Hunting Soul Beasts, Dugu Bo

Qian Renxue frowned. At last, she rolled up the parchment and said angrily, "You want me to go find him? Why should I? He hasn't even come looking for me!"

She quickly returned to her office chair, clenched her delicate fist, and slammed it against the armrest.

"Young Master, what did it say?"

"The one causing trouble at Heaven Dou Academy was that brat Jin Yan. Grandfather actually told me to go find him!" At this point, Qian Renxue snorted. "He hasn't come to find me either. Grandfather really is something else—why is he meddling in matters between the two of us!"

"Young Master, should I go protect that brat? We can't let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or Xue Xing make any moves. Zhang Yan alone doesn't seem entirely reliable to me. After all, that old man Dugu Bo is very close to Xue Xing, and he has long been dissatisfied with Spirit Hall. We have to take some precautions."

"What's unreliable about it? Zhang Yan is someone capable of contending against a Titled Douluo... Forget it. Uncle Snake, you should go protect him after all..." Qian Renxue said.

Snake Lance smiled inwardly. The Young Master still could not put her mind at ease.

The next day, Jin Yan, Ye Lingling, and Zhang Yan appeared in Sunset Forest.

Their goal this time was to find Jin Yan's fourth Soul Ring and Ye Lingling's third Soul Ring.

Just last night, whether due to pressure or something else, Ye Lingling had unexpectedly broken through to rank thirty in one go.

"Uncle Zhang, my requirements for a Soul Ring are rather demanding. Sunset Forest might not have what I need."

"It's fine. We'll look here first. If we really can't find it, we'll head to Star Dou Great Forest." Zhang Yan walked ahead, clearing the path without even turning his head.

Following behind, Ye Lingling felt somewhat curious. Sunset Forest was already the largest gathering place for soul beasts in the Heaven Dou Empire aside from Star Dou Great Forest. If even this place lacked the soul beast Jin Yan needed, just how high were his requirements for a Soul Ring?

Though curious, Ye Lingling did not ask. Her gaze merely drifted toward Jin Yan from time to time.

Ye Lingling did not have high requirements for the quality of her soul beast. The Nine Heart Begonia martial soul had a particular trait: no matter what soul beast's Soul Ring it absorbed, it would produce only one soul skill—healing.

Ye Lingsu had already selected Ye Lingling's target for her. It was a thousand-year Purification Demon Lotus growing in a deep pool in the depths of Sunset Forest.

Since they already had a target, Jin Yan decided to help Ye Lingling obtain her Soul Ring first.

The environment of Sunset Forest was vastly different from that of Star Dou Great Forest.

Star Dou Great Forest lay in the center of the continent and had a tropical climate. The air was damp and cloying, while the vegetation was denser.

Sunset Forest, on the other hand, lay at the center of Heaven Dou City, which encircled it in a ring. Its area was undoubtedly much smaller than Star Dou Great Forest's, and its temperature was lower, though the air was drier and fresher.

With a clear destination, Jin Yan's group did not stop at all and headed straight toward the location Ye Lingsu had provided.

At the same time, Jin Yan's eyes occasionally swept over the surroundings. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located in Sunset Forest, and he felt it was necessary to pay it a visit.

Setting aside his promise to give Chrysanthemum Douluo a Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, the mere fact that the fallen Ice and Fire Dragon Kings lay within that spring gave Jin Yan reason enough to go!

The three sped through Sunset Forest. The density of soul beasts here was nowhere near that of Star Dou Great Forest. After traveling for so long, they had not encountered a single ten-thousand-year soul beast.

As misty moisture rose ahead and the gentle sound of running water carried over, delight appeared on Ye Lingling's face.

"We're here!"

Yet Zhang Yan, at the front, abruptly stopped with a grim expression. His body slowly lowered into a defensive stance.

But he was still a step too late. The instant they arrived, the person by the pool had already noticed them.

Although Zhang Yan's strength was no weaker than that of some lesser Titled Douluos, the difference in spiritual power between a Spirit Douluo and a Titled Douluo was immense. By the time Zhang Yan noticed the other party, the other party had long sensed their presence.

"Who is it? Come out here, or don't blame this old man for taking action!" A chilling voice came from beside the pool, and a fishy stench rode the wind into Jin Yan and the others' nostrils.

Upon smelling that stench, the panic on Ye Lingling's face faded considerably. Noticing this, Jin Yan's heart stirred.

A powerful person reeking so strongly that even the fishy smell by the water could not conceal it, and who was acquainted with Ye Lingling—other than Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, Jin Yan could not think of a second person.

"Uncle Zhang, it's fine. Let's go out first."

Jin Yan said.

He was not worried about being wrong. Two peak rank eighty-nine Spirit Douluos stood beside him. Even if he had guessed incorrectly, they were qualified to take him away safely.

The group walked out through the gaps between the branches and saw a middle-aged man standing at about one meter seventy-eight. He had green hair, green eyes, a green robe, and a lean build, standing straight as a spear. At this moment, his eyes were fixed firmly on Zhang Yan.

"Grandfather Dugu!"

Ye Lingling cried out in delight.

Dugu Bo shifted his gaze from Zhang Yan, glanced over Jin Yan, and finally settled on Ye Lingling. The wariness in his eyes eased slightly, but the corner of his eye remained trained on Zhang Yan. From this Spirit Douluo, he sensed an intense threat—his first time feeling such a thing from a Spirit Douluo since becoming a Titled Douluo.

As a Titled Douluo with a beast martial soul, and one whose Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor was exceptionally sensitive to its environment, Dugu Bo trusted his martial soul's perception greatly. Thus, he was extremely wary of Zhang Yan.

Not far from him, Dugu Yan sat cross-legged on the ground. Two yellow Soul Rings around her body pulsed steadily, while a third purple Soul Ring coiled around her body and trembled violently. Clearly, Dugu Yan was absorbing a Soul Ring.

"Grandfather Dugu, they're my friends. They brought me here to hunt for a Soul Ring."

Seeing the guarded look in Dugu Bo's eyes, Ye Lingling stepped forward to introduce them.

Jin Yan stepped forward as well, bowed slightly, and introduced himself. "Senior Poison Douluo, I am Jin Yan, and this is Zhang Yan. We came to help Lingling hunt for a Soul Ring. Would you be willing to accommodate us?"

As he spoke, Jin Yan gestured toward the pool behind Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo looked back and saw several Purification Demon Lotuses blooming brilliantly in the middle of the pool, swaying gently in the breeze.

Though Dugu Bo did not know much about Immortal Herbs, his understanding of soul beasts and ordinary medicinal herbs far surpassed that of most people. At a glance, he saw that Jin Yan's group was after the thousand-year Purification Demon Lotus at the center.

Under normal circumstances, he would not have minded helping Ye Lingling obtain it. But his granddaughter Dugu Yan was currently absorbing a Soul Ring, and he truly could not leave her side.

"Fine. Help yourselves."

With that, he turned and stood beside Dugu Yan, guarding her.

Jin Yan turned to Zhang Yan. "Uncle Zhang, I'm counting on you."