On the other side, Jiang Lin knelt beside the Golden Thunder Python's corpse and removed the Ninja Mask.
A pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly rose from the serpent's body, its dim light flowing over its surface. It was deeper and more imposing than any Soul Ring he had ever seen.
The Golden Thunder Python was nearly thirty thousand years old, with golden bloodline and lightning attribute. Its Soul Ring was powerful enough to crush the one from the Purple Lightning Mad Lion.
Dugu Bo withdrew his Martial Soul Avatar, and the phantom of the Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon slowly faded away.
The blue-purple patches of poison on his face had mostly disappeared, and he looked at least ten years younger.
He hurried over to Jiang Lin with Dugu Yan and bowed.
"Young Master, what are you doing here?"
Dugu Bo's voice carried both surprise and delight. "I was just planning to take Yan Yan to see you. I never expected to run into you here in Sunset Forest."
"That's what I should be asking you."
Jiang Lin stood up and brushed the bloodstains from his robe. "I came out to hunt for my fourth Soul Ring, and happened to run into you making a world of chaos here."
He glanced at Dugu Yan, who was standing behind her grandfather. The little girl nervously peeked out from behind him, her pair of green eyes curiously sizing Jiang Lin up.
Dugu Bo chuckled and pulled Dugu Yan in front of him.
"Yan Yan, this is the Young Master I told you about. Hurry and pay your respects."
Dugu Yan was usually carefree, spoiled by Dugu Bo, but she knew how to behave when it mattered.
The young man before her even had her grandfather treating him with the utmost respect. What was more, he was the savior of their family, so naturally she didn't dare act out of line. She bowed properly and said in a clear voice:
"This is Dugu Yan, paying her respects to the Young Master."
Dugu Bo nodded repeatedly. His gaze fell on the black Soul Ring from the Golden Thunder Python, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Is the Young Master planning to use the Golden Thunder Python as his fourth Soul Ring?"
"Mm."
Jiang Lin nodded without denying it.
But Dugu Bo was a little worried.
"Isn't that... too dangerous?"
"How could anyone grow stronger without taking risks?"
As he spoke, Jiang Lin glanced at the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd in his hand. The crimson patterns on its shaft pulsed faintly, resonating strongly with the Golden Thunder Python's Soul Ring.
He sat cross-legged beside the serpent's corpse and nodded to Tang Yuan and Elder Chen.
"Uncle Tang, Elder Chen, stand guard for me. Dugu Bo, keep an eye on our surroundings too. That commotion just now was so great, it might attract something else."
Dugu Bo acknowledged him and released the Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon Martial Soul again, spreading a barrier of poisonous mist around them.
Tang Yuan stood beside Jiang Lin with the Clear Sky Hammer on his shoulder. Elder Chen's Three-Eyed Fire Leopard slowly opened its vertical pupils, while the auras of two Titled Douluo intertwined, forming an invisible line of defense.
Jiang Lin took a deep breath and reached out, probing the black Soul Ring with his Soul Power.
The instant the Soul Ring touched his Soul Power, an extremely violent energy of lightning attribute surged into his body along his arm, mixed with the uniquely overbearing pressure of a golden bloodline.
This power was countless times stronger than what he had faced when absorbing his third Soul Ring. It was almost enough to tear his meridians apart on the spot.
Jiang Lin groaned, veins bulging on his forehead. He laid the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd across his knees. The crimson patterns on its shaft lit up in unison, frantically devouring the lightning attribute energy surging into his body.
The Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd was a lightning attribute Martial Soul in its own right, with a natural affinity for absorbing the power of thunder and lightning.
Though the Golden Thunder Python's Soul Power was violent, the moment it entered his meridians, the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd continually absorbed and transformed it. The raging lightning serpents gradually grew tame within the patterns on its shaft.
But the real trouble was that golden bloodline.
It was an immensely proud power. Once it entered his body, it paid no heed to the guidance of his Soul Power. Instead, it rampaged through his meridians, as if judging whether this human was worthy of inheriting its power.
Jiang Lin clenched his teeth and drove all his Soul Power toward the golden bloodline, hemming it in. Fiendish energy poured out of his Martial Soul and clashed head-on with the golden bloodline.
Pain surged over him like a tide, but his back remained perfectly still.
After who knew how long, his rich Soul Power and fiendish energy finally subdued the golden bloodline by force, and it merged into every part of his body.
Jiang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
A flash of golden lightning flickered in his pupils, then vanished in an instant.
He raised his right hand and loosely curled his fingers. A dark golden arc of electricity danced in his palm, crackling sharply.
The arc was more solid and more ferocious than before.
His fourth Soul Ring slowly rose around him—black, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring nearly thirty thousand years old. At the same time, as he absorbed it, his Soul Power broke through its bottleneck, leaping three levels from level forty and settling firmly at the peak of level forty-three.
"Congratulations, Young Master."
Dugu Bo spoke first, his delight unmistakable.
Tang Yuan nodded slightly as well. He said nothing, but a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.
Jiang Lin stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling the power surging through him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Then his gaze fell on Dugu Yan, who was looking at him with admiration.
His fourth Soul Ring was nearly thirty thousand years old. What kind of genius was he?
He was far more impressive than that Yu Tianheng who was always pestering her.
Qian Renxue led Snake Lance and Ci Xue several miles away. Only after confirming they had left the two Titled Douluo's range of perception did she stop beside a mountain stream.
The gentle smile she wore as Xue Qinghe had completely vanished from her face, replaced by a grave stillness.
"Could you not see through the one in the gray robe?" she asked, turning to Ci Xue.
Naturally, she meant Tang Yuan.
Ci Xue shook his head, his tone certain.
"I couldn't. I couldn't even sense his Martial Soul. He never released his Soul Rings, and even his Soul Power fluctuations were extremely faint.
"But that's precisely what makes him so frightening. The pressure he gave me was no weaker than the Great Enshrined's."
Qian Renxue fell silent.
Her grandfather, the Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu, was Spirit Hall's true guardian, a Level 99 Limit Douluo.
That gray-robed man naturally couldn't have reached such heights, but the fact that Ci Xue had said this meant that the other man was at least a level ninety-seven Peak Douluo.
A level ninety-three Fire Leopard Douluo and a mysterious gray-robed powerhouse were acting as bodyguards for a boy in his teens.
And then there was Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, who had never bowed to anyone...
"That boy..."
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes, recalling the figure that had leapt out of the shadows.
A blood-red halberd, impeccable timing, decisive action.
At his age, with such courage, he even had three Titled Douluo-level fighters gathered around him.
"Look into it when we get back."
Qian Renxue set her thoughts aside. "Focus on that boy's Martial Soul and background. Remember, don't alert him."
Snake Lance and Ci Xue answered in unison.
Just then, Qian Renxue suddenly looked up toward the northern horizon.
A streak of azure light hurtled through the air at incredible speed, its flight path both sharp and graceful, trailing a long streak of blue behind it.
The streak circled once above the three of them, then its light faded as it slowly descended before Qian Renxue.
The newcomer was a tall, slender middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face. His black hair was tied atop his head with a jade hairpin, and his azure robe snapped in the wind.
Nine Soul Rings slowly revolved around him.
In his hand, he carried an unconscious Soul Beast—a huge eagle, snow-white from head to tail, with a wingspan of nearly three meters. A gentle golden glow rimmed its feathers, and a cluster of golden plumes grew from its forehead. Even unconscious, it emanated a faint, sacred aura.
A Holy Light Eagle!
At the sight of him, Qian Renxue stepped forward, her voice carrying a rare note of affection.
"Grandpa Azure Luan."
Before you continue