Huo Yuhao, holding Bi Ji hostage, forced the Myriad Beast King into negotiations—a moment that stirred excitement in many, who marveled at Huo Yuhao's courage and cunning. Yet others were deeply concerned for his safety. At that moment, Huo Yuhao was gambling everything—his life on the line—dancing on a tightrope over death.
"Retreat?" Huo Yuhao laughed at the Myriad Beast King's condition, his tone full of unrestrained mockery. "What happens in the Star Dou Great Forest has nothing to do with Shrek. But because of your arbitrary decisions, blood has been needlessly shed. You started the fight on a whim, and now you think you can end it the same way? It seems you've never taken Shrek seriously!"
Huo Yuhao: Negotiations? Hell no—blow it all up!
The self-destruction of the Variant Ice Jade Centipede spirit reactivated. This time, visible cracks appeared in its carapace, from which emanated a terrifying power that both the Myriad Beast King and the Red King could clearly sense.
Bi Ji's agonized screams turned sorrowful and weak.
The Red King panicked. He couldn't understand why Huo Yuhao's self-destruction was so terrifying, but he didn't dare gamble on the consequences. He could only glance anxiously at the Myriad Beast King.
Red King: Say something, damn it!
"Wait!" the Myriad Beast King cried out. He realized Huo Yuhao wasn't bluffing—he was really going to self-destruct with Bi Ji.
That could not happen!
Bi Ji was not only highly respected among soul beasts—she was critically important to the savage beasts.
Her healing abilities helped others overcome tribulations. Even Di Tian's 800,000-year tribulation had been survived thanks to her and the Emperor Auspice Beast.
Even that lord once praised Bi Ji, saying if she could reach the 800,000-year mark, it could speed up his recovery.
Though Bi Ji was currently only at 580,000 years, her actual age was only 100,000. In other words, in just a hundred millennia, she had survived five tribulations—through regular cultivation.
That kind of speed was nearly unheard of among soul beasts—not even Di Tian could compare.
Now, with help from the Auspice Beast, Bi Ji's cultivation speed was even faster. Her breakthrough to 800,000 years was highly likely.
If she could one day help that lord recover, the entire soul beast race would benefit.
Though Xiong Jun remained suspicious of Di Tian's lord, the Myriad Beast King trusted completely.
After all, a being of such power had no need to deceive them.
"Human, name your conditions. We will meet them as best we can," the Myriad Beast King said gravely, finally conceding.
It was as if Huo Yuhao had been waiting for those exact words.
Without hesitation, he spread his soul power and projected his voice across the battlefield:
"All soul beasts must withdraw, and you will compensate Shrek for all its losses. For the next fifty years, no savage beast may leave the Star Dou Great Forest for any reason. Additionally, three Beast Kings must seal their cultivation and be imprisoned by Shrek!"
"What?!" The Myriad Beast King shrieked. "You want 100,000-year soul beasts?!"
Even the Red King bared his fangs in disbelief.
Soul beasts might be divided, but selling out Beast Kings was absolutely taboo.
Beast Kings were the only ones considered true peers by savage beasts. Selling them out would destroy the trust of all soul beasts.
No matter the justification, betrayal was betrayal—it would make them sinners.
They had suspected Huo Yuhao would be greedy—but not this greedy.
Bi Ji looked heartbroken. She least wanted others to suffer for her sake, but the glowing chains at her throat were too special. She could only scream—unable to speak.
Even among the humans, Huo Yuhao's demand was met with stunned silence.
"Will this anger the soul beasts further?" Ling Luochen asked nervously.
"If it's war they want, then let it be war! At worst, we die!" Ma Xiaotao snapped, still full of fury.
Vina, however, mused quietly, "Maybe Yuhao has a deeper plan."
Zhang Lexuan and Elder Lin exchanged glances, saying nothing. They chose to trust Huo Yuhao—and bet Shrek's fate on him.
If he could really secure fifty years of peace, even without further concessions, it would be enough.
In fifty years, Huo Yuhao, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Zhang Lexuan—these gifted Shrek students—could all grow strong enough to stand on their own.
Huo Yuhao might even become a Super Douluo within that time.
Then, Shrek would be truly safe.
And perhaps even avenge today's suffering.
Despite the Myriad Beast King and Red King's threats, Huo Yuhao remained calm.
"Yes. But we won't kill them. We'll only imprison them in Shrek City. If soul beasts violate the agreement, we'll immediately execute all three as a warning. If you abide by the treaty, we'll return them in fifty years."
