The silence stretched, thick with ozone, the lingering scent of brimstone, and the profound shock of the Scarlet King. It felt heavier than the pressure of any domain. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams of light piercing the ravaged canopy, oblivious to the monumental shift that had just occurred.
The crackling remnants of the nearly broken Scarlet Devil's Barrier faded into echoes. All that remained was the heavy, ragged breathing of the three-headed Fierce Beast King.
Its six eyes, blazing vortexes of crimson energy moments ago, now held a complex storm: incandescent rage still simmered, but it was undeniably diluted by sheer astonishment, frustration, and a deeply unsettling wariness it hadn't felt in centuries. They stared intently at the colossal Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor Avatar hovering before them.
The Avatar, in contrast, seemed an island of cold calm in the chaotic aftermath. The Demonic Dragon Domain pulsed softly around its immense form, a tangible sphere of consuming abyssal darkness subtly pushing back against the world's natural energies. Its violet eyes, glowing with ancient power, held a steady, analytical light, observing the Fierce Beast's reaction.
Cautiously, nervously, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion lifted its head from the dirt. Its small body still trembled, but the immediate, overwhelming pressure of active combat had subsided. It looked from the towering, panting form of its guardian – the invincible Scarlet King, who had just been physically forced back and nearly had its ultimate defense shattered – to the equally towering, terrifyingly calm dark dragon Avatar that had defied him. Confusion, fear, and a burgeoning, inexplicable curiosity warred in its wide, innocent golden eyes. That dark aura… it was immensely powerful, terrifyingly so, but it didn't feel directed at it with the same predatory intent as before.
'It… withstood the Barrier Break,' the Scarlet King's central head processed, the sheer impossibility still echoing in its mind. The Avatar's claw, infused with that terrifying spatial rending power… it had come so close. 'Its power source is bizarre, unnatural for a human. Its defenses, layered and amplified by this Avatar… absurd for its cultivation level.'
'And this suppression…' the thought grated across all three minds simultaneously. 'It's tangible. A constant drain, a weight on my soul power, a hindrance to my movements. It gnaws at my strength, my very connection to my own domain!'
'Continuing this head-on conflict is… inefficient,' the right head mused, feeling the significant drain on its vast soul power reserves. Maintaining the Domain of Scarlet Fury, even in its suppressed state, while unleashing attacks like Triple Threat Annihilation and the Scarlet Devil's Barrier, was costly. Especially when the opponent could seemingly shrug off or absorb the damage to an unbelievable degree. 'He's evasive beyond reason, impossibly durable within that Avatar, and his own attacks… while not crippling, they wound. They corrode. Annoying. Like a void-flitting viper.'
'But his objective remains unchanged!' the left head snarled internally, overriding the pragmatism with protective fury. 'He came for the Auspicious One! He stated his intent! We cannot yield the child!'
Pride, fury, protective instinct, and a grudging acknowledgement of the Avatar's power warred within the Scarlet King. Finishing this human, even within his formidable Avatar, was certainly possible. The sheer difference in raw soul power, accumulated over 300,000 years, still guaranteed that. But it would take effort. Significant effort. It might require unleashing techniques held in reserve, potentially causing massive collateral damage to its territory. And worse, it might risk further, unpredictable injury from those spatially-infused attacks or that damned soul-draining black fire the Avatar wielded. Was the cost worth it, especially against an opponent who demonstrated such impossible evasiveness?
The King decided to test that elusiveness again. Perhaps probe for a weakness in the Avatar's duration or energy consumption.
"You stand defiant, human," the central head rumbled, addressing Song Qing within the construct, its voice regaining some of its thunderous quality, echoing strangely against the Avatar's form. "But your power, however strange, does not grant you dominion here! You are still within my forest! Within my reach! Feel the earth's grasp! Scarlet Quake Prison!"
Instead of another direct energy assault, the King slammed its massive forepaws down onto the ravaged earth again. This time, it channeled its soul power differently, connecting deeply with the ground itself. The earth within a hundred-meter radius around the Abyssal Dragon Avatar didn't just crack; it churned.
