Douluo: Martial Soul Iron-Eating Beast, Never a Slave

Dugu Bo smiled. "I have roamed the continent for decades. How could I be someone who fears death? Even if I fail, it will only mean death. If I do not even dare to try, I fear I will regret it for the rest of my life, and this matter will become a lingering mental barrier."

"Grandpa..." Seeing Dugu Bo's choice, Dugu Yan was naturally filled with worry.

The grandfather and granddaughter had relied on each other for many years, so their bond naturally ran deep.

Only when he looked at Dugu Yan did a trace of worry and hesitation appear on Dugu Bo's face. Yet in the end, he did not change his decision because of it. Instead, he turned to Zhao Mu and said,

"Brat, even if this evolution fails and costs me my life, I am not afraid. The only one I cannot rest easy about is Yan Yan."

Zhao Mu raised an eyebrow at that.

This situation felt rather familiar. Was this going to turn into some orphan-trusting drama?

Dugu Bo continued,

"But an eagle will one day soar through the skies. It cannot become great if it is forever sheltered beneath its wings. Fortunately, Yan Yan has grown up too. It is time for her to venture out on her own."

"Yan Yan, if something happens to Grandpa this time, you must take good care of yourself. Fix that terrible temper of yours, or you will suffer greatly in the future..."

After giving Dugu Yan a string of instructions, Dugu Bo turned to Zhao Mu again. "Alright, brat. Begin!"

This time, Zhao Mu was stunned.

That was it?

Wasn't he supposed to entrust his granddaughter to him?

Wasn't he supposed to hand Dugu Yan over for him to take care of?

He had even thought through what he would say, yet Dugu Bo was not going to do that after all.

But thinking about it, that made sense. Zhao Mu was only seven, while Dugu Yan was already sixteen or seventeen. Handing Dugu Yan over to him to take care of sounded absurd no matter how he looked at it.

Casting aside those messy thoughts, Zhao Mu took out a bottle of Heibai's blood from its Fourth Form and handed it to Dugu Bo.

"How do I use this?" Dugu Bo asked as he accepted the bottle of blood Zhao Mu handed over.

How to use it?

From a fantasy perspective, perhaps it could be fused through the blood, something like a bloodline fusion.

But from a medical perspective, injecting panda blood into a human body was far too ridiculous.

Considering Douluo Continent was, at most, a bottom-tier fantasy world, and Tang San seemed to have used an oral method when treating Dugu Bo in the original work...

After weighing everything, Zhao Mu said to Dugu Bo, "Drink it."

Dugu Bo gave Dugu Yan one last look. After smiling faintly, he sat cross-legged on the ground, free of all lingering concerns.

He adjusted his breathing and state of mind until they were steady.

Only after everything had reached its optimal state did he drain the bottle of Heibai's blood in one gulp.

After the blood entered his body, Dugu Bo showed no immediate reaction. He merely continued mobilizing his Soul Power, preparing for what was to come.

"Grandpa will be okay, right?" At some point, Dugu Yan had walked to Zhao Mu's side and asked.

There were only three people and one bear here. The person closest and dearest to her was facing such a grave crisis, and Dugu Yan desperately needed some emotional support.

Even just talking would do. Though Zhao Mu was young, he was still a person. Could she possibly chat with that little bear instead?

After witnessing Heibai's Fourth Form, Dugu Yan was still somewhat afraid.

"It is hard to say. Martial Soul Evolution has too many uncertainties. Even the slightest mistake could lead to a flawed evolution. At worst, it could cost him his life; at best, he could become a cripple." Zhao Mu spoke honestly.

For example, a certain useless member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had undergone an erroneous evolution, abandoned martial pursuits for scholarship, and then earned the laughable title of Grandmaster.

Yet after hearing Zhao Mu's words, Dugu Yan frowned. "You little brat, you really do not know how to comfort girls! No wonder you will never find a girlfriend in the future!"

Zhao Mu: "..."

You even know I will not be able to find a girlfriend in the future?

Just as the two chatted, Dugu Bo, who had been sitting cross-legged and regulating his breathing, finally showed some movement.

He let out a muffled groan, and immediately afterward, a massive snake covered from head to tail in azure scales appeared behind him.

Ordinary people instinctively feared snakes.

Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor was seven or eight meters long. Its body was thick and covered in azure scales, its head shaped like a triangular cone. It flicked out a frightening forked tongue, while its equally jade-green pupils gleamed with restless anxiety.

