"Staaare-"
As though sensing the Sky Azure Bull Python's and Titan Giant Ape's thoroughly disrespectful thoughts, Xiao Wu abruptly turned her gaze on her two dear little brothers, her eyes brimming with nuclear-grade kindness.
Stupid Da Ming, stupid Er Ming! Even you two look down on this bunny, huh!
"Ahem... since we have a direction now, Er Ming and I will hurry off and start searching!"
Under Xiao Wu's nuclear-kind gaze, the Sky Azure Bull Python gave a dry cough and instinctively prepared to flee with the Titan Giant Ape.
"Ahem... yes, yes! We need to hurry so we can become ferocious beasts sooner and protect you better, Sister Xiao Wu!"
The Titan Giant Ape gave a dry cough as well.
"Hmph-"
How could Xiao Wu fail to see that the two were trying to escape?
She simply snorted and decided not to hold it against her two rotten little brothers.
"You can also use your status as kings of the Star Dou Great Forest to call on the soul beasts under you to help search. That should make things faster."
"If one of them helps find what you need, we can promote them and help them become a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Afterward, we can have them guard the Lake of Life in your place, in case anything unexpected happens while you're away in the human world helping protect Xiao Wu."
Ji Yang addressed the Titan Giant Ape as he was about to hurry away.
"That's a good idea!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape exchanged a glance, both finding the plan excellent.
That way, even if they disobeyed the orders of the ferocious beasts deep within the Lake of Life and abandoned their posts, they could still ensure the lake remained safe as far as possible.
If they had not feared those ferocious beasts' might, they would never have wanted this lousy job as the Lake of Life's gatekeepers.
"Also, if you have the time, capture a few humans and bring them back. Preferably bad ones, like people who abandon their companions or murder their partners over something valuable."
"I have a few things that need some guinea pigs to test. Those people would make perfect test subjects."
"If they happen to be at the stage where they need to absorb a soul ring, catch a few soul beasts too. I'll let you see the wonders of the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace martial soul and the Soul Spirit Pill with your own eyes!"
Ji Yang continued.
He appeared to be merely offering to prove his earlier claims to the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, but in truth, he also wanted to verify the effects of the corresponding pills refined from soul masters.
In a sense, he would be firing on two fronts at once.
"All right!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape nodded.
For Sister Xiao Wu's sake, they had already chosen to trust Ji Yang. But now that he was willing to demonstrate everything on the spot as he had promised, they still wanted to witness it themselves and truly verify whether it was real.
That way, as long as the final results were what they hoped for, every doubt in their hearts would vanish completely, and they would trust Ji Yang wholeheartedly from then on.
Thus, the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, the two kings of the Star Dou Great Forest, set out together once more to search for the appropriate soul beasts and soul masters.
The Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape were highly efficient.
In less than half a day, they returned successfully with the appropriate "prey."
However, that was nowhere near enough time for them to find and bring back the soul beasts they themselves needed.
What they brought back were the soul masters Ji Yang needed, along with soul beasts of the corresponding cultivation ages.
"They're all here!"
The Titan Giant Ape placed the three people and three beasts he held onto the ground.
"Hm?"
When his gaze landed on one of them, Ji Yang's expression suddenly turned strange.
Even Xiao Wu beside him looked somewhat astonished.
There was a simple reason!
This person was an adorable little girl around twelve years old.
Judging by her expression, the little girl seemed somewhat aloof, but no matter how they looked at her, she hardly seemed like a bad person.
Could she be a little girl with a heart of snakes and scorpions?
As Ji Yang and the others entertained that thought, the Titan Giant Ape's next words quickly shattered their guess.
"These two took advantage of the chaos to rob other people and even killed them. They're no good."
"As for her, she was treating an injured soft bone rabbit when I found her."
"A Man Faced Demon Spider nearby had its sights set on her. Since she saved one of Sister Xiao Wu's own kind, I killed the Man Faced Demon Spider and brought her back."
"She also happens to need a soul ring, so it worked out perfectly!"
The Titan Giant Ape explained.
At those words, Ji Yang immediately understood.
Xiao Wu's gaze toward the little girl grew even warmer and friendlier.
How could someone willing to save an adorable soft bone rabbit be a bad person?
"Er Ming, you did very well this time! Absolutely wonderful! This is the best thing you've ever done!"
Xiao Wu lavished him with praise.
As she spoke, she even patted the Titan Giant Ape's right leg in approval.
Receiving such praise, the Titan Giant Ape rubbed his head, his face filled with delight.
Sister Xiao Wu praised me.
Bringing this little human girl back really was the right decision.
Seeing the Titan Giant Ape so carried away by the praise, the Sky Azure Bull Python rolled his eyes helplessly at him.
Just look at how pleased you are with yourself!
"Who are you? And where do you come from?"
Ignoring Xiao Wu and the others' antics, Ji Yang walked straight up to the little girl and asked her name and background.
As for the other two, scar-faced men who appeared to be in their thirties, they were unconscious, and he ignored them entirely.
"I'm Ye Lingling. My grandfather is Ye Renxin, the Benevolent Medical Sage!"
With shock and wonder in her eyes, the little girl was watching Ji Yang and Xiao Wu. These two children were even younger than her, yet they got along so well with the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts who were also kings of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Hearing Ji Yang's question, she hesitated briefly, but soon answered honestly in her slightly cool voice.
"Ye Lingling!?"
Hearing that familiar name, Ji Yang looked surprised.
With that name and background, how could he fail to recognize the little girl before him?
She was none other than Ye Lingling from the Douluo I era, whose martial soul was the Nine Heart Begonia. She was also a close friend of Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo's granddaughter.
Besides that, she was a student at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and a member of the Imperial Fighting Team's first squad.
Encountering Ye Lingling here came as quite a surprise to Ji Yang.
Thinking of the commotion he had caused after arriving in the Star Dou Great Forest, he soon hit upon a possible explanation.
Perhaps Ye Lingling had suffered an undeserved disaster because of them.
At level twenty and on the verge of becoming a Soul Grandmaster, Ye Lingling had originally come to the Heaven Dou Great Forest to find a suitable soul beast and obtain a soul ring.
Their arrival had indirectly triggered a "beast tide," separating Ye Lingling from the team of soul masters protecting her. Afterward, she had stumbled into Er Ming by chance and ultimately been brought here.
The more Ji Yang thought about it, the more likely that seemed, and he could not help feeling a little embarrassed.
We really landed her in trouble, didn't we!
Fortunately, they had not accidentally gotten Ye Lingling killed.
That, at least, was a blessing amid misfortune.
Before you continue