ROOOOAR!
Massive pillars of solid rock, infused with simmering scarlet energy, erupted violently from the ground. Jagged and menacing, they shot upwards with incredible speed, aiming to encircle the colossal Avatar, to create an inescapable cage of stone, sealing off its aerial advantage and attempting to physically pin its massive form. Simultaneously, the ground directly beneath the Avatar rippled like disturbed water, turning unstable, seeking to disrupt its footing and anchor it should it try to land or push off.
Song Qing, within the Avatar's core, watched the earth prison rise with detached interest. A formidable attempt to restrict movement on such a scale.
'Clever,' he acknowledged internally, his mind processing rapidly via the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown. 'Using the environment directly. Trying to counter my spatial advantage by physically boxing in the Avatar.'
But limiting this Avatar, imbued with the power of the void, was fundamentally flawed.
He didn't even attempt to shatter the rapidly forming rock pillars with brute force. Why bother?
Avatar Ability: Void Blink!
The colossal Abyssal Dragon Avatar simply ceased to exist within the rising cage.
Zip.
Instantaneously, without a sound, without a flicker, it reappeared a hundred meters outside the now rapidly closing rock prison, hovering effortlessly in the air. The sheer scale of the teleportation was staggering – moving a form that large, that instantly, defied conventional understanding of spatial manipulation.
The newly formed stone pillars slammed together, completing the prison. An empty prison.
The Scarlet King stared, its six eyes blinking in unison. It had felt the Avatar's presence vanish, then reappear outside, all within the span of a single breath.
Song Qing wasn't finished demonstrating.
Void Blink. Void Blink. Void Blink.
The massive Avatar executed a series of rapid, short-burst teleportations around the clearing. Vanishing from one spot, reappearing instantaneously in another – beside the stunned Golden Lion (who yelped and scrambled back), then high above the canopy, then near the edge of the contested domains. It left no afterimages, just a series of sudden presences, a clear, undeniable display of absolute spatial mastery and unparalleled evasive capability.
Finally, the Avatar came to a halt, hovering calmly a hundred meters away from the Fierce Beast, the empty rock prison standing uselessly between them.
"Is that your attempt at containment, Scarlet King?" Song Qing's voice echoed from the Avatar, calm, almost conversational, yet carrying the weight of the abyss. "A commendable effort in controlling the earth. But you should understand, trapping something that commands the void itself is… fundamentally difficult."
The Avatar made a subtle gesture, a slight tilt of its massive draconic head towards the distant horizon, far beyond the Star Dou Forest.
"My spirit grants me certain… advantages," the voice continued, hinting at depths of power still unseen. "If I truly wished to depart, Scarlet King, your entire forest could not hold me captive. I possess abilities such as Void Anchor."
He let the name sink in.
"It allows me to establish teleportation points across vast distances. Instantaneous travel. I currently have anchors set within major human cities, places your physical form could never reach, places I could vanish to in the blink of an eye, far beyond your influence."
The implication was crystal clear, delivered with the unshakeable confidence of truth. He hadn't used Void Anchor in this fight – his established anchors were strategic, far away – but the casual mention of such an ability, combined with the breathtaking display of Void Blink the Scarlet King had just witnessed with its own eyes, painted a vivid, undeniable picture.
Song Qing wasn't trapped here. He wasn't cornered. He was choosing to remain.
The Scarlet King's six eyes narrowed further, the crimson light within them swirling with calculation. The spatial abilities were even more potent, more absolute, than it had feared. The human wasn't bluffing; the contemptuous ease with which the Avatar evaded the Quake Prison proved his mastery over space. Chasing him down if he decided to flee would be utterly impossible. A futile endeavor.
