Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

The three quickened their pace and arrived at an open area. Ningbing dragged an ice chain in her hand, the end of which was bound to a giant black tiger covered in wounds.

The tiger was enormous, with a single horn on its forehead and black mist swirling around it; it was none other than the ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, the "Shadow Demon Tiger."

But at this moment it was on its last breath and didn't even have the strength to struggle.

"The Shadow Tiger, which is over 45,000 years old, is skilled in stealth and explosive power, making it a perfect fourth soul ring for you." Ningbing released the ice chain and looked at Bai Yue'er.

Bai Yue'er nodded and drew a dagger from her waist. The blade flashed with a cold light and precisely pierced the Shadow Tiger's vital point.

The tiger's body twitched a few times before it stopped breathing. Immediately afterward, a deep black spirit ring slowly rose from the corpse.

She sat cross-legged, circulated her cultivation technique, and began to draw upon her soul rings.

Ningbing and Xuanhuo stood guard on either side of her, their auras fully unleashed as they vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

The absorption process of a ten-thousand-year soul ring must not be disturbed, otherwise, at best, all previous efforts will be wasted, and at worst, a backlash will result in serious injury.

Time passed by, and only the rustling of leaves in the wind remained in the forest.

Suddenly, Ningbing and Xuanhuo turned their heads at the same time, their gazes shooting in the same direction like lightning.

The ground began to shake.

At first, it was just a barely perceptible tremor, but it quickly became violent. Withered leaves fell from the branches, and in the distance came the loud sound of trees breaking.

A scorching and violent aura approached from afar, as if some enormous creature was charging towards them.

"Be on guard!" Ningbing shouted in a low voice, and the cold air condensed into an ice wall in front of her.

Xuanhuo stared coldly ahead, his body engulfed in crimson flames.

boom--

The tree was snapped in half, and a colossal beast came into view.

It was a giant dog, entirely crimson, with three heads, each as large as a millstone, and six eyes burning with golden flames.

When it stands, it is over five meters tall at the shoulder and nearly ten zhang long. Its red fur is like burning flames, and it exhales scorching breath with every breath.

The ferocious beast, the three-headed Crimson Demon Mastiff, the Crimson King!

The left head let out a low growl, its voice like thunder: "Human, hand over the auspicious beast."

Ningbing's pupils contracted slightly, while Xuanhuo clenched his fists. Both of them sensed the ferocious aura emanating from the other—this was a genuine 300,000-year-old ferocious beast!

It turns out that not long ago, in the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest, the Crimson King was dozing off in his territory.

Suddenly, the Imperial Beast came bounding over, saying it sensed a similar aura on the outskirts of the forest.

The Crimson King initially didn't believe it. Auspicious beasts are symbols of good fortune, and in the entire history of the Douluo Continent, there have never been more than two auspicious beasts existing at the same time.

How could one suddenly appear?

But the mythical beast wouldn't give up, biting his tail and pulling hard, even pointing in a direction with unwavering conviction.

The Red King, having no other choice, got up to investigate. What he saw nearly made him jump out of his skin – there really was a three-eyed golden lion!

Moreover, its aura is purer than his own, and its amplification effect on the surrounding soul beasts is significantly stronger!

At that moment, the Crimson King felt a surge of joy. If he could bring this new auspicious beast back to the core area and let it nourish the forest alongside the existing auspicious beasts, the overall strength of the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest would surely leap forward!

At that time, Crimson King will be a hero of the entire Soul Beast race! Even if that brute Bear King slaps him twice, Bear King will still cheer!

"Impossible." Ningbing's voice was icy cold.

“This is my master’s auspicious beast; no one can take it away.”

As soon as the words were spoken, two powerful auras soared into the sky. Frost danced around Ningbing's body, and the temperature plummeted; flames rose from Xuanhuo's body, and waves of heat rolled in.

The two Super Douluo released their auras without reservation, which subtly suppressed the Crimson King's momentum.

The Crimson King's middle head grinned, revealing gleaming white fangs: "Heh, I know I can't beat the two of you working together. But aren't you afraid... of affecting that human girl who's absorbing a spirit ring?"

Its gaze passed over the frozen ice and the mysterious fire, landing on Bai Yue'er, who was sitting cross-legged.

Xuan Huo's expression changed drastically, and flames surged around him: "You dare!"

"What do I have to be afraid of?" The right head of the Crimson King sneered.

"You can try and see if I die first, or if that girl is devoured by the backlash of the soul power first."

Ningbing grabbed Xuanhuo's shoulder, her eyes flashing coldly: "Calm down."

She understood the situation better than Xuan Huo. At this moment, Bai Yue'er was in a critical period of absorbing the soul ring. If she were to be subjected to strong external interference, at best the soul ring absorption would fail, and at worst her meridians would be damaged and her cultivation would regress.

As a ferocious beast that has existed for 300,000 years, if the Crimson King were to fight to the death, the energy it unleashed before its demise would definitely affect Bai Yue'er.

This is a blatant, overt conspiracy.

“You’re quite clever,” Ningbing said coldly, staring at the Crimson King.

The Crimson King raised all three of his heads simultaneously, his tone smug: "This is called outsmarting them. Did they think I was as brainless as that brute, Bear King?"

