Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King-Chapter 208: [DD2]:

Credits: Sai Manoj Nelavalli

Leaving Zi Ji's domain, Su Yu and Di Mingli continued their journey.

Since he had already declared that he was collecting protection fees, it wasn't enough to visit just two places.

Their next stop was the territory of the Myriad Demon King, the most powerful plant-based beast in the Star Dou Great Forest.

With over 500,000 years of cultivation, the Myriad Demon King was not known for destructive power but was considered one of the most peculiar and troublesome creatures to deal with.

The Myriad Demon King's domain was abundant with all kinds of rare herbs and medicinal plants.

Su Yu didn't take the most precious treasures but helped himself to herbs that could be used for soup or spices—things the Myriad Demon King had in excess.

Afterward, Su Yu and Di Mingli visited the territories of other 100,000-year soul beasts from different species.

It was impossible for 100,000-year-old soul beasts not to have a collection of treasures.

Of course, Su Yu didn't take anything too valuable—just items that weren't vital to their survival.

After making their rounds, they ended up with a bounty of ingredients.

Finally, Su Yu and Di Mingli arrived at the last stop on their journey: the domain of Bear Lord, the second most powerful fighter in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Bear Lord's territory was filled with Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears.

In this region, no other soul beast dared to appear except for the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears.

Even the weakest Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear here was at the 10,000-year cultivation level, which meant it was on par with an average Titled Douluo.

And there were at least dozens of them.

Among them, some were even at the 100,000-year level.

A 100,000-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear was so powerful that even Yan Shaozhe would turn and flee upon encountering one.

But Su Yu and Di Mingli were exceptions.

The two of them strode boldly into the territory as if they owned the place, completely ignoring the roaming Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears.

Not a single bear dared to block their way.

One 100,000-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear even managed a fawning smile upon seeing the pair.

"Move aside!"

"Right away!"

The 100,000-year bear quickly turned and left without a second thought.

This duo was infamous in the Star Dou Great Forest—whoever crossed them ended up dead.

It wasn't that their strength was invincible, but their backing was unparalleled.

Even their leader couldn't afford to offend them. How could a subordinate like him dare?

Su Yu, riding on Di Mingli, headed straight for the heart of the territory.

This was a place they were incredibly familiar with, and they made their way directly to the treasure-filled tree hollow where Bear Lord resided.

Bear Lord lay there, sleeping soundly, basking in the sunlight streaming through the leaves, which painted golden patches on its fur.

Curled up comfortably, it snored thunderously, oblivious to its surroundings.

Even as Su Yu and Di Mingli approached, Bear Lord remained in a deep slumber.

Su Yu lightly patted Di Mingli's head, and she immediately understood.

A mischievous glint flashed in her golden eyes as she opened her mouth and roared.

"Roar!"

The roar, infused with draconic might, echoed across the forest, spreading a wave of pressure in all directions.

It was as if a firecracker had gone off next to Bear Lord's ear. Its fur stood on end as it leaped to its feet in alarm.

"ROAR!"

With an angry bellow, Bear Lord looked around, ready to punish the fool who dared to disturb its sleep.

But when its eyes landed on the pair before it, the roar caught in its throat.

It was a young man, smiling brightly, perched atop a radiant golden soul beast.

The breath stuck in its chest, almost choking it. It took a heavy gasp of air to recover.

Looking down at the pair, Bear Lord couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Even a fearless soul beast like Bear Lord dreaded Su Yu's visits.

Wasn't the Young Master supposed to have left the Star Dou Great Forest?

Why is he back?

And not only is he back, but his first stop is here to rob me.

This isn't fair!

In just a few moments, Bear Lord's mind filled with complaints, but none of them made it to its lips.

Everyone knew that offending Di Tian only meant a beating, but offending Su Yu could lead to death.

Not just from Di Tian—perhaps even the Lord would personally deal with you.

It was impossible to escape unscathed.

Sighing internally, Bear Lord put on a strained smile and greeted, "Young Master, when did you return?"

"Just got back," Su Yu replied with a grin.

Bear Lord: "..."

I knew it!

You just got back, and the first thing you do is visit me.

Sure, I'm happy you're here, but if you're here to rob me, I'm not okay with it.

But even if I'm not okay, what can I do?

