Huo Yuhao stood to one side as he took in the scene before him in awe. Five of the ten great Savage Beasts, feared by all soul masters, were present. The Beast God himself, who was ranked first among the ten great Savage Beasts, was here. Including the Icesky Snow Lady inside him, who was ranked third, and the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, seven of the ten great Savage Beasts were present. It was an unprecedented gathering!
The terror in his heart disappeared. He became unusually calm. While an experience like this was extremely dangerous, how could it not be exciting, too?
The Myriad Demon King and the Scarlet King both had ugly expressions on their faces. Bi Ji’s head was lowered, and her face was pale. Sadness filled her beautiful eyes.
“Take a seat,” said Di Tian plainly.
The other four Savage Beasts looked at him. Upon hearing his words, they all sat down in front of him.
Di Tian turned his head to look at Huo Yuhao and said, “You may sit, too. Repeat what you told me. Release the Snow Empress, too.”
“Okay,” agreed Huo Yuhao, nodding. He sat down where he was, unleashed his Eye of Destiny, and released the Snow Empress. He repeated the words he had said to convince Di Tian, including the conversation he had had with him.
“…War will only lead to destruction. Only by creating something of greater value can we resolve the problem at its root.”
When she heard Huo Yuhao’s words, Bi Ji the Emerald Swan’s gaze became more focused. The Myriad Demon King appeared to be in deep thought. The Scarlet King and the Bear Lord, however, only understood a bit of it. The Scarlet King would furrow his brows occasionally, while the Bear Lord would look at Huo Yuhao fiercely. He seemed to be on the verge of attacking him at any moment.
Huo Yuhao remained fearless as he spoke.
Di Tian said, “You heard what he said? If what he says can be achieved, the situation of the entire continent will change. The Emperor Beast offered herself up for him, and hence, he inherited the Emperor Beast’s fortune. In other words, if he dies, the fortune of Star Dou will end.”
Upon hearing Di Tian’s last sentence, the Scarlet King and the Beast Lord appeared to have understood. The most obvious indicator of their comprehension was the Bear Lord looking at Huo Yuhao differently. His gaze became much less severe. No matter how powerful he was, he would not risk his home!
Bi Ji looked at Huo Yuhao. At such a close distance, her emerald-green eyes were moving. “What happened between you and the Emperor Beast? Why would the Emperor Beast offer herself up for you? Can you tell us about how you two met?”
Huo Yuhao paused for a while, and a look of pain flashed across his eyes. In the past few days, to keep calm, he had tried not to think so much. He did not want to remind himself of Qiu’er’s death.
Now, when this Emerald Swan asked him, he could not help but think about it. The five Savage Beasts looked at him. Undoubtedly, the other four Savage Beasts wanted to know the response to Bi Ji’s question, too.
The Emperor Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, was the highest existence in the entire Great Star Dou Forest. Even Di Tian would not presume to be better than her! However, none of the five Savage Beasts could understand why would she willingly offer her life for a human.
Huo Yuhao took in a deep breath, and said, “I met Qiu’er in the Great Star Dou Forest. At that time, I had gone to the forest to get soul rings. Elder Scarlet King, do you remember the first time we met the Emperor Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?”
A look of shock crossed the Scarlet King’s face as he said, “Are you the one who wanted me to send soul beasts out in exchange for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion? At that time, the Taotie Douluo came with you, right?”
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “That’s right. That time, Elder Xuan brought Dong’er and me into the Great Star Dou Forest. Coincidentally, we met the Three-Eyed Golden Lion there. Elder Xuan captured her, and my forehead touched hers. A peculiar change happened between us. Our brains received each other’s memories. That was when my Eye of Destiny was activated, which greatly increased my spiritual-type abilities.
“After I left the Great Star Dou Forest, the impact of this incident on me became more severe. While the memories of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion were in my mind, her memories were way too pure. They were just memories of her cultivating in the forest, and there weren’t many changes. Hence, I did not take a closer look at them. However, unlike me, she told me that that contact made her see how exciting the human world was. So she chose to take a human form and enter our human world.”
