"I am ever so grateful for you allowing me to stay here," A green-haired woman with a taller than average and comely physique looked at a brown-haired woman with large brown eyes and a dainty smile. Her brown hair was tied into quite a long ponytail that almost reached her calves as she responded with a gleeful smile, "Don't be like that, Bi Ji... do you know how long has it been since someone combed my hair? I can't even depend on those two for such a matter... sigh, I'm sorry that it turned out this way. Although, with the two brothers in King's Lair, they would be able to help the Beast God quite a bit."

If Ja Sun was here, he would find the woman to be the same 100000-year-old beast turned into a human with her cultivation close to a Spirit Douluo at this point.

Bi Ji's smile turned a bit complicated. She had accompanied the woman for a week now but it wasn't getting any easier to be forced to leave her home where she had lived a better half of her sentient life.

"Come on, I'll make you some carrot stew." The mature, brown-haired woman locked her arms with Bi Ji and pulled her away.

"I really don't need to eat for sustenance. You can just make some for yourself," Bi Ji sighed but the woman retorted, "Nonsense! Eating is one of the best aspects of life... I get that now I'm a human, too. Carrot Stew, Carrot Soup, Fried Carrots, Carrots with a side of Fish, Carrots..."

The woman began to drone on about all the dishes she could make with carrot in preparations for her daughter's 'birth' but was stopped by an annoyed snort, "Carrots, carrots, carrots! If you love them so much, you should have stayed a beast, Xiao Bie."

Bi Ji's expression visibly brightened not because she agreed with the words but because of the presence of the speaker herself. Standing not far from them, leaning against the tree with her hands crossed over her bosom was Zi Ji. Her amethyst eyes narrowed as Xiao Bie scowled but didn't speak out of turn.

"Zi, she took me in and allowed me a lake to spread my legs in... could you be a little..." Bi Ji didn't complete her sentence but her easygoing smile put Zi Ji at ease.

"Fine," snorting through her nostrils again, Zi Ji walked up to them. Her glared landing on the link between their arms but before Xiao Bie could let go, Bi Ji instead leaned a little further towards the mature woman and kept on staring at Zi Ji.

Seeing this, the Abyss Demon Dragon didn't put pressure on Xiao Bie anymore and sighed softly. Her storage ring brightened for a second and she procured a pair of glasses.

"I want you to return with me," She stated her reason for arrival. Although Bi Ji wanted nothing more than to hear these words themselves, she couldn't help but flounder in this very moment.

"... Why?"

Equally not expecting such a reply, Zi Ji felt stunned for a second but she had grown slightly numb to surprises after all had happened. However, she couldn't just admit that the human who the two sisters were chasing so recklessly... wiped the forest with all their asses in a matter of four days, and took a three-day break.

"I... some changes have been brought to the Lair... the bea- the beas-" She had trouble stating what she was about to say. The struggle couldn't be clearer in the eyes of the two women as Zi Ji grit her teeth and barely whispered, "The Beast God... wants you back."

Honestly, Zi Ji just wanted Bi Ji to return. The King's Lair was safe for her and if Ja Sun turns out oppressive, she didn't mind escaping the Lair with Bi Ji... however, the chances that beasts would be anymore oppressed than getting incentives for completed objectives was certainly... hard to believe. Not to mention, the presence within the lake was simply too terrifying to be messed with.

"Di Tian... changed his mind?" Bi Ji frowned, not expecting the man to do so. After all, True Dragons are often stubborn. Zi Ji was the same unless some special circumstance shakes that very nature from the core of her being.

Unable to continue meeting Bi Ji's suspicious gaze, Zi Ji lowered her head, "I-it's something like that..."

"Do I have a choice?" Bi Ji's bitter tone shook the dragon's heart as she stated in an instant.

"Of course, you do!"

"Then, no. I won't return."

Zi Ji almost broke the pair of glasses in her hand and continued to stare at Bi Ji.

"Then... can I..."

"You're always welcome," Bi Ji smiled before blinking, "Ah, sorry, I forgot this isn't my place to say that. Ask Xiao Bie and be polite."

"Sister Ji..." Zi Ji stored the glasses seeing that Bi Ji wasn't accepting them for now and looked a little comfortable but Bi Ji emphasized again, "Politely."

"Fine! Xiao Bie... can I visit Sister Ji?"

