Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring! Level 45 Soul Ancestor!
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion scratched at Dai Huabin's arm a couple of times with its claws.
Dai Huabin looked down at her.
His golden vertical pupils were half-closed, his mouth was slightly open, revealing two small canine teeth, and a small piece of withered leaf was still stuck to the tip of his nose.
The golden tail slapped the ground twice, making a muffled "plop plop" sound.
Dai Huabin reached out and brushed the withered leaf off the tip of her nose, then casually ruffled the golden mane on her head.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion narrowed its two normal eyes, nuzzled its head against his palm, and made a soft purring sound in its throat.
"Alright, go to sleep." Dai Huabin patted her head. "We'll go catch Ice Ridge Tiger tomorrow, and I'll roast some meat for you later."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's tail immediately stood up and swung three times.
"Real?"
"Real."
"Then we need to add seasonings."
"Add."
"And that... the chili pepper you mentioned before?"
"You've never even eaten chili peppers before, are you sure you can handle spicy food?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion thought for a moment, then lowered its tail again.
"Let's not add it for now. What if it doesn't taste good?"
Dai Huabin couldn't help but chuckle.
In the distance, from the bushes, the Scarlet King's middle head was staring this way, the expression in its six eyes incredibly complex.
An Auspicious Beast prince with 15,000 years of history was completely fooled by a level 40 human with just a few pieces of roasted meat.
If the other old guard in the Core Circle found out, where would he, the Scarlet King, put his face?
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay beside Dai Huabin's legs, its golden mane spreading out in a small patch, and the golden flames under its claws receding into faint specks of light. Before long, its breathing became even.
Dai Huabin leaned against the tree trunk, closed his eyes, and continued to recover his Soul Power.
The campfire crackled, and the occasional low growls of Soul Beast echoed from the bushes in the distance, but they were all far away. The Scarlet King's aura pressed down on this area, and nothing dared to approach within a five-mile radius.
This sense of security is truly comforting.
Dai Huabin mentally considered his next steps.
The Ice Ridge Tiger, aged 32,000 years, possesses the ice attribute and is of a high age, making its attributes a perfect match for the Ice Soul White Tiger. Once he obtains this fourth Soul Ring, he will officially enter the ranks of Soul Ancestor.
With the ice attribute bonus from the Ice Empress Blood Pact, the physical enhancement from the Life Gold, the indestructible effect of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and the development of the Eye of Life by the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew...
His current true combat strength is probably already beyond the level of level 40.
But that's not enough.
There's still time before the main storyline of the original novel fully unfolds, so he has to make the most of every day.
As I pondered, my consciousness gradually faded.
At daybreak, Dai Huabin was awakened by a burst of hot air.
He opened his eyes, Three-Eyed Golden Lion's huge head was less than a foot away from him, its two golden normal pupils wide open, and the red vertical pupil on its forehead was also shining.
"You're finally awake! Let's go, let's go catch the Ice Ridge Tiger!"
Dai Huabin tilted his head back and pushed her chin away.
You're more punctual than an alarm clock.
What is an alarm clock?
"A tool that humans use to wake people up."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted its head and flicked its tail.
"So you mean you think I'm very useful?"
Dai Huabin looked at her for two seconds.
"Yes, you're very useful."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion happily spun around in place.
The Scarlet King stood up from the bushes, his more than five-meter-long body carrying three enormous heads, and walked to the edge of the clearing.
The middle head looked utterly exhausted; he hadn't slept a wink all night, with the three heads taking turns watching Dai Huabin.
"Let's go." The Scarlet King's voice was deep and clearly impatient. "That Ice Ridge Tiger is in Frost Valley to the north. I'll lead the way."
Dai Huabin finished packing his things, stood up, and brushed the fallen leaves off his trousers. "I am deeply honored that Senior Scarlet King personally led the way."
The Scarlet King's right head sneered. "Stop trying to get close to me. Finish your business and get out of here."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion leaped to the side of the Scarlet King and looked up at him.
"Scarlet King, could you please be a little more polite to my friend?"
The Scarlet King lowered his head, and his tone softened considerably when addressing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"Your Highness, it's not that I'm being impolite..."
The left head leaned closer and whispered, "He's human."
The right side of the head followed up with a finishing blow. "Humans of unknown origin."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical pupil flashed red.
The Scarlet King's three heads simultaneously fell silent.
Dai Huabin followed behind, secretly wanting to laugh.
A 300,000-year-old Ferocious Beast was like a punching bag in front of an Auspicious Beast. If this scene were presented to any Soul Hunting Hunter in the Douluo Continent, they probably wouldn't believe it.
The group of four—one person, one scorpion, one beast, and one mastiff—headed north towards Frost Valley.
