Douluo: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel

Word Count: 2,987 Words

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At the outer edge of the Star Dou Forest.

Elder Song stood facing the vast expanse, ever vigilant against the possibility of the Scarlet King playing dirty. Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao were silently comprehending their new third spirit skills, while Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong wore strangely indescribable expressions as they gazed at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, their eyes swirling with a myriad of emotions.

Two hands roamed incessantly over the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body. It endured and endured until it finally could hold back no longer. A cross-shaped vein bulged on its forehead. Its three eyes stared fixedly at the owner of those hands as it said indignantly:

"Can you stop petting me?"

"Sorry, it just feels too good."

Ling Bai refused without the slightest hesitation. The golden fur of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion shimmered with flowing light. It was soft and smooth to the touch. He finally understood why so many people enjoyed keeping pets; petting cats and dogs brought a joy that other things simply couldn't replace.

Evening was approaching, and the Scarlet King would return soon. Once the Three-Eyed Golden Lion regained its freedom, man and beast would likely never meet again. Ling Bai decided to pet it to his heart's content, stroking happily from head to tail in a repeating cycle.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion shot him a cold glance but said nothing more. It closed all three eyes and lay prone on the ground, feigning sleep.

As dusk settled, the warm golden glow of the setting sun bathed the land. The group had nearly dozed off from waiting when a change suddenly occurred in the Star Dou Forest. The treetops within their line of sight swayed simultaneously in one direction, then slowly swung back. A meteor-like streak of dark red light flashed past, and the Scarlet King appeared before them, a black spirit beast clamped in its massive jaws.

The black spirit beast appeared to be a bird with a sharp, hooked beak, claws that glinted with metallic light, and an erect, fleshy crest of feathers on its head.

"A 100,000-year Harbinger Zhen. The Scarlet King is truly generous." Elder Song recognized the type of spirit beast and couldn't help but sigh.

"Harbinger Zhen?"

The name hadn't been mentioned in the Outer Courtyard's spirit beast theory courses. Huo Yuhao quickly asked, "What kind of spirit beast is that?"

Elder Song explained, "The Zhen is a poisonous bird. The most famous ability of the Zhen species is the 'Zhen poison' on their feathers. Its toxicity surpasses even that of the well-known Man Faced Demon Spider and Jade Phosphor Serpent. Dipping one of its feathers into wine instantly contaminates it, creating 'Zhen wine.' Over time, 'Zhen wine' became a general term for poisoned wine.

The Harbinger Zhen is an anomaly among its kind. It is both a poisonous beast and an evil beast. Its ominous cry brings continuous overcast rain, while its prolonged wailing often heralds extended droughts. Both signal the raising of disaster's curtain."

The Scarlet King set down the Harbinger Zhen. Although unconscious, the terrifying virulent poison of the 100,000-year spirit beast instantly turned the vegetation within a ten-meter radius into black particles.

The Scarlet King shook its magnificent mane, and a strong wind swept the poisonous particles into the distant sky. Only then did everyone notice that the Scarlet King, despite its 300,000 years of cultivation, actually had patches of black marks on its mighty body. Some were so deep that the pink flesh beneath was exposed, with black blood dripping to the ground.

The Scarlet King had obviously paid a great price to capture the 100,000-year Harbinger Zhen alive. Yet its three pairs of beastly eyes were exceptionally bright as its voice resounded like a great bell:

"Human, I have brought the evil spirit beast you wanted. The Harbinger Zhen relied on its full-body poison to slaughter countless spirit beasts, even building a tower of bones in its territory.

Due to the Zhen's poison, even the Great Beasts were reluctant to provoke it. Moreover, after this fellow broke through to the 100,000-year cultivation, its killing behavior slightly subsided, so we stopped paying attention to it. Today, we're making it repay its past wrongdoings."

