Three-Eyed Golden Lion

"This is the world outside the Lake of Life!"

"Even the air smells like freedom!"

"Those old geezers haven't had time to keep an eye on me lately. I can finally come out for a walk on my own!"

"Hm?! What a lovely smell! Such a dense power of fortune. Is it one of my own kind?"

The Star Dou Great Forest!

A Soul Beast roughly a meter long strolled slowly through the forest. She had a lion's head, a pair of golden eyes, and a vertical red eye on her forehead. Her fur was golden from head to toe, and her four claws were like a dragon's.

She sniffed, as if she had caught a lovely scent. Both her eyes lit up, and she bounded toward its source.

Before long, the golden Soul Beast burst out of the forest and arrived where Li Jin was absorbing the Four-Spirit Sacred Qilin's Soul Ring.

The Snow Maiden and the Ice Empress, who were keeping watch beside Li Jin, both turned to look.

They watched the golden Soul Beast run out of the forest.

The Ice Empress felt an instinctive affinity for the Soul Beast. Her eyes widened slightly, and she spoke in surprise and delight:

"That's the Three-Eyed Golden Lion!"

"Why would the Three-Eyed Golden Lion from the Star Dou Great Forest appear here?"

"Could Li Jin have drawn her here...?"

Holding the Ice God's Pearl, the Snow Maiden floated forward and tilted her little head. Both of them had been born of heaven and nurtured by earth, and there was a warmth in the Snow Maiden's eyes as she looked at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion:

"What's your name? Did you need something from us?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked past the Snow Maiden and stared at Li Jin without blinking. She felt a powerful stirring of the power of fortune that made her want to get closer to this human.

She liked him!

She liked him so much!

She liked him far too much!

"Those old geezers in the forest all call me the Auspicious Beast. You can call me that too."

"I came here especially to find him."

"I like this human. He's the same kind as me."

As she spoke, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion walked toward Li Jin.

The Snow Maiden was innocent by nature. She sensed no malice from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, so she did not stop her.

As for the Ice Empress, a thoughtful look appeared on her little face.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was the Emperor Auspicious Beast of their Soul Beast Clan.

Since the Three-Eyed Golden Lion could recognize Li Jin as one of her own kind, he should be the Emperor Auspicious Human of the human race.

The Ice Empress finally knew why Li Jin was always so relaxed.

"His name is Li Jin. He's absorbing a Soul Ring right now. When he wakes up, I'll introduce you two."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion approached Li Jin. The closer she got, the stronger the stirring became, and the innocence and curiosity in her eyes turned to eagerness and delight.

She rubbed her wet nose against Li Jin's cheek, then, as if possessed, pressed the third eye on her forehead against his.

In an instant!

Rose-gold energy poured out of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, enveloping Li Jin's body and turning into a pillar of light that soared into the sky.

The Ice Empress stared dumbfounded, caught completely off guard. She had not expected such a thing to happen.

"Three-Eyed Golden Lion... why did she suddenly sacrifice herself?"

She had guessed wrong.

This was no sacrifice.

It was called Destiny Guidance.

Within the barrier of the energy pillar, a Nine-Colored Koi emerged from Li Jin's forehead. It glittered in the sunlight, breathtakingly beautiful.

Its mouth opened and closed as it absorbed a ceaseless stream of energy from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

But it was not just taking without giving.

After devouring enough energy, the Nine-Colored Koi gave back to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the form of energy imbued with nine colors.

After absorbing the nine-colored energy, a flash of understanding passed through the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes, as if she had broken some kind of shackle. She was the divine beast of destiny of the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Soul Beast Clan.

Her destiny was tightly bound to the Star Dou Great Forest and the Soul Beast Clan.

This earned her the respect of every Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest, but it also bound her like a shackle.

Now, she had received the Nine-Colored Koi's gift in return.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion reclaimed her own destiny. First and foremost, she was herself; only then was she the divine beast of destiny of the Star Dou Great Forest and the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Soul Beast Clan.

This raised the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's potential without limit. In her Destiny Guidance with Li Jin, she was undoubtedly the one who benefited more.

Of course, Li Jin gained quite a lot as well.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's essence and fortune fused with the Nine-Colored Koi's essence and fortune, causing a rose-gold Soul Ring to appear on Li Jin.

This was the equivalent of the Nine-Colored Koi's Innate Soul Ring!

Not only did it have two skills derived from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion: Destiny's Sorrow, which could break down all of an enemy's non-Soul Power defenses upon hitting them, and Soul Deprivation, which could break down all of an enemy's soul defenses upon hitting them.

The Soul Ring's age could also continue to increase as Li Jin's cultivation improved.

To enable him to absorb this Innate Soul Ring, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's shed skin in Li Jin's dantian continually released streams of cloud-like energy.

It sent Li Jin's Soul Power soaring as though it had boarded a rocket.

Absorbing the Four-Spirit Sacred Qilin's Soul Ring had already greatly increased Li Jin's Soul Power. Now, the energy from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's shed skin propelled him straight through the final bottleneck.

Li Jin's Soul Power reached the level 40 bottleneck, and the rose-gold Soul Ring smoothly merged into his body, resonating with his first three Soul Rings as they pulsed up and down.

Platinum!

Purple!

Black!

Rose gold!

Throughout history, Li Jin alone had possessed such a combination of Soul Rings.

This time, the Destiny Guidance

brought enormous benefits to both the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Li Jin, making it a win for both.

But at that moment, in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian, Xiong Jun, the Scarlet King, Zi JI, Bi Ji... these leading figures of the Soul Beast Clan keenly detected the change in fortune.

Although the Emperor Auspicious Beast's fortune still sheltered the Star Dou Great Forest and the Soul Beast Clan,

compared to before, the Emperor Auspicious Beast's status was higher and her majesty greater.

To give a simple example:

Although Di Tian had genuinely cared for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion before, he had treated her more like a mascot, placing her on the Soul Beast Clan's altar.

But now, the Emperor Auspicious Beast had truly become an emperor. If someone displeased the emperor and provoked her wrath, she could directly strip away fortune's protection. The consequence of being spurned by fortune was a string of misfortunes.

A slower rate of cultivation was the least of it. The next time they faced a heavenly tribulation, its power might double or even multiply several times over. That was what could truly get them killed.

Di Tian was utterly stunned. His furious voice resounded throughout the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Where is the Emperor Auspicious Beast? Who was watching over the Emperor Auspicious Beast?"

"Something went wrong with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm half a year ago, and now something has happened to the Emperor Auspicious Beast too!"

"Go find her! Even if you have to turn the entire Star Dou Great Forest upside down, bring the Emperor Auspicious Beast back!"

Soon, Di Tian, Xiong Jun, the Scarlet King, Zi JI, Bi Ji... these Ferocious Beasts, their hearts burning with anxiety, followed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's scent to them.