Guidance of Fate

The Three-Eyed exotic beast slowly lowered its massive head, its soft golden mane cascading downward. The vertical eye in the center of its forehead tightened slightly, and a beam of warm, translucent white light flashed from its pupil, landing steadily on Lie Xu's brow.

The white light seeped slowly into the boy's forehead. A moment later, Lie Xu's eyelashes fluttered, and with a muffled groan, he struggled to pry his eyelids open, gradually waking from his long unconsciousness.

His consciousness still lingered on the moment he had been cornered. The instant he opened his eyes, he performed a side roll, putting distance between himself and the Three-Eyed beast before him, his gaze locked tightly onto the creature crouching ahead.

The Three-Eyed beast, however, made no move, watching the tiny human—who didn't even reach the height of her legs—with calm indifference.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

A crisp, melodious voice echoed directly within Lie Xu's mind.

"Who is that?"

Lie Xu's heart tightened. He scanned his surroundings vigilantly, but aside from the dim space and the dark, greenish-black rock walls, there was nothing else.

If one had to count living things, there was nothing in this cave but himself and the Three-Eyed beast.

Summoning his courage, Lie Xu tentatively asked, "Was that you speaking to me just now?"

The Three-Eyed beast slowly nodded, and that familiar, pleasant voice resonated in Lie Xu's mind once more.

"It was."

Lie Xu maintained his defensive stance and asked again.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, though they always call me the Emperor Auspicious Beast."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion slowly rested her massive head upon her front paws.

"Three-Eyed Golden Lion?"

"Emperor Auspicious Beast?"

Hearing these names, a monstrous wave crashed through Lie Xu's heart. Wasn't this a soul beast that only appeared in the second installment of the series? The very embodiment of the Star Dou Great Forest's fortune, possessing the power to control fate—why was she here now? Had his transmigration caused the original plot to shift, altering the timeline?

But there was no way to verify this now.

"So, you are the Beast of Fate?"

Now it was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's turn to be unsettled. She was curious as to how this tiny human knew of her ability to control fate. Her three eyes narrowed simultaneously as she scrutinized the little human, as if trying to see through him.

Yet, just as before, all she saw was chaos, and all she felt was a void.

Seeing the beast remain silent, Lie Xu changed the subject. "Then, why go to such lengths to snatch me from under the noses of two Limit Douluos, only to leave me unharmed? I have nothing worth coveting by you soul beasts."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion remained silent for a moment before raising her head to stare into his eyes, her expression suddenly turning solemn.

The long-awaited voice echoed in Lie Xu's mind once more.

"Do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?"

"Yes. I awoke from my slumber, responding to the call of destiny. I caught a glimpse of the future, and I shall use my life as an eternal hymn to welcome the supreme sovereign."

"Speak plain human!"

Lie Xu frowned slightly.

"Right, sorry."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's voice sounded slightly awkward. "Fate woke me from my slumber and showed me what is to come, so it demands that I sacrifice myself to you."

"What? Sacrifice yourself to me? Why?"

Lie Xu was stunned, momentarily forgetting to maintain his defensive posture.

"Don't ask, there's no time! That old fossil Di Tian is about to find me."

"But my martial soul isn't with me."

Lie Xu found himself growing tense, caught up in the beast's urgency.

"Ah?"

"I mean the little golden lion beast that was by my side."

"Simple."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion closed her eyes, and the vertical eye on her forehead snapped open. A brilliant rose-gold light erupted, emitting a strange ripple that traced the aura she had left on the lion beast, traversing time and crossing space...

At the same time, above the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest, a man sat cross-legged. He was nearly two meters tall with broad, sturdy shoulders, a cold and resolute face, and an aura that was deep and majestic. His eyes were tightly shut.

He wore a profound black robe embroidered with dark golden dragon patterns, and his long, ink-black hair swayed in the wind at his waist, the strands shimmering with a faint, dark-gold luster under the moonlight.

In the distance, the battle between the two soul beast kings and the two human powerhouses showed no signs of stopping.

"Trash!!!"

Di Tian's aura exploded, sending waves a hundred meters high crashing across the lake below.

He rose, took a single step, and the space shattered. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in the center of the battlefield.

The aura of an 880,000-year-old soul beast erupted, forcibly tearing the evenly matched combatants apart.

The Titan Giant Ape had already been driven into a bloodthirsty frenzy; he rose, preparing to tear apart whoever had interfered with his fight, only to be held back firmly by the Azure Bull Python.

"The Emperor Auspicious Beast is right there in that little human girl's arms."

"Hmph!!!"

"The soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest truly grow worse with each generation."

Di Tian let out a cold snort and waved his hand. Black soul power surged, and before Qian Daoliu could react, Xiao Jiu, who had been in Qian Renxue's arms, instantly appeared in Di Tian's embrace.

"I told you not to run around, now remember—"

Suddenly, Di Tian's words came to an abrupt halt. Although it looked very similar to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in its shrunken form, this was not the Emperor Auspicious Beast at all, but a lion beast merely stained with a trace of the Emperor Auspicious Beast's aura.

"You all truly deserve to die!!!"

Di Tian was enraged. His black soul power instantly condensed into a dragon claw, ready to crush this lion beast that the humans had used to deceive him.

Just then, a strange spatial fluctuation abruptly appeared in the space around Xiao Jiu, obstructing Di Tian's furious grasp.

In the blink of an eye, the lion beast in front of Di Tian vanished completely.

Following Xiao Jiu's disappearance, a rose-gold beam of light suddenly erupted from the other side of the Star Dou Great Forest, appearing incredibly bright and clear against the starry night.

Every living thing within the Star Dou Great Forest, whether human or soul beast, could not help but feel an indescribable emotion welling up in their hearts—as if it were sorrow, as if it were grief, or perhaps the helplessness of losing something truly important.

Every life felt the forest's mourning at that moment; the wind ceased, the sounds died down, and even the starlight above the forest seemed to dim.

Only the beam of light on the other side of the forest remained bright and dazzling, radiating an ancient and mysterious aura.

"No!!!"

"Stop at once!!!"

Di Tian naturally knew what this was; he did not need to judge by the aura to understand the current situation.

A sacrificial ritual—the kind of formation that only appeared when a soul beast voluntarily offered everything, including its soul power, physical body, and soul, to another.

And for a sacrifice to cause such a massive disturbance, making the entire forest mourn, there was only one possibility.

That was the master of this forest's destiny, the Emperor Auspicious Beast!!!

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was not merely the Emperor Auspicious Beast; she also possessed the power to control fate, which was the most important aspect of all.

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?"