The Death Abyss Spider Emperor was a fusion of two great spider emperors, and the battle record of the Death Spider Emperor's poison could be seen in the fates of the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape. Therefore, the Death Abyss Spider Emperor was perfectly suited to absorb this kind of highly poisonous evil spirit beast. Ling Bai couldn't have been more satisfied with the Harbinger Zhen and immediately declared:

"The Scarlet King keeps his word, and we humans do the same."

"You're an honest fellow!" The Scarlet King sighed with emotion.

"None of us had it easy. Brother Scarlet King has worked hard; a 100,000-year evil spirit beast is no simple foe!"

"Hah, we Great Beasts are rulers, after all. We must consider the well-being of the Star Dou Forest. I find you quite agreeable, lad. Next time we meet in the Star Dou Forest, I'll give you a three-hundred-meter head start!"

"... Alright, then I'll thank the Scarlet King in advance."

Man and beast conversed happily.

Evil Spirit Masters weren't considered human, and Evil Spirit Beasts weren't considered beasts; both were uniformly classified as scum.

Being able to exchange scum for the Emperor Destiny Beast made the Scarlet King feel Star Dou Forest had gotten a great deal. Ling Bai, on the other hand, had made a profit with zero initial investment. This was the highest realm of business: both sides believed they had profited immensely and were afraid the other would back out.

Next, the Scarlet King spat out a ball of dark red spirit power to wrap around the Harbinger Zhen while Ling Bai released half of the seal on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's spirit power. The two parties officially exchanged hostages.

"Wait a moment!"

Ling Bai suddenly placed his left hand over his right in a pause gesture and turned his head angrily:

"That's enough! You've torn the seam on my pant leg completely open!"

"Mind your own business!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion glared at Ling Bai, then stubbornly continued gnawing fiercely at his trousers, managing to tear one leg into the length of shorts.

These were custom-made trousers from Nine Treasure City, two hundred spirit gold coins a pair!

What a wasteful child!

Wu Feng's unrestrained laughter and the others' barely suppressed chuckles rang in his ears. With his face covered in dark lines, Ling Bai grabbed the thick fur on the back of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's neck and tossed it. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion flew through the air as if riding clouds and landed beside the Scarlet King.

The Scarlet King saw this and readily handed over the Harbinger Zhen. Each side got what they needed, and Elder Song, Wu Feng, Huo Yuhao, and the others breathed sighs of relief.

On their way back to the core region of the Star Dou Forest, the Scarlet King sternly warned, "Destiny Beast, the fate of Star Dou rests upon you. You can't just run around as you please.

Shrek Academy is adjacent to the Star Dou Forest; they wouldn't dare provoke us. But who knows what temperaments other Spirit Masters have? If you encounter some reckless fool, it's over for you.

From now on, stay obediently by the Lake of Life. Your Uncle Di Tian, Aunt Bi Ji, and the rest of us will all feel at ease."

"Oh..."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion answered absentmindedly, then suddenly noticed a power brimming with vigorous life seem to arise within its body.

'Hmm?'

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion blinked in confusion. Memories flashed rapidly through its mind like a movie, stopping at the moment Ling Bai grabbed its scruff. At that time, he seemed to have injected a teardrop-sized piece of green metal into its body.

'An aura originating from the same source as the Lake of Life...'

The life force continuously nourished its bloodline. A faint light flickered deep within the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's pupils. It only needed to eat some more brain matter from light-attribute spirit beasts to recover and perhaps even surpass its previous abilities.

At this moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion couldn't muster any hatred toward Ling Bai. It was laughable. Among the six from Shrek, Ling Bai was the only one who had truly laid a hand on it, yet the Three-Eyed Golden Lion inexplicably felt as if the mortal enemy it wanted to kill had become its savior.

Compared to the potential consequences of Elemental Transfusion, the loss of its Ultimate Light bloodline was nothing. Now, with this added life force, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion couldn't hate Ling Bai, but it didn't want to forgive him either. It glanced back, snorted softly, and muttered almost inaudibly:

"We won't meet again anyway..."

At the edge of Star Dou Forest, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong maintained identical postures, gazing with a sense of loss in the direction the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had left, as if their own destinies had vanished along with it.

