Dragon Soul Beasts, a Flood Dragon Possibly Beyond a Hundred Thousand Years Old!

Lin Qing, who had stopped fighting, pointed at the battlefield around them, a complete mess as though it had been trampled by giants.

He teased, "If we keep going, we'll probably tear this whole forest apart."

Upon hearing that, Titan Giant Ape Er Ming's raised fist, poised to slam down again, froze in midair.

Its chest heaved violently like two enormous bellows.

Thick breaths burst from its nostrils with a "huff, huff," while its huge, bell-like eyes glared fiercely at Lin Qing.

The displeasure and frustration in its gaze seemed almost tangible.

"Roar..."

It let out an exceedingly sullen growl from deep in its throat, as though venting its dissatisfaction and complaining that it had not fought enough.

Then, in a fit of pique, it punched the patch of ground beside it that was still relatively intact.

"Boom!"

Another fresh crater appeared.[]

Well, that was it for the last decent patch of ground.

"Dad is amazing!"

"Dad beat Er Ming!"

The three little girls could no longer contain themselves. Like three happy little birds, they cheered as they ran over from the safer spot some distance away, surrounding Lin Qing in an instant.

Lin Wu'er even stuck out her tongue and pulled down her eyelids at Titan Giant Ape Er Ming, who was still sulking there, making an adorable face.

She shouted in her childish voice, "Nya nya nya! Uncle Er Ming, you can't beat Dad! Dad is the strongest!"

Titan Giant Ape Er Ming: "..."

Its massive body seemed to stiffen.

Being suppressed by a human in terms of strength was already humiliating enough.

And now it had to be "mocked" by this tiny daughter of Xiao Wu's?

Yet this little girl was its adorable niece.

It could not hit her or scold her.

Even roaring to scare her did not seem appropriate.

Er Ming became even more depressed.

It could only turn its enormous head away resentfully.

Pretending it had not seen Lin Wu'er's face or heard her words.

That look of "I'm not listening, I'm not looking, I'm shutting myself off," paired with its mountain-like body, somehow created a strangely adorable contrast.

At that moment, the Sky Azure Bull Python slowly slithered over as well.

Its enormous body wound forward, causing faint tremors.

Its azure eyes watched Lin Qing.

"Human, your current strength is indeed worthy of a new appraisal."

There was sincere admiration in its voice, the kind born from having seen the world and endured the ages.

"For Er Ming to lose to you in a contest of pure strength is truly unbelievable."

Lin Qing was also calming the surging Soul Power and turbulent Qi and Blood within him, and he was extremely satisfied with his performance just now.

This practical test had produced simply outstanding results!

Not only had it verified the terrifying strength produced by multiple enhancements.

More importantly, it gave him an incomparably clear and direct understanding of his own control over strength, explosive rhythm, and limits of endurance.

Hearing the Sky Azure Bull Python's praise, Lin Qing waved his hand and said politely, "You flatter me."

"Er Ming did not use its full strength, nor did it use any of its powerful innate abilities. It was only sparring with me in terms of strength. If it were truly a fight to the death, the outcome would still be hard to say."

Those words were not entirely modesty.

Er Ming had indeed mainly fought using physical strength just now.

It had not used any of its signature abilities, such as Gravity Control.

If it truly went all out, Lin Qing did not dare claim he could win steadily either.

After the pleasantries.

Lin Qing changed the subject and brought up the real matter.

"Now that my first three Soul Rings have been fully completed, my strength has undergone a qualitative leap."

"But after all, I am still far from making up the full number of Soul Rings. I have Level 90 Soul Power but lack the corresponding number of Soul Skills to support it. It always feels like a weakness."

He intended to strike while the iron was hot and continue searching the forest for suitable Soul Rings.

Ideally, he could fill his fourth through sixth rings and form some initial Combat Power.

That way, whether he encountered unforeseen circumstances or planned for the future, he would have greater confidence.

However, with his first three Soul Rings all being hundred-thousand-year ones, his standards had naturally risen.

"Da Ming, you are the ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest. You have lived for countless years and possess the broadest knowledge."

Lin Qing asked sincerely.

"Do you know whether there are any strength-type Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts active in the depths of this vast forest? Or... are there any powerful Soul Beasts with Dragon Bloodlines?"

He deliberately mentioned Dragon Bloodlines.

"My Golden Dragon Martial Soul is itself a supreme existence among the Dragon Clan."

"If I can absorb the Soul Ring of a dragon-type Soul Beast, I will gain additional attribute enhancements, which can make up for the difference in age."

"..."

The Sky Azure Bull Python fell into thought.

Light flowed through its enormous azure eyes as it searched its memories for relevant information.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Only the wind whistling through the broken trees remained, along with the dull thuds of Er Ming occasionally punching the ground in frustration nearby.

After a long while.

The Sky Azure Bull Python slowly spoke in a deep, distant voice. "The Star Dou Great Forest is indeed boundless, with countless living creatures."

"But Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are already rulers among Soul Beasts, and their numbers are exceedingly small."

"Most possess fixed territories of their own. As their cultivation deepens, they become increasingly skilled at concealing their auras and withdrawing from the world to reduce the attention of powerful humans."

"Among the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts whose active regions I know relatively clearly, aside from us brothers, there is also a Cave Demon Spider Emperor."

The Sky Azure Bull Python recalled.

"That fellow is peerless at hiding and burrowing underground, but it does not seem to be the strength type you need, nor does it have any connection to a Dragon Bloodline."

"A Cave Demon Spider... That truly does not suit me."

Lin Qing was somewhat disappointed.

Spider-type Martial Souls were what he needed least.

"Are there any others?"

"There is..."

A trace of recollection flashed through the Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes, as though it had remembered something even more ancient.

"If we are speaking of dragon-type Soul Beasts, I do recall one existence—or rather, a memory from a very long time ago."

There was uncertainty in the Sky Azure Bull Python's tone.

"That was tens of thousands of years ago, when my cultivation was far inferior to what it is now."

"Once, deep in the northwestern region of the forest, I happened to pass through a very unusual area."

"Oh?"

Its description immediately drew Lin Qing's full attention.

"That place was shrouded year-round in dense grayish-white mist that never dispersed. Even at noon, sunlight could hardly penetrate it completely."

"At the center of the mist lay a bottomless, secluded Black Pool. Its water was as black as ink and gave off an unsettling aura of stillness."

The Sky Azure Bull Python's voice lowered further, describing its impression of the place with great clarity.

"Right at the edge of that Black Pool, I clearly sensed a powerful aura belonging to a dragon-type creature!"

"Though it was not as pure and sacred as that of a True Dragon, the pressure in its bloodline and the unique fluctuations of its soul undoubtedly belonged to a Flood Dragon!"

"At the time, that Flood Dragon already had ten thousand years of cultivation and possessed considerable intelligence."

"It seemed to have made that Black Pool its nest, coiling within it. It rarely ventured outside and almost never interacted with other Soul Beasts in the forest. It was extremely mysterious."

The Sky Azure Bull Python raised its enormous head and looked toward the northwest.

Its tone deepened.

"Now that tens of thousands of years have passed, judging by the growth rate of Soul Beasts like Flood Dragons, which are exceptionally gifted and long-lived, if it did not perish midway, it has likely already..."

It did not finish the sentence, but its meaning could not have been clearer.

Tens of thousands of years were enough for a Flood Dragon with such immense potential to grow into something extremely terrifying,

perhaps even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast already!