This was a Soul Beast whose appearance lay somewhere between a giant lizard and a crocodile. It was about five meters long, and even when crawling, it stood one and a half meters tall at the shoulder.
Its entire body was covered in blackish-brown diamond-shaped scales, each edge sharp as a blade.
The pair of claws on its forelimbs were especially well-developed. They were dark gold and bore natural spiral patterns.
Most eye-catching of all was the pair of wings on its back. Blackish-brown diamond-shaped scales covered them, and when they spread, they cast a swath of darkness, giving off an incomparably sharp metallic impression.
[Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon (Sub-Dragon Species): approximately 38,600 years old.]
At the sight of this Soul Beast, Jiang He's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Because this Soul Beast was an exceedingly unusual species among Soul Beasts.
As a Sub-Dragon Species Soul Beast with a pair of wings, theoretically, this thing should have been able to fly.
Combined with its sturdy Soul Beast scales, its defense should have been astonishing as well.
The sharpness of those claws should have given it immense offensive power.
But... adult Armor-Piercing Earth Dragons could not fly.
Though highly aggressive, their attack power was utterly lackluster.
The only impressive thing about them was the defense provided by their scales.
And the reason for all this was simply because... once they reached adulthood, they became too heavy!
Armor-Piercing Earth Dragons possessed incredibly powerful physical bodies.
They were naturally stronger than Soul Beasts of the same level.
Yet as a Sub-Dragon Species descended from dragons, they had perfectly inherited dragons' flaws: greed, lust, arrogance, and the like.
Because their bodies were powerful from infancy, these Soul Beasts would seize the food and opposite-sex Soul Beasts around them from the very beginning.
They used the Soul Beasts for mating while they were alive, then ate them after death, absorbing the energy within their bodies to strengthen themselves.
At the same time, because of their arrogance, they would not cultivate diligently. They relied solely on the inheritance within their bloodline to complete their evolution.
But these Soul Beasts were all Sub-Dragon Species, and the limit of their bloodline growth was determined from the moment they were born.
Once they reached their bloodline limit, they would still retain their old habits.
Plunder.
Over time, Armor-Piercing Earth Dragons that had reached their growth limit became cumbersome and heavy.
But because their innate scale armor possessed astonishing defense, Soul Beasts of the same level could not kill them at all. So even after becoming heavy, unable to fly, and unable to swing their claws, these fellows would not make any changes.
Every day, they simply muddled along, eating and waiting for death, occasionally bullying the weaker Soul Beasts nearby.
When he had first studied theoretical knowledge, Jiang He had truly felt that this type of Soul Beast had broadened his horizons.
"Although Armor-Piercing Earth Dragons do not have a very good reputation among Soul Beasts, it is still a Sub-Dragon Species, and its cultivation exceeds thirty-five thousand years. It is highly suited to your Martial Soul. Its astonishing defense, in particular, should give you a defensive Soul Skill."
Dugu Bo spoke.
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Jiang He raised his head slightly and said, "I'll follow Teacher's arrangements."
"Good. Then it's this one!"
As his voice fell, Dugu Bo released his Martial Soul.
The familiar arrangement of Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet, while the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor emerged behind him.
The instant Dugu Bo's aura spread out, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon, which had been lounging lazily, became alert at once.
"Roar!!!"
It crouched on the ground and let out a warning roar at Jiang He and Dugu Bo.
Previously, because both men had been in the air while the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon could no longer fly, it had not taken them seriously.
In its view, they could not break through its defenses, while it could not fly up to kill them. What was there to care about?
But the instant Dugu Bo's aura spread out, a sense of mortal danger rose within it.
This forced it to take the two men before it seriously.
Yet in the face of the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon's warning, Dugu Bo merely smiled disdainfully.
He was now a level ninety-five Super Douluo. If he could not even deal with a Soul Beast that had yet to reach forty thousand years, then there would be no point in him continuing to make a living in the Soul Master world!
Dugu Bo stepped through the air, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived less than ten meters from the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon. The Soul Rings beneath his feet flashed, and purple-green mist drifted from the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor phantom behind him, swiftly enveloping both him and the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon.
Sensing the threat from its surroundings, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon let out continuous low growls.
As the mist completely wrapped around it, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon could no longer endure it and took the initiative, charging fiercely toward Dugu Bo.
Watching the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon's movements from afar, Jiang He tugged at the corner of his mouth again, his expression speechless.
Because the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon's speed was not merely inferior to that Ancient Terror Bear from before—it could not even compare to the Berserk Giant Ape.
Someone unaware of the truth might have thought this was some thousand-year Soul Beast. It was far too slow.
Fortunately, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon was close to Dugu Bo. It soon charged before him and slashed a claw straight at his face.
Facing the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon's attack, Dugu Bo's expression remained unchanged. With a flicker of his body, he appeared in the air.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind him continued to release purple-green poisonous mist without pause.
Looking up at Dugu Bo in the air, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon let out an indignant, unwilling roar.
But seeing that Dugu Bo made no further move, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon turned around and began fleeing in the opposite direction.
Yet it was simply too slow. Dugu Bo followed calmly behind it, the purple-green poisonous mist continuously shrouding the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon.
As it inhaled the poisonous mist, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon's already sluggish speed slowed even further.
Gradually, its body began to sway from side to side.
If it had been another Title Douluo, they could certainly have dealt with this Soul Beast that had yet to reach forty thousand years, but they absolutely would not have done so as easily as Dugu Bo.
After all, this fellow's greatest specialty was defense.
Its scales could negate the vast majority of an opponent's attacks.
But it was facing Dugu Bo.
The Title Douluo most skilled at bullying the weak.
His poison did not need to confront you head-on.
As long as you breathed, you would be poisoned!
Even if you did not breathe, the poison would slowly corrode you!
This was not the poison barrier Dugu Bo had placed in Sunset Forest for protection, but a Soul Skill meant for attack!
The damage of the two was simply not on the same level!
Bang!
With a deafening crash, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon's body collapsed at the edge of its territory.
Until its death, it failed to escape its own territory.
At this moment, Dugu Bo said to Jiang He, "Use your bear claws. Stab through its eye."
"Yes!"
With that response, Jiang He swiftly rushed before the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon.
Looking at the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon, which was barely clinging to life, Jiang He did not hesitate in the slightest. He summoned his Martial Soul and drove a claw straight into its eye.
At this point, the Armor-Piercing Earth Dragon did not even have the strength to blink. It could only watch helplessly as Jiang He's bear claw pierced through its eye and entered its brain, extinguishing the last spark of life within it.
When the final trace of life faded, a pitch-black Soul Ring emerged from its corpse.
With his previous experience, Jiang He directly sat cross-legged beside the Soul Ring and began circulating the Tyrant Emperor World-Devouring Art to absorb it...
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