"I'm out of honey, Young Master," Bear Lord said, preemptively playing the poverty card. "Don't ask—there's nothing left."

"Oh?"

"Bear Lord, I haven't even asked yet, and you're already saying you don't have any?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his face.

Bear Lord's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Su Yu's grin, but it gritted its teeth and insisted, "Young Master, I truly have no honey left."

"You see this body of mine? If you want it, just take it."

Bear Lord had resigned itself to its fate.

No honey? Fine. Take some of my flesh instead.

If taking its honey is equivalent to taking its life, there's no way Bear Lord would give it up.

The last time Su Yu came to collect, he took so much that Bear Lord barely had enough left for itself.

"Well, since Bear Lord has made such a generous offer, I can't refuse your kindness. Looks like I'll have to take a bear paw to try something new," Su Yu said with a sigh.

Wait, you're serious about this?!

Bear Lord had only been trying to wriggle out of the situation. It never thought Su Yu would agree.

But apparently...

Bear Lord looked at Su Yu with a pitiful expression. Why doesn't the Young Master play by the rules?

Young Master, Young Master, if you keep this up, you'll lose your loyal old bear!

"I've never had Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear paw before," Su Yu said with a light chuckle. "Mingli, would you like some braised bear paw?"

"Yes!" Di Mingli replied enthusiastically, lifting her head. All three of her eyes focused intently on Bear Lord as if asking why it hadn't already offered up a paw.

Bear Lord: "..."

Sacred Beast, oh Sacred Beast, what kind of look is that?

Where's your manners?

Grumbling inwardly, Bear Lord scratched its head awkwardly.

Take its paw? Not a chance! Bear Lord needed those paws to make a living!

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Bear Lord turned and rummaged through its tree hollow.

Moments later, it pulled out a soul bone and presented it with both paws.

"Young Master, I may not have honey, but I do have a gift for you," Bear Lord said, offering the bone like a treasured prize.

"Oh?"

"What kind of gift?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow, squinting at the deep yellow object in Bear Lord's hands. "A soul bone?"

"Exactly!" Bear Lord grinned proudly. "This soul bone came from that old scoundrel Xuanzi from Shrek Academy."

"That old coot dared to look down on me, so I taught him a lesson he'll never forget.

"One day, Xuanzi led a group of little lackeys into the Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts.

"One of my descendants spotted them and immediately turned their group upside down.

"Even Xuanzi was forced to flee like a beaten dog. I even ripped his right arm off in the process.

"This soul bone? It's from that old coot's right arm.

"I bet he's walking around with just one arm now, isn't he?"

The more Bear Lord spoke, the prouder it became, its expression lighting up with smug satisfaction.

Xuanzi was no weakling, but he still couldn't measure up to Bear Lord.

In just a few moves, Bear Lord had beaten him so badly his mother wouldn't recognize him.

Who dares to underestimate me, Bear Lord? Hmph, courting death!

(Insert proud Bear Lord meme here.)

"A soul bone from Xuanzi, huh? Interesting," Su Yu murmured, raising his hand to summon the deep yellow arm bone with his soul power.

The soul bone flew to him, and as soon as it landed in his hand, he felt a heavy, earthy weight, reminiscent of solid ground.

The quality of the soul bone wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't terrible either.

Su Yu estimated it to be around 30,000 years old—a soul bone Xuanzi likely acquired early in his career. It wasn't particularly valuable.

Compared to the two soul bones Su Yu had gifted to Meng Hongchen, this one was far inferior.

If Xuanzi's soul bone were auctioned off, it would fetch at most four or five million gold soul coins.

Still, a soul bone was a soul bone, and a 30,000-year-old one wasn't bad at all.

What made it truly intriguing was its origin—it was Xuanzi's right arm soul bone.

Without this bone, Xuanzi's right arm was certainly gone for good.

Holding the soul bone, Su Yu essentially held Xuanzi's right arm in his hands.

"The quality is average, but the fact that you took it from Xuanzi is impressive," Su Yu said, smiling at Bear Lord.

"Bear Lord, you truly are the War God of the soul beast clan."

Su Yu showered Bear Lord with compliments, his words full of admiration and praise.

Hearing Su Yu's approval, Bear Lord felt elated. After all, this was recognition from the Young Master himself!

It wasn't self-praise—it was officially certified by the Young Master!

Bear Lord wanted to stay humble, but its strength wouldn't allow it.