"Um..." Seeing the equally hesitant expression on Xiao Bie, Zi Ji couldn't help but glance at Bi Ji as a mischievous smile appeared on the Swan's face.

"This lake belongs to Da Ming... although he and Er Ming consider me an elder... it is his territory in the end. I suppose, I could convince them..."

Seeing the matter settled, a vicious glare touched Zi Ji's face again, "Tell Da Ming and Er Ming they will pay for not answering to... his call," no longer giving the defeated one the title of Beast God, she continued, "Although, it wouldn't have mattered at all. Sister Ji, can you promise me something?"

Although there were many questions in Bi Ji's mind by now since Zi Ji's tone and body language didn't seem... too positive, she nodded nonetheless, "The... the bea- beast God did ask for your return. But your, or Da Ming, Er Ming, Xiao Bie, and her daughter's life cannot be threatened. If others come looking for you, tell them, you know about the... agreement. You don't have to cave under any threats whatsoever."

"What?"

Confused, Bi Ji couldn't help but mumble, "Did something happen?"

"Just promise!" Zi Ji snapped.

"Alright... I won't return under the pressure of threats..."

Seeing this, Zi Ji nodded and gave Xiao Bie a sidelong glance, "Carrots and carrots... I feel sorry for your daughter."

Seeing her daughter pulled into the discussion, fierce expression touched Xiao Bie's face and she hissed, "At least, I have one!"

"You!"

Before the situation could escalate, Bi Ji intervened and Zi Ji finally left the peaceful clearing with a clear blue lake of unknown depths in the center of it all.

Soon, two men returned.

One of them was lean and the other muscular as the sound of their argument ran rampant through the forest.

"I keep telling you to stop munching Devil Trees if it gives you diarrhea! We're seven days late to his call."

"But... they're spicy! And so what if it took seven days? At least, we gave that tiny tribe of Diamond Baboons a good 'gift!'"

"You two," Xiao Bie called, "Zi Ji came here to tell she is pissed..."

"Eh?"

"Ugh..."

"But you don't have to enter King's Lair if you don't wish to," Bi Ji added with a smile. Although the lean, dark-skinned man was fine, the burly and hairy man with a broad chin and broader set of shoulders instantly had his eyes lit, "Sister Ji, I brought you some Emerald Lotus..."

Bi Ji pursed her lips while the lean man smiled, "Well, if we don't have to return... I'm going back and resting..." the man spoke lazily and entered the lake. Soon, his body ballooned up and turned azure with a long serpentine body that swam deeper and deeper into the lake that seems to have no end.

Only a few hours later after Zi Ji's leaving, a mighty voice shook the four spirit beasts/human and one giant incubating sphere, "Sister Ji, I've come to request for your return under... eh, King's request."

Peace was no longer an option for them as every single 100000-year-old beast would visit them at least once every week but this also allowed Bi Ji to understand what had happened and as shocking as it was, she chose to stay rather than leave for the King's Lair, her thoughts unknown.

---

*Wuuu*

The Three-eyed Golden Lion presented a very pitiable figure. She lay on the ground surrounded by the golden sphere while Ja Sun rolled his eyes, "You're bored? Then think about me... I'm the one—"

*Grrrr*

"You're right, I'm enjoying learning from this array. Did you know that this array is capable of changing the soul origin through your Bloodline? I'm told that Bloodline is something far more spiritual than just the blood flowing through our veins but I'm not sure of its source. Still, the array cannot mutate you out of reasonable constraints. For instance, the array is currently trying to mutate you into an actual dragon which means there might be something more to the connection between a three-eyed Golden Lion and dragons than just myths and legends. But the process is too slow... would take more than 10000 years, probably, for half of it to complete..."

As Ja Sun droned on, the Three-eyed Golden Lion glanced over his shoulders and decided to close her eyes, reluctant to get lectured on array once again.

Just by the edge of the peaceful Emerald Lake, as Ja Sun continued to tackle the array, Di Tian silently sat not so far away. Ever since his awakening, he chose to stay quiet. Although veins would bulge as Ja Sun would try to get a rise out of the beast, he had been defeated. Many would argue that Ja Sun used an external treasure to win... but nobody was sure how many fortunes the human hid. Although Ja Sun hadn't decided on what to do since it was clear to him at a glance that the two of them weren't compatible despite his martial soul being a distant cousin of the Three-eyed Golden Lion, he had let go of his worries.

