The Auspicious Beast was more than just a symbol of doubled cultivation speed — it could also lessen the difficulty of overcoming tribulations.
For a beast like Xiong Jun, who would soon face the trial of five hundred thousand years, this was invaluable! If anything happened to the Auspicious Beast…
Cold light flashed in Xiong Jun's eyes.
Even if Di Tian tried to stop him, he would break Red King's limbs and devour him alive.
Red King felt a chill crawl down his back.
Seeing the murderous glint in Xiong Jun's eyes, he swallowed nervously.
If Neuvillette were here, he probably would have laughed outright.
This Red King's unreliability rivaled Elder Xuan's — both were immensely powerful beings, yet somehow always gave off the impression of being untrustworthy.
"Hurry up and search!!!"
Xiong Jun roared.
Red King shrank back, wiping the spit sprayed onto his face, his expression full of grievance.
The Auspicious Beast's aura had already vanished into the Star Dou Great Forest. How was he supposed to track it down?
Seeing Red King cower but refuse to act, Xiong Jun's fury boiled over. Lifting his sharp claws, he was about to give the mutt a brutal lesson.
"Stop."
A calm voice drifted out from the forest's core.
"Boss!!"
The Three-Headed Demon Mastiff exclaimed in relief.
But Xiong Jun froze mid-motion, his expression still dark as he turned toward the forest's center.
"Hmph. Di Tian, he lost the Auspicious Beast — he deserves punishment!!"
The forest grew silent for a moment. Then, Di Tian's voice rang out again, calm and commanding.
"This was the Lord's decision. Do you think I would have let the Auspicious Beast go otherwise?"
"Lord…"
Xiong Jun blinked, then slowly exhaled in relief.
"So that's how it is."
"I knew it wasn't my fault!" The Three-Headed Demon Mastiff tilted all three heads proudly.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Three heavy smacks landed in quick succession.
Xiong Jun clapped his hands, satisfied, as he watched the mastiff cover its three swollen faces with only two paws — and then turned to leave.
Inside the forest.
Mu Xue's group halted in their tracks.
"Roar!"
A deep bellow echoed from afar.
It was followed by a sharp screech — much higher and piercing than the first.
Everyone turned to Beitang. He immediately understood, did a quick calculation, then narrowed his eyes.
"Fifteen degrees to the left, about four to five kilometers away."
Even as he spoke, the cries of the two soul beasts grew more frequent and urgent.
"From the sound of it, that should be our target."
Mo Yunfei narrowed his eyes as well.
This was the Star Dou Forest's core region — if a large-scale battle broke out, other soul beasts would certainly be drawn in. They needed to gauge the situation first and finish the fight quickly.
"Don't rush in yet. Their clash hasn't reached its peak. Wait — otherwise we could get caught up in it."
Not long after—
Boom!
The battle finally erupted. Even from four to five kilometers away, the earth-shaking crash was clear.
Strangely, though, no flock of birds scattered in fright. But that was only natural — any soul beast living in the forest's core was not the type to be startled so easily.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The deafening collisions rang out in succession.
From the sound alone, it was clear the two beasts weren't shifting locations in their fight — they were locked in place, clashing head-on.
Mo Yunfei closed his eyes, listening intently. After a moment, he opened them and said slowly:
"Both around four to five thousand years of cultivation."
But their attacks weren't physical — they were spiritual, striking directly at the soul.
The fight raged on, growing fiercer by the second.
As the group crept closer, the combatants finally came into view.
The first was a beast resembling a lion, though only a miniature version. Barely a meter in length and sixty centimeters at the shoulder, it darted about with such speed that only afterimages remained. Its low growl rumbled through the air.
"A two-thousand-year Soul-Eating Beast. That little lion is our target. Don't be fooled by its size — its spiritual power is terrifying. Its opponent appears to be a Devourer Beast, a soul beast only recorded in ancient texts. Though about four thousand years old, its combat strength is abnormally weak, which is why it's struggling evenly against a beast half its age."
Mo Yunfei explained, then turned toward Weina with a gleam in his eye.
"It's a perfect match for your martial soul. As your third soul ring, it would be ideal!"
"I'll take it."
Mu Xue nodded gently, her eyes flashing with delight.
That crushing spiritual pressure wasn't something one could block by simply covering their ears. Mental attacks were both area offense and area control — capable of bypassing all physical defenses to strike directly at the soul.
And her martial soul was her brain.
For her, this beast was the optimal choice.
The Devourer Beast, on the other hand, resembled a hairless hound. Its four limbs were thick and clumsy, its body oddly proportioned. Scales covered its skin, faintly reflecting waves of soul power. Its face was long and unsightly, tusks jutting outward.
"So that's a Devourer Beast?" Weina asked in surprise.
At the Imperial Academy, she had studied rare soul beasts like this — creatures found only in the core of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Let alone her, there were probably only a handful of people in the entire Heavenly Soul Empire who had ever laid eyes on one.
"Yes. But it looks like their fight is about to end."
Mo Yunfei's eyes sharpened, soul power surging around him as he readied himself to act.
The four subordinates spread out, forming a ring to trap the two beasts inside.
Boom! The Devourer Beast was sent flying again, crashing through two massive trees before slamming into the ground.
The Soul-Eating Beast roared savagely, its body streaking like a stream of light. It bared its fangs, lunging straight for the Devourer Beast's throat.
If that bite landed, the latter would surely die.
At the last instant, the Devourer Beast rolled aside and sprang back to its feet.
It staggered, blood dripping from its muzzle — clearly badly injured.
Hatred burned in its eyes as it faced the Soul-Eating Beast. Yet it also knew: if it fell here, its soul would be consumed, becoming nourishment for the lion's spiritual power.
Though it had the higher cultivation, its focus on physical combat left it helpless against mental assaults. That mismatch was what left it in this dire state.
Author's Note: Personally, I lean toward the idea that the Auspicious Beast's departure was tacitly allowed by the Silver Dragon King — perhaps as part of an agreement with the God King Tang San, or simply to let the little one witness humanity's cruelty.
But things spiraled out of control. No one expected the Auspicious Beast to willingly sacrifice itself…
And that, in turn, led to the beast tide.
(End of Chapter)