Learning that Ye Guixu actually intended to raise a batch of hundred-thousand-year and two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts left all the Ferocious Beasts deeply shocked.
Were hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts that easy to raise?
Even with the Emperor Auspicious Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest.
She could double Soul Beasts' cultivation speed, help them break through bottlenecks, and improve hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts' chances of surviving their tribulations.
Yet there were still not particularly many hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Even fewer could survive the two-hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation.
With a slightly stronger bloodline, they could weather the hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation relatively safely.
But the two-hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation was even more terrifying.
Many hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts had absolutely no confidence in surviving it, so they either stopped cultivating, holding their cultivation age where it was.
Or they simply discarded all their cultivation and took human form, avoiding the heavenly tribulation and cultivating anew.
However, after taking human form, their lifespans were no different from humans'.
Moreover, most importantly, they had to approach humans and rely on their auras before they could continue cultivating.
Before reaching maturity, they were very likely to be discovered by Titled Douluo, or even Soul Douluo.
Hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts were one thing.
But two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts were not so simple.
Otherwise, after all these tens of thousands of years in the Star Dou Great Forest.
There would not have been only six great Ferocious Beasts.
Yet when that surge of Void Profound Ice merged into their bodies, the sensation of immense power surging and churning through their meridians still lingered, and they felt-
It really did seem possible.
Because it had not merely strengthened them threefold; the power it contained could also rapidly restore their stamina and heal their injuries.
This stuff was simply better than the finest treasures of heaven and earth.
"My lord..."
Di Tian turned his gaze toward the Silver Dragon King, as though awaiting final confirmation.
At this moment, Ye Guixu had not activated the mental erosion ability within the Void Profound Ice. The five great Ferocious Beasts had not immediately regarded him as their master; they were obeying the Silver Dragon King's orders.
But the Void Profound Ice had already merged into their bodies. Once a change was needed, it would take no more than a thought from Ye Guixu.
"Di Tian, what are you still standing around for? Hurry up and do what Guixu wants done."
Gu Yuena was happily gnawing on the Void Profound Ice in her arms. Seeing Di Tian still rooted to the spot, she gave a soft huff.
"Yes, my lord."
Di Tian hurriedly bowed and withdrew, then darted into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest to summon the fire-attribute and Mental Attribute Soul Beasts that met the requirements.
"Master, the food is ready."
And so, an exceedingly bizarre scene unfolded in this most sacred core of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The former number-one bear of the Douluo Continent, a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear with four hundred and seventy thousand years of cultivation, was now served on the dining table as food.
Pan-fried, roasted, stir-fried, deep-fried, stewed, and boiled, along with two bear paws.
A dazzling array covered the table, and the aroma of meat spread through the air in layers, almost staining the entire space with its rich, fatty fragrance.
The Myriad Demon King, Zi JI, Bi Ji, and the Scarlet King stood some distance away. Watching Xiong Jun's remains being cut into pieces, plated, and roasted on the table, they could not help feeling an inexplicable trace of sorrow.
But that feeling vanished in an instant.
The weak were meat for the strong; the Soul Beast Realm had always been this way. Soul Beasts killed other Soul Beasts, and Soul Beasts ate other Soul Beasts.
Soul Beasts with high cultivation ages sometimes hunted down weaker Soul Beasts to fill their bellies.
To grow stronger, they devoured the Soul Power of others of their kind.
Not every Soul Beast was like that rabbit Xiao Wu, nibbling carrots and chewing Blue Silver Grass, then turning around to accuse humans of having no right to hunt Soul Beasts.
Heaven and earth were without compassion, treating all things as straw dogs; it was no different between Soul Beasts.
Ferocious Beasts like them, whose cultivation exceeded two hundred thousand years, had been gathered here because Di Tian valued their bloodlines and abilities. Once they reached this level, ordinary low-ranking Soul Beasts no longer caught their eye.
But ultimately, the law of the strong devouring the weak remained in their bones.
Otherwise, they would never have imprisoned the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm here and ravenously devoured his power and essence.
Yan Lingji and the Tide Siren attended Ye Guixu on either side, leaving him no need to lift a finger himself.
Yan Lingji picked up a roasted Xiong Jun steak with her chopsticks and held a hand beneath it as she brought it to Ye Guixu's mouth.
The Tide Siren ladled out a bowl of stewed bear-paw soup, blew on the steam, and brought a small spoonful to his lips.
Ye Guixu opened his mouth and bit into the steak. The meat was firm and springy, its juices bursting in his mouth with the fragrance of spices and flame-charred meat.
"Not bad. The flavor is very rich."
Ye Guixu chewed a few times and nodded in satisfaction.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's meat was wonderfully chewy without being dry or greasy. The bear paws, in particular, had been stewed until tender enough to melt in the mouth, filling it with gelatinous richness.
Soul Beast flesh was already highly nourishing to Soul Masters, let alone Xiong Jun's, with his four hundred and seventy thousand years of cultivation.
Every bite contained tremendous vitality and Soul Power.
"Thank you for the praise, Master."
Yan Lingji's eyes curved with joy, delight lighting her brows as she picked up another piece of meat and offered it to him.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast crouched nearby, gnawing on her own piece of Void Profound Ice, yet her gaze kept drifting involuntarily toward the delicacies on the table.
That rich aroma of meat seemed alive, wafting from the table and winding through the air around the tip of her nose.
When she hunted Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest before, she had loved eating the brains of light-type and mental-type Soul Beasts most. They were not only fresh and tender but also contained pure Spiritual Power.
Yet the fragrance of the plate of roasted Xiong Jun steaks before her was more enticing than any Soul Beast's brains.
She stared at the steak that was still sizzling, and a trickle of drool escaped the corner of her mouth.
"Guixu, is it good?"
