"Xuan Zi, don't worry. They won't do anything to me. Even if I run into danger, I have a way to get away."
Cao Longyan didn't want to pass up this rare opportunity.
"Sigh, you brat really are a headache for this old man. Four years, and you're still the same... Sigh, fine, fine. Go ahead. I'll wait right here. If anything happens to you, I'll have to risk my life and make a huge scene."
Xuan Zi put his hand on Cao Longyan's head and ruffled his hair vigorously. Even after he was done, he still wasn't satisfied, so he gave Cao Longyan a hearty slap on the back before shoving him toward Di Tian and the Scarlet King.
"Xuan Zi, you're not qualified to challenge me. If Mu En were here, I might actually take him seriously. You? Heh."
Di Tian stared coldly at Xuan Zi, who was talking big.
Cao Longyan knew that although Xuan Zi was unreliable, he wouldn't be like Gang Zi, who'd declared in front of Bibi Dong—with only Level 29 strength—that he would destroy the Spirit Hall at any cost. That was just plain ridiculous.
Xuan Zi really would dare to do it!
"Xuan Zi, I'm off. I promise you won't have to make a scene."
Cao Longyan stepped up to Di Tian and the Scarlet King. A flash of light passed, and Di Tian teleported him and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to the lakeside in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Xuan Zi silently watched the spot where Cao Longyan had disappeared, then sighed and shook his head.
This kid Longyan—I like him more and more. Mu En really has a fine great-grandson... Too bad he's Mu En's great-grandson. Otherwise, I'd snatch him up as my final disciple!
Lakeside, core area of the Star Dou Great Forest
A slender figure with silver hair sat by the lake, eyes closed in meditation.
Cao Longyan recognized her at a glance. It was Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena!
"Milady, we've brought the person you asked for."
Di Tian stepped forward, knelt on one knee before the figure's back, bowed his head, and braced one hand against the ground as he spoke respectfully.
"Good. Thank you for your hard work."
Gu Yuena opened her eyes, slowly rose to her feet, and turned around. She looked over the five people before her, then fixed her gaze on Cao Longyan, her eyes radiating the majesty of the Dragon God.
But Cao Longyan wasn't affected by her majesty at all. Instead, her silver hair and purple eyes held his gaze fast, and his mouth fell open before he could stop himself.
He was mesmerized...
She's so beautiful... No wonder she's called the most beautiful woman on the continent!
He took back what he'd said to Bei Bei. He was starting to fall for her...
Gu Yuena noticed the way Cao Longyan was looking at her, but, incredibly, she didn't feel the slightest bit of disgust!
How unbelievable!
Di Tian raised his head just then and caught Cao Longyan's brazen stare out of the corner of his eye.
"Brat, how dare you look at Milady that way!"
Di Tian was just about to unleash his pressure on Cao Longyan when something unexpected happened.
"Di Tian, you're the one out of line!"
Gu Yuena glared furiously at Di Tian. Her full pressure bore down on him, leaving him gasping for breath, and completely dispersed the pressure he hadn't even managed to unleash.
???
Question marks filled everyone's minds. What was going on?
Gu Yuena realized something was wrong, too, and hurriedly turned away.
What's wrong with me... Why am I instinctively drawn to this human boy? He's human! Wait... Could it be the Fire Dragon King's bloodline in him?
Gu Yuena took a deep breath, steadied herself, and turned around again. She cleared her throat.
"Human boy, what's your name?"
"My name is Cao Longyan."
Cao Longyan had recovered, and he faced her innate majesty without the slightest fear. His words rang out with power, brimming with the bearing of a king.
Di Tian and the Scarlet King looked at Cao Longyan differently now, too.
This kid wasn't affected at all by the aura Milady released?!
"Cao Longyan, I have a deal to propose. Are you willing to accept?"
"You still haven't told me your name. I need to know the basic information about you. That's the most basic respect required for a deal."
Di Tian and the Scarlet King stared at Cao Longyan, eyes wide.
Is this kid trying to get himself killed? How dare he talk to Milady like that!
But things didn't go as they expected. Gu Yuena didn't erupt in anger.
