A figure appeared amidst a flash of light.
It was a soul beast covered in brilliant golden fur, resembling a lion but with three eyes.
Bi Ji's pupils contracted, and she hurriedly rose to her feet and bowed respectfully.
The Imperial Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion!
'Why isn't it at the bottom of the lake?' Bi Ji wondered.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was only five thousand years old.
Its usual guardian beast, the Three-Headed Crimson Demon Hound Crimson King, was currently asleep. For its safety, Di Tian had specially asked it to temporarily reside at the bottom of the Lake of Life.
Usually, Bi Ji was there to watch over it, but these days Bi Ji spent all her time with Dongfang Jing, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had sneaked out.
A few days ago, Bi Ji had spoken to Di Tian again, praising Dongfang Jing at length, hoping to change Di Tian's opinion.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was nearby at the time. Seeing that Bi Ji hadn't returned to the lake bottom for several days, it became curious and slipped out while Da Ming and Er Ming weren't looking.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised its head, scrutinizing Dongfang Jing, thinking to itself, 'Is this the human disciple Bi Ji has taken in?'
It twitched its nostrils slightly, its eyes suddenly lighting up! What a fragrant aroma!
Discovering the scent originated from the large pot, it lunged forward without hesitation.
Dongfang Jing didn't turn around, but instead precisely grabbed the beast by the scruff of its neck, calmly saying, "You have to queue for food; cutting in line won't get you a share."
The auspicious beast was startled, then struggled fiercely, its four dragon-claw-like claws flailing wildly, and it even spoke in human language: "Human! Let go of your filthy hands!"
Hearing this, Dongfang Jing turned, looking at the little beast in his hand with surprise, his eyes brightening.
This soul beast was indeed extraordinary, golden and with a unique, beautiful texture in its fur.
Even more surprising was that it could actually speak?
Bi Ji quickly ran over, wanting to take it but hesitant.
As a spirit beast, she dared not touch the noble imperial beast casually, so she said to Dongfang Jing, "Disciple, would you please let it go?"
Dongfang Jing did as she was told and gently placed it on the ground.
But as soon as it landed, it bared its teeth and tried to pounce on her again.
Bi Ji quickly spread her arms to block Dongfang Jing, shaking her head repeatedly with a pleading expression.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion recognized Bi Ji, and since they were of the same sex, it gave her face.
She snorted coldly, but her gaze remained fixed on the large pot.
Bi Ji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Disciple, why don't you get this child some food first?"
Dongfang Jing didn't mind and agreed.
He looked at the soul beasts queuing in front of him and found that they were all bowing their heads, their attitude even more respectful than when they saw Bi Ji. This scene was truly astonishing.
Dongfang Jing filled a bowl with food and handed it to Bi Ji.
Bi Ji went to the auspicious beast and placed the food on the grass.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion jumped to the edge of the bowl, glanced at Dongfang Jing first, and then began to eat heartily.
After eating its fill, it squinted its eyes contentedly, its little belly round and bulging, and actually fell asleep right there on the lawn.
Dongfang Jing and Biji continued their meal. He looked at the sleeping auspicious beast and asked, "Master, what is it?"
Biji swallowed her food and truthfully replied, "A Three-Eyed Golden Lion."
She explained in detail, "Disciple, I once told you that in ancient times, the continent was ruled by spirit beasts. Whenever an auspicious beast appeared, it was revered as an emperor, hence the name 'Emperor Auspicious Beast.' Any spirit beast must kneel respectfully before it and would never harm it! Where an auspicious beast is, the growth rate of all spirit beasts doubles, and the chance of a 100,000-year-old spirit beast breaking through its bottleneck doubles!"
"I see!" Dongfang Jing suddenly understood; no wonder the spirit beasts were so respectful to it.
'However, since the Three-Eyed Golden Lion is so important to spirit beasts, why doesn't it have a powerful guardian?'
Thinking of this, he subconsciously glanced at Biji, who was elegantly eating, then looked away and continued eating.
Biji, however, pondered another question because of the auspicious beast's appearance.
Where an auspicious beast is, all beasts are protected.