This realization struck hard, shifting the King's internal calculus dramatically. The cost of continuing this fight just escalated exponentially. What was the point of battling an enemy who could simply vanish at will, rendering any prolonged engagement meaningless? Brute force might eventually overwhelm the Avatar if it stood still and fought a battle of attrition, but its master clearly had no intention of allowing that. The futility became starkly apparent.
A stalemate. Achieved not through parity of power, but through absolute evasiveness and sufficient defense to withstand the opening salvos.
"Why?"
The central head finally spoke, the single word cutting through the tense air. It was laden with suspicion, frustration, and that grudging acknowledgement of the current impasse. The roar was gone, replaced by a low rumble that vibrated with strained curiosity.
"Why stay, human?" it elaborated. "Why risk facing my full wrath? What do you truly want with the Auspicious Emperor Beast?"
This was the moment Song Qing had maneuvered for. The shift from physical confrontation to negotiation. He sensed the change in the King's intent, the wary calculation replacing the immediate urge to destroy. The direct combat threat, for now, had subsided enough.
Slowly, deliberately, the colossal Abyssal Dragon Avatar began to descend. It moved with a strange grace for its size, the abyssal energy composing it swirling gently. It approached the ground a respectful distance away from the still wary Fierce Beast.
Then, something remarkable happened.
The immense form of the Avatar wavered. The solid-seeming obsidian scales began to dissolve, melting back into pure, swirling abyssal shadow. The towering draconic shape lost its definition, shrinking rapidly, the dark flames receding, the violet eyes fading. The overwhelming pressure lessened, though the cold authority of the Demonic Dragon Domain remained active, pulsing softly around the diminishing form.
In seconds, the colossal Avatar vanished completely.
Where it had been, now stood Song Qing.
A lone human figure, seemingly tiny in comparison to the three-headed behemoth before him. He was clad head-to-toe in the intricate, obsidian scales of his Abyssal Void Dragon Armor, which shimmered faintly with spatial energy. He landed softly on the ravaged earth, his posture perfectly composed.
He stood before the 300,000-year-old Fierce Beast King, defenseless in his human form compared to the Avatar, yet showing absolutely no fear. His own emerald eyes, no longer glowing with the Avatar's intensity but sharp and focused, met the King's six burning orbs directly. The contrast was jarring – the immense power just witnessed, now contained within this small, defiant form. It was, in its own way, as intimidating as the Avatar itself.
"I told you my intention from the start, Scarlet King," Song Qing stated clearly, his natural voice carrying easily across the distance, devoid of trickery or amplified resonance, yet holding an undeniable weight. He subtly employed Abyssal Soul Reading, skimming the surface of the King's turbulent thoughts, confirming the shift – rage still present, suspicion paramount, but now overlaid with genuine confusion and a sliver of cautious curiosity.
"I wish to bring the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with me," he reiterated plainly. "To human territory."
"TO KILL IT!" the left head snarled instantly, ingrained instinct flaring violently. "TO TAKE ITS SOUL RING! ITS SOUL BONE! THE FATE OF ALL AUSPICIOUS BEASTS WHO FALL INTO HUMAN HANDS!"
Song Qing slowly shook his head, his expression turning serious beneath the visor of his helmet (implied, as the armor covers him). "No. That is where you fundamentally misunderstand me, Scarlet King. And perhaps, you misunderstand the current situation in the world."
He met the King's suspicious gaze without wavering. "Look at me. You've felt the nature of my spirit. You've witnessed my abilities, my defenses, my spatial mastery. You know I am not ordinary."
He paused, letting the King recall the battle. The domain suppression. The impossible defenses. The void manipulation.
"I am Song Qing," he declared, his voice steady. "Designated Holy Son of the Spirit Hall."
As expected, the name 'Spirit Hall' caused the Scarlet King to bristle visibly. Its aura, which had calmed slightly, flared with renewed hostility. Crimson energy began to swirl around its paws again.
"SPIRIT HALL!" the central head roared, the sound filled with generations of accumulated hatred. "THE BUTCHERS! THE SLAVERS! THE GREATEST ENEMY OF ALL SPIRIT BEASTS!"
