Douluo: Versions' Chosen Ones Gather, but the Eras Are Misaligned

Three-Eyed Golden Lion

That was Bai Chen's objective on this trip—though he had no idea why, Xue E suddenly found himself thinking so.

And the facts soon confirmed his guess. After a brief pause, Bai Chen walked straight over, stopped in front of the girl, crouched down, and asked gently,

"What's your name?"

The girl raised her head and met Bai Chen's gaze for a moment before quietly saying,

"Na'er."

"Na'er, where are your parents?"

Bai Chen knowingly asked.

Na'er silently lowered her head and slowly shook it.

Bai Chen suppressed the excitement in his heart and turned to Xue E.

"Uncle Xue, could you please investigate at the city government? If her parents can't be found, let me take her home."

"...?"

Hearing this, Na'er lifted her head and looked at him in surprise. After he answered her with a smile, she hurriedly lowered her little head again, hiding her expression.

Xue E said somewhat awkwardly,

"Young Master, we'll need the master's permission for that."

Xue E could satisfy Bai Chen's requests to come to Aolai City and the like. To Xue E, who had always been fond of Bai Chen, such things were no big deal.

But this request really was going too far. At the very least, Xue E did not approve of it.

Bai Chen said firmly to Xue E,

"Please. I'll convince Dad."

"...All right."

Faced with Bai Chen's earnest gaze, Xue E ultimately gave in.

Afterward, Xue E took Na'er and Bai Chen to the city government to ask about the situation.

Just as expected, they failed to find any information about Na'er at all.

Thus, Xue E kept his promise and brought Bai Chen and Na'er back toward Skysea City.

Perhaps because she truly was tired, Na'er soon began nodding off like a pecking chick.

"If you're sleepy, go to sleep."

At Bai Chen's words, Na'er abruptly woke with a start. She vigorously shook her head, seemingly wanting to say that she was not sleepy, but she soon lost to drowsiness after all. Her body tilted, and she fell against Bai Chen.

Bai Chen slightly adjusted his posture, making sure she was resting more comfortably, then closed his eyes as well.

But unlike Na'er, he did not sleep. Instead, he tried to meditate.

The Martial Soul Hall member who had awakened his Martial Soul in the Douluo I Era had told him that the proper cultivation method would only be taught to him after reaching Martial Soul City. Therefore, he was currently using the most basic cultivation technique taught by the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect.

At that moment, all three versions of him in three different times and spaces began cultivating.

Very quickly, he sensed the differences in how the three of them cultivated.

His Douluo I Era self entered meditation the fastest, completing the process almost the instant he calmed his mind.

Perhaps because the Three-Eyed Golden Lion Martial Soul possessed exceptionally strong spiritual attributes, once he entered meditation, his thoughts became clearer than ever before. It felt as though he could sense everything, a truly wondrous feeling.

In comparison, his Douluo II Era self had an entirely different experience.

It took his Douluo II Era self around two minutes to enter meditation. Bai Chen in that era clearly had far weaker perception than his Douluo I Era self.

He could only feel helpless about it. Even at just level ten, the disparity in spiritual power had already begun to show.

As for Bai Chen in the Douluo III Era...

After struggling for two hours, Bai Chen helplessly opened his eyes.

The worst possible outcome had appeared. His self in this era could barely cultivate normally at all.

It seemed that he had perfectly inherited the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's trait of "only being able to level up by devouring life." Or perhaps this had been the Evil God's intended result all along?

Come to think of it, what exactly was this godly trial? Shouldn't the Evil Godhood be in Ji Dong's hands now? Was the one overseeing his trial the old Evil God, or Ji Dong, the current Evil God?

The problems needing resolution had piled up like mountains, giving Bai Chen a headache.

Boom—

Just then, a tremendous blast sounded beside his ear, startling Bai Chen badly.

But he quickly realized that the sound had not occurred in this era—the source was the Douluo I Era time-space!

Douluo I Era.

After the rumble sounded, Bai Chen's entire body jolted, and he immediately leaped out of bed.

Through the window, he could see golden flames blazing outside. The villagers' wails rang in his ears, and Bai Chen's expression turned incomparably grim.

Could it be...

A guess suddenly rose in his mind. He immediately flung open the door and rushed outside.

"Why did you come out? Get back inside and hide! A Soul Beast is here!"

The Martial Soul Hall member who had awakened his Martial Soul saw him and shouted anxiously.

After Bai Chen agreed to join Martial Soul Hall, the two had not immediately left the village because the village chief had proposed holding a celebration for the birth of a new Soul Master.

After all, only a fool would turn down free food and drink. As an awakening master, this Martial Soul Hall member did not hold particularly high status. Now that he had the chance to eat and drink for free, he naturally would not refuse.

As a result, before the celebration had even fully ended, an uninvited guest arrived to interrupt their revelry.

