At that moment, outside the fire tornado, Ji Jing's expression was icy as he clamped his left hand around a giant butterfly that struggled desperately in his grasp.
The colors at the tips of its forewings shifted from deep blue to azure to pale blue. Its entire wingspan, which exceeded three meters, resembled a blue sky studded with a dazzling string of halos. Every beat of its wings sent sparkling motes of light scattering through the air.
On closer inspection, it looked exactly like Wang Dong's Martial Soul.
It was a Soul Beast—
the Light Goddess Butterfly!
And judging by the strength of the Soul Power it radiated, this Light Goddess Butterfly had a cultivation of no less than seven thousand years!
Ji Jing looked at the Light Goddess Butterfly struggling in his hand and spoke calmly:
"I didn't expect to encounter a Soul Beast like you in a place like this."
The Light Goddess Butterfly continued to struggle violently, trying to break free.
Ignoring its resistance, Ji Jing went on:
"The person in the flames right now possesses the Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul. She is also the daughter of a god. If you offer yourself to her, I can promise you that once she becomes a god, she will bring you back to life and let you live forever as a divine beast at her side."
As he spoke, Ji Jing's expression turned colder, and an unquestionable pressure crept into his voice:
"Of course, if you refuse, you won't be leaving here today either."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a powerful aura locked onto the Light Goddess Butterfly.
Gradually, its frantic struggles subsided.
At last, it stopped resisting altogether and grew still.
Ji Jing knew it had agreed.
With a casual wave of his hand, the towering flames vanished in an instant, turning into tiny sparks that melted into the air.
When Wang Dong saw the flames die down, she hurried out. The moment she spotted Ji Jing and the enormous, beautiful Light Goddess Butterfly in his hand, she covered her mouth in astonishment.
Ji Jing held the Light Goddess Butterfly out to her and said lightly:
"I just had a chat with it. It said it's willing to offer itself to you and become your Soul Ring."
"Offer itself?"
Wang Dong had no idea how Ji Jing had convinced a seven-thousand-year Soul Beast to offer itself willingly. But the joy of receiving an offering from a Soul Beast whose origin matched her Martial Soul left her with no desire to investigate.
She nodded excitedly and immediately released her Martial Soul.
"Bzzz—"
A pair of equally dazzling butterfly wings slowly unfurled behind Wang Dong as she entered Martial Soul Possession with the Light Goddess Butterfly.
She carefully accepted the Light Goddess Butterfly from Ji Jing.
Looking at this beautiful creature, whose origins matched her Martial Soul, Wang Dong's eyes brimmed with gratitude and solemn resolve. She promised softly:
"Thank you. I'll never let your power go to waste."
Then Wang Dong sat down cross-legged where she was.
The Light Goddess Butterfly circled gently around her before its whole body began to shine with dazzling golden light. It slowly dissolved into countless points of light, flowing into Wang Dong like a golden stream.
Wang Dong focused on absorbing the Soul Power offered to her. Golden motes of light streamed into her body, sacred and serene.
Ji Jing stood quietly guard nearby, making sure nothing disturbed the process.
Just then, a strange ripple of energy reached him. Ji Jing sharply raised his head and looked toward the nearby thicket.
A peculiar Soul Beast had silently appeared before them.
Its entire body was covered in brilliant golden fur, and it looked as though it had been carved from translucent crystal, with a dreamlike quality to it.
Its overall shape resembled a lion, but its four paws were like dragon claws. Beneath each one blazed a ball of golden fire.
It had three eyes. Its two ordinary eyes glimmered with pure golden light, while a third, vertical pupil between them shone with an eerie red glow.
Ji Jing recognized it at a glance. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said coolly:
"Auspicious Beast, leave."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, naturally had no intention of leaving.
As the embodiment of Star Dou Forest's fate, with the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts guarding her closely, she had roamed the forest unchecked for countless millennia. No one had ever dared speak to her in such a commanding tone.
Just as she curiously studied the human before her and the strange sight of a Soul Beast offering itself, an angry roar came from behind her.
Another, even larger Soul Beast emerged, its heavy footsteps pounding the ground.
It was over five meters long and powerfully built, with a lionlike body and three enormous heads.
Ranked ninth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff—
the Scarlet King.
Ji Jing frowned as he recognized the newcomer. "Scarlet King, take the Auspicious Beast and leave. I don't want any trouble."
When the Scarlet King saw the Light Goddess Butterfly in the middle of its offering, fire blazed in all six eyes across his three heads.
Such a rare and noble Soul Beast was offering itself to a weak human!
It was an insult to Star Dou Forest!
The human boy before him looked no older than a teenager. Though the Scarlet King couldn't see through his cultivation, how strong could he possibly be?
And yet he dared speak to him in such a commanding tone!
The Scarlet King flew into a rage. His central head opened its blood-red jaws and roared:
"You insolent brat! You dare run wild in the core region of Star Dou Forest? None of you are leaving today!"
Ji Jing's patience had run out as well.
Strictly speaking, as someone from the Five Elements Continent, he leaned more toward the principle of balance in all things, much like the Yin-Yang Twin Flames passed down to him by his parents.
In his eyes, Soul Beasts were the native inhabitants of Douluo Continent and deserved the same space to live as humans. That was why he hadn't wanted to harm the Emperor Auspicious Beast or the Ferocious Beast before him.
However, if the Scarlet King insisted on attacking and disrupting Wang Dong's offering, he would have no choice but to fight back.
Ji Jing said no more. Without using a single Soul Skill, he slowly rose into the air and looked down at the Scarlet King. His voice turned cold:
"This is your final warning. Take the Auspicious Beast and leave. Otherwise, you're in for a world of pain."
The Scarlet King paid no heed to the threat. Hellish crimson flames instantly engulfed his body, and he shot toward Ji Jing like a blazing meteor, carrying the force of Ten Thousand Jun!
"Stubborn fool."
Ji Jing let out a soft snort.
The flame mark on his forehead suddenly blazed with light. The Flame Empress Crown appeared and settled onto his head of its own accord.
In the next instant, an incomparably noble, beautiful, and imposing phantom appeared behind Ji Jing.
The phantom was a peerlessly beautiful woman with red hair and red eyes, clad in resplendent divine robes. A sacred, overwhelming aura swept across the land.
The phantom's owner was Ji Jing's mother, the God of Goodness—
Lie Yan!
Lie Yan's phantom casually raised a hand and gave the charging Scarlet King a light wave.
The Scarlet King's massive, ferocious body froze in midair. Then, as if struck by an invisible mountain, he let out a pained howl and flew backward, crashing to the ground a hundred meters away. He passed out on the spot.
Before Lie Yan's phantom, whose cultivation was only at the Super Douluo level, the powerful Ferocious Beast couldn't withstand even a single blow.
Even with cultivation equivalent to only a Super Douluo, Lie Yan could unleash enough power to crush every Super Douluo!
Before you continue