"Sacred Beast, what's wrong?"
As the Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked around, a dignified voice sounded beside her. As the voice faded, the space around her distorted, and a man with black hair and a black robe stepped out.
"Di Tian." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sounded a bit confused. "I seem to have sensed the aura of fate, just outside the forest."
"The aura of fate? Another of your kind?" Di Tian was slightly startled. Then, an ethereal female voice seemed to echo from all directions.
"I felt it too."
"Master, you're awake?"
Upon hearing the voice, Di Tian's face showed a trace of joy, and he immediately knelt on one knee. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion beside him only lowered her head in respect.
Although she was the Sacred Beast of the Star Dou Forest, her status wasn't higher than Di Tian's. The reason she didn't have to kneel was entirely because the master had always favored and cared for her.
"Yes, two years ago, I sensed an aura similar to the Sacred Beast suddenly appear in this plane, and I woke up then. Just now, the aura that the Sacred Beast mentioned is currently outside the Star Dou Forest."
Di Tian frowned upon hearing this. "How could this be? Could the gods of the Divine Realm have done something?"
The ethereal voice paused for a moment before making a decision. "Sacred Beast, stay here and don't run around. I'll go investigate personally."
"You're going personally?" Di Tian was stunned. "Master, have your injuries healed?"
"Not yet, and they won't heal any time soon. But I must clarify this matter."
There were some things the voice didn't reveal. Two years ago, she had sensed more than just that. For a brief moment, she had even sensed the presence of two gods. Though their auras were powerful, they were incredibly weak compared to real gods. If they weren't on the same plane, she might not have even noticed their existence.
Given such strange circumstances, the only explanation she could think of was that gods from the Divine Realm had died, leaving behind mere fragments of their souls that accidentally entered this world.
Whether friend or foe, if her guess was correct, this was an invaluable opportunity to learn about the current state of the Divine Realm.
In an instant, the entire Star Dou Forest began to tremble slightly. The ground cracked inch by inch, and a massive dragon claw, covered in silver hexagonal scales, broke through the earth. The colossal form emerged as if crawling from the depths of an abyss, radiating brilliant silver light that dimmed even the sun in the sky.
An indescribable aura spread out. If one were to look from above, they would see the entire Star Dou Forest covered in a faint silver glow, making everything inside appear blurry and indistinct.
All the soul beasts in the forest seemed to sense this and bowed toward the center of the forest. Only a large white worm burrowing near the forest's edge continued its desperate efforts.
As it felt the terrifying aura, the worm dug faster and faster, crying out in near panic.
"Why are you all targeting me?! I barely survived reaching a hundred thousand years by escaping from under the Beast God's nose, and now something even scarier shows up!"
"Help me! Huh?"
The worm's frantic cries were suddenly cut short. Feeling the retreating aura, its two shiny golden eyes blinked in confusion.
"It doesn't seem like they're coming for me…"
"Whew! That scared me to death. This cursed place is no place for a worm! I need to leave, fast."
Having just narrowly escaped death, the worm let out a long sigh of relief but didn't slow down. It continued wriggling desperately toward the edge of the forest.
Back in the heart of the Star Dou Forest, a young girl dressed in a simple white gown now stood before Di Tian and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Her long silver hair shimmered like crystal, cascading down to her waist. Her flawless features perfectly defined what it meant to be otherworldly beauty.
"Master, you're so beautiful," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion said, her eyes wide in awe. This was the first time in her life that she had seen the true form of the ruler of all soul beasts. She eagerly approached and nuzzled against the girl's arm. The girl, initially expressionless, glanced down at herself before reaching out to gently pat the lion's head. Then, she turned to Di Tian.
"While I'm away, you will continue to manage the Star Dou Forest."
"Yes, Master."
Outside the Star Dou Forest
Huo Yuhao stood naked in a small stream, occasionally scooping up water with a wooden basin to pour over his body.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and landed on him, revealing his well-toned muscles, showcasing the progress his physique had made over the past two years.
After a quick bath, he retrieved a jar of ointment from his storage space and began applying it all over his body. Since he planned to venture deep into the Star Dou Forest, Huo Yuhao made sure to prepare thoroughly. The ointment, which he had personally concocted, would help mask his scent.
Though it might not be effective against some soul beasts with highly sensitive senses, it was the best he could do. If his luck ran out, there was nothing more he could say. However, with his Eye of Destiny, he could sense certain dangers, so there wasn't much to worry about.
"If you want to grow stronger, you have to take some risks."
Muttering softly to himself, Huo Yuhao got dressed. Feeling the subtle fluctuations from his Eye of Destiny, he looked toward the center of the forest with a complicated expression. But soon, that complex look was replaced with determination.
"It's not time yet."
With the help of the ointment and his Eye of Destiny's warnings, Huo Yuhao moved quickly, showing no signs of hesitation. Moving slowly would only put him in more danger. The longer he stayed in the forest, the more dangerous it became.
When he passed the spot where he had encountered the Iceworm in his previous life, Huo Yuhao paused, waiting for a moment. After realizing no strange voice echoed in his mind, he continued on his way.
Time flew by when one was focused. As dusk began to fall, Huo Yuhao finally reached the edge of the mixed zone.
The soul beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest were generally weak, with even thousand-year-old soul beasts being rare. However, the mixed zone was different—there, he could encounter ten-thousand-year soul beasts at any time. One stroke of bad luck, and he might end up as fertilizer for the forest.
Having traveled all day, Huo Yuhao decided to find a suitable place to camp. Soul beasts were usually more active at night, making it too dangerous to continue deeper. Better to rest up and continue in the morning.
After searching for a bit, Huo Yuhao found a wide, open space perfect for setting up camp.
Now that he was inside the forest, he couldn't risk lighting a fire for cooking. But that wasn't a problem for him, as he had a habit of carrying enough food with him. Especially after unlocking the sin of Gluttony, he rarely allowed himself to go hungry.
Skillfully sprinkling a circle of beast-repelling powder around the area, Huo Yuhao had just finished setting up his tent when he heard footsteps approaching, accompanied by faint voices.
"There's a clearing up ahead. Let's check it out."
The footsteps grew louder, and soon, a group of twelve people, both men and women, appeared in Huo Yuhao's view. They all seemed to be around twenty years old.
When he saw the leading woman's appearance, a flicker of surprise flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes.
Zhang Lexuan, the eldest senior sister of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, someone he had been quite familiar with in his previous life.
As for the other eleven, he didn't recognize any of them, so they were likely inner courtyard disciples of Shrek Academy as well.