Ling Bai sealed the Harbinger Zhen's spirit power and stored it in his Storage Spirit Guidance Device. It was the highest-grade Storage Spirit Guidance Device, capable of absorbing and storing living creatures. He needed to use the Death Abyss Spider Emperor to fuse with the Harbinger Zhen's spirit ring, a process that definitely wouldn't happen in front of outsiders.

This trip to the Star Dou Forest had yielded abundant rewards. Wu Feng had absorbed her third spirit ring from the fire-attribute true dragon spirit beast, the Scarlet Armored Dragon, and obtained the external spirit bone: Dark Gold Terror Claw Right Palm Bone. Her overall strength had directly risen by a level. Ling Bai had obtained the Ultimate Light he had been yearning for. With everything in place except a 'chat' with the Infernal Delicate Apricot, he could completely end his entanglement with the Death Abyss Spider Emperor.

The only price paid was a drop of Life Gold. When absorbing the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife, Ling Bai had retained two drops of Life Gold. One was used for the Snow Empress to transform into an Intelligent Spirit Ring. The last drop was given to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Without the Ultimate Light, everything he had done might have simply become a wedding dress for the Death Abyss Spider Emperor. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had resolved his worries. The Life Gold was both a gift of gratitude and an apology. That drop, equivalent to the Skydream Iceworm's million years of life force, was enough to make up for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's loss.

More importantly, Ling Bai had changed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's fate, preventing it from falling into the tragic end it would have met in another timeline.

They had each paid a price and each gained something. Gratitude and resentment canceled out. They no longer owed each other.

"Elder Song, you all should go back. I'll re-enter the Star Dou Forest early tomorrow morning," Ling Bai said.

"Alright, be careful."

Elder Song nodded. Coming to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest to exchange hostages was for safety. It wouldn't be prudent for Ling Bai to immediately turn around and go back. If the Scarlet King was lying in wait, wouldn't he be like a turtle in a jar? Waiting overnight was the right choice.

"Take care, Senior Brother!"

Xiao Xiao waved her hand, grateful to Ling Bai for helping her kill the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.

"Don't die, okay? Otherwise, Ning Tian will be sad."

Wu Feng turned her head away with a look of disdain, but the corner of her eye kept glancing toward him.

Elder Song led the five of them back to Shrek Academy, while Ling Bai bypassed the entrance of the Star Dou Forest directly facing Shrek Academy, planning to enter the forest from a different location.

Late at night, Ling Bai arrived at an entrance within the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory. He took out the Harbinger Zhen from his Storage Spirit Guidance Device. The Scarlet King had shown no mercy; the Harbinger Zhen was still unconscious, showing none of the ferocity of a 100,000-year spirit beast.

This reduced unnecessary trouble. The Angel Sword pierced into the Harbinger Zhen's head. The infamous evil spirit beast of a generation breathed its last without feeling any pain.

A blood-red spirit ring rose above its corpse.

Eight purple-black spider lances burst from Ling Bai's back. After summoning dozens of small demon spiders to scout the surroundings, he sat cross-legged before the 100,000-year spirit beast and circulated his spirit power to guide the blood-red spirit ring onto himself.

His Spiritual Sea trembled violently. The intense spirit power aura surged along the eight spider lances of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor, rushing straight into his meridians.

Gray, Red, Red!

The true colors of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's three spirit rings were revealed as the Thousand Illusion Charming Appearance's disguise was lifted. Apart from the gray spirit ring that housed a fragment of Electrolux's divine consciousness, both the Dark Emperor Demon Vine and the Calamitous Ice Devil had benefited from Skydream Iceworm.

When a spirit beast's cultivation broke through ten thousand years, it would produce a Spirit Shock. The Spirit Shock of a 100,000-year spirit beast was even more terrifying. That vast spiritual fluctuation and massive spirit power impact caused Ling Bai's entire body to swell slightly. This power surging into his body was far from the harmlessness of the unconscious Harbinger Zhen; instead, it was filled with the madness and hysteria of an evil spirit beast.

