Imperial Beast

As the sky gradually darkened, the dense forest grew so quiet it felt oppressive. Lu Jingming's heart suddenly stirred. His keen spiritual power detected a surge of Soul Power rapidly approaching, but more than one soul beast was coming.

Ahead of the soul beast Jing Liu had mentioned, another soul beast radiating the aura of light and fire was fleeing in panic.

Lu Jingming was startled. Judging from its aura, this soul beast also had a cultivation of around ten thousand years.

Clearly, this was a hunt, and the pursuer was precisely the soul beast Jing Liu had said would be suitable as his soul ring.

Jing Liu frowned slightly. She had sensed the hunted soul beast as well. Though its age met the requirements, in her eyes, a creature that could not even contend against a soul beast of the same level and only knew how to flee was not suitable to become Lu Jingming's soul ring.

Thus, after simply informing Lu Jingming of the soul beast behind it, she directly ignored the fleeing one.

A rush of turbulent air swept through the forest, followed by dense, pounding footsteps.

Lu Jingming narrowed his eyes and saw an enormous soul beast, eight meters long and three meters tall at the shoulder.

Crimson flame patterns flowed through its golden fur. Its eyes were a deep amber, blazing flames coiled around its limbs, and brilliant light-fire burned at the tip of its tail, releasing powerful waves of light energy.

The moment Lu Jingming saw this soul beast, his pupils contracted sharply.

Over the past two years, he had learned quite a bit about soul beasts. He was no longer the Xiao Bai he had been when he first entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

Such striking characteristics let him recognize it instantly. It was a Sacred Flame Sky Tiger, a top-tier soul beast of the light and fire attributes.

Yet this majestic Sacred Flame Sky Tiger was now fleeing for its life, and the one hunting it was actually a soul beast of the same level!

Jing Liu turned around as well, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.

She had recognized the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger too. From afar, she could only sense its aura and could not identify its species, which had led to her misjudgment.

"Teacher, keep it!" Lu Jingming reacted instantly. Among soul beasts of the same level, the only one capable of driving a top-tier soul beast into such a desperate flight could only be her.

Moreover, the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger possessed the light attribute, making it perfect for her diet.

Whoosh— In an instant, cold air spread out, and the temperature plunged sharply.

An iceberg erupted from the open grassland, freezing the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger solid within it.

Terror still lingered in its eyes. It had clearly not yet recovered from the fear of being hunted before Jing Liu froze it.

At Jing Liu's move, the hunter following close behind seemed to sense lethal danger. It abruptly skidded to a stop, landing on all fours and steadying itself.

At the same time, an even more powerful aura radiating terrifying pressure rapidly approached from afar, carrying a violent scent of flames.

Lu Jingming looked closely. The soul beast before him had golden fur, beneath which golden scales could faintly be seen. Dragon claws grew from the ends of its limbs, and golden flames burned atop those claws.

Seeing the bloody vertical eye in the center of the soul beast's forehead, Lu Jingming's mouth twitched as he looked at Jing Liu resentfully.

So the soul beast Jing Liu had said was suitable for him was the Imperial Beast before him—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Recalling this soul beast's identity, Lu Jingming silently put away Black Abyss. His earlier bold ambitions instantly vanished beyond the clouds.

He might still have been able to fight the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger, but the Imperial Beast? He truly could not beat her.

Though the Imperial Beast and the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger both had fifteen thousand years of cultivation, the Imperial Beast possessed strength capable of contending with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—combat power equivalent to a Titled Douluo.

With his current Soul Power cultivation, he was utterly helpless before the Imperial Beast. Perhaps with just one slap, the Imperial Beast would be crying and begging him not to die.

Of course, Jing Liu's judgment had not been wrong. If he truly could absorb the Imperial Beast's soul ring, he would indeed gain an extremely powerful soul skill.

But that was only if he could actually kill the Imperial Beast.

Leaving aside the ferocious beasts hidden in the shadows and the Silver Dragon King, the first to come knocking would likely be the God King Tang San.

After all, the Imperial Beast represented the destiny and fortune of the Star Dou Great Forest, and she had long been targeted by that God King.

Lu Jingming had no intention of attacking the Imperial Beast for the sake of a third soul ring and bringing great trouble upon himself.

The Imperial Beast looked at the frozen Sacred Flame Sky Tiger, a fierce glint flashing through her eyes. Then she looked at Lu Jingming and Jing Liu, her gaze full of curiosity.

She had never left the Star Dou Great Forest, and her range of activity had been limited to the Forbidden Land and the Core Area. Humans rarely came to those places.

"Human, this is my prey," she said. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, making it difficult to imagine it had come from a giant beast over three meters tall.

The Imperial Beast looked handsome and imposing, but she was actually a girl. The immense contrast was rather amusing.

"Oh? How can you prove it's your prey? My teacher was the one who caught it!" Lu Jingming was utterly fearless. Looking at the handsome Imperial Beast, he could not resist teasing the beloved darling of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Imperial Beast was instantly bewildered. Her not-so-bright little mind began working furiously.

That was right! How was she supposed to prove that the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger was her prey? Unable to think of an answer, she simply stood there blankly.

Fortunately, the arrival of a crimson figure interrupted her mental storm.

"Imperial Beast, are you all right?" A deep, powerful voice rang out as a massive soul beast appeared in the clearing.

It had three lion-like heads, was five meters long, and crimson flames curled around its dark red fur.

It immediately looked toward the Imperial Beast and only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that she was unharmed.

"Scarlet King, how can I prove that the Sacred Flame Sky Tiger is my prey?" With a single sentence from the Imperial Beast, Scarlet King fell silent.

It had heard the conversation between Lu Jingming and the Imperial Beast just now, but it truly had not expected her to be so honest.

She had never seemed this adorably foolish when she was around them before.

Lu Jingming was somewhat speechless as well. The Imperial Beast, who had not yet fused with half of Tang Wutong's divine consciousness, was actually this innocent.

But the question truly stumped Scarlet King. How were they supposed to prove that prey belonged to them? Since when did soul beasts need proof when fighting over prey?

But now they faced humans rather than soul beasts. Moreover, Scarlet King warily glanced at Jing Liu and had already secretly notified Di Tian.

Merely by drawing near, it had felt an immense sense of danger from Jing Liu. In the entire Star Dou Great Forest, aside from the sleeping The Master, only Di Tian could give it such a feeling.

Faced with an expert beyond its capabilities, and with the Imperial Beast involved, it had no choice but to be cautious.