"And my Master," Song Qing continued calmly, deliberately ignoring the interruption, his voice gaining a profound weight that cut through the King's rage, "is Bibi Dong. The current Pope of Spirit Hall. An Extreme Douluo. Level 99."
The Scarlet King flinched. A barely perceptible tremor ran through its massive frame. Level 99. Bibi Dong. That name, that title, that level… it resonated deep within the ancient consciousness of the Fierce Beast. It signified power on a scale that could threaten anything in the Great Star Dou Forest, even the true sovereigns hidden in its deepest core. A being capable of reshaping the continent.
"Consider this," Song Qing elaborated logically, his tone reasonable despite the tension. "With my own demonstrated potential, my unique spirit, my status as Holy Son, and the backing of a Level 99 Extreme Douluo… if I desired a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, do you truly believe I would need to resort to sneaking into your territory and tricking a young, albeit auspicious, beast?"
He let the question hang, appealing to the King's intelligence beneath the rage.
"Spirit Hall could organize a hunt. We could target beasts far older, far more powerful in direct combat than this young lion currently is. Obtaining a top-tier Hundred Thousand Year ring would be difficult, challenging, yes. But impossible for someone of my standing, under the Pope's directive? Hardly."
He paused, letting the cold logic sink in past the ingrained hatred.
"I do not covet its Soul Ring," he stated firmly. "My Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor spirit is… selective. Finding suitable rings of sufficient age and compatible attribute is already an immense challenge. A ring from a light-attribute, auspicious-natured beast like this one? It wouldn't even be compatible with my abyssal core. It would be useless, perhaps even detrimental, regardless of its age."
He gestured towards the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who had stopped trembling and was now watching the exchange with wide, intelligent eyes, seemingly understanding parts of the conversation.
"What I offer it is not death," Song Qing said, his voice softening slightly, becoming persuasive. "It is opportunity. It is protection."
"Protection?!" the right head scoffed, the idea utterly incredulous. "From a human? From Spirit Hall? You jest!"
"Yes," Song Qing affirmed, his confidence absolute. "From me. And by extension, from Spirit Hall."
He met the King's disbelieving gaze. "You witnessed my capabilities firsthand. I withstood your strongest attacks while countless levels below you. My defenses, my armor, my spirit's inherent resistances are formidable. My spatial abilities make me untouchable if I choose. My spirit itself exerts dominance over other beasts."
He leaned into the argument. "Within human territory, under my direct, personal protection, publicly acknowledged by Pope Bibi Dong herself… who would dare harm it? Which Soul Master, which clan, which power would be foolish enough to try and steal it from the Holy Son, knowing they would face not just my wrath, but the full, overwhelming retribution of Spirit Hall?"
He painted a picture of sanctuary born from overwhelming power and political authority.
"You worry about humans," he acknowledged, nodding slightly. "It is a valid concern, rooted in centuries of conflict. But think pragmatically, Scarlet King. Hidden deep within your forest… is it truly safe forever?"
He let the uncomfortable question linger.
"Human cities expand. Soul Masters explore further, seeking resources, seeking glory. Its Auspicious aura, while subtle now due to its youth, will grow stronger as it matures. It will attract attention eventually. Perhaps from Soul Masters less… reasonable… than myself. Perhaps from factions powerful enough to challenge even you. Or perhaps," he added darkly, "from threats originating from places you haven't even considered."
He brought the focus back to the core offer, shifting from simple protection to something more enticing.
"More importantly," he said, his voice taking on a new intensity, "I sense the dormant power within it. Deep within its bloodline. The legacy of the Golden Dragon."
The Scarlet King stiffened. It knew. It had always sensed the potential, the faint echo of a power far grander than even its Auspicious nature suggested.
"It's faint," Song Qing continued, confirming the King's own knowledge. "Suppressed by its current form, perhaps diluted over generations. But it is undeniably present. Your protection is commendable, King. You have kept it safe. But can you help it truly awaken that potential? Can you provide the specific resources, the rare immortal herbs, the specialized knowledge required to nurture and refine a Golden Dragon bloodline?"