The Snow Empress and Electrolux carefully observed the situation. The Calamitous Ice Devil had the Snow Empress's assistance, but this was the first time Ling Bai had independently absorbed a 100,00-year spirit ring.

Two and a half minutes passed. Although his body appeared somewhat swollen, Ling Bai's expression remained calm. The Harbinger Zhen didn't seem to cause too much trouble.

Spirit power surged like boiling water. Ling Bai controlled his spirit power and Spiritual Sea to simultaneously accept the madly rushing energy, gradually assimilating and absorbing it.

An unknown amount of time passed. Countless golden specks of light drifted gently in the air. In the distance, the morning sun gradually rose. A figure slowly stood, and majestic spirit rings rose around him.

Gray, Red, Red, Red!

If anyone else were present, they would probably be shocked to the point of jaw-dropping. Three 100,000-year spirit rings plus an unprecedented gray spirit ring; this was simply appalling in the Spirit Master world, a spirit ring configuration fundamentally impossible for a human to possess.

Swish—

Two spider lances stabbed into the Harbinger Zhen's corpse, then abruptly tore it apart. Black poisonous blood showered down like rain, corroding the ground into patches of black holes.

Amidst the shower of poisonous blood, a pitch-black bone resembling a human leg hovered in the air, seemingly capable of devouring all surrounding light.

100,000-year Harbinger Zhen's left leg spirit bone!

A 100,000-year spirit beast would invariably drop a spirit bone of a type the killer didn't already possess. Ling Bai didn't hesitate and continued to absorb this 100,000-year spirit bone.

The spirit ring was smoothly absorbed, and absorbing the spirit bone was naturally no problem. However, he was stuck at Rank 60 because his main Martial Spirit, the Seraphim, only had five rings. He didn't know how much his spirit power had actually increased.

The Harbinger Zhen made him resolute in his decision to have the Seraphim's sixth spirit ring be from a 100,000-year spirit beast. A year and a half was enough time for him to find a hunting target in the Star Dou Forest. Ling Bai smiled faintly as he gazed at the vast, dense, and unfathomable ancient forest.

"Now, let's give it a try."

...

Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.

"Elder Mu, that's how things transpired," Elder Song reported the events of the spirit hunting trip to Elder Mu.

"Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, Scarlet Armored Dragon, Harbinger Zhen, Scarlet King, Emperor Destiny Beast... Your experiences were quite eventful," Elder Mu laughed. "In any case, it's good that you all returned safe and sound. Xiao Song, you've worked hard too. Get some rest early."

"Yes, Elder Mu."

Elder Song agreed verbally but didn't move. Her lips quivered a few times before she cautiously asked, "Elder Mu, why did you send Ling Bai to train in the Star Dou Forest for a year and a half? If he unfortunately dies, I'm afraid the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan..."

She stopped mid-sentence; some things didn't need to be said explicitly.

"Hahaha, rest assured," Elder Mu laughed heartily. "I actually have two reasons for sending Ling Bai to the Star Dou Forest.

First, after he breaks through to six rings, there won't be more than three students in Shrek's Inner Courtyard qualified to spar with him. Moreover, classmates hold back during spars, while the spirit beasts of the Star Dou Forest regard humans as mortal enemies and attack with lethal intent. Life-and-death battles are the best way to hone a Spirit Master's combat skills.

Second, I plan to give him a reward. But that child is very guarded against the Academy, so I can't just give it to him immediately. I must wait until after the year and a half, hence sending him to train in the Star Dou Forest.

As for him unfortunately dying... He's much more formidable than you imagine. Take the Emperor Destiny Beast you just mentioned as an example.

A super spirit beast with dual Ultimate attributes, comparable to a 100,000-year spirit beast, was almost knocked down in one encounter. What trouble do you think he could possibly run into? Perhaps he's actually eager to go to the Star Dou Forest to fully unleash his abilities. Alright, go back and rest..."