That's all he could do if he wanted to focus on this array as divine as the Divine Grace Array he had gained through Poseidon's 'help.'

Di Tian stared at Ja Sun silently. It has been 2 weeks since his awakening and three weeks since the beginning of his healing. His eye infected by Ja Sun's toxins had yet to heal. It would be much easier if Di Tian just requested Ja Sun's help but he wouldn't do so.

The relationship between the former and Beast God and his subordinates had been strained quite a bit, too. While the beasts were loyal, many came from a life of instincts. Now that there was someone even stronger than Di Tian around, all the beasts felt natural even if Di Tian subordinated to Ja Sun.

After all, the other beasts were Tyrants, too, before getting subdued by Di Tian. It was simply a natural order of things.

The most noticeable effect was on Zi Ji due to her close relationship with Di Tian even if one-sided. Although she was the only one acting rampart against Ja Sun and often calling him out as a lazy 'ruler' who refused to rule despite being the strongest, many who were known to Zi Ji's nature knew that this is exactly how she acted once she was defeated by Di Tian back then.

And even if Di Tian wanted to battle again, something, or in this case, someone kept stopping him.

He glanced in the direction of the Silver Pole when Ja Sun suddenly spoke up as if he was observing Di Tian from the very beginning.

"Your boss can be really aloof, huh? You've looked in that direction tens of times already... why not stop? Say, my calves feel a little numb after sitting all this time. Want to fight again?"

Ja Sun turned to look back with a devilish grin, revealing his bestial canines.

Narrowing his eyes, Di Tian adopted silence again.

"Did it order you to be silent?" Ja Sun gestured towards the Silver Pole, "Even this sweetheart is a bit afraid of the individual within the lake. Say, will you ask your boss to have a chat with me if I pay an appropriate price? I would love to learn from him or her... this array is just amazing!"

Before Di Tian could scowl, his expression softened slightly and he finally spoke, "What... compensation?"

"The lake has a chunk of Life Gold... dangerous to metal but amazing to living beings... would this work?"

Ja Sun revealed a shard of Life Gold. Di Tian already knew from Bi Ji that Ja Sun had Life Gold of unknown amount but robbing the human was out of the question when it was Di Tian who got plundered off of his wealth and resources after his defeat. That's why Ja Sun could fund the arrival of other spirit beasts tribes...

For now, they could stay peacefully. The moment he is done with the array, he would get Bi Ji himself and then take the materials from other beasts for his project.

"It would work..." Di Tian narrowed his eyes.

"Goot to know," Ja Sum shrugged and turned back.

Blinking in surprise, Di Tian questioned, "Do you not wish to meet my lord?"

"Do you think I'm that free at the moment? Besides, I have your lord's arrays to keep me company. I can always learn when I'm done with my current works..."

Not to mention the sweet, sweet rewards he would get by unraveling the array before three months.

A month had already passed and Ja Sun was making steady progress. If he went all out, forcefully destroying the array was a simple act but not a fun one.

Ja Sun wanted his mind tickled by the inspiring array and chose to take a more scholarly approach.

He could faintly hear the soft giggles once again but paid them no heed and continued to strive for what he wanted.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something... Zi Ji's getting more and more... you know, attention-seeking kind. I don't want to pollute our good friendship by dipping into something complicated. You two aren't all that serious, right?"

Ja Sun's questions stunned Di Tian again.

Friends?

Who?

Him with Ja Sun?

And Zi Ji... what about her?

Everything made Di Tian scowl.

"It has nothing to do with me..."

"Oh, good. I mean, her dragon form is absolutely stunning. Hey, don't get me wrong, so is yours. But I don't, you know, find men interesting enough to have wet dreams about them."

Seeing that Ja Sun was trying to get a rise out of him again, Di Tian closed his eyes and stayed put, refusing to converse any longer.

"Aw, I guess it's just you and me, Goldilocks," Ja Sun named the Three-eyed Golden Lion right then and there, causing her eyes to open.

Goldilocks?

Who?

Her?

*Rruuuuuu*

"No... I'm not going to call you Majestically Fierce Golden Flash of Destiny..."

The Three-eyed Golden Lion... no, Goldilocks, deflated again.

***

Shoutout to Eros, joseph m teti, Cody, and Jrod!!

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