At that, Du Busi and Zhang Lexuan followed Su Chen's gaze.
At first, they didn't notice anything.
Only after looking closely did they catch a strange patch of black in the shadowy corner.
It was a petite black fox.
It was curled up in a crack between the rocks, its entire body as black as ink, seeming to blend into the surrounding shadows.
Only its narrow eyes gleamed with an unsettling light, radiating an innate charm and wariness.
"Whoa... Is that a black fox? And a hundred-thousand-year one?!"
Du Busi sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"How is that possible? A Soul Beast like a black fox could survive the hundred-thousand-year tribulation?"
Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes widened as well. After sensing it carefully, she added,
"It's definitely cultivated for a hundred thousand years. But... its aura is very weak. It seems to have suffered severe internal injuries, and its life force is on the verge of going out."
It was no wonder they were so shocked.
In the Soul Beast Realm, the black fox clan was an extremely unusual presence.
They were born with powerful mental strength and excelled at soul attacks and illusions, but their bodies were as frail as paper.
Worse still, the brains and demon cores of black foxes were excellent "tonics" for nourishing the souls of other high-level Soul Beasts!
As a result, black foxes were often eaten before they could mature, and the clan was on the brink of extinction.
To cultivate for a hundred thousand years? That was like winning the lottery—a miracle among miracles!
"Oh, you mean that little one."
Just then, Di Qiu'er spoke nonchalantly.
"That black fox has a lot of nerve. It sneaked off with a spirit herb I'd specifically saved for Su Chen while I was asleep."
"After I caught it red-handed, I punished it by making it stay here and guard my little treasure trove to atone for its crime."
Su Chen: "..."
Du Busi: "..."
Using a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast as a watchdog?
Well, what could he say? That was the auspicious beast of the Star Dou Great Forest for you. She really did have guts!
But after thinking it over, Su Chen understood the situation.
For the severely injured, fragile Black Fox Lady, it was better to stay on the auspicious beast's turf than drag her broken body through a dangerous forest, hiding from one threat after another and risking becoming another Ferocious Beast's meal at any moment.
After all, no other Soul Beast would dare trespass on the auspicious beast's territory, even if it had a hundred times the courage.
This place was, in fact, her only refuge.
"Hey! Su Chen, Su Chen!"
Di Qiu'er's eyes suddenly lit up as if she'd thought of a brilliant idea. Excitedly, she tugged at Su Chen's sleeve.
"Didn't you say you wanted to find a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast? What do you think of this Black Fox Lady?"
She pointed at the trembling black fox in the corner and analyzed the situation with complete confidence:
"She's already gravely injured and close to death. Once you take all the treasures here, she'll lose my protection and won't survive three days."
"Rather than let another Soul Beast get her, why not use that 'Soul Spirit Secret Method' of yours to take her in?"
"That way, you'll save her life and get yourself another hundred-thousand-year Soul Spirit. It's the best of both worlds!"
Was she serious?
Looking at the decisive Di Qiu'er, Su Chen's eyes flashed with approval.
The girl was finally catching on!
In the Soul Master World, showing mercy to your enemies was cruelty to yourself. If you wanted to achieve great things, you had to be ruthless enough to stand firm.
"Absolutely not!"
A deep roar interrupted them.
The Scarlet King shook all three of his heads at once, dark red flames flickering in his mouths as he stepped forward and stood in front of the Black Fox Lady.
"Human! If you want to hunt a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast in front of me, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
He was, after all, one of the Ten Great Beast Kings of the Star Dou Great Forest. He might not be able to beat Du Busi, but he couldn't let go of his pride as a guardian.
If he let humans do whatever they wanted in the core region, how could he show his face among the other beasts?
The Black Fox Lady lay on the ground in silence, her eyes filled with hopelessness.
She had wanted to make one last desperate struggle, but after sensing the pressure of Du Busi, a Level 99 Limit Douluo, as deep and oppressive as an abyss, she had given up thinking altogether.
It was the very definition of being at someone else's mercy.
