Chapter 23: Auspicious Beast Blessing, the Intertwining of the Power of Auspicious Beasts
The radiance was so dazzling that it completely obscured the creature's true form.
Just as Fan Chen was preparing to observe more carefully, that ball of golden light suddenly fled in the opposite direction, as if it had sensed his attempt to probe it.
Its speed was astonishing—within just a few breaths, it had already vanished beyond the range of Fan Chen's spiritual detection.
"It ran?"
Fan Chen was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the other party to be so vigilant. He had merely glanced at it twice, and the creature had immediately taken flight.
"Did you discover something?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling approached Fan Chen, asking about the situation.
In their perception, there was nothing unusual in the surroundings. At most, a few insignificant, low-level soul beasts happened to pass through the area.
But if it were just that, there was no way Fan Chen and Xiao Bai would react with such tension.
Clearly, the two had detected something that even they could not sense.
"A ball of golden light—extremely dazzling. I didn't get a clear look at its form, but its perception seems incredibly sharp. The moment I noticed it, it sensed me as well… and immediately ran."
Hearing this, both men frowned deeply.
Such keen perception, coupled with the terrifying ability to completely evade a Titled Douluo's detection—what kind of creature could possess such traits?
"What exactly could that thing be…?"
"It looks like we'll need to stay especially alert tonight."
This unexpected encounter instantly placed Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling on high alert.
The Star Dou Forest was filled with unknowns, and for all they knew, that creature might be some undocumented soul beast species.
Just like slimes—well… no, forget it, those things aren't threatening at all.
After conducting another thorough sweep and confirming the creature had not reappeared, Fan Chen and Xiao Bai finally gave up their search and prepared to rest.
Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling took turns standing guard through the night, while Fan Chen and Qian Renxue were arranged to rest nearby.
Qian Renxue hugged Xiao Bai as she slept, while Fan Chen lay on the other side.
The two were positioned between Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling for protection.
Late into the night…
At the edge of a distant raised slope, a strange soul beast glowing with golden light silently appeared.
Three golden eyes gazed intently toward the resting Fan Chen and his group.
"That aura is definitely coming from over there… but those humans look terrifying. If I go near them, they might beat me to death…"
A young, girlish voice escaped the creature's mouth.
She was the same golden light that Fan Chen had frightened off earlier.
If Fan Chen could see her now, he would immediately recognize her true identity—these appearance traits were far too distinctive.
Her form resembled Xiao Bai somewhat, her body covered entirely in gold-colored fur with a crystalline, semi-transparent sheen.
Beneath the fur, faint golden scales could be seen—especially dense and obvious along her neck and forehead.
Her most striking feature was the trio of eyes.
The two beneath her forehead were golden, gleaming like radiant gems—beautiful and mesmerizing.
But the eye set upon her forehead was different: a vertical crimson pupil, eerie and mysterious.
There was only one soul beast with such characteristics—
The Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
She had been drawn here by the aura released from Fan Chen's Bai Ze martial soul. But before she could even approach, Xiao Bai had already sensed her presence.
And then, the hostile aura erupting from Fan Chen's body completely frightened her away.
She had harbored no ill intent, yet the other party reacted with such aggression.
Thus, she could only hide on this distant slope, secretly watching the group as they slept.
She lay low against the hillside, her gaze fixed on the slumbering Fan Chen.
Both he and Xiao Bai emanated a faint white glow as they slept.
The light slowly spread outward—soft, gentle, and carrying no soul power fluctuations.
Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling could not sense anything unusual— but the Three-Eyed Golden Lion could clearly see and perceive everything.
At this moment, she was also radiating a golden glow, and that light intertwined with the faint white radiance emanating from Fan Chen.
The instant the two lights touched, they merged seamlessly, without the slightest resistance— as though they had always been meant to be one.
White and gold fused, and the entire area became enveloped in a serene, sacred stillness.
Yet the atmosphere was too quiet, unnaturally so, causing Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling to suspect that some powerful soul beast was lurking nearby.
As a result, both of them remained on high alert the entire night, nerves stretched to the breaking point.
This tense atmosphere lasted all the way until dawn.
Warm sunlight brushed against Fan Chen's cheeks, his eyelids trembling softly as he slowly awakened from sleep.
To his surprise, he had slept soundly and peacefully—far better than he had expected. He thought resting in the wilderness would be uncomfortable, yet it felt even more restful than sleeping in a proper bed.
"So this is what truly clean, unpolluted air feels like… so refreshing."
Fan Chen sighed in satisfaction and stood up, stretching lazily.
His good mood had just begun to bloom
When his gaze landed on Xiao Bai, who was still sleeping in Qian Renxue's arms.
"Oh no! This is bad!"
He had completely forgotten to store Xiao Bai back into the soul imprint last night!
If Xiao Bai woke up now, wouldn't he be drained dry in an instant?
Especially with so many other people around…
The Sleeping Cultivation Method didn't just affect him alone. As long as someone was nearby, they would all receive its amplification— but the soul power consumption fell solely on him.
Normally, when he used it alone, he could still keep a little energy for himself.
But now?
With this many people, wouldn't he be sucked dry to the last drop?
"Master! Master! Emergency! Give me some soul power-restoring pills, quick!"
Fan Chen rushed to Golden Crocodile Douluo, hoping to replenish himself before disaster struck.
"No. What pills are you taking first thing in the morning? Medicine is three parts poison—don't you understand that?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo rejected him outright, even flicking him sharply on the head.
After being tense all night, he was already irritable—and now Fan Chen was noisy on top of that. Of course, he became the target of that irritation.
Fan Chen clutched his head pitifully, unable to explain, and simply shuffled away to sulk.
In his heart, he muttered darkly:
Just you wait. When you're old and lying in a hospital bed, I'll pull out your oxygen tube.
Wait.
There is no oxygen tube in the Douluo Continent.
And also… Golden Crocodile Douluo is probably already very old.
Fine then. He wouldn't lower himself to that level. Respect the elderly and care for the young.
At that moment, Xiao Bai and Qian Renxue also awakened.
Qian Renxue rubbed her sleepy eyes, smoothed out her golden hair, then reached over to tidy Xiao Bai's fluffy fur as well.
After a good night's rest, Qian Renxue looked radiant, her golden eyes bright and spirited.
"Crap!"
Fan Chen had been distracted, staring at Qian Renxue, and completely forgot about Xiao Bai again.
Just as he prepared himself for the agonizing sensation of being instantly drained of soul power— something unexpected happened.
"Huh? Why hasn't my soul power decreased?"
Fan Chen was utterly baffled. None of this made sense.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't he have been sucked dry already? Why was nothing happening this time?
"Which part of the process went wrong?"
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure it out.
Meanwhile, on the distant hillside—
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion slowly rose to her feet. She cast one last reluctant glance toward Fan Chen before quietly departing the area.
—
End of Chapter