A flash of fervor crossed Di Tian's eyes. He bowed respectfully and said, "As you command, my lord!"
After so many years of bitter waiting, he had finally found hope for the revival of Soul Beasts.
"Go. I shall return to my slumber. When I next awaken, I hope to hear good news from you."
The Silver Dragon King slowly closed her eyes, a trace of weariness in her voice.
Forcing herself to remain awake for too long would hinder her recovery.
"Rest assured, my lord. I will spare no effort."
Di Tian bowed again. Spatial ripples began to spread around him, and in the next instant, he vanished from the Lake of Life.
Meanwhile, far away in Sunset Forest, Tang Tianlin felt a chill run down his spine.
His intuition told him that some powerful being had very likely taken notice of him.
Had that bastard Yu Xiaogang found Bibi Dong?
Or had some Soul Beast of astounding wisdom discovered that I possess the Golden Dragon King bloodline?
"Wait!"
Tang Hao, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and scanned their surroundings warily.
Before long, the ground began to shake, as though something was burrowing up from deep underground.
Tang Hao's brows knitted tightly, and he instinctively shielded Tang Tianlin and Tang San behind him.
The smile vanished from Tang Tianlin's face as well, his gaze fixed firmly ahead.
Boom!
The next instant, the cliff face ahead burst apart!
Shattered rocks flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.
An enormous figure burst out of the earth.
It was a giant ant, dark gold from head to toe and three meters long. Thick armor covered its entire body, and a pair of symmetrical, enormous pincers flanked it.
The moment Tang Hao got a clear look at the giant ant, his eyes lit up. "To think we'd run into a Dark Gold Ironclad Ant. Tianlin, you really are a lucky brat."
"A Dark Gold Ironclad Ant? What kind of Soul Beast is that?" Tang San asked curiously.
Tang Hao explained, "The Dark Gold Ironclad Ant is not only the undisputed overlord among ant Soul Beasts, but also the Soul Beast with the greatest strength and explosive power for its size."
"In terms of strength alone, even dragon Soul Beasts cannot compare to them. They deserve to be called the kings of strength among Soul Beasts."
Tang Tianlin's eyes lit up after hearing Tang Hao's explanation. "Uncle Hao, how many tens of thousands of years old is this Dark Gold Ironclad Ant?"
Tang Hao studied it carefully. "Judging by the size of its pincers, it probably only recently passed thirty thousand years. It's at the stage when its blood and vitality are at their most vigorous."
Tang Tianlin was delighted to hear that.
Thirty thousand years! Brimming with blood and vitality!
Hasn't my third Soul Ring just delivered itself?
Just then, the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant's glossy black compound eyes shifted slightly. Its gaze locked onto Tang Tianlin, and it let out a low hiss.
Clearly, it had been drawn here by Tang Tianlin's tremendous blood and vitality.
"You want to devour me?"
Tang Tianlin frowned slightly and took a step back, putting Tang Hao in front of him as a shield. "Uncle Hao, this is the one. Just leave it barely alive for me."
He was the Child of Nature, not the Emperor Auspicious Beast. He still could not make a thirty-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Ironclad Ant willingly sacrifice itself.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me."
As his words fell, Tang Hao abruptly vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already above the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant.
He raised his right hand, Soul Power surging, and gave a light downward slap.
Boom!
A dull impact rang out.
The Dark Gold Ironclad Ant reeled under the heavy blow. The armor on its back caved in instantly, its limbs pressed against the ground, its enormous pincers drooped, and streams of unidentified fluid spurted from its mouth.
The gap between their strength was too great. Even a king of strength could not withstand a casual basic attack from a Titled Douluo.
"So this is the strength of a Titled Douluo..."
Tang Tianlin was slightly startled by the sight.
Compared with the truly powerful, he still had quite a gap to cross.
He would need at least a few more years to develop.
"Tianlin, your turn," Tang Hao's voice came from midair.
Hearing him, Tang Tianlin immediately strode over to the dying Dark Gold Ironclad Ant.
Sensing Tang Tianlin's approach, the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant raised its head and glanced at him, its tone disdainful:
"Heh. A feeble human Soul Master thinks he can claim my power?"
It could sense that this human cub's aura was far weaker than that of the human who had struck it.
A Soul Master like this could never withstand its power.
"Is that so?"
Tang Tianlin smiled faintly, and a crimson-gold Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.
As the crimson-gold Soul Ring lit up, rows of fine, closely packed dark gold dragon scales began to emerge across his body.
His pupils contracted into needlepoints, and golden light shone in his eyes.
A terrifying wave of dragon might erupted.
"You..."
Sensing that terrifying dragon might, the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant's enormous body shuddered violently.
It could not understand why the aura of a true dragon would appear in a human cub.
While it was still reeling in shock, an emerald-green halo suddenly spread around Tang Tianlin.
The aura of the Child of Nature appeared once more, forming a stark contrast with the Golden Dragon King's dragon might.
The Dark Gold Ironclad Ant, which had faced death unflinchingly just a second earlier, instantly regained clarity in its compound eyes upon sensing the Child of Nature's aura. It cried urgently, "Wait, don't kill me! I'm willing to sacrifice myself to you!"
Watching from the side, Tang Hao's expression instantly turned strange.
The Dark Gold Ironclad Ant was famously unyielding by nature.
Once, a Soul Emperor disciple of the Clear Sky Sect had attempted to absorb a twenty-five-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Ironclad Ant as his Seventh Soul Ring.
Although that disciple had been far stronger than the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant, at the final moment, he had still failed to withstand the Soul Ring's powerful resentment. The absorption had failed, leaving him stuck at the Soul Emperor level for life.
Yet now, this thirty-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Ironclad Ant actually wanted to sacrifice itself to Tianlin voluntarily?!
That was no less difficult than turning a straight man gay.
Tang San, however, took it in stride.
In his eyes, there was nothing his big brother could not do.
Even if a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast sacrificed itself to his big brother, he would have considered it only natural.
At that moment, Tang Tianlin's expression was strange as well.
He had thought his identity as the Child of Nature could only influence Plant-type Soul Beasts, with little effect on animal Soul Beasts.
Now it seemed he had still underestimated the Child of Nature's standing among Soul Beasts.
"Lord Child of Nature, let's hurry and begin. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid I'll lose some of my power," the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant said urgently.
Hearing that, Tang Tianlin immediately withdrew his Dragon Transformation and sat cross-legged. After bringing his condition to its peak, he said in a deep voice, "Begin."
"Right away, my lord! Your humble servant will begin at once!"
The Dark Gold Ironclad Ant immediately closed its compound eyes and began mobilizing all the Soul Power and life essence within its body.
Dark gold light spread from within it, gradually gathering into an ink-black Soul Ring that hovered above its head.
"My lord, I shall now offer you my lifetime of cultivation!"
The Dark Gold Ironclad Ant's voice grew solemn, carrying an almost reverent note. "It is my greatest honor to become one with you, my lord!"
As it spoke, the black Soul Ring slowly rose and drifted toward Tang Tianlin.
Tang Tianlin closed his eyes, allowing that mass of incomparably pure power to pour into his body.
The sacrifice proceeded with surprising ease.
Not only did Tang Tianlin receive the Dark Gold Ironclad Ant's lifetime of cultivation, but he also used the power of the Child of Nature to preserve its soul within the Soul Ring.
In a sense, he had brought the spirit soul system into this world tens of thousands of years ahead of time.
Before you continue