"Give it a rest, Scarlet King."
Su Chen rolled his eyes and bluntly called him out.
"Don't put on such a righteous act.
You should know better than I do that the Black Fox Lady is at death's door.
Even if I let her go today, how long do you think she'd last in her current state?"
"Plenty of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest would love to get their claws on the flesh of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, wouldn't they? I bet she'd become another beast's meal the moment I left."
The Scarlet King's enormous dog head faltered slightly, but he still roared through gritted teeth,
"That's still better than being killed by you human Soul Masters and turned into a Soul Ring! This is an internal matter among Soul Beasts. It's none of your business!"
"Who said I was going to kill her?"
Su Chen's lips curled into a mysterious smile.
"Scarlet King, perk up those dog ears and listen. I don't want her life. On the contrary, I'm saving her—and even offering her a chance at a new destiny!"
Then Su Chen explained the concept of a "Soul Spirit" in detail.
A Soul Spirit used a contract between equals instead of a violent hunt, preserving the Soul Beast's consciousness and allowing it to coexist with a Soul Master in another form. It could even grow stronger as the Soul Master's strength increased...
When he finished, silence fell over the group.
Du Busi's eyes widened, and Zhang Lexuan's lips parted in disbelief.
This was a revolution! It completely overturned the ironclad rules that had governed the Soul Master World for tens of thousands of years!
Such a thing was possible? They could avoid death and live forever?
Di Qiu'er gazed at Su Chen with stars in her eyes. To her, everything Su Chen said was the truth; there was no need to question it.
The Scarlet King, however, wavered after hearing him out.
His three heads looked at one another, as if weighing the pros and cons.
What the kid said... seemed to make some sense.
If the black fox stayed here, she'd be walking around as a juicy piece of meat.
Just like that unlucky million-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm: despite all its cultivation, it was a joke in a fight. It was good for nothing but serving as a battery and food, and couldn't even beat a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast.
Rather than let the black fox be devoured by other Soul Beasts, why not... take a chance?
Seeing that the Scarlet King was no longer blocking him, Su Chen turned to the shadowy bundle on the ground and issued his final ultimatum.
"Well, Black Fox Lady?"
"You have only two choices: stay here and wait to die, becoming your kin's droppings; or come with me and become my Soul Spirit, and witness the pinnacle of this world by my side!"
"Choose."
"It seems... I don't have much of a choice."
The Black Fox Lady sighed softly. Her once-beguiling eyes were now filled with despondency and resignation.
She looked around. The Star Dou Great Forest was vast, but there was nowhere left for her to belong.
Rather than linger here, waiting to be eaten by another Soul Beast or hunted by a Soul Master, she might as well take a chance on this human's "goodness."
More importantly...
Her gaze swept over the faint golden aura of fortune surrounding Su Chen.
It was the auspicious beast's aura!
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the emperor auspicious beast of the Soul Beast Realm, never grew close to the wicked.
If even the auspicious beast was willing to be so close to him, and had even shared some of her fortune with him, then his character... probably wasn't too bad, right?
At that thought, the wariness in the Black Fox Lady's eyes faded, replaced by a gambler's grim resolve.
"I can accept your offer and become the test subject for your Soul Spirit Method."
The Black Fox Lady slowly raised her head and stretched her body.
Her entire body was as black as though carved from dark jade, its surface shimmering with iridescent light.
Against that dark sheen, her blood-red eyes looked especially bewitching, exuding an unsettling beauty that was impossible to look away from.
As she raised her head, a heart-rending, sorrowful beauty showed on her devastatingly lovely face.
"However, I have one condition."
"I hope... you won't deceive me."
The simple words seemed to take all the strength she had left.
"Of course."
At the Black Fox Lady's request, Su Chen's smile grew even brighter, almost as if he were adding a little extra "sincerity."
Su Chen thumped his chest, his eyes as clear as a newborn baby's.
"Don't worry. I, Su Chen, have made my way in the world on four words: honesty above all!"
Before you continue