"You must stop, Ja Sun!"
The youth called out so frustratingly sat under the canopy of a verdant tree with his head behind his back. The youth peacefully slept with soft snores echoing around the rather silent region as the bespectacled, green-haired woman in front of him couldn't help but lock her brows. A total of a week had passed since Bi Ji was scammed and now she had returned to the same location where Ja Sun's hut was situated once before.
Her words broke the strange silence that she had just begun to observe as Ja Sun's eyes opened. His gaze observed the woman for a few seconds as she soon scoffed, "No clever retorts left? I won't get beguiled by your acts again."
"Just you alone? I believe I had an appointment to meet a true dragon. I believe it was the Abyss Demon Dragon you had following me," Ja Sun straightened his back and cleared his throat while Bi Ji's expression shifted from frustration to surprise and then eventual wariness that any capable being must have to be able to realize the threat that Ja Sun presented. To Bi Ji, the youth wasn't just strong enough to strip off various spirit beasts off of their valuable parts but also had enough skills in eluding the mind and sight that even she fell for it.
"She wouldn't be joining us." Bi Ji remarked as an Emerald Domain emerged from her being. A Domain is a special skill that suppresses opponents and enhances allies. Until now, Bi Ji had only used the latter but for the first time in ever, she used the former aspect of her domain.
Ja Sun, too, instantly felt the effects of the domain as he grew slightly amazed, "I see... it makes sense. Emerald Swans are sweethearts of the attributes of vitality and lifeforce so naturally, they can use their skills to make sure that the opponent's vitality doesn't support their systems. Any injuries I will face from now on won't heal naturally and will continue to bleed until this domain recedes. Did I get that right?"
The corner of Bi Ji's eyes twitched. She didn't plan to expose her skills to the enemy and take him by surprise but now that Ja Sun could perceive things so clearly, she couldn't help but feel annoyed that he left one major effect out.
"And my domain suppresses your total strength by 10% and enhances my own with 10%."
"Really?" Ja Sun frowned and stood up before swaying his arms and then rotating his shoulders, "I still don't feel it. I think that's because like every spirit skill and domain, the effect reduces when targeting a being of a higher quality or rank. Even if your domain's special skills still last on me, the suppression would target the strength that is derived from a physique far greater than yours in terms of quality if not physical strength."
"Is that supposed to frighten me?" Bi Ji narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, not at all. Why would I frighten my dear customer? After all, a good woman once said that a trade established through comfort in mind is the best kind," Ja Sun narrowed his eyes with a pleased smile as Bi Ji was given a taste of her own words in the most unexpected situation. Like usual, Ja Sun didn't pull back any punches, he simply didn't need to do so, at least, verbally, "What I wish to know, however, is why have you not exposed my abilities to that individual I assume to be the King of this forest? You did not even remark about my martial soul when it was a topic of great interest to you."
If Ja Sun's previous comment did not frighten her, this certainly did.
However, before she could inquire how come Ja Sun knew about her interactions with 'him', he pulled out a tiny crystal no bigger than 1/10th of a human nail. It was so tiny yet Bi Ji could see it clearly. Its enchanting emerald glow instantly attracted Bi Ji's desire once again but she hissed instead, "Another illusion!"
"Oh, come on. Within your domain?" Ja Sun smiled as Bi Ji blinked. Indeed, she forgot for a moment that her domain was still active.
"Answer me and this is yours. A fair trade, I suppose."
"I don't believe you—"
Ja Sun shrugged, "Fine, I'll keep all the Life Gold to myself."
Even though the answer would probably relate to the Three-eyed Golden Lion that he had yet to find, Ja Sun was sure that in time, he would unveil the force still hiding the beautiful beast. Meanwhile, Bi Ji felt a pang of heartache seeing the Life Gold disappearing. Real or not, Bi Ji felt a moment's regret that she didn't accept the surefire way to get stronger.
"Ja Sun, leave this forest and never return. Of all things, including scams, I abhor bloodshed the most."
"Boy, you're really going to hate me then," Ja Sun quipped.
"If others are involved, a fight would break out inevitably. However, if you leave this forest in peace, you will get to live a few more years," Bi Ji continued to persuade.
