A Soul Beast for a Day, a Soul Beast for Life!

Leng Yaozhu asked again, "How many days are you planning to stay in Shrek City?"

"We'll head back tomorrow afternoon," Leng Qingning replied.

"Isn't that a little soon?" Leng Yaozhu asked, taken aback.

"I've arranged to meet with Yuanen Zhentian, the head of the Yuanen Family, the day after tomorrow. It wouldn't be right to break my appointment."

Leng Qingning spoke, then slowly told her about the entanglement between the Yuanen Family and the Demon Plane.

After hearing her out, a sharp glint flashed through Leng Yaozhu's eyes.

An evil plane with no god to rule it—this was practically a heaven-sent opportunity for the Federation, whose resources were growing increasingly depleted.

Before Douluo Continent and Sun Moon Continent collided, the land had been divided among three powers: Star Luo, Dou Ling, and Heaven Dou, whose empires kept one another in check.

Later, the continents collided, and the two landmasses merged into what was now Douluo Continent.

Several thousand years ago, the Sun Moon Empire had successfully united the entire continent. Later, the Xu Family abdicated, and the Sun Moon Empire was reorganized into the Sun Moon Federation.

Of the three great empires—Star Luo, Dou Ling, and Heaven Dou—only the Heaven Dou Empire had been completely wiped out. The Star Luo and Dou Ling Empires had crossed the seas and found new continents to settle on, allowing their legacies to endure.

The Federation's hawks advocated launching a military campaign against the two empires to unite the planet, but the doves repeatedly thwarted them, and the plan had yet to be put into action.

One major reason the hawks insisted on war was that, after thousands of years of development, the resources native to Douluo Continent were on the verge of running dry.

At this point, the potential of the Federation's own territory was no longer enough to support breakthroughs in Soul Guidance Technology and carry it into the age of interstellar exploration.

Only by annexing the continents of Star Luo and Dou Ling and seizing their abundant resources could Soul Guidance Technology advance further, allowing them to leave Douluo Planet and seek out a new home.

The Demon Plane, however, was an entire plane in its own right. Even if it was a lower-grade plane than Douluo Planet, its total resources far exceeded those of Star Luo Continent and Dou Ling Continent combined.

As Leng Yaozhu pondered, a light knock suddenly came from outside the door.

Na'er's nose twitched slightly, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She trotted to the door on quick, pattering steps and opened it.

"Sister Dabai, Sister Xiao Bai!" She tipped up her little face, her voice soft and sweet.

The two who had knocked were the twin sisters Bai Zhicen and Bai Haoze.

In Na'er's simple view of the world, anyone who brought her delicious food was the best person in the world.

So after the sisters had brought her a lavish meal yesterday, she had remembered them.

Bai Zhicen gently ruffled the soft hair atop Na'er's head, then pushed the dining cart into the room, with Bai Haoze following close behind.

The sisters were both exquisitely beautiful, their long, snow-white hair falling to their waists. Their ethereal bearing made them seem like woodland fairies.

Bai Haoze's Martial Soul was a Light Unicorn, while Bai Zhicen's was a Space Unicorn. Together, the sisters could perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill Instant Light, and they were among Leng Yaozhu's closest aides.

"Blazing Glazed Earth Dragon Tendon, White Jade Frost Abalone Slices, Purple Cloud Spirit Mushroom Stewed Marrow, Azure Underworld Truffle Stuffed Mushrooms, Cold Mist Crystal Jelly Fish Lips, Red Cloud Matsusaka Grilled Meat..."

Beside the dining table, Bai Zhicen arranged the dishes in an orderly fashion as she listed their names.

Na'er stood nearby, her round eyes fixed on the table full of delicacies. She nearly drooled.

By the time everyone had returned to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, it was almost lunchtime.

Leng Yaozhu had already witnessed Na'er's astonishing appetite. Considering that An Lan had spent half the day having fun in Shrek City and was surely famished, she had instructed the sisters to prepare lunch on the way back.

