Hell Demon Dragon, Treasure Without Use

"Mm." Qin Yu nodded. Looking at the sleeping Ling Yuan, he shook his head with a smile. "She knew she was almost certain to die, yet she kept chasing after me. The Immortal Herbs were... worth it."

Everyone on the continent knew how dangerous the Star Dou Forest was. For Ling Yuan, charging into its core region was no different from throwing her life away.

Such loyalty surprised him.

Qin Yu helped Ling Yuan to a large tree to rest, then instinctively looked at the "Big Golden Retriever" that had been staring at him.

The "Big Golden Retriever" was covered in golden fur, with dragonlike claws and a pair of eerie red eyes.

Most striking was the vertical mark between her brows: a closed eye that gave off a peculiar aura.

Only one Soul Beast in the entire Star Dou Forest had those features: the emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

At present, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had only a thousand years of cultivation.

But she was not to be underestimated. Even with just a thousand years of cultivation, she was stronger than an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.

Seeing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion watching him curiously, Qin Yu walked over.

As Qin Yu approached, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion instinctively shrank behind Bi Ji.

Bi Ji smiled faintly and explained, "Auspicious Beast, this is the young master of our Star Dou Forest."

"Do I have to call him young master too?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sounded proud, yet her voice was quite childish, like that of a girl in her early teens.

Bi Ji opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Qin Yu said, "You don't have to call me young master. You can call me master."

"I'm not calling you that."

"Then I'll beat you up."

"Hmph. You can't beat me."

"Did I say I'd do it myself?" Qin Yu smiled at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "Di Tian, Bi Ji, and the others have to listen to me."

"You... you're shameless!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion glared at him, her face full of defiance. "Fight me one-on-one if you dare."

In terms of status, Qin Yu really did outrank her.

Di Tian and the others would protect her, but they would not take orders from her.

Qin Yu, on the other hand, could command Di Tian. If he actually gave the order, Di Tian, Bi Ji, and the others probably would beat her up.

"Sure."

Qin Yu planted a hand on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head and gave her a vigorous rub, his smile turning playful. "Do you want to take on Di Tian and the others by yourself, or have them all take on you?"

"I meant fight you!"

"Get past Di Tian and the others first. Then come find me."

"You!"

Man and beast kept bickering.

Watching them, Bi Ji could not help smiling.

"You big bully! I'll headbutt you!" Angry and flustered, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion moved to ram her head into Qin Yu.

But she held back, using very little force.

"Auspicious Beast, mind your manners!"

Bi Ji's expression changed slightly. She quickly caught the Three-Eyed Golden Lion by the scruff of her neck, stopping her in time.

Then she turned to Qin Yu apologetically. "Young master, the Auspicious Beast means no harm. She's just a little mischievous. Please—"

"It's fine."

Qin Yu waved off her apology. He gave the Three-Eyed Golden Lion one last pat on the head and smiled faintly. "If you don't want to call me young master, don't. Just call me Qin Yu from now on."

He was not about to take offense at a Three-Eyed Golden Lion who was still immature.

"Hmph." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion snorted. After a moment's thought, she quietly said, "Young... young master."

Bi Ji smiled gently and stroked the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head.

Qin Yu smiled and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Zi JI had returned with the Hell Demon Dragon that was nearing the end of its life.

Qin Yu walked over and examined the enormous black-purple dragon behind her. Though its time was nearly up, its draconic presence had not diminished in the slightest.

"Young master."

Zi JI bowed and explained, "This Hell Demon Dragon has a faint trace of True Dragon blood in it. It was injured years ago, and it can no longer hold on."

"I've spoken with it as well. It's willing to become your soul ring in its final moments and do its part for the Dragons."

Zi JI looked downcast as she finished.

Dragons were already rare, and Hell Demon Dragons were rarer still. Watching one of her own near death while she, its clan leader, could do nothing was painful for her.

"What injury did it suffer?" Qin Yu touched the Hell Demon Dragon's nose and felt how faint its life force was.

It felt like an old creature that had reached the end of its lifespan.

"There was once a hundred-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider in the Star Dou Forest. This Hell Demon Dragon fought it to protect its child, but in the end, it was no match for it."

"By the time I arrived, the Man Faced Demon Spider had devoured most of its life force and soul. The poison could be cured, and its life force replenished, but its soul could not be restored."

At the thought of that Man Faced Demon Spider, a flash of cold killing intent crossed Zi JI's eyes.

Although she had killed it, it had gravely damaged the soul of a Hell Demon Dragon with the potential to reach a hundred thousand years, leaving it with little time to live.

Even with every precious treasure she had used, she could only prolong its life for a while, not save it.

"A hundred-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider? The Man Faced Spider Emperor?"

Qin Yu was surprised.

Evil Soul Beasts like the Man Faced Demon Spider were despised by other Soul Beasts and humans alike. Practically everyone wanted them dead.

"Mm." Zi JI nodded, then changed the subject. "After I killed the Man Faced Spider Emperor, it dropped a rather strange Soul Bone."

"A strange Soul Bone!"

Qin Yu's eyes gleamed. "May I see it?"

"Here it is."

With a casual turn of her hand, Zi JI produced a Soul Bone that hovered above her palm. It resembled a spine, with five glowing notches on each side.

"An External Soul Bone. The Eight Spider Lances." Qin Yu recognized the Soul Bone in Zi JI's hand at once.

External Soul Bones were precious to begin with, and the one Zi JI held was a hundred-thousand-year specimen.

A Soul Bone like this was worth many times more than an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

"I'm not a Soul Master, so this Soul Bone is no use to me." Zi JI handed the Eight Spider Lances to Qin Yu. "Please accept it as a gift for our first meeting, young master."

"...Zi JI, do you know what I'm thinking right now?" Qin Yu asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Zi JI froze, then answered without thinking, "It's a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone... You must be delighted, young master."

"No. I feel like crying."

"???"

Zi JI stared at him, utterly baffled.

Taking him seriously, Zi JI stepped forward and said earnestly, "Young master, would you like to borrow my shoulder to cry on?"

"Forget it. I'll smile instead." Qin Yu forced a smile. "I... really like this gift."

With that, Qin Yu accepted the hundred-thousand-year Eight Spider Lances External Soul Bone.

"Young master, are... are you all right?" Zi JI looked at Qin Yu strangely. Somehow, his smile looked more miserable than tears.

Not far away, Di Tian and Bi Ji exchanged a glance, something flickering in both their eyes.

Only Master and the two of them knew that Qin Yu was a Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon in human form.

Without Master's permission, they did not dare tell the other Ferocious Beasts.

Even now, the other Ferocious Beasts still thought Qin Yu was a human Soul Master with special Dragon blood, not one of their own.