Dugu Bo's Repayment, the Eighty-Thousand-Year Thunder Fire Phoenix Tree

The Purple Mist Scorpion King let out a furious shriek. Its massive body lunged at Gu Qing with speed utterly mismatched to its size. Both pincers struck out while its tail hook carved an arc through the air, attacking from three directions and sealing off every angle of escape. It intended to kill him in a single blow!

Gu Qing did not dodge. He raised his right hand as a layer of warm, jade-colored light gathered around his fist. Taking half a step forward, he threw a punch directly at the Purple Mist Scorpion King's descending giant pincer.

Fist and pincer collided. There was no explosion, no shockwave—only a dull crack of breaking bone that made teeth ache. Starting from the tip of the pincer, the Purple Mist Scorpion King's claw shattered. Cracks raced across its carapace to the base, and the entire giant claw broke into more than a dozen fragments beneath his fist, spraying dark green venomous blood everywhere.

The Scorpion King released an utterly miserable scream. Its enormous body was knocked sideways by that punch, plowing a deep furrow through the ground.

Dugu Yan's mouth fell open, and all her teammates stared wide-eyed. No Martial Soul, no soul rings, yet he had shattered the giant claw of a five-thousand-year Purple Mist Scorpion King with one punch—what kind of monster was this boy?!

Gu Qing walked over to Dugu Yan, lowered his gaze to examine the wound on her left shoulder, then took a small porcelain bottle from his waist and handed it to her. "Apply it externally. It stops bleeding and neutralizes poison."

"Th... thank you, Senior!" Dugu Yan accepted the bottle, her voice hoarse with the relief of surviving the ordeal and involuntary reverence.

Senior!

In Dugu Yan's eyes, anyone capable of such a feat could not possibly be her age. He had to be some high-level Soul Master who had cultivated to the point of regaining his youth.

She raised her head. Gu Qing's figure was reflected in her dark green snake eyes, and she suddenly felt that this senior was not only powerful, but exceptionally handsome as well!

"Senior, what... what rank of Soul Master are you?" A less severely injured male teammate behind Dugu Yan could not help asking, his voice filled with awe. Shattering the giant claw of a five-thousand-year soul beast with one punch was something even a Soul Emperor might not accomplish, much less someone who had not even released his Martial Soul.

Gu Qing glanced at him without answering, merely shaking his head slightly. His expression seemed to say, "It doesn't matter." The male team member inexplicably felt guilty under that gaze, shrank his neck, and did not dare ask again.

Suddenly, a dark green figure shot out of the distant woods and landed before Dugu Yan. It was a tall, thin middle-aged man in a dark green robe, with a sinister face and a pair of emerald snake eyes identical to Dugu Yan's. Faint dark green poison mist swirled around him.

The lingering poison mist had yet to disperse from around him, and his breathing was somewhat hurried. Clearly, he had just gone through an intense battle.

"Yan Yan!" Dugu Bo hurriedly supported his granddaughter. When he saw the wound on her left shoulder still seeping blood, his pupils contracted. Then he abruptly turned around and warily examined the unfamiliar young man before him.

His gaze swept over the Purple Mist Scorpion King twitching on the ground, its giant claw shattered, its carapace cracked, dark green venomous blood spilling all over the ground. Then he looked at Gu Qing, who had no soul rings and was not in Martial Soul Possession. Shock and apprehension flashed through his eyes.

"Grandpa!"

Dugu Yan hurriedly grabbed Dugu Bo's sleeve. "This senior shattered the Purple Mist Scorpion King's pincer with one punch and saved me and my teammates. Don't misunderstand him."

Dugu Bo relaxed slightly, though he still watched Gu Qing vigilantly. "Thank you for saving Yan Yan. I am Dugu Bo. May I know your esteemed name?"

"Gu Qing, headmaster of Self Academy."

Gu Qing paused and pointed behind him. "This is my younger sister, Tang San. This is Teacher Liu Erlong."

Dugu Bo's gaze lingered on Liu Erlong for a moment. He knew that she was the headmaster of Blue Tyrant Academy and a notable figure among the Soul Masters of Heaven Dou City. Yet the renowned Fire Dragon Battle Soul Saint now stood quietly at a young man's side, clearly treating him as the leader.

Dugu Bo suppressed the shock and doubt in his heart and cupped his hands toward Gu Qing. "So you are Headmaster Gu. Thank you for saving Yan Yan. I owe you a favor. If there is anything you need help with, just say the word."

"Perfect." Gu Qing did not stand on ceremony. He raised his hand and pointed at himself and Tang San behind him.

"San and I came to Sunset Forest this time to hunt soul rings. I need a lightning-element, offensive plant soul beast over seventy thousand years old, while San needs a life-element, healing plant soul beast between thirty and forty thousand years old. Senior Dugu, you are familiar with Sunset Forest. Do you know of any suitable targets?"

The moment he finished speaking, the clearing fell silent.

Dugu Bo's hand froze midway through stroking his beard, his fingers stiff in the air. His emerald snake eyes narrowed slightly as he reassessed the young man before him. A soul ring over seventy thousand years old?

One had to know that the normal limit for the seventh soul ring was only around fifty thousand years. Soul rings over seventy thousand years were generally targets only Soul Douluo-level experts would consider. Could this kid be aiming for the rank of Titled Douluo?

Dugu Yan, standing behind Dugu Bo, still held the porcelain bottle Gu Qing had given her, her hand frozen in midair. Her dark green snake eyes were filled with disbelief.

Seventy thousand years!

She knew exactly what that number represented. It was a terrifying existence that even Titled Douluo-level experts had to confront cautiously! Yet this young man, who appeared only a little older than her, wanted to hunt a seventy-thousand-year soul ring?

Dugu Yan's teammates exchanged looks, especially the male team member who had just asked Gu Qing about his rank. Cold sweat now poured down his back.

Liu Erlong folded her arms across her chest, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. Seeing the old monster Dugu Bo so stunned, she inexplicably felt a little better. At least she was no longer the only one frightened by this kid's absurd demands.

Dugu Bo was, after all, a veteran Soul Saint who had weathered many storms. He quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stroked his beard, and pondered for a moment.

"A pure lightning-element plant soul beast over seventy thousand years old... I have lived in seclusion in Sunset Forest for most of my life, yet I have indeed never seen one. Lightning-element plant soul beasts are exceedingly rare to begin with, and those capable of growing beyond seventy thousand years are rarer still. Perhaps only the core region of Star Dou Great Forest could contain one."

Then his tone shifted, and a sharp glint flashed through his emerald eyes.

"However, I do know of a special dual-element lightning-and-fire plant soul beast. It grows deep within Sunset Forest. It is an eighty-thousand-year Thunder Fire Phoenix Tree, located in the Thunder Fire Basin at the very heart of the forest."

"That place is shrouded in thunderclouds all year round, while underground fire surges beneath it. Amid the clash of lightning and fire, no other soul beast dares approach within several miles.

"I accidentally entered that area years ago and nearly got struck by a bolt of heavenly lightning. Even now, the memory still makes my heart tremble."

When Gu Qing heard the words "Thunder Fire Phoenix Tree," his brows stirred slightly, but he did not interrupt Dugu Bo. Its lightning element was not as violent as pure lightning, but it possessed an added layer of fire-element explosiveness. Paired with the destructive power of the Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus, it might actually be more suitable than a pure lightning attribute.

Though it was not the ideal Thunder Hell Vine, the potential of this alternative was no less impressive.