The Soul Beast Clan's Matriarch

Star Dou Great Forest, at the bottom of Lake of Life.

Ever since Huo Yuhao had started creating his own Soul Rings, the several great Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest had been staying here, waiting for their Sovereign's next order.

"Di Tian, you've spent the most time with our Sovereign. Tell me, what do you think she's planning?"

What could a human possibly do?!

Of course, Xiong Jun only dared to mutter that quietly to himself. He would never say it aloud.

"Was that lord really just a case of Martial Soul returning to its origins?"

Zi JI, clan leader of the Abyssal Demon Dragon clan and the lowest-ranked of the Ten Great Beast Kings, sounded uncertain.

Before Huo Yuhao had even used Martial Soul Possession, she had already felt the suppression of his bloodline.

Martial Soul Awakening alone couldn't have done that.

Di Tian glanced at the Ferocious Beasts present, then at the Emperor Auspicious Beast in the corner. It was trying hard to hide, but its curiosity kept making it poke its head out.

"Lord Huo's bloodline has awakened. According to our Sovereign's deduction, his ancestors must have belonged to a dragon clan that existed even before the Dragon God."

"Our Sovereign values Lord Huo's bloodline and potential."

Xiong Jun listened, only half-understanding.

After turning Di Tian's words over in his head, he came to one conclusion.

"So the Sovereign wants to continue her bloodline with him!"

Di Tian: "???"

Di Tian had always known what Gu Yuena wanted.

To revive the Soul Beast Clan and then launch a counterattack against the Divine Realm!

Xiong Jun's idea opened a new door for Di Tian. He even felt that what Xiong Jun had said might actually make some sense.

"You're not exactly wrong."

Suddenly, a melodious, ethereal voice rang through the space beneath the lake. Then Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao appeared.

"Your Majesty!"

All the Soul Beasts immediately bowed to Gu Yuena.

"My lord."

The Soul Beasts were trembling with fear.

Even Xiong Jun tried to make himself less conspicuous.

He'd been talking about his boss behind her back, only to get caught red-handed!

"Yuhao's bloodline has returned to its origin. The dragon blood within him is no weaker than the Dragon God's. Moreover, he's working hard to find a path forward for our Soul Beast Clan. He has already developed a Soul Spirit System for Soul Beasts unable to overcome their Heavenly Tribulation or with short lifespans, allowing them to continue living for a long time as souls."

"So, starting today, I have decided that he will be the Soul Beast Clan's matriarch, with a status equal to mine!"

Huo Yuhao: "???"

That wasn't what you told me before!

You said I'd be the other Co-Sovereign. How did I suddenly become the matriarch?

Gu Yuena: It's all the same.

People on Douluo Continent generally matured early.

Just look at a certain Evil Fire Phoenix. Not long after awakening his Martial Soul, he was already a regular at the brothels.

And a certain Dai Clan White Tiger was already a seasoned lady-killer at fifteen, with a hundred conquests to his name.

There were plenty of people who became fathers at twelve or thirteen, too.

Huo Yuhao was already eight. Even by his insistence that he had to wait until he was eighteen, that left only about ten years.

A mere ten years was less than a nap to Gu Yuena.

So some titles needed to be settled early.

It would take a few more days for the energy of heaven and earth in the core region to recover to its former state.

Huo Yuhao would stay at Lake of Life throughout those days.

He also planned to use the time to get closer to the Auspicious Beast, making it easier to guide its attributes to him later.

The beautiful golden-furred little beast sniffed eagerly, saliva dripping from its mouth.

"That's the smell~"

Following the source of the scent, it zigzagged its way over to Huo Yuhao, who was roasting fish.

"Matriarch, you're the one who made this fish?"

Huo Yuhao hadn't even had a chance to answer. "..."

"Do you know what 'matriarch' means?"

The Emperor Auspicious Beast tilted its head, so adorable that Huo Yuhao couldn't help reaching out to stroke its soft fur.

"No. Isn't that what the Sovereign said? Di Tian and Scarlet King call you that, too."

"Matriarch, can I eat it now?"

Huo Yuhao waved the grilled fish in front of the Emperor Auspicious Beast. "If you keep calling me matriarch, I won't give you anything to eat ever again."

The food-loving Auspicious Beast was torn.

"If I don't call you matriarch, the Sovereign will get angry."

"Will she hit you or scold you?"

The Emperor Auspicious Beast shook its head. Not one of the Ferocious Beasts here had ever hit or scolded it.

"Exactly. If she won't hit or scold you, what are you worried about?"

"Oh, right!" The Emperor Auspicious Beast suddenly understood. "Then what should I call you?"

It also thought "matriarch" sounded odd.

"My name is Huo Yuhao. Call me Yuhao."

"Yuhao~" The Auspicious Beast's voice was clear and bright. "When will your fish be ready?"

Now that it had changed what it called him, he could give it the fish, right?

Seeing how it was practically drooling, Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly.

"It still needs a little longer. Have some of the others first to tide you over."

Huo Yuhao took out the grilled fish and meat he had put in his Space Soul Tool earlier, along with the braised meat he had brought from home, and set it all in front of the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

The Emperor Auspicious Beast ate at lightning speed. "Is all the food in the human world this delicious?"

It had spent five thousand years in the Star Dou Great Forest. How many delicious things had it missed out on!

"Human food really is delicious, but I can't promise it's as good as grilled fish."

He wasn't bragging. Gu Yuena had spent more than a year in the human world, but even now, no food had managed to surpass Huo Yuhao's grilled fish and meat in her heart.

"Then can you make food for me every day?"

"While I'm in the Star Dou Great Forest, you can come find me every day."

Huo Yuhao made no effort to hide that he was luring the Emperor Auspicious Beast with food.

Di Tian, who had raised the Emperor Auspicious Beast like his own daughter, felt alarm bells ringing wildly inside him as soon as he saw this.

The way he looked at Huo Yuhao was more and more like a suspicious old man looking at some blond punk with designs on his daughter.

"My lord, Lord Huo is..."

"It's fine." Gu Yuena was unmoved, and even seemed rather pleased. "He is the Child of Luck of Douluo Continent, while the Emperor Auspicious Beast is the core of the Star Dou Great Forest's fortune. If they end up together, it can only benefit our Soul Beast Clan."

As a Silver Dragon King who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, Gu Yuena had chosen Huo Yuhao as another candidate to continue her bloodline for a reason—not because she had fallen for him.

He was only eight. Gu Yuena wasn't some kind of pervert.

She had chosen Huo Yuhao purely for the sake of her clan. It was a matter of bloodline, unrelated to personal feelings.

So she naturally wouldn't be unhappy about which girls Huo Yuhao was interested in or whom he chose to have children with in the future.

All she needed was a child who carried Huo Yuhao's bloodline.

At least, that was what she thought for now.