Sword Qi Stretched Across the Land, Defeating Dugu Bo

At Dugu Bo's words, he rubbed his fists together. His Martial Soul had just evolved, and he, too, wanted a satisfying fight.

"Hahaha! That's exactly what I had in mind. How would you like to do this?"

Ye Guchen didn't hesitate either, immediately summoning his Shark Tooth Sword Martial Soul.

"Old Poison, you can suppress your Soul Power to level seventy and fight me. As long as you use the Seventh Soul Skill or anything above it, you lose."

At Ye Guchen's words, Dugu Bo didn't think he was being arrogant. Anyone who could grow into a Titled Douluo had to possess considerable talent.

For that very reason, he could appreciate all the more what it meant for Ye Guchen to have become a Soul King at such a young age.

"Good, good, good!"

After shouting "good" three times, Dugu Bo summoned his Jade Phosphor Poison Dragon Martial Soul.

Nine-tenths of Dugu Bo's abilities lay in poison; his close-combat skills were average.

The moment he used Martial Soul Possession, he sprang backward, putting distance between himself and Ye Guchen.

As he retreated, Dugu Bo shook both hands, sending three greenish phantoms shooting from his palms. They turned in midair into three clawing, roaring dragon shadows that lunged at Ye Guchen's face.

Third Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorus Dragon Shadow!

"Good!"

Ye Guchen's gaze sharpened. The Shark Tooth Sword trembled, ringing out with a clear, resonant hum.

He didn't take a single step back. Instead, he stepped forward and swept out a blade of light like a bolt of silk—Horizontal Sweep!

The instant his sword move left its sheath, four fierce streaks of sword light burst out at once, their movements hard to distinguish between real and illusory, fast as lightning.

"Shh, shh, shh—"

The three dragon shadows collided with the sword light and were instantly shredded into countless green specks, poison mist billowing in every direction.

But this was exactly the effect Dugu Bo wanted!

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he activated his Second Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorus Green Light.

The poison scattered by the sword light didn't dissipate. Instead, it took advantage of the momentum and turned into a dense, deep-green fog that rapidly spread outward from Ye Guchen.

Within a radius of ten meters, even the air turned a bizarre jade green, carrying a nauseatingly sweet, fishy stench.

Ye Guchen's breath caught. Though he had poison immunity, he still felt a stinging burn on the surface of his skin as he faced Dugu Bo.

But he didn't even furrow his brow.

"Heaven and Earth Shift!"

His figure abruptly turned elusive within the poison fog. He touched the ground lightly with his toes, and his whole body rose like a fallen leaf swept up by the wind, soaring on his sword qi.

The Shark Tooth Sword trailed a silver-white arc of sword qi, tearing a dazzling fissure through the green fog.

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted.

So fast!

Ye Guchen had already passed through the fog, his sword tip pointed straight at Dugu Bo's throat.

Before the sword arrived, its sword qi had already reached him.

The razor-sharp intent stung Dugu Bo's throat, making his Adam's apple tighten slightly.

He didn't try to meet the blow head-on.

Dugu Bo took several quick steps, twisting his body like a snake and barely evading the strike.

At the same time, he formed another hand seal, unleashing his Fourth Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorus Poison Swamp!

"Boom—"

The ground softened abruptly around Dugu Bo, transforming into a deadly poisonous swamp dotted with green bubbles.

The muddy swamp spread outward at a visible pace. Wherever it passed, the bluestone ground sizzled as it corroded.

The instant Ye Guchen landed, he felt the ground sink beneath his feet, and poison began creeping up from his ankles.

But his eyes held nothing but battle intent.

Long Rainbow Piercing the Sun!

Ye Guchen held the Shark Tooth Sword upright before him, gathering all his Soul Power at its tip in an instant. He became a silver-white beam, thrusting straight forward!

There was nothing fancy about this strike, only extreme speed and power.

Wherever the sword light passed, it tore a deep trench through the Jade Phosphorus Poison Swamp. Mud and venom flew to either side, unable to hinder it in the slightest.

Dugu Bo's expression shifted.

This kid... why was he only attacking and never defending?

The edge of this strike was far too sharp. His instincts told him that if he took it head-on, even with his Soul Power suppressed to level seventy, he would suffer badly.

He made his decision at once and unleashed his Sixth Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorus Ten Thousand Dragons!

"Roar, roar, roar—"

Countless green phantom dragons surged up behind Dugu Bo, densely packed like a tide of green, and swept toward Ye Guchen.

Thousands upon thousands of dragon shadows collided head-on with the sword light!

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—"

A dense string of explosions rang out as silver-white sword qi and jade-green dragon shadows tore into each other.

Every dragon shadow that was cut apart burst into a cloud of poison fog; for every step Ye Guchen advanced, he had to slash through dozens of phantom dragons.

But his sword light didn't slow in the slightest.

The momentum of Long Rainbow Piercing the Sun surged forward without pause. Those poisonous dragons couldn't stop him.

Dugu Bo's eye twitched slightly.

This kid's sword was far too domineering.

His expression darkened as he quietly activated his Fifth Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorus Bone Erosion.

This attack was formless and invisible, its poison seeping directly into the bones.

