Lake of Life, Di Tian Appears

Xiao Wu was speechless, but she guiltily glanced at Qi Lin beside her.

Then she saw Qi Lin looking back at her with the same smiling eyes.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu said quietly, "Brother Qi Lin, listen to my sophistry..."

"Ah, no, listen to my explanation!"

Seeing how nervous Xiao Wu was, Qi Lin burst into laughter.

"Alright, I'm done teasing you. I've known your identity for a long time."

"You're just a hundred-thousand-year Shapeshifting Soul Beast, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"Brother Qi Lin, how did you know I'm a soul beast?"

This time, Xiao Wu was completely dumbfounded.

So Brother Qi Lin had known who she was all along?

When had he found out?

Qi Lin said with a smile, "I'll explain it to you later. First, let this big guy take us to your territory."

"Okay!" Xiao Wu nodded, then looked at the Titan Giant Ape.

"Er Ming, take Brother Qi Lin and me back to the Lake of Life first!"

After hearing Xiao Wu, although the Titan Giant Ape was unwilling to bring a human to the Lake of Life, it could not disobey Sister Xiao Wu. In the end, it crouched down and extended its hand before them.

"Whoa, that hand is huge!"

Qi Lin looked over the Titan Giant Ape's palm, then took Xiao Wu's hand and jumped onto it.

Seeing Qi Lin holding Sister Xiao Wu's hand, displeasure showed in the Titan Giant Ape's enormous eyes, and two streams of air shot from its nostrils.

Damned human brat, he actually dared to hold Sister Xiao Wu's hand!

Xiao Wu did not notice the Titan Giant Ape's mood and called out, "Er Ming, let's go!"

The Titan Giant Ape could only glare at Qi Lin before standing up. It shielded the two of them with its other hand and began running in great strides.

The howling wind was fierce, and the ride was somewhat bumpy.

Before long, the Titan Giant Ape returned to the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Seeing the Lake of Life, the Titan Giant Ape began shouting from a great distance away, "Da Ming, I brought Sister Xiao Wu back!"

As soon as its words fell, the calm Lake of Life immediately began to churn, and the Sky Azure Bull Python's massive body slowly emerged from beneath the water.

The Titan Giant Ape carefully crouched down and opened its palm.

Xiao Wu and Qi Lin jumped down from it.

The Sky Azure Bull Python looked at Qi Lin standing beside Xiao Wu. A trace of confusion flashed through its huge pupils as it looked toward the Titan Giant Ape.

Its gaze seemed to say, Why did you bring a human here too?

Titan Giant Ape: I didn't want to either, but Sister Xiao Wu insisted on bringing him.

"Sister Xiao Wu, you're back!"

After glancing at the Titan Giant Ape, the Sky Azure Bull Python ignored it and shifted its gaze back to Xiao Wu.

Its speech was far clearer and smoother than the Titan Giant Ape's.

Looking at the Sky Azure Bull Python, Xiao Wu's little face broke into a radiant smile.

"Da Ming, it's been a long time!"

"How have you two been these past few years?"

The Sky Azure Bull Python said steadily, "Rest assured, Sister Xiao Wu. Er Ming and I have been doing well. We were only worried that you might encounter danger while alone in the human world."

Xiao Wu cheerfully took Qi Lin's hand and said, "Da Ming, don't worry. I have Brother Qi Lin protecting me, so I won't run into any danger."

The Titan Giant Ape let out a low growl from the side.

The Sky Azure Bull Python's pupils also turned toward Qi Lin. Unlike the Titan Giant Ape, it showed no hostility, merely examining him with a scrutinizing gaze.

After a moment, it continued in a deep voice, "Sister Xiao Wu, he may be close to you, but he already knows your identity. If it were to spread by accident, it would be a catastrophic disaster for you."

It was not hard to tell that the Sky Azure Bull Python was still urging Xiao Wu to remain at the Lake of Life. With its and the Titan Giant Ape's protection, Xiao Wu could safely grow until she reached maturity.

Once that time came, Xiao Wu could venture out again without worrying about her soul beast aura being exposed.

If it were any other Shapeshifting Soul Beast, they might have seriously considered such advice.

But was Xiao Wu an ordinary Shapeshifting Soul Beast?

She was a hopeless romantic of the highest order!

How could she possibly take in the Sky Azure Bull Python's tactful advice?

She immediately waved her hand and laughed openly. "Da Ming, don't worry. Brother Qi Lin would never reveal my identity, and he's known it for a long time anyway."

After hearing this, the Sky Azure Bull Python's doubts only deepened.

It stared at Qi Lin, seemingly waiting for him to explain.

Seeing this, Qi Lin did not answer directly. Instead, he smiled at Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu, do you remember what soul beast I told you my first soul ring came from?"

"Of course I remember. Wasn't it an ice silkworm?"

As she spoke, Xiao Wu looked at Qi Lin with envy written all over her face.

"Brother Qi Lin, your luck is ridiculously good. You casually absorbed a ten-year ice silkworm and got such an overpowered soul skill."

She knew only too well that despite being so lazy, her soul power rank had still surpassed Tang San's entirely because of Brother Qi Lin's First Spirit Ability.

Qi Lin smiled and asked, "Do you really think a ten-year ice silkworm could provide me with such a powerful soul skill?"

"Huh, you mean your first soul ring wasn't provided by an ice silkworm?"

"Don't tell me you condensed it yourself too?"

Qi Lin shook his head. Then, amid the shocked expressions of Xiao Wu, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Sky Azure Bull Python, he revealed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origins.

"A... million-year soul beast!"

"How is that possible? How could a million-year soul beast exist in this world?"

Xiao Wu's little mouth hung open, her pretty face filled with disbelief.

After cultivating for a hundred thousand years, soul beasts could only live for another thousand years.

Once those thousand years were up, they either had to shapeshift into humans or undergo a heavenly tribulation.

For soul beasts, heavenly tribulations were almost certainly fatal.

One reason Xiao Wu had chosen to shapeshift was because she feared she would not be able to survive the heavenly tribulation.

Moreover, legend had it that the strength of heavenly tribulations gradually increased with one's years of cultivation.

Xiao Wu simply could not imagine how an ice silkworm had managed to live for a million years.

The Sky Azure Bull Python's expression was even more solemn.

Because its mind was more mature than the Titan Giant Ape's, the existence beneath the Lake of Life had once made contact with it.

Yet even that being had not reached the level of a million-year soul beast!

More importantly, why would a million-year soul beast sacrifice itself to the human before them?

At that thought, suspicion inevitably appeared in the Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes.

This kid...

He isn't lying to us, is he?

Just as it was preparing to question him again, an oppressive aura suddenly appeared.

A tall man in black robes had somehow appeared behind Qi Lin.

The black-robed man had a stern, cold appearance. His golden hair reached all the way to his heels, and an incomparably majestic aura radiated from his body.

The instant he appeared, Qi Lin sensed something and turned around.

Looking at the golden-haired man before him, who was like a city wall and required him to raise his head just to see his face, Qi Lin froze slightly, vaguely guessing his identity.

At that moment, the golden-haired middle-aged man spoke indifferently.

"My name is Di Tian!"

"You just said that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm has become your first soul ring?"