Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 384 The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Zhan Xuanzi, and the Crimson King

The nights in the Starry Sky Forest are not peaceful; the chirping of insects and the roaring of beasts rise and fall.

Huo Yuhao and the other two took turns keeping watch at night, so they didn't get a proper rest, but with their soul power, they were still full of energy when they woke up in the morning.

The following day, they continued to venture deeper into the mixed zone in search of a spirit-type soul beast suitable for Huo Yuhao.

However, spirit-type soul beasts are rare to begin with, and those that reach the ten-thousand-year level are even rarer. After searching for a whole day, they still found nothing.

Although Huo Yuhao was somewhat anxious, he thought that his body, which had been strengthened by the Life Gold, was strong enough to withstand a ten-thousand-year soul ring, so he was unwilling to compromise and patiently put his mind at ease.

The threads of fate always intertwine unexpectedly, or perhaps they are the mutual attraction between aggregates of destiny.

The auspicious beast Three-Eyed Golden Lion, which should be active near the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest, is now, for some unknown reason, chasing after a rare twin giant of light and darkness with a cultivation level of 30,000 years, all the way to the edge of the mixed zone.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion resembles a lion, its entire body covered in dazzling golden fur, as if woven from sunlight. A single vertical eye on its forehead exudes endless mystery and majesty.

Wherever it passed, the surrounding plants seemed to become more vibrant, and an invisible force of fortune spread out.

It possesses both ultimate fire and ultimate light attributes, and is an auspicious creature in the Star Dou Great Forest, where the growth rate of soul beasts increases exponentially. It has a peculiar habit—it enjoys eating the brain marrow of light-attribute soul beasts.

The three-thousand-year-old twin giants of light and darkness were considered strong among their race, but in front of the three-eyed golden lion, they were like encountering their natural enemy. Their power of light and darkness was completely suppressed by the pure light, and they could not muster much will to resist.

In just a few rounds, the three-eyed golden lion's sharp claws tore through its defenses, precisely piercing its skull and tasting its warm, bright brain marrow.

This scene was captured by Xuanzi, who was taking a break in the air while scanning his surroundings with his divine sense.

"Huh? This is... a mythical beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?!"

Xuanzi's cloudy eyes lit up instantly, filled with shock and greed. "The legendary imperial beast. If only I could capture it..."

He couldn't even imagine the enormous boost it would bring as a spirit ring or spirit bone!
He clearly knew about auspicious beasts, but he didn't fully understand their importance to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Although he sensed that this three-eyed golden lion, despite having only ten thousand years of cultivation, exuded a terrifying aura comparable to a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, Xuanzi was extremely confident in his own strength.

In the blink of an eye, Xuanzi descended from the sky like a ghost, unleashing the terrifying pressure of a level 98 Super Douluo without reservation. A huge yellow hand, formed from soul power, reached out to grab the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who was enjoying its meal.

Sensing a deadly threat, the three-eyed golden lion let out a roar of shock and rage, unleashing bursts of ultimate light and fire in an attempt to resist.

But under Xuanzi's full-force attack, its powerful strength was as immature as that of a young beast, and it was about to be captured by that large hand.

At this critical moment.

"Buzz!"

Space distorted, and a figure appeared without warning between the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Xuanzi.

The newcomer was dressed in magnificent armor that shimmered with light and color. His aura was obscure and difficult to discern. His soul power fluctuations seemed to indicate that he was a Title Douluo, yet his imposing presence was on par with Xuanzi's.

It was Gula, who had been hiding nearby. He had come for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, but he hadn't expected Xuanzi to suddenly launch an attack.

What surprised him even more was that the moment the three-eyed golden lion appeared, he clearly felt a subtle connection between himself and this auspicious beast, an invisible bond between those who were both "blessed by destiny".

Xuanzi's giant hand suddenly stopped a few meters away from Gula. His pupils shrank. He sensed an extremely dangerous aura from the armored figure in front of him, which even made him feel a little uneasy. This was no ordinary person!
"Who are you?!" Xuanzi's voice was solemn, his entire body tense with soul power, and the phantom of the Taotie Divine Ox appeared and disappeared behind him.

Almost simultaneously, another fierce and tyrannical aura suddenly erupted from not far away.

A crimson figure crashed down on the scene like a fiery meteor, revealing a giant beast resembling a giant dog with three ferocious heads and its body engulfed in dark red flames—the guardian of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the Crimson King, with over 300,000 years of cultivation.

"Humans, release the auspicious beasts! Otherwise, the Star Dou Great Forest will not hesitate to launch a beast tide immediately and raze your human world to the ground!"

The Red King's central head let out a deep, thunderous roar, its three pairs of eyes fixed on Xuanzi and Gula, filled with rage and threat.

Xuanzi's face instantly turned extremely ugly, realizing that he had underestimated the importance of the Emperor Beast. The threat of the beast tide was something that even Shrek Academy could not withstand.

