The Sky Azure Bull Python was stunned as it witnessed the scene unfold.
Its second brother's strength was unmatched in the entire Star Dou Great Forest, yet he had just been defeated in a single blow by a human who couldn't even be bothered to use his martial spirit or soul power.
What kind of monster was this human, really? In the human world, the only tower-type martial spirit it had heard of was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda of the Upper Three Sects. But that kind of tower-type martial spirit was clearly only of the auxiliary category.
How could it possibly grant such terrifying power to a human? Was this some kind of joke?
Zhao Ling glanced down at his body, which was halfway buried in the earth, then propped himself up with both hands and pulled himself out of the ground. He gave the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape brothers a grin.
"Hey, you two little bros—are you calm enough to hear me out now? If not, then come at me together. Let's have a proper fight, and once I've beaten the two of you into exhaustion, we can have a nice chat."
His completely unbothered demeanor only shocked the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape brothers even more.
Especially the Titan Giant Ape—it knew very well the strength behind the punch it had just delivered.
Even if it hadn't gone all out, at least ninety percent of its full strength had been used. It was confident that even a level 95 human Title Douluo wouldn't dare to take that punch so casually.
Yet this human had blocked it with ease and was completely unscathed. Could this human be the real freak here?
Seeing that the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape hadn't rushed at him again shouting threats, Zhao Ling leisurely found a large rock to sit on and addressed the two beasts.
"You two must be very curious how a seemingly ordinary human like me could so effortlessly block that punch just now. You're right—normally, even with three hundred-thousand-year soul rings, it shouldn't be possible to take that hit so lightly."
He crossed one leg over the other, staring at them with a teasing glint in his eyes.
"Let me tell you—my physique is naturally far superior to ordinary people, and my martial spirit is exceptional. It's not inferior to the pride of the Clear Sky Sect, the Clear Sky Hammer. In fact, it's probably even stronger. The key, though, lies in my three hundred-thousand-year soul rings."
"You two know about the three disasters of the Thousand Catties Ant Emperors, right? Those three pests who've long plagued the ant-type soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest? Well, I acted on behalf of the heavens and killed them all. I hope you two don't have a problem with that?"
"The Three Thousand Catties Ant Emperors?" The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape exchanged looks, realization dawning on their faces.
So that explained it—they'd been wondering why those three ant emperors hadn't shown up lately to torment the ant colonies in the forest. Turned out they had all been slaughtered by this human.
No wonder this man had such terrifying strength. The Three Ant Emperors, like the Titan Giant Ape, were power-type soul beasts known for their immense strength.
While individually they weren't quite as strong as the Titan Giant Ape, the power boost from their soul rings combined would certainly surpass it.
But what puzzled the two beasts was—how had this human's seventh soul ring already reached the hundred-thousand-year level?
Did that mean he had already slain a Thousand Strength Ant Emperor when he was only at rank 70? Damn… how terrifying was this guy?
And another thing—the three ant emperors were clearly only about 90,000 years old. So how did their soul rings become hundred-thousand-year ones?
Unable to suppress their curiosity, the Sky Azure Bull Python tentatively voiced its question. Zhao Ling generously explained the reason.
"The soul rings provided by the Three Thousand Catties Ant Emperors shared the same origin. Once they all became my soul rings, they influenced each other and mutated, evolving into hundred-thousand-year level soul rings."
Once again, the two beast brothers looked enlightened.
So the three hundred-thousand-year soul rings this human possessed really did come from the Three Ant Emperors. That made it easier for them to accept.
After all, those three were true disasters—nearly wiping out the ant colonies in the Star Dou Great Forest, constantly hunting queens between fifty to ninety thousand years old.
If those three had kept up their destruction for another few centuries or millennia, the forest's ant population might have gone extinct.
This human eliminating them was basically a service to the forest, ridding it of three plagues.
Of course, the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape weren't about to let their guard down just because of this explanation.
The Sky Azure Bull Python looked down upon Zhao Ling from above, but dared not show even a hint of disdain—after all, this human had defeated its brother without even using his martial spirit or soul power. How could it possibly underestimate him?
"Since you're not here to kill us," the Sky Azure Bull Python asked, "then what exactly are you doing in the Star Dou Great Forest? You can't seriously expect us to believe you came just to be friends with us, right?"
Zhao Ling smiled and shook his head, locking eyes with the Sky Azure Bull Python.
"Of course not. Do I look that idle? I'm actually here looking for two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. More specifically, a mother and daughter—one named Xiao Rou, the other Xiao Wu."
The moment Zhao Ling spoke, the Titan Giant Ape leapt up in fury, his eyes blazing.
"Impossible! If you want us to reveal anything about Aunt Xiao Rou and Sister Xiao Wu, forget it! We'd rather die than tell you!"
Even Da Ming, though less hot-tempered than the Titan Giant Ape, was seething with rage in his eyes.
"You're underestimating us. We'd never betray Aunt Xiao Rou and Sister Xiao Wu just to save our own lives. You can forget about hurting them."
"Uh…" Zhao Ling twitched at the corners of his mouth. He had expected the brothers wouldn't give up Xiao Rou and Xiao Wu's whereabouts easily, which was why he had spent a few days coming up with what he thought was a perfect excuse.
"Hey now, you two—no need to get so agitated. When did I say I meant them harm? How could I possibly want to hurt the wife and daughter of the person who saved my life?"
"What? Saved your life?"
"What do you mean by that? Huh?"
Da Ming and Er Ming were stunned. Though their intelligence rivaled that of humans now, they still couldn't make sense of what Zhao Ling was saying. They simply stared blankly at him.
Zhao Ling let out a deep sigh, and then began spouting nonsense.
"Sigh… this goes back a few years. Back then, I wasn't even a Titled Douluo yet, but relying on my extraordinary talent, I came to the Star Dou Great Forest to train and strengthen myself.
"But I accidentally wandered into a place known as the Forbidden Land of Great Danger. There, I met a transformed hundred-thousand-year Soft-Boned Rabbit. We instantly hit it off and explored the Forbidden Land together, thinking we could avoid danger. But…"
He sighed again, eyes full of melancholy.
"We completely underestimated how dangerous that place was. There were beasts there that were over two hundred thousand, even three hundred thousand years old. We encountered one that was over three hundred thousand years—and we couldn't fight back at all.
"To give one of us a chance to escape, he volunteered to lure the beast away. He made only one request—that if I survived, I take care of his wife and daughter…"