Exhaling a soft sigh through his nostrils, Ja Sun wondered just how peaceful this spirit beast really was. Maybe Bi Ji was only after him to make him leave the forest before others found him. Whatever may be the reason, Ja Sun didn't dislike peaceful existences. To him, taking a peaceful option even when having the means to approach aggressively was a show of strength far greater than meatheads that pursued violence.
"Fine, let's assume I leave this forest in peace. What do you think will happen when he comes out?"
"Who?" Bi Ji inquired, feeling a little puzzled.
"During our game of chase, I wasn't just moving around the forest but also setting up a few measures. To be precise, I was setting up breaths of strong spirit beasts in various points except for two locations. One of them is the central point of this forest shrouded with heavy, almost suffocating Divine Intent and the other one is this location where we are standing.
Sister Ji, can you not feel it?" Ja Sun smiled.
"Feel what?" Bi Ji strained her senses and even with the addition of her domain, she felt nothing around her.
"Not in the forest," Ja Sun pointed down on the ground as his grin turned slightly depraved, "Below it. Your domain is exuding such a great lifeforce, any spirit beast with a strong cultivation base will get attracted to it. Can you feel it? The soft tremors as it slowly crawls upward."
Bi Ji suddenly revoked her domain and crouched to touch the ground with her palms and closed her eyes. Her expression soon turned pale as she glared at Ja Sun, "What did you do?!"
"I heard you guys talking about a Demi-divine Spirit Beast. A new spirit beast with sentience won't easily reveal itself in locations that are marked with other spirit beasts of greater strength but... an Emerald Swan is a beacon. I now understand that you are protected in this forest but a new spirit beast won't be in the know of such rules, right?"
*Drr*
*Drr*
*Drr*
The ground trembled gently.
"The previous silence rune was placed specially to make this location feel more peaceful," Ja Sun added as the tremors of the ground grew more fierce as the time went by.
Bi Ji's breathing grew a bit ragged. Equal amounts of expectation and trepidation could be seen flickering in her eyes.
"However, I'm a little disappointed," he sighed suddenly, "Two million-year-old spirit beasts... equally fragile and unremarkable without a human's support."
Ja Sun stretched both of his arms out, his talons faced the ground while the pressure so threatening and familiar escaped his being entirely. The strength he kept hidden and suppressed emerged in tides higher than Bi Ji's tolerance as she stepped back.
Things became clear to her.
Strength far above her.
Quality of energy far above her.
What Ja Sun said... every bit of it was the truth!
"But instead of just a demi-divine Spirit Beast baiting the powerhouse of this forest and those beyond the wide expanse of water...
Why not give them something more? I want to see just how powerful the world of beasts really is!"
With a sadistic smile that bordered insanity in Bi Ji's eyes, Ja Sun's fur and hair began to sway gently while Bi Ji suddenly felt her cultivation kicking up a notch.
"Don't! You will truly end up dead!" Bi Ji gasped.
"Too late," Ja Sun grinned. The presence of his martial soul only enhanced with his divine intent as every beast in the King's Lair and those with senses far beyond ordinary not within the Douluo Continent itself felt it all this time.
An Auspicious Emperor.
"And I will be taking this," Ja Sun suddenly stabbed both his talons into the ground before pulling out a large being from its tail.
Almost three meters long, a snowy-white giant worm was pulled out who had beautiful golden runes running over its body and the clear breath of a demi-divine spirit beast, too, emanated from him.
"Let me go! I promise I won't intrude on your territory! Let me go!"
"Let you go?" Ja Sun mocked, "You're a precious material. Your skin is absolutely enticing and your strength is definitely worth... to be devoured. You're coming with me. Of course, if you want me to extract your spirit bone now, keep on fumbling around."
To make things easier, Ja Sun revealed a hint of his bloodlust that froze Bi Ji on the spot while the giant worm turned limp.
---
*Roar*
*Roar*
*Roar*
Of the things Ja Sun just accomplished, only a few out of billions on this continent alone and innumerable beasts and men far beyond could sense it. Of them, possibly the most connected to Ja Sun himself was a beast that roared with all its might. It didn't contain a shred of anger, fear, or threat. Only longing.
Just as Ja Sun longed to meet the fabled beast, the golden 'wolf' with pure red eyes and a totem of a third eye in the middle of its forehead longed to meet the holder of such an... auspicious aura. What would occur if the two met is not something that can be foreseen for the beast itself manipulates destiny to its whim. Yet, strength far beyond its own currently held it in place.
