"That's right, that's right! Without Tang San, we would've long been turned into spirit rings by you humans."
At this moment, numerous other hundred-thousand-year-old plant-type spirit beasts sensed Qian Ran's group's formidable strength and began to awaken. They gathered together, preparing for a desperate defense.
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Delicate Apricot had both reached the hundred-thousand-year cultivation level. However, other plant-type ferocious beasts from the Dragon King's era had not yet attained this stage during this period.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully checking in with the Fiery Delicate Apricot! You've obtained the Ultimate Fire attribute. [Note: The host's Angel Spirit and Golden Dragon Spirit will now carry the Ultimate Fire attribute.]
Receiving such extraordinary rewards all at once put Qian Ran in an exceptionally good mood.
To be acknowledged by the system as goddess-level—while not a prominent beauty in the original story—meant her appearance was undoubtedly stunning. The Fiery Delicate Apricot itself was one of the top-tier fire-element plants in existence. Therefore, gaining Ultimate Fire from signing in with her was an exceptional prize.
With this, Qian Ran had now mastered the opposing Ultimate attributes of both Ice and Fire.
"Tang San only set up so many barriers to monopolize this treasure trove for himself," Qian Ran sneered. "He treats you as his private property. Protecting you? He's just keeping his assets safe from others who might take them."
"Of course, whatever Tang San can do, I can do too. How about coming with me?" Qian Ran teased. He was definitely planning to take the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with him.
Even if they didn't want to follow Qian Ran, the plant beasts had no other choice.
"You!" The three spirit plants thought carefully and realized that Qian Ran's words weren't entirely wrong.
After all, their relationship with Tang San was one of mutual benefit.
"Hmph! A mere human—what could you possibly offer us?" The Alluring Fragrance Immortal Orchid let out a soft snort, her voice laced with skepticism. Perhaps sensing that Qian Ran didn't seem malevolent, she lowered her guard slightly.
"Don't you want to see the world beyond this place? I can help you do that."
"Yuyu, don't trust this human! Humans are the most cunning creatures. We're fine here in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If we go out, we'll definitely be hunted by those Title Douluos. They can sense the aura of spirit beasts," the Fiery Delicate Apricot warned in a spirited tone. Unlike the Alluring Fragrance Immortal Orchid's gentle voice, hers carried a bold, confident energy, reminiscent of Ma Xiaotao's.
In truth, these plant spirit beasts did long to see the outside world more than other spirits. However, as spirit beasts, unless they willingly underwent reformation to become human, they could never blend into the human world.
The only known example of this was the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin, and Xiao Wu, who had transformed to avenge her mother.
Any rational hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast would avoid reformation. A reformed beast could only live for two hundred years, whereas a typical hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast, if not hunted, could survive until the twenty-thousand-year tribulation. Choosing between a lifespan of two hundred years and hundreds of thousands—who wouldn't pick the latter?
In ancient times, spirit beasts had vast territories and lived freely. Back then, the continent was essentially dominated by spirit beasts.
Now, their habitats had shrunk to pitifully small areas. A single misstep would lead them into human domains, where they'd be hunted by teams of Title Douluos. Who could withstand that?
"Really? Then take a look at them. Tell me—are they human or spirit beasts?" Qian Ran pointed toward Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor.
At Qian Ran's prompt, Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er suddenly realized something—they couldn't sense any spirit beast aura from Ice Emperor or Snow Emperor!
How could that be?
Didn't Ice Emperor release her spirit earlier? She was clearly a Titled Douluo with nine rings!
What was going on? Had the Ice Emperor reformed? But reforming to become a Titled Douluo should mean losing all traces of a spirit beast's presence—so what was this?
Moreover, Snow Emperor and Ice Emperor clearly hadn't undergone reformation.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er exchanged bewildered glances. Their minds were in chaos. This defied all logic!
Had they discovered a way to hide their spirit beast aura? But how could the spirit rings be explained?
"Aren't they just humans?"
The Fiery Delicate Apricot pursed her lips skeptically.
"Ice Emperor, show them."
At Qian Ran's command, the Ice Emperor activated her spirit power. A terrifying aura surged forth, instantly overwhelming the auras of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, the Fiery Delicate Apricot, and the Alluring Fragrance Immortal Orchid.
A ferocious forty-hundred-thousand-year spirit beast's aura left Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er trembling in fear. Such strength was far beyond their comprehension.
In an instant, the Ice Emperor returned to her original form. Her body shone with two distinct colors: icy white and emerald green.
Her front end was layered in four segments, each about half a foot long, with her head perched atop the foremost layer. Her silver-white mandibles glinted coldly. The front half of her body was covered in brilliant diamond-like protrusions, radiating dazzling light.
These protrusions extended over her front half and her powerful legs, making her appear as if she were the very source of light itself, refracting a myriad of colors.
"You're a spirit beast too?" The three Immortal Herbs were utterly stunned. A forty-hundred-thousand-year beast completely outclassed them.
The Ice Emperor remained silent. Green light flashed, and she returned to her human form. Beneath her were nine massive spirit rings, marking her as a Titled Douluo!
"How is this possible? How can you switch between being a spirit beast and a spirit master?" The three Immortal Herbs were utterly baffled. They couldn't make sense of the sight before them. But one thing was clear: the woman before them was a spirit beast, and not just any spirit beast, but the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion from the Extreme North. Her fearsome reputation among the top ten beasts was well known, even to them.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er were equally dumbfounded.
Now it all made sense. Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor could move freely in the human world because Ice Emperor could release her spirit and present herself as a normal Titled Douluo.
As for why Ice Emperor could still revert to her original form, that had to be connected to Qian Ran.
Perhaps it was this secret that made these spirit beasts so loyal to Qian Ran.
Had Qian Ran invented a new method for spirit beasts to take human form? If so, it could revolutionize their fate. Humans would find it much harder to hunt hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beasts. After all, if their auras were undetectable, who could tell them apart from humans?
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er's thoughts raced. This new transformation method could dramatically alter the tragic fate of spirit beasts being slaughtered.
(Chapter Ends)