It, the Crimson King, is a ferocious beast with intelligence!

From the moment the auspicious beast was discovered, it lurked nearby until Bai Yue'er began absorbing the soul ring, at which point it revealed itself.

The timing was perfect.

Xuan Huo trembled with rage, yet dared not make a move. Ning Bing was also caught in a dilemma—hand over Xiao Jin?

That's absolutely impossible.

Su Baichen's doting affection for this auspicious beast was obvious to all. He fed it pills like they were food every day and fed it all kinds of rare and precious herbs as if they were free.

If they lose it, how will we explain it when we get back?

But what will happen to Bai Yue'er if we don't pay?

The atmosphere was tense, as if the air had frozen.

"Hey, that dog with three heads." Little Gold suddenly jumped down from Bai Yue'er's arms, walked to the front, and stared directly at the Crimson King with its golden eyes.

"How dare you threaten Xiaoyue'er? Aren't you afraid of death?"

The Crimson King lowered his head, all six eyes fixed on Little Gold, his tone softening: "Auspicious Beast, come back with me to the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest. That is your home, and we are your kind."

"What if I say no?" Xiao Jin raised her chin.

The Crimson King did not answer, but looked at Bai Yue'er again. The threat in his eyes was self-evident.

"Fine, fine, fine," Little Gold laughed angrily, raising its paw and pointing at the Red King.

"You're really something. You'd even resort to such despicable tactics to get me back."

"For the future of the Soul Beast race," the Crimson King said in a deep voice, "your existence can benefit all the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. Come back with me, and you will become a figure revered by all Soul Beasts."

"Admiration?" Little Gold scoffed, then suddenly raised his voice, looked at the Crimson King, and laughed, "Remember this, you forced me to do this! You forced me to unleash my ultimate move! You'll regret it!"

Its voice echoed through the forest.

The Red King tilted all three of his heads at the same time, revealing a puzzled expression.

Ningbing and Xuanhuo were also stunned, and looked at Xiaojin together—what other tricks did this auspicious beast have up its sleeve?

Under the watchful eyes of three people, Little Gold raised its front paw and pulled out a pure white jade tablet engraved with intricate patterns from somewhere. The jade tablet was only the size of a palm, yet it emitted a mysterious spatial fluctuation.

“This is…” Ningbing vaguely recognized the origin of the jade pendant.

A flash of golden light appeared on the little golden claw, and the jade pendant shattered instantly.

click-

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

Immediately afterward, the jade fragments burst forth with blinding light. A pitch-black crack appeared out of thin air in front of the little golden body, initially only as thick as a hair, but in the blink of an eye, it expanded to be more than a meter tall. The edges of the crack shimmered with a silvery-white halo, while the interior was a deep void, as if connecting to another world.

Spatial rift!

The Crimson King's six eyes widened simultaneously, and the middle head exclaimed in shock, "Spatial teleportation?!"

Little Jin puffed out its chest proudly, its golden eyes gleaming with a cunning light: "Didn't expect that, did you? This auspicious beast's ultimate move—"

It paused, then said, word by word:

"Shake, person, child!"

Chapter 207 Emperor Tian Appears; Ice and Fire Dragon King Pleads for Mercy!

Before Xiao Jin could finish speaking, a soft sigh came from the spatial rift.

The sigh was soft, yet it seemed to pierce through space, resounding clearly in everyone's ears.

Immediately afterwards, a slender, fair hand emerged from the crack and casually pulled it apart to both sides—

scoff!

The crack was forcibly torn open to the size of a door.

A figure stepped out from within.

Clad in white as snow, with black hair like a waterfall, the newcomer possessed an otherworldly handsome face. Though his body emanated no trace of soul power, he instantly caused the hair on the Crimson King's three heads to stand on end!

That was a fear stemming from the instinct for survival.

Su Baichen raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over the Crimson King before finally settling on Little Gold, a helpless yet doting smile curving his lips:

"Have you gotten into trouble again?"

Upon seeing Su Baichen, Xiao Jin lunged forward, clinging tightly to Su Baichen's leg, its wailing so loud it made the leaves rustle.

"Waaaaah, boss, I've been bullied! I'm so miserable, but I'm not wronged!" it cried out while secretly raising its eyelids to peek at Su Baichen's expression.

"Because Xiaoyue'er is about to be bullied! Someone actually dared to threaten me with Xiaoyue'er!"

"Little Yue'er is your swordsmanship successor! I paid a huge price to protect her! Boss, you have to give me some seventh-grade pills to make up for it!"

This series of tearful pleas flowed smoothly and was full of emotion.

Ningbing, Xuanhuo, and the Crimson Soul Beast were all stunned.

Ningbing and Xuanhuo stared at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief; while on the ferocious beast face of the Crimson King, a kind of speechless blank expression seemed to appear.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. There's no seventh-grade, only sixth-grade." Su Baichen patted Xiao Jin's head and casually tossed a jade bottle containing sixth-grade pills from his sleeve.

Xiao Jin's eyes lit up, her crying stopped abruptly, she nimbly caught the bottle in mid-air, uncorked it and sniffed it, her face immediately plastered with a fawning smile, she darted to the side, hugged the bottle of pills and didn't utter another sound.