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Douluo Dalu_ Legend of the Ancestral Dragon_chapter_0045
Chapter 45
Chapter 45: The Probe
The Beast God and the others all exuded a powerful aura, their gazes fixed on Aotian.
Seeing that Aotian was unaffected by their aura, their assessment of him rose once again.
Aotian dismounted his horse and, with a shake of his body, transformed into the appearance of a young man.
The beings before him were no friends of his, and he was not in the habit of looking up to others.
Aotian's build wasn't particularly burly; standing over 1.8 meters tall, his muscles were not prominent, giving him a slender figure.
Dressed in white robes, complemented by a perfect face, his appearance was exceptionally eye-catching.
He revealed a smile and said, "I hope you don't mind my uninvited visit?"
*As if we wouldn't mind,* the Beast God and the others grumbled internally. However, wary of Aotian's strength, they would not act rashly until they had a clear understanding of his background.
The Beast God laughed. "How could we mind an esteemed guest's arrival? Please, come inside and have a seat."
He made a welcoming gesture toward a large wooden house situated behind them, near the forest.
Er Ming set Xiao Wu and her mother down, saying, "Senior Ao, my big brother and I will wait here."
With their massive bodies, they couldn't possibly fit inside the wooden house.
At that moment, an unexpected impulse to undergo humanoid transformation stirred within their hearts.
Xiao Wu's Mother pulled Xiao Wu to Aotian's side. Aotian had told them that these beings were all terrifyingly powerful soul beasts, so she had to be on guard and stick close to him.
The Beast God's gaze fell upon Da Ming and Er Ming, lingering for a moment. After confirming that these two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts lacked the ability to cause trouble out here, he led Aotian toward the wooden house.
"Big brother, these guys are terrifying. Do you really think they're soul beasts?" Er Ming quietly sent to Da Ming via sound transmission.
Da Ming replied, "Senior Ao probably wouldn't lie to us. Besides, the aura they're emitting is very similar to our own."
"Then why do they have human forms?" Er Ming asked, puzzled.
In their understanding, the only way to obtain a human form was to choose humanoid transformation and cultivate in the manner of a human.
Yet, Aotian had once said that these were soul beasts with several hundred thousand years of cultivation, not ones that had undergone humanoid transformation.
Da Ming pondered for a moment before replying, "Senior Ao also said he himself isn't a human, but doesn't he also possess a human form? My guess is that once a soul beast's strength reaches a certain level, they can freely change their form."
Er Ming nodded, accepting Da Ming's speculation.
He suddenly turned his head toward the lake that emanated a dense life aura, his eyes lighting up. "Big brother, look! This lake is much more beautiful than yours, and it's radiating such a rich life aura."
Da Ming was tempted. He desperately wanted to dive in for a swim, but remembering this was someone else's territory, he restrained himself.
"We should just stay here quietly. Let's not go anywhere," he instructed.
...
The group led by the Beast God brought Aotian and the other two into the wooden house, where they sat down at a long wooden table.
Judging by the furnishings, this was likely a meeting place.
There were only seven chairs at the table. They probably never expected anyone could arrive here uninvited, so there were no spares.
Aotian pulled Xiao Wu down to sit, also gesturing for her mother to take a seat.
This left three of the Beast God's companions to stand by his side.
The Beast God said, "We don't care for human customs, so we have no tea to offer you. Please forgive us."
Aotian replied, "That's fine. I didn't come here to drink tea."
The Beast God smiled faintly. "My name is Di Tian. They all call me the Beast God. May I ask for your name, sir?"
Aotian said, "My name is Aotian."
Di Tian said, "Our names both have the character 'Tian' in them. I suppose we're connected by fate. Where does Mr. Ao come from? Why have I never heard of you?"
"I was in a deep slumber and only awakened a short time ago," Aotian answered.
"Mr. Ao isn't a human?" Di Tian asked in surprise.
He hadn't sensed the aura of his own kind from Aotian and had assumed him to be a human.
Aotian shook his head. "I am not."
Hearing Aotian's reply, Di Tian and the others felt a wave of relief.
Their biggest fear was that Aotian was a human expert.
Soul beasts and humans were mortal enemies. If Aotian were a human expert, he would most likely have come with ill intentions.
But now, that worry was gone.
Di Tian smiled. "So, Mr. Ao is a soul beast, just like us."
Aotian shook his head. "You're mistaken. I am not a human, nor am I a soul beast."
He pointed at Xiao Wu and her mother. "These two are soul beasts."
Di Tian and the others paused, their expressions slightly stunned as their gazes fell upon the mother and daughter.
"Mr. Ao must be joking. Besides humans and soul beasts, are there other races of experts in this world? Besides, these two girls don't have any soul beast aura. How can you say they are soul beasts?" Di Tian asked.
