Golden Tortoiseshell's Compromise, Red King's Tribulation, Heavenly Punishment!

The golden turtle crashed down by the lakeside, instantly drawing the attention of everyone present.

Its entire body was a brilliant gold. Not only was its golden shell eye-catching, but its keratinous layer also looked exceptionally thick and heavy.

The gold of its shell was remarkably even and profound. Even the patterns on every section of its shell were dark gold, without the slightest flaw.

Its head differed greatly from that of an ordinary turtle. Three ridges ran across it, and rather than being oval like a turtle's head, it was slightly triangular. Several whisker-like spines protruded from its lower jaw.

The upper part of its head was dark gold, growing brighter the closer it came to its jaw.

Judging by its appearance alone, this turtle truly deserved the title of auspicious beast.

"Golden Tortoiseshell?" A terrifying aura spread from Di Tian as he locked onto the Golden Tortoiseshell and demanded, "Why are you in the Lake of Life?"

Feeling the terrifying aura of the surrounding fierce beasts, the Golden Tortoiseshell involuntarily shrank its head back.

It gave an embarrassed smile and honestly recounted how it had entered the Lake of Life and how Gu Yuena had dragged it out.

The moment it finished speaking, Di Tian felt cold sweat soak his back.

He immediately bowed to Gu Yuena, who had returned to human form. "My master, I failed in my duties and allowed this Golden Tortoiseshell to sneak into the place where you were in seclusion."

"I am willing to accept punishment."

Although the Golden Tortoiseshell was not strong offensively and could not have harmed Gu Yuena even if it had entered the Lake of Life—

—and although Gu Yuena had already awakened early and had not been disturbed—

—Di Tian was still deeply shaken.

If some soul beast had truly infiltrated the Lake of Life and disturbed Gu Yuena's recovery, he would have become a sinner to the entire soul beast race!

"It is nothing. This is not your fault." Gu Yuena waved her hand and smiled. "This glutton ate a great deal of Holy Spirit Gold and ended up exhausting its own lifespan."

"Letting it sacrifice itself to Ye Ming can be considered giving it a way to live."

The Golden Tortoiseshell scratched its head and smiled awkwardly. "Thank you, Silver Dragon King, and everyone else, for giving me this opportunity. I am willing to sacrifice myself."

It had already learned that the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, which released heaven and earth essence energy every day, had become that person's soul ring.

Naturally, it knew resistance was futile.

Rather than waiting for its life to fade away, it might as well take a gamble.

This was an opportunity to become a god, something countless soul beasts could only dream of.

Gu Yuena nodded and walked to Ye Ming's side. "You're already condensing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring for your fourth soul ring?"

"Not bad, not bad. This way, you'll produce even more dragon aura."

Hearing that, Ye Ming inexplicably shivered.

When Gu Yuena absorbed dragon aura, he had suffered terribly at her side!

Only then did he remember that this was the Golden Tortoiseshell that had formed a soul spirit contract with Xu Sanshi in the original story.

It seemed the course of the plot was becoming more and more chaotic.

So this was the "reward" Gu Yuena had mentioned. It really was a grand gift!

The Silver Dragon martial soul was inherently a controller of elements. The Golden Tortoiseshell possessed both water and earth attributes, which would happen to let him control two more elements.

"However, you've only just condensed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, and your vitality and blood energy are depleted. There's no need to have the Golden Tortoiseshell sacrifice itself just yet." Gu Yuena thought for a moment and decided it was better to be cautious.

"In my opinion, we should first wait for Red King to pass the great tribulation of heaven and earth."

"By then, you'll have recovered as well, and it will be better for you to accept the Golden Tortoiseshell's sacrifice."

"Yue'er, thank you." Ye Ming looked at Gu Yuena, who was only half a head shorter than him, and his heart softened.

Time revealed a person's true heart.

Although Gu Yuena always claimed it was "the Dragon God's guidance," the help she gave him was real.

This debt of gratitude would be difficult to repay.

Since he was among the soul beasts, and everyone treated him so well, he had to break the curse that soul beasts could not become gods.

