Dying, Dying

The God of Destruction spoke in fits and starts, and Ye Fan nearly collapsed to the ground.

In reality, the Emperor Auspicious Beast was still barking furiously.

"Human, if you know what's good for you, release me at once."

"I've already secretly contacted my Uncle Scarlet King!"

"When he sees how you've treated me—"

"I can't guarantee that you'll leave the Star Dou Great Forest alive."

Seeing Ye Fan still standing there in a daze, Jing Hongchen assumed he had been frightened by the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

He immediately stepped in front of Ye Fan and patted him on the shoulder. "Xiao Fan, what's wrong?"

"Don't let a Soul Beast scare the courage out of you."

"Kill it boldly. If anything happens, I'll cover for you."

Hearing that, Ye Fan felt a bitter pang in his heart, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Ye Fan thought to himself, Teacher, it's not that I don't want to kill this Emperor Auspicious Beast. It's just that the karma tied to this thing is far too great.

I'm afraid you can't bear that burden, old man.

But Ye Fan could not say that openly. He could only make something up. "Teacher, I read in an ancient text that this creature is called the Emperor Auspicious Beast. It is the manifestation of the Fortune Golden Sun of the Soul Beast Clan. It is the fated auspicious beast of the Soul Beasts and possesses the power of destiny and fortune. With it present, the Soul Beasts' cultivation speed will double."

"If we kill it, I'm afraid..."

Ye Fan did not finish the sentence, but everyone present was intelligent enough to immediately realize that killing the Emperor Auspicious Beast would bring the undying wrath of the Soul Beast Clan upon them.

For a moment, Jing Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen all became uncertain.

"Hmph, humans, at least you have some knowledge."

"I am indeed the Emperor Auspicious Beast!"

"Well? Scared now?"

"Restore my Soul Power at once."

"If this Emperor Auspicious Beast is in a good mood, perhaps I'll have Uncle Scarlet King spare you."

When the Emperor Auspicious Beast saw that Ye Fan actually knew her origins,

she could not help but look at Ye Fan with newfound curiosity.

It would have been fine if she had not looked, but once she did, she could no longer take her eyes off him.

Her clear golden eyes fell upon Ye Fan. The youth's soft golden hair gleamed beneath the gentle light of the valley, his brows and eyes exquisitely beautiful, his features sharply handsome, and his fair skin clear and luminous. His clean yet gentle aura made the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's heart tremble. Accustomed to the strange beasts of the mountains and forests, she nearly forgot her own predicament, her heart filled only with amazement and curiosity.

Especially as the Emperor Auspicious Beast, she could smell the life aura of nature emanating from Ye Fan.

It was the scent Soul Beasts loved most.

What she did not know was that it came from the life aura inherent to Ye Fan's Life Angel Martial Soul.

It shared the same origin as the Goddess of Life and was formed from the purest Law of Life on the Douluo Continent.

Jing Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and the others had originally harbored some doubts about whether Ye Fan's words were true.

But after the Emperor Auspicious Beast spoke,

they could almost be certain that Ye Fan had told the truth.

That also meant the Emperor Auspicious Beast was now a hot potato.

They could not kill her, but releasing her did not guarantee that she would not seek revenge against Ye Fan and the others later.

Just as Jing Hongchen and the others were at a loss,

"Bold humans, you dare kidnap the Emperor Auspicious Beast!"

The distant forest shook, and dull rumbles rolled across the earth one after another. A gigantic Soul Beast over a hundred zhang tall smashed through the trees as it rapidly approached.

Its massive body was covered in thick, dark-red scales like congealed blood scabs. Three thick and savage beast heads stood side by side, their crimson vertical pupils brimming with ferocity. Saliva dripped from their sharp fangs, dark-purple bone spikes ringed their necks, and every step of their powerful limbs sent rocks and dust flying. Violent, dense dark Soul Power swirled around it, its pressure bearing down on everyone like the heavens themselves.