Gura, caught in the middle, seemed to ignore the confrontation between the two powerful figures.

He slowly squatted down, reached out, and gently stroked the golden fur of the three-eyed golden lion, which seemed frightened and somewhat timid.

"It feels nice to the touch," he commented, his tone as calm as if he were evaluating a work of art.

The three-eyed golden lion was stunned for a moment. It felt a strange sense of intimacy from the armored man in front of it, as if they came from the same source, but there was a blurry distance between them, which made it not resist the touch.

It tilted its head, its vertical eye flashing, and uttered a questioning female voice: "Who are you?"

"We'll talk about it later." Gula stood up, his gaze sweeping over Xuanzi and the Red King.

The next moment, almost simultaneously, Xuanzi and Chiwang made their moves.

Xuanzi's target was Gula. He had to find out the identity and purpose of this mysterious powerhouse. He struck out with his palm, his soul power surging, carrying the gluttonous power to devour everything.

The Red King's goal was to rescue the Three-Eyed Lion. Its three heads simultaneously spewed out black and red flames powerful enough to melt metal and stone, engulfing Gura.

Gula reacted extremely quickly, making a sweeping motion with his left hand. An invisible spatial force acted like a cage, imprisoning the curiously peering Three-Eyed Golden Lion in place, protecting it and preventing it from running away.

At the same time, a flash of light appeared behind him, and a bear's howl that shook the mountains and forests resounded.

A colossal bear spirit, enormous in size, with bulging muscles and emanating a primordial aura, suddenly appeared.

Its body shimmered with a heavy, earthy yellow light, and its every move seemed to stir up the surrounding gravity field. It was Gula's first soul spirit—the Titan Bear, which was formed by the fusion of three top-tier soul beast bloodlines!
Through Gula's nurturing and its own bloodline originating from the Gravity Titan, although it is still at the level of a 100,000-year-old soul spirit, its control over the ultimate earth and gravity powers makes its actual combat strength far exceed that of ordinary 100,000-year-old soul beasts.

The Titan Bear spirit roared as it charged toward the Crimson King, its massive paws striking out and instantly distorting gravity, even suppressing and dissipating the Crimson King's fiery breath.

A bear and a dog, two enormous creatures, instantly clashed, causing the earth to crack, trees to fall, and the scene to be extremely terrifying.

Although the Crimson King was strong, he was temporarily suppressed by the Titan Bear, whose strength, defense, and gravity control were all extremely abnormal, and could only roar repeatedly, unable to break through. On the other side, Gula faced Xuanzi directly.

His Star Soul Core spun wildly within his body, forcibly devouring and absorbing a massive amount of heaven and earth energy. The three-word battle armor on his body, bearing the inscription "Eternal Solidity," shone brightly, temporarily pushing his soul power level to a realm comparable to that of an ordinary Title Douluo.

A long, emerald-green sword, formed from the life force of the surrounding forest and vegetation, materialized in his hand.

The next moment, an incomparably sharp and all-severing aura soared into the sky—the Sword Soul!
"Let me see the strength of the Gluttonous Douluo."

Gula's voice came through the visor, carrying a hint of challenge.

He wanted to use this level 98 Super Douluo as a whetstone, attempting to glimpse the legendary realm of the Sword God under pressure. Even if he failed, it would greatly solidify his foundation in swordsmanship.

"Arrogant young man!"

Xuanzi was furious. He had already seen the youthful life force beneath the Gula Armor, as well as the soul power fluctuations that were forcibly enhanced by external objects.

A young man with only a soul tool dares to challenge him? The phantom of the Gluttonous Divine Ox solidified, like a mountain collapsing, crushing down with a terrifying power that could devour everything!

"Well done!"

Gula neither dodged nor evaded; the sword of vitality in his hand gathered the essence of the forest within a hundred meters, making it lush and verdant.

However, just as he was about to collide with Xuanzi's palm force, his sixth soul ring suddenly lit up.

A cold, eerie aura flashed by, and behind him, Yin Wansheng's Yin-Yang Ghost Emperor Martial Soul flashed by. The Yin-Yang Ghost Emperor's Martial Soul characteristics were simulated and triggered, Yin and Yang were reversed, attributes were reversed, and the Sword Intent of Life was instantly reversed!

The immense life force instantly transformed into the purest, most desolate death force. The emerald longsword turned gray and lifeless, as if it could strip away all life, greatly increasing its destructive power.

"An evil soul master!" Xuanzi's pupils shrank sharply, and he exclaimed in shock. This pure power of death was something that a righteous soul master could never possess.

Gula offered no explanation. So be it, a demonic soul master; power itself is neither good nor evil.

His understanding of death stemmed from two incarnations related to death, and was profoundly insightful.