He let his own draconic aura flare subtly, not the overwhelming pressure of the Avatar, but the refined, ancient resonance of the Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor within him. It wasn't hostile, but it was undeniably draconic.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion flinched instinctively at the flare, but then tilted its head, its third eye glowing softly, emitting a faint, curious hum. It felt… a strange resonance. A distant familiarity in the draconic signature emanating from Song Qing's spirit, something that called to the sleeping power within its own blood.
"I can," Song Qing stated with absolute certainty, his voice ringing with conviction. "I possess resources gathered by Spirit Hall over millennia, treasures you cannot possibly imagine. Items capable of cleansing marrow, refining bloodlines, accelerating growth and comprehension exponentially. With me, under my guidance, its Golden Dragon bloodline wouldn't just awaken; it would flourish. It would reach heights of power far faster, far safer, and far more completely than it ever could hiding here, relying solely on ambient energy and time."
He added a crucial point, appealing directly to the King's sense of duty towards the future of spirit beasts.
"Think of the possibilities, Scarlet King," he urged. "A fully realized Auspicious Emperor Beast, empowered by an awakened Golden Dragon bloodline. Imagine the scope of its blessings then! Its power could become a cornerstone for the future of all spirit beasts, strengthening them, guiding them. Isn't that a goal worthy of consideration? For it to become a true beacon, nurtured to its absolute peak potential?"
The Scarlet King remained silent for a long, tense moment. Its three heads were lowered slightly, its six eyes narrowed in intense concentration, seemingly processing the torrent of information and the weight of the proposal. Song Qing's arguments were… logical. Disturbingly logical.
The points about protection, ironically under Spirit Hall's banner, held a certain pragmatic weight given his demonstrated power and status. The impossibility of chasing him if he fled was undeniable. The argument about the incompatibility of the soul ring seemed genuine, given the bizarre nature of his abyssal spirit.
And the promise of awakening the Golden Dragon bloodline… that resonated deeply. The King knew the potential slumbered within the young lion, a potential far beyond its own ability to unlock. The resources Spirit Hall commanded were legendary.
Yet, the core suspicion remained, a deep, bitter root grown over millennia of bloodshed and betrayal. Trusting a human? Trusting Spirit Hall? It felt like madness.
"Why?" the central head finally rumbled again, the word tight, heavy with that ingrained, almost absolute distrust. "Your words are smooth, human. Your power is undeniable, your logic… compelling. But why? Why would you, Song Qing, Holy Son of Spirit Hall, invest so much personal effort, risk direct conflict with a Fierce Beast of my standing, offer such world-shaking resources… to help a spirit beast? To help our kind?"
The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade, sharp, pointed, demanding the true motive. Altruism? From Spirit Hall? Towards spirit beasts? It was utterly, completely unthinkable. There had to be a catch. A trick. A deeper, darker agenda.
The Scarlet King braced itself, suspicion flaring hotter than ever. Perhaps this persuasive talk was merely the prelude to the real deception. Crimson energy began to swirl violently around it once more, its muscles tensing, readying itself for renewed combat, anticipating the betrayal.
As if to punctuate its suspicion, it launched another attack – not a full-power assault, but a sharp, probing wave of condensed scarlet energy, aimed directly at the seemingly vulnerable human figure. It wasn't meant to kill, but to test his reaction, to force his hand, to see if the calm facade would crack under renewed hostility.
Song Qing watched the scarlet wave approach. He didn't flinch. He didn't deploy a massive barrier. He didn't even seem to brace himself.
With a casual, almost dismissive gesture, he raised his gauntleted hand, the Abyssal Void Dragon Armor shimmering. A flicker of abyssal darkness, interwoven with a subtle ripple of spatial energy, coalesced around his hand.
Clang!
The probing scarlet wave impacted the small shield of energy and simply… dispersed. Neutralized effortlessly.
