Wang Dong finished absorbing his Soul Ring and stood up, feeling refreshed and clearheaded. He stretched his limbs, feeling the surging Soul Power within him, and an indescribable sense of exhilaration welled up in his heart.
His improvement on this trip really had been a little too great. He had soared straight from Level 30 to Level 43 and gained two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. In the past, he would never even have dared to imagine it. But... it was perfectly reasonable!
After all, he had obtained so many resources: two Immortal Herbs and two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. On top of that, he was the son of a God King. What was wrong with using a little cheat?
Tang San had cheated even harder back in his day.
The Scarlet King stood to one side, all three heads watching Wang Dong, a trace of uncertainty and alarm in its eyes.
While Wang Dong had been absorbing his Soul Ring, he had inadvertently released a wisp of his aura. That aura had actually made even it feel a hint of fear.
Was this some kind of joke? How was that possible? It was the Scarlet King, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, yet in that instant, it had felt a pressure from Wang Dong that made its heart tremble, as though it were facing some higher order of existence.
Its heart churned like an overturned sea, and its gaze grew more wary as it looked at Wang Dong. Just who was this human?
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, however, had not thought that much about it. She crouched beside Wang Dong, affection glimmering in her golden pupils, and looked at him as though he were a close companion.
She leaned forward and rubbed her head against Wang Dong's arm, letting out a cheerful little roar filled with reluctance to part and attachment.
Wang Dong stroked her head and grinned. "All right, I have to go. I still have things to do."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately let out a soft, reluctant roar, her golden pupils full of unwillingness.
She nudged Wang Dong with her head, seemingly trying to keep him there, yet also seeming to wheedle.
Looking at her like that, Wang Dong felt a little helpless. He could only crouch down and look at her earnestly.
"I really have to go. Once I finish what I need to do, I'll be back very soon. Trust me. I won't lie to you."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head as she looked at him, a thoughtful light flickering in her golden pupils, as though she were trying to tell whether his words were true.
Only after a long while did she let out a low, soft roar, as if to say, "Then you must come back." Wang Dong nodded, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Yet the instant he turned around, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly lunged at him.
Caught off guard, Wang Dong staggered from the impact. Before he could react, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had pressed close, setting her forehead directly against his.
At the sight, all three of the Scarlet King's heads took on anxious expressions, and it let out a low roar. "Your Highness! You mustn't!"
But it was already too late. The instant Wang Dong's forehead touched the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's, a dazzling light erupted, enveloping them both.
The light was warm and bright, as though it contained some mysterious power, tinting even the surrounding air gold.
Wang Dong felt a vast amount of information flood his mind. These were the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's memories, every little detail from her birth until now, all pouring into his mind.
He saw her running through the Star Dou Great Forest, saw her standing alone atop a mountain gazing into the distance, and saw the loneliness with which she had longed countless times for a friend to keep her company.
At the same time, his own memories were rapidly flowing into the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
His experiences growing up, every little detail since his transmigration, scenes of fighting side by side with Huo Yuhao, and the times spent laughing and fooling around at the academy all flooded the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mind.
Memory sharing! Wang Dong was startled and tried to break free, only to find that his body seemed to have been fixed in place, unable to move.
He could only passively accept that enormous stream of information, experiencing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's joys and sorrows, experiencing every day of her solitary life in the Star Dou Great Forest.
That loneliness brought an indescribable ache to his heart.
After an unknown amount of time, the light gradually faded. Wang Dong finally broke free, stumbling several steps backward and panting heavily.
He touched his forehead and discovered that another eye had appeared there. The Eye of Destiny!
The eye gave off a faint glow, as though it contained some mysterious power. However, it soon closed, leaving only a faint mark, as though it had never existed.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, meanwhile, collapsed limply to the ground, unconscious. The Scarlet King rushed forward, anxious expressions on all three heads as it circled her.
It lowered its heads to sniff the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and only after confirming that she was still breathing did it relax a little. It turned to Wang Dong with eyes full of killing intent, as though it wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces.
Wang Dong's heart tightened at the Scarlet King's murderous gaze. How could he dare linger? He gave a dry laugh.
"Um... she's fine. She's just asleep. I'll be going now. Until we meet again!"
With that, he moved, turning into an afterimage as he sprinted toward the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
As he ran, he could feel the Scarlet King's murderous gaze fixed firmly on his back, as though it might pounce at any moment and tear him apart.
He ran at full speed all the way out of the Star Dou Great Forest before stopping to catch his breath. He touched his forehead, where a trace of warmth still lingered. The Eye of Destiny... was this the bond of destiny?
He sighed, a complicated feeling welling up in his heart. Forget it. No point thinking so much about it. I need to hurry back to the academy. Huo Yuhao is still waiting for me.
Meanwhile, a vast amount of Wang Dong's memories had appeared in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mind, from his childhood to adulthood, every little detail from his transmigration until now.
She saw a different world, a world full of human emotions. There was laughter, there were tears, there was friendship, and there was love.
She saw Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao fighting side by side, saw them laughing and fooling around at the academy, and saw the effort they put into becoming stronger.
She saw Wang Dong's commanding presence as he sent opponents flying with each hammer strike during the Freshman Assessment, saw his humility as he bowed respectfully before Mu En, and saw the unspoken understanding between him and Huo Yuhao, their hearts connected during Martial Soul Fusion.
Was this the human world? Were these human emotions?
An intense curiosity and yearning rose in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's heart. She had never seen a world like this, never experienced emotions like these.
The joys and sorrows in those scenes felt incredibly fresh and interesting to her. She wanted to go and see, wanted to experience that feeling. She no longer wanted to stay all alone in the Star Dou Great Forest.
After an unknown amount of time, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion slowly opened her eyes. The moment she did, she saw Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts gathered around her, their faces full of concern and delighted surprise. Di Tian let out a breath of relief.
"The Auspicious Beast is awake! Wonderful!"
The beast kings all crowded around as well, talking over one another to express their concern.
"Auspicious Beast, how are you feeling?"
"Auspicious Beast, are you all right?"
"That wretched human actually dared to lay a hand on the Auspicious Beast!"
Then they turned to the Scarlet King and began reproaching it. "Scarlet King, how were you protecting the Auspicious Beast? You actually let a human get close to her!"
"Exactly! If anything had happened to the Auspicious Beast, could you bear the responsibility?"
"You're one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, yet you couldn't even stop a single human. What a dereliction of duty!"
The Scarlet King lowered its heads, all three drooping, not daring to argue. It felt wronged, but did not dare say anything.
After all, it had indeed failed to protect her properly, allowing that boy to approach the Auspicious Beast.
Moreover, that boy's aura really had made it feel a hint of fear, and it had not dared to act rashly.
Just then, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly spoke. Her voice carried a trace of yearning and curiosity. "I want to visit the human world."
The beasts were stunned and turned toward her in unison. For a moment, not even a crow or sparrow could be heard. Di Tian's eyes widened as he stared at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in disbelief. "Auspicious Beast, you... what did you say?"
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