Surrounded by such powerhouses, Xiao Wu and her mother hadn't dared to speak, sitting there quietly, a little nervous.
They had been excited before coming, eager to meet the experts of the Soul Beast Clan.
But now, that anticipation had vanished.
In response to Di Tian's question, Aotian said nothing. He simply raised a hand and waved it gently. The seal on Xiao Wu and her mother was lifted, and their soul beast aura could no longer be concealed.
A look of astonishment appeared in the eyes of Di Tian and the others. They all wondered how Aotian had managed to hide the soul beast aura of the mother and daughter so completely.
Even they themselves were incapable of perfectly concealing a soul beast's aura.
Aotian continued, "As for my identity, when I was invincible, none of you were even born yet."
Standing behind Di Tian, the powerfully built Xiong Jun let out a sneer. "Such big words. Then dare I ask, Senior Ao, how old are you this year?"
Di Tian frowned. He wanted to reprimand Xiong Jun but decided to hold back for the moment.
This one was the most defiant of his subordinates, with a foul and stubborn temper. It wasn't a good time for a dispute.
Aotian looked at the burly Xiong Jun. "A little bear, quite arrogant, aren't you? I was already invincible in this world five hundred million years ago. Was I wrong to say none of you were born yet?"
"Five hundred million years? Heh, not even a god in the heavens would dare claim to have lived for five hundred million years. You sure can boast."
Xiong Jun had locked horns with Aotian, latching onto his age and refusing to let go.
Whether it was because Di Tian had scolded him earlier or for some other reason, he had found Aotian displeasing from the very start.
Aotian shook his head and let out a disdainful laugh. He wouldn't lower himself to argue with a little bear.
"What are you laughing at?" Xiong Jun roared, enraged.
"Xiong Jun!" Di Tian was now angry as well.
The atmosphere of the conversation had been quite good. It didn't matter if this Mr. Ao liked to brag; it didn't spoil their pleasant chat.
As long as they kept talking, he could learn more about this Mr. Ao and his purpose for coming here.
But now, with just a few words, Xiong Jun had ignited the smell of gunpowder.
If this Mr. Ao was truly that strong, the consequences of a battle here would be more than they could bear.
It might expose this location to their enemies and would also affect the Lord's recovery.
Therefore, when facing Aotian, Di Tian had maintained the utmost caution.
(end of chapter)
The Beast God and the others all exuded a powerful aura, their gazes fixed on Aotian.
Seeing that Aotian was unaffected by their aura, their assessment of him rose once again.
Aotian dismounted his horse and, with a shake of his body, transformed into the appearance of a young man.
The beings before him were no friends of his, and he was not in the habit of looking up to others.
Aotian's build wasn't particularly burly; standing over 1.8 meters tall, his muscles were not prominent, giving him a slender figure.
Dressed in white robes, complemented by a perfect face, his appearance was exceptionally eye-catching.
He revealed a smile and said, "I hope you don't mind my uninvited visit?"
*As if we wouldn't mind,* the Beast God and the others grumbled internally. However, wary of Aotian's strength, they would not act rashly until they had a clear understanding of his background.
The Beast God laughed. "How could we mind an esteemed guest's arrival? Please, come inside and have a seat."
He made a welcoming gesture toward a large wooden house situated behind them, near the forest.
Er Ming set Xiao Wu and her mother down, saying, "Senior Ao, my big brother and I will wait here."
With their massive bodies, they couldn't possibly fit inside the wooden house.
At that moment, an unexpected impulse to undergo humanoid transformation stirred within their hearts.
Xiao Wu's Mother pulled Xiao Wu to Aotian's side. Aotian had told them that these beings were all terrifyingly powerful soul beasts, so she had to be on guard and stick close to him.
The Beast God's gaze fell upon Da Ming and Er Ming, lingering for a moment. After confirming that these two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts lacked the ability to cause trouble out here, he led Aotian toward the wooden house.
"Big brother, these guys are terrifying. Do you really think they're soul beasts?" Er Ming quietly sent to Da Ming via sound transmission.
Da Ming replied, "Senior Ao probably wouldn't lie to us. Besides, the aura they're emitting is very similar to our own."
"Then why do they have human forms?" Er Ming asked, puzzled.
In their understanding, the only way to obtain a human form was to choose humanoid transformation and cultivate in the manner of a human.
Yet, Aotian had once said that these were soul beasts with several hundred thousand years of cultivation, not ones that had undergone humanoid transformation.
Da Ming pondered for a moment before replying, "Senior Ao also said he himself isn't a human, but doesn't he also possess a human form? My guess is that once a soul beast's strength reaches a certain level, they can freely change their form."
