Douluo Continent: Beginning with Signing in with Yan Lingji

"Oh." Hearing the system's explanation, Zhao Ming nodded.

It seemed he couldn't let Zi Ji slip through his grasp either.

It wasn't that he was particularly lustful.

Rather, his current identity was that of the ancient Immortal Phoenix, the supreme soul beast, and one that was known for its lascivious nature. If he didn't display this trait, it might raise suspicions from soul beasts like Gu Yuena, who knew about the existence of the Immortal Phoenix.

Yes, that was definitely the reason.

Besides, Zi Ji was indeed stunning. Compared to Bi Ji, she possessed a more seductive and enchanting aura. In terms of demeanor, she was quite similar to Medusa, but there was an even darker allure to her.

Such a woman, ranked ninth among the continent's ferocious beasts, was likely unmatched in beauty in the Star Dou Forest. Even if she was beautiful, few would dare to approach her. After having enough of sweetness, trying something spicy now and then wasn't a bad idea.

"Host, you beast. It's fine that you took Bi Ji, but at least leave Zi Ji to Di Tian. He's suffered enough already," the system suddenly pleaded earnestly.

"Shut up. I'm only doing this to complete the system's task. Do you think I'm the kind of man who loses control when he sees a beautiful woman? Also, why do I sense some excitement in your voice?" Zhao Ming retorted, annoyed.

"Nonsense, I am not the least bit excited. Besides, I didn't assign you a task to pursue Zi Ji. When assigning your tasks, I specifically avoided Zi Ji to leave one last goddess for the Star Dou Forest. But I still couldn't stop you," the system lamented.

"I never knew you were such a hypocritical system. I've become hypocritical after following you for all these years. Fine, I admit I'm attracted to her," Zhao Ming said, exasperated.

As the saying goes, "A gentleman pursues a fair lady." It was no big deal.

Zhao Ming didn't believe that any man, other than a eunuch, wouldn't like a beautiful woman—especially one with both looks, charm, and power.

Moreover, if he didn't take Zi Ji, in a few hundred thousand years, she might become a pile of bones, possibly even turning into someone else's soul spirit or soul ring. He was essentially saving her.

As Zhao Ming stared at Zi Ji, she, too, was secretly glancing at him.

Seeing his unblinking gaze fixed on her, she felt a surge of joy.

In her view, the ancient Immortal Phoenix, a powerful being from ancient times, must have seen countless beautiful women. In those days, what beautiful soul beasts hadn't he seen?

Yet, he was staring at her like this. Did it not mean that her beauty was on par with those ancient renowned beauties?

Thinking of this, Zi Ji felt both excited and delighted, her enchanting eyes gleaming with a peculiar light.

In the Star Dou Forest, whether in terms of beauty or power, she was no less than Bi Ji. However, with Bi Ji around, she was always a step behind. This had always been a thorn in her side.

For soul beasts like them, strength was often measured by how long they lived; they didn't need to focus too much on appearances. Her greatest wish was to surpass Bi Ji and become the most outstanding female soul beast in the Star Dou Forest. Of course, the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, was not within her comparison; she and Gu Yuena were in completely different leagues.

When Zi Ji heard that Gu Yuena had sent Bi Ji to protect the senior, no one knew how bitter she felt. Because it showed that even Gu Yuena thought she was inferior to Bi Ji.

Slap! A crisp sound rang out, and everyone was stunned.

They all looked up at Zhao Ming and Zi Ji.

"Incredible." All the fierce beasts present couldn't help but gasp.

Zi Ji, like Bi Ji, was the dream woman of all fierce beasts. Her demonic beauty and her curvaceous figure could stir desire with every step she took.

As the Hell Demon Dragon King, Zi Ji's infamy surpassed her beauty. Being ranked ninth among the continent's fierce beasts was enough to describe her fearsome power. Even soul beasts like Bear Lord and Red King, despite their higher power, dared not provoke Zi Ji casually. Though they were stronger, they feared Zi Ji's wrath.

As for soul beasts not ranked among the top ten, they wouldn't even dare think of provoking Zi Ji.

The only one who had ever dared approach Zi Ji was Di Tian. Long ago, Di Tian had pursued Zi Ji, but Zi Ji always maintained a distant, indifferent attitude toward him. In recent years, ever since Bi Ji had left the Star Dou Forest, Zi Ji had been even colder toward Di Tian.

But regardless of Di Tian or the others, they could only admire Zi Ji from afar, never having the chance to even touch her. Yet, this senior had just lightly teased Zi Ji, and it was in such a specific spot.

At that moment, Zi Ji was dumbfounded. Her purple eyes flashed with a hint of shyness.

It was the first time she had been treated like this by a man.

Even though she was the Hell Demon Dragon King, she was still vulnerable to such things. Feeling the tingling sensation on her rear, she couldn't help but blush.

But Zhao Ming was a powerful soul beast expert from ancient times, and she couldn't possibly lose her temper with him. She was at a loss for what to do.

"Not bad, but still a bit lacking compared to Bi Ji," Zhao Ming said nonchalantly, retracting his hand. Since the system had informed him that Zi Ji had always been at odds with Bi Ji, he naturally planned to use this to his advantage.

"Hiss." Even Di Tian and the other fierce beasts couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

As expected of their soul beast clan's supreme expert. His courage alone was something they could never match.

Even Di Tian wouldn't dare speak such words to Zi Ji. The Hell Demon Dragon Clan was no joke; soul beasts of that lineage had a fearsome reputation in the Star Dou Forest.

Indeed, only the ancient Immortal Phoenix, who once waged war against the Heaven Devouring Beast over a woman, would dare act this boldly. Seeing Zhao Ming's actions, they were certain that he was indeed that senior. His identity could not be questioned. Who else but such a powerful being would dare treat Zi Ji this way upon their first meeting?

"What do you mean I'm inferior to her?" Zi Ji was both shy and angry. Even if the person before her was a supreme soul beast expert, she couldn't hold back.

How could she be inferior to Bi Ji? She couldn't accept that.

She had always believed that Bi Ji's advantage over her was merely due to her healing abilities and gentle temperament. But when it came to appearance, she was absolutely confident in herself. Yet now, the senior had claimed that even her physique was inferior to Bi Ji's.

"Do not be disrespectful to Senior." Di Tian quickly reprimanded Zi Ji. As the Black Dragon King, Di Tian had absolute faith in the Dragon God. After the Dragon God split into two, he transferred this faith to Gu Yuena. Over the years, learning from Gu Yuena that even the Dragon God was not on par with the ancient Immortal Phoenix, Di Tian had developed deep reverence for Zhao Ming.

Seeing Di Tian's respectful stance, Zi Ji opened her mouth but said nothing. However, she felt a sense of disappointment. Years ago, he had pursued her, but now, when she was being teased, he didn't say a word. Instead, he scolded her.

Though she understood it was because the senior's status was unique—he was the hope of the soul beast realm—being treated like this by Di Tian still left her feeling a bit disheartened.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.