Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared wordlessly at Bai Chen's smile.
Bai Chen did not think he had a chance of surviving. He had truly been prepared to die when he went with Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion had seen countless people, but in all her past experience, whenever humans faced imminent death, they invariably revealed their ugliest sides. Their desperate will to survive drove them to do all manner of unsightly things.
He was not fleeing from fear, but confronting it. He was the first person she had ever seen who could smile so calmly in the face of death.
Silence fell over the scene. After facing off for a moment, Bai Chen tilted his head in confusion.
"What? Aren't you going to make your move?"
"W-Who said I was going to make a move?!"
Only then did Three-Eyed Golden Lion snap out of it and answer with a slight stammer.
For some reason, although she clearly held the advantage in strength, her voice sounded somewhat flustered.
She gave a light cough and explained,
"I came to find you so we could undergo Fate Connection."
"Huh?"
Bai Chen blinked in astonishment.
"Aren't you going to devour me?"
He had already prepared himself mentally to become this creature's food.
Seeing his surprised expression, Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to regain some of her pride and said with a slightly smug tone,
"Of course not. What would devouring you do for me? The duty you bear is different from mine."
"Could you explain in detail?"
Bai Chen's gaze immediately turned serious.
He was certain that this person knew far more about his Martial Soul than he did.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion said impatiently,
"What is there not to understand? I govern the fortune of the Soul Beast race, so naturally, you are responsible for humanity's fortune. As a Soul Beast, even if I devoured you, I could never become the one who governs human fortune. In that case, what would be the point of devouring you?"
"Oh."
Bai Chen suddenly understood.
"In other words, undergoing Fate Connection with me does have meaning."
Otherwise, Three-Eyed Golden Lion would not have specifically left Star Dou Great Forest and traveled such a long distance just to undergo Fate Connection with him.
"That's right."
Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded approvingly and explained,
"As the Emperor Auspicious Beast of Star Dou Great Forest, I can grant my subjects the blessing of auspicious fortune. As long as I am alive, their cultivation speed can double. It's just that..."
As she spoke, her tone suddenly became somewhat dejected.
"It's just that the Soul Beasts whose cultivation speed doubles do not include me."
"Oh."
Hearing this, Bai Chen roughly guessed what was going on.
"So as long as you complete Fate Connection with me, you can receive support from my auspicious fortune, right?"
"That's right. And if we do this, you can gain quite a few benefits from me as well. Human, you've really struck it lucky!"
"Hmm..."
Bai Chen drew out a thoughtful hum and nodded.
So not only would Three-Eyed Golden Lion not take his life, she would instead do everything she could to protect him?
Fate Connection
That was exactly what he wanted.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion might only be a five-thousand-year Soul Beast right now, but in truth, she could represent the forces of Star Dou Great Forest.
Bai Chen of the Douluo III Era had needed to find a way to lure Na'er into his home before he could possibly win over Star Dou's power. Yet here, in the Douluo I Era, he had done nothing, and Star Dou's little princess had come looking for him herself.
From that perspective, he should have been happy about Three-Eyed Golden Lion's arrival.
But was Bai Chen entirely without complaints... that was not quite true either.
He had truly been prepared to die just now. Three-Eyed Golden Lion had run all the way from Star Dou Great Forest to his village in the middle of the night and forcibly taken him away. If he had not stepped forward on his own, who knew how many people she would have killed?
Of course, Soul Beasts killing humans was not something that needed moral condemnation. Talking to Soul Beasts about human morality was ridiculous in the first place, and Bai Chen had no intention of pursuing that matter.
Still, after being put through all this, if he did not retaliate just a little, he would feel like he had gotten the short end of the stick.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion grew uncomfortable under his unblinking stare and could not help asking,
"What? Human, you don't want to?"
"Not at all. As you said, this matter brings me benefits and no harm. I have no objections."
Bai Chen suddenly smiled and said,
"However, I must remind you of one thing. I have a name of my own, so stop calling me 'human' every other word."
"Oh? What is your name?"
Three-Eyed Golden Lion asked curiously.
Bai Chen said without changing expression,
"Onii-chan."
"Got it."
Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded carelessly and continued their previous topic.
"Then, Onii-chan, are you ready to undergo Fate Connection with me?"
"Say my name again."
"Onii-chan, what is it?"
"Sorry, but that actually wasn't my real name."
Seeing that Three-Eyed Golden Lion had not seen through him, Bai Chen immediately became interested.
He had to admit that Three-Eyed Golden Lion's voice was truly pleasant. If certain little-sister-obsessed friends from his previous life heard her address him like that, their bones would probably melt.
Such an opportunity was rare. It would be a waste not to have a little more fun with it.
Thinking this, Bai Chen continued spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"Actually, my name is Goshujin-sama."
"G-Goshujin... Goshujin-sama?"
Three-Eyed Golden Lion repeated it with a stammer, unable to resist commenting,
"Your name is so strange..."
