Contracting the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger

Gu Xiao wanted to say something else, but Gu Ci stopped him. "Father, Mother, don't worry."

"Grandpa Dugu is a Titled Douluo. With him protecting us, Yanyan and I will be perfectly safe."

Gu Xiao thought for a moment before finally nodding. "Then be careful."

The three left the Marquis Manor. Dugu Bo took Gu Ci and Dugu Yan into the air and flew straight toward Sunset Forest.

During the flight, Gu Ci considered what kind of soul beast would suit him.

A Thunder Attribute Tiger Type soul beast—the stronger its bloodline, the better.

His Thunder Prison Heaven-Slaying Tiger was now a Super Martial Soul. Ordinary Tiger Type soul beasts simply were not worthy of it.

It would be best if it were an unusual breed with the bloodline of an ancient divine beast.

"Grandpa Dugu, are there any Thunder Tigers in Sunset Forest with particularly special bloodlines? Preferably ones with some ancient bloodline."

Dugu Bo thought for a moment. "A Thunder Tiger with a special bloodline... Now that you mention it, I do recall one."

"In the deepest part of Sunset Forest, there is a Thunder Pool. A Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger lives there."

"It is said to possess the bloodline of an Ancient Thunder Beast. Its strength far exceeds that of others at the same level, but that fellow is extremely cunning, and its cultivation is not low either. It will probably be difficult to deal with."

"What cultivation age?" Gu Ci's eyes lit up.

"Around five thousand years."

Gu Ci calculated inwardly.

With his body strengthened by Whale Rubber and Immortal Herbs, a five-thousand-year soul ring was completely within his limits.

Besides, Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger sounded imposing just by its name alone.

"It's decided, then."

Dugu Bo glanced at him. "Are you sure? That thing is not easy to provoke."

Gu Ci smiled. "That only makes it more challenging. Besides, we're going there to make a contract, not to hunt it."

"As long as we communicate properly, it might even be willing to come with me on its own."

Dugu Bo shook his head and said nothing more.

"What about you, Yanyan?" Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter.

Dugu Yan tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Brother Gu Ci said he would find me a poison-attribute draconic soul beast, around two thousand years old."

Dugu Bo frowned. "A draconic type? Those are not easy to deal with."

"A two-thousand-year draconic soul beast has combat strength comparable to an ordinary soul beast over five thousand years old. Are you sure?"

Gu Ci smiled. "We can give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll think of another way."

Gu Ci nodded. "We'll catch mine first, then go after Yanyan's. Mine is at the Thunder Pool and will definitely be harder to handle. The sooner we settle it, the sooner we can rest easy."

Dugu Bo led the two of them in another direction, flying toward the deepest reaches of Sunset Forest.

Dugu Bo swept over Sunset Forest with the two of them. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the air became.

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky at some point, with Thunder Light flickering faintly through them.

The terrain below had changed from dense woodland to valleys filled with jagged rocks. Many of the stones bore charred black marks, as if they had been struck by lightning countless times.

"We're here."

Dugu Bo landed atop a mountain peak and pointed below. "That is the Thunder Pool."

Gu Ci followed the direction of his finger.

Below lay a pool roughly a hundred meters across. Its water was an eerie dark purple, and arcs of electricity occasionally danced across its surface with crackling sounds.

The rocks around the pool were all charred black, with not a blade of grass in sight. The air was thick with Thunder Attribute elemental energy; even taking a breath made one's nasal passages tingle.

And on a massive rock in the center of the pool, a giant tiger lay dozing.

The tiger was covered not in fur, but in dark-purple scales, with faint Thunder Light flowing across them.

A pair of purple fleshy wings grew from its back, folded against its sides. Lightning patterns ran across their membranes as well.

Its tiger eyes were half-closed, but when they occasionally opened, purple lightning flashed within them.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger.

Gu Ci opened his Heavenly Eye and observed it carefully.

