Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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The Red King's figure rushed out from the dense forest, landing steadily beside the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
At that moment, Wang Dong'er and the others felt the sky above their heads darken slightly.
Over five meters long and shaped like a majestic lion, it possessed three massive heads standing side by side, with six eyes staring fixedly at them.
The central head was the largest, its exposed canine teeth glinting with a crimson-gold luster.
It was indeed one of the ten Great Vicious Beasts, the Red King.
Wang Dong'er's pupils shrank violently; the terrifying aura currently radiating from the Red King made her feel incredibly small.
They couldn't even handle the Emperor Auspicious Beast, so facing the Red King, they naturally had no chance of victory.
The Red King's gaze swept over the four of them, and his three heads let out a low roar simultaneously.
"Humans!"
His voice was like rolling thunder, echoing through the dense forest and causing the leaves to rustle and fall.
"What do you intend to do to the Auspicious Beast?!"
As his voice fell, a violent and peerless aura erupted from within the Red King, crushing down on Wang Dong'er and the other three like a physical weight!
Wang Dong'er felt her shoulders grow heavy and her knees buckle slightly, but she quickly straightened up.
Xiao Xiao, Xu Xiaoyan, and Seele also steadied themselves; though their expressions were grim, they did not retreat a single step.
During their time at Shrek Academy, they had undergone countless gravity training sessions.
While those sessions were dull and exhausting, at this moment, their effects were demonstrated to the fullest.
Seeing that these few remained motionless under his pressure, a flash of surprise crossed the six eyes of the Red King's three heads.
These humans... were not simple.
"We have no ill intentions."
Xu Xiaoyan took a step forward and looked up, meeting the Red King's three pairs of flaming eyes directly, her voice calm.
"We only came to the Star Dou Great Forest for training. Encountering the Auspicious Beast was a coincidence. We didn't attack it; we even wanted to make friends with it."
"Friends?"
The Red King's three mouths let out a cold snort simultaneously, his voice filled with disdain.
"Humans? Making friends with the Auspicious Beast?"
His tone carried a hint of mockery.
"You humans are the most cunning and despicable! Since ancient times, what else have you done when intruding into the Star Dou Great Forest besides hunting Spirit Beasts?!"
"I have seen countless humans, and not a single one was good!"
The Red King's three heads approached simultaneously, the canine teeth in his gaping maws glinting with a crimson-gold cold light.
"You say you have no ill intentions, but who would believe you? Perhaps your target is the Auspicious Beast itself!"
Standing to the side, the Emperor Auspicious Beast's golden eyes brightened slightly when it heard the word 'friend'.
Friend.
No one had ever said this word to it before. It was a quite rare term that the Emperor Auspicious Beast didn't fully understand, so its gaze fell upon Wang Dong'er and the others, wondering if this was what a friendship was.
Since its birth in the Star Dou Great Forest, all Spirit Beasts had revered and protected it, but none had dared to say they would be its friend.
A friend... what does that feel like?
"Red King."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast spoke, its voice crisp, interrupting the Red King's roar.
"They are indeed not lying."
The Red King turned his heads to look at the Emperor Auspicious Beast, all three faces filled with confusion.
"Auspicious Beast, how do you know?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"When they entered, they encountered an Iron-Horned Rhino and only drove it away without killing it."
The Red King paused for a moment, then shook his heads.
"Auspicious Beast, you are too naive! Humans are the best at acting; they might have done that on purpose just for you to see!"
"On purpose?"
The Emperor Auspicious Beast tilted its head, a flash of doubt in its eyes.
"They didn't know I was watching, so how could it be on purpose?"
The Red King opened his mouths but found himself at a loss for words. Moreover... if the Emperor Auspicious Beast truly wanted to hide, these humans really might not have been able to discover it.
After all, as the guardian of the Emperor Auspicious Beast, he had constantly let it slip away from under his nose, though fortunately, no major problems had occurred so far.
"Auspicious Beast, do not be deceived by them!"
The Red King's voice carried a hint of urgency.
"Creatures like humans are best at sweet talk! They say they want to be friends, but who knows what they are plotting in their hearts!"
"Just let me deal with them!"
As he spoke, the Red King raised a massive front paw, crimson-gold flames dancing on the tips of his claws.
Wang Dong'er and the others tensed up, subconsciously gripping their respective weapons.