It was a golden Soul Beast resembling a lion. Its body was covered in scales, its four claws resembled those of a dragon, and its eyes were golden. Most eye-catching of all was the crimson third eye on its forehead.

It emanated an incomparably terrifying aura, with golden flames coiling around its body. The instant it saw Bai Chen, its golden eyes lit up.

Yet in the next moment, its gaze darkened once more.

Because the Martial Soul Hall member shielded Bai Chen behind him.

He did not dare take his eyes off the powerful Soul Beast before him, shouting anxiously at Bai Chen behind him.

"I told you to get back inside and hide! Didn't you hear me? Get lost! Don't get in the way!"

"..."

Bai Chen looked at the three Soul Rings circling him—one white and two yellow—and silently sighed.

Then, he actually stepped out from behind the man and walked toward the three-eyed Soul Beast.

"What are you doing? Why won't you listen, you brat!"

The Martial Soul Hall member immediately panicked and reached out to grab Bai Chen, wanting to pull him back.

But to his surprise, Bai Chen seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a sidestep, he avoided the grab.

"?!"

The Martial Soul Hall member froze.

As someone responsible for awakening people's Martial Souls, he had seen plenty of newcomers over the years.

Yet no child had ever avoided his grab. This child's reaction and speed at that moment were nothing like those of a six-year-old who had just awakened a Martial Soul.

Bai Chen walked straight up to the three-eyed Soul Beast, met its gaze, and said calmly,

"I know you can understand me. I also know that I'm your target. I can go with you, but I only have one request: don't involve anyone else."

Proud in Life, Without Regret in Death

"What is this kid talking about...?!"

Upon hearing him, the Martial Soul Hall member's first thought was that the child had gone mad.

It was not as though intelligent Soul Beasts did not exist, but even those Soul Beasts needed at least ten thousand years of cultivation before developing intelligence comparable to humans.

This Soul Beast before him looked to have only a few thousand years of cultivation. How could it possibly...

That thought came to an abrupt halt.

Before his eyes, the three-eyed Soul Beast slowly nodded. Then, it directly caught Bai Chen's clothes in its mouth and left without even looking back.

"..."

The Martial Soul Hall member was speechless.

They had actually been saved?

Saved because of a child's self-sacrifice?

An intense feeling of defeat welled up in his heart, and he collapsed onto the ground.

As a mere Soul Elder, he could only helplessly watch the Soul Beast take Bai Chen away.

Under the pitch-black night sky, the golden Soul Beast ran through the fields at tremendous speed with Bai Chen in tow. Neither spoke, and the atmosphere was strangely harmonious for a while.

Only when they neared the Star Dou Great Forest did Bai Chen suddenly speak.

"Say, we're almost at your home now. Isn't it time you explained what's going on?"

Hearing his voice, the three-eyed Soul Beast abruptly stopped and set him down.

Bai Chen stood up, dusted off his clothes, and asked,

"By the way, just to be safe, you can talk, right?"

"Of course."

A cool, pleasant female voice rang out.

"Who do you think you're looking down on? I'm the Emperor Auspicious Beast!"

"Is that so?"

Bai Chen smiled.

It truly was remarkable.

Ordinary Soul Beasts could only speak human language after reaching one hundred thousand years of cultivation. Across the first three installments, only one Soul Beast could speak at ten thousand years of cultivation.

That was the Soul Beast before him, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and also his Martial Soul in this era.

Now, it seemed that even with only five thousand years of cultivation, she could speak human language. She was an extraordinarily special existence among Soul Beasts.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared at him, confusion appearing in her eyes.

"Human, I see no fear in your eyes. Aren't you afraid of me?"

Bai Chen softly sighed.

"How could I not be afraid? I'm terrified."

"Then why can you still smile like that? No, more importantly, why did you step forward on your own and let me take you away?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was already five thousand years old, and over the years, she had encountered countless humans.

When those humans saw her, the vast majority showed obvious fear. Only a very small number revealed greed in their expressions, but after witnessing her strength firsthand, even that greed would be tainted by fear.

But this human child before her was different. His expression was always so composed that no one could tell he was merely a child.

Most importantly, when facing her just now, he had not listened to the adult and fled. Instead, he had chosen to walk straight toward her.

Did he not know that one misstep could cost him his life?

"Because even if I die, I want my death to mean something."

Bai Chen smiled frankly at her question.

"You're very strong. That uncle definitely couldn't stop you. If I ran away, then to catch me, you would certainly kill him along the way. That absolutely cannot happen. He did nothing wrong. He can't just die here for no reason."

Bai Chen could more or less guess why the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had come for him. No matter the reason, her target when she came to the village had definitely been him. Fighting the others had merely been incidental.

This was his own problem. Bai Chen did not want to drag anyone else into it. If death was unavoidable, then he alone should die. Why should he uglyly drag others down with him?

"Proud in life, without regret in death. That is my principle for living. Well, are you satisfied with that answer?"

"..."