That thing called responsibility had only just taken root in his heart.
The lofty ambition of becoming the king of the Soul Beasts had only just been kindled.
The next second.
Ding!
[Emergency Mission Triggered!]
For the first time, the system's once-grand, solemn notification rang with unmistakable urgency.
A glaring golden exclamation mark flashed wildly in Li Hao's mind, nearly scorching his consciousness.
Gold?
This was the first time he'd ever seen a mission in this color.
Hadn't they always been ordinary blue missions or rare purple ones?
Why did this feel like getting a legendary item drop in a game?
[Mission Rank: Extremely Rare (Gold)]
[Mission Description: Multiple noble souls have been detected dying at an extremely rapid rate in the core region of Star Dou Forest. Among them is... the bloodline of the Hell Spirit Cat Royal Family!]
[System Suggestion: Proceed to investigate immediately?]
The bloodline of the Hell Spirit Cat Royal Family?
Those words made Li Hao's heart skip a beat.
Zhu Zhuqing?
No, that wasn't right.
The system had said... multiple?
Could this be a buy-one-get-one-free family package?
The inertia of history had stubbornly pushed the characters from the original story to the brink of death.
But why had this triggered the highest-rank gold mission?
Just as Li Hao stood there in a daze, Xiao Wu suddenly clutched his clothes, her little face deathly pale.
"Daddy!"
Her voice quavered with tears, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"I can feel it... It hurts so much... Just like when we saved Big Sister Medusa... No, it's even more hopeless than that time!"
"They... they're about to die!"
Xiao Wu's empathy stabbed Li Hao in the heart like a needle.
On the other side, Medusa, who had been standing motionless, stirred as well.
She stepped in front of Li Hao, her formerly languid, slit-pupiled eyes now razor-sharp.
She gazed toward a distant point beyond the Paradise, her expression grave.
"Master."
"There's a fierce battle raging deep in the forest."
"One side's aura is filled with death and despair, but her soul... is extraordinarily noble. It's one of the rarest noble bloodlines I've ever encountered."
One daughter was crying out, and one bodyguard was sounding the alarm.
The kingly ambition that had just risen in Li Hao was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water.
Stay calm.
He had to stay calm.
He forced himself to assess the situation.
The core region of Star Dou Forest.
A battle that had left a royal bloodline on the verge of death.
And multiple noble souls.
Put those three clues together, and they pointed to one unmistakable conclusion.
Trouble.
Huge trouble!
If he went now, he'd be dragged into a massive vortex, one hundred percent.
He'd only just upgraded his home into a blessed paradise. He hadn't even had a single peaceful day to enjoy it, and now he was supposed to go looking for trouble?
No.
Absolutely not.
His instinctive fear of socializing gave him the answer at once.
The outside world was too dangerous. His own little nest was safest.
But...
The Hell Spirit Cat.
That was Zhu Zhuqing.
A curvy figure, cold on the outside and warm within, taciturn, and definitely not the kind of chatterbox who'd wear him out.
Wasn't she the ideal teammate for someone who hated socializing?
And she was of royal blood, with top-tier talent and potential.
If he rescued her and raised her in the Paradise...
A thought took root in his mind and began to grow wildly, beyond his control.
A fierce battle raged within Li Hao.
On one side, the God of Laziness was patiently lecturing him: better to let sleeping dogs lie. Taking it easy was the true meaning of life.
On the other, the collector demon whispered temptingly: miss this chance, and it'll be gone for good! A top-tier Soul Beast Girl, and the heroine of the original story, too. You're not tempted?
His thoughts churned violently.
He looked down and saw the tears welling in Xiao Wu's eyes, her gaze full of hope.
Then he looked up and saw Medusa's silent but focused posture. She was clearly waiting for his decision.
Finally, his gaze swept over the thriving world he had created with his own hands.
The mountains stood majestic, and the rivers rushed by.
The Soul Beasts he had just saved and given a new life were enjoying the hard-won peace and tranquility across the grasslands and through the forests.
He had only just told himself that he would make this place the final haven for every kindhearted Soul Beast.
He had only just become the king of this Soul Beast Kingdom.
Now, new subjects beyond the kingdom were crying out in despair.
Could he, their king, really stand by and do nothing?
Li Hao let out a long, long sigh.
He finally understood.
Why was it so hard to be a slacker?
He patted Xiao Wu on the head, reassuring her.
Then he turned to Medusa.
"Get ready."
Just four simple words.
Medusa's body tensed at once. A terrifying killing intent flashed from her for an instant as she dropped to one knee, her voice resolute.
"I obey, Master!"
A complicated look crossed Li Hao's face, mingling helplessness with a hint of anticipation.
An unprecedented gleam flashed in his eyes.
"We're going... to bring home our new family."
If he couldn't avoid trouble...
Then he'd make it his own.
If he was going to build a paradise for Soul Beasts...
Then he couldn't stand by and watch a single noble soul wither before his eyes.
As he spoke, Li Hao stirred his thoughts.
The spatial laws of the entire Soul Beast Paradise shifted with his will.
Taking Xiao Wu and Medusa with him, he blurred and vanished, merging into the void.
Star Dou Forest, core mixed zone.
The thick stench of blood mingled with the crack of splintering trees, filling the forest.
The aftershocks of battle still lingered in a clearing where the trees had been violently swept aside.
Li Hao appeared silently in the crown of a massive ancient tree, Xiao Wu and Medusa beside him.
Using the Paradise's Space Jump, he had arrived at the location indicated by the system, almost as if he'd teleported.
Parting the dense branches before him, he looked down—and his pupils abruptly contracted.
The scene was unbearably tragic.
A gigantic Hell Spirit Cat lay drenched in blood, a savage wound stretching from its shoulder blade to its abdomen, nearly gutting it.
It lay in a pool of blood, its life force rapidly ebbing away. Its golden eyes had already begun to glaze over.
And standing before it...
A black-clad woman, just as voluptuous and bearing a strong resemblance to the cat, held a sharp dagger smeared with blood and advanced toward it step by step.
A victor's sneer hung on her face, full of cruelty and malicious delight.
"Zhu Zhuqing, my dear little sister, you've struggled long enough. It's time to accept your fate."
"Boss Dai will be here soon. I'll kill you with my own hands right in front of him."
"He'll understand that only I deserve to become the crown princess of the Star Luo Royal Family!"
At that desperate moment...
Urgent footsteps and an angry roar came from the dense forest on the other side of the battlefield.
"Zhu Zhuyun! How dare you!"
A lavishly dressed youth with golden hair and different-colored eyes was rushing this way with several guards, frantic with worry.
It was the crown prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai.
Three forces.
In the next instant, they would converge with a thunderous crash upon this blood-soaked patch of forest!
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