"You'll be in danger if you stay here alone. Where's your home? Come with us in a little while, and I'll take you back!"
Looking at the girl named Rui'er, Lin Fan felt his compassion overflowing!
It would be such a shame if a pretty, adorable little girl like her became food for Soul Beasts!
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
However, as soon as Lin Fan finished speaking, thunderous roars rang out from the center of the Star Dou Forest, shaking the surrounding leaves loose!
Judging from the commotion, it wasn't just one Soul Beast. Dozens, or perhaps even more, were roaring—and they were incredibly powerful!
"Big Brother, don't worry. I have to go now. You should leave here as soon as you can, too!"
A hint of panic appeared on Rui'er's pale, pretty face. She hurried to her feet and ran toward the center of the Star Dou Forest!
"Don't go! It's dangerous there!"
Lin Fan hurriedly grabbed Rui'er's slender, boneless hand.
"Brother Lin Fan, let her go..."
Just as the two of them were at an impasse, Xiao Wu stepped forward and pried Lin Fan's hand away. Rui'er immediately darted deeper into the forest and vanished after a few quick strides.
"Xiao Wu, what are you doing?!"
Lin Fan was completely baffled by what Xiao Wu had done.
"Don't worry. The Star Dou Forest is safer for her than the outside world."
Xiao Wu explained.
"Safer? Why?!"
Lin Fan stared at her, dumbfounded.
"When I got close to her just now, I instinctively felt drawn to her. The Soul Power inside me also started circulating much faster!"
"It looks like the Auspicious Beast really has appeared..."
Xiao Wu murmured.
"You mean the Emperor Auspicious Beast?! But why would it appear here?!"
Lin Fan was startled. The Emperor Auspicious Beast bore the fate and future of the entire Star Dou Forest. Soul Beasts could cultivate several times faster in its presence!
A Soul Beast that important should have been protected by the mighty king-level Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest. How could it have appeared on the outskirts, only to be ambushed by a low-level Soul Beast?!
"Rui'er looks only a few thousand years old, which is equivalent to a five- or six-year-old human child. She must have sneaked out to play. She just happened to run into us!"
"And Brother Lin Fan, you really are charming. It seems she's fallen for you!"
Pouting, Xiao Wu poked Lin Fan in the chest, seemingly marveling at his luck with women!
"Fallen for me? That can't be right, can it?!"
Lin Fan's head felt ready to split. Was he really that handsome!? Was he irresistibly attractive not only to human girls but even to a Soul Beast meeting him for the first time!?
That sounded utterly unbelievable!
"As far as I know, the Emperor Auspicious Beast only gets one chance in its life to take human form. After that, its appearance can't be changed. Didn't you notice anything special about Rui'er's looks?!"
At Xiao Wu's words, Lin Fan thought carefully, then looked across Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan. Understanding dawned on his face!
Chapter 69: Flaming Hot!
"Rui'er looks like a combination of the five of you!"
Lin Fan couldn't help exclaiming!
No wonder he'd been so dazed the first time he saw Rui'er. She had all five beauties' best features combined in one!
"Heh heh heh, I guess I really am quite charming. Meet Lin Fan once, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
Lin Fan couldn't help laughing smugly!
"Stop gloating and hurry up, let's go! If those old monsters see that the Auspicious Beast has taken human form—and learn she's fallen for a human boy—you'll be torn to pieces!"
Xiao Wu's urging shattered Lin Fan's beautiful dream.
"Fine, let's get out of here first!"
Lin Fan nodded, took out the Helicopter, and tossed in the Bloodthirsty Leopard Cat Zhu Zhuqing had killed earlier. Then they flew away from the Star Dou Forest!
About a minute later, a shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air where Lin Fan had been. It was a lean, middle-aged man who looked around forty, with eyes as deep as an abyss!
He scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground and sniffed it.
"Damn humans. I've memorized your scent. One day, I'll tear you to pieces!"
By the time the Helicopter returned to Heaven Dou Imperial City, Zhu Zhuqing had already finished absorbing her fourth Soul Ring!
Though a few unexpected things had happened along the way, the trip had gone quite well overall!
"You all go back first. I'll go pick up Huo Wu."
Lin Fan gave the five women their instructions, then headed to the Blazing Academy's residence.
Xiao Wu and the others were used to this and went back to rest. The trip to the Star Dou Forest had indeed left them rather tired.
Lin Fan arrived at the Blazing Fire Academy's rest area. As soon as he entered through the gate, he ran straight into Huo Wushuang.
"Brother-in-law, what a coincidence! Where's Huo Wu!?"
Lin Fan stepped forward with a grin.
"Heh, you've got some nerve, kid. You managed to trick my little sister into your hands so quickly!"
Huo Wushuang sneered, fists clenched. From the sound of his voice, he wanted to chop Lin Fan into a thousand pieces!
In a brother's eyes, no man was good enough for his little sister, no matter how outstanding he was. And Huo Wushuang was especially obsessed with his sister!
"You've got it wrong, Brother-in-law. Last night, Huo Wu was the one who tricked me into going to a hotel and doing those shameful things with her. I'm the victim here, okay?!"
Lin Fan said with a cheeky grin.
"You're asking for it!"
Furious, Huo Wushuang punched straight at Lin Fan!
Lin Fan didn't dodge. He simply grabbed Huo Wushuang's fist and tossed him to the side!
Huo Wushuang's body flew like a cannonball and slammed into the courtyard wall with a bang!