Ye Guchen felt a dull, numb ache spread through his limbs and bones, as if ten thousand ants were crawling inside them. His body's defenses and resilience were rapidly weakening.

An ordinary Soul King would have been doubled over in pain by now.

But Ye Guchen's sword remained as steady as a rock.

It even grew faster!

"Old Poison, watch out!"

Ye Guchen's voice came from within the sword light, carrying the exhilarated laughter of someone fighting to his heart's content.

The moment he broke through the phantom dragon horde, he stamped hard on the ground and shot upward like a great roc spreading its wings, soaring into the sky.

Dugu Bo looked up sharply.

In the dazzling sunlight, a sword descended from the heavens.

Sunset Banner!

That strike was so fast it was almost impossible to see its path.

The sword light split the sky, trailing scorching sword qi as it fell from above like the afterglow of a setting sun.

Beautiful enough to steal the senses, fast enough to leave no hope.

Dugu Bo's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

The edge of this strike... Soul Power at level seventy absolutely couldn't stop it!

The Soul Power suppressing his body vanished in an instant. The power of a level-ninety-two Titled Douluo surged forth like a breached dam.

"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul Avatar!"

Dark golden light burst from Dugu Bo. His Jade Phosphor Poison Dragon Martial Soul nearly took physical form, a dark-gold dragon more than ten meters long coiling behind him. It suddenly swept around and wrapped Dugu Bo within its body.

"Rumble—"

Sunset Banner collided with the Martial Soul Avatar, unleashing a deafening roar.

The sword qi slashed across the dragon's body, ripping open a wound deep enough to expose bone. Jade-green dragon blood sprayed through the air.

But in the end, the strike didn't break through.

Ye Guchen landed, lowered his sword, and stood with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Dugu Bo looked at the shocking sword mark on his dragon body. He was silent for a full three seconds before slowly raising his head and gazing at the young man before him with a complicated expression.

"Not bad, kid."

His voice was a little hoarse.

"That strike of yours forced this old man to break the rules."

Ye Guchen shrugged and returned the Shark Tooth Sword to his body, where it transformed back into his Martial Soul. "Old Poison, you let me win."

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes.

Let him win?

Like hell he had!

From beginning to end, the kid had kept him on the back foot, forcing him to bring out his Martial Soul Avatar at the very end.

This wasn't a spar. It was outright bullying an old man.

Dugu Bo dismissed his Martial Soul Avatar and looked at the savage wound on the dragon's body, clicking his tongue twice.

"Your swordsmanship is so forceful it's almost absurd. I've lived nearly a hundred years, and I've never seen a Soul King as unreasonable as you."

"If we're talking attack power alone and not technique, I'm afraid you've already surpassed Sword Dao Chenxin at the same level."

Ye Guchen was about to reply when a sharp cry suddenly came from behind him.

"Grandpa! What are you two doing?!"

They both turned around.

Dugu Yan had somehow already finished absorbing the Immortal Herb. She stood in the distance with her hands on her hips, her jade-green eyes wide open.

Behind her, the phantom of a Jade Phosphor Poison Dragon, more solid than before, flickered into view.

But right now, this Little Dragon Maiden, who had just completed her evolution, clearly wasn't paying attention to herself.

She hurried over, first looking at the wound on Dugu Bo's dragon body, then at Ye Guchen, who had put away his sword. Her expression turned a little peculiar.

"You hurt my grandpa?"

There was no accusation in her tone, only disbelief that her grandfather had lost to Ye Guchen.

Ye Guchen immediately raised his hands in surrender. "It was just a spar, just a spar. Old Poison himself said we were only testing each other."

Dugu Bo quickly smoothed things over. "Yanyan, it's fine, it's fine. We were only sparring. This kid's swordsmanship really is something. I almost couldn't block it..."

Dugu Yan snorted. Her gaze swept between the two of them before settling on Ye Guchen. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she merely turned her head away.

"Be more careful next time."

Her voice was tiny, like the buzz of a mosquito.

Dugu Bo felt his heart ache. "Ah... I'm the one who got hurt..."

Ye Guchen pretended he hadn't heard a thing and looked up at the sky.

"It's getting late. Old Poison, you and Miss Yanyan should head back and get used to your new Martial Souls. I'll take another look around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

With that, he turned and left, striding as fast as if someone were chasing him.

Watching his nearly fleeing back, Dugu Yan let out a laugh, then quickly forced her face back into a stern expression.

Dugu Bo stroked his beard, smiling without a word.

Ye Guchen came to a spot beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and clenched his fists. After the fight, he had gained a clear understanding of his current strength.

I think that with my current combat strength, I can hold my own even against some Soul Saints. Though Dugu Bo isn't good at attacking, he's still a Titled Douluo. Even with his strength suppressed to the Soul Saint level, his combat strength is enough to rival that of some Power Attack System Soul Saints.

Ye Guchen turned his gaze toward the nearby ice-and-fire spring.

The Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Marrow... If I send it to Dou I and let Xiao Bing absorb it, then the two bodies whose cultivation grows in sync with the Soul Beast can increase their Soul Power far faster as well.