The Azure Bull Python raised its massive head.
Its deep blue eyes pierced through layers of forest canopy, gazing toward the outer reaches of the Star Dou Forest.
"This aura… belongs to Li Zhexian."
It paused.
"Hm?! No… there are others—humans!"
The faint blue light swirling within its pupils slowly froze over, like a lake sealed in ice.
"Such oppressive power…"
"Four Titled Douluo… why such a grand display…"
"So in the end, humans truly cannot be trusted…"
"Da Ming, what are you talking about?"
The Titan Giant Ape's cultivation was slightly inferior; its perception could not match that of the Azure Bull Python.
The bull python's voice rumbled low and heavy:
"Li Zhexian is here."
"And with him—four Titled Douluo."
The Titan Giant Ape froze for a heartbeat.
Then, rage blazed to life in its earth-gold eyes.
"Damnable humans!"
"Ungrateful Li Zhexian!"
"He's brought four Titled Douluo—does he mean to hunt the three of us down?!"
"We trusted him! We let his lover rest beside the Lake of Life!"
Twin jets of white steam burst from its nostrils.
Its mountain-sized fists pounded its chest in fury.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The thunderous booms shook the lake, sending waves surging skyward.
"ROAR——!"
"Humans cannot be trusted!"
Their fury was not without cause.
They had witnessed too many scenes of slaughter—Spirit Beasts hunted by humans for their Spirit Rings.
Even…
Xiao Wu's mother had perished before their helpless eyes, slain by a Titled Douluo.
"Ugh…"
The noise roused Xiao Wu from her sleep.
Rubbing her eyes, she sat up from her lotus leaf bed, mumbling softly:
"Da Ming, Er Ming, what are you two shouting about?"
"You've made the lake shake—don't wake up Zhuqing…"
Boom!
Er Ming slammed both fists into the ground and leapt high into the air, landing heavily by the lakeshore.
"Sister Xiao Wu, that Li Zhexian is back!"
Xiao Wu's pink eyes widened, her face lighting up with delight.
"Really?! That's great!"
"Let's see what new gift he's brought us this time!"
The Azure Bull Python flicked its tail.
The air split with a piercing whistle.
Whoosh!
A dark ring-shaped mark crashed into the lakeside earth, scattering gravel.
"He's brought… four Titled Douluo."
Xiao Wu's bright excitement froze upon her face.
...
Deep beneath the Lake of Life, within the Underground Palace—
The Divine Butterfly and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion stirred restlessly, wings fluttering, claws scraping the crystal floor, eager to break free and reach the surface.
The Divine Butterfly sensed the familiar aura of that white-robed youth.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, meanwhile, felt a resonance—the aura of a kindred auspicious beast.
At the heart of the palace,
a pair of dark-golden dragon eyes suddenly opened, and a low, commanding voice rumbled like distant thunder:
"That youth has returned… and this time, he brings four Titled Douluo."
"Heh…"
"As expected—humans covet nothing but our Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones."
The Divine Butterfly beat its wings in fierce protest, scattering streaks of multicolored light.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion also turned around, baring its teeth at those golden eyes.
She didn't fully understand—
Why Di Tian harbored such hatred toward humans.
But the Divine Butterfly whispered to her every day:
The white-robed boy who gave you life—he is the kindest being in this world.
"You two little ones…"
"You've never seen the world, you cannot fathom the wickedness of human hearts—nor their endless greed for Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones."
"That day, for the Divine Butterfly's sake, I granted that boy a Spirit Ring."
"Now it seems… that was a mistake."
Flutter—flutter—
The Divine Butterfly's wings beat even faster, tracing arcs of light intertwined with frost and flame.
"You doubt me?"
"Have I ever been wrong?"
"Hmph… very well. Let us see for ourselves."
"Divine Butterfly, Three-Eyed Golden Lion—consider this your first lesson."
...
Star Dou Forest.
"Brother, you shouldn't have forced yourself."
Li Zhexian sighed as he looked at the pale-faced Spirit Master beside him.
The man wiped at the sweat pouring from his forehead.
He was merely a forty-sixth rank Spirit Ancestor—traveling through the Star Dou Forest's perilous core alongside four Titled Douluo felt like walking on the edge of death with every step.
But the moment he'd heard that Lord Sword Wine had gone to the Blue Lightning Clan, he'd set off at once.
By the time he arrived, he learned Sword Wine and four Titled Douluo were already heading for the Star Dou Forest.
So he'd chased them here—
Killing two fine steeds on the road.
Fortunately, he'd met them at a tavern en route, where Sword Wine and the four Titled Douluo were drinking together.
Now, clutching a roll of paper in his sleeve, he forced a stiff smile.
"The folks listening to your stories, my lord—they're still waiting for the next chapter."
"If not for his frail health, the storyteller himself would've come!"
Li Zhexian chuckled helplessly.
"This trip might not yield any thrilling stories to tell."
"No matter, no matter," the Spirit Master replied quickly—but the disbelief in his eyes was plain.
How could there be no excitement when Lord Sword Wine was traveling with four Titled Douluo?
At that moment, Yu Yuanzhen spoke up:
"Zhexian, are you acquainted with the two overlords of the Star Dou Forest?"
Li Zhexian thought for a moment.
During his last visit, he had gotten along rather well with the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python.
They'd even shown interest in the odd trinkets he'd brought along.
Friends… perhaps that wasn't too much to say.
"Fairly well," he replied.
Feng Bailong nodded.
"The last time Old Poison and I escorted Zhexian here, we saw that Titan Giant Ape ourselves. Not something even an ordinary Titled Douluo could compare to."
Dugu Bo's jade-green serpent eyes swept through the forest, before which every crawling creature recoiled in fear.
"And the other overlord—what's its name again?"
"The Azure Bull Python," Chen Xin said softly.
He suddenly stopped walking.
A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes, cutting toward the depths of the forest.
Yu Yuanzhen, Dugu Bo, and Feng Bailong halted as well, their Spirit Power surging forth like awakening dragons.
The forest fell utterly silent.
Even the wind seemed to vanish.
Only the rhythmic tremors of the ground grew heavier, closer, louder—
"L–Lord Sword Wine!"
The Spirit Master's face drained of color.
He wanted to hide behind Li Zhexian—
But duty bound him; gritting his teeth, he dashed behind a boulder, laying out his paper and ink, ready to record every word.
RUMBLE——!!!
The sound of something tearing through the air roared like thunder from the heavens—approaching at terrifying speed.
In mere heartbeats, Li Zhexian saw a colossal tree trunk, wreathed in destructive force, ripping through the canopy and hurtling down toward them.
Chen Xin raised two fingers like a sword and sliced through the air.
Zheng——!
A blood-red sword light shrieked skyward!
Crack—!
BOOM!
The massive trunk split in two, each half crashing into the ground with earth-shattering force, flattening countless ancient trees and carving deep ravines into the forest floor.
Dust billowed skyward.
Li Zhexian frowned deeply, just about to speak—
When, from afar, a furious roar rolled toward them like thunder shaking the heavens.
"Li Zhexian!!"
"You've betrayed the trust Sister Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and I gave you!"
"ROAR——!!"
"Your beloved is still at the Lake of Life — believe me or not, I'll smash her with a single fist!"