The timing was perfect. The lavish lunch was served not long after they returned.

Once the dishes were arranged, Bai Haoze said gently to Na'er, "Na'er, enjoy your meal with Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix. We'll be going now."

With that, the sisters pushed the empty dining cart out of the room.

After they had left, Leng Yaozhu put aside her thoughts about the Demon Plane for the moment and smiled as she urged Leng Qingning, Ling Zhao, and An Lan to take their seats.

Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng, Spirit Marsh Immortal Mushroom, Earth Dragon Tendon, Red Jade Shrimp... Everything Leng Yaozhu had prepared was a top delicacy from across the continent. The ingredients were exceedingly rare, and each was brimming with pure, abundant energy.

"Teacher, I want that big shrimp!"

An Lan pointed at the Red Jade Shrimp on the platter, which was bigger than his face, and spoke softly to Leng Qingning.

He wanted to serve himself, too, but he was still so small, with such short arms, that he couldn't reach the dishes farther away.

"Teacher will peel it for you." Leng Qingning smiled warmly, picked up the Red Jade Shrimp, and removed its shell for him.

Seeing how much An Lan liked seafood, she promised, "When we have time, I'll take you to the East Sea for a seafood feast."

Na'er's eyes lit up at once. She stopped stuffing her face, lifted her little face, and pleaded, "Na'er wants a seafood feast too!"

"Then we'll all go," Leng Qingning replied with a smile.

"Thank you, pretty big sister." Na'er beamed, then buried her face in the feast again, happily devouring the food.

Star Dou Great Forest, Lake of Life.

The Lake of Life, once teeming with boundless life energy, had nearly dried up. Only a small pool remained.

There was a time when the Star Dou Great Forest had been absolutely forbidden territory for humans.

Twenty thousand years ago, just the two hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts who held the forest's outskirts—the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape—had been enough to intimidate the entire human world. Few dared to set foot there.

Twenty thousand years had passed, and the Soul Beast population had been nearly wiped out.

Shrek City had expanded to the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest's core region. The Spirit Pagoda had even built high walls, confining the surviving Soul Beasts to a tiny patch of land and forbidding them from taking a single step beyond it.

Beside the Pool of Life stood a silver-haired, violet-eyed girl, gazing silently at the high wall in the distance. Deep in her eyes, hatred and sorrow carved into her very soul surged like a tide.

Not far away, Di Tian, Xiong Jun, Bi Ji, King of Ten Thousand Demons, and Zi Ji—the five surviving core powerhouses of the Star Dou Great Forest—knelt on one knee with their heads bowed, not daring to disturb the girl's thoughts.

After a long while, the girl finally looked away. Her voice was cold. "It's all gone... Leave. Go to the human world."

Di Tian wore a black robe and looked like a handsome man in his forties. At her words, he raised his head and carefully began, "My Lord, your other half is currently inside the Spirit Pagoda. It seems... she's grown quite close to the humans."

"Pay it no mind." The girl's voice was indifferent, carrying an unyielding resolve. "A Soul Beast for a day, a Soul Beast for life. That is a fate she cannot escape."

A trace of worry stirred in Di Tian's heart. His thoughts flew back ten thousand years, to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, whom he had cherished as his own daughter, and the tragic end she had met after becoming entangled with Huo Yuhao. Then he remembered the beast-human romances between the Blue Silver Emperor and the Soft Bone Demon Rabbit and humans twenty thousand years ago. He couldn't help feeling that this was a bad idea, and feared that the other half of his lord might repeat the same mistakes.

But when he saw the certainty in the girl's eyes and her commanding air that brooked no disobedience, he said no more. He merely sighed inwardly and said solemnly, "My Lord is wise!"

The girl took one last look at the Star Dou Great Forest. Her gaze swept over the dried-up Lake of Life, and a complicated look flickered in her eyes. Then she spoke softly. "Let her stay in the Spirit Pagoda. Until these thirty percent of my power return to me, perhaps... she can still be of some use."