I'll Fight You to the End If You Want a Fight!

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the incarnation of the Star Dou Great Forest's destiny.

Jiang Che knew exactly how exalted this soul beast was in the original story; every soul beast in the entire Star Dou Great Forest regarded it as a symbol of good fortune. Even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts dared not show it any disrespect, for if it were to die, the destiny of the Star Dou Great Forest would collapse, and every soul beast in the forest would face an apocalyptic catastrophe.

Yet at this very moment, this auspicious beast, which should have been deep within the core area, was actively rushing toward them.

Within a few breaths, a golden figure darted out from the dense forest, landing lightly on the clearing ten zhang away from the three of them.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was about three meters long with a shoulder height of eight chi. It resembled a lion, its posture elegant and noble. Its entire body was covered in brilliant, translucent golden fur with a crystal-like texture; as it moved, it looked like flowing liquid gold, with dense golden scales hidden beneath the fur.

Its four claws were dragon-like, each stepping upon a cluster of golden flames. Strangely, when these flames touched the vegetation, they did not incinerate it but instead promoted its growth. On its forehead grew a single red vertical eye, eerie and profound.

At this moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's golden eyes were locked onto Jiang Che, while the red vertical eye on its forehead flickered slightly, as if it were sensing something.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's nostrils flared slightly, as if sniffing for a scent. A moment later, a hint of clear confusion emerged within its originally vigilant expression.

It had sensed a scent on Jiang Che that it had never encountered before.

That aura was incredibly pure, carrying a nobility and majesty that originated from ancient times, causing an instinctive sense of closeness to surge from the depths of its bloodline.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward on its four paws, slowly walking toward Jiang Che.

"Senior..." Huo Yuhao swallowed nervously. Although he didn't know what kind of soul beast this was, the faint pressure radiating from it told him it was definitely no ordinary character.

"Don't move!" Jiang Che said to Huo Yuhao beside him, his gaze never leaving the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stopped three chi in front of Jiang Che, raised its head, and stared at him with all three eyes. Within that purple vertical eye, a halo of light slowly swirled.

It flared its nostrils again. This time, its gaze shifted away from Jiang Che and landed on the Ice Empress, who stood half a step behind him.

Its golden vertical pupils constricted sharply. It recognized the Ice Empress, yet the young girl before it clearly possessed a human body, even while radiating the pure aura of the Ice Empress. This left it feeling bewildered.

But fate told her with absolute certainty that this was indeed the Ice Empress, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, one of the Ten Great Beast Kings. She was just about to use her spiritual power to inquire.

The next moment, an aura as scorching as fire and as violent as thunder erupted from the depths of the forest, sweeping over them like a volcanic eruption.

That aura was completely unmasked, carrying a reddish-gold radiance. Wherever it passed, the trees in the forest instantly withered and charred, and the grass on the ground was scorched into ash.

Jiang Che looked at the owner of this aura: a soul beast with three hundred thousand years of cultivation, possessing strength so formidable it could rival a level 96 Super Douluo.

"It's the Scarlet King," the Ice Empress's voice rang in Jiang Che's ear. "The Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, the Scarlet King of the Star Dou Great Forest, one of the Ten Great Beast Kings. Its cultivation is around three hundred thousand years. It should be the guard responsible for protecting the Emperor Auspicious Beast."

No sooner had the Ice Empress finished speaking than a massive reddish-gold figure charged out from the depths of the dense forest, its speed so great that it left a trail of blurred afterimages in the air.

It was a giant beast over five meters in size, shaped like a lion but possessing three ferocious canine heads. Its reddish-gold fur looked like burning flames, dazzling and blinding under the sunlight.

All six of its eyes were scarlet, reflecting a violent and bloodthirsty light. Its three giant maws opened simultaneously, revealing ivory fangs as it let out a deafening roar.

When the Scarlet King landed, the soil beneath its feet instantly scorched and cracked, and the vegetation within dozens of zhang withered away. A wave of scorching heat rushed toward them, carrying the scent of sulfur and charcoal.

Its three heads turned in unison, six scarlet eyes locking onto Jiang Che. Hot saliva dripped from its fangs, burning smoking pits into the ground where it landed.

"Human! This is not a place you should be!" The Scarlet King's roar erupted from all three maws at once, the sound waves rolling forth and causing leaves to fall from the trees. "Leave this place, or die!"