If the Red King really attacked, they would be no match for him at all.
However, they still had a final trump card.
Teacher Zang Xin was following them in secret. As long as they sent a signal, with Zang Xin's strength, dealing with this Vicious Beast should be more than enough.
But if Zang Xin had to intervene again in this battle, their training score would likely be greatly discounted.
The Academy had sent them out to train so they could grow, not so they could call for their teacher the moment they encountered danger.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, they couldn't call him.
Wang Dong'er exchanged looks with Xiao Xiao, Xu Xiaoyan, and Seele; the four reached a silent understanding to find a way themselves first.
Xu Xiaoyan's gaze fell upon the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
"If you like this Soul Guided Car, I will give you another one when I return as proof of our friendship."
The Red King grew anxious.
"Stop."
Hearing those words, the Emperor Auspicious Beast quickly moved to block the Red King, whose claws froze in mid-air.
"Auspicious Beast, you..."
"I said stop. I believe them."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast looked at the Red King, its golden eyes filled with seriousness.
The Red King's three mouths opened as if to say something, but ultimately he closed them.
He retracted his claws and stepped back twice, but his three pairs of eyes remained fixed on Wang Dong'er and the others, ready to strike at any moment.
Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The gamble had paid off.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast was indeed on their side.
If the Emperor Auspicious Beast hadn't spoken just now, it would have been disastrous if the Red King's paw had come down.
The Red King felt completely out of sorts.
He had only failed to watch over the Auspicious Beast for a moment; how could it be that in such a short time, the Auspicious Beast had been deceived by these silver-tongued humans?
When had there ever been a precedent for Spirit Beasts and humans to coexist peacefully?
In these tens of thousands of years, haven't enough Spirit Beasts died at the hands of humans?
Why couldn't the Auspicious Beast understand?
"Auspicious Beast, you... you cannot trust them!"
The Red King's voice was filled with grief and indignation.
"They are humans!"
"I know they are humans."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast turned its head to look at the Red King, a flash of complexity in its eyes.
"Red King, I want to go see the human World."
The Red King was completely stunned.
The six eyes of his three heads bulged simultaneously, his mouths hanging open wide enough to swallow a whole wild boar.
"You... what did you say?!"
The Red King's voice cracked.
"I said, I want to go see the human World."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast repeated.
"No!"
The Red King jumped up, his three heads shaking frantically.
"Absolutely not!"
His back felt chilled, and cold sweat poured down.
If Di Tian found out that while he was away, the Emperor Auspicious Beast had been bewitched by humans and even wanted to go to the human World, he would definitely be in for it!
Di Tian and the Lord would surely skin him alive!
"The human World is too dangerous! They will capture you, kill you, and take your Spirit Bone!"
The Red King's voice was full of urgency.
"Auspicious Beast, you absolutely cannot go!"
"But..."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast lowered its head, its eyes filled with disappointment.
"I really want to go see it."
"You cannot!"
The Red King's attitude was more resolute than ever before.
Watching this scene, Xu Xiaoyan suddenly had a thought.
She took a step forward and spoke.
"Actually, it's not impossible."
The Red King whipped his heads around, his three pairs of eyes like three sharp swords piercing toward Xu Xiaoyan.
"What did you say?!"
"I said, if the Auspicious Beast wants to see the human World, it's not impossible."
Xu Xiaoyan had a gentle smile on her face.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
The Red King's voice was full of fury.
"You, a human, are here bewitching the Auspicious Beast—what are your intentions?!"
"I am not talking nonsense."
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head.
"At our Shrek Academy, there are already Spirit Beasts serving as teachers. If the Auspicious Beast wants to see the World, it can completely come as a guest to our academy; no one will harm it."
The Red King was stunned for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.
"Spirit Beasts serving as teachers? You must be talking nonsense!"
"Our academy has two Spirit Beast teachers, the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress. They are both rulers of the Extreme North Land with great strength, and they have been at the academy for some time now."
"I even received their help while I was at the academy."
The Ice Empress and Snow Empress were both Cultivating in the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Cave, and when Xu Xiaoyan had enough exchange points to Cultivate inside, she had indeed received help from both of them.
Hearing this, the Red King inwardly thought things were going south as he looked at the Emperor Auspicious Beast, whose eyes were full of interest.
It's truly over!
The Auspicious Beast really has been tricked by the humans!
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.