In the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, the air was thick with the scent of damp vegetation. Towering trees blocked out the sky, and only a few rays of sunlight could barely pierce the leafy canopy to fall upon the mossy ground.
"Humans, leave this place. You can take the Holy Flame Sky Tiger," Scarlet King said, his body wreathed in faint flames as he took a guarded, defensive stance, huge limbs planted firmly, his massive bulk shielding the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
A few sparks spat from his mouth. The ferocity of a top ten fierce beast was gone, replaced by worry and tension, with sweat beading on his forehead.
"Why? Scarlet King, this Holy Flame Sky Tiger is my prey! Why give it to them?" The Emperor Auspicious Beast's expressive eyes widened, her golden flames blazing up in anger.
Spoiled and pampered since birth in the Star Dou Great Forest, no one had ever dared snatch her prey. How could she accept this?
"Oh? But you can't prove it's your prey, so why can't we have it?" Lu Jingming retorted instantly.
"You!" The Emperor Auspicious Beast was stumped, pacing nervously, golden fur bristling in anger and her gaze at Lu Jingming almost spitting fire.
This human kept using tricky questions to fluster her—she felt like she was almost growing a brain from the stress.
Scarlet King was helpless; his three heads shook uneasily. He just wanted these two humans gone. A ten-thousand-year soul beast was nothing in the soul beast-rich Star Dou Great Forest.
Besides, the Holy Flame Sky Tiger was already about to become Emperor Auspicious Beast's meal, but he really couldn't do anything with her.
In the whole forest, only Di Tian and Bi Ji could manage this little ancestor. Other fierce beasts—even the powerful Bear Lord—could only sigh at Emperor Auspicious Beast's stubbornness.
"Emperor Auspicious Beast, let's go. I'll help you find another Holy Flame Sky Tiger, one even older." Scarlet King tried to sound gentle and coaxing.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast hesitated; a higher-age Holy Flame Sky Tiger must taste even better, and she was tempted.
But she glanced again at Lu Jingming and the thoroughly frozen Holy Flame Sky Tiger and shook her head stubbornly. "No, unless you tell me how to prove this one is mine."
Scarlet was stumped. He scratched his head with a paw; Emperor Auspicious Beast was just too stubborn. How could she prove it? She hadn't marked the Holy Flame Sky Tiger beforehand.
Besides, anyone could see it was the human who caught it first.
"It's simple: just prove you're stronger than him, and then the prey is yours." A deep, imposing voice suddenly rang out.
At the same time, the space in front of Scarlet King rippled like a calm lake disturbed by a boulder.
The next moment, space cracked like shattered glass, revealing a bottomless black rift. Out stepped a middle-aged man dressed in black—Di Tian.
"Di Tian, you're finally here." Scarlet King breathed a sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing. Thank goodness nothing serious had happened—finally, someone could handle this mess.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast blinked her big eyes, suddenly enlightened. "Right! If I'm stronger than you, the prey is mine!"
She finally realized—in the forest, things worked this way. If she outmatched other soul beasts, she could take their prey.
The same logic applied now—if she was stronger than this human, even if the Holy Flame Sky Tiger wasn't hers at first, it could become hers.
Figuring this out, the Emperor Auspicious Beast looked at Lu Jingming, eyes alight with excitement, eager to challenge him.
The moment Di Tian appeared, Lu Jingming was immediately shielded by Jingliu.
Jingliu remained calm, ignoring the Emperor Auspicious Beast's provocation, simply gazing at Di Tian. Her eyes, hidden by an eye mask, revealed nothing.
Di Tian's gaze also locked onto Jingliu, and the atmosphere became tense; the surrounding air felt compressed, heavy, and oppressive.
Sensing something was wrong, the Emperor Auspicious Beast shrank back several steps, her eyes full of fear and unease.
A thunderous boom split the air, black-red lightning exploding in the void.
An invisible shockwave rose around the two, blasting apart the thick clouds overhead.
Lu Jingming heard a crisp sword ring and a deafening dragon roar at nearly the same moment. Jingliu and Di Tian both moved, each stepping back half a pace.
On the ground between them, a deep, silent sword scar appeared, its edges smooth and rimmed with frost, beside a similarly deep claw mark exuding dark energy.
Clearly, in that instant, the two had exchanged a probing blow, but even the powerful Scarlet King couldn't see what had happened—it had been too quick.
"Humans truly are favored by the heavens. When did such a powerhouse appear among you?" Di Tian said darkly, staring at Jingliu with respect and wariness. He'd never heard of a human this powerful.
"Beast God Di Tian—worthy of the name," Jingliu replied coolly, her demeanor calm as still water, though waves surged inside.
This was her first time not having the upper hand in this world. While Di Tian was nothing to her at her peak, for now, he was a worthy opponent—something she hadn't felt in a long time.
"See, Emperor Auspicious Beast? I can't prove I'm stronger than her, so this prey is not mine to decide," Di Tian turned to the Emperor Auspicious Beast, kindly instructing her.
"I understand, Di Tian," the Emperor Auspicious Beast replied softly, full of disappointment.