Chapter 111 – The Three-Eyed Golden Lion!

"Where do you think you're going?"

The Dragon-Lion Soul Beast hadn't spoken aloud, yet Zhu Ziyang clearly heard a sharp, commanding female voice ring out in his ears—a tone filled with arrogance and interrogation. His expression changed slightly. He realized that this was a form of spiritual communication, only possible for those whose spiritual power had reached an extremely high level. He himself was nowhere near capable of it yet.

Clearly, the Dragon-Lion hadn't spoken to him, but to Luoxing Xiya, the elder Starlight Unicorn. Zhu Ziyang could hear it only because of their deep spiritual bond.

"Sigh... Why did it have to be her?" Luoxing Xiya muttered to herself, clearly troubled.

"What kind of soul beast is that?" Zhu Ziyang asked curiously.

"She is called the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the auspicious beast of the Star Dou Forest, also known as the Imperial Auspicious Beast," Luoxing Xiya answered.

"Auspicious beast?"

Zhu Ziyang's heart skipped a beat. The moment he heard those words, the familiar feeling he got from this beast made perfect sense. It was another auspicious beast!

The moment he learned her identity, a strange possessiveness began to take root in his heart. It whispered to him, tempted him, drove him to want to devour the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—as if doing so would grant him immeasurable power and fortune.

Zhu Ziyang forcefully suppressed the impulse and asked, "Can you tell me more about her origin?"

Luoxing Xiya nodded. "The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was born around 8,000 years ago. Her birth caused such a stir that the sovereigns of the Lake of Life all took notice. Beast God Di Tian himself brought her to his side and entrusted her upbringing to Bi Ji. If Di Tian is the emperor of the Star Dou Forest, then she is its crown princess."

"The Imperial Auspicious Beast holds enormous significance. Since her birth, the cultivation speed of soul beasts in the forest has doubled, and bottlenecks have halved. In the past 5,000 years alone, more than twenty 100,000-year soul beasts have emerged. Even I only reached 50,000 years of cultivation thanks to her influence."

"Hiss—"

Zhu Ziyang sucked in a sharp breath, now looking at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with reverence and unease. He instantly understood her true significance to the Star Dou Forest.

To humans, this creature was a ticking time bomb.

He knew auspicious beasts were rare and powerful—but he never imagined it could be this terrifying. Her mere existence had rapidly accelerated the strength of the soul beast race, in both quantity and quality. It wouldn't be long before soul beasts would overtake humanity.

The first beast tide had already proved that soul beasts were no longer inferior to humans in strength.

If humanity wanted to prevent being surpassed, they would have to eliminate the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

But once an auspicious beast was killed, the entire Star Dou Forest would surely go berserk. There were still five Savage Beasts lurking within, including one with 800,000 years of cultivation—a Beast King with no human rival.

If the Imperial Auspicious Beast were to fall, it would trigger a full-scale war between beasts and mankind. Even if humanity won, it would be a pyrrhic victory—with civilization left in ruins.

It was a deadlock.

Unless humanity could produce a god before the beasts fully rose, there would be no peaceful solution. Otherwise, both sides were headed for all-out war.

And yet, Zhu Ziyang suddenly realized something chilling.

The human world had no idea that an auspicious beast had appeared in the Star Dou Forest. Not even Shrek Academy—humanity's front line of defense—had shown any indication of knowing about the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Either they were unaware… or they simply hadn't taken her seriously.

Zhu Ziyang frowned, stroking his chin deep in thought.

Suddenly, the lion's voice snapped him out of it:

"Hey, human! You dare to enter the Star Dou Forest? Riding a Starlight Unicorn, no less! Get down here and prepare to die!"

Her voice was clear and melodic—Zhu Ziyang was caught off guard by how beautiful it sounded.

"Wait… she can speak human language? Has she reached 100,000 years of cultivation already?" he asked in shock.

"No. Her cultivation is only about 15,000 years," Luoxing Xiya replied. "But her bloodline is so pure and powerful that she's able to speak."

"Fifteen thousand years?" Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up with a hint of malice. "Can you defeat her?"

"Please don't have any ideas about the auspicious beast!" Luoxing Xiya responded anxiously. "She usually never leaves the Core Zone. If she's out here, she's surely being followed by a Beast King!"

"Beast King?!"

Zhu Ziyang flinched, immediately pressing himself flat against her back as he scanned the area carefully.

"Pffft—cowardly human!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion burst into laughter. Her tone dripped with mockery and arrogance.

"Kneel before me and I might consider sparing your life!"

"Watch your tone!" Luoxing Xiya snapped. "This is the Child of Light you're speaking to! Show some respect!"

"Child of Light? So what?" the lion scoffed. "I'm the Imperial Auspicious Beast. Every beast in the forest bows to me—except for Di Tian and Bi Ji. Why should I lower myself for some little human?"

Zhu Ziyang, meanwhile, noticed something critical.

There was no Beast King nearby.

If there had been, it would have already killed him at first sight. That meant… she must've sneaked out alone.

Time to confirm.

He straightened up and whispered to Luoxing Xiya,

"Ask her if she ran away from home."

"…Alright."

Though confused, Luoxing Xiya complied. "You shouldn't be here. Go back to the Lake of Life immediately."

"I don't wanna!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion shouted. "I finally managed to sneak out while the Red King was napping—I'm not going back so soon!"

Red King.

One of the Ten Savage Beasts. Rank 8. A 300,000-year Three-Headed Crimson Demon Hound—the lion's personal bodyguard.

Zhu Ziyang sighed in relief. Then a mischievous grin appeared on his face.

"Luoxing Xiya," he said, "Go teach that mouthy cub a lesson for disrespecting the Child of Light."

"Wait, what?" Luoxing Xiya hesitated. "Child of Light… that's too risky."

"Relax. Just a light beating. We're not going to hurt her," Zhu Ziyang said. "That little brat needs to be taught some manners."

"…Alright then."

Luoxing Xiya gritted her teeth and nodded. As long as they didn't truly injure her, it would be fine. She'd go easy—just enough to scare her off.

Without delay, Luoxing Xiya's horn flared with golden light. She released a beam of pure light energy directly at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

"You dare attack me?!"

The lion roared, shocked. She'd never expected anyone in the Star Dou Forest to actually lay a hand on her. Outraged, she opened her mouth and unleashed a torrent of golden flame, which collided with Luoxing Xiya's beam.

Both attacks canceled out instantly.

Zhu Ziyang didn't wait.

He leapt off Luoxing Xiya's back and activated his Silver Right Eye—locking the lion in place with spiritual power.

To his surprise, the binding only lasted a split second before the lion broke free and glared at him in fury.

But Zhu Ziyang didn't waste time. He summoned his Heavenly Frost Saint White Dragon Martial Soul, releasing an icy chill that instantly froze her in place.

He landed calmly in front of her, watching as her three eyes filled with rage, threat, and now… fear.

The freeze was time-based. He had three seconds.

Plenty of time to get even.

"Don't go too far," Luoxing Xiya reminded gently.

Zhu Ziyang raised his hand… and slapped the lion's forehead.

Again. And again.

She couldn't move. Her three eyes brimmed with anger—and then, slowly, indignation.

With one second left, Zhu Ziyang prepared to deliver a final hit—but then paused.

He noticed the red vertical eye on her forehead spinning slightly.

On a whim, he leaned forward and pressed his own forehead against hers, aligning it with the lion's third eye.

And in that moment—

Something unexpected happened.