"Why were you unwilling to take Xiao Wu back to the Lake of Life?"
Lin Qing had refused to bring Xiao Wu back, but the Sky Azure Bull Python did not react too intensely.
Instead, it patiently wanted to hear Lin Qing's reasoning.
At the very least, it did not believe that Lin Qing, who had a child with Xiao Wu, would harm her.
"Da Ming, I completely understand that you want to protect Xiao Wu with all your heart. I truly do."
Lin Qing first acknowledged its intentions, his tone sincere.
That was precisely what the Sky Azure Bull Python had been thinking.
Ever since hearing from Lin Qing that Xiao Wu was being watched by a Titled Douluo, it had not stopped thinking about it.
If Xiao Wu returned to the Lake of Life with him, then it and Er Ming, two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, could protect her better.
"But that path is no longer viable.
"Not only is it unworkable, Da Ming, but I have to tell you the truth. Even the Lake of Life may no longer be an absolutely safe place."
"?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous azure eyes abruptly narrowed.
Its pupils turned slightly vertical, and the undisguised shock within them nearly spilled over.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you saying Er Ming and I cannot even keep Big Sister Xiao Wu safe in the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Its voice unconsciously rose.
There was confusion at having its strength questioned, along with a trace of suppressed anger.
After all, Er Ming and it were the undisputed rulers of this forest, at least on the surface.
At the very least, it was confident it could protect Xiao Wu from a Titled Douluo.
"The problem is not whether you and Er Ming are strong enough or capable of protecting her."
Lin Qing's expression grew solemn, carrying the gravity he only showed when deeply considering matters of great importance.
"The problem lies outside, with Spirit Hall."
He enunciated every word clearly, ensuring the other party heard each one.
"Spirit Hall is the undisputed number one power on Douluo Continent. Its roots run deep, and it has countless experts."
"The Titled Douluo serving under them, openly and secretly combined, cannot be counted on two hands."
Looking into the Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes, Lin Qing spoke the key reason one word at a time.
"And their Pope—the woman standing at the peak of Soul Masters—I estimate that her gaze has long crossed the countless forests and settled on you and Er Ming."
"Settled on us?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python was stunned at first.
A cold chill carrying a bloody smell seeped uncontrollably from the depths of its enormous body and soul.
It was not stupid.
On the contrary, its long life had given it ample wisdom.
With the matter spelled out this far, it immediately understood what being targeted by the Human World's strongest power meant to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
What else could it be for?
Nothing more than the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings Soul Masters dreamed of, along with the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones that would inevitably be produced.
At that thought,
the anger it felt at being offended became even stronger, mixed with a trace of absurdity.
"Er Ming and I have quietly remained at the Lake of Life for countless years. We have almost never set foot in human territory, much less deliberately provoked that so-called Spirit Hall."
"We have kept out of each other's way. What right do they have to make us targets? Just because we have lived longer and our Soul Rings are older?"
The logic was so simple and brutal that it left it both furious and powerless.
It was helplessness in the face of humanity's complicated, greedy nature.
"...Sigh."
Lin Qing sighed softly.
Though the Sky Azure Bull Python possessed intelligence, it was still limited by the thinking of a Soul Beast.
He knew he had to lay everything out completely and explain it piece by piece.
"The reason is actually not complicated. It is even cruelly realistic."
He organized his thoughts.
"That Pope, like me, possesses Twin Martial Souls from birth."
"Moreover, she has been a Titled Douluo for many years. Her first Martial Soul has long since reached its peak."
Lin Qing's gaze sharpened as he looked at the Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous azure eyes, which were filled with confusion.
"Her current goal, and her goal for a long time to come, is to seek out and hunt sufficiently powerful Soul Beasts for her second Martial Soul, which has yet to gain many Soul Rings, and obtain the highest-grade Soul Rings."
"And Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are targets she will never let go of."
"You and Er Ming are the strongest Soul Beasts publicly known in the Star Dou Great Forest. With Hundred-Thousand-Year cultivation and reputations that precede you, you are not difficult to investigate."
Lin Qing's tone carried an almost coldly objective analysis.
"To that Pope, who single-mindedly pursues the pinnacle of power and urgently needs top-tier Soul Rings, the two of you are the most conspicuous, suitable, and valuable targets on this continent."
"I dare say your names were probably written heavily in red ink on her highest-priority hunting list long ago."
Naturally, Lin Qing was referring to the future Pope, Bibi Dong, who would launch the Hunting Soul Operation.
She should already have been secretly undergoing the Rakshasa God's examination,
and hunting powerful Soul Beasts for Soul Rings was an unavoidable step for her to increase her strength and complete her Divine Examination.
Knowing the plot in advance was sometimes truly a heavy burden, Lin Qing muttered inwardly.
"So, Da Ming, think about what it means if Xiao Wu returns to the Lake of Life now."