Anyone else's compliments wouldn't have mattered, but Su Yu's words hit Bear Lord's prideful sweet spot.

"Young Master, about the honey..." Bear Lord began hesitantly, rubbing its paws together.

Su Yu waved his hand dismissively. "Honey? What honey? I've never liked sweets, nor would I ever ask for honey."

Bear Lord's eyes lit up, and it cautiously asked, "Then, what about my bear paw..."

With a serious expression, Su Yu replied, "Bear Lord, you're the backbone of the Soul Beast clan. How could I possibly take your bear paw? I was just teasing earlier."

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"Whew!"

Hearing this, Bear Lord finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It realized that it had successfully gotten through Su Yu's visit this time.

All it took was an old, relatively useless soul bone to fend him off—what a deal!

Bear Lord began to hope that Xuanzi would visit the Star Dou Forest more often so it could harvest a few more soul bones from him.

"Bear Lord, you've done well. This time, you've upheld the reputation of the Star Dou Forest.

"Well done—keep it up!" Su Yu said with a smile.

"Especially when it comes to people from Shrek Academy. I think they could use... a bit more attention."

Bear Lord's eyes brightened. "Young Master, what kind of attention do you mean?"

Su Yu replied, "Anyone who ventures near the core area should be given a proper test."

"Send a few 10,000-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears to test them—it would be the right thing to do."

Bear Lord scratched its chin thoughtfully. This seemed like a promising idea.

It was time for the Star Dou Forest to make its presence known.

If anyone dared to enter the core area, they couldn't complain if they didn't make it out alive.

Why should soul beasts always be the prey of soul masters?

If soul masters were capable of hunting soul beasts, then they should be prepared to lose their lives in the process.

Let's see who's truly stronger.

Watching Bear Lord deep in thought, Su Yu's gaze became profound.

The words he had spoken weren't aimless; there was clear intent behind them.

At its core, his decision was to protect Di Mingli.

Soul masters hunting soul beasts? He didn't oppose it—after all, he had hunted soul beasts.

That was the natural order of the world, an unchangeable reality.

But soul beasts fighting back? That was just as reasonable, wasn't it?

It wasn't as if the soul beasts were supposed to stand still and let themselves be slaughtered.

If you want to hunt soul beasts, it's simple: prove you're capable of doing so.

Moreover, Su Yu had limited the response to the core area. He wasn't planning to enforce this in the mixed zones, so it wasn't excessive.

For the safety of Di Mingli, Su Yu wouldn't hesitate to make any decision.

To him, the lives of those soul masters weren't even worth a single hair on Di Mingli.

Selfish?

Yes, he admitted he was selfish.

But in this world, who wasn't?

He never claimed to be a good person.

Being a good person was hard. It was better to be flexible with one's bottom line and live freely.

"Young Master is right," Bear Lord said in its deep, booming voice, slapping its chest. "I'll send my descendants to patrol the core area and see how many fools dare to barge in."

Su Yu chuckled and ruffled the fur on Di Mingli's head.

"Bear Lord, don't forget to come by tonight for roasted meat."

"Roasted meat?!" Bear Lord's eyes lit up, and it nodded repeatedly.

The roasted meat Su Yu had made before was unbelievably delicious. Bear Lord still couldn't forget the taste.

Su Yu, riding on Di Mingli, returned to their base.

At that moment, Ice Empress's voice echoed in his mind.

"Su Yu, what you're doing might cause quite a stir," Ice Empress said with a hint of concern.

It was too domineering—sending soul beasts to intercept and kill soul masters venturing into the core area to hunt soul beasts.

If word got out, the soul masters from the outside world would likely cause an uproar.

"So what?"

"The Star Dou Forest is my territory, and every soul beast in it is my subject."

"I'll do whatever I want."

"Besides, let me ask you this: if it were your home, would you want random people barging in and running wild?"

"Of course not," Ice Empress instinctively replied, only to fall silent moments later.

Exactly. How could it be wrong to tighten security on your turf?

If soul masters dared to trespass and hunt soul beasts, they should be prepared to face the risks, shouldn't they?

And it wasn't as if hunting soul beasts were completely forbidden—this was just about protecting the core area's soul beasts.

When framed like that, it didn't seem unreasonable at all.

Ice Empress fell into deep thought.