Little Rabbit, I've Been Watching You for a Long Time.

Clearly, even with Xiao Rou's extreme caution, she had failed to detect Qian Xunji observing her from the shadows.

A short distance further lay the core area, and Xiao Rou came to a halt; with her current strength as a quasi-Spirit Emperor, she had no way to proceed any further.

I shall call Daming and Erming to this spot. With the two of them guarding me, I need not worry about being discovered by other spirit beasts while I break through.

Xiao Rou was currently only at level 60, a mere quasi-Spirit Emperor; to become a true Spirit Emperor, she needed to condense her own spirit ring.

This period was extremely dangerous, as the aura of a spirit beast would emanate outward while condensing a spirit ring.

However, things would be better once she reached level 70.

By level 70, although she would lose the advantage of condensing her own spirit ring, she would be indistinguishable from a human, and thus no longer afraid of exposure.

"Is she about to call Daming and Erming?"

"I cannot let you summon those two; it would only add to the trouble," Qian Xunji muttered to himself. He stopped hiding and stepped out, though he had originally intended to watch the rabbit condense her spirit ring.

That was clearly no longer an option.

Qian Xunji's sudden appearance gave Xiao Rou a fright.

I didn't even notice this human!

He has been tracking me the entire time!

Oh no, he has discovered my identity as a spirit beast!

Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Rou bolted toward the core area.

Entering the core area offered her a glimmer of hope, but falling into human hands meant certain death.

"Little rabbit, I have been observing you for a long time. Even if you grew wings today, you would never escape my grasp," Qian Xunji laughed heartily, manifesting his Martial Soul—the Six-Winged Angel.

A Titled Douluo!

How could it be a Titled Douluo!

It's over, completely over!

This time, I am surely doomed!

Despair welled up in Xiao Rou's heart.

No matter how fast she was, how could she possibly outrun a Titled Douluo?

Xiao Rou was seized by Qian Xunji.

Without a moment's hesitation, Qian Xunji took Xiao Rou and departed from the Star Dou Forest.

Nine hundred-thousand-year spirit rings!

The blinding red light only deepened Xiao Rou's despair.

Of course, beneath the despair lay shock.

She had spent nineteen years in the human world, and she had never even heard of a human capable of possessing nine hundred-thousand-year-level spirit rings, let alone seen one.

The power behind this man was monstrous; she had absolutely no path to survival.

By the time Xiao Wu, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Sky Azure Bull Python arrived at the mixed area where Xiao Rou had been abducted, Qian Xunji had long since left the Star Dou Forest.

Xiao Wu did not see her mother, Xiao Rou, and she completely panicked.

"Mom, Mom, where are you?"

"Mom, Mom?"

"Daming, Erming, Mom must have met with misfortune!"

"Mom's scent is still here; she must have met with misfortune!"

"Daming, Erming, can we go and save Mom?"

The Sky Azure Bull Python felt bitter inside. They didn't have the slightest clue; they didn't even know who had abducted Aunt Rou. How could they even speak of a rescue?

The human world was not a place they could enter and leave as they pleased.

They couldn't even pass the hurdle of Martial Soul City alone.

And what good would it do to go to the human world?

They might not even find Aunt Rou's enemy before she had long since been reduced to bones.

If they failed to find the enemy, they might even end up throwing their own lives away.

It was not that they didn't want to save Aunt Rou, but they were truly powerless.

The only way they could avenge Aunt Rou now was to kill every human who entered the Star Dou Forest to hunt for spirit rings.

Qian Xunji did not take Xiao Rou directly back to Martial Soul City, but instead brought her to a mountain forest closer to the city.

He intended to let Xiao Rou break through to Spirit Emperor first, so he could observe how a humanoid spirit beast condensed its own spirit ring.

"Little rabbit, I know you have reached the bottleneck of a Spirit King and are about to break through to Spirit Emperor."

"Break through right here, right now. Don't say I didn't give you the chance."

Xiao Rou was slightly taken aback; she sensed that the man before her did not seem overly eager to kill her.

Though she did not know his motives, an increase in strength would undoubtedly raise her chances of escape.

Furthermore, when she broke through to become a Soul Emperor, she would emit the aura of a Soul Beast. Even if it were not far, as long as Daming and Erming pursued her, they would certainly be able to find her.

Although the man before her was a Titled Douluo with nine Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, Daming and Erming were also Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. With them, fighting and retreating back to the Star Dou Forest should not be a problem.

With these thoughts, Xiao Rou immediately decided to break through.

She sat cross-legged and began to condense her own Soul Ring.

A long time passed, and Xiao Rou became a Soul Emperor, her Soul Power reaching level 61.

Yet, she was clearly disappointed; she had not waited for Daming and Erming to arrive.

Xiao Rou looked at Qian Xunji with trepidation and asked, "What... what exactly do you want?"

Qian Xunji countered with a question: "I have heard that when a human and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast unite, the child born is guaranteed to have level 10 Innate Soul Power?"

"It doesn't matter if the Soul Beast has transformed to start over or simply taken human form."

"I am extremely curious about this matter and specifically wish to verify with you, beauty, whether the rumor is true."

"I wonder if you would be willing to verify this rumor with me?"

"By the way, I still do not know how to address you, beauty."

Upon hearing Qian Xunji's words, Xiao Rou breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't going to kill her, having a child was nothing.

Having cultivated for a hundred thousand years and transformed into a human, she had already intended to find a new pillar of support.

She wanted revenge—revenge for her deceased husband—but she understood that with her aptitude, a hundred thousand years was her limit; there was simply no possibility of advancing further.

Only by cultivating as a human and reaching the rank of Titled Douluo would she have a glimmer of hope for revenge.

Naturally, finding a backer from a major power was undoubtedly the best method.

Qian Xunji's full set of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings perfectly matched the standards in her heart.

"My name is Xiao Rou."

"I can bear a child for you, or even serve you for the rest of my life and acknowledge you as my master, but I have one condition." Xiao Rou looked at Qian Xunji nervously, fearing that he might refuse her.

This time, it was Qian Xunji's turn to be somewhat surprised. Were Soul Beasts all this sensible?

He had been expecting the little rabbit to refuse, forcing him to threaten her until she, fearing death, had no choice but to agree.

"Speak, what is your condition?"

"I hope you can help me avenge my husband."

Xiao Rou looked at Qian Xunji with trepidation and added, "As long as you agree to help me avenge my husband, I can fulfill my promise to you first."

"However, you cannot make me wait too long, or leave me without hope of reaching the peak."

"Additionally, I cannot guarantee that the child I bear for you will definitely have level 10 Innate Soul Power."

"But you can use my daughter as a reference. Both my husband and I are Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, and when I gave birth to my daughter, she was born with ten thousand years of cultivation and spiritual intelligence."

"You are a Titled Douluo; even if the child between us doesn't have level 10 Innate Soul Power, it won't be far off."

Qian Xunji nodded silently and asked, "Xiao Rou, tell me first how your husband died, and then I will consider whether to agree to your terms."