The One Who Guards the Way

"This is a bit troublesome."

Ling Yi looked at "Medusa" who was climbing the mountain and suddenly said in a serious tone.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "What's wrong? Isn't now the perfect time for that guy to go up the mountain?"

Indeed, the "Demon Dragon Zixi" on the mountain, already severely injured from being struck twice by heavenly lightning, was now in a worse state. Even though its cultivation level was significantly higher than Medusa's, and its combat strength far surpassed hers, in this weakened state, facing the lurking and well-rested Medusa, the outcome was still uncertain!

"Look, the wound on the abdomen of that ' Demon Dragon Zixi '..." Ling Yi pointed to the ' Fog Mountain ' and gave a hint.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo and the other two adjusted the angle of their binoculars and looked at the abdomen of the "Demon Dragon Zixi".

The long, narrow, golden wound that was originally several feet long had inexplicably shrunk considerably.

"Man proposes, God disposes."

Ling Yi and said, "I thought I could use the power of the heavenly lightning to further reduce the strength of ' Demon Dragon Zixi '. Who knew that it would inadvertently use the power of the heavenly lightning to erase the Bone-Clinging Gangrene wounds on its body..."

This was truly beyond Ling Yi's expectations.

Ling Yi considered the possibility of other powerful Soul Master or high-level Soul Beast interfering; he had also considered that "Demon Dragon Zixi" would ignore the heavenly lightning and use the mountain as cover to protect itself; he had even considered that if "Medusa" still couldn't make up her mind, he should try to dispel her concerns and guide her step by step up the mountain to fight "Demon Dragon Zixi"...

As for "Demon Dragon Zixi" using heavenly lightning to dissipate the domineering and divine power that Qian Daoliu left on it, such protagonist treatment only flashed through Ling Yi's mind and he did not include it in the "normal accidents".

Fortunately, it's not a big problem.

Ling Yi turned his attention to "Medusa," who was about to climb halfway up the mountain, and decided to sit back and watch the show.

Whether it's "Demon Dragon Zixi" or "Medusa", if Ling Yi really doesn't care about the cost, given the combined combat power they can currently mobilize, it's not impossible for them to kill them head-on.

However, just like the "common accidents" we considered earlier, in this perilous "Sunset Forest," what if we finally manage to hunt down our target after all our efforts, only to have some kind of Soul Beast or Soul Master suddenly appear, wanting to reap the rewards and also taking care of our "vanguard" in the process? Wouldn't that be as unjust as snow falling in June?

In online games, there's a tradition of trying to get the last drop of blood from a boss and specifically camping out low-health characters. But reality isn't a game where characters can be Resurrection; once you're dead, you're truly dead. Unless you're the main character, there won't be Divine Realm beings like the God of Food of Food or the Nine-Colored Goddess to give you Resurrection Resurrection.

While Ling Yi was still silently calculating in his mind, a bloody battle broke out on the other side of ' Fog Mountain ' as expected.

It must be said that while Medusa is cautious enough, once she makes up her mind, she is also decisive enough. When she climbed up the mountain with her thick snake tail, and saw the Demon Dragon Zixi lying on the ground on the mountainside of Fog Mountain, concentrating on dissipating the remaining holy sword energy in its abdomen, she immediately withdrew her aura and crept up to it.

Just as they were about two zhang away, just before the "Demon Dragon Zixi" was about to notice, two thin, grayish-white beams of light shot out from Medusa's eyes, aiming straight for the "Demon Dragon Zixi's " heart.

As both being of the dragon and snake family, Medusa was well aware of her own strengths and weaknesses compared to her target.

However, "Demon Dragon Zixi" is not an ordinary Soul Beast, but a hegemon-level Soul Beast with a certain true dragon bloodline. Putting aside other worlds, in the world of the Douluo Continent alone, it is a beast that can make beings such as Titan Giant Ape and Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear stand up and say that everyone here is trash.

Medusa's petrifying ray missed the heart of the Demon Dragon Zixi. Just a hair's breadth away, a three-toed claw gleaming with cold light appeared and grabbed at the petrifying ray.

"Hold head high--!"

With a long cry of "Demon Dragon Zixi," filled with intense killing intent, a pair of scarlet pupils stared intently at "Medusa," who emerged from behind a wisp of mist.

Due to the angle, neither Ling Yi and his group, who were more than ten miles away, nor Medusa, who was right in front of them, could see the abdomen of the "Demon Dragon Zixi," and therefore could not determine whether the other party's injuries had been brought under control.

But at this point, the situation had reached a point where it was inevitable to act, and Medusa could no longer back down.

With Dugu Bo's expectant gaze, the battle between "Demon Dragon Zixi" and "Medusa" finally began atop "Fog Mountain".

The battles are filled with violent aesthetics. Whether it's the imposing moves of "Demon Dragon Zixi" or the intelligent responses and counterattacks of "Medusa", any academy in the Douluo Continent could offer a course on them.

