Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan

Seeing this, before Ye Chen could give an order, Blaziken had already spat out a fan-shaped blaze, burning the purple poison mist away.

At the same time, Ye Chen used Agility to dart forward. He quickly caught up with the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent, grabbed its tail with both hands, and swung its ten-meter-long body into the air before smashing it violently from side to side.

Bang, bang! Boom, boom! Crack—

Its cries abruptly stopped. After being slammed repeatedly, the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent was knocked unconscious. Most of its internal organs had been smashed to pieces, and it had lost the ability to fight back.

"Blaziken, looks like you've got dinner. But the venom of a purebred snake is far too potent. To be safe, let's roast it before you eat."

As he spoke, Ye Chen tossed the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent into the air.

Ever since absorbing the Blazing Sun Eagle's Soul Ring, Blaziken had gained an eagle's eyesight, greatly improving the accuracy of all its skills. At the same time, it had developed an eagle's taste for snakes, especially venomous ones.

Seeing the venomous Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent tossed into the air, Blaziken was about to use Flamethrower to roast it when a hoarse, stern voice stopped it. "Stop!"

As soon as the voice fell, two figures approached from the distance and appeared before Ye Chen and Blaziken.

One was an elderly man, and the other was a young woman.

The old man looked to be in his sixties or seventies. His hair and beard were both dark green, and his eyes were as cold as a snake's. He stood with his hands behind his back, and his unsmiling expression lent him an air of authority, even making him seem dangerous.

The woman beside him looked to be around sixteen.

On the Douluo Continent, sixteen was already adulthood, so the woman had a mature figure. Her purple, high-slit, off-the-shoulder cheongsam showed off her curves to the fullest while still allowing her to fight with ease.

Her cheongsam was beautiful, but so was she. What was more, she gave off a bold, spirited air, clearly an outgoing girl who was daring and forward.

Judging by the distinctive features of the old man's dark green hair and beard and the woman's cheongsam, and drawing on his knowledge of the original story, Ye Chen quickly formed a guess. These two had to be Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, the pair mentioned in the original.

He had spent more than two months in the Poison Mist Forest, then wandered around the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison Array for ages without running into Dugu Bo. Now, at last, he had met him.

As Ye Chen pondered this, he released his Soul Rings. Three rings—one yellow and two purple—rose and fell around his body.

At the sight, the young woman's pupils contracted. "Grandpa, his Second Soul Ring is actually a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

The old man with dark green hair and beard was no doddering fool. The instant the second ring appeared around Ye Chen in a purple glow, he was already taken aback. His mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts about this Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring.

Meeting the old man's gaze, Ye Chen cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, senior. May I ask your esteemed name?"

Before the old man could answer, the young woman said boldly, "Boy, you might not have heard of the title Jade Phosphorous Douluo, but surely you've heard of Poison Douluo, who dominates the world with poison?"

Her voice was lovely, and her tone carried a hint of pride. Since she had just called the old man Grandpa and had introduced Poison Douluo's identity, there was no doubt that this woman was Dugu Yan.

Then the old man with dark green hair and beard was Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

To run into Dugu Bo like this was an unexpected delight. Ye Chen immediately replied politely, "So you're His Excellency Poison Douluo. With your mastery of poison, even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, ranked second on the continent, has to be wary of you. I doubt there's anyone who hasn't heard your esteemed name. If I spoke disrespectfully just now, I hope you'll forgive me."

"No need for that," Dugu Yan said on Dugu Bo's behalf. "Boy, the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent you just crippled would be perfect for my Third Soul Ring. Grandpa and I searched all day and couldn't find one. I didn't expect you to run into it."

"You don't seem to be a Poison-type Soul Master. Why not give the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent to me? Or we can settle it with strength. You and I can fight one-on-one, and whoever wins gets the Soul Beast. How about it?"

"No need for a one-on-one. If you need it, just take it." As he spoke, Ye Chen stepped aside, then gestured toward the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent lying nearby, inviting her to go ahead.

Dugu Yan glanced at Dugu Bo. He nodded to show that she could go over.

Only after receiving permission did Dugu Yan pass by Ye Chen and approach the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent.

"What's your name?" Dugu Yan turned and asked Ye Chen.

Ye Chen smiled politely. "My name is Ye Chen. This here is my Beast Martial Soul, Blaziken."

"Beast Martial Soul?" Dugu Yan stared at the two-meter-tall Blaziken in astonishment. At first, she had thought the strange-looking fellow was one of Ye Chen's elders. She had never expected it to be his Beast Martial Soul.

"Can your Beast Martial Soul leave your body and move around freely like a person?" Dugu Yan asked curiously.

"Yes, my Blaziken is an External Beast Martial Soul. Miss, you should kill the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent first, before it wakes up and accidentally hurts you."

After hearing Ye Chen's explanation, Dugu Yan said casually, "Stop calling me 'Miss.' I have a name. I'm Dugu Yan. Thanks for giving way and for the warning. But with Grandpa here, nothing will go wrong."

As she spoke, Dugu Yan drove a dagger into the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent's vital spot. Green blood spread across the ground, and just like that, the serpent was killed.

A short while later.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring shone around Dugu Yan, three in total.

The two yellow Soul Rings were ones she had already possessed. The purple Soul Ring was the Third Soul Ring she had just obtained from the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent.

According to the original story, Dugu Yan, like Dugu Bo, suffered terribly from the backlash of her own snake venom.

Perhaps it was because of that backlash that Dugu Bo had deliberately let Dugu Yan neglect her Soul Power cultivation. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why she had only reached Soul Power level thirty at the age of sixteen.

Coming back to himself, Ye Chen cupped his hands toward Dugu Bo. "Your Excellency Poison Douluo, I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave. Blaziken, let's go."

Ye Chen gave Blaziken a look, then turned and headed for the entrance to the Poison Mist Forest.

"Wait." Dugu Bo called out calmly. His voice was mild, but bolstered by his profound Soul Power, it still struck like thunder, sending a chill down one's spine.

Turning to face Dugu Bo, Ye Chen asked respectfully, "May I ask if there's anything else you need me to do, Your Excellency?"

"Release your Soul Rings," Dugu Bo ordered.

"All right." Ye Chen answered and released his three Soul Rings again.

When the Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring appeared once more, Dugu Bo took the initiative to ask, "Could your Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring be disguised with some kind of Soul Skill?"