After activating Spirit Detection, Huo Yuhao finally saw what had made the tiger's roar.
It was a massive black tiger, its entire body jet-black. Its tail was made of countless segments of bone, with a huge, scorpion-like stinger at the end.
"So it's a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger? It seems to be about as powerful as Er Ming!"
Huo Yuhao marveled inwardly. Er Ming really did have unusual opponents—almost every one of them was on his level.
Huo Yuhao was still hesitating over whether to help when his pupils suddenly narrowed. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger seemed to have sensed the Auspicious Beast's presence. It changed direction and charged straight toward them.
"Not good!"
They said this kind of Soul Beast didn't cultivate on its own, but rapidly grew stronger by devouring others. To it, the Auspicious Beast was the greatest delicacy of all.
Unlike other Soul Beasts, it had no qualms about harming the Auspicious Beast for fear of disrupting its fortune. Born to be the natural enemy of Soul Beasts, it would attack the moment it spotted one.
Huo Yuhao immediately summoned his Martial Soul and took up a fighting stance. In his panic, the words in his heart spilled from his mouth.
"Damn it! That Soul Beast is coming for you, Qiu'er! Run!"
"What did you call me? Qiu'er? Is there a Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest bold enough to attack me?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's little head was nearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information in those words. She stared, stunned, toward the source of the commotion.
The trees ahead crashed to the ground, and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger burst out.
When it saw the Emperor Auspicious Beast, a humanlike excitement shone in its tiger eyes. It leapt again, pouncing on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who hadn't yet reacted.
"Don't you dare!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes nearly split with rage. His First Soul Ring lit up after his Third Soul Ring, and an enhanced Spirit Shock slammed into the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's mind.
The intense pain made it lose control of its body. It fell from the air, rolling and howling on the ground in a desperate attempt to ease the tearing agony in its mind.
"Yuhao? What are you doing here? Good timing—help me kill it. We can't let this tiger live."
Er Ming had finally caught up. Seeing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger sprawled on the ground, his eyes lit up, and he swung his fist down hard.
At the critical moment, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's eyes snapped open. It forced itself upright and dodged the Titan Giant Ape's fist. The missed punch slammed into the ground, and Huo Yuhao felt the earth tremble beneath him.
"Er Ming, I came here to find my Fourth Soul Ring and ran into you. Listen, the one behind me is the Emperor Auspicious Beast. That beast absolutely cannot be allowed to hurt her!"
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao activated Spirit Sharing and linked the Titan Giant Ape into it, then unleashed Mental Interference on the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
He felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, Er Ming was here. Otherwise, he would have had to summon the Snow Empress. In his previous life, Qiu'er's death had been a nightmare that haunted him. This time, he wouldn't let the Auspicious Beast face danger, no matter what.
Only then did Er Ming notice the Three-Eyed Golden Lion behind Yuhao. He was surprised that the two of them had ended up together.
But he understood how serious things were. There was no time to ask about it now. He nodded. "This guy always fights me to a draw. Neither of us can get the better of the other. This time, we'll take him down for good."
"Wait! Who are you, really? I sensed you enter Tai Tan's territory last time. Why are you helping me now?"
The Auspicious Beast spoke up, her eyes fixed on Huo Yuhao's back.
Huo Yuhao turned to look at her curious gaze. At last, he made up his mind and spoke gently.
"I'll tell you the answer when the battle's over. For now, stay back."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's breath caught. She knew this wasn't a fight she could join. She had only a thousand years of cultivation. Though she could fight a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the tiger before her was comparable to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, far beyond what she could handle.
But what about the boy in front of her? His aura was even weaker than hers. Why was he standing in the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's way?
Thinking back over everything that had just happened, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion chose to heed Huo Yuhao's words. She backed away, speaking urgently.
"You have to promise me you won't die. I'm still waiting for you to tell me the answer!"
Huo Yuhao smiled, his expression bright.
"I promise."
He turned, his gaze suddenly turning cold as he watched the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger get back to its feet.
"Er Ming, let's go!"
Er Ming pounded his chest and roared at the sky, then raised his arm and swung it at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger shook its still-aching head and dodged the Titan Giant Ape's punch once more.
A hint of fear flashed through its eyes as it glanced at Huo Yuhao. That human's mental attack had nearly left it unable to fight.
Now, with the Titan Giant Ape alongside him, it wasn't sure it could get back up if it took another hit.
It had to deal with the human first!
A vicious glint flashed in the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's eyes. Huo Yuhao felt a rush of foul wind, and the tiger vanished from in front of him. The next instant, it appeared behind him.
"This Evil Tiger can use wind too?" Huo Yuhao was shocked. Without Spirit Detection, he would have been caught off guard.
But he didn't panic. A golden shield instantly flared around him. The tiger's claws landed squarely on the Soul Guidance Shield, shattering it into a rain of light.
But that split-second pause was all he needed. Huo Yuhao rolled forward and turned around. A dazzling emerald light shone from his chest as Wrath of the Ice Empress erupted at full force!
The huge recoil sent Huo Yuhao flying backward, but Er Ming caught him in time, and he escaped unharmed.
Er Ming looked at the boy in his arms with surprise. Even he was amazed by how smoothly Yuhao had unleashed those abilities. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, meanwhile, had half its body covered in tiny ice crystals.
It hadn't been frozen solid like Teacher Zhao, but the attack had still slowed the Evil Tiger down.
Combined with Domain of Eternal Freeze at full strength, it had greatly reduced the tiger's speed.
After setting Huo Yuhao down, Er Ming roared excitedly and charged at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, giving it no chance to catch its breath.
With its speed reduced, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger could no longer easily dodge the Titan Giant Ape's fists. Each blow brought fresh pain, further rousing its ferocity. Its eyes grew even redder.
It suddenly spread its wings and unleashed countless streaks of black light, which turned into dozens of sharp blades and shot toward Er Ming.
With Spirit Detection guiding him, Er Ming had already raised his arms to shield his head. The blades did little damage, but they gave the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger a brief opening.
Just as it was about to dart away from the Titan Giant Ape, another tearing pain surged through its mind. That human again!
The Evil Tiger's eyes were bloodshot as it turned and saw Huo Yuhao's golden eyes. That same ability again!
It didn't seem as powerful as the first time, but it still interrupted the tiger's movement. And after being hit twice, it felt as though part of its spiritual power had gone missing.
There was no time to think. The Titan Giant Ape's fist came crashing down again, and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, having lost its precious chance, was caught up in the fight once more.
Huo Yuhao saw the Evil Tiger being suppressed by Er Ming again and was about to unleash another Spirit Shock to help when he heard Er Ming roar.
"Yuhao, run!"