Putting away the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's carcass, the master and disciple walked through the lush Star Dou Forest.
With the old Black Dragon's protection, Wang Lin walked openly through the Star Dou Forest. When they encountered a soul beast that didn't know better, Long Xiaoyao generally let Wang Lin handle it if he could, only intervening for soul beasts that Wang Lin truly couldn't deal with.
In this manner, two hours quietly passed, and the Star Dou Forest began to grow dim.
Having failed to find a suitable soul beast all afternoon, the master and disciple simply found a clearing in the Star Dou Forest and rested there.
A bonfire was lit. Long Xiaoyao took out the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's paw, peeled off the skin, strung it onto a wooden stick, lightly seasoned it with a bit of salt, and placed it directly over the bonfire to roast.
The golden dragon scale patterns on Wang Lin's right arm, hidden under his long sleeve, faintly glowed. A light dragon's might, along with the aroma, permeated the surroundings, warning nearby soul beasts not to approach easily.
Other than the initial encounter with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, the soul beasts they met on the way, whether Wang Lin or Long Xiaoyao, chose to drive them away, not killing any more.
Soul beasts are difficult to cultivate. Wang Lin also didn't believe he could get a soul bone from soul beasts with only thousand-year cultivation.
Mass slaughtering soul beasts would incur the backlash of the Star Dou Forest.
Moreover, Wang Lin clearly knew that the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was an exception. That was him seizing Huo Yuhao's opportunity.
However, thinking of Huo Yuhao's opportunities, Wang Lin suddenly realized that he had already seized and destroyed most of them.
Excluding the Blade of Life, Heavenly Dream Shedding, the 400,000-year soul ring of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, the soul beast embryo, the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, and the Eye of Ice and Fire.
Plus the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Right Palm Bone he just obtained. Looking at it this way, Huo Yuhao truly had many opportunities. The name "Huo Hang" (Huo the Cheat) was well deserved.
Sizzle!
Golden-yellow oil sizzled on the bear paw roasting over the bonfire. The rich aroma was intoxicating. Wang Lin swallowed hard, and rustling sounds came from the surroundings.
These were clearly sounds made by soul beasts attracted by the aroma but forced to stay away due to the dragon's might.
The bear paw still needed some time to roast. Wang Lin shifted his attention from the bear paw, focusing his mind to recall Huo Yuhao's remaining opportunities in the original work.
It seemed that besides the Auspicious Imperial Beast and the Valley of Love, the only remaining opportunity he could intervene with was the Ice Cave in the Earth Dragon Gate, which would also be easy to seize—just move it away in advance.
As for the Auspicious Imperial Beast and the Valley of Love, Wang Lin didn't dare to even think about them.
The former was a Mental-attribute soul beast, but it carried the other half of Princess Tang's soul. Wang Lin was afraid that if he interfered, he would end up with his own "Tang Wutong."
That would be too scary. He couldn't accept marrying his wife and still needing his father-in-law's consent to consummate the marriage. Would he be marrying a wife or acquiring a locked... Ugh.
Thinking this, Wang Lin realized his thoughts were impure, but he couldn't blame himself. The restrictions Tang San placed on Tang Wutong really gave him this feeling.
Tang Wutong was not a normal person. Wang Lin remembered that it took Huo Yuhao a long time to remove that restriction.
And Tang Wutong herself seemed content with it, apparently not feeling that there was any problem with her father placing such a restriction on her.
Most importantly, this restriction only targeted Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao couldn't touch her, but other men could. Only Huo Yuhao could understand and accept this kind of thing.
The latter, the Valley of Love, was self-explanatory. Wang Lin had already seized so many of Huo Yuhao's opportunities. If he entered the Valley of Love, he shouldn't expect any opportunities. Being treated the same as Huo Yuhao would be considered good fortune.
The more Wang Lin thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. He should keep his distance from Huo Yuhao and related individuals in the future. As for the issue of the gods' bet.
With the immortal herbs and Elder Yi, he was still confident he could be faster than Huo Yuhao.
While his thoughts wandered, Wang Lin looked up at the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear paw, whose color had changed, and asked: "It smells so good, Master, is it ready?"
The moment he spoke, a commanding, steady voice came from the side.
"It will be a while longer."
Wang Lin's pupils contracted upon hearing that voice. He was about to summon his martial soul because he knew that was not Long Xiaoyao's voice.
But before he could move, a large hand was placed on Wang Lin's shoulder. Long Xiaoyao's voice rang out at the same time.
"Don't move!" The tone carried a rare solemnity.
Wang Lin's muscles tensed. He noticed Long Xiaoyao, sitting opposite the bonfire, whose muscles were tensed, looking gravely toward his right.
He slowly turned his head to look. A well-built man with long black hair had appeared next to him at some point.
The man wore loose black clothes. His stern face was expressionless, and a streak of golden hair fell across his forehead. His pair of golden beast pupils locked onto Wang Lin.
Noticing the change in Wang Lin's pupils, the man became interested, looking at Wang Lin playfully.
"Brat, you seem to recognize me?"
"I..." Wang Lin was about to speak, but the man waved his hand, signaling Wang Lin to be quiet. Instead, he leaned closer to Wang Lin and sniffed with his nose.
"Your scent is very complex. There's the smell of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, the Ice Maiden from the far north, and..."
Before he could finish, a clear, beautiful female voice rang out.
"And a bloodline aura identical to mine!"
Hearing this, Wang Lin turned his head to look. A soul beast, over three meters long, eight feet tall at the shoulder, covered in a glow resembling splendid golden fur, walked out and sat next to the man.
The soul beast's entire body was like semi-transparent crystal, full of an unusual texture. Its overall shape resembled a lion, with dragon-like claws and a mouth slightly longer than other feline soul beasts. Beneath the dense fur-like glow were fine golden scales.
Most crucially, between the soul beast's pair of golden beast pupils, there was an additional ominous red vertical pupil.
"Interesting. You seem to recognize me, but you aren't afraid of me. Instead, you're afraid of her. Can you tell me why?"
Because I don't want to be a dog, nor do I want a wife without her own personal autonomy.
Muttering an internal complaint, Wang Lin said aloud: "Because you are human, and she is a soul beast."
Wang Lin spoke this sentence with extreme seriousness, but the man didn't fully accept it, chuckling: "Brat, you don't even believe that yourself! You should know who this sovereign is. Say this sovereign's name, and this sovereign will not kill you."
Although the man did not exude any killing intent, Wang Lin knew the man was serious.
"In this continent, in this Star Dou Forest, the only person stronger than my Master is the legendary number one powerhouse of the continent, the Beast God Di Tian. So, I guess you are Di Tian."
Wang Lin said. A gray light flashed across his pupils. Because the base color of his pupils was gray, the man did not notice the abnormality.
"Correct. This sovereign is indeed Di Tian." Di Tian nodded in satisfaction, his pair of golden pupils examining Wang Lin from head to toe.
"Guess again what kind of soul beast she is. If you guess correctly, this sovereign will grant you a major opportunity."
Is he seriously going to give me the Auspicious Imperial Beast? I don't want it!
Thinking of Huo Yuhao's fate, Wang Lin felt a chill in his heart. His expression became solemn. He carefully examined the Auspicious Imperial Beast. After a while, he seemed to have reached a conclusion, and an incredibly confident smile appeared on his face.
"If I'm not mistaken, this must be a Golden Lion!"