Star Dou Great Forest: Winning Her Back the Hard Way

At that moment, in the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A Soul Beast over three meters long and eight feet tall at the shoulder lay on a stone platform, basking in the sun.

It had golden fur, and its entire body looked like translucent crystal, giving it a strange texture. It resembled a lion, but its four paws were like a dragon's, each resting on a cluster of golden flames. Besides its two ordinary eyes, it had a third—a vertical eye.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

She was the Emperor Auspicious Beast, possessing both Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light.

"Qiu'er!"

A streak of white light descended from the sky and lunged at the stone platform like a hungry wolf. Without hesitation, it wrapped its arms around the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's neck.

The sudden attack startled her. Acting on instinct, she roared and knocked Huo Yuhao to the ground, then sank her teeth into his shoulder without hesitation.

Hiss—

The sudden pain made Huo Yuhao suck in a sharp breath.

Yet instead of getting angry, he smiled. Looking up at the familiar figure pinning him down, his eyes brimmed with tenderness. "Bite me, Qiu'er. I owe you this..."

"..."

Seeing that Huo Yuhao neither resisted nor bore her any ill will, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion released him and looked down at the young man beneath her paw.

A... human?!

What's wrong with him?

Though this was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's first encounter with a human, the sight of Huo Yuhao's tender eyes brought that thought unbidden to her mind.

An Elder Auspicious Beast was born with intelligence no less than a human's. Besides, she was already over five thousand years old.

But the Three-Eyed Golden Lion soon noticed something strange.

This human bore a life aura identical to her own. And on his forehead, he had a tightly shut vertical eye.

What was going on?!

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to have regained her composure. She looked coldly at Huo Yuhao, and at last, that familiar female voice rang out. "Foolish human. You dare attack me from behind? Do you have a death wish?"

"Qiu'er..."

Hearing that familiar voice again, Huo Yuhao felt his throat tighten.

"Qiu'er?" A trace of doubt entered the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's voice.

Huo Yuhao offered no explanation. Looking at her third eye, he slowly opened the vertical eye on his forehead.

Their eyes met. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body shook violently, and a powerful wave of golden light swept outward, rousing every Soul Beast, tree, and blade of grass within a hundred miles.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt her mind cross time and space. Her consciousness appeared directly in the Douluo World ten thousand years in the future, where she read all of Huo Yuhao's memories.

She saw how, ten thousand years later, she and Huo Yuhao triggered an attribute connection and exchanged memories. She saw herself take human form and reunite with him at Shrek, then watched them acknowledge their love at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—only for her to yearn for what she could not have. Then came the shattering of their bond in the Qiankun Asking Love Valley.

She saw two Titled Douluo who were Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult corner Huo Yuhao and leave him at death's door, and she saw herself exhaust the entirety of her life essence to sacrifice herself for him.

She saw the Life God King and the Destruction God King awaken her afterward. Even the two God Kings' final instructions became part of what she knew.

Unlike the Ice and Snow Emperors, who had sensed those memories through Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sharing, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt as though she had lived that life herself. She and Huo Yuhao shared an origin, bound by a knot of fate neither could explain.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion fell silent.

She gazed quietly at Huo Yuhao. His confession to Wang Qiu'er before his death echoed through her mind, and something deep within her seemed to crack open.

"Huo Yuhao?"

After a long while, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion slowly lifted her paw from Huo Yuhao's chest and examined him from head to toe, her eyes full of conflicted feelings.

"Qiu'er, do you remember everything?" Huo Yuhao asked excitedly.

"Remember what? Who's your Qiu'er?!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion scolded him in her ethereal voice. Despite her agitation, every word sounded exquisitely sweet.

How could Huo Yuhao hear that as a threat? To him, it was the most beautiful voice in the world.

Her fierce confidence and pride struck a nerve. Wasn't this exactly the Qiu'er he used to know?

"Qiu'er, I was wrong."

Huo Yuhao could only surrender. He remembered the vow he had once made to himself: if there were another life, he would hold on to Qiu'er. Fate had truly given him that chance. How could he let the tragedy happen again?

With that thought, Huo Yuhao said, his face resolute and solemn, "Whether you can accept me or not, I'll hold on to you in this life. I'll never let go again..."

"Shut up!"

Before he could finish, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's expression changed.

Rage burst from her, and her sharp claws pressed against Huo Yuhao's throat. "Shameless, cunning human. Do you really want to die?"

Qiu'er!

Had her memories still not returned?

Huo Yuhao's heart lurched. That couldn't be right. The Life God King and the Destruction God King had said they would send Qiu'er's memories back ten thousand years too. What had gone wrong?

Yet tears glimmered in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes. It was not that she failed to recognize Huo Yuhao, nor that she had failed to merge with her future fate and memories. Her heart was simply full of resentment toward him.

He had held a place for her in his heart all along. He had...

Then why had he only dared admit it just before he died? The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's thoughts were in chaos.

Faced with her bared fangs and claws, Huo Yuhao did not struggle. Instead, he closed his eyes, at peace. Qiu'er had given him this life, after all, and he owed her far too much.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared at Huo Yuhao's closed eyes. She could not help murmuring inwardly, Fool. Even with fate giving you another chance, you're still the same great idiot...

But don't expect me to forgive you so quickly. When I returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, you didn't even ask me to stay.

You're the one who said you'd never let go again. I'll see how you act from now on...

With that thought,

the Three-Eyed Golden Lion gave a soft huff and slowly withdrew her claws.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes.

Just then, an excited shout came from the forest. "Nana! Quick! There really is a ten-thousand-year-old mental-type Soul Beast over there!"

The voice faded.

Then light and shadow flickered, and two young men and a young woman appeared before Huo Yuhao and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The young woman in front had short golden hair and an almost perfect figure. She gave off the impression of a wolf poised to spring. She did not seem particularly beautiful at first glance, but a closer look revealed an unusual allure.

The young man to her left wore silver-white clothes. He stood over 1.9 meters tall, slender, pale, and strikingly handsome, with features somewhat like hers. The other young man was plain-looking but exceptionally sturdy, with long, fiery-red hair and flame patterns across his body. Even his eyes were dark red.

Who else could the three be?

They were Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan of the current Spirit Hall Golden Generation. They had ventured deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain Hu Liena's fifth Soul Ring in preparation for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

The mental disturbance caused by Huo Yuhao and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had drawn them there.

Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed at the sight of them.

Wait.

Were Soul Masters this bold now? Three Soul Kings had dared to enter the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest? Who had given them the nerve?

Huh? No!

Startled, Huo Yuhao instinctively looked toward the depths of the forest. His powerful Spiritual Power instantly locked onto two figures a hundred meters away.

There were two level-ninety-five Super Douluo guarding them?

No wonder... He could sense Qiu'er's fear. She must have detected those two as well.