Xiao Xiao's Flight for Her Life

Xiao Yun's meridians ached unbearably, yet she gritted her teeth and held on, refusing to give even a single step!

"If you want to chase her, step over my corpse first!"

The five men in black were instantly pinned in place, unable to spare attention for anything else.

The leading Soul Sage's expression darkened, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger. "Stubborn fool! Break her soul skill with everything you have! End this quickly!"

The five men stopped holding back. All their soul skills erupted at full force, terrifying Soul Power killing moves of every color pouring down in dense, overlapping waves of lethal attacks.

They slammed wildly against the defensive barrier of the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron.

The roar of violent Soul Power echoed through the forest.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao, who had been hurled away by the tremendous force, crashed through layer after layer of branches and leaves before tumbling into the thick undergrowth.

Her entire body throbbed with piercing pain. Several small bloody cuts had been scraped across her delicate skin by branches, making her eyes redden as tears welled within them.

But the terrifying booms behind her, the violent explosions of Soul Power, and the aura fluctuations of Aunt Yun fighting desperately made her instantly abandon any thought of lingering or feeling sorry for herself.

She knew all too clearly that behind her lay certain death, an inescapable dead end!

Aunt Yun was using her life to buy her a sliver of hope to escape!

She gave it everything she had, pumping her little legs as she fled madly.

The trees rushed backward, the wind howled past her ears, and her tiny heart pounded violently as terror seized her entire mind.

She did not know whether she was heading in the right direction, whether danger lay ahead, or how long and how far she could run.

Her only thought was to run!

To survive!

After running wildly for who knew how long, she finally left the battlefield's rumbling far behind, and the surroundings gradually fell silent.

Just as Xiao Xiao's legs were turning weak and she was about to collapse from exhaustion,

two figures appeared ahead.

The young man was handsome and upright, dressed in black, with several chickens dangling from his hand.

Beside him, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, her brilliant fur flowing with golden light, swished her tail and turned curiously toward the little girl running toward them in disarray.

Xiao Xiao, who had been fleeing for her life, suddenly froze in place. Her wide eyes brimmed with fear and tears as she stared blankly at the two people who had appeared out of nowhere.

She had just escaped death by a hair's breadth and finally shaken off her pursuers, thinking she had found a chance to survive—only to run straight into a strange soul beast covered in golden radiance and carrying an extraordinary bearing.

To six-year-old Xiao Xiao, all soul beasts were bloodthirsty monsters that ate humans.

Especially such a high-level soul beast, one that looked so exceptional!

She fell into complete despair. Her mind, stretched to its limit, instantly collapsed. Choking back sobs, she curled into a ball and pleaded timidly in a small voice.

"Please don't eat me... I don't taste good... I'm so skinny, there's hardly any meat on me... Please..."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion froze on the spot. Her round beast eyes widened abruptly, and she rolled her eyes in utter speechlessness.

She was the lofty Imperial Auspicious Beast, blessed by natural fortune and revered by all beasts. Countless soul beasts had feared and worshipped her throughout her life. Since when had she fallen so low that she needed to prey on a human child?

She had clearly done nothing. She had merely looked at the little girl twice out of curiosity. How had she become some man-eating beast?

Lu Yuan spoke up. "Little sister, don't be afraid. We won't hurt you. What's your name? Why are you alone this deep in the Star Dou Forest so late at night?"

Xiao Xiao's vision blurred with tears as she sobbed uncontrollably, just about to open her mouth and answer.

Then, from deep within the forest behind her, there came a sudden, urgent whistle of wind!

Five cold, pitch-black figures rapidly gave chase.

Xiao Yun had fought desperately to stop them, but the gap in cultivation had ultimately been too great, and she had been defeated.

The instant the men landed, their gazes locked onto the little girl collapsed on the ground, utterly unable to resist. Savage grins immediately spread across their tense faces.

"Run, little girl! Why aren't you running anymore?"

"Hehehe! After running for your life so long, didn't you still end up in our hands?"

"Your servant who protected you is already dead. Now it's your turn to join her in the grave!"

Their sinister, arrogant laughter echoed through the woods.

But at that moment, a black-clad Soul Emperor caught sight of Lu Yuan and the three-eyed soul beast nearby from the corner of his eye. He cried out in alarm, "B-Boss! There are people here! And a soul beast!"

The noisy, unrestrained laughter came to an abrupt halt!

Five pairs of eyes instantly locked onto Lu Yuan and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The atmosphere turned deathly still, tense as drawn swords.