It was clear that "Demon Dragon Zixi" was in very bad condition. Apart from the large amount of Soul Power consumed by the two previous heavenly lightning strikes, the sacred sword energy that had been tormenting it for the past four years had not been completely worn away and still remained at the wound site with about one-third of it.

Clearly, while it wasn't the best time for Medusa to sneak up the mountain, it wasn't bad either, as it was still a low point for the "Demon Dragon Zixi".

On the summit of a solitary peak resembling a broken sword, more than ten miles away, a light drizzle was gradually subsiding. While focusing on the great battle, Ling Yi and his companions also remained vigilant about their surroundings, lest a situation like "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, the hunter lurking in the grass" truly occur.

Fortunately, the sudden downpour, along with the two consecutive bolts of lightning, frightened the surrounding Soul Beast that might have been curious, keeping them too afraid to move. Furthermore, there were no signs of human Soul Master moving within a radius of several dozen miles, effectively clearing the area to some extent.

About half an hour later, the great battle on "Fog Mountain" came to an end.

At this moment, "Demon Dragon Zixi" was in a very bad state. The wound on its abdomen, which had already shrunk by nearly half, tore open again, and many parts of its body turned into a deathly grayish-white color. Most importantly, its physical strength and Soul Power had both plummeted to rock bottom. Apart from its still relatively sturdy scales, it was almost like a lamb to the slaughter.

Medusa wasn't in much better shape either. In fact, if we disregard the wound caused by the holy sword energy in the abdomen of the "Demon Dragon Zixi," Medusa's injuries were far more severe.

At this point, the two Soul Beast will have to compete in willpower to determine a winner, assuming no external interference.

But it was clear that Dugu Bo, who had been lying in wait in the shadows for more than three months, a full hundred days, would never give up this golden opportunity that was within his grasp.

Well, no, that's not right either. It should be that Ling Yi devised a good opportunity for him.

Just as Dugu Bo cast a look of gratitude and admiration at Ling Yi, and was about to set off down the mountain to head towards ' Fog Mountain ', Ling Yi calmly tapped the Storage Soul Tool again and again, taking out yet another pile of strange and unusual items.

A dozen or so hollow metal tubes of varying lengths, several pieces of ultra-thin leather tanned from the belly skin of a thousand-year-old whale shark-like Soul Beast, and some small and exquisite metal accessories.

While Dugu Bo, Ah Yin, and Yang Shelly were completely dumbfounded, Ling Yi deftly assembled four single-person hang gliders.

On the summit of this solitary peak, nearly a thousand meters high, four Soul Master —one a level 70 Quasi- Soul Saint and the other three a level 40-something Soul Ancestor —controlled a hang glider used by an ordinary person. After just a little practice, they were able to achieve a level comparable to those master-level enthusiasts in Ling Yi's previous life.

And so, amidst the drizzling rain, four figures, like swimming fish, glided and swam in mid-air, flying from the solitary peak, which resembled a broken sword nearly a thousand meters high, to the ' Fog Mountain,' which was only five hundred meters high and more than ten miles away.

After slightly adjusting their direction, Dugu Bo, Ling Yi, and the others silently began to circle above "Fog Mountain".

As the "Demon Dragon Zixi" below once again became entangled with "Medusa," Dugu Bo seized the opportunity, unfastened the clasps securing his body, and leaped down from mid-air towards the two Soul Beast.

In order to achieve a one-hit kill, Ling Yi even lent his own Azure Wood Battle Armor to Dugu Bo before setting off, so that Dugu Bo could wear it and enhance his combat power.

The current "Demon Dragon Zixi" and "Medusa" should not be as weak as they were when Dugu Bo took advantage of them in the original timeline. However, Ling Yi is confident that the current Dugu Bo is nearly twice as strong as he was at level 70 in the original timeline!

In mid-air, Dugu Bo was upside down, shooting straight down like an arrow. When he was still seven or eight meters away from the mountain, two sharp Miao swords appeared in Dugu Bo's hands. With a sudden swing of his arm, the two Miao swords immediately transformed into two streams of light, shooting towards the bodies of "Demon Dragon Zixi" and "Medusa" respectively.

This is a weapon that Ling Yi specially crafted for Dugu Bo in ' Heaven Dou City '. Compared to its troublesome and terrifying poison attribute, the "Jade Phosphorous Serpent" Martial Soul is not as good as those Tool Martial Soul with blades when it comes to offensive capabilities.

The divine weapons forged by Ling Yi, the Divine Craftsman, have surpassed the Tool Martial Soul of the vast majority of Soul Master. At least below the Soul Emperor level, there are few Soul Master whose Tool Martial Soul can compare with the divine weapons produced by Ling Yi, whether it is the "Soul Breaking Spear" of the Breaking Clan or the "Clear Sky Hammer" of the Clear Sky Clear Sky Sect.

Furthermore, if the Soul Master's Soul Power is added, the strength these divine weapons can achieve can be enhanced to the level of Soul Douluo!

This is backed by the newly promoted Soul Douluo Tie Futu, so it's absolutely reliable!

The two Miao swords in Dugu Bo's hands certainly didn't reach the level of Tool Martial Soul Douluo, but they still gave him, a peak Soul Emperor, the destructive power of Soul Saint ahead of time.