Song Qing didn't retaliate. He didn't even shift his stance. He simply held the wary, suspicious gaze of the Scarlet King, his own expression turning deadly serious, his emerald eyes beginning to burn with an intensity that transcended mere combat power. It was the intensity of absolute, unshakable conviction.
"Because," Song Qing began, his voice dropping low, taking on a chilling resonance that seemed to echo not just in the air, but in the very soul of the listeners, carried on the pulse of his abyssal aura, "my enemy is not you, Scarlet King."
He paused, letting the declaration sink into the charged silence.
"My enemy is not the spirit beasts of this world."
Another pause, heavier, more profound.
"My enemies… are the so-called Gods."
His voice dripped with contempt on the last word.
"Those arrogant beings who sit on high, in their gilded Divine Realm, pulling the strings of this mortal plane like puppeteers manipulating marionettes."
The Scarlet King froze mid-tense. All three heads stared, utterly dumbfounded. The swirling scarlet energy around it dissipated harmlessly. Gods? Divine Realm? Puppets? What madness was this human spouting now?
"You… you speak insanity!" the left head gasped, forgetting its aggression in sheer disbelief.
"Madness?" Song Qing laughed, but it was a cold, sharp, humorless sound that sent shivers down the spine. "Is it madness to perceive the bars of the cage? Is it madness to see how they interfere, how they manipulate destinies, how they cull those who grow too powerful – be they human or beast – imposing their limitations to maintain their own stagnant control?"
His voice became laced with a sudden, sharp, personal venom. A deep, burning resentment flared in his eyes, turning them incandescent. "Tell me, Scarlet King, have you ever felt the unwelcome touch of a God's 'will' upon your fate? I have."
His aura pulsed violently, the abyssal energy swirling like a contained storm, radiating palpable anger. "One of them, the hypocrite known as the Asura God, saw fit to interfere directly in my life. His power kept me trapped in a coma, helpless, for three long years! Stealing my time, hindering my path, simply because I was going to be a threat to his future inheritor!"
The revelation hung in the air, raw and shocking. A direct act of aggression by a God against this human?
"They believe themselves untouchable," Song Qing spat, the words dripping with fury. "Observing us like insects from their lofty realm. They meddle. They judge. They dictate. They are the true jailers of this world, limiting potential, enforcing stagnation!"
He locked his burning gaze onto the Scarlet King's central head, his stare piercing, intense. "I intend to shatter that cage, Scarlet King. I intend to acquire the power to ascend, not to kneel and join their ranks, but to confront them. To stand before the Asura God, and any others who uphold their system, and make them pay the ultimate price for their arrogance, for their interference!"
His voice resonated with absolute, unshakeable conviction, a vow sworn to the abyss itself. "But I recognize reality. I cannot achieve this alone. Humanity is fractured, riddled with fools easily swayed by divine whispers and false promises of godhood. They are unreliable."
He looked pointedly at the Scarlet King, then gestured towards the silent forest around them. "But the spirit beasts… you possess ancient power, primal strength. Your potential, while vast, has been deliberately limited, capped by their divine tribulations and manipulations. Imagine what you could become if those chains were broken!"
His eyes gleamed with fierce determination. "If the spirit beasts grow strong, truly strong, united under powerful, enlightened leaders like a fully realized Auspicious Emperor Beast empowered by its true bloodline… you could become a force that even the so-called Gods could not ignore or easily suppress."
He gestured towards the now utterly captivated Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "Helping this young one reach its potential isn't mere altruism, King. It's strategic. It's an investment. It's about forging an ally – a powerful piece on the board in a conflict far larger, far more fundamental, than the petty squabbles between humans and beasts on this continent. It's about cultivating a force capable of standing with me, or perhaps even surpassing me, when the time inevitably comes to challenge the heavens themselves!"