Gu Yuena had also been gnawing on Void Profound Ice, but that tempting fragrance kept finding its way into her nose. At last, she could not resist asking curiously.
"Just try it yourself."
Gu Yuena hesitated, then reached out a claw, grabbed a roasted Xiong Jun rib, and stuffed it into her mouth for a bite.
The meat tore between her teeth, juices spilling out amid the charred fragrance of charcoal and the pungent aroma of spices.
That intense deliciousness burst across her tongue. She chewed a few times, and her purple eyes suddenly lit up.
"Delicious!"
Gu Yuena's eyes sparkled like those of a cat that had finally tasted fresh fish.
Ever since the Dragon God had willingly accepted death and been cleaved in two by the Three Realms Judgment Sword, she had fled to Douluo Star with grievous injuries and slumbered to heal, never eating any food at all.
Now, tasting such carefully prepared delicacies for the first time, the savory fragrance and satisfaction blooming across her taste buds made even her heart tremble faintly.
"So Xiong Jun was this delicious?"
Gu Yuena tore off another piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth, speaking indistinctly as her purple eyes unconsciously flicked toward the Ferocious Beasts nearby.
"!!!!"
All the Ferocious Beasts' hair stood on end at once. They felt as though their lord's gaze was sizing up the next dish.
The Silver Dragon King was a dragon king, after all. Seeing their terrified expressions, she knew what they were thinking and leisurely finished chewing the meat in her mouth.
"Xiong Jun offended Guixu. He's dead, and that's that. From now on, obey Guixu, or else..."
She did not finish, but that "or else" was enough to send chills down their spines.
"Yes, my lord!"
The Ferocious Beasts hurriedly answered, fearing that if they were late, the Silver Dragon King would turn them into the next dish to accompany her drinks.
Among the Soul Beast Clan, the weak had always been meat for the strong. The powerful treating the weak as food was a common sight.
Now that Xiong Jun had already fallen, his meat bringing their lord pleasure could at least count as making full use of what remained.
Xiong Jun: ???
I have a "motherfucker" on the tip of my tongue, but I don't know whether I should say it.
Having tasted something this delicious for the first time, Gu Yuena could no longer stop.
She imitated Yan Lingji and tried picking up meat with chopsticks, but the two slender wooden sticks simply would not obey her. The slices slipped about, refusing to be picked up.
Watching her greedy yet clumsy efforts, Yan Lingji could not help covering her mouth with a smile. She picked up a slice of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm meat, dipped it into the bubbling spicy hot pot, swished it gently for a few seconds, then lifted it out and placed it in the bowl before Gu Yuena.
"Use this for now."
Ye Guixu handed her a fork.
Gu Yuena took the fork, clumsily speared the slice of meat, rolled it in the dipping sauce as Yan Lingji had done, then stuffed it into her mouth.
Numbing, spicy savoriness burst across her tongue. The Ice Silkworm meat was tender, smooth, and crisp, having soaked up the rich flavors of the hot pot broth, and released layer upon layer of deliciousness in her mouth.
Gu Yuena's purple eyes widened sharply, and a faint blush spread over her cheeks. She looked like a kitten that had scalded its tongue but could not bear to spit the food out.
"Delicious!"
She spoke indistinctly, her fork already reaching for the next slice.
And so, the Ferocious Beasts witnessed this scene.
Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena sat beside Ye Guixu like a greedy little cat, continuously stuffing food into her mouth, her cheeks bulging and her purple eyes brimming with satisfied smiles.
There was not a trace of the majesty of the Soul Beasts' sovereign in that appearance. She looked just like a pet whose fur had been smoothed down by feeding.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast crouched nearby, watching Gu Yuena eat with such relish, then looking down at the half-eaten Void Profound Ice in her claws. Suddenly, the ice in her grasp no longer seemed appetizing.
She quietly edged toward the table and tentatively extended a claw, trying to reach the piece of roasted meat closest to her.
Yan Lingji glanced at her without stopping her. Instead, she casually handed her a smaller steak.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast froze, all three eyes blinking at once. Then she swiftly hugged the meat to herself, retreated into a corner, and began nibbling it in little bites.
"Mmm, mmm... delicious!"
For the first time, the Emperor Auspicious Beast tasted food this flavorful.
In an instant, she had forgotten all about her favorite light-type and mental-type Soul Beast brains.
Slices of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm meat tumbled in the hot pot. Xiong Jun's tenderloin had been cut into thin slices and spread over a stone slab, its fat sizzling under the charcoal's heat, while bear paws bubbled away in a clay pot, their broth simmered down to a thick amber.
It was as though Gu Yuena had opened the door to a new world. Every dish she tasted drew an exclamation.
"Guixu, what's this?"
"And what's this?"
"Is this human cuisine?"
"Why is this so fragrant?"
"Sky Dream Ice Silkworm meat tastes so good prepared this way."
"Super delicious!"
She was like a curious cat, asking the name of every dish she ate, but often, before Ye Guixu could answer, she had already picked up the next piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth.
Amused by the way she ate, Ye Guixu was in no hurry to answer. He merely picked up a perfectly cooked slice of meat now and then and placed it in her bowl.
He could just treat it as keeping a cat.
The other Ferocious Beasts watched their lord eating happily from a distance. Mixed feelings churned within them, yet they also felt an inexplicable trace of relief.
Perhaps, after following this human, their future days would not be as terrible as they had imagined.
Xiong Jun's meat tumbled in the hot pot, its fat rising into a glossy layer on the broth's surface.
For a moment, they too felt a little tempted to taste just what Xiong Jun's meat was like.
It could make their lord eat with such relish and delight.
Xiong Jun: 6666, you're all so noble, so impressive.
And you call yourselves my companions?
You even want to use me for hot pot?
Before you continue