"I'm letting you off because you're my brother-in-law. If you keep making trouble, don't blame me for getting rough!"
Lin Fan's voice turned colder.
"You little punk! You bullied my daughter and still dare show your face here!"
Just then, a roar like thunder rang through the courtyard. The wind whistled, and a massive, bull-like figure appeared before Lin Fan!
The newcomer looked around forty and stood over two meters tall. His body was covered in muscles like small hills, every movement radiating explosive strength!
His hair and beard were bright red. He glared at Lin Fan with eyes wide as copper bells, looking like a raging volcano!
"Lin Fan, run!"
"Dad, if you hurt him, I won't be your daughter anymore!"
Huo Wu ran out of the room in a panic and grabbed the middle-aged man.
"Ah, I've raised you with such care for over a decade, and now you'd disown me for a boy you've known for barely a couple of weeks!"
The middle-aged man stamped his feet in anger, but he couldn't bring himself to get mad at his daughter!
He was the dean of Blazing Academy, as well as the father of Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang: Huo Bao!
Huo Bao's wife had died young, so he'd raised his son and daughter by himself. He doted on them terribly, especially Huo Wu, whom he spoiled to an almost pathological degree!
Once, a Soul Saint had happened to glance at Huo Wu as he passed by. Huo Bao had beaten him half to death on the spot!
That morning, Huo Bao had received a message from Huo Wushuang saying that Huo Wu hadn't come home all night. He'd rushed from Blazing Academy to Heaven Dou City, leading to this scene!
"So you're my father-in-law. This son-in-law pays his respects!"
Faced with Huo Bao's overwhelming presence, Lin Fan wasn't the least bit nervous. Instead, he bowed first.
"You little punk, you even dare call me your father-in-law! I'll beat you to death!"
Huo Bao was already furious that some pig had gotten his daughter. To him, Lin Fan's words were nothing short of a provocation!
"Lin Fan, hurry and go! My dad's an 85th-level Soul Douluo. You're no match for him!"
"I'll come find you in a few days!"
Huo Wu desperately tugged at Huo Bao's arm as she shouted to Lin Fan!
"Don't worry, honey. Since Dad wants to test my strength, I'll gladly oblige."
Lin Fan smiled gently at Huo Wu and reassured her.
"Wushuang, keep an eye on Huo Wu. I'm going to teach this punk a good lesson!"
After instructing Huo Wushuang, Huo Bao roared and charged at Lin Fan like a rhinoceros. His bowl-sized fist whistled through the air, radiating scorching heat as it slammed toward Lin Fan's head!
Lin Fan had no intention of backing down. He concentrated his Soul Power into his right fist and punched back!
Boom!
The instant their fists met, powerful energy waves mixed with scorching heat burst outward. Lin Fan staggered back two steps before regaining his balance!
"What a violent flame aura!"
Lin Fan was a little shocked. In pure strength, Huo Wu's father was many times stronger than Zhao Wuji, whom he'd fought before!
Add in the boost from his unique fire-attribute Soul Power, and if Lin Fan hadn't recently won over Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Huo Wu, greatly increasing his own strength, that blow would have sent him flying!
"Not bad, kid! You actually took one of my punches. Take this!"
Huo Bao was even more shocked than Lin Fan!
Huo Wushuang had told him that Lin Fan had defeated the entire Blazing Academy team by himself without even activating his Martial Soul.
Huo Bao hadn't believed it at first, but after fighting Lin Fan, he had no doubts!
Huo Bao's body loomed like a small mountain as he steadily advanced on Lin Fan. Each attack unleashed such violent force that it felt like a mountain crashing down!
Yet even against such a formidable opponent, Lin Fan didn't retreat an inch. His hands transformed into dragon claws, covered in azure scales, and he met each of Huo Bao's attacks head-on!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every clash between them brought a thunderous explosion of energy. The hard white jade floor cracked in one place after another, and the temperature around them kept rising as they fought!
Huo Wushuang was stunned. So was Huo Wu!
Chapter 70: Battle with My Father-in-Law!
They knew Huo Bao's strength better than anyone. He was an 85th-level Soul Douluo, and with his unique fire-attribute Soul Power, he could even fight an 87th-level Soul Douluo!
Yet the two of them were actually evenly matched. And Lin Fan was only a boy who hadn't even turned fourteen!
For a teenager to fight a Soul Douluo on equal terms—if Lin Fan kept growing for a few more years, the thought was almost unimaginable!
Boom!
Just as the two of them stood there stunned, a terrifying wave of Soul Power erupted from Huo Bao. Light flashed beneath his feet, and eight Soul Rings appeared: two yellow, two purple, and four black!
Behind him, an energy tiger wreathed in blazing flames materialized!
This was Huo Bao's Martial Soul, the Blazing Red Tiger!
"I can't believe Dad's been forced to activate his Martial Soul!"
Huo Wushuang murmured, dazed.
"Kid, you've forced me to activate my Martial Soul. I have to admit, you're a genius, but this ends now!"
Huo Bao's voice thundered across the courtyard. His opponent was only a thirteen-year-old boy, yet he'd been unable to take him down after fighting for so long. It was a disgrace beyond words!
So Huo Bao intended to finish the fight quickly and beat Lin Fan to restore his pride!
Lin Fan was naturally unwilling to back down. He stomped on the ground, and six terrifying Soul Rings appeared: purple, purple, purple, black, black, and red. The Primordial Ancestral Dragon roared out behind him, bearing down with an overwhelming, sky-darkening presence!
Before you continue