Serpent-Dragon Species

Wang Chuan and his grandfather had found nothing and were preparing to return the way they had come.

But facts proved that heaven always liked to throw a wrench into the plans of those who planned ahead.

A beast tide erupted without warning—or rather, its source was so far away that Wang Chuan and Wang Lie failed to notice it before they were swept into it.

Wang Lie grabbed Wang Chuan by the collar and leaped onto an ancient tree thousands of years old, using it to avoid the first wave of the beast tide.

The terrifying thing about a Spirit Beast tide was that they did not merely charge blindly and chaotically into everything before them.

Driven by hatred, they would also instinctively seek to tear their enemies apart.

Humans!

The ape-like Spirit Beasts swinging through the trees and the bird-type Spirit Beasts flying their way had both spotted Wang Lie and Wang Chuan.

Almost instinctively, both kinds of Spirit Beasts charged at Wang Lie without hesitation.

Wang Lie frowned deeply at the sight.

Among them were not only weak hundred-year and thousand-year Spirit Beasts.

There were also powerful Spirit Beasts over thirty or forty thousand years old, capable of rivaling a Soul Saint.

Wang Lie tensed to the extreme. Seven Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—appeared, and his seventh Spirit Ring lit up without hesitation.

In an instant, Wang Chuan was flung into the air.

Only after regaining his senses did Wang Chuan realize that he was standing atop the head of a seventy-meter-long giant silver python shimmering with three colors.

Standing beside him was Wang Lie, now clad in a full set of silver True Body Armor.

Only then did Wang Chuan understand.

Beneath them was Wang Lie's Martial Soul Avatar: the Three-Colored Silver-Scaled Python, a dragon-serpent-type Sub-Dragon and a powerful Sub-Dragon Martial Spirit capable of controlling water, fire, and wind.

The moment Wang Lie unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar, his fifth soul skill, Wind Control, activated with force. A terrifying tornado formed a barrier, blocking the Spirit Beasts attacking the grandfather and grandson.

Wang Lie had a clear understanding of his own strength. Before a disaster like this, no matter how strong he was, he would eventually be worn to death.

So, after blocking another wave of Spirit Beast attacks, Wang Lie used Wind Control again and shouted at Wang Chuan.

"Xiaochuan, hold on tight! Don't fall!"

In an instant, fierce winds swept up the massive Three-Colored Silver-Scaled Python and carried it fleeing toward the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

Because they were flying high enough, Wang Chuan's field of vision broadened greatly. He immediately spotted a dense green fog in the direction of Sunset Forest's Mixed Zone.

Within it, an emerald giant python was hissing and roaring as it battled something that resembled a beautiful snake woman.

Wang Chuan's eyes turned thoughtful at the sight. The signs were far too obvious; it was difficult not to recognize the culprit.

Wang Lie also noticed the situation and immediately began cursing.

"Damn it, so it was him! I was wondering why there was suddenly a beast tide. That bastard must be spreading poison again!"

At those words, a hint of gossiping interest appeared in Wang Chuan's eyes. It seemed his family had some connection to the future Poison Douluo.

But they were still running for their lives, so Wang Chuan did not ask further.

Very quickly, the outer region that would normally have taken half a month to reach was escaped in less than half a day under Wang Lie's full effort.

The result was that even with Wang Lie's Soul Saint-level cultivation, his face was pale and he looked utterly exhausted. He and Wang Chuan found a hidden corner and hastily began resting where they were.

The moment he slumped down, Wang Lie could not help complaining.

"See that, Xiaochuan? This is how dangerous it is for Spirit Masters to hunt Spirit Beasts. Don't ever be like your foolish parents, throwing your weight around just because you have a little strength. Sometimes, even a level seventy-eight Soul Saint like me can barely hold on."

Wang Chuan nodded repeatedly in agreement, then hurriedly took out dry rations and water from his storage Soul Tool and handed them to Wang Lie.

After taking a mouthful of carbs, Wang Lie's complexion improved slightly.

However, Wang Lie did not sit down to meditate and recover his Soul Power.

After all, Soul Power recovery mainly depended on meditation techniques. In his current mental state, after barely escaping the beast tide, it would be absurd if he went astray in his cultivation and suffered a deviation.

Seeing that Wang Lie had no intention of taking a short rest to recover his spirits, Wang Chuan asked curiously.

"Grandfather, from the sound of it, you know that man. Can you tell me about him?"

Wang Lie looked at Wang Chuan in surprise. He had not expected Wang Chuan to be interested in this. Since they had nothing else to do, he began recounting events from the past.

Their acquaintance had begun because of their Martial Spirits.

Anyone who had read Douluo Continent knew that this was a series that heavily relied on its setting. A Martial Spirit that was hyped up as unbelievably awesome at the beginning might later become commonplace.

The Purple Radiance Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon in Douluo Continent 2 was one such example. It was called the ancestor of Sub-Dragons, yet the villain Xu Tianran was casually killed off.

So Wang Chuan's initial judgment of this world was that it resembled the manga version, rather than fully copying his views of the original work.

This was a real world, after all. Its logic could not be completely nonsensical. Anyone who fully believed the original novel's settings would be like lighting a lantern in a latrine to look for shit.

According to the knowledge Wang Chuan had acquired, true dragons were divided into three categories.

The first were giant-lizard types, such as the Golden Sacred Dragon. These were called Pterosaur Species because their shared trait was having wings.

Next were dragon types like Dugu Bo's, with long, snake-like bodies. These were called Serpent-Dragon Species.

The last were the Nine Sons of the Dragon line, as well as crossbreeds between true dragons. Since their appearances varied too wildly, they were collectively called Hetero-Dragon Species.

All three categories of true dragons had clear records. If even one trait did not match the records, then it was a mixed-blood Sub-Dragon species.

Both the Jade Phosphorous Serpent and the Three-Colored Silver-Scaled Python were branches of Serpent-Dragon Species Spirit Beasts, so the two naturally felt some affinity for each other. When they were young, they had once traveled the continent together.

By the end, Wang Lie was laughing as he cursed.

"Judging by that old fellow's state, he's about to break through to Soul Douluo. His Martial Spirit seems to have undergone a transformation and evolution too—it's already infinitely close to a true dragon. Damn, I'm jealous. I'll have to find a chance to drink with him later. Such a huge matter, and he didn't even tell his second brother. Look how smug he is."

Wang Chuan chimed in from the side. He had not expected his family to have such ties with Dugu Bo. If he truly could not make a living in the future, at least he had somewhere to freeload for meals.

Just as Wang Chuan was planning to learn more from Wang Lie about Dugu Bo's past—

A rustling sound drew closer and closer.

In an instant, Wang Chuan and Wang Lie became alert and rose into guarded stances.

At that moment, Wang Chuan saw a streak of gold rushing toward them at high speed.

But before Wang Chuan could react, Wang Lie moved even faster. Displaying a high-level Spirit Master's perfect control over soul skills, he summoned only his fifth Spirit Ring and activated Wind Control once more, forming a Wind Barrier that blocked the incoming Spirit Beast.