Helplessly watching the little fox roar at the sky, Wang Zhong clasped his hands behind his back and sighed, "Little fox, by roaring like that, won't you expose our location?"
"Although we should leave soon, that's still a few days away. Those powerful beings in the Death Canyon won't allow us to linger here."
With a hint of helplessness in his emerald green eyes, Wang Zhong stepped forward and hugged the little fox. "Never mind, it's fine to get to the edge of the canyon a bit earlier and wait for a few days."
"Let's go."
As Wang Zhong lifted his foot to leave, a monstrous beast's head, as large as a mountain, emerged from below the cliff. Its ferocious scales and colossal golden eyes, like molten lava, carried an infinite indifference and majesty.
The sudden appearance of the giant beast made Wang Zhong retreat abruptly, the Flaming Fan appearing in his hand as he stared grimly at the terrifying entity before him.
"We mean no offense, nor have we wantonly slaughtered within the Great Canyon. We implore you to let us leave!"
Holding the Flaming Fan, Wang Zhong's voice was solemn and deep. A monstrous beast as colossal and terrifying as this would undoubtedly have a cultivation level far exceeding ten thousand years, reaching the frightening stage of a hundred thousand years.
It was precisely because of this that Wang Zhong did not attack directly but chose to explain himself. For a soul beast reaching a hundred thousand years, it had already developed wisdom and sentience akin to a human, capable of communicating without barriers.
However, Wang Zhong's explanation did not draw the attention of the giant beast. Its massive golden eyes were fixed intently on the little fox in his arms, which was tilting its head and looking back at the beast.
Its golden pupils trembled, and a voice, ancient and hoarse, tinged with the flavor of ecstatic tears, murmured, "King, have you returned?"
The voice boomed like war drums, deafening.
Just as Wang Zhong was puzzled by this statement, the little fox in his embrace suddenly leaped out. Under his trembling gaze, it raised its tiny front paws and touched the beast's sharp, heavy mouth.
As they touched, the golden eyes slowly closed. The giant beast became remarkably docile in that instant. After a long while, it slowly opened its eyes and said in its hoarse voice, filled with boundless sorrow, "So that's how it is..."
"The true King is long dead. You are merely the martial soul of this human before me!"
"The Holy Spirit Cult Master, he has won."
"Ultimately, all things in this world will welcome death!"
These simple words, however, conveyed news that made Wang Zhong's brow twitch violently.
From the mouth of an incredibly terrifying giant beast, he heard that familiar name again: the Holy Spirit Cult Master!
He won, but what did he win? What did "all things in this world will welcome death" mean? What exactly was the Holy Spirit Cult, this evil soul master organization?
A myriad of questions surged into his mind, like tangled threads, forming a dark net that descended upon him, sending chills down his spine.
Upon hearing the term "Holy Spirit Cult Master" again, the little fox's fur suddenly bristled, and it let out fierce and ferocious growls from its mouth.
Streams of fiery red energy surged from its body, coalescing in mid-air to form the phantom of a ferocious fox head, dozens of times larger than the giant beast before them.
The appearance of this phantom caused the giant beast's golden eyes to suddenly constrict, followed by an unimaginable surge of ecstasy erupting from the depths of its eyes.
"Is that so? Is that so!"
"I understand, I understand!"
"Little one, you must become a god!"
In its massive golden eyes, filled with boundless joy, it looked at Wang Zhong, its ardor and anticipation undisguised.
As long as the little one before them became a god, their King would be resurrected from death!
"Ah?" Wang Zhong was somewhat bewildered by the situation. From the beginning until now, he had only spoken a single sentence, and this giant beast had been speaking a string of strange things.
And now it was suddenly asking him to become a god!
This... is so strange...
"My King, I have understood your meaning."
"Let me lend this little one a hand! When he becomes a god, we will eventually reunite!"
A terrifying and vast pillar of soul power shot up into the sky, sweeping across the heavens.
Under Wang Zhong's gaze, a blindingly brilliant radiance erupted from the center of the giant beast's brow, a light more dazzling and scorching than the sun.
A voice, ancient and deep, filled with boundless joy and anticipation, quietly sounded.
"Sacrifice!"
A soul power tremor, as terrifying as the sea, swept through the entire Death Canyon. Powerful soul beasts bowed their heads in submission. Even those beings revered by humans as kings, at this moment, lowered their heads and wailed mournfully.
Their Emperor was about to fall.
Pure white, with golden flames, began to appear from the giant beast's brow, burning its way down its colossal body. It was only then that Wang Zhong truly comprehended the sheer size of the beast before him.
A small mountain, burning fiercely in the white-gold flames. This was its entire body!
Compared to it, humans were as insignificant as ants.
Its massive body gradually became transparent within the white-gold flames. Its golden eyes cast a reluctant glance at the little fox before completely vanishing.
A white pillar of light, as thick as a human arm, descended from the sky, striking Wang Zhong with a thundering impact. The vast soul power, with the gentlest and softest of attitudes, flowed into his body.
Immersed in such a colossal sea of soul power, Wang Zhong dared not delay. He immediately closed his eyes, sat down cross-legged, and activated his cultivation technique, guiding the soul power surging into his body along the meridians to circulate throughout his being.
At this very moment, his tree martial soul appeared. Infused with soul power, it continued to grow larger. Its crown reached the firmament, drawing infinite lightning to temper its leaves! Its roots plunged into the nine netherworlds, soaking in the River Styx to nourish its body! Its trunk pierced the clouds, connecting the firmament and the nine netherworlds!
It exuded a sense of ancientness and vastness that far surpassed that of the giant beast.
Four soul rings—yellow, purple, black, black—rose from beneath him. A white-gold soul ring descended from the sky and slowly encircled them, resonating in harmony.
However, the changes did not end there. From the spot where the giant beast had vanished, a colossal white-gold soul bone, resembling a spinal column, flew towards Wang Zhong and, settling behind him, gradually shrank and integrated into his body.
Approximately fifteen minutes later, the white pillar of light descending from the sky slowly dissipated. Wang Zhong also slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
"A million-year-old giant tortoise!"
"It took one look at me, two looks at the little fox, and inexplicably chose to sacrifice itself."
Holding the little fox in his arms, Wang Zhong looked at its fiery red eyes with a touch of curiosity and asked softly, "Little fox, what exactly are you? Such a powerful giant tortoise willingly sacrificed itself for you, all so I could become a god."
"But I was only level fifty before, and it could act like this. Honestly, I really don't understand what it was thinking."
He had expected no response, but to his surprise, the little fox leaped out of his embrace this time and landed on the ground. It used its front paws to write a word on the ground.
"Baxia!"
This was the giant tortoise's name, or rather, its species!
Wang Zhong's gaze sharpened to a single point. In his memory, this word referred to an extremely powerful and ancient being.
It was revered as a divine beast!