Night was about to end. A ray of dawn fell upon Su Yuntao. He had now arrived in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. As he faced the enormous, beautiful, wondrous lake before him, his heart swelled with emotion.
Just then, a sudden rumbling came from the bottom of the vast lake. A gigantic bull's head rose abruptly from beneath the water.
Looking at the human before him, the bull's head spoke in human words. "Er Ming, where's Xiao Wu?"
The Titan Giant Ape slowly replied, "Big Brother, Sister Xiao Wu was taken hostage by this despicable human!"
"What!" With a boom, the bull's head shot upright, revealing a colossal body before Su Yuntao.
It was over fifty zhang long. Though its body was relatively slender compared to the Titan Giant Ape's, the aura radiating from this bull-headed, python-bodied monster was even more oppressive than his. This was clearly the Titan Giant Ape's big brother—the Sky Azure Bull Python!
"Human, what exactly do you want?"
Though the Sky Azure Bull Python was frantic with worry and looked ferocious, he clearly had good control over his emotions.
Of the three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts—Xiao Wu, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Sky Azure Bull Python—he was not only the strongest, but also the most rational.
Xiao Wu was innocent by nature, even to the point of foolishness. Though she possessed intelligence no less than a human's, her conduct was simply disgraceful.
In the original story, despite being a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, after taking human form she didn't focus on cultivating at all. Instead, she wandered about, laughing and playing.
Before she had reached level seventy and fully transformed into a human, she first went to Heaven Dou City, then to Spirit Hall—always seeking out the most dangerous places, as if afraid she might not run into a Titled Douluo.
Despite bearing a blood feud against Spirit Hall for killing her mother, she gave no thought to cultivation and focused entirely on playing around, just like an ordinary little girl.
What Su Yuntao couldn't understand was that even an ordinary little girl would have matured after experiencing the murder of her mother. Yet Xiao Wu remained unmoved. And she had lived for a hundred thousand years, no less!
Compared to Xiao Wu, the Titan Giant Ape was clearly more mature. As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, his intelligence was no less than a human's. His only flaw was his reckless, impulsive nature, which often made him lose control of his emotions.
By comparison, the Sky Azure Bull Python was clearly more rational. Su Yuntao felt that negotiating with him would have a better chance of success. At least, even when enraged, he wouldn't do something he would regret.
"Sky Azure Bull Python, Xiao Wu is in my hands. I came here precisely to negotiate with you. I can tell you plainly: Xiao Wu is my bargaining chip, and I must obtain something of equal value before she can return safely to the Star Dou Great Forest!"
At these words, the two overlords' already bloodshot eyes grew even redder. Both the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python wore hideously savage expressions. But unlike the Titan Giant Ape, who clenched his fists and looked ready to smash Su Yuntao to pieces, the Sky Azure Bull Python remained more composed.
The Sky Azure Bull Python spoke. "Human, what exactly do you want? As long as you can guarantee Sister Xiao Wu's safety, I can give you whatever you want!"
"Good. I'll speak plainly. I want to set out on the path to godhood, but my talent is too poor. The two Soul Rings I have now are one white and one yellow."
"So I need a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone. And I must be able to absorb both the Soul Ring and the Soul Bone!"
"What an arrogant claim!" the Sky Azure Bull Python scoffed. "Human, with talent like yours, you actually dare to dream of becoming a god! I truly don't know what to say to you!"
Su Yuntao smiled. "That's right. If I relied on my own cultivation, becoming a god would be nothing but a joke."
"Though I know Douluo Continent has many divine inheritances—the Angel God's inheritance is in Spirit Hall, the Asura God's in the Slaughter City, the Ice and Snow Goddess's in the Far North, the Death God's in Death Canyon, and the Thunder God's in Thunder Canyon."
"But with my qualifications, even if I entered those places of inheritance, there's no way I could obtain their legacies. That's why I need your help!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape exchanged glances, their eyes betraying a trace of solemnity. Clearly, they hadn't expected that this tiny human Soul Master would know of such closely guarded secrets—some of which even they themselves didn't know.
"Human, who exactly are you?" the Sky Azure Bull Python asked gravely.
Su Yuntao replied calmly, "I'm not actually from this world. I came from another time and space. But I can tell you plainly that I know everything about this world—including the deepest secrets hidden in your Star Dou Great Forest!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's expression turned serious. He slowly said, "Oh? The deepest secrets hidden in our Star Dou Great Forest?"
"I know not only that Xiao Wu will go to Notting Academy, but also that when you two were young, you were saved by Xiao Wu's mother. You both grew up alongside Xiao Wu, and she means more to you than your own lives!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape could no longer keep their composure. The word "shock" was written across their enormous faces.
Seeing their reaction, Su Yuntao continued, "That's not all. I also know that sleeping beyond this Life Lake is the true ruler of your Star Dou Great Forest."
"For example, the eighty-thousand-year-old Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian! The forty-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, Xiong Jun! The sixty-thousand-year-old Emerald Swan, Bi Ji! And the thirty-thousand-year-old Hell Three-Headed Mastiff, Chi Huang!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape were trembling slightly. Though they were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, and their powerful origins and exceptional bloodlines meant they could suppress a human Titled Douluo of level ninety-five, the revelations from this tiny human Soul Master were so shocking that they couldn't help but tremble!
Su Yuntao smiled. "That's nothing. I even know that one of the two supreme Dragon Kings, the Silver Dragon King, is hidden in the core region of your Star Dou Great Forest! She is the common ruler of all your Soul Beasts!"
The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python sucked in a breath of cold air. Their scalps went numb. In all the years since they had become Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, this was the first time they had felt what it meant to be cold!
"Human! How did you learn all this?"
Su Yuntao replied coolly, "Sky Azure Bull Python, I already told you. I know everything about your world!"
"Now, I want to become a god, so I need a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. I came here today in good faith. If one of you offers a sacrifice to me, Xiao Wu will return safely to the Star Dou Great Forest, and I'll keep this vital secret of your Soul Beast Clan. What's more, after I become a god, I'll look out for your Soul Beast Clan!"