Core Region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Life Lake.
The shimmering green lake water gave off a rich breath of life. The water was exceptionally clean, but because it contained such dense life energy, that energy had nearly condensed into substance, making the lake less than crystal clear.
Surprisingly, beside Life Lake in this core region sat a woman with the appearance of a human. Her hair was tied in a bun, and she wore simple, elegant, practical clothing. Tall and curvaceous, with peerless beauty and jade-like skin, she sat cross-legged as pink light flickered around her body while she cultivated.
Even more shocking, three enormous creatures stood beside her. Closest was an extremely plump white rabbit, eight meters long and five meters wide, its fur fluffy and soft. Its pink ears were half a meter long, drooping over its head.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit.
Beside the rabbit crouched an immensely tall figure, like a mountain. Its jet-black fur gleamed faintly beneath the weak sunlight. Though it stood on all fours, its shoulders were still more than seven meters high. If it stood upright, it would likely exceed fifteen meters in height.
It looked like both an ape and a chimpanzee. Other than its lantern-sized eyes, which gleamed with a yellow crystal-like luster, its entire body was pitch-black. It was the Forest King, the Titan Giant Ape.
Above Life Lake floated an enormous bull's head more than four meters in diameter, covered in dark azure scales, with an incomparably massive body.
These two Soul Beasts were the Forest King, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Forest Emperor, the Sky Azure Bull Python—both Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts rumored throughout the Soul Beast World!
Rumor had it in the Spirit Master World that the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python were immensely powerful. To deal with them, all the Title Douluo of the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire would likely need to join forces. With this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit added to the mix, even if all the Title Douluo from both empires attacked together, they would likely be defeated.
Yet what was utterly astonishing and baffling was that these three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had not harmed this human in any way. Instead, they seemed to be protecting her.
This human's true identity was Ah Rou, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit who had taken human form. The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit beside her was her daughter, Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu had sworn siblinghood with the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python and was their eldest sister. Ah Rou was Xiao Wu's mother, which made her the Titan Giant Ape's and Sky Azure Bull Python's godmother, as well as the elder of the three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
In the eyes of the Spirit Master World, the Sky Azure Bull Python was the apparent Forest Emperor of the Star Dou Great Forest. In truth, however, Ah Rou was the real Forest Emperor.
After an unknown amount of time, pink Soul Power surged around Ah Rou. The Soul Power coating her body's surface repeatedly swelled and contracted like an inflated balloon.
The pink phantom burst apart, and immense Soul Power erupted from Ah Rou's body. Gentle ripples spread across Life Lake. Xiao Wu, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Sky Azure Bull Python all revealed delighted expressions.
"Mom! Aunt Rou! You broke through to Rank 90."
Ah Rou opened her pink eyes and smiled faintly. "I merely took human form and cultivated again. Reaching this level means nothing. After Rank 90, whether I can break through and reach that realm will be where the true trial begins."
What Ah Rou meant was reaching Rank 100 and becoming a god. If the path of Soul Beasts had not been impassable, if continuing along it did not mean being struck to death by the Thunder Tribulation, which Soul Beast would abandon the powerful strength of a Hundred-Thousand-Year cultivation, comparable to a Title Douluo, to become a helpless infant and head to the human world to cultivate all over again?
"Aunt Rou, what kind of Soul Beast are you going to hunt for your ninth Soul Ring? Er Ming and I can both help you."
The Sky Azure Bull Python spoke. When a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast took human form, its Soul Beast inner core could only support the formation of the first six Soul Rings. The seventh, eighth, and ninth Soul Rings all had to be obtained by hunting Soul Beasts.
None of the Sky Azure Bull Python, Titan Giant Ape, Xiao Wu, or Ah Rou found anything strange about hunting Soul Beasts. Soul Beasts had to eat. Soul Beasts devoured one another and slaughtered one another for territory; it was all perfectly natural. By the time these four Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had grown to their current realm, countless Soul Beasts had died at their hands.
The danger and time required for a Soul Beast to grow step by step into a top-tier Soul Beast were many times greater than what a human needed to become a Title Douluo.
Xiao Wu asked expectantly, "Once you break through to become a Title Douluo, I can take human form too. Mom, what is the human world like?"
Joy, tenderness, bitterness, sorrow... all kinds of emotions continuously crossed Ah Rou's face. She slowly said, "Xiao Wu, the human world is wonderful. It is filled with all sorts of interesting things that our Soul Beast race cannot see, but it also hides all kinds of dangers, just like the Star Dou Great Forest."
"In the Star Dou Great Forest, we can see all kinds of Soul Beasts. In the human world, you can also meet all kinds of humans. Perhaps you may even gain a sincere love."
With a turn of her hand, Ah Rou produced a comb made of nanmu wood. The comb had been carefully preserved, without a single mark or speck of dust.
"You must remember: a girl's hair may only be combed by the one she loves."
Listening to Ah Rou's gentle words, Xiao Wu's face filled with longing. She secretly decided that when she took human form and shaped her face and figure, she would not make her hair as short as her mother's. She wanted a head of long, beautiful hair. If she met the lover who would accompany her for life in the human world, she would have him comb her hair every day.
Longing appeared in the Titan Giant Ape's and Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes. They did not need to go to the human world to find lovers. Their beloved was right here: their Sister Xiao Wu.
At that moment, the two Soul Beasts dearly wished to take human form alongside Xiao Wu and head to the human world with her, become her partners, and comb Sister Xiao Wu's hair. But when they considered the responsibilities they had to bear, they suppressed their desire to take human form and prayed that Sister Xiao Wu would not fall for any human after entering the human world.
"Forget about going to the human world. What you should be thinking about is where you want to be buried next."
"Soft Bone Rabbit, Sky Azure Bull Python, Titan Giant Ape—your time to die has come!"
A cold, hoarse voice rang out. From the gloomy forest, Bibi Zhu emerged.
"A human? No. The Death Spider Emperor—it's you! You took human form too?"
Ah Rou stared at the human-shaped Death Spider Emperor. As a Soul Beast herself, she could still sense the Soul Beast aura emanating from the Death Spider Emperor.
Xiao Wu, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and the Titan Giant Ape all looked coldly at the Death Spider Emperor. Xiao Wu in particular was practically overflowing with disgust. Back when she had not been strong, she had nearly died countless times to Man Faced Demon Spiders, Earth Cave Demon Spiders, Death Demon Spiders... and other spiders. The rabbit clan and spider clan were absolute mortal enemies.
PS: Let me ask the readers: should the humanoid Death Spider Emperor be called Bibi Zhu, or should she always be called the Death Spider Emperor or Bibi Zhu?