Killing the Thunderous Hell Vine

Dugu Bo nodded slightly at his words.

"Fine. A mere Thunderous Hell Vine is nothing in my eyes. I'd like to see just how much potential you have, kid!"

"Let's go!"

With that, Dugu Bo swept an arm around each of them, grabbed Dugu Yan and Ji Wuming, and sped toward the center of the thunderstorm.

The closer they got to the center of the thunderstorm, the more frequently lightning erupted and the scarcer the vegetation became. The sparse giant trees had been blasted into charcoal and collapsed one after another. No soul beasts dared to linger there.

Before long, Dugu Bo stopped beneath a giant tree only four hundred meters from the center of the thunderstorm. After examining the area with his sharp eyesight, he said with both shock and disappointment, "Kid Ji, there really is a Thunderous Hell Vine at the center of the storm, four hundred meters away. However, this soul beast is already nineteen thousand years old. Cultivating under this Lightning Force, it could break through the twenty-thousand-year threshold at any time. Its age is too high. We should choose another soul beast."

It was not that Dugu Bo was afraid. Killing this nearly twenty-thousand-year-old Thunderous Hell Vine would pose no problem for him, and it would not even take much time.

But with his granddaughter here, his actions would inevitably be constrained. What if the Thunderous Hell Vine knew it could not defeat him and chose to attack Yanyan instead?

As for Ji Wuming, he was not worried at all. As he had said before, Ji Wuming was somewhat resistant to lightning itself. Moreover, Dugu Bo had witnessed the bloody mist that erupted during Ji Wuming's Martial Soul Evolution. No matter how tyrannical the Thunderous Hell Vine's attacks were, Ji Wuming would certainly not be in mortal danger.

At that moment, aided by his immense spiritual power, Ji Wuming also spotted the nearly twenty-thousand-year-old Thunderous Hell Vine in the distance with his current eyesight.

Its entire body was dark purple. Numerous thick vines grew upward and coiled around one another, making it resemble a giant tree ten meters tall. Blue lightning arcs that had struck down not long ago still crackled around it, violent and powerful.

"Senior, please help me hunt this Thunderous Hell Vine. I'm confident I can absorb it successfully!"

Seeing the worry on Dugu Bo's face, Ji Wuming patted his chest and continued.

"Senior, with me here to protect my little sister, even if I'm injured, I won't let her suffer the slightest harm!"

Ji Wuming bowed deeply to Dugu Bo. He understood that the true strength of the twenty-thousand-year-old Thunderous Hell Vine before him was nearly comparable to that of a forty- or fifty-thousand-year-old soul beast. It possessed strength at the Soul Saint level.

At only level forty, even if he unleashed every move he had, he still could not deal with this Thunderous Hell Vine with twenty thousand years of cultivation alone. Not to mention that his current Soul Power could not support him using all his moves even once.

His eyes were filled with longing. If the Thunderous Hell Vine truly chose to attack Dugu Yan during the battle, he would not hesitate to reveal every trump card he had to ensure her safety. This was no empty promise.

Dugu Yan looked at Ji Wuming's resolute expression, especially the determination in his eyes, and found herself even more captivated by him.

"Grandfather, I'm already a Soul Elder now and have some ability to protect myself. My Third Soul Ring isn't weak either, so I can keep myself safe. Brother Ji is so determined to obtain this Thunderous Hell Vine. Help him, and let it become Brother Ji's Soul Ring!"

"Fine!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Dugu Bo immediately activated his Martial Soul Avatar and flew toward the Thunderous Hell Vine four hundred meters away. A black Ink Jade Poison Dragon appeared in the dim sky above Thunderbolt Canyon, seeming to merge with the land itself.

The Thunderous Hell Vine, which had been waiting for the next bolt of lightning to descend, suddenly sensed an extremely powerful fluctuation of Soul Power. Its vines swayed as countless purple lightning spheres condensed from its body before bursting outward at high speed.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo, already wielding the Ink Domain Poison Dragon Martial Soul, immediately unleashed his Sixth Soul Skill to test the Thunderous Hell Vine.

"Ink Jade Poison Dragon Break!"

A massive black beam of energy shot from the Ink Jade Poison Dragon's mouth, directly blasting apart the incoming purple lightning spheres. They scattered into countless tiny arcs that fell to the ground, leaving scorched marks on every tree they touched.

Seeing the black energy beam shooting toward it, the Thunderous Hell Vine reacted swiftly. Countless thick purple lightning arcs, each shaped like a young sapling, struck toward the ground.

They formed a sturdy purple lightning net shield before it. When Dugu Bo's Sixth Soul Skill struck it, the attack seemed to have its force dispersed. The black energy wave rapidly spread out, was absorbed, and diminished.

Dugu Bo had no time to continue wasting effort on it.

"Ninth Soul Skill, Ink Domain Divine Light!"

Dugu Bo's eyes merged with the Ink Jade Poison Dragon beneath his feet, and two black-green beams of energy shot forth.

"Bang—"

Cracks began to spread across the purple lightning net shield before it shattered with a crash. Seeing this, the Thunderous Hell Vine quickly coiled two vines together into a shield in front of itself and summoned even more lightning in an attempt to weaken the black energy.

In reality, however, it was still useless. After the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor evolved into the Ink Domain Poison Dragon, the power of all its soul skills had doubled. The current Ink Domain Divine Light was already comparable to a ninety-thousand-year soul skill.

All of the Thunderous Hell Vine's defenses failed. The Ink Jade Divine Light pierced directly through one of its main vines, turning the wound ink-green as poison rapidly spread to the rest of its body.

At that moment, all its vines trembled as if it had fallen into extreme agony.

The Thunderous Hell Vine glared angrily at the human before it, who possessed the strength of a Titled Douluo and was even stronger than itself.

Several of its uninjured main vines rapidly generated a vast dark-purple lightning energy, preparing to forcibly purge the poison that had entered its body.

How could Dugu Bo possibly miss such a perfect opportunity? He swiftly unleashed his Eighth Soul Skill.

"Time Freeze!"

Centered on Dugu Bo, time within a hundred-meter radius completely froze, including the Thunderous Hell Vine. Dugu Bo then rapidly unleashed his Third Soul Skill, Corrosive Black Witch Serpent.

Three small ink-green energy serpents shot toward the Thunderous Hell Vine and corroded its remaining two uninjured main vines.

With the snap of his fingers, the Time Freeze state dissipated, and the ten-meter-long Thunderous Hell Vine crashed to the ground.

Standing atop the Ink Domain Poison Dragon's head, Dugu Bo looked down at the Thunderous Hell Vine, which had stopped struggling, and said disdainfully, "I thought a soul beast like you would have some tricks up your sleeve. I didn't expect you to be so utterly weak!"

Then his voice echoed continuously toward Ji Wuming and the others behind him.

"Kid, Yanyan, you can come over now!"

When the two hurried to the scene, they saw Dugu Bo standing with one foot on one of the Thunderous Hell Vine's thickest vines.

"Senior truly lives up to being a level ninety-five Super Douluo. The entire battle lasted less than a minute, and you already took down the Thunderous Hell Vine."

Dugu Bo was quite pleased by the praise and urged, "Kid Ji, this Thunderous Hell Vine is already severely injured. Get up here quickly. If you miss the chance and the Thunderous Hell Vine dies from its poison, I won't be responsible."