The Myriad Beast King and Red King finally exhaled in relief.
So it was only imprisonment—not death or spirit ring harvesting. Not as bad as they feared.
Still, the Myriad Beast King tried to bargain. "We savage beasts can swear a Heavenly Tribulation Oath. Can that replace offering three Beast Kings?"
Huo Yuhao merely sneered.
The Myriad Beast King fell silent, scanning the surrounding Beast Kings.
Some of the smarter ones caught on. Their eyes hardened with resolve.
Soul beasts did understand favors and loyalty—only in a more direct way.
The Myriad Beast King couldn't say it. But those who had been healed by Bi Ji knew it was time to repay that debt.
And this repayment didn't even cost their lives.
The Six-Winged Demon Tiger spoke first. "Bi Ji saved my life. Let me take her place."
The Demon Tiger's spine had been shattered. Though Bi Ji had saved it, it would take years to recover—years of inactivity.
Recovering in Shrek was just as good as anywhere else—maybe even safer.
With it stepping forward, others quickly followed.
"Me too! Bi Ji saved me when I was weak. I'll take her place!"
"I volunteer as well!"
"Let me go…"
More than ten Beast Kings stepped up.
Bi Ji closed her eyes, tears falling—not from sorrow, but perhaps from deep emotion.
Even the humans went quiet at the scene.
Huo Yuhao, however, remained unfazed. "Fine then. Choose the most important three."
The Myriad Beast King and Red King were left speechless.
How could they say who was more important? That would insult the others' sacrifices.
Were their lives worthless?
Meanwhile, deep in the Star Dou Great Forest, Mu En had chased Di Tian to the edge of the core zone.
"Di Tian, let go of my student!" Mu En roared with fury.
Though Jin Qiu'er was unconscious, her extreme elemental talent and true dragon martial soul made her too valuable to let go.
And now they were approaching the core zone.
Di Tian couldn't allow Mu En—or someone with potential divine ties—near his lord. To protect his lord's secrecy, he stopped and faced Mu En, still holding Jin Qiu'er.
"Mu En, she is not your student. She is the Auspice Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest," Di Tian declared, revealing Jin Qiu'er's true identity.
"What?!" Mu En was shocked.
Without another word, Di Tian tapped her forehead, drawing out her origin projection to prove his claim.
Better to expose Jin Qiu'er than to risk exposing his lord.
Worst case, they would just keep her inside the forest from now on.
Huo Yuhao: Offering three Beast Kings is goodwill. Try anything sneaky, and it turns into an incident.
Because of Biji, the Myriad Demon King and the Red King were forced to sign an agreement with Huo Yuhao. Even though Bear Lord and Zi Ji were deeply unwilling, they had no choice but to compromise.
Bear Lord had already marked Huo Yuhao as a target for elimination. It vowed that fifty years from now, it would personally kill him. It could afford to wait fifty years, and it didn't believe Huo Yuhao could surpass it in that time.
Zi Ji, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with Biji. If it weren't for Biji's hesitation and overly saintly demeanor, the soul beasts would have already broken through Shrek's defenses—why suffer such a humiliating defeat?
Regardless, they had no chance to say anything now and had to lead the True Body of the Gluttonous Divine Bull far away, preventing it from continuing its buffet-style feast during the beast tide.
After the battle ended, they would return to the Star Dou Forest on their own.
Since Xuanzi had lost all reason, the fighting could only stop when he exhausted his energy.
Huo Yuhao quickly negotiated with the Myriad Demon King, the Red King, and the other Beast Kings about the conditions for releasing Biji.
Soon, under the "enthusiastic volunteering" of the Beast Kings, three of them offered themselves up.
Of course, what they offered was only their freedom.
Among them was the Six-Winged Demon Tiger.
The other two were a 100,000-year Crystal Earth Dragon and a 100,000-year Eternal Elephant Tortoise.
Besides the Six-Winged Demon Tiger, who was severely injured and thus took one spot, the other two Beast Kings were not randomly chosen.
Both were rare and precious soul beast species, even within the Star Dou Forest.
The Crystal Earth Dragon, though a terrestrial dragon unable to fly freely, possessed pure Wind Dragon blood and could briefly soar through the air. It was a gentle dragon-type beast, known for helping others and having great popularity. It also had the ability of "Crystal Sleep," turning itself into a crystal for a century of slumber, awakening with a significant power boost.
