Yu Tianlong walked forward and looked at the enormous Flame Lion King lying on the ground. Then he glanced at the two Luo Sanpao beside him, whose teamwork had been impeccable, and a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
"Well done."
Little Gold dispelled its Golden Dragon Body state. Though it had expended a great deal of energy, it was still highly excited. It went over to the Flame Lion King's corpse, lowered its head, and began devouring the flesh, which was rich in fire energy and Bloodline Power.
Little Silver went to the Flame Lion King's nose and mouth, absorbing the remnants of its fiery essence. For it, the innate flame of a Ten Thousand Year Flame Lion King was a rare feast.
Yu Tianlong sat cross-legged and drew the black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly toward himself.
The Soul Ring settled upon him.
A scorching Soul Power, brimming with explosive force, surged into his body like lava!
It was the Soul Power of the Ten Thousand Year Flame Lion King—domineering, blazing, and filled with a hunger for destruction!
But just as when he had absorbed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's Soul Ring, the energy Little Gold and Little Silver fed back guided him. The wild Soul Power was soon tamed, transformed into pure energy, and absorbed into every part of his body.
His Soul Power began to climb rapidly.
Level thirty-six... level thirty-seven... level thirty-eight...
When the Soul Ring had been completely absorbed, Yu Tianlong opened his eyes. Two golden flames seemed to flicker in his gaze.
"Level thirty-eight." He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, and smiled with satisfaction. "I'm only two levels away from becoming a Soul Ancestor."
He stood up and looked at the Flame Lion King's remains, which Little Gold and Little Silver had all but "divided between them." Then he glanced at the two Luo Sanpao beside him, whose auras had clearly grown stronger. His heart brimmed with confidence.
Yu Tianlong had just finished absorbing the Flame Lion King's Soul Ring and was about to stretch his limbs when he suddenly sensed a gaze fixed on him.
He spun around, instantly rousing his Soul Power. Little Gold and Little Silver entered battle mode at the same time, growling low warnings in that direction.
But when he recognized the person approaching, all his wariness turned to delight in an instant.
Beneath the shade of the trees some distance away stood a figure dressed in a dark green robe.
The man's dark green hair was somewhat disheveled. His face looked several years older than it had a few months ago, and more wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes. But his emerald-green eyes now shone brilliantly as he stared at Yu Tianlong without blinking, his expression full of incredulous joy.
"Senior Dugu!" Yu Tianlong blurted out, his voice brimming with barely restrained excitement.
Dugu Bo did not answer right away. He stood there, looking Yu Tianlong up and down as if making sure the person before him was real.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and trembling slightly. "You brat... you really are still alive."
His tone sounded calm, but Yu Tianlong noticed that his eyes had grown slightly red.
"I knew you wouldn't die so easily." Dugu Bo strode over and stopped in front of Yu Tianlong. He raised a hand as if to clap him on the shoulder, but let it hover in midair before drawing it back. In the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh.
"Good... you're alive. That's all that matters..."
Looking at Dugu Bo's face, clearly more haggard than it had been a few months earlier, Yu Tianlong felt a warmth well up inside him. He knew the old man truly cared about him.
When his family had betrayed him and the whole world had misunderstood him, someone had still worried about him and gone searching for him.
"Senior Dugu, I'm sorry for making you worry." Yu Tianlong bowed deeply.
"Spare me the empty formalities." Dugu Bo waved his hand, though he could not hide his excitement. "Come on, let's find somewhere to sit and talk. You're going to tell me exactly what's happened these past few months."
The two found a relatively flat rock and sat down. Yu Tianlong told Dugu Bo everything that had happened to him, from beginning to end.
He told him how Yu Yuanzhen had revealed his true intentions in the Star Dou Forest, how Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao had tried to devour Little Gold but had been cowed by its dragon might, how he had used Space Jump to flee into the Star Dou Forest Core Area, and how Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts had rescued him. He also told him that he had recuperated for a month beside the Lake of Life.
Of course, he left out the parts about the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King Bloodlines. He only said that he had been lucky enough to meet some friendly high-ranking Soul Beasts, without going into detail.
Dugu Bo fell silent for a long time after hearing everything.
Then he punched the rock beside him, cracking the hard volcanic stone!
"Bastard!" he cursed through gritted teeth, his eyes blazing with fury.
"That old bastard Yu Yuanzhen! He actually did something like this! He'd even snuff out a genius of his own family just to protect that good-for-nothing son of his! And then he turned around and slandered you as a traitor! Has he no shame?!"
"If he dared to do all that, he wasn't planning on keeping his dignity." Yu Tianlong sneered. "He thinks I'm as good as dead, and dead men can't defend themselves. He can say whatever he wants."
"What are you going to do, then?" Dugu Bo looked at him. "Just let it go?"
"Let it go?" A cold glint flashed in Yu Tianlong's eyes. "How could I? I'm no saint. If someone treats me well, I repay them a hundredfold. If someone tries to harm me, I won't let them get away with it. Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Xiaogang—I'll make that father and son pay sooner or later."
He paused, and his tone returned to normal. "But not now. I'm only level thirty-eight. Even with Little Gold and Little Silver, I couldn't take on a Titled Douluo. I need time, resources, and the strength to grow stronger."
Dugu Bo looked at him, approval flashing in his eyes.
"Thinking that way proves you haven't let hatred cloud your judgment. Good. Endure a moment's anger, and you'll be able to accomplish great things. Whatever resources you need, just tell me. My family isn't especially wealthy, but I can still provide what you need to cultivate."
"Thank you, Senior." Warmth filled Yu Tianlong's heart. Then he changed the subject. "But before that, there's something even more important I need to do."
"What is it?"
"Senior, you sent me a message before, saying you'd found a strange place in the Sunset Forest—a place where a Cold Pool and a Fire Pool coexisted, surrounded by all sorts of unusual plants. Do you still remember where it is?"
Dugu Bo paused, then suddenly understood. "You mean that place! Of course I remember. I've been there several times these past few months, but I don't recognize most of the plants inside, and I didn't dare touch anything for fear it might be poisonous. Why do you ask?"
Yu Tianlong stood up and looked at him, his gaze blazing. "Because that place may be the key to a complete transformation."
Seeing how serious he was, Dugu Bo asked no more questions. He stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. "All right, I'll take you there. Follow me."