Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan

Seeing this, before Ye Chen could give an order, Blaziken had already spewed a fan-shaped flame, incinerating the purple poisonous mist into nothingness.

At that same moment, Ye Chen used Agility to dash forward, quickly catching up to the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent. He grabbed the ten-meter-long snake body with both hands, then swung it into the air and slammed it violently from side to side.

Bang, bang, boom, boom, crash—

As the shrill cries came to an abrupt halt, the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent was knocked unconscious from the continuous, brutal slamming, its internal organs mostly reduced to a pulp, leaving it completely unable to resist.

"Blaziken, your dinner is sorted. However, the venom of pure-blooded snakes is far too overbearing. For safety's sake, it's better to roast it before eating."

With that, Ye Chen tossed the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent into the air.

Ever since absorbing the Soul Ring of the Blazing Sun Eagle, Blaziken had gained eagle-like vision, greatly increasing the hit rate of all its skills. At the same time, it had also grown to love eating snakes, especially venomous ones, just like an eagle.

Watching the highly toxic Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent being tossed into the air, Blaziken was just about to use Flamethrower to roast it when a hoarse, sharp shout stopped it: "Stop."

As the words fell, two figures walked over from the distance, appearing before Ye Chen and Blaziken.

These two figures were an old man and a young woman.

The old man looked to be in his sixties or seventies, his hair and beard a deep ink-green, his eyes as cold as a venomous snake. His posture, with hands clasped behind his back, added a sense of majesty to his stern image, even giving off a dangerous aura.

The woman following the old man looked to be about sixteen years old.

On Douluo Continent, sixteen was considered an adult, so the woman's figure was quite mature. She wore a high-slit purple off-the-shoulder cheongsam that perfectly showcased her curves while remaining practical for combat.

Beyond the striking cheongsam, the woman was also quite beautiful. Furthermore, she exuded a heroic spirit, clearly appearing to be an outgoing and bold girl.

Judging by the unique physical traits of the ink-green-haired old man and the woman in the cheongsam, and analyzing them against the original story, Ye Chen quickly formed a guess: these two must be Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

Having spent over two months in the Poison Mist Forest and lingering near the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison Array for so long without encountering Dugu Bo, he had finally met him.

While deep in thought, Ye Chen had already released his Soul Rings; one yellow and two purple, a total of three rings, pulsed up and down around his body.

Seeing this, the woman's pupils contracted, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa, his second Soul Ring is actually a thousand-year Soul Ring?"

The old man with the ink-green hair was no senile fool. The moment the second Soul Ring appeared on Ye Chen in the form of a purple glow, he had been secretly shocked, his mind racing with various thoughts regarding this thousand-year second Soul Ring.

Meeting the old man's gaze, Ye Chen cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Greetings, Senior. May I ask for your honorable name?"

Before the old man could speak, the woman in the cheongsam said bluntly, "Kid, you might not have heard of the title Jade Phosphorous Douluo, but surely you've heard of the Poison Douluo, whose poison dominates the world?"

The woman's voice was pleasant, though her tone carried a hint of pride. From her calling the old man "Grandpa" and introducing him as the Poison Douluo, it was one hundred percent certain that this was Dugu Yan.

That meant the old man was the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

To encounter Dugu Bo in such a manner was an unexpected joy. Ye Chen immediately said politely, "So it is His Excellency the Poison Douluo. With your mastery of poison, even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, ranked second on the continent, must fear you by three parts. I doubt there is anyone who hasn't heard of your name. If I was disrespectful in my speech just now, I hope you will forgive me."

"Forgiveness won't be necessary," Dugu Yan said on Dugu Bo's behalf. "Kid, the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent you just crippled is exactly what I need for my third Soul Ring. My grandfather and I have been searching for half a day and couldn't find one. I didn't expect to run into you."

"I can see you aren't a poison-attribute Soul Master, so why not just let me have the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent? Or, we can let our strength do the talking. Let's have a duel. Whoever wins gets the Soul Beast. How about it?"

"A duel won't be necessary. If you need it, just take it." With that, Ye Chen cleared a path and gestured toward the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent lying not far away.

Dugu Yan looked at Dugu Bo. Dugu Bo nodded to indicate she could go.

Having received permission, Dugu Yan passed by Ye Chen and arrived at the side of the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent.

"What is your name?" Dugu Yan asked, turning to look at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen smiled politely. "My name is Ye Chen, and this beside me is my Beast Soul, Blaziken."

"Beast Soul?" Dugu Yan stared in astonishment at the two-meter-tall Blaziken. At first, she had thought this strange-looking creature was an elder of Ye Chen's. She hadn't expected it to be a Beast Soul.

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

"Yes, my Blaziken is an externalized Beast Soul. Miss, you should kill the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent first, lest it wake up and accidentally hurt you."

Hearing Ye Chen's explanation, Dugu Yan said breezily, "Don't call me Miss, Miss. I have a name. I'm Dugu Yan. Thank you for yielding and for the reminder. But with my grandfather here, no accidents will happen."

As she spoke, Dugu Yan stabbed a dagger into the seven-inch mark of the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Serpent. As ink-green blood stained the ground, the snake was killed just like that.

A moment later.

Dugu Yan had two yellow and one purple Soul Ring glowing on her body.

Two of the yellow rings were the ones she originally possessed, while the purple 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 from the backlash of her own snake venom.

Perhaps it was because of this venom backlash that Dugu Bo had intentionally let Dugu Yan slack off on her soul power cultivation; otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why Dugu Yan was only at level thirty soul power at the age of sixteen.

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

Giving Blaziken a look, Ye Chen turned and walked toward the entrance of the Poison Mist Forest.

"Slow down," Dugu Bo said calmly. Although the voice was flat, it was imbued with profound soul power, making it sound like a thunderclap that sent a chill down one's spine.

Turning to face Dugu Bo, Ye Chen asked respectfully, "May I ask if there is anything else you need this humble one to do, Your Excellency?"

"Release your Soul Rings," Dugu Bo demanded.

"Very well." Responding, Ye Chen released his three Soul Rings once more.

When the thousand-year second Soul Ring appeared again, Dugu Bo took the initiative to ask, "Your thousand-year second Soul Ring—could it be that you used some kind of disguise soul skill?"