When they heard him say this, the faces of the five Savage Beasts turned ugly, especially that of the Scarlet King. For a long period of time, he was in charge of looking after the Emperor Beast. However, none of them knew that the Emperor Beast had left.
Huo Yuhao continued, “When she entered the human world, she followed my memories and transformed into the most beautiful person in my mind. Then, she entered my life…”
He started to talk about the first time he had met Wang Qiu’er, as well as the ups and downs of his relationship with Dong’er. This time, he recounted his tale very carefully. Unknowingly, he became completely engrossed in his own memories. Qiu’er and Dong’er flashed past in his mind. All of his memories were crystal-clear.
After the battle, the five Savage Beasts were angry and tired. However, as Huo Yuhao told them his story, they all calmed down. Even the ferocious Bear Lord gradually became engrossed in the story of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and Wang Qiu’er.
Huo Yuhao told his story passionately. At that moment, he bared his heart. When he talked about how Wang Dong’er chose suicide to save him in the Yin-Yang Love Querying Valley, which caused her to fall into a coma, the Emerald Swan could not help but exclaim as if she had personally experienced it. When he told them about how he had burned his Spiritual Sea to save Qiu’er, and how he was eventually revived by Qiu’er’s Sacrifice, the five Savage Beasts were all dumbstruck.
Of the five Savage Beasts, even the weakest one, the Scarlet King, had lived on this world for two hundred and sixty thousand years. Naturally, they could tell that Huo Yuhao’s story was completely true. His spiritual power made this tragic love story feel even more real for them.
When they first heard that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had sacrificed herself for a human, the five Savage Beasts all thought that she had been tricked. None of them had expected such a complex process.
Was there deception in this process? All there was in this story was love, something which soul beasts found hard to fathom.
Tears fell from Bi Ji’s eyes. The Scarlet King’s brows were furrowed. The Myriad Demon King appeared lost in thought, and the Bear Lord’s face brimmed with righteous anger. In the eyes of the Beast God, Di Tian, there was nothing but dejection. Despite their different expressions, they were all deeply engrossed in his tale.
“Qiu’er, Qiu’er…” Huo Yuhao pursed his lips tightly, but they could not help but twitch. No matter what, Dong’er was still alive, and he could still think of her. However, Qiu’er was gone forever. Not even her corpse was left.
A leaf, which was about as big as two palms, was delivered to him. On the leaf, one could see a glistening puddle of the Water of Life.
Huo Yuhao turned his head. What he saw was Bi Ji’s tear-streaked face.
“Thank you.” After he received the Water of Life, Huo Yuhao slowly drank it. A thick life energy filled his body, but it could not take away his pain.
Di Tian sighed softly. His eyes were sorrowful. “I never expected the Emperor Beast to die like this.”
Bi Ji lowered her head and said, “I don’t know why, but I think her choice was right. Even though she only had a short period of time, she experienced the most intense emotions.”
The Bear Lord snorted and said, “Humans are complicated. Why don’t they just snatch someone to mate with?”
The Myriad Demon King’s mouth twitched, and he said, “All you know is how to mate. Human emotions are far more complex.”
The Bear Lord glared at him and said, “So what if I mate? Mating is natural. If I don’t mate, how can I ensure the continuity of my line and the entire Great Star Dou Forest?”
The Myriad Demon King snorted. However, he could not risk offending him, and so, he said nothing more.
The Scarlet King kept quiet. Compared to the other four Savage Beasts, his position was much lower.
Di Tian said, “The Emperor Beast is dead. We can’t save her now. However, what do you think of this matter about Spirits?”
The Myriad Demon King said, “It’s believable. At least, we have the example of the Snow Lady. However, will they lose their consciousness after they had been transformed into Spirits? Isn’t this the same as dying? Boy, how confident are you that we soul beasts can maintain our consciousness even after we have been turned into Spirits?”