She merely said, "My name is Gu Yuena, Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena. Is that enough now?"
"No. You haven't told me what the deal is. I don't even know what you want me to do. How can I decide whether to accept?"
Di Tian and the Scarlet King were completely dumbfounded.
How is Cao Longyan managing to go further and further down the road to his own destruction?!
"Fine. I'll help you dominate the continent and attain godhood. In return, you'll help protect the living space of the Soul Beasts. Once you become a god, you'll help me take revenge on the Divine Realm. How about it?"
Di Tian and the Scarlet King were utterly devastated now, with no way to express the bitterness in their hearts.
The Milady we know isn't like this! That brat must have bewitched her. It has to be... Forget it, we're just fooling ourselves. Milady is being way too unfair!
Cao Longyan didn't think it over for long. Those were all his goals anyway, though they still weren't enough.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Deal. But I'm aiming to become a God King, not just some ordinary god. I'll establish a Divine Realm of my own!"
Now Di Tian and the Scarlet King weren't the only ones dumbfounded. Gu Yuena joined them, too. But she soon recovered, satisfaction showing in her eyes as the corners of her mouth lifted.
"Excellent. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. To a successful partnership!"
"To a successful partnership!"
"What have you planned for your third Soul Ring?"
Gu Yuena looked at Cao Longyan, her expression conflicted.
While Cao Longyan was pondering, the Scarlet King spoke first.
"How about I sacrifice myself to him?"
His words were astonishing enough to draw everyone's attention.
"I'm also of Ultimate Fire, but his Ultimate Fire is far stronger than mine. I wasn't confident I could survive the 400,000-year tribulation anyway. I might as well take a gamble. Since Milady has entrusted the future of the Soul Beasts to him, she trusts him. So I trust him, too. Besides, that little cow-dragon and that little monkey..."
Di Tian cut him off, his tone full of exasperation.
"Scarlet King, do you know what you're saying? Do you know what you're doing?!"
The Scarlet King continued to look calmly at Di Tian.
"Di Tian, I don't have your talent or bloodline. I'm destined never to reach the heights you have. I want to take a gamble!"
Seeing that the Scarlet King had made up his mind, Di Tian stopped trying to dissuade him and let out a regretful sigh.
"Come on, kid. Don't let my 300,000 years of cultivation go to waste!"
Just then, the ball of light in Cao Longyan's Spiritual Sea of Consciousness suddenly began to stir violently. A black-and-white figure gradually took shape.
"Longyan, I can let him sacrifice his body without sacrificing his soul. As he becomes your Soul Ring, he can also become your Guardian Spirit."
Drawn in by the voice in his mind, Cao Longyan sent his consciousness into his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, where he saw the figure.
This is... Electrolux! The ball of light I got at the start was actually Electrolux, the one who'd been snatched away from Huo Yuhao!
"I am the Scourge of the Undead, the Holy Necromancer, Electrolux. Longyan, trust me. Do as I say and bring his soul here. I'll take care of the rest."
"Understood, Elder Yi."
Cao Longyan fought down his excitement, withdrew his consciousness from his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, and told the Scarlet King what he had in mind.
The Scarlet King furrowed his brow.
"You mean I'll be like those two giants you summoned?"
Cao Longyan nodded and curled his lip.
"Yes, though I have four now: Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Longyan reached out his right hand and clenched it in the air. The Ten Halls of Yama appeared, and four enormous figures wreathed in Hellfire materialized from thin air.
"Greetings, my lord!"
Their thunderous cries echoed through the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Becoming my Guardian Spirit means you'll grow stronger as I grow stronger. Most importantly, you'll keep your entire consciousness!"
The Scarlet King's eyes lit up.
"Good!"
The Scarlet King's body dissolved into a strand of red light and entered Cao Longyan's brow. A 300,000-year Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff arm bone fused with his left arm.
Two orange-red Soul Rings gradually took shape beneath his feet.
His Soul Power broke through Level 40 in one rush, soaring straight to the peak of Level 45!
"Scarlet King!"
The Scarlet King, now a Guardian Spirit, descended in human form, his aura approaching that of a Soul Saint.
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