"I want the spirit beasts to become powerful," Song Qing declared, his voice ringing with undeniable authority, echoing through the clearing, imbued with the power of his unique spirit. "Powerful enough to defy the fates dictated by meddling Gods. Powerful enough to break the divine chains they have placed upon this world. Powerful enough," he finished, his gaze sweeping across the stunned Fierce Beast, "to fight back."
Silence.
Absolute, profound silence descended upon the ravaged clearing. It was heavier than any domain, thicker than any miasma.
The Scarlet King was utterly, completely stunned into stillness. Its three heads were motionless, its six crimson eyes wide with shock, reflecting the small, armor-clad human figure who had just uttered words of unimaginable heresy and ambition.
Challenging Gods? Divine manipulation? The Asura God's interference? A human seeking to empower spirit beasts as allies against the divine plane?
The concepts were staggering, world-altering, flying in the face of everything the Scarlet King knew or believed. Yet… deep within its ancient consciousness, fragments stirred. Racial memories, instinctual awareness of the limitations imposed from above, the looming threat of Godly tribulations designed specifically to prevent beings on the mortal plane – human or beast – from attaining power sufficient to threaten the Divine Realm. An inherent resentment towards any force seeking to control or limit its kind.
The Asura God… the name itself carried a chilling weight, an echo of slaughter, judgment, and forceful interference that resonated with those fragmented warnings.
Could this human… possibly be telling the truth? His conviction was absolute; the Scarlet King's highly attuned senses, even suppressed, could feel the raw, burning sincerity pouring off him in waves.
The vendetta against the Asura God felt terrifyingly real, personal, and deep. The sheer, breathtaking audacity of the plan – empowering spirit beasts to fight Gods – was certifiably insane, yet… it was also strangely, undeniably compelling.
The raw fury in the Scarlet King's eyes flickered, overshadowed by a swirling vortex of calculation, disbelief, dawning understanding, and hesitant consideration. A human? The Holy Son of Spirit Hall, the organization most responsible for the genocide of its kind, proposed… an alliance? Against the Gods themselves? Using the Auspicious Emperor Beast as a key piece?
It defied every instinct, every ingrained prejudice, every hard-learned lesson from millennia of conflict.
Yet… the power Song Qing wielded was real. His spirit felt… different. Ancient. Dominating. Almost alien in its primordial authority. And his reasoning, however insane, provided a motive – a vast, overarching, vengeful motive – far more complex and ultimately more believable than simple greed for a soul ring.
'He intends to use the Auspicious One… not for a ring… but as a weapon? A symbol? Against the Gods?' the central head thought, the concept still struggling to take root in its mind.
'A path to greater power… for all beasts? Freedom from the divine limitations… from the tribulations?' the right head pondered, the idea simultaneously terrifying in its implications and tantalizing in its promise.
'But he is HUMAN! SPIRIT HALL!' the left head insisted, clinging to ingrained hatred, though its certainty was undeniably wavering under the sheer weight of Song Qing's revelation and the undeniable evidence of his power and conviction.
Unnoticed by the grappling minds of the King, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked at the human figure of Song Qing, no longer with fear or simple curiosity, but with wide-eyed, burgeoning awe. Fighting Gods? Helping spirit beasts become strong enough to break chains? This human spoke of things far beyond its young comprehension, but the sheer scale of his ambition, the absolute power radiating from his voice and spirit, resonated deeply with the noble, draconic potential slumbering within its own blood.
The immediate, crushing hostility had vanished from the clearing. The air still thrummed with power, but it was the power of suspended judgment, of monumental implications being weighed.
Song Qing stood his ground, clad in his unyielding armor, letting the Scarlet King process. He had laid his cards on the table, revealed the truth of his staggering ambition.
The fight was well and truly over, he sensed. The negotiation, however, had just entered a new, infinitely more complex, dangerous, and potentially world-altering phase.
The fate of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the future relationship between Song Qing and the powers of the Star Dou Forest, and perhaps, just perhaps, the first tentative steps towards a future none could have predicted, hung precariously in the balance of the Scarlet King's decision.