The Eternal Elephant Tortoise, a tortoise-type soul beast, was famous for its longevity—rumored to be able to slumber in one place for ten thousand years. It had pure earth attributes and carried part of the Black Tortoise bloodline.
Both of these Beast Kings had been saved by Biji before, so they were willing to sacrifice for her.
The Myriad Demon King and the Red King didn't object.
Although rare, these two Beast Kings were not of irreplaceable strategic importance to the Star Dou Forest. They also had long-term dormancy abilities—fifty years would pass in a single nap, so there was little risk.
If anything were to happen to them during those fifty years, the soul beasts would definitely not spare Shrek and would return in full force.
After all, while these two might not contribute much directly, one carried dragon blood and the other Black Tortoise blood—vital bloodlines that the forest couldn't afford to lose.
Only soul beasts with strong bloodlines had a better chance of breaking through the 100,000-year mark. The Star Dou Forest placed great value on such bloodlines.
These two were essentially the genetic seed vaults for their high-level species.
Huo Yuhao selected them not only for their strong bloodlines, but also because they had the richest luck and fortune among all the Beast Kings—enough to potentially break into the Ferocious Beast level.
Adding in the golden-blooded Six-Winged Demon Tiger, it was truly a splendid "three-flavor combo."
Once the three Beast Kings allowed Elder Lin to seal their powers and submitted without resistance, Elder Lin and the others finally sighed in relief, visibly trembling from excitement.
Gong Changlong, who was guarding Shrek City, was overwhelmed. He had been preparing to evacuate the seeds of Shrek's legacy, but to his surprise, everything turned around, and Huo Yuhao even presented him with such a grand gift.
On one hand, this was unprecedented—100,000-year soul beasts captured by humans (excluding those who had taken human form). On the other hand, it meant Huo Yuhao had truly bought Shrek fifty years of peace. The Star Dou Forest would even formally apologize to Shrek Academy.
Though this beast tide caused heavy losses to Shrek, its foundation remained intact. And after this trial by fire, Shrek's future pillars would only grow stronger.
Gong Changlong even had a bold idea—he wanted to tame the three Beast Kings, or at least win their friendship.
The battlefield transaction ended here. The rest of the compensation would be delivered to Shrek later.
Huo Yuhao did not make the soul beasts swear any oaths—after all, if they cared about vows, this beast tide wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Besides, Huo Yuhao didn't believe any vow would influence the heavenly tribulation.
In Douluo Continent, heavenly tribulations were not natural phenomena, but systems designed and imposed by the gods. Their power and effects were fixed.
At most, vows might mess with the beasts' mental states a little.
"Human, when will you release Biji?" the Red King asked impatiently.
Though Huo Yuhao hadn't released Biji, he had stopped torturing her with his Ice Scorpion martial soul.
The beast tide had not yet retreated; all the soul beasts were waiting for him to release Biji.
However, Huo Yuhao replied coldly, "No rush."
"Human? You're going back on your word?" The Red King became furious.
"See? So impatient." Huo Yuhao remained calm, sweeping his gaze across the two Ferocious Beasts and the Beast Kings. Then he looked out at the remaining beast tide and said, "I'll take Biji into the Star Dou Forest. Once every soul beast in this beast tide has returned to the forest, I will release her."
"Yuhao! No!"
This time, Elder Lin and the others were the ones panicking.
"Trust me," Huo Yuhao said calmly, meeting their eyes.
"I'll go too!" Ma Xiaotao blurted out.
"Me too."
"Count me in."
Ling Luochen and Vina followed immediately.
Zhang Lexuan hesitated briefly, then said slowly, "Let me go instead of Yuhao."
Others were about to speak, but—
Huo Yuhao shook his head and refused. "No need. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I have confidence."
But the three women were still uneasy. In the end, it was Elder Lin who chose to trust Huo Yuhao.
However, Elder Lin also added, "If anything happens to Yuhao, Shrek will have no qualms about going down with you! Those three Beast Kings will never return to the Star Dou Forest!"
"That wasn't part of the contract," the Myriad Demon King said, narrowing his eyes.
"Try me," Elder Lin replied bluntly.
"You—" the Red King fumed, but said no more.
The Myriad Demon King looked deeply at Huo Yuhao but gave no clear response. "Let's go."
Huo Yuhao turned to Biji.
With sorrow in her eyes, Biji flapped her wings and flew back toward the Star Dou Forest.
