Beyond the valley.
Dai Mubai's figure stumbled and staggered like a kite with its strings cut.
At last, utterly exhausted, he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Hard gravel tore through his fine clothes and scraped the skin of his palms, drawing bright red blood.
Yet he felt no pain at all.
His world had collapsed.
"Master... only him."
Every word Zhu Zhuqing had spoken became the most vicious curse, echoing again and again in his mind.
Over and over.
Grinding what little pride and dignity he had left to dust.
His shattered heart hurt a thousand, ten thousand times more than his wounds.
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness, what happened?"
Anxious shouts came from afar. The members of the Royal Soul Master Corps had finally caught up.
At the head of the group, a Soul Master spotted a familiar figure slowly rising from the fallen leaves in the distance.
"M-Miss Zhu Zhuyun?"
Zhu Zhuyun looked just as disheveled, her lovely face filled with alarm.
She hurried over to Dai Mubai, her voice choked with sobs.
"Your Highness! D-did you see Zhu Zhuqing? How is she...?"
Dai Mubai slowly raised his head.
His eerie, mismatched eyes were bloodshot. All light had gone out of them, leaving only a dead, ashen emptiness.
He looked at Zhu Zhuyun. His lips moved for a long time before he managed to force out a dry, hoarse syllable.
"She..."
"She turned into a Soul Beast."
The next second, he added,
"She... doesn't recognize me anymore."
Zhu Zhuyun's body shuddered violently. She reached out as if to help Dai Mubai, but he slapped her hand away.
"Impossible! How could that be?"
She cried out in shock, her performance flawless.
"How could Zhu Zhuqing...? Your Highness, are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"See wrong?"
Dai Mubai gave a bitter laugh, more painful to hear than weeping.
"I saw it with my own eyes! She said it herself!"
As if mad, he grabbed Zhu Zhuyun by the shoulders and shook her hard.
"She became someone else's pet! She called that bastard Master! Did you hear me? Master!"
Zhu Zhuyun's body rocked back and forth with his shaking. Her long hair fell forward, hiding her face.
No one saw.
Beneath that shadow, the corners of her mouth were rising uncontrollably.
Ecstasy!
An indescribable ecstasy, like the deadliest poison, surged through every limb in an instant!
She'd done it!
Her scheme had succeeded completely!
Zhu Zhuqing, the younger sister who had always overshadowed her and stolen every bit of her glory, was finished!
Utterly and completely finished!
Turned into a Soul Beast?
And acknowledged another man as her master?
That would shame Dai Mubai—and the entire Star Luo Royal Family—more than killing her ever could!
From now on, no one would ever compete with her for the position of Crown Princess!
Inside the valley.
As Dai Mubai's anguished, furious howls finally faded into the distance, the oppressive presence that had been grating on everyone's nerves vanished as well.
The world was peaceful again.
Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. His social-anxiety alarm had finally been silenced.
He could feel Zhu Zhuqing's body, tense beside him all this time, relax almost imperceptibly.
She slowly lifted her head. Her cold, golden, slit-pupiled eyes gazed silently at him.
The dependence and concentration from before were gone. A more complicated emotion now flowed through her eyes.
Gratitude.
The gratitude that welled up from the depths of her soul after being rescued and protected.
Li Hao had severed the shackle known as her betrothal.
That shackle had bound her tight since birth, stealing her breath and forcing her to grow stronger and stronger, even as all hope remained out of reach.
Now it was broken.
She was free.
The realization quietly melted a corner of the iceberg frozen deep in Zhu Zhuqing's heart for more than a decade.
She looked at Li Hao.
The man who had given her a new life, given her a name, and given her freedom.
Her master.
From now on, everything she had existed for him alone.
That understanding made her dependence purer—and heavier.
Li Hao read it all in the shifts of her emotions.
The sense of responsibility he felt as a caretaker of Soul Beast Girls inexplicably deepened.
He'd only meant to be a laid-back landlord, taking in a few poor little things and lounging his way to godhood.
But now it seemed that every move he made was somehow changing the course this world had originally been set on.
These lives, toyed with by fate, were walking entirely different paths because of his appearance.
