Before the afterglow of absorbing the Soul Ring and Soul Bone had faded from Huo Yuhao's eyes, he resolutely turned around.
As he strode towards the core area of Star Dou Great Forest, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual fluctuations trembled violently within his Sea of Consciousness. He shrank back in fear, asking, " Yuhao... are you really going to the core area? To find the Beast God Di Tian?"
Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a confident smile, "Otherwise what? Tian Meng, are you scared?"
"Who, who's afraid!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice suddenly rose, but the ball of light unconsciously shrank behind his neck. "It's just... wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate to suddenly barge in? That's Di Tian! He's the Beast God!"
"Alright," Huo Yuhao interrupted its rambling, " Di Tian can't hurt me. Although Di Tian is called the Beast God, he's not a true god after all. Now that I'm protecting you, what are you afraid of?"
The moment the words fell, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm seemed to see Huo Yuhao descend to earth like a god, and its light suddenly shone brightly, as if a glacier had been thrown into Core Flame.
The next second, it felt like it had become his devout follower, and the feeling of having someone backing it up was exhilarating. It shouted in an unprecedentedly fervent tone, "I'm not afraid at all! Meeting Di Tian is nothing!"
Huo Yuhao chuckled softly, but when he looked up towards the core area, his smile suddenly froze on his face.
A blinding golden light shot out from the bushes ahead like a streak of fire. It wasn't the fluctuation of Soul Beast's energy, but rather a kind of... warm light carrying the essence of life. The light darted left and right among the ferns, like a frightened fawn, yet it also carried an indescribable sense of familiarity.
"This is..." Huo Yuhao's heart clenched, as if gripped by an invisible hand. He recognized the light! It was a color purer than gold, an imprint etched deep within his soul!
Almost instinctively, he unleashed his Spiritual Power Domain, his figure chasing after the enemy like an arrow released from a bow. The whistling sound of his clothes cutting through the air was drowned out by the sound of his heartbeat—thump thump thump! Blood surged through his veins, as if trying to break free of the restraints of his flesh.
In the blink of an eye, he had caught up with a clearing covered with moonflower grass. The golden light suddenly stopped and transformed into a curled-up golden beast: a third eye stood upright on its forehead, its mane flowed like molten gold, and its four hooves trod on the grass without bending it in the slightest.
When those clear, glass-like golden eyes looked at him, Huo Yuhao's breath caught in his throat.
It's her! It's Qiu'er!
A wary ripple appeared in the auspicious Auspicious Beast's third eye, and its front hooves unconsciously pawed at the ground. "Human, why are you chasing me? We are complete strangers." Its voice was clear as the clinking of jade stones, yet it carried the aloofness of a wild beast towards a stranger.
Huo Yuhao could no longer hear what she was saying; his feelings were extremely complicated. After traversing time, he had finally seen her again.
He didn't know how to face Wang Qiu'er, but he could no longer control his longing. He recalled their first meeting in his previous life and the scene of their guidance. Countless images flashed through his mind like a tide, and tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably.
He staggered forward half a step, his throat tightening, a thousand words stuck in his throat, finally turning into a hoarse murmur, " Qiu'er..."
The Auspicious Beast abruptly took a step back, its golden pupils filled with even greater wariness. "What did you call me? I don't know you." The golden light surrounding her began to malfunction, clearly startled by this sudden address.
Huo Yuhao stared at her intently—the little beast before him had not yet taken human form, and its brows still held the innocent confusion of a young animal. Unlike Wang Qiu'er, who was cold and resolute, it possessed the same familiar feeling that made his heart flutter.
He reached out, his fingertips trembling, wanting to touch her mane, yet afraid to disturb this reunion across time. "I've been looking for you for so long... so long..."
"We're complete strangers..." Huo Yuhao murmured, repeating those four words, feeling as if his heart had been pierced by icicles. His reflection was mirrored in the auspicious Auspicious Beast's clear golden eyes, and that bewildered estrangement hurt him more than the sharp claws of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
But when he saw the little beast flicking its molten gold mane and curiously examining him with its third eye, all the stinging pain instantly turned into tenderness—at this moment, she was just an innocent auspicious Auspicious Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest, not Wang Qiu'er bore the shackles of fate.
