"Humans, why have you intruded into the Star Dou Forbidden Land?"
Just as Qin Chuan and Qian Renxue were playfully roughhousing, a huge spray of water suddenly erupted from the lake.
The calm was shattered.
A deep roar sounded from all directions, startling everyone.
"So, it's finally here!" Qin Chuan gradually stopped what he was doing. He and Qian Renxue hadn't really been fighting.
No matter how mysterious the Sky Azure Bull Python was, it was still a Soul Beast, with an extremely strong sense of territory. It wouldn't let them run wild here.
"Qin Chuan!" Qian Renxue looked toward him, her jade hands clenching as a trace of wariness surfaced in her eyes.
Puffer Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo stood guard on either side of her.
But neither of them could even defeat the Titan Giant Ape. If a fight really broke out here, they could probably only stall for a little while.
"Don't worry, Sister Xue. Leave it to me in a moment." Qin Chuan smiled faintly, then turned toward the lake, his gaze growing solemn.
The water churned with a rushing sound. A vast shadow appeared beneath the clear lake, like a dark cloud, slowly advancing toward the waters near the shore.
"Splash, splash..."
Under everyone's stunned gazes, a gigantic Soul Beast head broke the surface. It had a pair of enormous bull horns and a head like a wild bull's. Towering waves surged up, scattering like countless raindrops.
"Humans, why have you intruded into the Star Dou Forbidden Land?" The Soul Beast, which looked like a true dragon, was the Sky Azure Bull Python, the true uncrowned king of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Though its body below the neck was entirely hidden beneath the lake, it still couldn't conceal its terrifying aura. Its imposing pressure was overwhelming.
"Honorable Sky Azure Bull Python, we came here with good intentions." Qin Chuan looked completely sincere and not at all flustered. He wanted to draw the Sky Azure Bull Python into this mess and make those Starry Sky People pay.
He continued, "A group of outsiders are hunting the Titan Giant Ape right now. They're powerful, and they've probably almost succeeded by now. We came here to warn you."
"Hmm!"
At the news that someone was hunting the Titan Giant Ape, the Sky Azure Bull Python's aura instantly turned cold, and faint traces of blood glimmered in its enormous pupils.
But it quickly calmed down again. "My second brother is powerful. How could mere humans hunt it? Who are you, and what have you come here to do?"
It truly was extraordinarily wise. Its intelligence already surpassed that of some humans, and with its strength...
Qin Chuan marveled inwardly.
In Earth Star's early days of spiritual energy's revival, it would already have counted as a genuine demon, a great power in its own right. Having weathered the passage of time, it was terrifying.
Still, he remained composed. "We really aren't lying. A group of people are hunting the Titan Giant Ape, right in the core region of Star Dou, not far from here."
"They're far stronger than ordinary Titled Douluo. The Titan Giant Ape may well be no match for them.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask these two esteemed seniors."
As he spoke, Qin Chuan gestured toward Puffer Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo. After all, in the world of Soul Beasts, strength was what mattered. In the Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes, his words might carry far less weight than those of Titled Douluo.
However, what the Sky Azure Bull Python did next slightly exceeded his expectations.
"No need. Human, I can believe you. But you're human too, and yet you've come to tell me this. I imagine you have a grudge against those people as well!"
Qin Chuan's expression didn't change in the slightest. He smiled and said, "As expected of the Forest Emperor. Your wisdom truly is extraordinary.
"That's right. Those people did ambush us, but the two seniors were injured in the attack, so I'm afraid they can't fight."
Puffer Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo had indeed been injured by those people, but not so badly that they couldn't fight.
They were only claiming that to guard against the Sky Azure Bull Python, in case it turned on them once it had crossed the river.
The Sky Azure Bull Python kept its eyes fixed on Qin Chuan. The air streaming from its nostrils was like a gale, fierce and powerful.
Qin Chuan was right: its wisdom far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Beasts. This was one of the benefits of its ancient, rare bloodline, something it had always been proud of.
After sensing Qin Chuan and the others' auras, it had already grown wary and kept the two Titled Douluo under watch.
But it hadn't expected that the one who would withstand its pressure and step forward to speak would be Qin Chuan, a strange-auraed but weak boy.
That immediately made it realize Qin Chuan was no ordinary person. But if these people weren't lying, then its second brother...
It thought carefully. Some time had passed since it had sensed Sister Xiao Wu's aura and its second brother had gone to her.
By rights, it shouldn't have taken so long.
At the thought, the Sky Azure Bull Python grew anxious. Ignoring everything else, it said, "Human, I'll be right back. If my second brother is truly in danger, then you will be my friends!"
Towering waves surged, sending up a thousand-foot swell.
A colossal beast leaped out of the water. Its python-like body resembled a true dragon, gleaming with a cold light, as though cast from azure gold.
"So this is the Sky Azure Bull Python. It really is just like the true dragons of legend."
Everyone was stunned. Its body stretched dozens of feet, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. It swallowed the whole world from view, a magnificent spectacle like a myth brought back to life.
"It's hard to believe that one day I'd see the Forest Emperor's true form with my own eyes!" Puffer Douluo sighed, his expression complicated.
The continent had changed completely. Legends had become reality, and mysteries had been shattered one after another. Titled Douluo... their era was over.
"Qin Chuan, are you all right?" Qian Renxue walked up to him, her graceful beauty softened by concern.
"I'm fine, but some people are about to have a problem." Qin Chuan grinned, looking rather mischievous.
He suddenly wanted to go see for himself just how fierce the Forest Emperor's wrath could be.
"Brother Qin truly is a peerless prodigy, brave beyond compare. He didn't even flinch when facing the legendary Forest Emperor!" Snake Lance Douluo exclaimed in admiration.
After everything that had happened, he had grown to respect Qin Chuan. He no longer dared to rely on his strength to look down on him.
"You flatter me, Senior. I only borrowed someone else's strength. It wasn't my own power, so there's nothing to be proud of."
Qin Chuan shook his head. He wasn't being modest; he truly felt that way, and wasn't satisfied with his current strength.
The situation on this continent was growing more and more mysterious. Creatures from the starry sky had entered this world, and no one knew how many more there were. Their arrival had created countless new variables.
"I need to gather the materials for that ancient pill as soon as possible. Once I refine it, my strength can transform sooner."
Qin Chuan silently resolved to refine the pill quickly and undergo his seventh transformation in the Body Casting Realm.
At the same time, he couldn't afford to delay finding a suitable world in which to plant the Dao Seed.
Only after planting that Dao Seed would his strength enter a period of explosive growth.
He might even use it as a foundation to build a force of his own.
"The life force here is incredibly pure, far purer than outside. Cultivating here will bring twice the results for half the effort. Let's cultivate here before the Sky Azure Bull Python returns," Qian Renxue said softly, her gaze toward Qin Chuan growing gentler.
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