The Scarlet King led the way, its three heads slamming against the bushes and low trees along the way with a crackling sound. Its more than five-meter-long body moving through the dense forest was itself a violent passage.
Any ten-thousand-year- Scarlet King Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that blocked the way were forced to the ground, unable to move, before they could even react.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion ran beside the Scarlet King, occasionally looking around curiously, and sometimes turning back to see if Dai Huabin was following.
After walking for about an hour, the trees began to thin out, and the temperature in the air dropped sharply.
Ahead lay a long, narrow valley, with thick layers of ice on the cliffs on both sides and a layer of broken ice and frost covering the valley floor.
A chill wafted out from the valley entrance, and Dai Huabin's breath turned into white mist.
The Scarlet King stopped and gestured with its middle head toward the valley.
"About three miles inside, there's an icy pool. That Ice Ridge Tiger lives by the pool year-round."
"Thirty-two thousand years?" Dai Huabin confirmed.
"No mistake." The Scarlet King flicked its tail impatiently. "I've patrolled this forest for tens of thousands of years, and I know exactly which Soul Beast lives in which nook and cranny."
Dai Huabin nodded and was about to walk into the valley when the Scarlet King suddenly spoke.
"Wait."
All three heads turned towards the valley entrance at the same time.
Before Dai Huabin could react, the Scarlet King's massive body had already rushed inside.
The ground was trembling.
The ice on both sides of the valley wall crackled and sputtered as it was baked by the crimson-gold flames emanating from the Scarlet King's body. Large chunks of ice broke off.
Three heads held high as they charged into the depths of the valley, scattering and fleeing the low-level Soul Beast along the way.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sat down at the mouth of the valley, its tail curled around its hind paws.
"Scarlet King went to catch it for you."
Dai Huabin was taken aback.
A deafening tiger's roar echoed through the valley, followed by the Scarlet King's furious howl. The three overlapping roars bounced back and forth in the valley like muffled thunder several times.
Then it became quiet.
After about half a cup of tea's time, the Scarlet King emerged from the valley, carrying a large, ice-blue tiger in the middle of his head.
The Ice Ridge Tiger was over four meters long, with a row of ice-crystal-like bone spurs standing upright on its back. At this moment, its limbs were limp and hanging down, having already been knocked unconscious by the Scarlet King.
Scarlet King threw the Ice Ridge Tiger at Dai Huabin's feet.
"Absorb it quickly, and then take His Highness away."
Dai Huabin stared at the 32,000-year-old Ice Ridge Tiger on the ground, half-dead from being slapped, and remained silent for a moment.
"Thank you, Senior Scarlet King."
"No need to thank me," the Scarlet King's right head snorted. "I just want you to get lost."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion muttered quietly from the side, "He's stubborn."
The Scarlet King suddenly turned his head to the left.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately shut its mouth and pretended to lick its paws.
Dai Huabin did not delay.
He sat cross-legged beside the Ice Spine Tiger and activated his Ice Soul White Tiger Martial Spirit.
A platinum tiger shadow appeared behind him, its entire body covered in pale blue ice crystal patterns, and its three Soul Ring— yellow, yellow, and purple—lit up in turn.
Dai Huabin was killed with a single blow from the tiger's claw.
The Ice Ridge Tiger's body quickly became transparent, and a black Soul Ring rose from above the corpse, radiating a strong ice attribute aura.
Thirty-two thousand years.
It was a deep purple, with a faint icy blue halo around the edges.
Dai Huabin took a deep breath and guided the Soul Ring closer to him.
The moment the black Soul Ring landed on him, a massive surge of Soul Power poured into his meridians.
Dai Huabin gritted his teeth and exerted all his Soul Power to guide the energy of the Soul Ring along a fixed route.
The power of Ice Empress resonated spontaneously within his body, and the emerald halo clinging to the meridian walls expanded slightly, filtering the ice-attribute energy of the black Soul Ring by layer.
Time passed little by little.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay not far away, its two normal pupils staring unblinkingly at Dai Huabin, its tail curled up nervously.
The Scarlet King crouched on the outermost edge, its three heads facing three different directions, guarding the area, with only the one in the middle occasionally glancing back.
About two hours later, a ring of icy blue light suddenly burst forth from Dai Huabin's body.
Four spirit rings lit up steadily on the Ice Soul White Tiger Martial Soul: yellow, yellow, purple, and black.
Fourth Soul Ring: 32,000-year-old Ice Ridge Tiger.
It's done.
Dai Huabin opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of white air.
Thanks to the excess Soul Power from the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and the excess Soul Power from this 32,000-year-old fourth Soul Ring, Dai Huabin's Soul Power directly reached level 45!