He crouched down, trying to make his figure appear harmless, and spoke in a voice as soft as if afraid of startling the dewdrops in the forest, "My name is Huo Yuhao." His tongue trembled slightly as he said his name.
Love surged through his heart like a tide, making him choke up—he realized that even breathing required courage when he finally saw the person he longed for. His stammering tone, coupled with his feigned serious expression, looked somewhat ridiculous under the dappled shadows of the trees, yet it stirred a ripple in the third eye of the Auspicious Beast.
"Why did you come here alone? It's dangerous."
The Auspicious Beast tilted its head, its golden eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow beneath its eyelids. "Human, what is my business to you?"
But she suddenly took a half step closer, her nose almost touching Huo Yuhao's chest. "But I feel there's something familiar about you, so I'll reluctantly tell you." What she didn't say was that this aura reminded her of the halo she dreamed of when she was asleep, as warm as the sunlight in the deepest part of the core area.
The Auspicious Beast thought to itself: Why does this human feel so familiar? I unconsciously want to get closer to him.
"Because I always get watched by the Scarlet King and the others, I get bored. I want more freedom, so I wander around this Star Dou Great Forest."
Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives...
"Roar--!"
The Scarlet King is Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff.
The leading Scarlet Devil Mastiff opened its blood-red maw, and its three heads roared simultaneously, its mane standing on end like burning thorns. The crimson patterns flowing across its body contrasted sharply with the dark gold Soul Bone on Huo Yuhao's right arm, exuding a ferocious aura mixed with the blood of a true dragon.
As a guardian Auspicious Beast beast among the ten Ferocious Beast, it harbors an instinctive killing intent towards any human who approaches Auspicious Beast. After all, in its eyes, humans are enemies, especially enemies who get close to the Auspicious Beast.
" The Scarlet King?" Huo Yuhao said calmly.
At this moment, the Scarlet King's three beastly eyes were locked on him, and the shockwaves from its claws had already plowed three deep trenches into the ground.
"Human brat, you dare recognize me?" The Scarlet King's middle head let out a deep roar, saliva dripping from its fangs. "However, your fate is still death. Any human who dares to approach the Auspicious Beast beast is an enemy."
Before the words were even finished, three figures pounced like crimson lightning, their claws flashing and forming a deadly net that blocked all escape routes.
Huo Yuhao leaped backward instantly, gathering his strength to prepare to take a few Explosive Fist.
" Scarlet King! Stop!"
A clear, resounding female voice boomed with undeniable authority. The Auspicious Beast charged forward, its golden body radiating a soft yet resilient light, blocking Huo Yuhao's Huo Yuhao. The Scarlet King stopped abruptly. She turned to look at Huo Yuhao, her third eye filled with unwavering resolve. "He didn't hurt me. You're not allowed to touch him!"
Looking at the small figure standing in front of him, Huo Yuhao's heart was filled with a strange warmth—in this life, and in any life, she would stand up for him.
" Auspicious Beast, he's human. I never expected you to plead for him..." The Scarlet King turned his head and let out a low growl of resentment.
"I know he's human." The Auspicious Beast raised its chin, its golden mane fluttering in the wind, "But he's different."
The Auspicious Beast stepped forward, its molten gold mane sweeping across Huo Yuhao's hand, leaving a trail of fine golden light.
A watery halo appeared on her third eye, its pupil clearly reflecting his trembling eyelashes. "Your soul... is like amber warmed by sunlight."
The little beast's nose gently touched his palm, where a warm resonance suddenly emanated. "This familiarity... it's like a dream I had long ago, it's truly magical."
The Scarlet King finally lost patience. The little beast reluctantly retreated, glancing back with each step. Its golden figure appeared and disappeared nearby, like a firefly that refused to be extinguished.
Even after she disappeared from Huo Yuhao's sight, Huo Yuhao maintained the gesture of extending his hand, as if her warmth still lingered in his palm.
" Yuhao..." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice was filled with worry, "She is Auspicious Beast, the apple of Di Tian's eye, we..."
"We'll meet again," Huo Yuhao interrupted.
" Qiu'er," he whispered, his voice no longer carrying the regret of his past life, but the certainty of this one, "Wait for me."