Lu Yuan stood quietly in place, looking at the five black-clad men before him, their faces covered and their bodies brimming with hostility. In an instant, his mind filled in an entire melodramatic drama.

This was clearly some rich family feud, a script of clan infighting!

The men in black looked Lu Yuan up and down, seeing only a child. Then they glanced at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion beside him, who appeared petite and docile. Seeing no one else nearby, their suspended hearts finally settled, leaving only contempt and mockery in their eyes.

"Where did this brat come from? You dare meddle in our affairs?"

"A mere immature boy, plus some unknown golden-furred mongrel beast, and you want to play the hero saving the beauty?"

"You really don't know your place!"

"Since you saw what you shouldn't have seen and heard what you shouldn't have heard, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

"Hehehe! Kid, go die in peace!"

Xiao Xiao fell into utter despair. Her little face turned white as paper, tears streaming down her cheeks as her young heart sank completely into the abyss.

It's over... It's all over...

Aunt Yun gave her life to help me escape, yet not only did I fail to survive, I even dragged these kind people into this...

It's all because I'm too weak, too useless!

Xiao Xiao clenched her tiny fists tightly, filled with guilt and despair as she prepared herself to die on the spot.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion cried out in fury.

"Scarlet King!"

The five men in black's pupils shrank sharply. Their bodies stiffened, their faces filled with disbelief.

A soul beast?! A soul beast that could speak human language?!

For a soul beast to speak human language, it had to be at least a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!

Just as terror began to rise in their hearts, the earth suddenly shook violently!

The shadows of the forest behind them abruptly expanded into an enormous dark mass.

A gigantic three-headed fire lion more than five meters long slowly strode out!

Its three lion heads, each over a meter in diameter, were savage and imposing. Crimson-gold flames glimmered across its fangs, while faint hellfire wreathed its entire body.

Scarlet King's three heads turned at once. His scarlet vertical pupils swept coldly over the five black-clad men, who stood rigid and trembling, before his mocking voice rang out.

"Laugh! Why aren't you laughing anymore?"

"Were you born without a sense of humor, or do you simply not dare to laugh now?"

Another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that could speak human language!

Under the double shock, the five men in black turned ashen-faced, their entire bodies icy cold.

Their strongest was merely a Soul Sage, while the rest were Soul Emperors. Before a top-tier soul beast, they were like ants and dust, utterly incapable of withstanding a single blow.

Before any of them could even think of begging for mercy or fleeing, Scarlet King's three lion heads opened their massive jaws at once.

Whoosh!

Hellfire erupted forth, transforming into a sea of flames that instantly swallowed the five men.

Their shrill screams vanished in an instant as the five figures were completely engulfed and burned to ashes.

After dealing with those insignificant pests, Scarlet King's three heads turned in unison, his gaze falling upon Xiao Xiao, who still sat collapsed on the ground, completely stunned.

Lu Yuan slowly stepped forward and raised a hand, lightly waving it before Xiao Xiao's blank eyes.

"Little sister, it's all right now. The bad guys have all been driven away. You don't need to be afraid anymore."

Xiao Xiao blankly came back to herself. Her unfocused gaze gradually regained clarity as she looked at Lu Yuan, then at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and finally at Scarlet King. Her little mind was completely unable to process it all.

She wiped away the tears on her face with a choked sob, then timidly asked in a voice full of confusion, "Y-You... are you all soul beasts?"

Lu Yuan smiled and shook his head. "They're soul beasts from the Star Dou Forest. I'm human, just like you."

Xiao Xiao was completely dumbfounded.

A human?

How could a human be so close with soul beasts, getting along with them so harmoniously?

The sight before her completely overturned everything she thought she knew.

She sniffed her reddened nose and slowly stood up. In a soft, timid voice, she introduced herself. "I-I'm Xiao Xiao. Aunt Yun and I came to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for my first soul ring, but we were chased by people... Aunt Yun protected me and held off all the assassins by herself..."

Xiao Xiao?

He had not expected to encounter the young Xiao Xiao here, ahead of time!

Lu Yuan was already scheming up some mischievous ideas.

Upon hearing the words "hunting soul beasts," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Scarlet King's eyes immediately flashed with coldness. They were instinctively hostile toward human soul hunters.

Yet upon hearing that Xiao Xiao, a six-year-old child, had been hunted down while her close protector had died desperately defending her, a trace of pity quietly arose in their hearts.

Protecting the young and sheltering the weak was a shared instinct among living beings. Soul beasts were no exception.