Jing Hongchen and his disciples instantly tensed, their hearts shaken as they failed to recognize the origins of this terrifying Soul Beast.

The trapped Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately became excited at the sight of the three-headed beast, her golden eyes filled with anticipation as she roared:

"Uncle Scarlet King, save me! These humans kidnapped me! Take them down for me!"

The moment Ye Fan heard how the Emperor Auspicious Beast addressed it, he knew that this Soul Beast was Scarlet King, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, whose true form was the Three-Headed Crimson Demon Mastiff.

Before Ye Fan could speak, Jing Hongchen spoke first. "Xiao Xiao, Meng Meng, Xiao Fan, take the Emperor Auspicious Beast to the side."

"I'll go test this Scarlet King."

With that, Soul Power erupted around Jing Hongchen. His pitch-black Ten-Thousand-Year Black Ice Toad Martial Soul appeared, its layers of thick toad skin possessing immense defensive power. Dozens of gilded soul tool cannon barrels extended densely from his body, their muzzles gleaming with icy light.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen immediately shielded Ye Fan and escorted the Three-Eyed Golden Lion behind the valley's rocky wall.

Two figures shot into the sky at the same time, avoiding the people below as they began their battle.

Jing Hongchen struck first. Countless metal cannon barrels roared in succession, dense golden soul tool beams pouring down like rain and continuously suppressing Scarlet King. The artillery fire tore through the air, exploding into layers of light high above without leaving even the slightest gap to catch a breath.

Scarlet King's three beast heads roared simultaneously. His dark-red scales erupted with torrents of black-red Soul Power as his heads unleashed three types of soul skills in unison: corrosive black mist, molten lava blasts, and bone-spike piercings. His enormous body charged recklessly through the air, his massive claws constantly shattering the incoming artillery fire.

Relying on his powerful ferocious-beast body to withstand the bombardment, he continually crashed toward Jing Hongchen at close range, while the black mist repeatedly coiled around the soul tool cannon barrels and disrupted their output.

Man and beast fought fiercely in the sky, neither able to gain the upper hand. Jing Hongchen's firepower never ceased, while Scarlet King relied on his powerful body and varied soul skills to contend with him, repeatedly charging before Jing Hongchen to deliver fatal blows.

Jing Hongchen possessed a ninth-tier defensive barrier, and every time Scarlet King attacked, Jing Hongchen's protective barrier shattered in response.

This showed just how formidable the ferocious beast Scarlet King was.

Scarlet King was not having an easy time either. Every shot from Jing Hongchen's ninth-tier soul tool cannons possessed the power of a Titled Douluo. Scarlet King could evade most attacks with his tremendous speed, but against Jing Hongchen's unending barrage of ninth-tier soul tool cannon fire, shells would inevitably strike his true body, each blow leaving a deep mark upon him.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Seeing that he would sooner or later be worn to death by Jing Hongchen if this continued, Scarlet King directly unleashed his ultimate move, burning his Soul Beast origin in an attempt to kill Jing Hongchen.

Seeing this, Ye Fan was instantly alarmed and wanted to seek the God of Destruction's help.

But the God of Destruction had said that he could deal with souls, while real experts could only be handled by calling upon Ye Fan's own power.

High in the sky, seeing Scarlet King go berserk, Jing Hongchen also knew that things had taken a turn for the worse. He immediately shouted to Ye Fan, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen, "Xiao Xiao, Meng Meng, Xiao Fan, take the Emperor Auspicious Beast and leave this place immediately."

"Remember, run as far away as you can!"

"Grandfather, we're not leaving!"

Meng Hongchen's eyes reddened as she refused to leave, but Xiao Hongchen's expression darkened. He directly grabbed Ye Fan and Meng Hongchen's hands, intending to retreat.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Seeing this, Scarlet King no longer bothered with Jing Hongchen. He directly maneuvered his true body at high speed and charged toward Ye Fan and Xiao Hongchen.

A powerful sense of danger rose in Ye Fan's heart. He instantly focused, his mind racing madly. You blockhead, think! Think!