Golden Thunder Python

The moment the aura of a fifth Titled Douluo entered their range, the atmosphere to the southeast of the valley tensed abruptly.

Snake Lance Douluo and Ci Xue almost simultaneously moved to shield Qian Renxue, their nine Soul Rings lighting up together as the pressure of their Titled Douluo auras swept out like a tide.

On Jiang Lin's side, Tang Yuan only furrowed his brow slightly. His gaze shifted from the southeast to the northwest.

"That aura... It's Dugu Bo."

Tang Yuan's voice was calm. "He's fighting something. The fluctuations are intense, and he's already using his Martial Soul Avatar."

Dugu Bo?

Jiang Lin stopped and turned toward the source of the aura.

A vast cloud of poison rose above the forest to the northwest, its jade-green vapors obscuring half the sky.

Within the poisonous clouds coiled the phantom of a huge jade-green beast. Two savage dragon horns sprouted from its head, and four bulges beneath its belly had yet to fully form. It was no longer a Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor, but a Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon—its evolved form.

Beneath the poisonous clouds, a golden python thrashed wildly.

It was over fifteen meters long. Lightning-like arcs danced across its scales, and a fist-sized fleshy growth in the middle of its forehead kept shooting out golden bolts.

A Golden Thunder Python, with a cultivation of nearly thirty thousand years.

The Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon's miasma was pinning the Golden Thunder Python down, but the python's counterattacks were still ferocious. The battle was moving rapidly toward Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin glanced down at the Purple Lightning Mad Lion, barely alive in his hand, then looked up at the Golden Thunder Python thrashing in the poisonous clouds.

Twenty-five thousand years, lightning attribute. Not bad.

But compared to a Soul Beast with nearly thirty thousand years of cultivation, a lightning attribute, and golden bloodline...

"Do I even have to choose?"

He casually tossed the Purple Lightning Mad Lion aside, took the Ninja Mask from his Storage Soul Tool, and fastened it over his face.

His figure quickly merged with the shadow at his feet, and he crept toward the Golden Thunder Python.

"Elder Chen."

Jiang Lin's voice came from the shadows. "Go say hello to the people over there.

"Uncle Tang, cover us from behind. Put the Clear Sky Hammer away for now. Don't reveal our hand."

Elder Chen nodded, straightened his robes, and flashed into view before Qian Renxue and the other two.

Snake Lance Douluo and Ci Xue reacted swiftly.

The instant Elder Chen appeared, both of them released their Martial Souls.

A pitch-black, snake-shaped spear appeared in Snake Lance Douluo's hand, while a layer of hard, spiked armor covered Ci Xue's body.

Their nine Soul Rings lit up together, unleashing the full pressure of Titled Douluos.

Elder Chen smiled faintly and clasped his hands behind his back. His nine Soul Rings lit up as well, and the phantom of a Three-Eyed Fire Leopard opened its vertical eye behind him.

The steady aura of Soul Power at level ninety-three spread out, meeting the pressure of the two men opposite him. Snake Lance and Ci Xue's expressions changed at once.

Level ninety-three. And the man standing farther back with his arms folded, who hadn't come over, had an even deeper aura. Even they couldn't see through him.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to be tense."

Elder Chen's voice was unhurried. "My young master and I were merely passing through. We came to hunt a Purple Lightning Mad Lion.

"We sensed a battle to the northwest just now, and my young master happens to know someone over there. So we decided to go take a look. We're strangers to the three of you. There's no need to sour relations."

"Someone he knows?"

Snake Lance Douluo narrowed his eyes and glanced at the distant poisonous clouds. "That's Poison Douluo Dugu Bo. You know him?"

"We go way back."

Elder Chen smiled, casually glossing over the details.

Snake Lance and Ci Xue exchanged a glance.

Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo. Though only level ninety-one, they'd heard that his deadly poison was enough to make even Chrysanthemum Douluo, at level ninety-five, wary of him.

The old man before them was level ninety-three. The aloof man behind him seemed unfathomable, as if he could kill them both with a casual blow. And then there was Dugu Bo as well. Their side had the equivalent of three Titled Douluo-level fighters.

They had only two.

At that moment, Qian Renxue slowly stepped forward.

She maintained her disguise as Xue Qinghe, dressed in white with a refined, scholarly face. Her gaze lingered on Elder Chen for a moment before turning toward the distant figure.

Snake Lance and Ci Xue sent her a voice transmission, reporting their assessment of the other side's strength.

Qian Renxue's pupils contracted slightly, but her warm smile remained unchanged.

Two Titled Douluos: one at level ninety-three, the other unfathomable. And Poison Douluo Dugu Bo was connected to them as well.

This force could be considered a major power throughout the Douluo Continent.

And so many Titled Douluos had appeared here, seemingly all because of a young man she hadn't even met yet.

"I am Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire."

Qian Renxue spoke, her voice warm and courteous. "May I ask your name, senior?"

"This old man's surname is Chen. I'm just a wandering cultivator, and my humble name isn't worth troubling Your Highness with."

Elder Chen cupped his hands. "Did Your Highness come to hunt a Soul Ring as well?"

"Indeed. But since you and your young master are here, we naturally have no reason to compete with you."

Qian Renxue's gaze passed over Elder Chen and settled on the distant poisonous clouds where the battle raged.

She saw it—a shadow soundlessly leaping from the darkness behind the Golden Thunder Python, a blood-red halberd in its hand. The weapon pierced the python's weak point with pinpoint accuracy. Dozens of shadows sprang out from all sides at once, pinning the Golden Thunder Python firmly to the ground.

A flash of unmistakable surprise passed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

That young man had chosen his moment perfectly, striking just as the Golden Thunder Python had been crippled by Dugu Bo and its final counterattack had ended.

That kind of instinct on the battlefield was not something one could cultivate in a sheltered environment.

"Senior Chen."

Qian Renxue looked away, her tone turning more earnest.

"Your young master has such a talent for combat at his age. I'm deeply impressed. Would you and your young master consider developing yourselves in the Heaven Dou Empire? I give you my word as Crown Prince that neither of you would be treated unfairly."

Elder Chen chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained composed. He merely cupped his hands.

"Thank you for Your Highness's kind offer. But my young master has always valued his freedom. For now, he has no plans to serve any faction."

Qian Renxue gave Elder Chen a long look, but didn't press the matter. She nodded slightly.

"In that case, we won't impose any further. If the opportunity arises, I hope to speak with your young master in person someday."

She signaled Snake Lance and Ci Xue. The three turned and headed toward the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.

After Elder Chen and Tang Yuan watched them leave, they too headed in Jiang Lin's direction.