With Biji's return, the Myriad Demon King, the Red King, and the rest of the beast tide slowly retreated as well.
This battle had brought heavy losses to the Star Dou Forest too.
The beast tide had erupted suddenly, and they had no time to prepare—deploying their full force from the start.
At first, the offensive went well. But the appearance of Mu En, Xuanzi, and Huo Yuhao changed everything.
With Xuanzi's rampage alone, the Star Dou Forest lost 30% of its soul beasts.
A loss of 40% would have broken Di Tian's heart. Even 30% made the Star Dou Forest bleed.
But now, the beast tide was over.
All that remained were corpses strewn across the battlefield and countless lingering soul rings.
The people of Shrek stood atop the southern wall, watching the retreating tide—especially Biji's fading silhouette—with heavy silence.
Until Vina began to sob.
Ling Luochen hugged her, eyes red.
Ma Xiaotao clenched her fists. She felt powerless—if she were stronger, would Huo Yuhao have had to risk himself like this?
"Compared to Yuhao, I feel ashamed to call myself the top disciple of the inner court." Zhang Lexuan sighed deeply.
None of the inner court disciples spoke. They were all thoroughly awed by Huo Yuhao's actions and admired him deeply.
Elder Lin finally said, "Once Elder Mu and Yuhao return, I will recommend Yuhao as the next Sea God Pavilion heir."
Without a doubt, Elder Lin had chosen Huo Yuhao over Zhang Lexuan.
Zhang Lexuan had no objections.
"I believe he is more suitable than I am."
Huo Yuhao: Guess what—do you think Elder Mu is coming back?
The true form of the Taotie Divine Bull had reached its limit due to the lack of soul beast flesh to replenish its strength. No longer able to maintain the martial soul avatar, it reverted back to Xuanzi's original appearance.
The towering, over-fifty-meter figure of the Taotie Divine Bull vanished, leaving behind a frail, withered old man on the ground. Xuanzi had lost all of his former glory—his body now just skin and bones, barely recognizable, as if he were a dying flame, ready to extinguish at any moment. His severed right arm made the scene even more tragic.
After relinquishing his martial soul form, Xuanzi immediately lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground with his eyes shut.
And yet, as a true powerhouse, he was still alive. In fact, after this extreme outburst, his Taotie bloodline fully awakened, and his strength hadn't declined due to the loss of his arm. Instead, he was now half a step into Rank 99—more precisely, at 98.5. Given enough time, he would definitely break through that final half-step.
Gasping for breath, Bear Lord and Zi Ji (Purple Concubine) finally let out a sigh of relief. The Taotie form had fallen.
There was no denying that Xuanzi in a life-or-death battle was incredibly dangerous.
Seeing that Xuanzi was completely incapacitated and posed no threat, Zi Ji bared her fangs and looked at him with murderous intent, clearly wanting to eliminate him once and for all.
But Bear Lord stopped her.
"That's enough, Zi Ji. There's no need to strike again," Bear Lord said in his deep, booming voice.
Zi Ji looked at him in confusion. Since when did Bear Lord start caring about morals?
"He doesn't have many years left," Bear Lord said calmly, explaining his reasoning.
This outburst from Xuanzi came at the cost of his remaining lifespan. Bear Lord could sense that Xuanzi's life was like a candle flickering in the wind.
"At most, he has five years left," Bear Lord concluded.
Even if Xuanzi managed to break through to Rank 99 during those five years, it wouldn't change the fact that his time was running out. It might extend his life slightly, but not for long.
Besides, with his current physical state, it was uncertain whether Xuanzi could even continue cultivating. There was no point in risking the safety of the three Beast Kings imprisoned in Shrek to eliminate someone who was already dying.
"Let's go." Bear Lord didn't linger. He turned and walked toward the Star Dou Forest.
As he looked toward the forest, Bear Lord's eyes grew cold. Ever since Di Tian "fled," their advantageous situation had spiraled into disaster. In the end, Huo Yuhao had seized the opportunity, causing massive losses to the beast tide. Upon returning, Bear Lord would definitely question Di Tian—and if Di Tian failed to give a satisfactory explanation, he wouldn't hesitate to challenge him again.
At worst, he'd be seriously injured for a few hundred years.
Would Di Tian dare kill him?
Zi Ji scoffed and, without looking back at Xuanzi, followed Bear Lord.
There was no need to waste concern on a dying man.
