Haki Silver, you little...

"Why else do you think I was so happy to see Gao Ren?" the Auspicious Beast replied as though it were obvious. "Of course it was because once he came, I'd have lots and lots of delicious food!"

At the Auspicious Beast's words, Xiong Jun first turned to look at the Honey-Roasted Bear Paw, which was more than halfway done, then looked back at the Overlord Drumstick in Gao Ren's hand. The words "not convinced" practically appeared on the enormous bear's face.

Clearly, this sixth-ranked member of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts had developed an intense competitive streak over something rather strange!

"Hmph! A drumstick is a drumstick. No matter how good it smells, it's still just a drumstick! There's no way it could taste better than this bear paw of mine, with its four hundred and seventy thousand years of age!

"A little thing like that could only fool a young Soul Beast like the Auspicious Beast, barely over ten thousand years old."

Auspicious Beast: Hah!

Xiong Jun: Aren't you a young Soul Beast, though?

Auspicious Beast: Di Tian!

Di Tian: Roar!

Xiong Jun: Sorry! I'm really, truly sorry!

"Try my drumstick before you decide how good it is!" Gao Ren threw his Overlord Drumstick straight at Xiong Jun.

His original reason for conjuring the Overlord Drumstick was that Xiong Jun was hungry, and he wanted to give him something to eat.

Under normal circumstances, Xiong Jun really didn't deserve an Overlord Drumstick, since he had attacked Gao Ren and Xuan Zi earlier.

But by now, the Star Dou Great Forest had effectively fallen under a kind of soft colonization by the Overlord Drumstick.

Rather than maintain their previous relationship of mutual misunderstanding, Gao Ren hoped to win Xiong Jun over with his Overlord Drumsticks as well.

One saying actually suited a food-type martial soul quite well: make your enemies few and your friends many.

As long as everyone was his friend, he could become invincible under heaven, even if he was only a Food System Soul Master.

Xiong Jun casually reached out and caught the Overlord Drumstick, then quickly transformed into a human form better suited to enjoying it.

Even in human form, however, Xiong Jun stood over two meters tall. Paired with his immensely powerful muscles, the Overlord Drumstick looked neither particularly overlord-like nor particularly large.

He grabbed the drumstick and took a vicious bite, froze for a moment, then promptly devoured the whole thing, bones and all.

"Kid, I want more!"

Before Gao Ren could answer, Di Tian, who was brushing honey onto the bear paw, spoke.

"There's none for you."

"Why?!" Xiong Jun grew frantic.

"I am entertaining guests today. Anyone not included in the plans is naturally not included in the planned food distribution."

Upon hearing Di Tian's answer, Xiong Jun immediately reverted to his original form, looking as though he intended to fight Di Tian to the death.

Just as Di Tian prepared to subdue Xiong Jun, the latter actually raised his right claw high and unleashed Dark Gold Dreadclaw against his own left paw, which had only recently regenerated.

His left paw was severed on the spot, and he caught it in his right claw.

"Di Tian! I'm trading my own bear paw with this kid!" Enduring the agonizing pain, Xiong Jun raised his bear paw toward Gao Ren. "Will you trade or not?!"

At the sight, Gao Ren inwardly exclaimed that this was one ruthless man-no, one ruthless bear!

I hadn't even had time to persuade Di Tian to let you eat, and you already... Xiong Jun, you're being far too generous!

What else is there to say? The drumsticks are yours. I wouldn't feel at ease myself if I didn't give them to you.

"Yes, I'll trade." Gao Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Di Tian, the bear paw is yours. Bi Ji, sorry for the trouble, but please heal me again."

By the time Xiong Jun's left paw had regenerated once more, the Scarlet King had finished roasting the first bear paw, and Di Tian had divided it into numerous portions with the Black Dragon Sword.

Although Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears possessed formidable defenses, their meat was exceptionally tender and melted in the mouth.

As the rich meat juices reached the stomach, a delicate, sweet aftertaste lingered at the back of the tongue. A wave of warmth spread through the belly, and even the fatigue in their bodies seemed to dissolve in that heat.

After all the bear paw meat had been eaten, Gao Ren began producing Overlord Drumsticks in large quantities.

With three particularly voracious eaters present-Xuan Zi, Di Tian, and Xiong Jun-satisfying them with a mere two bear paws was simply too difficult.

"Everyone, help yourselves."

Large quantities of Overlord Drumsticks were conjured, piling up across the grass beside the Lake of Life.

Everyone sat together, eating and chatting in an atmosphere more harmonious than ever. None of them noticed that, somewhere nearby, a silver dragon was secretly observing them through a spatial rift too small to detect.

Silver Dragon King: (´﹃`)

Hidden in the Miniature Plane, the Silver Dragon King stared fixedly at the drumsticks outside, saliva flowing uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth.

Watching everyone outside enjoy their food so much, her stomach let out earth-shaking thunder inside the Miniature Plane.

Silver Dragon King: (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

"I can't do this. I can't take it anymore!" She stared at the numerous little mountains of Overlord Drumsticks. "I'll just sneak a little. Just a little..."

As she spoke, the Silver Dragon King put her words into action. Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, she used spatial power to take Pure World Overlord's Legs and Overlord Drumsticks... she wasn't picky at all!

One, two, three, more and more, more and more.

As a veteran foodie, Xuan Zi soon noticed something amiss.

He set down his drumstick with a frown. "Don't you think the drumsticks have been disappearing at a strange rate lately? It feels like they're going quite a bit faster than when we first started eating."

Gao Ren: ┓(´∀`)┏

The Auspicious Beast looked up, cheeks bulging. "No, it seems perfectly normal."

The Scarlet King and Bi Ji nodded in agreement. Neither had noticed anything wrong.

Xiong Jun said nothing and simply buried himself in eating, picking up speed as he went, afraid there would be nothing left for him.

Di Tian shook his head. "I haven't noticed anything either. Perhaps you're imagining it."

Since even Di Tian said so, Xuan Zi stopped pressing the matter. After all, Di Tian was stronger than he was. If Di Tian said nothing was wrong, then there probably wasn't.

Inside the Miniature Plane, the Silver Dragon King stuffed Pure World Overlord's Legs into her mouth while silently cursing:

Who would have thought that old fossil from Shrek would have sharper senses than Di Tian! He actually noticed something was off!

To ensure her pilfering went more smoothly, the Silver Dragon King swiftly used her spiritual power to place everyone present under hypnotic suggestion.

Xuan Zi, in particular, received an extra dose of her attention.

The hypnotic suggestion was very simple: nothing was amiss, the number of drumsticks was perfectly normal, and no one was sneaking any food.

Everyone's eyes grew dazed for an instant, then they continued what they had been doing as though nothing had happened.

Since the Pure World Overlord's Leg had the effect of Negative State Purification, the Silver Dragon King maintained her hypnotic suggestion continuously. Only when Gao Ren could no longer conjure any drumsticks did she withdraw the spiritual power she had extended.

Haki Silver, you little...

After eating their fill, everyone sat beside the Lake of Life and chatted.

As their conversation continued, Di Tian naturally brought up the actual reason Gao Ren had come to the Star Dou Great Forest.