The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was furious. It waved its paws nonstop, baring its teeth at them.
These hateful humans had stolen its breakfast and were still spouting nonsense. They'd gone too far—they were bullying a beast!
As the two sides faced off, Scarlet King's roar sounded from the mixed zone.
A large number of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts answered the call, surrounding Shrek's Soul Hunting Squad and preparing to attack at any moment.
Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er suddenly felt a crushing weight of pressure.
They could escape the beast tide, of course, but there was no telling how things would go for the children. A few of them might well lose their lives here.
Besides, this was a mission entrusted to them by Mu En. If anything went wrong, Mu En would go mad.
Just then, the three-headed Crimson Demon Mastiff, Scarlet King, rushed out. His dark, glossy eyes glared at Yan Shaozhe and the others as he snapped, "You're those detestable Soul Masters from Shrek. Why are you bullying the Auspicious Beast?"
Seeing that she had a protector to back her up, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised a paw and pointed at the Soul Hunting Squad. In a sweet voice, she said, "Scarlet King, these guys stole my breakfast."
Scarlet King froze, then flew into a towering rage.
Stealing the Auspicious Beast's breakfast? They'd earned a death sentence!
The Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts around them grew restless, too, roaring as they prepared to attack the humans at any moment.
Yan Shaozhe saw the Auspicious Beast targeting Yu Daoyun, and his expression darkened. He warned, "Scarlet King, don't say I didn't warn you. The students behind me are the future of the academy. Push me too far, and not a single one of you sons of bitches will leave here today."
"Who do you think you are? You're the lowest-ranked of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts. I'm a Super Douluo. Push me too far, and you'll all die here. Don't underestimate humanity's capacity for destruction."
"And Mu En is still alive. The one behind me is his disciple."
Xian Lin'er stood at the very front, holding the Azure Flame Dragon Spear. She said coolly, "Shaozhe's right. If it comes to it, none of us will make it out alive. I'll run you through with my spear today."
Scarlet King's eyes darted rapidly.
As one of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, he knew just how terrifying Shrek's mad-dog Soul Masters were. When they went berserk, they didn't care if they lived or died.
They were even more frightening than Evil Soul Masters.
Scarlet King turned to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and said, "Why don't we let this go? Those mad dogs from Shrek bite hard. It'd be bad if anything happened to you."
"They stole my food!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion cried.
"We'll go find some more later," Scarlet King said helplessly.
"They stole my food!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion repeated loudly.
Now Scarlet King was truly at a loss.
Both sides were difficult to deal with. Offending either could easily bring trouble, and the mighty Ferocious Beast felt utterly aggrieved.
Just then, Yu Daoyun stepped forward. He raised the Dragon Spear and cut off the Golden Armor Piercer King's head, then tossed it in front of the Auspicious Beast.
"I don't like eating brains anyway," he said mildly. "The head's still intact. Take it and be on your way."
Seeing that her breakfast was still whole, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately stopped being angry.
For some reason, she felt a little fond of this human.
She could also sense a bloodline power in him that came from the same source as hers: the Golden Dragon Bloodline.
Scarlet King stood dumbfounded.
That was it? They were all good now?
"Are you still angry, Auspicious Beast?" he asked.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lifted her head and said sweetly, "I'm not angry anymore. That human is pretty nice. He didn't eat my breakfast, so I like him."
Scarlet King breathed a sigh of relief.
Yan Shaozhe and the others did, too.
The crisis had been resolved just like that. If the fighting had really broken out, neither side could imagine how brutal it would have been.
Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er both gave Yu Daoyun approving looks.
They hadn't expected that Yu Daoyun, who even read books in his spare time, would know the Auspicious Beast's habits.
That was something they hadn't anticipated.
Yu Daoyun spoke up. "Can you let us leave now?"
Scarlet King glanced at the Auspicious Beast, who was no longer angry, and said coolly, "You Shrek people have really gone too far these past few years. This time, I'll let you go since the Auspicious Beast is unharmed. If you come again, I'll—"
Before he could finish, Yu Daoyun cut him off. "Stop making threats. Our Pavilion Master is still alive. If you kill us, it's hard to say how many days you'll survive."
With that, he turned to leave.
Yan Shaozhe and the others cautiously retreated as well.
"Wait!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly called out, making Yan Shaozhe and the others tense at once.
Yan Shaozhe asked gravely, "What is it?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised a paw and pointed at Yu Daoyun. "I can sense your bloodline. I want to be friends with you. You have the Golden Dragon Bloodline, right?"
At those words, the powerful figures on both sides changed expressions.
Scarlet King turned around and earnestly tried to persuade the Three-Eyed Golden Lion not to befriend a human.
Everyone knew that those who were not of your kind had different hearts.
That was just as true for Soul Beasts as it was for humans.
But no matter what Scarlet King said, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion wouldn't listen. She didn't even give the Ferocious Beast guardian the time of day, and still waved her paw at Yu Daoyun.
Yan Shaozhe didn't stop her. His eyes shifted as he recalled a secret, then he sent a telepathic message to Yu Daoyun:
"The Three-Eyed Golden Lion is an ancient Auspicious Beast. Whenever one appears, it is revered as an emperor. Though violent by nature, it is pure and kind at heart, and is the most exalted divine beast beneath Di Tian."
"What I'm trying to tell you is that the Auspicious Beast's power of good fortune can be drawn upon. Anyone who draws upon it will receive Destiny Protection, which will help with cultivation and give them a boundless future. You could try talking her into it. I never expected her to actually agree."
After saying that, Yan Shaozhe sighed.
Deep down, he had hoped his disciple Xiaotao would receive this Destiny Protection and enjoy smooth sailing in her future cultivation.
But the problem was that the Auspicious Beast wasn't close to Xiaotao. She only liked Yu Daoyun.
This opportunity didn't belong to Xiaotao. It belonged only to Yu Daoyun.
After a moment's thought, Yu Daoyun stepped forward.
Drawing upon the Power of Destiny really could offer Destiny Protection.
But would it attract the attention of Tang Shenwang?
Still, he might as well try. He couldn't turn down every opportunity.
Soon, Yu Daoyun stood before the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. He forced a smile and said, "Humans and Soul Beasts can't be friends. You just sensed my bloodline."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised a paw. "I can change your fate, and then you'll be able to be my friend. There's also a faint power of fortune about you, and it seems like there's something else..."
She didn't know how to describe that feeling.
Now that she was closer, she could sense an aura like Master's.
At that moment,
Yu Daoyun was so nervous that his heart was in his throat, afraid the Golden Dragon King's bloodline would be discovered.
He took a deep breath and said, "Do you want to know why I'm different from the others?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded.
Yu Daoyun continued, "Then let us talk alone?"
Hearing that, Scarlet King hurriedly said, "Auspicious Beast, don't listen to this human brat. You're kindhearted and easily deceived by those detestable humans. I'll kill the evil human right now—"
Before he could finish, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion slapped Scarlet King aside, carried Yu Daoyun on her back, and vanished.
Yan Shaozhe's heart sank.
This had gone too far!
Mu En's precious disciple was gone.
Xian Lin'er, Zhang Lexuan, and the others also changed expressions. They were just about to chase after them when Scarlet King blocked their way.
Before you continue