The energy fluctuations from this tiger were exceptionally powerful. Its cultivation should be just over five thousand years, but its bloodline power was dense. Its actual combat strength was likely comparable to that of an ordinary soul beast seven or eight thousand years old.

A faint thread of golden light could be seen within its body. That was likely the Ancient Thunder Beast bloodline Dugu Bo had mentioned.

"Excellent." Gu Ci's eyes gleamed.

Dugu Yan shrank back slightly. "Brother Gu Ci, it looks so fierce..."

"It is rather fierce." Dugu Bo replied blandly. "But that is a good thing. It suits you, brat."

As soon as he spoke, the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger below seemed to sense something. It abruptly opened its eyes and looked up toward the mountain peak where the three stood.

Roar!

The tiger's roar carried an awe-inspiring thunderous pressure, shaking loose rocks from the surrounding mountains.

Dugu Bo snorted coldly, his figure flashing as he appeared directly above the Thunder Pool.

The aura of a Titled Douluo erupted without restraint. That terrifying pressure instantly made the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's fur stand on end. Its wings snapped open as it assumed an attacking stance.

But it did not flee.

The Thunder Pool was its territory, and the pride of a Tiger Type soul beast would not allow it to run without a fight.

"Little bug, you've got some backbone."

A smile curled at Dugu Bo's lips as he casually waved his hand. A streak of dark-green Soul Power shot forth.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger roared, beating its wings as dozens of purple Thunderbolts struck toward Dugu Bo.

And then, that was that.

The gap between a Titled Douluo and a five-thousand-year soul beast was even greater than the gap between a human and an ant.

Dugu Bo did not even summon his Martial Soul. With a casual wave, all the Thunderbolts dispersed, while the dark-green Soul Power transformed into a giant hand that pinned the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger to the boulder.

Roar! Roar! The tiger struggled desperately, yet could not move at all.

Gu Ci leaped down from the mountain peak with Dugu Yan, landing by the Thunder Pool.

He walked before the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger and looked up at the giant tiger, which had been completely suppressed.

Up close, the tiger looked even more majestic. It was over thirty feet long, its body densely covered in scales, every one of them gleaming purple.

Its tiger eyes were filled with defiance and fury as it glared fixedly at the tiny human before it.

"Don't look at me like that."

Gu Ci smiled. "I know you can understand human speech. A soul beast with five thousand years of cultivation developed intelligence long ago."

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's struggles paused, and a trace of surprise flashed through its eyes.

Gu Ci continued, "My name is Gu Ci. I'm six years old, possess Innate Full Soul Power, and have Twin Martial Souls."

As he spoke, a thought stirred in his mind, and the Thunder Prison Heaven-Slaying Tiger Martial Soul manifested behind him.

A dark-purple phantom of a giant tiger appeared. Its thirty-foot-tall body was even larger than that of the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger.

Its golden tiger eyes opened, and a pressure from the depths of its bloodline instantly enveloped the entire Thunder Pool.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's body stiffened.

That was a Martial Soul, not a real soul beast.

Yet what it sensed from that phantom was something that made its heart tremble even more than Dugu Bo's Titled Douluo pressure.

Bloodline suppression.

It was an instinctive terror born from the depths of its soul.

Like a rabbit encountering a tiger, like... a low-level soul beast encountering the king of soul beasts.

"My Martial Soul is called the Thunder Prison Heaven-Slaying Tiger."

Gu Ci said calmly, "It is a Super Martial Soul. In terms of bloodline, it is no weaker than the thread of Ancient Thunder Beast bloodline within you."

Complex emotions flashed through the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's eyes. Anger, unwillingness, and a hint of instinctive fear.

"I did not come today to kill you." Gu Ci's voice softened. "I have a proposal."

He briefly explained the Soul Spirit Contract.

"If you make a contract with me and become my Soul Spirit, you will not need to sacrifice your life, nor will you lose your consciousness."

"You will still be yourself, only existing in another way. You can continue cultivating, become stronger, and perhaps even explore the outside world with me."