Chapter 243: The Sacrifice of the Golden Dragon Maiden
"From now on, you'll be my mount. Don't worry, following me won't put you at a disadvantage," Du Qianjue said with a smile, reaching out to stroke the Silver Moon Wolf King's head. As he petted the wolf, Du Qianjue subconsciously used the technique he had used to pet dogs in his past life, his fingers gently scratching the wolf's head and neck.
Initially startled by Du Qianjue's sudden movements, the Silver Moon Wolf King soon felt an irresistible comfort wherever Du Qianjue's hands roamed. Gradually getting used to it, the wolf comfortably squinted its eyes, affectionately nuzzling against Du Qianjue.
"Purr, purr..."
"?" Du Qianjue looked puzzled at the contented Silver Moon Wolf King in front of him. Aren't you a wolf? Why are you purring like a cat?
"It feels so good..." mumbled the Silver Moon Wolf King, unable to resist nuzzling Du Qianjue again.
This is strange. I've lived for a hundred thousand years and this is the first time I've felt this way!
Thus, Du Qianjue had opened a new world for the Silver Moon Wolf King, and from today, Du Qianjue's side would now include a giant white wolf that might seek affection at any moment.
On the side, the emo Golden Wolf King felt like its fragile heart was struck by an arrow again. It had never had such close interactions with the Silver Moon Wolf King, not even a chance to lick its fur or help clean its body without getting a magic orb thrown at its head. After all, it's quite normal for wolves to groom each other using their tongues!
The Golden Wolf King went into a state of shutdown...
"Alright, we'll play later. I need to absorb a soul ring first," Du Qianjue said, half-laughing, half-crying, as he patted the Silver Moon Wolf King's head and then turned his gaze to the Golden Dragon Maiden.
"Have you made up your mind? You know, once you sacrifice, there's no turning back."
"Do I have another choice?" asked the Golden Dragon Maiden with a speechless expression. If I dare say no, wouldn't I be beheaded in a flash?
But Du Qianjue was serious and looked at her intently. "Yes, you do. Just say the word, and I'll turn around and leave right now."
"Really?" The Golden Dragon Maiden was surprised. Such a high-quality soul beast and soul ring, and you could easily let it go?
"Don't just listen to whatever Little Red says. Although I can be overbearing and unreasonable, I'm not without principles," shrugged Du Qianjue.
"Little Red is right. All the soul rings I have were sacrificed by soul beasts, except for one Dark Demon Evil God Tiger ring which I hunted down. Even that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was delivered to me by the Beast God Di Tian."
"Your attributes are indeed supreme, the ultimate metal, which I really need right now, but I have no feud with you, and it's not like I can't do without you. If it comes to it, it's just a bit more trouble to go to Star Dou Forest and have a chat with Bear Lord."
"If you're unwilling, I will definitely turn around and leave, considering this an impolite disturbance on my part."
After Du Qianjue finished speaking, he looked towards Red Dragon: "Little Red, don't think too much. I only strike without hesitation against those who stand against me. If you had been unwilling back then, I wouldn't have threatened you too much."
This was true, since at that time he was with Snow Emperor, and Du Qianjue didn't want to kill soul beasts in front of Snow Emperor. Having Snow Emperor with him was just to make the process of sacrifice more convenient. If Red Dragon had been unwilling, Du Qianjue could have found another soul beast; after all, her fire attribute and the Ice Fire Dragon King's fire attribute differed significantly, and any other fire attribute soul beast could do.
For Du Qianjue, nothing was absolutely necessary. Except for dealing with Tang San.
Red Dragon nodded lightly, smiling warmly: "I am actually glad you came to me back then, otherwise I and that dead bull wouldn't have had the good fortune to accompany you."
Before Du Qianjue could respond, a robust, honest-looking middle-aged man burst forth. "Hey, you stinky dragon, where does that old bull lack luck? You know, it was upon my suggestion that the master came looking for you. Without me, you really wouldn't have had that luck!" The Great Earth Demon Bull crossed his arms discontentedly.
Red Dragon's fiery eyes glared, her dragon might suddenly intensifying: "Dead bull, are you asking for a beating again? Three days without a beating and you think you're tough? Come on, let's have a go!"
"Bring it on, who's afraid of who!" Although the Great Earth Demon Bull was a bit nervous, he felt emboldened with Du Qianjue right there, rolling up his sleeves bravely.
Just as the two were about to start fighting, two more figures appeared by Du Qianjue's side. The cold young man transformed from Ice Ridge Cold Falcon silently stood in front of Red Dragon, blocking her view. Meanwhile, the chubby Ice Bear King, Xiao Bai, smilingly stood in front of the Great Earth Demon Bull.
Four terrifying hundred-thousand-year soul beast auras exploded suddenly. The completely unfamiliar auras of four hundred-thousand-year soul beasts startled all the soul beasts around the main peak of Jingyang Mountain Range, causing them to flee with their tails between their legs.
Led by the Golden Dragon Maiden, the hundred-thousand-year soul beasts of Jingyang Mountain Range, including the emo Golden Wolf King, watched dumbfounded as the four humanoid-transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beasts displayed their might. Although they lacked physical forms, their aura was unmistakably of the hundred-thousand-year level, and not just any ordinary hundred-thousand-year beasts but of a ferocious caliber.
These soul beast spirits, although not bound by soul spirit contracts with Du Qianjue, could borrow his power when he allowed it. With Du Qianjue's enhancement, each could exert strength not inferior to their lives.