Er Ming nodded, accepting Da Ming's speculation.
He suddenly turned his head toward the lake that emanated a dense life aura, his eyes lighting up. "Big brother, look! This lake is much more beautiful than yours, and it's radiating such a rich life aura."
Da Ming was tempted. He desperately wanted to dive in for a swim, but remembering this was someone else's territory, he restrained himself.
"We should just stay here quietly. Let's not go anywhere," he instructed.
...
The group led by the Beast God brought Aotian and the other two into the wooden house, where they sat down at a long wooden table.
Judging by the furnishings, this was likely a meeting place.
There were only seven chairs at the table. They probably never expected anyone could arrive here uninvited, so there were no spares.
Aotian pulled Xiao Wu down to sit, also gesturing for her mother to take a seat.
This left three of the Beast God's companions to stand by his side.
The Beast God said, "We don't care for human customs, so we have no tea to offer you. Please forgive us."
Aotian replied, "That's fine. I didn't come here to drink tea."
The Beast God smiled faintly. "My name is Di Tian. They all call me the Beast God. May I ask for your name, sir?"
Aotian said, "My name is Aotian."
Di Tian said, "Our names both have the character 'Tian' in them. I suppose we're connected by fate. Where does Mr. Ao come from? Why have I never heard of you?"
"I was in a deep slumber and only awakened a short time ago," Aotian answered.
"Mr. Ao isn't a human?" Di Tian asked in surprise.
He hadn't sensed the aura of his own kind from Aotian and had assumed him to be a human.
Aotian shook his head. "I am not."
Hearing Aotian's reply, Di Tian and the others felt a wave of relief.
Their biggest fear was that Aotian was a human expert.
Soul beasts and humans were mortal enemies. If Aotian were a human expert, he would most likely have come with ill intentions.
But now, that worry was gone.
Di Tian smiled. "So, Mr. Ao is a soul beast, just like us."
Aotian shook his head. "You're mistaken. I am not a human, nor am I a soul beast."
He pointed at Xiao Wu and her mother. "These two are soul beasts."
Di Tian and the others paused, their expressions slightly stunned as their gazes fell upon the mother and daughter.
"Mr. Ao must be joking. Besides humans and soul beasts, are there other races of experts in this world? Besides, these two girls don't have any soul beast aura. How can you say they are soul beasts?" Di Tian asked.
Surrounded by such powerhouses, Xiao Wu and her mother hadn't dared to speak, sitting there quietly, a little nervous.
They had been excited before coming, eager to meet the experts of the Soul Beast Clan.
But now, that anticipation had vanished.
In response to Di Tian's question, Aotian said nothing. He simply raised a hand and waved it gently. The seal on Xiao Wu and her mother was lifted, and their soul beast aura could no longer be concealed.
A look of astonishment appeared in the eyes of Di Tian and the others. They all wondered how Aotian had managed to hide the soul beast aura of the mother and daughter so completely.
Even they themselves were incapable of perfectly concealing a soul beast's aura.
Aotian continued, "As for my identity, when I was invincible, none of you were even born yet."
Standing behind Di Tian, the powerfully built Xiong Jun let out a sneer. "Such big words. Then dare I ask, Senior Ao, how old are you this year?"
Di Tian frowned. He wanted to reprimand Xiong Jun but decided to hold back for the moment.
This one was the most defiant of his subordinates, with a foul and stubborn temper. It wasn't a good time for a dispute.
Aotian looked at the burly Xiong Jun. "A little bear, quite arrogant, aren't you? I was already invincible in this world five hundred million years ago. Was I wrong to say none of you were born yet?"
"Five hundred million years? Heh, not even a god in the heavens would dare claim to have lived for five hundred million years. You sure can boast."
Xiong Jun had locked horns with Aotian, latching onto his age and refusing to let go.
Whether it was because Di Tian had scolded him earlier or for some other reason, he had found Aotian displeasing from the very start.
Aotian shook his head and let out a disdainful laugh. He wouldn't lower himself to argue with a little bear.
"What are you laughing at?" Xiong Jun roared, enraged.
"Xiong Jun!" Di Tian was now angry as well.
The atmosphere of the conversation had been quite good. It didn't matter if this Mr. Ao liked to brag; it didn't spoil their pleasant chat.
As long as they kept talking, he could learn more about this Mr. Ao and his purpose for coming here.
But now, with just a few words, Xiong Jun had ignited the smell of gunpowder.
If this Mr. Ao was truly that strong, the consequences of a battle here would be more than they could bear.
It might expose this location to their enemies and would also affect the Lord's recovery.
Therefore, when facing Aotian, Di Tian had maintained the utmost caution.
(end of chapter)