This feeling... wasn't so bad, after all.
"Yay! The big tiger ran away!"
Xiao Wu's cheer broke the brief silence.
She hopped over to Zhu Zhuqing and took her cold little hand without the slightest hesitation.
"Sister Zhu Zhuqing, I'll show you our home!"
"The Illusion Dream Tree Demon is amazing. Its fruit is delicious!"
Zhu Zhuqing stiffened, but didn't pull away.
She let Xiao Wu's warm little hand hold hers, though her eyes remained fixed on Li Hao, a hint of uncertainty in them.
Li Hao smiled and nodded to her.
Only then did Zhu Zhuqing stop resisting. She obediently followed Xiao Wu, letting the enthusiastic little rabbit chatter away as she introduced her to this brand-new world.
Medusa silently followed behind them, her emerald snake eyes sweeping over the surroundings as she dutifully played the role of their guard.
Life in Paradise returned to its peaceful routine.
Following Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing crossed a babbling stream and passed through fragrant flower beds, finally arriving beneath the towering Illusion Dream Tree Demon.
A sense of peace and comfort unlike anything she had ever known enveloped her.
Every breath of air here brimmed with pure vitality.
She had never experienced this feeling in the cold, oppressive Zhu Family, nor in the scheming city of Star Luo.
Here, she didn't need to stay on guard, put on an act, or constantly watch for blades lurking in the shadows.
She could... be a cat again.
The moment the thought arose, black mist shrouded Zhu Zhuqing's figure, and she turned once more into the lithe, graceful Hell Spirit Cat.
Light as a feather, she leapt onto a thick branch and curled up in a comfortable spot.
Her golden, slit-pupiled eyes narrowed contentedly as she enjoyed the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.
She had truly become part of this place.
Watching her, Li Hao felt a thought stir.
He remembered the system's prompt: Zhu Zhuqing's bloodline was the Nether Spirit Cat Royal Bloodline.
It was a remarkably pure power, leaning toward darkness and the law of severance associated with death.
Yet Paradise was currently overflowing with vibrant life.
Perhaps... he could create a more suitable environment for her, and for any Soul Beast Girls of the same kind who might appear in the future.
Once the thought surfaced, he couldn't suppress it.
Li Hao walked to a shaded corner of the valley and placed his hand against the cold rock wall.
He channeled his Soul Power while connecting with the core laws of Paradise.
Bond Sharing activated. A pure Nether Power surged from his palm, slowly seeping into the rock and soil.
Humm!
The laws of Paradise answered his will.
The light in this area began to dim.
The life elements in the air transformed into energy that was colder and more still.
A few Nether Grass plants, glowing faintly, quietly broke through the earth and swayed gently.
A small, dedicated Nether Ecological Zone had come into being just like that.
The ecosystem of Paradise was growing richer and more complete with every new member.
Just then.
Far away, at Nuoding Academy.
In the dormitory, Tang San had been meditating cross-legged when he suddenly opened his eyes.
Just moments ago, the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him had inexplicably stirred.
Somehow, he sensed that in the direction of Star Dou Forest, an extremely domineering, familiar golden light had crossed paths with another cold, razor-sharp Nether aura before both finally fell silent.
Was it an illusion?
Tang San furrowed his brows, a trace of doubt rising in his heart.
He had a feeling that somewhere beyond his knowledge, some drastic, unseen change was taking place in this world.
Atop the valley.
Li Hao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the vibrant Paradise, with its one shadowed corner.
Xiao Wu chased butterflies through the flower beds. Zhu Zhuqing, now a black cat, napped beneath the trees, while Medusa leaned against a trunk with her eyes closed, resting.
A scene of perfect harmony.
An even grander idea gradually took shape in his mind.
Saving Soul Beasts on the brink of death wasn't enough.
He meant to do far more than that.
Here, he would deliberately plan, build, and create a true kingdom of Soul Beasts, free from human interference.
A utopia that belonged entirely to them.
Just then, a clear, delighted child's voice rang out from below.
"Dad! Come look! Sister Zhu Zhuqing has grown a third tail!"
Before you continue