"Hey, hey, Xiao Bai, Bing Ling, what's going on? I was just getting ready to enjoy the show!" A voice cold and indifferent rang out. A girl in a green dress, with a long green scorpion tail swaying behind her, appeared bored by Du Qianjue's side.
Three more beams of light flashed, and Tian Meng Ice Silkworm, Thundering Hell Vine, and Sheng XinXin also appeared.
"Ahhh, I was sleeping so sweetly. What's the activity this time?" Tian Meng Ice Silkworm yawned lazily, then also showed an excited expression.
"Apart from sleeping, what else can you do? Truly useless!" Ice Emperor glared at Tian Meng Ice Silkworm and whipped her scorpion tail directly onto Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's head, causing a large bump to visibly swell.
"Ice Ice..." Tian Meng Ice Silkworm covered its head with teary eyes.
"Why are you—owwwww!"
"Pathetic!" Ice Emperor snorted coldly, then turned to Red Dragon and Great Earth Demon Bull, fanning the flames, "Little Red, don't hesitate. When it's time to act, you must act. Absolutely cannot indulge them!"
"Xiao Bai, Bing Ling, step aside. I'm still waiting to watch the show!"
Sheng Xinxin and Thundering Hell Vine also looked forward eagerly. They were so bored sleeping in the spirit sea all day. There are no insiders here, hurry up and spice things up!
Xiao Bai and Bing Ling's faces showed some interest; truth be told, they were also a bit bored, and it would be great to have some entertainment.
This strange atmosphere also made the Great Earth Demon Bull break out in a sweat, mainly because Du Qianjue had been silent, and he wasn't quite sure if Du Qianjue also wanted to see some fun. Although he was verbally tough, he wasn't really looking to get beaten up!
Luckily, Du Qianjue finally spoke.
"Enough with the noise, we're still discussing matters here. What's with all of you?" Du Qianjue looked helplessly at the group of soul beasts, enough to fill two tables for Mahjong.
"And you, Ice Emperor, stop fanning the flames!"
"Tch, I'll listen to you this time!" Ice Emperor huffed slightly dissatisfied. "You should let us out to play too. It's so boring in the spirit sea."
The other soul beasts also nodded.
"It's true, seeing how exciting Du Qianjue's life is and then forgetting about us who can only sleep, we really are bored!"
"Alright, I'll make sure you get a chance to come out and play," Du Qianjue saw the reaction of the soul beasts and felt slightly guilty, nodding helplessly.
"That's better!" Ice Emperor nodded, then fell silent, her green eyes scanning over the Golden Dragon Maiden, evaluating her.
In the spirit sea, her position was far ahead of the others. If the Sea Princess had been there, she might have been able to suppress her, but the Sea Princess had been devoured by Eve, and Tian Meng Ice Silkworm was just a pure lapdog, making Ice Emperor the boss among these soul beasts.
The Golden Dragon Maiden, being scrutinized by Ice Emperor, showed a bit of discomfort on her face.
Her bloodline advantage wasn't much stronger than Ice Emperor's; one was a soul beast with the ultimate metal attribute and golden dragon bloodline, and Ice Emperor was an Ice Emperor Emperor Scorpion with ice god bloodline. (PS: In my setting, the three great kings of the extreme north all have ice god bloodlines. The difference is in strength; since both Snow Emperor and Titan Snow Devil have it, Ice Emperor would naturally have it too.)
Without the ice god bloodline, the Ice Bichon scorpion lineage couldn't simply discard its poison attribute and enhance its ice attribute to the ultimate level.
So, Ice Emperor also put a lot of pressure on the Golden Dragon Maiden.
"Do you want to join us?" Ice Emperor asked directly and simply.
The events that had just unfolded were clearly seen by their group of soul beasts in the spirit sea. Regarding the Golden Dragon Maiden's superb soul ring, Ice Emperor and the others naturally didn't want Du Qianjue to just miss out.
The Great Earth Demon Bull was actually egged on by Ice Emperor and the others, including the subsequent appearances of one soul beast after another, which were all part of their planned performance, just to make the Golden Dragon Maiden feel at ease to make her sacrifice.
Of course, Du Qianjue didn't know about these arrangements until Sheng Xinxin quietly informed him through a soul link. Ice Emperor's actions also warmed Du Qianjue's heart, and he looked at her back moved.
Ice Emperor could feel Du Qianjue's emotions and gaze, and her stern face showed a bit of unnaturalness, but she still maintained her image as the Ice Emperor Emperor Scorpion.
Their appearance indeed had a good effect, and the Golden Dragon Maiden's last hesitation also disappeared.
"I will join!" The Golden Dragon Maiden nodded firmly with determination in her eyes.
Her response made Ice Emperor also quietly breathe a sigh of relief, nodding in satisfaction: "That's settled then. Go ahead with the sacrifice, we will preserve your soul well, ensuring that you can keep your consciousness intact after the sacrifice, like us. When Du Qianjue becomes a god in the future, it will be much easier to resurrect you."
"Tian Meng, get to work!"
"Right away, Ice Ice, watch me!" Tian Meng Ice Silkworm, who acted like an airhead, immediately ran to Ice Emperor's side like a lapdog, giggling.
"Du Qianjue, get ready!"
Du Qianjue nodded, patted the Silver Moon Wolf King to move it away, then sat cross-legged on the spot, releasing his Chaos Dragon King spirit. Four soul rings rose in succession.
The Golden Dragon Maiden took a deep breath, her golden eyes suddenly brightening. A shout that sounded like a gentle scolding mixed with a dragon's roar echoed, and blood-red flames ignited instantly.
The sacrifice began! (End of Chapter)