Emperor Auspicious Beast

She could actually talk! Huo Yuhao was somewhat startled. After all, in his eyes, this was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and with his current strength, he was no match for her. He only had rank-ten Soul Power!

The Emperor Auspicious Beast was in a terrible mood. She had originally come out to forage, but she had recognized that burst of mental fluctuations just now. That big bug had actually escaped! And it had sacrificed itself to a human!

Damn it! Even though that big bug's energy had been sucked dry, its million-year Spiritual Origin was good stuff! And a human had gotten that windfall just like that!

By the time she caught up, they had already gotten away, and this human cub before her was even looking at her with that sort of gaze. Although he had quickly changed his expression, she had seen it perfectly clearly! The Auspicious Beast felt an urge to slap this human cub dead with one paw, but another feeling restrained her.

"Hello. You can communicate, right?" Huo Yuhao spoke softly, smiling. "We could be friends."

Huo Yuhao was not particularly averse to Xenos. Back then, after merging with that insane experimental Primarch, he had been swept away in a Warp Storm along with his other brothers and picked up by the last surviving ruins of the Old Ones. The collective consciousness of the Old Ones had adopted and educated him, helping him suppress his instinctive madness and teaching him the Old Ones' technology and techniques for using psychic power. Thus, if communication was possible, he generally would not meet the other party with weapons drawn. Besides, perhaps Soul Beasts were different from Xenos.

"Yuhao, there's no need to grieve over our disappearance. These ruins were approaching their end anyway. And you are hope beyond fate!"

As such, he had quite a few Aeldari friends, though none of them harbored hatred toward the Imperium. The Emperor knew about this, but had only warned Huo Yuhao, "If one day your Aeldari friends harm the people of the Imperium, you must kill them with your own hands!"

"Are you begging me for mercy, human?" The Emperor Auspicious Beast gave Huo Yuhao a sidelong glance, a disdainful expression on her feline face. Who was she? The Emperor Auspicious Beast! No Soul Beast had ever dared be so bold as to befriend her, let alone a human saying such a thing now. Still, she had also noticed that this human had a mere rank-ten Soul Power, and there were no other humans nearby, only the Scarlet King acting as her guard. There was no threat whatsoever, so she decided to tease this human.

"Please look at me properly, all right? That isn't how you treat a friend." Huo Yuhao's voice remained gentle, though it carried a measure of firmness.

"When did I agree to be your friend?" The Emperor Auspicious Beast nevertheless turned to look squarely at Huo Yuhao. "If you don't give me a suitable reason, I'll eat you right now!"

"You eat people?" Huo Yuhao's voice turned stern. Some evil Xenos enjoyed torturing and devouring humans. Could Soul Beasts be the same? If so, he would stab her even if it cost him his life.

"No, I don't." For some reason, the Auspicious Beast seemed unwilling to anger Huo Yuhao. She muttered softly, "I was only trying to scare you."

"Then let me make you something to eat. I'm quite a good cook." Huo Yuhao regained his earlier gentleness. He could tell that this Soul Beast was not lying, though her personality was somewhat prickly despite herself, and rather cute. Why am I thinking that?

"Could it taste better than the brains of light-type Soul Beasts?" The Auspicious Beast sounded distinctly unconvinced. "Scarlet King, go catch a few Soul Beasts."

"Yes, Auspicious Beast." A deep, powerful male voice rang out from the depths of the forest, and a towering, scarlet Soul Beast with three heads appeared. He merely glanced at Huo Yuhao before turning to leave.

"Human, aren't you afraid I really will kill you?"

"You won't! I have a feeling-I sensed it from the very first moment I saw you. Otherwise, I could still manage to escape." Huo Yuhao's voice was gentle yet confident. Over the past few days, he had carefully studied Soul Power, and it shared many similarities with psychic power.

"You could escape?" The Auspicious Beast's voice grew noticeably surprised.

"Yes. By the way, my name is Huo Yuhao. Do you have a name?"

"I'm called Emperor Auspicious Beast."

"That's a title, not a name."

"But that's what everyone calls me."

"You should have a name of your own."

"Let me think."

Before long, the Soul Beast named Scarlet King returned with several Soul Beasts: a spore, a multicolored chicken, and several rabbits-apparently an entire nest had been taken.

"We don't have much to work with, so I'll make some barbecue. It's also my specialty." As he spoke, he condensed his Soul Power into a sharp blade, cut down some dead branches from a distance, and piled them on the ground. Then he snapped his fingers, and a spark fell from his fingertip into the branches, igniting a blazing fire.

Then he swiftly and deftly slit open and gutted the Soul Beasts. Several Soul Rings emerged, only one yellow and all the rest white. Finally, he set the meat over the fire to roast.

That display! The Scarlet King no longer looked at Huo Yuhao with contempt. Such fine control over Soul Power, exercised so effortlessly, was definitely beyond an ordinary Soul Master!

"Are you a fire-attribute Soul Master?" the Auspicious Beast asked outright.

"No, mental attribute." Huo Yuhao did not even look up, focusing only on roasting the meat.

"Do you have Twin Martial Souls?" the Scarlet King could not help asking. "That flame?"

"Just a few minor applications of Soul Power." As though finally realizing something, Huo Yuhao raised his head. "Can neither of you do that?"

The two Soul Beasts immediately fell silent. They exchanged a glance, each seeing the same message in the other's eyes: This is a genius Soul Master!

"Oh dear, I really can't get distracted while cooking. I nearly burned it." Huo Yuhao hurriedly adjusted the meat.

The following stretch of time passed in silence. Huo Yuhao roasted the meat intently, while the two Soul Beasts watched him, observing how he used his Soul Power.

However, as the Emperor Auspicious Beast watched, her attention gradually shifted to Huo Yuhao's focused expression. This human is so unusual. Ordinary humans aren't this bold, and I can't muster any hostility toward him at all. There's also a very special charm about him. He looks rather nice when he's concentrating.

"The meat's ready. Who wants to try it first?" Huo Yuhao's gentle voice interrupted the Emperor Auspicious Beast's thoughts. She felt a little embarrassed. What am I thinking? He's only a human!

"Let me test it for poison. Auspicious Beast, your noble person must never come to harm!" The Scarlet King had long since grown impatient; the aroma had already hooked his soul and carried it away.

The Auspicious Beast cast him a sidelong glance, feeling only that he was a disgrace to beasts. Still, because of her earlier thoughts, she agreed. Before long, the roasted animals had been divided up and devoured.

"Huo Yuhao, from now on, stay by my side as my cook! Let Di Tian try your cooking too." The Auspicious Beast spoke to Huo Yuhao with smiling eyes. She truly had been won over, and felt as though she had lived those ten thousand-odd years for nothing!

"The Auspicious Beast is right. With cooking skills this good, you'd be very welcome!" the Scarlet King echoed. However, he did not want Huo Yuhao, this human genius, to return. Had the food not been so delicious, he would have wanted to kill him outright!

Huo Yuhao nodded. He could sense the Scarlet King's concealed killing intent, so he did not refuse. From the very beginning, he had felt something urging him toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. It seemed to be a voice, like a mother's, and he did not dislike it. Otherwise, he would have escaped while the Scarlet King was away.

At that moment, the Auspicious Beast also came to Huo Yuhao's side and spoke in a voice only he could hear. "Don't worry. I'll protect you!" Huo Yuhao looked at her resolute eyes and nodded slightly.