Awakening

Three-Eyed Golden Lion recalled what she had just seen.

A hazy galaxy.

Eight planets of varying sizes revolved in orderly paths around a blazing central star.

Her consciousness instinctively reached toward the beautiful azure planet among them, wanting to see it clearly.

However, just as she was about to touch its core, a vast, gentle yet irresistible force brushed against her. Like a mother's hand, it pulled a curious child away from the edge of danger.

Her consciousness was gently yet firmly pushed aside, turning toward another, more accessible realm of memories.

They were fragments from Jiang Bai's childhood.

The remote Niuma Village, its crude earthen houses, and his mother Jiang Ning's pale yet gentle face.

When he was five, his mother held his hand from her sickbed and weakly gave him two instructions. Then her hand slowly fell, never to rise again.

The scene shifted to the night of his Martial Soul awakening when he was six.

A bolt of lightning struck Jiang Bai with unerring precision as he watched the stars.

At this sight, the vertical pupil in Three-Eyed Golden Lion's third eye contracted violently.

She could clearly sense that at the very instant the lightning struck, the dim and meager aura of fortune around Jiang Bai—which had been like a flickering candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment—suddenly surged!

Golden light shot into the heavens. Even within those fragmented memories, it was dazzling enough to make her soul tremble!

The images continued to shift.

His life at Spirit Hall Academy, where he met and fell in love with Qian Renxue.

Warm, bright, beautiful memories strung together that brief yet profound period like precious pearls.

Until the end—the icy back mountain, Bibi Dong's venomous gaze, the agonizing pain of Eternal Trauma piercing his body, and the cold darkness of falling into the river—

The memory froze there.

No wonder—no wonder that human had survived all that!

Calling this fortune the world's undisguised favoritism would not be an exaggeration!

Three-Eyed Golden Lion staggered back two steps, her three eyes filled with indescribable shock and confusion.

"Auspicious Beast!" Bi Ji swiftly pulled the still-unsteady Three-Eyed Golden Lion into her arms, her emerald eyes full of worry and urgency.

"What happened to you? What was that disturbance just now?"

The soft, warm embrace brought Three-Eyed Golden Lion back to her senses. She instinctively rubbed her head against Bi Ji's soft chest and said in a muffled voice.

"I'm fine, Sister Bi Ji. I was just—curious, so I used the Eye of Destiny to take a look at that human—"

Bi Ji sighed helplessly, her slender fingers gently combing through the golden fur on Three-Eyed Golden Lion's back.

"I told you not to run around. Why won't you listen?"

Though her tone was reproachful, her movements remained gentle.

"Oh, Sister Bi Ji, I know I was wrong—" Three-Eyed Golden Lion skillfully began acting cute, her eyes curving into crescents and her voice sickeningly sweet.

I'll still dare to do it next time!

A carefree thought flashed through her mind.

How could Bi Ji fail to see through her little scheme? She lightly flicked the furry forehead with her fingertip, but could not bear to truly scold her.

This little ancestor had been doted on by the entire Star Dou Forest since childhood. She was lively and unruly; unless she truly suffered a major loss, "admitting mistakes without correcting them" was simply normal for her.

Bi Ji shook her head and turned her gaze toward Jiang Bai, who remained unconscious beneath a nearby tree. A complicated glint flashed through her emerald eyes.

After pondering for a moment, Bi Ji raised her head and looked at the Three-Headed Dragon Beast waiting anxiously nearby. Her voice regained its usual gentleness, though it allowed no argument.

"Your master's injuries are no longer serious. He will awaken within a few days. Tomorrow, you should leave as soon as possible."

The three dragons exchanged glances before replying in unison, "Yes, Senior."

Bi Ji nodded slightly and said no more.

She picked up Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who kept reluctantly looking back, spread her emerald wings, and turned into a streak of light as she flew toward the tranquil woods at the center of Lake Heart Island.

The next day, dawn had just begun to break.

The sky turned pale, and the first golden-red rays of sunlight pierced the thin mist above the forest, spilling over the shores of Emerald Lake.

Beneath the tree, Jiang Bai's eyelashes trembled faintly.

The long darkness and silence were slowly torn apart.

His eyelids felt as heavy as lead, but he forced them open bit by bit.

At first, his pupils were unfocused and vacant, reflecting the sky.

His vision was blurry and unsteady, as though he were looking through a thick curtain of water.

Then, with difficulty, his gaze focused.

Three familiar, anxious faces crowded his vision.

They had shrunk themselves down and leaned in close, their dragon eyes reflecting his pale and bewildered face.

His throat was as dry as if it had been scraped by sandpaper, and every breath brought a faint stabbing pain.

Jiang Bai opened his mouth. His lips were cracked, and after several attempts, he finally forced out a faint, broken whisper.

"—Xue'er—Sis—"

The moment the name left his lips, his heart seemed to be fiercely clenched by an invisible hand. A sour ache rose with a torrent of fragmented memories.

The warmth of holding hands beneath flower lanterns, the innocent kiss in the teahouse, and—Bibi Dong's cold, venomous eyes, the searing agony when Eternal Trauma pierced his body.

A scorching tear slipped from the corner of his eye without warning, leaving behind a cold, wet trail.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

In his mind, aside from the memories of his near-death experience, there was another vast, fragmented torrent of memories.

He slowly sat up, leaning his back against the rough tree trunk.

The soreness and weakness in his body remained, but the rampant, cold, sinister power within him had vanished completely. In its place, a gentle, rich vitality slowly flowed through his meridians, repairing the last of his injuries.

"Master, you're finally awake!" Fire Dragon's voice was choked with emotion as his massive head cautiously moved closer and rubbed against Jiang Bai's arm.

"We—we were very worried about you."

"This is the shore of Emerald Lake in the core region of the Star Dou Forest, the territory of the Emerald Swan Clan. We should leave as soon as possible."

Jiang Bai nodded and reached out to stroke the heads of the Three-Headed Dragon Beast one by one. The warm touch of their scales against his fingertips made him truly feel that he was still alive.

"You've worked hard—thank you."

His voice was still hoarse, but much clearer now.

Supporting himself against the tree, he stood and stretched his stiff limbs.

Other than weakness and a lingering dull pain, he was largely able to move without issue.

He turned toward Lake Heart Island, cupped his hands solemnly, and bowed deeply.

I will remember this life-saving grace.

"Let's go." He withdrew his gaze and leaped onto Wind Dragon's broad back. "We'll leave the core region first and find somewhere safe."

The three dragons spread their wings and silently rose into the air, swiftly flying toward the outskirts of the forest.

The morning wind rushed against his face, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees unique to the forest.

Jiang Bai looked down at the dense forest sea rushing away beneath him, his gaze gradually deepening.

I wonder how Sister Xue'er is now—

And Bibi Dong—

His right hand unconsciously tightened, his knuckles turning white.

That woman's face, those cold and venomous eyes, the eight spider legs that pierced his body, the undisguised killing intent—

Every detail was like red-hot branding irons, ruthlessly seared into the depths of his memory.

Fury burned in his chest, but cold reason quickly suppressed it.

He was still too weak.

A level-thirty-seven Soul Elder might be able to contend with a Soul Ancestor or Soul King while merged with the Three-Headed Dragon Beast, but before a Title Douluo—especially one at Bibi Dong's level—he was still nothing more than an ant.

Facing her head-on would be a foolish act of suicide.

Then—

Yu Xiaogang?