Only after the two ferocious beasts had left did two inner courtyard instructors dare to approach the battlefield, rushing over.
Upon seeing the unconscious Xuanzi, they both gasped sharply. Neither had expected Xuanzi to be reduced to such a state.
They wasted no time and quickly carried Xuanzi back to Shrek Academy for emergency treatment.
Meanwhile…
Huo Yuhao was leading Bi Ji and a group of soul beasts deep into the Star Dou Forest, stopping only once they reached the mixed zone.
By then, the lesser soul beasts from the beast tide had already dispersed. Only those over ten thousand years old and the Beast Kings remained.
At the forefront were Ten Thousand Demon King and Red King.
Red King's six dog eyes glared at Huo Yuhao, clearly wary of him pulling another stunt.
"That's enough," Huo Yuhao suddenly smiled and released the Light Chains, which promptly disappeared.
His Frost Centipede martial soul then uncoiled from Bi Ji's body. But as the sharp centipede limbs withdrew, fresh blood gushed from Bi Ji's wounds again.
Bi Ji cried out in pain.
The sight enraged the surrounding soul beasts.
Bi Ji, whom none of them could bear to hurt, had been pierced through by Huo Yuhao from head to toe, causing severe bleeding.
"Be gentler!" Red King roared angrily.
"Next time, I will," Huo Yuhao chuckled and leapt atop the Frost Centipede's head.
Bi Ji couldn't hold on any longer. Her body went limp and she plummeted from the air.
Several 100,000-year Beast Kings rushed forward to catch her, cushioning her fall.
Before falling unconscious, Bi Ji gave Huo Yuhao one final deep look. She had suffered grievous injuries, depleted her life force and soul power to resist the Ultimate Ice and Poison, and fought off Huo Yuhao's attempts to break her spirit. Her mental strength had been drained just as much.
Huo Yuhao was far more dangerous than the Beast Kings had imagined.
Indeed, he had never stopped trying to erode Bi Ji's mind. Yet, despite her kindness, Bi Ji's willpower was formidable. She had endured.
Still, Huo Yuhao wasn't particularly disappointed.
When the real assault on Star Dou Forest came, there would be more chances—to "train" Bi Ji in body and soul.
Once Huo Yuhao let go of Bi Ji, the atmosphere instantly grew tense, the air almost solidifying.
Every ten-thousand-year soul beast and Beast King locked their gaze on Huo Yuhao, brimming with hostility, on the verge of attacking.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, showing no fear.
Unfortunately for the soul beasts, one of them was still rational.
"Let him go," Ten Thousand Demon King ordered.
Red King looked at him in confusion.
"There's no benefit to killing him now. It could even jeopardize the three Beast Kings trapped in Shrek City."
"We will repay today's grudge in due time—but not today."
Since the strongest among them had spoken, Red King and the others had no choice but to back off. They ordered the ten-thousand-year soul beasts to clear a path.
Huo Yuhao looked disappointed. "What a pity. The scenery here is beautiful. I picked it specially."
That only enraged the soul beasts further—they wished they could tear him to shreds right then and there.
Instead of taking the path opened for him, Huo Yuhao flew off on his Frost Centipede, going his own way.
Ten Thousand Demon King watched him leave, lost in thought.
Was Huo Yuhao truly unafraid of death—or did he have something up his sleeve?
Regardless, the beast tide had ended.
But what about the Auspicious Beast?
Di Tian had rushed back to Star Dou Forest—maybe to rescue her.
Three mountain ranges' worth of soul beasts and four Beast Kings were lost… but none of that compared to the importance of the Auspicious Beast. If she was saved, then today's losses might still be tolerable.
"Disperse. Let's bring Bi Ji back to the core zone," Ten Thousand Demon King said.
The first part was addressed to the Beast Kings and ten-thousand-year soul beasts. The second, to Red King.
No one objected.
The soul beasts silently scattered.
Ten Thousand Demon King and Red King then carried the unconscious Bi Ji back toward the core to treat her injuries. Red King personally carried her on his back.
However, none of them noticed the blue and green centipedes, forged from Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Poison, entwining around Bi Ji's heart—and boring deep inside, vanishing from sight.
Since Huo Yuhao had injected them into her, how could he possibly not leave a mark?
Bi Ji, unconscious, merely furrowed her brow and remained unaware.
Huo Yuhao: "The car you can't bear to drive—someone else is already off-roading, pedal to the metal."