The Death Sword Soul's intent unfolds, and the sword's momentum becomes eerie, ethereal, yet extremely dangerous, with each strike carrying the meaning of eroding life and returning to nothingness.

Xuanzi dared not use the Taotie Divine Ox to directly confront this death sword intent, fearing that his origin would be eroded by the aura of death. He could only continuously urge his soul power to launch long-range attacks or dodge and block, making him feel restricted and extremely frustrated.

However, his Gluttonous Martial Soul was indeed powerful. During the battle, it could continuously devour the opponent's scattered soul power to replenish itself, attempting to drag the battle into a protracted war.

Gula's pressure gradually increased, and he realized that he had underestimated the strength of a level 98 Super Douluo.

Even with the support of the three-word battle armor, the quality and quantity of his soul power still showed a significant gap, putting him at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle.

He immediately changed tactics and unleashed his first soul skill – Boundless Forest Domain!

The endless trees around him seemed to come alive, their branches and vines transforming into countless emerald green or grayish-white blades, surging towards Xuanzi from all directions like waves.

Gula's true form is hidden within, his sword moves sometimes as intricate as ten thousand falling leaves, sometimes as simple as a straight thrust, constantly changing, purely using the Xuanzi to hone his swordsmanship, no longer pursuing a one-hit kill.

Xuanzi was so angry that his face turned ashen. How could he not see that the other party was using him as a sparring partner?

But he was helpless. The opponent's domain was perfectly integrated with the forest, its recovery ability was amazing, and its attributes countered his earth-attribute defense. Although he didn't know why the evil soul master could control plants, he simply couldn't defeat this slippery "evil soul master" in a short time.

On the other side, the Crimson King was also struggling to breathe under the weight of the Titan Bear's spirit's gravity field and terrifying power. Several deep claw marks appeared on his body, and he roared repeatedly but could not break through.

Gula calculated the time in his mind, knowing that he could not delay any longer.

Di Tian has likely already sensed the auspicious beast's danger and is on his way. If that Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King were to descend, given his strength—which he couldn't even defeat Xuanzi—facing a true dragon that is at least a demigod would be a huge problem.

With a thought, he instantly teleported to the side of the three-eyed golden lion, which was imprisoned by space.

"What are you doing?!" Xuanzi and Chiwang exclaimed at the same time, both fearing for various reasons that he would harm the auspicious beast. They tried to stop him, but were suppressed by the overwhelming gravity of the Titan Bear.

Within a second, Gu La placed his hand on the forehead of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and his powerful spiritual energy resonated slightly with a trace of luck.

He did not harm it, but left a spiritual imprint and a sentence, saying to Xuanzi and Chiwang, "Three days later, I will return it intact to this place. I guarantee that it will not be harmed in the slightest."

After saying this, without waiting for the Red King's response, Gula, along with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, vanished without a trace as the space around him rippled violently.

The powerful spatial teleportation ability left both Xuanzi and Chiwang stunned.

The Crimson King's three heads stared at each other, roaring angrily, but to no avail. Its opponent's strength was unfathomable, and its spatial abilities were unparalleled; it simply couldn't track them.

It could only glare at Xuanzi resentfully. If it weren't for Xuanzi, the auspicious beast would most likely not have been in danger. It turned around and transformed into a crimson rainbow, rushing back to the core area to report this earth-shattering event to Emperor Tian.

The mythical beast has been kidnapped by a mysterious and powerful human!
Xuanzi's expression shifted constantly, and he no longer cared about giving Huo Yuhao any more "training".

His powerful mental energy swept across the mixed zone, finally finding a three-eyed phantom fox of the mental type that had just reached the ten-thousand-year level and whose attributes were fairly compatible, and forcibly subdued it.

Then he quickly found Huo Yuhao and the other two, briefly explained the situation, omitting the part about his own actions in snatching the auspicious beast and Gula's appearance, and led them and the ten-thousand-year-old soul beast away from the troublesome Star Dou Great Forest at the fastest speed.

Shortly after they left, in the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest, an extremely terrifying dragon's might suddenly erupted, sweeping across all directions.

Di Tian's figure appeared high in the sky, his face terribly grim. He listened to the Crimson King's terrified report, his golden light flickering uncertainly in his eyes.

"Useless!" Di Tian shouted coldly, his voice shaking the surrounding area. "Demon King, mobilize all plant-type soul beasts and search! Even if you have to turn the entire Star Dou Great Forest upside down, find the trace of the auspicious beast!"

Deep in the forest, countless ancient trees swayed silently, as if the entire forest had opened its eyes. A massive search for the auspicious beast quietly began.

The auspicious beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, which had been taken away, was now curiously observing the human with a peculiar aura who had brought it away from the battlefield. It did not sense any danger, so it was not afraid at all. On the contrary, it felt a sense of excitement at escaping its monotonous life.

(End of this chapter)