Its status is supreme, and humans can guide it.
Auspicious blessings abound, promising a bright future.
'If my disciple were to be guided by this auspicious beast, it would undoubtedly greatly benefit his future cultivation! But this is an imperial auspicious beast; if I were to make this decision on my own, Emperor Tian…'
After hesitating for a long time, Bi Ji looked up at Dongfang Jing, whose eyes were clear, and finally made up her mind.
'Disciple, let me test you. What is an ultimate attribute?'
Although Dongfang Jing was puzzled, he put down his chopsticks and answered seriously, 'An ultimate attribute represents the limit of a certain attribute. A martial soul possessing an ultimate attribute may advance to the Limit Douluo level or even the God rank. Why is Master suddenly asking this?'
The concept of ultimate attributes has not yet been discovered by humans.
But Bi Ji has lived longer and seen more.
Therefore, the knowledge she can impart to Dongfang Jing is far beyond what any academy teacher could provide.
Bi Ji explained, 'That Imperial Beast has light and fire attributes within its body. Although these two are close to ultimate attributes, they are not its primary attribute. Its primary attribute is actually spiritual power!'
Then, she explained the secrets of attribute connection in detail.
'Now do you understand what I mean? If you connect with its attribute, your spiritual power will definitely increase significantly, and even your eye soul bone may evolve!'
Dongfang Jing nodded, indicating his understanding.
But is there really such a good thing in the world?
After careful consideration, he grasped the key point: "The Three-Eyed Golden Lion is the vessel of the Star Dou Great Forest's destiny. If I accept the guidance, it means that a portion, or even all, of the auspicious energy from the beast will be transferred to me. In other words, my fate will be intertwined with that of the Soul Beast race, is that right, Master?"
His disciple was indeed clever; Bi Ji nodded silently.
Suddenly feeling a pang of guilt, fearing her disciple might misunderstand that she was using him, she quickly added, "Disciple, whether you accept the guidance or not is up to you. I'm just telling you about the beast's abilities!"
Dongfang Jing had no other thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, he asked only one question.
"Master, if I choose to accept the guidance, will the dream you once spoke of be one step closer to its realization?"
Seeing Bi Ji remain silent for a long time, Dongfang Jing understood.
He stood up: "Alright, I accept. Master, what should I do?"
Looking into Dongfang Jing's unwavering gaze, Bi Ji's hand, hidden under the table, unconsciously clenched.
'Di Tian, if we cling to old ways and refuse to seek a way out, our future will be limited!'
Once this thought surfaced, it could no longer be suppressed.
'Di Tian, you should understand me, right?'
Time slowly passed.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, having eaten its fill, slowly awoke.
As soon as it opened its eyes, it saw the silver-haired human's forehead approaching its own.
It instinctively tried to back away, but found itself being held, its entire belly exposed to Dongfang Jing without any cover.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was filled with shame and anger, a mixture of humiliation and indignation!
Turning around, it saw that the one holding it was Bi Ji!
At this moment, Bi Ji was trembling violently, her beautiful eyes tightly closed.
In the world of soul beasts, no soul beast dared to touch its body.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was fiercely temperamental, and anyone who tried to touch it would be attacked frantically.
Even Bi Ji, who was relatively close to it, was now being scratched mercilessly with its claws, leaving several bloody marks on Bi Ji's fair and jade-like arms.
But despite this, Bi Ji still did not let go.
How could she not be heartbroken? She had watched the auspicious beast grow up.
But for the sake of her disciple and the great cause of the soul beasts, Bi Ji was willing to take matters into her own hands, and dared to face the wrath of the beasts.
Seemingly, she simply embraced the Three-Eyed Golden Lion from behind, but her arms were already surging with immense life energy, a soft emerald green halo quietly appearing,gently imprisoning the auspicious beast within.
This was not to harm it, but to ensure that the guiding ceremony would not be disrupted by its violent struggles.
"Bi Ji! Are you insane?! You actually teamed up with humans against me! Aren't you afraid of Di Tian's wrath?!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion roared, its female voice, though angry, still clear and melodious.
"What...what are you going to do?"
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(End of Chapter)