mistaken judgment.

"Young Master, caution is never wasted!" Porcupinefish Douluo stepped forward as well, offering a grave warning. Qian Renxue's safety concerned Spirit Hall's future; there could be no mishap.

"My mind is made up. You need not try to persuade me further!" Qian Renxue said firmly.

Today, she would kill the Emperor Auspicious Beast no matter what!!

"If you won't act, then I will!" Before her words had even faded, her First Soul Ring flashed brightly. "First Soul Skill: Angel Assault!"

She condensed the sacred energy within her body around her fist, forming a golden shield of light as she struck at the Emperor Auspicious Beast with crushing force!

The Emperor Auspicious Beast showed no fear whatsoever. Its forepaws slammed into the ground, cracking the earth inch by inch as it threw back its head and roared!

"ROAR—!!"

It charged straight at Qian Renxue!

When the distance between them shrank to less than five meters, the temperature in the air soared sharply. The ancient trees around them burst into flames without fire, turning the area into a blazing inferno in an instant.

"You're courting death!" A majestic roar exploded like thunder. The next moment, a massive crimson claw shot out from the darkness, striking directly at Qian Renxue!

"Protect the Young Master!" Snake Lance Douluo gripped his Snake Lance Martial Soul as nine Soul Rings abruptly rose beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.

He attacked the crimson lion claw.

Porcupinefish Douluo erupted at the same time. His Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and nine Soul Rings—two yellow, three purple, and four black—swirled beneath his feet as his aura suddenly surged.

He shouted, "Fifth Soul Skill, Thorn Bone Spikes!"

Countless poisoned bone spikes shot forth, blanketing the crimson lion claw like a torrential storm.

"Get lost!" That majestic voice rang out again, heavy with disdain and fury. An even more terrifying pressure, like a tangible tsunami, crashed head-on into the two Title Douluo!

In the next instant, the crimson figure fully emerged. It was over five meters long, shaped like a male lion yet bearing three savage heads. Its fangs gleamed crimson-gold, while hellfire churned around its body.

It was Scarlet King, the Three-Headed Crimson Demon Mastiff—ranked eighth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, with a cultivation of two hundred seventy thousand years!

It closed in on the two Title Douluo. With a sweep of its crimson lion claw, both were sent flying like kites with snapped strings, crashing through several ancient trees in succession and spraying blood wildly.

As for Porcupinefish Douluo's dense barrage of poisoned spikes, they failed to leave even the slightest white mark on Scarlet King's body before being burned into nothingness by the demonic flames surrounding it.

Qian Renxue was horrified!

Two Super Douluo could not even withstand a single strike!

"Another unknown Spirit Beast..." Once Qian Renxue saw its appearance clearly, her Pupils suddenly constricted, and she staggered back involuntarily.

Scarlet King's three heads turned in unison. Its crimson eyes burned with furious flames as they fixed tightly on Qian Renxue. It stepped closer, the shadow cast by its massive body swallowing her whole. Then it threw back its necks and let out an earth-shaking roar:

"ROAR—!!!"

The shadow completely enveloped her. Looking at those three heads, Qian Renxue felt a chill spread from the depths of her heart!