Douluo: Qian Xunji's Joyful Life

Chapter 17: No Ambushing

A hundred-thousand-year soul beast was something that even Titled Douluo might never see in a lifetime. Yet around this small lake, there were actually four of them. If word of this reached the soul beast realm, countless powerful clans would undoubtedly go mad.

For soul masters, the number one treasure was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Killing one not only granted the precious 100,000-year soul ring but also guaranteed a 100,000-year soul bone. Besides the massive boost in power, the soul master would gain two extra 100,000-year soul skills – whose consumption was minimal and effects, extremely formidable.

A Rou was softly running a comb through Xiao Wu's fur with gentle, careful strokes. Off to the side, the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python watched enviously. If only A Rou would groom their fur, or maybe let Xiao Wu help – that would be even better.

"Mom," Xiao Wu asked, "what's the outside world like?"

Looking at the sandalwood comb in her hand, A Rou's eyes filled with reminiscence, and a tender smile appeared at her lips. "Xiao Wu, the world beyond is also wonderful. You'll see many things you can't find in the forest, meet various kinds of humans, and perhaps even experience true love."

Upon hearing the word "love," Xiao Wu showed a look of yearning. She bit off a section of Blue Silver Grass beside her and began to chew. She was a Soft-Boned Rabbit of the lowest rank among soul beasts, prey in the food chain for countless carnivorous soul beasts. In order not to be wiped out by them, her race had to constantly consume Blue Silver Grass for nutrition and reproduce as much as possible. Simply surviving and not being devoured by more powerful soul beasts was already a struggle; falling in love was practically out of the question.

The Sky Azure Bull Python spoke: "Aunt Rou, your cultivation has already reached the transformation stage. You no longer need to live among humans to keep advancing. You can remain in the Star Dou Great Forest. With our protection, you can train safely up to Titled Douluo level. For your seventh, eighth, and ninth rings, Er Ming and I can help you hunt."

A Rou nodded, a flash of sadness in her eyes. She had once fallen in love with a human man who was later killed in a battle among soul masters, leaving her with only this comb and the saying that a girl's hair should only be brushed by her beloved. She would never love anyone else again; since that was the case, she might as well stay in the Star Dou Great Forest, where her family and daughter lived. This was her home.

Suddenly, there was a deep rumbling. The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python both became visibly tense. In the distance, birds and beasts scattered, tall vegetation shuddered, and soul beasts on the forest floor scrambled in panic, as though sensing something terrifying.

"Da Ming, Er Ming, what's the matter?"

A Rou quickly noticed the unease in the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python. Xiao Wu, still absorbed in being groomed, raised her head belatedly.

"Aunt Rou, please hide yourself right away. A human Titled Douluo-level expert is here!" said the Sky Azure Bull Python. Being a steady one, it knew that while A Rou had already reached maturity and appeared no different from a human, if a Titled Douluo found her mingling with them, they would easily guess she was a transformed soul beast—and kill her for a ring and soul bone.

"Mom, hurry up! I'll protect you."

Xiao Wu, too, had reached a hundred thousand years of cultivation. Even with the weaker lineage of a Soft-Boned Rabbit, she still possessed Titled Douluo-level strength. After all, her path to a hundred thousand years had been paved with countless hardships and escapes from predators like the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

"I understand."

A Rou hurried into a small cabin, climbing beneath it. Below lay a deep underground tunnel descending dozens of meters, opening to a vast subterranean space. It was the nest where she used to sleep as a plump rabbit before she could take human form.

The Titled Douluo-level figures arriving were Qian Xunji, Lion Douluo, and Guangling Douluo. They hovered several hundred meters in the air, scanning the Star Dou Great Forest from above. Unlike the team led by Chrysanthemum Douluo decades later, randomly scouring the forest floor, the imposing strength of Lion and Guangling Douluo meant no soul beast dared make trouble.

Approaching the forest's core from the sky, they quickly spotted the Lake of Life. On its shore, the Titan Giant Ape had risen to its full height. Its granite-like muscles radiated an earthy-yellow glow. A surge of formidable soul power churned within it, ready to strike if these humans made any hostile move. A pair of Titled Douluo plus a Pope-level fighter with Titled Douluo strength… If they intended to hunt him for a ring, he wouldn't yield easily.

As for the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Soft-Boned Rabbit, they had already slipped into the lake and forest, poised to launch an ambush.

Lion Douluo felt his battle spirit surge. Locking eyes with the Titan Giant Ape, he said, "Your Holiness, that's a hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape. It's perfect for your ninth ring!"

Qian Xunji replied gravely, "Fourth Consecration, be cautious. The Titan Giant Ape has an elder brother, the Sky Azure Bull Python. Since it isn't showing itself, it's likely waiting for a sneak attack. Let's strike together."

Lion Douluo and Guangling Douluo both nodded. With a mighty roar, Lion Douluo's nine rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—lit up around him, and his body morphed into a giant flaming lion roughly matching the Titan Giant Ape's size. Meanwhile, Guangling Douluo's nine rings—again two yellow, two purple, five black—also emerged. He gripped a finely crafted bow, roughly as tall as he was, wreathed in icy particles.

"Fifth Consecration, freeze the water within forty meters of the Titan Giant Ape's shore. That way, if the Sky Azure Bull Python attempts a surprise attack, we can detect it at once."

Guangling Douluo's fourth ring glowed. An icy-blue soul power gathered in his drawn arms, manifesting as a massive ice-blue arrow that soared toward the lake. At the same time, Lion Douluo charged the Titan Giant Ape, throwing a heavy punch. The Titan Giant Ape pounded its chest, unleashing "boom, boom!" noises, channeling that earthy-yellow radiance into its fist as it collided with the flaming lion's blow. Red and yellow soul power clashed in a violent explosion.

Hitting the water, the ice-blue arrow also detonated, freezing a sizeable portion of the lake's surface.

"Titan Gravity Domain!"

The Titan Giant Ape roared, unleashing a fearsome field of crushing gravity. Immediately, Lion Douluo felt as though he was carrying ten times his own weight, rendered nearly immobile. For an assault-type beast-martial-soul Titled Douluo whose body weight soared under martial soul possession, a tenfold increase felt like being pinned under a mountain.

Just as Lion Douluo was about to be overwhelmed, a golden radiance enveloped him. It dispelled the crushing force, leaving him feeling lighter than before. This was, of course, Qian Xunji's Angelic Domain, countering the Titan Ape's gravitational field. Not only did it free Lion Douluo from the burden; it boosted his combat strength by thirty percent.

Qian Xunji called, "Fifth Consecration, attack!"

"What do you mean, 'attack?'" Guangling Douluo asked.

With a furrowed brow, Qian Xunji replied, "While Fourth Consecration occupies the Titan Giant Ape, circle behind it and use your strongest piercing skill to strike its heart for a crippling blow!"

The carefree grin on Guangling Douluo's face vanished, and he turned solemn. "No, we can't ambush. The Great Consecration has said it would taint the Angel God's reputation. Your Holiness, you inherit the Six-Winged Angel—how could you say such a thing?"

Qian Xunji inwardly sighed. "These old fellows have really been brainwashed by that old codger Qian Daoliu…"

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