Huo Yuhao said, “I am about seventy percent sure. The Snow Empress’ situation was unique. When her powerful energy exploded, I would have been dead if not for my otherworldly teacher, who burned his own divine sense. In a normal Spirit Fusion between a soul beast and a human, this problem will not occur. Hence, I’m quite confident of success.”
He was not boasting. The Snow Empress was not the only Spirit in his body. The Skyworm Icedream existed, too! He was fully conscious, and right now, he was cursing the five Savage Beasts furiously from inside his Spiritual Sea. However, Brother Skydream dared not show himself now. If he did, Huo Yuhao would be in serious trouble.
Bi Ji said, “I feel that we can give it a shot. After this battle, many of us have been severely injured, beyond curing. All they can do is to wait for death. I’ve already ordered the Emerald Swans to gather them together and treat them. However, for many of them, they are inches away from death. They are the best candidate for this Spirit experimentation.”
Di Tian nodded and said, “Alright, go ahead. Huo Yuhao, may you succeed.”
Huo Yuhao wiped the tears from his face and nodded. He could sense the chill in Di Tian’s voice, and he understood the consequences of failure.
However, this was the best possible time, for both humans and soul beasts. His spiritual power had increased by a lot, and he was confident.
“Elder Bi Ji, before the process of Spirit Transformation begins, may I trouble you to convince the soul beasts that will be taking part in this ceremony? They are injured because of humans, and it’s likely that they are filled with hate for us humans. For Spirit Transformation to work, both parties need to be willing. If not, if either party is unwilling to do so, failure will ensue. You need to assure them so that there can be a possibility of success.
“At the same time, I have one suggestion. Other than asking the soul beasts which have been severely injured in the war, can we ask soul beasts who are nearing the end of their lives, but did not participate in the war? Soul beasts are straightforward, and I fear they may not let go of their hatred so easily. On the other hand, for soul beasts who are naturally near death, I feel that they will be calmer. This is an experiment, and hence, we need to consider various factors.”
Bi Ji looked at Di Tian. Di Tian nodded and said, “Yes, it’s fine. Do as he says.”
“Scarlet King, send word to Shrek to bring their participants in this experiment to the edge of the Great Star Dou Forest.”
The Bear Lord’s mouth twitched as he asked, “Will they dare to come?”
Huo Yuhao looked at him seriously and said, “All cooperation is built on the sincerity of both sides. This beast wave brought death and destruction to both sides. If we can’t let go of this hatred, there’s no future for either of us.”
Di Tian said coldly, “He’s right. When you head back, rein in all your subordinates. This matter concerns the future of Star Dou. If there are any slip-up, don’t blame me for being unforgiving. While I am still ten thousand years away from my Ninth Metamorphosis, don’t think you can do what you want and get away with it. Just try me!”
As he said that, he looked intently at the Bear Lord. Despite the Bear Lord’s strength, he did not dare to lift his head.
In the Great Star Dou Forest, other than Di Tian, the strongest being was the leader of the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears. Right now, Di Tian was telling him not to act rashly!
The Myriad Demon King looked at the Bear Lord from the corner of his eyes. He evidently did not respect him. In terms of fighting strength, he was weaker than the Bear Lord. However, he never once viewed him as a worthy foe. What use was a fellow with all brawn and no brain? Even if Di Tian died in his next Metamorphosis, the Great Star Dou Forest would not be controlled by the Bear Lord. The Myriad Demon King, Bi Ji, and the Scarlet King had all already agreed to this.
Faced with Di Tian’s pressure, the Bear Lord could only lower his head. However, there was clear resentment in his eyes.
Di Tian turned to Huo Yuhao and said, “Rest next to the Water of Life. The rest of you can return to your territories. Bi Ji, start the preparations.”
“Yes,” Bi Ji agreed quickly.
The four Savage Beasts all left. Di Tian looked at Huo Yuhao, and then, as if his entire body was weightless, floated toward the center of the lake made from the Water of Life. What shocked Huo Yuhao was that the moment his body reached the center of the lake, his body turned fainter and fainter, until it finally disappeared…