[Warning! Warning! The Scarlet King, one of the Ten Great Beast Kings, has appeared and is showing extreme hostility toward you. I don't know what the host has done.]

[But! Now, please have the level 36 Soul Elder "expert" host flee as quickly as possible, otherwise you will surely be crushed to death by the Scarlet King with a flick of its hand. If the host manages to survive, you will receive a reward.]

Hm? Jiang Che looked at the text appearing on the panel. He didn't know why, but he felt this panel seemed more intelligent than before, even capable of mocking him.

The Scarlet King's gaze swept over Jiang Che, the Ice Empress, and Huo Yuhao. When it landed on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, its tone suddenly became exceptionally nervous, carrying undisguised worry: "My Lord, why have you run to the outer perimeter? It is too far from the core area and unsafe. Please return with me!"

Jiang Che felt the Scarlet King's scorching, fiery pressure. While it was nothing to him or the Ice Empress, Huo Yuhao beside him might not be able to withstand it. He immediately took a step forward, shielding Huo Yuhao.

As his foot landed, a biting, extreme chill erupted from his body. The phantom of the Ice Dragon King martial soul solidified behind him, its dragon head held high as it let out a long, resonant roar that shook the forest.

Nine soul rings rose from beneath his feet—six black and three red. The vegetation that had withered and charred due to the Scarlet King's pressure was now covered in a thin layer of frost. The two forces of heat and cold clashed in the air, emitting a hissing sound as steam filled the space.

The Scarlet King's six scarlet eyes constricted simultaneously, and the expressions on its three heads shifted from violent to grave.

It was bloodthirsty and violent, but it was no fool. The aura released by the young human before it, whether in terms of soul ring configuration or the grade of the martial soul itself, was far beyond that of an ordinary Title Douluo.

What made the Scarlet King even more wary was that dragon might—not the aura of an ordinary dragon, but an Ice Dragon, the pure-blooded ancient Ice Dragon King.

The dragon race was the sovereign of all beasts. Even as a Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, its bloodline was etched with an instinctive awe for the dragon race.

The Scarlet King's three giant maws closed simultaneously, its fangs retracted, and the growling in its throat gradually subsided.

It glared at Jiang Che unwillingly, its six scarlet eyes fixed on the icy blue dragon shadow. The reddish-gold flames around its body were still burning, but its momentum was much more restrained than before.

"You have some nerve, protecting such a level 20 piece of trash." The Scarlet King's gaze moved past Jiang Che to land on Huo Yuhao, its tone carrying a hint of mockery. "But this is the Star Dou Great Forest, not your human territory."

Huo Yuhao was swept by those scarlet eyes and felt as if the blood in his entire body had frozen. A massive sense of fear surged from the depths of his heart, and his legs couldn't stop trembling.

His Sea of Consciousness surged violently, and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang in his mind: "Don't be afraid. Although that guy is fierce, your senior can hold it down. That's a Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, three hundred thousand years of cultivation, the Scarlet King, one of the guardians of the Star Dou Great Forest, specifically responsible for protecting the Emperor Auspicious Beast."

"The Emperor Auspicious Beast? Is that the golden lion?" Huo Yuhao asked with difficulty in his Sea of Consciousness.

"That's right, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the incarnation of the Star Dou Great Forest's destiny. Its status in the forest is even more exalted than you can imagine; even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have to bow their heads to it." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice carried a hint of complex emotion. "Your senior is truly bold, daring to provoke even the Emperor Auspicious Beast."

"Senior didn't provoke it; it ran over here on its own!" Huo Yuhao defended Jiang Che.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was silent for a moment, then sighed softly: "Yes, that is exactly what makes it so fatal. The Emperor Auspicious Beast never approaches humans voluntarily, yet today it ran over here, and even ran right up to your senior. Little Yuhao, I fear your senior has even more secrets than I imagined."

Huo Yuhao wanted to ask more, but the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fell silent.

"Enough talk. If you want to fight, I'll see it through to the end. Why waste so much breath? Or are you just a piece of trash yourself?" Facing the Scarlet King's threat, Jiang Che had no intention of being lenient. Even a clay figurine had a temper, and Jiang Che was no clay figurine—he was an existence whose strength was a full tier above the Scarlet King.