Confronting the Beast God

Red King instantly roared, "Damned human, do you know who she is? If you dare lay a hand on her, you'll be making an enemy of the entire Great Star Dou Forest!"

"Don't worry, Red King. I know who this little one is. You have only two choices now. First, find me a Millennium Nine-Colored Illusion Butterfly in exchange for her. Second, try taking her and escaping from my hands." With that, Yan Jingzhe took a step forward.

Nine Soul Rings rose in sequence: one yellow, two purple, three black, and three red. The three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings surged with torrential blood qi and pure light essence. The soul power of a Limit Douluo spread as boundlessly as the tides. The instant all nine rings lit up together, the aura of heaven and earth within a thousand li submitted entirely to him.

"This... a Limit Douluo? You're Yan Jingzhe of Shrek, the one who broke through to the Limit realm some time ago!" Terror filled the eyes of Red King's three heads. Seeing Yan Jingzhe's confident expression, its sharp canine teeth shifted. "Fine, Yan Jingzhe. I'll trust you this once." As soon as it finished speaking, its body flashed and vanished in an instant as a streak of dark-red light.

"Master, what kind of Soul Beast is that? It looked like a lion, but not quite. It was rather cute," Huo Yuhao asked only after Red King had left.

"She is the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the auspicious beast of the Great Star Dou Forest. She carries the fortune of the entire Great Star Dou Forest. If anything happened to her, the vicious beasts of the whole forest would likely unleash a world-ending beast tide," Yan Jingzhe explained.

"That terrifying?" Huo Yuhao drew in a sharp breath.

Not far away, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion lying on the ground listened to their conversation, her eyes rolling slightly. Then a crisp, pleasant female voice rang out. "Hey, my name is Di Qiu'er. What are the names of you two hateful humans?"

"My name is Yan Jingzhe, and he is my disciple, Huo Yuhao." Yan Jingzhe teased, "Aren't you afraid of me? Your little life is in my hands right now."

"Hmph, I'm not afraid at all. You know what I mean to the Great Star Dou Forest, so you definitely wouldn't dare attack me," Di Qiu'er said smugly.

"Haha, you're quite clever." Yan Jingzhe praised her. "But have you considered this? Your special treatment comes entirely from the power of fate you possess. To those vicious beasts, you are a treasure while you are alive—but only a treasure. If you died and the treasure was gone, would those vicious beasts still launch a beast tide for you, a dead treasure? Would they stake their lives against us humans? What do you think, little auspicious beast?"

"You... you're talking nonsense." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Di Qiu'er, raised her voice noticeably.

Yan Jingzhe smiled faintly. "Nonsense? You should be grateful that I'm from Shrek Academy rather than one of those infamous Evil Soul Masters. Otherwise, you would have been dead long ago."

"I..." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion wanted very much to retort, but she could not find any reason to do so.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion gave Yan Jingzhe a deep look and said nothing more. All three of her eyes closed as she lay prone on the ground, quietly processing this information.

Just then, a strange change suddenly emerged from the direction of the Great Star Dou Forest. The entire forest seemed to tremble slightly. Every tree crown within sight swayed in the same direction at once before slowly swinging back.

An invisible pressure slowly spilled out from within the Great Star Dou Forest, as though heaven and earth themselves were undergoing some tremendous change. At that very instant, not a single sound could be heard from the forest. It was as if every living creature had fallen asleep.

In a flash, Yan Jingzhe appeared before Huo Yuhao. Holy Light Flame appeared around them, enveloping Huo Yuhao and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion within it.

An aura that made even his heart tremble quietly emerged. Within the Great Star Dou Forest, only two possessed such strength. One was Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena, who was recovering beneath the Lake of Life. The other was the Beast God Di Tian, the strongest figure openly known in the Great Star Dou Forest.

A dark-red flash suddenly streaked across the air. The Three-Headed Crimson Demon Mastiff, Red King, reappeared in everyone's sight, with a Millennium Nine-Colored Illusion Butterfly lying on the ground before it.

"I brought you this Soul Beast. Release the auspicious beast," Red King said coldly.

Yet Yan Jingzhe did not look at it. He merely laughed and called toward the sky, "The renowned Beast God Di Tian, since you're here, why not come out and meet me?"

"Human, you are quite remarkable. You actually completed the Yin-Yang Complementary Twin Soul Cores with such a frail body." A low voice filled with endless majesty suddenly rang out.

A figure appeared overhead. He stood around two meters tall, broad-shouldered and straight as a mountain, carrying the oppressive presence of a king. Waist-length jet-black hair cascaded down his back, with a single strand of lustrous golden hair standing out among it. His pupils were a pure gold, his gaze restrained yet imposing, commanding awe without anger.

He wore a black wide-sleeved robe, its hem and collar embroidered with intricate golden dragon patterns. Possessing the aura of the Beast God who ruled over the myriad beasts of Star Dou, he stood silently above the forest, rendering every Soul Beast in the woods afraid to make a sound as his pressure dominated the entire area.

This man was none other than the Beast God, Di Tian.

But suddenly, a phoenix cry from below pierced the clouds. Yan Jingzhe's entire body was surrounded by Holy Light Flame. One yellow, two purple, three black, and three red—his nine Soul Rings lit up in sequence. The Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul possessed him, the Yin-Yang Complementary Twin Soul Cores operated at full force, and the aura of a Limit Douluo erupted completely. The ninth-rank Soul Guidance Device, the Radiant Tower, stood above his head, while the Radiant Sword flew before him.

Bearing the immense pressure, he flew into the sky and confronted the Beast God Di Tian.

Di Tian gave Yan Jingzhe a deep look and said, "Shrek's man, release the Emperor Auspicious Beast. This king will allow you to leave, and we'll consider this matter settled."

Yan Jingzhe smiled faintly and cupped his fists. "Then many thanks to Beast God Di Tian." With that, he pushed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion toward Red King.

Red King hurriedly stood before the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and checked her body. Only after discovering that she was completely unharmed did it relax.

With a sweep of his right hand, Yan Jingzhe wrapped Huo Yuhao and the Nine-Colored Illusion Butterfly in light soul power and drew them to his side. He said to the Beast God, "Di Tian, mountains may not meet, but rivers always flow on. We will meet again." With that, he shot toward Shrek.

Only after they disappeared from Red King's sight, and no further changes occurred in the Great Star Dou Forest, did Red King angrily speak. "Di Tian, they dared attack the auspicious beast. Why didn't you keep them here?"

Di Tian shook his head. "I wanted to keep him as well, but the aura he erupted with in that instant was even stronger than mine. Even if I borrowed my lord's power to forcibly hold him back, two-thirds of the Great Star Dou Forest would be destroyed. You and the auspicious beast would die as well. The cost would outweigh the gain."

"You little rascal! You're far too naughty. I told you long ago that outside the Core Area is very dangerous. If the Soul Master who came this time had not been from Shrek Academy, then with his strength, you would surely have died. Don't leave the Core Area again in the future, understand?" the Beast God said sternly.

"I understand, Di Tian." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lowered her head somewhat aggrievedly.