The Stirring of the Yinglong Martial Soul

After Huang Long fed Dugu Yan a drop of his blood, her pain visibly eased considerably.

Although the expression of pain had vanished from her face, the bones throughout her body still crackled and creaked, as though she were being reborn.

The pale black soul ring beneath her gradually stabilized as well, slowly connecting with her other three soul rings.

Only then did Dugu Bo finally relax.

He turned and clasped his hands in a bow toward Huang Long. "Holy Son, you've saved Yan Yan's life again! This old man..."

Before he could finish, Huang Long raised a hand and cut him off.

"Since we're all on the same side now, there's no need to be so polite."

"Go see how Dugu Yan is doing."

"Alright!" Dugu Bo nodded with a smile and turned his attention back to Dugu Yan.

Time slipped quietly by, and before long, the sun set once more.

When night fell, a cloud of dark green Soul Power suddenly flared around Dugu Yan's body like burning flames.

The instant she opened her eyes—

Buzz—!

A surging wave of Soul Power erupted, and a blast of air spread outward from her in every direction.

It was a sign of a breakthrough!

Dugu Bo hurried over and asked with concern, "Yan Yan, how do you feel?"

After gently exhaling a breath of stale air, Dugu Yan sensed the changes within herself and immediately jumped up in excitement.

"Grandpa, my Soul Power has broken through to level forty-eight!"

"What? Level forty-eight?!" Dugu Bo was instantly overjoyed.

Yet Dugu Yan scratched her head in confusion.

She clearly remembered that before absorbing the soul ring, she had only been level forty-three.

Even if absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring could raise her by two levels, that should have only brought her to level forty-five.

How had she somehow gained three extra levels out of nowhere?

And for some reason, her mouth felt sweet, carrying a pleasant, fragrant scent.

At that moment, Xiao Wu gave a soft snort. "You just got ridiculously lucky. If Dragon God hadn't fed you a drop of his blood, how could you have improved so quickly?"

She had no idea how jealous she was of Dugu Yan for receiving a drop of Dragon God's blood!

Even as a maid by Dragon God's side, she had never received such treatment.

It was so infuriating!

"A drop of blood?" Dugu Yan looked completely baffled, having no idea what had happened.

Only after Dugu Bo explained did she finally understand.

No wonder the lingering soul consciousness of that soul beast had struggled so fiercely before she absorbed the soul ring, only to suddenly stop later on.

So Huang Long's drop of blood had helped her!

At a time like that, he had actually used his own blood to help me.

Dugu Yan looked up at Huang Long, warmth filling her heart.

"Thank you."

Huang Long merely smiled. "No need to thank me. But next time, remember to give me a heads-up before you make a move. Otherwise, I won't be prepared."

Dugu Yan froze for a moment. Once she understood what he meant, her cheeks instantly burned crimson, even the tips of her ears turning red.

As clever as she was, how could she fail to catch the hidden meaning in Huang Long's words? He was clearly referring to the kiss she had given him earlier.

Xiao Wu and Dugu Bo, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. Why had Dugu Yan suddenly blushed?

Sea Dragon Douluo and Sea Maiden Douluo understood perfectly, but they merely smiled and said nothing.

Dugu Bo did not think much of it and instead asked about the effects of her fourth soul skill.

Dugu Yan did not hide anything and directly demonstrated the fourth soul skill she had just obtained.

Fourth Soul Skill: Toxic Dragon Transformation.

After activating it, her strength and defense both increased by 100%, while the power of her poison attribute rose by 150%, lasting for thirty minutes.

Though it was not as stunning as Xiao Wu's teleportation, it was still a rare and excellent skill.

With the Jade Phosphorus Poison Flood Dragon's already formidable base strength and defense, combined with this enhancement, it was enough to transform her from a control-type Soul Master directly into a power-attack battle Soul Master.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Dugu Bo said "good" three times in a row, slapping his thigh in excitement.

He turned around and tightly grasped Huang Long's hands. "Holy Son, we truly have you to thank this time! Otherwise, Yan Yan could never have obtained this ten-thousand-year soul ring."

"How about this? Tomorrow, I'll treat everyone to a proper meal at the finest restaurant in Heaven Dou City, as a small token of my gratitude."

Xiao Wu immediately jumped up when she heard that. "Great! We can finally leave this place!"

She had always been someone who couldn't stay still. Two days in this wilderness had already been her limit.

And there weren't even any of her favorite carrots here.

If Huang Long hadn't been around, she would have run off long ago.

Now that she heard Dugu Bo was going out and planned to take them to the biggest restaurant for a meal, she practically started drooling.

Seeing how ravenous she looked, Huang Long shook his head with a laugh. "Wipe your drool. Don't let people laugh at you."

"And we're only going out for a meal. Once we're done eating, we still have to come back here and continue cultivating."

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is at its richest here. Cultivating here for one day is equivalent to training painstakingly outside for a month."

"If you want to grow stronger quickly, you can't slack off."

Xiao Wu immediately nodded seriously. "Lord Dragon God, I understand! I definitely won't let you down!"

Everyone smiled, then set up tents where they were and rested.

The night passed without incident.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

After tidying up, the group temporarily left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Just as Dugu Bo had said, there were indeed far more people in the forest.

They had not gone more than a hundred meters from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well when they ran into a group head-on.

There were four people in that group, all wearing the robes exclusive to consecrated experts of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, with a swan emblem embroidered on their chests.

However, they clearly recognized Dugu Bo and did not dare make a move. After exchanging a few perfunctory words, they turned and left.

Dugu Bo watched their retreating backs, his brows knitting slightly.

"I didn't expect even the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's consecrated experts to have tracked this place down. Holy Son, should we get rid of them?"

"Forget it. Better to avoid trouble when possible."

Huang Long waved a hand. As long as they had not discovered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's secret, they could search however they pleased.

To be safe, he had Dugu Bo double the poisonous mist surrounding the valley of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well before finally leaving with peace of mind.

After leaving Sunset Forest, the group rented a carriage in a small town on the outskirts and headed straight back to Heaven Dou City.

The carriage traveled without stopping, and by the time they reached Heaven Dou City, it was nearly noon.

However, as the carriage approached the city gates, the road ahead suddenly became blocked.

A completely gilded carriage was moving slowly along the official road, surrounded before and behind by more than a dozen guards in silver armor. It looked exceptionally imposing.

"Whose carriage is that? Why is it moving so slowly? How annoying!" Xiao Wu leaned out the window, looking at the carriage with a disdainful curl of her lips.

Dugu Yan took one look, and her expression immediately turned solemn. "That's Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's carriage."

"The crown prince? Is he very impressive?" Xiao Wu looked at Dugu Yan in confusion.

Dugu Yan's mouth twitched slightly. "It's not a matter of whether he's impressive. It's a matter of status. When the crown prince travels, everyone has to give way."

But Xiao Wu was unconvinced. No matter how high this crown prince's status was, could it possibly be higher than Lord Dragon God's?

The moment she said that, everyone in the carriage could not help laughing.

Huang Long smiled as well. Looking at the incomparably luxurious carriage ahead, he raised a hand and touched his chest.

He could feel that the Yinglong martial soul within him seemed to have sensed something, inexplicably stirring with a faint tremor.

It did not feel like encountering an enemy.

It felt more like being mutually drawn to something.