Bai Chen forcibly held back his laughter and continued,
"I was lying. Actually, my name is Hoooohhhh."
"Hooo... No, no human would have such a weird name! Are you messing with me?!"
Just as she was about to utter that strange sound, Three-Eyed Golden Lion finally realized something was wrong.
Ah, what a pity.
Bai Chen felt a little regretful, knowing he could not keep teasing her. He pulled the conversation back to the main point and said seriously,
"My real name is certainly not as strange as those names, but if you really want to know it, isn't there a more direct and straightforward way?"
"Hmph..."
At those words, Three-Eyed Golden Lion calmed down as well.
The method Bai Chen mentioned was the very purpose of her trip: undergoing Fate Connection with Bai Chen.
Once the connection was established, their memories would be exchanged. At that time, Three-Eyed Golden Lion would naturally learn his real name.
Thus, Three-Eyed Golden Lion stopped wasting words. She came before Bai Chen, who was sitting on the ground, and lowered her head.
Bai Chen released his Martial Soul as well. The third eye on his forehead quietly opened, drawing closer and closer to Three-Eyed Golden Lion's golden vertical pupil until they finally touched.
In an instant, a shuddering sensation awakened from the deepest depths of Bai Chen's heart. A massive torrent of spiritual power carrying fragments of memories surged into his mind. The fragments of five thousand years of memories flashed rapidly before his eyes, leaving him dazzled.
Under this terrifying influx of spiritual power, his Spiritual Sea expanded outward at an incomparably frightening speed. In an instant, it multiplied several times over, far surpassing the level a Soul Master who had just awakened a Martial Soul should possess.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao had gained enormous benefits from undergoing Fate Connection with Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Bai Chen, whose compatibility with her was off the charts, would benefit even more.
In just a single minute, Bai Chen underwent a complete transformation.
As the flow of spiritual power entering his mind gradually slowed, the suction drawing Bai Chen and Three-Eyed Golden Lion together also slowly faded.
Finally, when the golden light surrounding them dispersed, a powerful repulsive force erupted and sent them both flying.
Bai Chen rolled twice across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
He looked toward Three-Eyed Golden Lion and found that she was looking at him too. Unlike his calm gaze, however, her eyes were filled with shock.
"You... you... you lived in three eras at once?!"
Hmm, it seemed she did not know he was a transmigrator.
Bai Chen thought calmly.
Before undergoing Fate Connection, he had already been guessing how things would develop afterward.
Fate Connection exchanged memories. That was nothing to others, but for Bai Chen, there were several possible situations to consider.
Simply put, Bai Chen's memories from his previous life, his memories from other timelines, and his memories from this timeline had to be combined in different ways.
Judging by what Three-Eyed Golden Lion had said, she most likely possessed all of Bai Chen's memories from the three timelines, but none of his memories from before he transmigrated.
Fortunately, at least that was not the worst-case scenario.
Bai Chen relaxed slightly inside while saying without changing expression,
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I'm so mature despite being just a child?"
"Th-This..."
Three-Eyed Golden Lion stammered, temporarily not knowing what to say to Bai Chen.
Bai Chen might only have been six years old, but counting the three timelines, he had passed a full eighteen years of memories to Three-Eyed Golden Lion—more time than Huo Yuhao had given in the original story.
Moreover, although he had not lived as miserably as Huo Yuhao, nor had experiences as legendary as Huo Yuhao's, he had lived in three vastly different eras. The impact on Three-Eyed Golden Lion would absolutely not be any less than Huo Yuhao's.
There was no way her little head could process all that instantly.
Bai Chen stood up, dusted himself off, and said calmly,
"Let's go. Take me to see Di Tian. I have something to discuss with him."
"You..."
Three-Eyed Golden Lion opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately gave up. She silently came before Bai Chen, picked him up in her mouth, and carried him toward the depths of Star Dou Great Forest.
Bai Chen was once again being carried while racing along, leaving him somewhat helpless but with no choice in the matter.
He wanted to ride her while traveling. That would obviously be far more comfortable than this, but he and Three-Eyed Golden Lion were not that familiar yet. She certainly would not agree to such a request.
Just wait. One day, I'll make you willingly become my mount!
While "enjoying" the jolting rush of their rapid journey, Bai Chen thought viciously.
Di Tian
Three-Eyed Golden Lion's travel speed was beyond comparison with ordinary Soul Beasts. Before long, she brought Bai Chen to the Core Zone of Star Dou Great Forest.
This was not only because she could run fast, but also because, as the Emperor Auspicious Beast, she could ignore the territories of every powerful Soul Beast and race along the shortest route to the deepest part of Star Dou Great Forest.
After reaching the Core Zone, Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed somewhat tired, and her speed noticeably slowed.
At that moment, a crimson figure darted out and asked anxiously,
"Auspicious beast, where did you run off to? And who is this human?"
Before you continue