"Not only would you fail to protect her as you imagine, but because you and Er Ming have already become targets yourselves, you might directly draw even greater danger to her side!"
Lin Qing said solemnly.
"At the same time, she would completely lose her chance to train and grow in the Human World, to gain the ability to truly protect herself."
"That would be the same as keeping her confined in a cage that seemed safe, but was actually filled with danger."
At the end, he spread his hands, a trace of helplessness toward the rules of fate appearing on his face.
There was no helping it.
If Soul Beasts that had taken human form wanted to level up and grow, they had to integrate into human society and experience the ways of the world.
The rule sounded bizarre, but it was an iron law.
Unless they possessed special abilities themselves.
Otherwise, Shaped Soul Beasts could hardly gain effective growth while staying among Soul Beasts.
"..."
The Sky Azure Bull Python fell completely silent.
It sank into an unprecedentedly long silence.
Its enormous head, comparable to a small hill, drooped low, casting a vast, heavy, trembling shadow at the edge of the bonfire's light.
A crushing sense of helplessness nearly suffocated it, leaving its mind dazed.
So, without realizing it, Er Ming and it, the two overlords of the Star Dou Great Forest, were no longer solid backers and barriers capable of protecting Big Sister Xiao Wu as she grew safely.
Instead, because of their own "value," they had become the source most likely to bring about catastrophic disaster.
They had become beacons drawing the attention of humanity's greatest hunters.
This cold and cruel realization made it feel miserable, yet it could not refute it.
Lin Qing's words were logically clear and struck directly at the heart of the matter.
It could not help but consider them carefully.
Crack!
Another bright spark burst from the bonfire, making the emotions in the Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes flicker uncertainly.
A long time passed.
"...Sigh."
A heavy, lingering sigh, damp with moisture, came from deep within the Sky Azure Bull Python's throat.
"Perhaps you are right. I had made everything too simple."
It spoke dully.
Its voice was lower than before, carrying the exhaustion of someone who had recognized reality.
"Merely wanting to hide Big Sister Xiao Wu away is not a fundamental solution."
"Danger will not disappear on its own just because we close our eyes."
Having thought it through, the Sky Azure Bull Python raised its enormous head again.
For the first time, deep confusion and uncertainty were so clearly revealed in those azure eyes that had watched endless years pass and endured countless storms and changes.
"Lin Qing, how do you think Big Sister Xiao Wu should be protected?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's thoughts also became clearer, and questions came one after another.
"There are Titled Douluo watching covetously in human territory, capable of seeing through Big Sister Xiao Wu's identity."
"And now there are figures like the Spirit Hall Pope secretly eyeing Er Ming and me, which will likewise implicate Big Sister Xiao Wu."
Its enormous eyes were filled with worry.
Did that not leave her trapped between advancing and retreating?
Neither side seemed safe.
"What about you? How do you intend to protect her?"
Its blazing gaze fixed on Lin Qing, not missing the slightest change in his expression.
The Sky Azure Bull Python wanted to know what Lin Qing was thinking.
"Your abilities are astonishing now, but against a colossal force like Spirit Hall, two fists cannot defeat four hands. You are still alone and far too weak, aren't you?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's question was blunt and realistic, even somewhat sharp.
But it had to ask clearly.
This concerned Big Sister Xiao Wu's future safety and survival. There could be no ambiguity or blind optimism.
Unexpectedly—
Faced with this almost interrogative question, Lin Qing showed neither discouragement nor difficulty. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled upward into a grin.
Under the flickering bonfire, that smile held an almost sharp edge of arrogance.
"Of course it isn't enough! This is only the beginning, Da Ming."
He sprang to his feet.
With his back to the bonfire and the Sky Azure Bull Python, he faced the green lake, its surface reflecting a shattered river of stars and disappearing into unfathomable depths.
"My goal was never merely to deal with them or hold them off."
"That kind of passive defense might last for a while, but it cannot last forever."
He turned around.
The bonfire's light shone upon him from the front.
It gilded his upright figure with a wavering golden outline,
and his expression could not be seen clearly,
but his eyes were astonishingly bright, as though two small flames burned within them.
"What I intend to do is take the initiative and climb to the very top, step by step."
He raised one hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.
"I will become stronger than everyone else—strong enough that Spirit Hall will have to think twice whenever they hear my name, not daring to act rashly."
"Strong enough that even an opponent on Tang Hao's level can only watch from afar, unable to summon the thought of becoming my enemy."
"Strong enough that I will have sufficient power to change some of this world's rotten rules as I see fit, and establish a new, more reasonable order myself!"
His tone suddenly shifted.
"And if I have to set a goal for this path of defying heaven..."
His voice took on a decisive resolve, like smashing the cauldrons and sinking the boats, leaving no path of retreat.
"Then I think I should try to reach that realm that exists only in legends and ancient records—"
His gaze flashed like lightning as he looked directly into the Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous, shocked eyes.
"I will become a God!"
Before you continue