Surrounded by a golden sphere with a faint outline of even brighter golden scales around it, the Three-eyed Golden Lion could only stay in its place next to a beautiful emerald lake with a single silver sharp pole sticking out.
The constant roars caused a dark presence to emerge and glancing at the Three-eyed Golden Lion, the figure couldn't help but sigh.
Things just got out of his hands.
---
Far above the wide sea blinked a giant floating eye from one point to another. The massive eye gave a sense of tyranny that was a match of the aura and strength of an ultimate element. Sensing the sudden emergence, the giant eye grew fervent and moved even quicker.
---
Two charismatic individuals gently walked on the surface of the sea. The male had dark blue hair but his body was covered by a purplish battle armor. Instead, the woman had her hair in the dual-tone of blue and purple while a gold-trimmed long purple dress covered her fair and voluptuous body.
"That's..." the man suddenly gasped. Unveiled greed oozing from his gaze as the woman's heart skipped a beat but she quickly reigned in her expression and inquired softly, "Did you sense something?"
"A... A second auspicious emperor!"
---
*Whoosh*
*Whoosh*
*Whoosh*
Icy gusts raged on a snowy mountain peak. Just slightly above in the sky danced the celestial lights while a group of riveting, beautiful women continued to dance under the celestial lights without any exhaustion. Each step would cause the wind to pick up and the sheer magnitude of energy revolving around the mountain made it a temporary danger zone for every ice and snow spirit beast.
Sitting in the center of this group of dancing women was a sensational white-haired woman whose body was covered with an unsullied white robe with ribbons of pale blue around her wrist. The woman's icy-blue eyes suddenly lit up at the familiar presence. Unlike others, she had sensed one part of this aura years before from a group of humans since she also sensed living spirit beasts within a certain human at the time.
They managed to get away and soon, possibly because of the human's startling growth, she failed to sense him or those spirit beasts anymore but now...
She felt it once more. Not the spirit beasts but the similar Auspicious aura.
She hardly cared about the martial soul of the human but what she felt that day... a sense of cooperation of spirit beasts within that human attracted her deeply.
"Dance away, let the heavens wail... I have some tasks I must accomplish."
With that, the woman suddenly crumpled into large clumps of snow and disappeared entirely.
At this moment, the 100000-year-old Heavenly Snow Maiden heard a sharp voice, "Ah, sister, are you going somewhere fun? Can I join?"
"..."
"That means I can join, right?"
"If you can keep up..."
---
"What a naive fool," Ja Sun chuckled. The last million-year-old spirit beast he came across was a sweet naive soul that was born to suppress the divine and happened to be a plant that could be used by Ah Yin. However, seeing the unconscious Ice Worm who managed to reach such a fortunate state, Ja Sun couldn't find it useful for any of his team members in the form of a spirit soul.
This gave Ja Sun two options, either try and subordinate the spirit beasts or actually inspect the beast completely, including its soul origin through the means he had developed and even its memories if possible. Although delving into someone's memories is hard, especially if it's littered with instances of Asura, Ja Sun felt that he might find something useful.
This Iceworm, according to his inspection, happened to be attributed to the concept of mental energy and ice. To be precise, Ultimate Ice Element.
This was Ja Sun's third time encountering an ultimate element but he meant what he said.
The Yin-Yang Petals was useless without Ah Yin and this beast was similarly without any combat prowess. Ja Sun's speculations regarding the matter came to a finality when he grasped the beast so easily. This beast simply had zero combat potential.
A small portion of Ja Sun wanted to attempt at recruiting the spirit beast. Its emergence was sudden and even if this beast had zero combat potential, nobody can determine that it will be the same in the future...
However, after his encounter with Poseidon and Ah Yin's close call with death for seven days...
Ja Sun instinctively knew that this spirit beast was his ticket to strength and the best thing was, this spirit beast's exposure alongside Ja Sun's own attempts at allowing other spirit beasts to sense his boosted region of enhancement in cultivation made sure that once Ja Sun swallows every benefit this beast has to provide, there will be others following shortly.
'I hope I find another million-year-old spirit beast... that way I can get both my spirit souls to that level,' Ja Sun smirked internally as he realized just how fruitful this trip had become for him.
This situation was certainly auspicious for him...
But a disaster for King's Lair.
***
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