Zi Ji: It Is My Honor to Receive the Lord's Favor!

"L-Look... what is that!?"

In a small town near the Star Dou Forest, guards stood atop the walls, watching wave after wave of Soul Power erupt from the direction of the forest. Hearing the screams of Soul Masters and the excited roars of Soul Beasts, they could not stop trembling.

"Have those Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts gone mad? They usually cower in the mixed zone and core zone. What's going on today? Why have they all run to the outskirts!?"

That day, countless town residents flooded into the various forces' informants stationed there—Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the other sects.

"Lord, all humans within the Star Dou Forest have been cleared out."

Within the core zone, Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts stood before Chu Yuan. To one side stood three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, their massive bodies huddled together and trembling uncontrollably.

They were none other than the still-untransformed Xiao Wu, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and the Titan Giant Ape.

"Di Tian, summon the Soul Beasts with cultivation levels of ninety thousand years. The rest may return to cultivation."

With his back to Di Tian and the others, Chu Yuan had changed out of his bare-chested attire and into a silver-white long robe, looking every bit like a refined young scholar.

"Yes, Lord."

As soon as Di Tian finished speaking, he tore open the space before him and stepped inside. The other Ferocious Beasts returned one after another to the space beneath Star Lake, leaving only Zi Ji behind.

Sensing her presence behind him, Chu Yuan turned around, looked at the somewhat uneasy Zi Ji, and asked,

"What is it?"

At his words, Zi Ji's delicate body trembled. Thinking of why she had remained behind and what Di Tian had implied earlier, she grew increasingly nervous.

Especially now that she stood before Chu Yuan, her nervousness became even more intense.

"Di Tian said that Lord had only just returned from the God Realm and did not yet know the current situation in the Star Dou Forest, so he specifically asked this subordinate to explain it to Lord."

Once Zi Ji finished speaking, a blush immediately spread across her cheeks, and she lowered her head.

Though she had lived for so long, she had never experienced matters of reproduction. She had also been exceptionally well protected since childhood. All the way until now, her days had consisted almost entirely of cultivation, sleep, and cultivation again.

Looking at Zi Ji's flushed cheeks, how could Chu Yuan not understand why she had stayed behind?

If he could casually state that the continent now had three Limit Douluos, how could he possibly be ignorant of the Star Dou Forest's current state?

Showing him around the Star Dou Forest was merely an excuse.

As Chu Yuan looked at Zi Ji before him, he had to admit that her purple skintight outfit truly proved one saying.

Purple had a certain charm to it...

After only one glance, Chu Yuan turned away, yet his body inexplicably began to heat up.

Dragons were naturally lustful.

The dragon race had two hobbies. One was collecting treasures. As for the other...

"Have you thought this through?"

Only after a long while did Zi Ji's voice sound from behind Chu Yuan.

"To receive Lord's favor is this subordinate's honor!"

The excitement in Zi Ji's voice was impossible to conceal.

Just as Di Tian had said, offering herself to Chu Yuan would be an immense blessing for her.

Whether it was her future status or strength, she would undergo a qualitative leap.

"Go cultivate first. Come find me again tonight."

Chu Yuan nodded.

He had been imprisoned in the God Realm for a thousand years and had fought a great battle against those gods. It was time for him to relax properly.

"Yes, Lord."

Zi Ji's breathing was somewhat hurried. After returning to the space beneath Star Lake, she did not begin cultivating immediately. Instead, she asked Xiong Jun for some fur from his people and made it into a large cushion.

That way, it would be more comfortable.

In the outside world.

"Lord, these are all the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest whose cultivation has reached ninety thousand years. There are seven in total."

Behind Di Tian, seven enormous Soul Beasts stood silently.

Chu Yuan looked at the seven Soul Beasts behind Di Tian and could not help sighing inwardly.

"Only seven? There are so few."

As the largest Soul Beast forest on the Douluo Continent, the Star Dou Forest having only seven ninety-thousand-year Soul Beasts seemed rather few to Chu Yuan.

"Roar!"

"Greetings, Lord!"

The moment the seven ninety-thousand-year Soul Beasts saw Chu Yuan, they all lowered their heads and roared in unison.

Other than certain special Soul Beasts, Soul Beasts could only speak human language after reaching one hundred thousand years. Yet as the Golden Dragon King, Chu Yuan understood their roars no differently than if they were speaking directly into his ears.

"Di Tian has already explained why this king summoned you, correct?"

"Now, this king will ask you: once your cultivation breaks through to one hundred thousand years, what should you do?"

Chu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back. The Golden Dragon King bloodline within him burst forth, making the seven Soul Beasts feel as though a mountain had been placed upon them.

"We will defend the dignity of the Soul Beast race, protect our weaker kin, and contribute to our people until the very end!"

The seven Soul Beasts spoke in unison.

Clearly, Di Tian had told them something beforehand.

"Remember what you said today. If any of you ever betray the race, this king will personally sever your heads."

After Chu Yuan spoke coldly, he flung out seven talismans, followed by seven lightning-avoidance talismans.

When Soul Beasts broke through to one hundred thousand years, they would also be struck by lightning tribulation.

"Thank you for Lord's gift!"

Next, the seven Soul Beasts each tore apart the talismans in their hands.

In an instant, seven pillars of light shot into the sky. The Soul Power between heaven and earth poured madly into the seven Soul Beasts' bodies as though it cost nothing.

Watching this, Di Tian's breathing became hurried.

Witnessing the talismans' power firsthand and merely hearing about it were entirely different things.

With Lord's heaven-defying methods, why should the Soul Beast race fear failing to prosper?

Di Tian looked at Chu Yuan's back and thought to himself. At that moment, Chu Yuan's figure seemed incomparably majestic in his eyes.

As for a certain former Lord...

Who was she? Irrelevant! Don't get in the way!

Rumble!

At that moment, masses of thunderclouds gathered in the previously clear sky, with rumbles of thunder sounding from within them from time to time.

Yet the next moment, something strange happened.

The lightning tribulation that had gathered overhead looked as though it would strike at any second, but it simply refused to descend. Ten minutes later—

The terrifying thunderclouds actually dispersed.

At the same time, the auras of the seven Soul Beasts leaped from ninety thousand years to one hundred thousand years.

"Return and settle matters within your clans. Come to the core zone tomorrow."

After Chu Yuan spoke, his figure abruptly entered the space beneath Star Lake.

After the seven Soul Beasts and Chu Yuan had left, Di Tian turned his gaze toward the three trembling Soul Beasts nearby.

But he only glanced at them and said nothing.

Those three Soul Beasts were not worthy of his attention.

After all, aside from the Sky Azure Bull Python, which had a chance of reaching two hundred thousand years, the other two...

Though the Titan Giant Ape was spoken of as terrifying outside, in Di Tian's eyes, his bloodline and strength did not measure up.

At night, when Zi Ji appeared before Chu Yuan carrying the large cushion made from bear fur, even Chu Yuan could not help observing a moment of silence for the fur of the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear clan.

"Lord..."

Zi Ji lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Shh. Don't talk."

That night, all the Ferocious Beasts consciously sealed off their senses.

Meanwhile, Xiong Jun stared at his large group of bald citizens and fell into deep thought.