He would let everyone behold the sights of the Divine Realm!

"What I want isn't just verbal thanks..." Gu Yuena leaned close to his ear, her soft pink lips lightly brushing his earlobe as she whispered, "That depends on how you perform tonight."

"Cough, cough!"

Di Tian gave a dry cough. "Well, Tortoiseshell, come with me. I'll find you a temporary place to stay."

"Xiong Jun, go see whether Red King has finished recovering. Find it a suitable place to undergo its tribulation."

Bi Ji covered Di Ruiqiu's eyes and said with a blush, "Children can't watch this. Come on, go to Auntie's place."

The soul beasts all looked at their noses and their hearts, then hurriedly slipped away.

Before the Silver Dragon King had emerged, Di Tian had been in charge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

But now, Gu Yuena was the leader of all the soul beasts.

So what if their leader wanted to date?

Loyalty!

Seeing the attitude of all the soul beasts, Ye Ming's face flushed scarlet.

He took two steps back and coughed dryly. "Y-Yue'er, in front of Aunt Bi Ji and the others, we should... restrain ourselves a little."

Gu Yuena tilted her head up, and the coolness in her eyes became vulnerability once more.

She murmured softly, "Does Brother not like it?"

When Yue'er was a cool and regal beauty, Na'er was a soft little kitten.

Anyone who saw that peerlessly beautiful face and those tender, watery eyes would have their urge to protect her stirred.

"No, no." Ye Ming stepped forward and ruffled Gu Yuena's silver hair, saying indulgently, "Na'er is the one I like most."

Several more days passed.

Rumble—

Above a valley in the mixed zone, ink-black tribulation clouds gathered madly, blotting out the sky and sun.

Lightning serpents writhed wildly within the clouds.

In the valley, Red King held its head high, its six eyes fixed firmly on the sky.

"It has begun."

On a distant mountaintop, Ye Ming, Gu Yuena, Di Ruiqiu, Di Tian, and the other fierce beasts stood solemnly.

"A three-hundred-thousand-year tribulation is no small matter."

"However, Red King has accumulated a deep foundation and is protected by fortune. It should emerge unscathed."

The moment Gu Yuena finished speaking, the tribulation lightning brewing in the sky reached its peak.

Crack—

A lightning serpent as thick as a water barrel struck down, making the souls of those in the distance tremble.

Roar!!

Red King's middle head roared furiously. A dark-purple pillar of fire, condensed to the extreme, shot into the sky and collided with the lightning.

The deafening blast shook the forest as the pillar of fire and lightning exploded.

Red King's body trembled, and the hellfire covering it flickered erratically, but it forcibly withstood the lightning's aftermath.

As if enraged, the heavenly tribulation churned even more violently.

The second and third lightning serpents struck down one after another, each thicker than the last.

It was as if heaven and earth simply would not allow soul beasts to advance their cultivation, seeking to wipe them out completely!

Red King's eyes were filled with unwillingness. Why did soul beasts have to be exterminated?

It roared and fought with all its strength, drawing upon its origin power and using its innate soul skill before barely managing to block the lightning bolts.

However, by then, many parts of its body had been scorched black, and its aura was beginning to destabilize.

This great tribulation of heaven and earth that targeted soul beasts was simply too powerful.

Throughout the vast Star Dou Great Forest, who knew how many soul beasts over a hundred thousand years old had perished beneath such lightning?

Buzz!!

At that moment, a hum rang out in the sky, as though an even more massive bolt of lightning were gathering.

Sure enough, a pitch-black bolt of lightning, like a spear of heavenly punishment, tore through the sky and struck directly at Red King below, whose aura had weakened!

Everyone could sense that this bolt contained even greater power than all the previous lightning bolts combined!

Heavenly punishment!

Heaven itself intended to utterly destroy Red King!

"This is bad. Red King can't block this bolt!" Gu Yuena said rapidly. "If we interfere, it will trigger a backlash from the great tribulation."

"Ye Ming, Qiu'er, it can only depend on the two of you!"