Without any hesitation, the two Miao swords pierced through the bodies of "Demon Dragon Zixi" and "Medusa" simultaneously, pinning the two beasts to the solid mountain.

Because of its enormous size and the fact that it was a key target of Dugu Bo's attention, Dugu Bo focused 80% of his attention on the "Demon Dragon Zixi" during this surprise attack. The Miao Blade went straight for the space between its eyebrows, piercing through its brain in an instant and destroying its independent consciousness.

Medusa, whose body was relatively smaller, was pierced through the chest, collapsed to the ground, bleeding from her mouth and nose, and on the verge of death.

Seeing that the surprise attack had gone so smoothly, Ling Yi and the other two circled once in mid-air to make sure there were no unexpected situations below the mountain. They then unfastened the buckles on their bodies and descended up the mountain.

During their descent, the three of them cautiously took out their one-handed shields in case of any potential attacks.

When Ling Yi stepped onto the ground of "Fog Mountain" and came to Dugu Bo's side, he saw that the other party looked lost and helpless, looking at the nearly ten-zhang-long body of the demonic dragon a few meters away.

"This... this is... done?!" Dugu Bo turned his head and asked Ling Yi with a somewhat bewildered look.

"Otherwise what?" Ling Yi replied calmly.

Dugu Bo paused upon hearing this, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then glanced at the still slightly trembling body of the demonic dragon out of the corner of his eye, and didn't know what to say.

That's a dragon-born overlord-level Soul Beast with nearly 50,000 years of cultivation!

Without any fighting, without any bloodshed, and without even much consumption of his Soul Power, he died so easily at his own hands. Dugu Bo felt a sense of unreality, as if he were in a dream.

"Senior, you don't think those two bolts of heavenly lightning were so easy to withstand, do you?"

Ling Yi lifted his foot and crushed a brittle stone beside him, feeling the faint tingling sensation between his toes, and asked.

Under such divine might, "Demon Dragon Zixi" seemed to have caught it easily, but the amount of energy consumed during that process was absolutely unimaginable to those who experienced it firsthand.

This is also why Ling Yi's expression was solemn when he discovered that "Demon Dragon Zixi" used the power of heavenly thunder to wear down the sacred sword energy left by Qian Daoliu.

Fortunately, the "Demon Dragon Zixi" at that time was only outwardly strong but inwardly weak. In addition, it was caught off guard by the "Medusa's" surprise attack. The injuries that were originally expected to recover not only failed to solve the root problem, but also, because it was caught in the battle, it was unable to mobilize its Soul Power to suppress them. The remaining holy sword energy went berserk and launched a death threat to it from the inside.

Dugu Bo was in a daze, but that didn't stop the purple-black Soul Power from emanating from the body of "Demon Dragon Zixi" after its death.

Gradually, as time passed, a dark halo gathered and took shape on the corpse of "Demon Dragon Zixi".

Ling Yi waved to Yang Shelly and Ah Yin, signaling them to keep an eye on the area below and be on guard. He then said to Dugu Bo:

"Senior, hurry up and absorb the Soul Ring! We've been waiting for so long, Xiao Xin and Ah Yin must be getting impatient in ' Heaven Dou City '!"

"Um!"

Dugu Bo nodded forcefully, took a deep breath, and sat cross-legged in front of the corpse of "Demon Dragon Zixi". He mobilized his Soul Power and guided it towards the dark Soul Ring.

Seeing Dugu Bo's solemn expression and the tendency for his capillaries to burst under the onslaught of the immense Soul Power, Ling Yi was not worried. Over the years, Dugu Bo had also cultivated the body-tempering secret techniques created by Ling Yi, and in terms of physical fitness, he was one of the best among Beast Martial Soul Master of the same level.

Furthermore, since Dugu Bo hadn't really put up a fight from beginning to end, and was at his peak in terms of mental state, Soul Power, and physical strength, if he still couldn't successfully absorb the Soul Ring of the "Demon Dragon Zixi," then Ling Yi should suspect that the Dugu Bo in the original timeline actually absorbed the Soul Ring of this Soul Beast.

Seeing Dugu Bo immersed in absorbing the Soul Ring, Yang Shelly and Ah Yin also came to the edge near the mountainside to watch the movements below. Ling Yi's gaze fell on the corpse of "Demon Dragon Zixi" and "Medusa" who was not completely dead and had not yet condensed Soul Ring.

Similar to the inner core of Dragon Ball, and the ten-thousand-year-old Head Soul Bone of Dugu Bo in the original story.

To be fair, these two items are definitely valuable, but Ling Yi wasn't thinking about keeping them for himself. Instead, he was considering how to use them on Dugu Bo to maximize the latter's strength and complete his plan to create a protector.

Compared to the Tie Futu, who are not good at fighting, although the opponent is now Soul Douluo, in Ling Yi's opinion, Dugu Bo, who achieved the title of "Poison Douluo" in the original work, undoubtedly has greater potential.

To be continued tomorrow, goodnight everyone~