Its serpentine body coiled at times and twisted at others, unable to stop its agitation.

At the same time, the sky above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had somehow turned densely overcast. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and fierce winds suddenly rose.

This celestial phenomenon shook the soul.

When wind and clouds gathered, it transformed into a dragon!

Everything pointed to Dugu Bo's Martial Soul Evolution officially beginning.

Rolling thunder continued gathering within the heavy storm clouds.

After several minutes, when the thunder within the clouds had accumulated to its limit, thick bolts of lightning suddenly poured down.

Bolt after bolt descended with the might of heaven and earth, striking Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor without pause.

Under the repeated lightning strikes, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor struggled continuously, releasing miserable hisses.

Every heavenly bolt had completely locked onto the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. No matter how it twisted its body, it could not escape the rolling thunder.

As the lightning blasted the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor again and again, its originally jade-green body gradually began turning gray, then white, slowly losing all signs of life.

Boom!

Another bolt of lightning fell, smashing heavily into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's body.

After enduring that strike, not a trace of jade green remained on the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's body. It had become completely lifeless gray-white and collapsed to the ground.

The heavy blow to his Martial Soul also severely wounded Dugu Bo. He instantly spat out a large mouthful of blood.

As Dugu Bo vomited blood, his aura immediately withered.

"Grandpa!"

Seeing Dugu Bo's miserable state, Dugu Yan cried out anxiously.

Zhao Mu, who had observed the entire process as well, was inwardly amazed. The sight had been quite spectacular, somewhat like undergoing a tribulation. Judging from the current situation, had Dugu Bo failed? Had the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor failed to evolve?

As he looked at Dugu Bo and the image of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind him, Zhao Mu suddenly spotted something. At the same time, he reached out and grabbed Dugu Yan, who wanted to rush forward.

"Wait first. Something seems to be happening!"

Prompted by Zhao Mu, Dugu Yan carefully fixed her gaze on Dugu Bo.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind Dugu Bo, which had turned gray-white, began moving again. As it writhed, a tear split open in its scales. The gray-white old snakeskin gradually shed away, and a newborn creature, jade-colored like emerald, soared into the sky.

There were two bulges on its head, but no horns had grown.

A pair of claws had emerged beneath its abdomen, each with four toes.

It rose into the air and howled toward the heavens.

A jiao was of the dragon kind; one without horns was called a jiao.

Though the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind Dugu Bo had changed drastically in appearance, it still retained some serpent-like features.

It seemed to remain somewhat short of a True Dragon, most noticeably in its head.

True Dragons had horns, while the newborn creature behind Dugu Bo merely had two bulges on its head. Whether horns would grow later remained uncertain.

Next were its claws. Growing claws beneath its abdomen meant it had already escaped the category of snakes.

Dragons had four claws and five toes, while Dugu Bo's only had a pair of claws, each with four toes.

It was neither dragon nor snake, but something between the two. Perhaps jiaolong was a more fitting description.

At this moment, Dugu Bo, who had been sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.

The jade-colored vertical pupils in his eyes flashed briefly. There was less of his former coldness and more arrogance and strangeness.

"Congratulations, Senior!"

"You have successfully transformed into a dragon and taken another step forward!"

Seeing Dugu Bo awaken, Zhao Mu immediately congratulated him with a smile.

Zhao Mu was now, after all, a level-fifty Quasi-Soul King. He could sense that Dugu Bo's aura was far stronger than before, showing that Dugu Bo had gained greatly from this.

Dugu Bo merely shook his head with a bitter smile.

"It cannot be called transforming into a dragon. At most, it is transforming into a jiaolong."

He clenched his fist, sensing the surging energy within his body. He felt both disappointment and joy.

He was disappointed because his Martial Soul had not completely evolved into a True Dragon this time.

True Dragons were among the most powerful Soul Beasts. If it could have evolved into a True Dragon, the benefits would naturally have been beyond words.

Everyone wanted to pursue perfection. When there was even the slightest flaw, people often felt uncomfortable and bothered by it, especially those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

So when Dugu Bo realized that his Martial Soul had not completely evolved into a True Dragon, he naturally felt somewhat disappointed.

But he was also delighted that although his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul had not evolved into a True Dragon, it had still undergone a certain degree of change and transformed into a jiaolong.