Unaware that he had become a target, Xiong Jun was still arguing with the Scarlet King.
"Bullshit! Which of your bear eyes saw me being hunted?!" The Scarlet King bristled. "If I'd been hunted, I would've been calling for help as I ran! You make it sound like I'm some mute who can't shout for help!"
Xiong Jun was stunned by that tirade. It seemed he really hadn't heard the Scarlet King call for help.
Still, he had always been a bear who spoke with absolute conviction.
"So what?! They're just two humans. Even if I'd killed them, I still wouldn't have done anything wrong!"
The Scarlet King couldn't be bothered to argue with this stupid bear anymore. He hurried over to Xuan Zi and Gao Ren, lowering all three heads at once in apology.
"Both of you, I'm terribly sorry! I never expected anything like this to happen..."
"Scarlet King, if I had come alone, I might have let this matter slide out of respect for Di Tian." Xuan Zi paused, his voice becoming intensely agitated. "But! I brought A-Ren with me!
"If he had been injured, or even...!
"Scarlet King, is this how your Star Dou Great Forest treats its guests?! You can't even guarantee your guests' safety on your own territory!"
Before the Scarlet King could answer, a black fissure appeared in midair without warning, and a handsome, stern-looking middle-aged man stepped out.
The newcomer was none other than Beast God Di Tian!
He had heard Xuan Zi's last remarks, and his expression turned exceedingly grim.
Di Tian first looked at Xiong Jun, who shouldn't have been there. He finally understood why his lord had suddenly ordered him to come here.
To confirm what had happened, Di Tian, who already had an inkling, turned to the Scarlet King and asked:
"Scarlet King, what happened just now?"
"Di Tian, this is what happened..." The Scarlet King recounted the entire incident exactly as it had unfolded.
When Di Tian learned that Xiong Jun had attacked his guests, every trace of guilt he had felt toward Xiong Jun vanished... Di Tian had secretly caught a few dark gold terrorclaw bears, intending to serve them to Gao Ren and Xuan Zi.
"Xiong Jun, your audacity knows no bounds! You dared attack the guests I invited!"
"Di Tian, you never told me about this!" Xiong Jun felt wronged, but his words remained as stiff and unyielding as a steelback beast. "How was I supposed to know humans would be visiting the Star Dou Great Forest as guests?!"
Listening from the side, Gao Ren couldn't help grumbling inwardly: Are you Soul Beasts really running such an amateur operation? You're hosting guests, and you don't even notify the rest of your household?
"Do I need to report my actions to you?"
Di Tian thought: How the hell was I supposed to know that, even with the Scarlet King leading the way, some great stupid bear would still attack?
"Di Tian, your Star Dou Great Forest doesn't seem to welcome us."
From everything the Soul Beasts had said and done, Xuan Zi concluded that the Star Dou Great Forest had placed little importance on him and Gao Ren, a far cry from the care Shrek Academy had shown the Auspicious Beast and the Scarlet King.
"Since we aren't welcome, I'll take A-Ren back."
Upon hearing Xuan Zi's words, Di Tian immediately responded, his face filled with apology.
The Auspicious Beast had received every courtesy at Shrek Academy, yet when Shrek Academy's people came here, they were attacked before even entering the Great Ferocious Land... This left Di Tian feeling thoroughly disgraced.
"Xuan Zi, Gao Ren, I will make certain you receive a satisfactory resolution to this matter."
With that, Di Tian turned to Xiong Jun. "To make up for the mistake you've made, I have decided to serve your bear paws to our two guests."
Naturally, Xiong Jun vehemently protested this decision. He simply couldn't believe Di Tian would treat him this way.
"Di Tian, what gives you the right?! This isn't my fault! Why should I have to foot the bill?"
Xiong Jun's furious roar resounded through the surrounding area. Any hundred-thousand-year soul beast with decent perception could clearly make out what he was shouting.
"The fact that I, Di Tian, am the Beast God, not you, Xiong Jun."
As soon as those words fell, Di Tian's eyes lit up, their brilliant gold radiating an intimidating majesty.
That immense, kingly pressure actually took on tangible form, becoming a golden dome of light that enclosed Xiong Jun.
The anger on Xiong Jun's face instantly turned to terror. A dark-gold halo emanated from his body as he struggled with all his might against Di Tian's pressure.
"Di Tian! You're really going to attack me over two humans?!"
"If that's what you think, then so be it." Di Tian's face remained expressionless. "My authority is not yours to defy. I very much disliked your tone just now."
Di Tian had chosen an option that would diminish his own prestige.
Still, it wouldn't diminish by much. In the world of Soul Beasts, the biggest fist had always had the final say.
To Di Tian, a loss of prestige was nothing compared to improving Gao Ren's opinion of him.
If Gao Ren's opinion of him improved, his lord could obtain more of the Pure World Overlord's Leg to counter the asura sword intent left behind by the Asura Demon Sword.
After resisting the pressure for a while, Xiong Jun finally couldn't hold out any longer. He fell flat on the ground, all five points of his body touching the earth, and began begging for mercy.
"I'm sorry, Di Tian. I shouldn't have defied your authority."
Seeing Xiong Jun's teeth-gritting expression, Di Tian could tell that he was still deeply unconvinced.
Xiong Jun thought: Why do these two humans deserve such special treatment from Di Tian?!
Once Xiong Jun began pleading for mercy, Di Tian was already inclined to spare him.
However, Xiong Jun had caused a diplomatic incident. Whether to spare him now was something Di Tian still had to ask his guests.
"Xuan Zi, Gao Ren, are you satisfied with how I've handled this?"
Xuan Zi didn't answer immediately, instead looking at Gao Ren beside him.
Just as he had said earlier, he didn't mind Xiong Jun attacking him. He intended to leave the decision to Gao Ren, who had been unable to protect himself during this attack.
"A-Ren, what do you think?"
"You're already offering us the paws of Xiong Jun, ranked sixth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts. What could we possibly be dissatisfied with?" Gao Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
From Xiong Jun's perspective, he really was rather pitiful.
He had attacked on instinct → after the fight, he discovered it was a misunderstanding because his boss hadn't notified him → his boss pinned all the blame on him... What an unlucky old bear!
Of course, that didn't mean Xiong Jun had been right to do what he did.
His mistake had been acting too rashly. If he had simply asked the Scarlet King first, things would never have reached this point.
Gao Ren was no bleeding-heart saint. Xiong Jun had chosen to attack him, so he ought to pay the corresponding price.
Only after confirming his guests' stance did Di Tian withdraw the pressure weighing on Xiong Jun. Then he sent Xiong Jun flying with a kick.
"Get to the Lake of Life and wait there."
The kick left Xiong Jun grimacing in pain, but he didn't dare say anything more. He obediently ran toward the Lake of Life.
"Scarlet King."
"Here!"
"Go summon Bi Ji to the Lake of Life as well. I'll need her shortly."
Before you continue