Poison Douluo

Meng Yiran was around ten years old, at level twenty, and had absorbed a seven-hundred-year spirit ring, gaining her second spirit skill, Serpent Body.

As for him, he was six years old. His spirit power had been stuck at level twenty for a month, yet he had not even caught sight of his first spirit ring.

Though he had started higher than others, how could he not be anxious when he watched them obtain spirit rings one after another?

Huang Fei seemed to see the restlessness in his heart. Rarely, she reached out and patted his head. "What's the rush? The deeper we go into Dragon Valley, the better the quality of the spirit beasts.

"The Ironclad Dragon Bear isn't old enough, and the Mandala Snake's attributes don't suit you. Neither of them is your match. Your dragon beast is waiting for you deeper inside."

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and nodded.

He put aside his wild thoughts and turned his gaze toward the deeper reaches of Dragon Valley.

Mist churned, and dragon might surged like a tide. The Black Dragon King tattoo on his hand throbbed even more violently within that dense fog, as though it were guiding him toward something.

"Let's go," he said softly.

Huang Fei glanced at him, the corners of her lips lifting in an almost imperceptible arc before she stepped forward.

Lu Mingfei followed closely behind. Their figures gradually disappeared into the rolling gray mist of Dragon Valley's depths.

Deep within Dragon Valley's outer region, the fog grew ever thicker. An ancient, profound aura filled the air, as though countless slumbering colossal beasts were breathing in the darkness.

Huang Fei led Lu Mingfei along the winding valley path for another quarter of an hour.

The tattoo on the back of Lu Mingfei's hand remained warm and pulsing, its rhythm steadier than before, as if directing him toward a certain destination.

A rustling sound suddenly came from a hollow ahead.

Huang Fei halted and raised a hand, signaling Lu Mingfei to stop.

The two hid behind a massive Dragonblood Tree and looked ahead.

A huge jade-green snake lay coiled in the hollow. Its body was as thick as a bowl and more than twenty feet long.

Its scales gleamed with a dim green luster, like countless tiny jade gems embedded in the mist.

Its head was raised high, swaying slightly from side to side. Its crimson forked tongue flicked in and out, catching the scent of prey in the air.

A thin layer of green mist floated over its body. Wherever that mist settled on the ground, the weeds by the roadside swiftly withered and yellowed. It was clearly highly poisonous.

Huang Fei watched for a moment before speaking quietly. "A Jade Phosphor Snake, a little over seven hundred years old. Part of the Jade Phosphor Dragon bloodline flows within it, making it one of the dragon-blooded spirit beasts. Its primary attribute is poison."

Lu Mingfei studied the Jade Phosphor Snake thoughtfully.

A spirit beast over seven hundred years old would have been quite a good target when he and Huang Fei had first entered Dragon Valley.

But now, having seen more exceptional dragon-blooded spirit beasts such as the Ironclad Dragon Bear and the Dragonblood Mandala Snake, his standards had naturally risen.

Besides, Bibi Dong had advised him to prioritize the dark attribute. Although poison was related to corrosion, its path was too narrow, leaving limited room for future growth.

Huang Fei continued, "The Jade Phosphor Snake's poison attribute is indeed noteworthy, but its shortcomings are obvious...

"Other than poison, its abilities in every other aspect are unremarkable.

"Speed, strength, defense... among dragon-blooded spirit beasts of the same age, it can only be considered below average.

"Your Black Dragon King follows the path of darkness and corrosion. Poison may overlap with corrosion, but poison-type spirit skills can easily be resisted by high-level spirit masters through their spirit power barriers later on. Its upper limit isn't high enough."

After a pause, she concluded, "This path won't take you far. It doesn't deserve you."

Lu Mingfei nodded in agreement.

The two stopped paying attention to the Jade Phosphor Snake and went around it.

Sensing the unfathomable fluctuations of spirit power from Huang Fei, the Jade Phosphor Snake seemed to have been doused in ice water. It immediately coiled itself tighter, lowered its head, and dared not make the slightest movement.

Its intelligence might have been limited, but instinct told it that the woman before it was not someone it could provoke.

After bypassing the Jade Phosphor Snake's territory, the two continued along the valley path. They had taken barely a dozen steps when a sound suddenly came from behind them...

The faint crunch of footsteps over gravel, along with the deep, resonant voice of an elderly man.

Huang Fei and Lu Mingfei turned around at the same time.

Two people emerged from around the bend in the valley path.

At the front was a tall, lean old man. He stood like a spear planted in the ground—straight and sharp.

His beard and hair were both dark green. His messy green hair was especially conspicuous in the mist, while his sunken cheeks made him appear somewhat gaunt, even sickly.

Yet his eyes were like two flawless emeralds, gleaming brilliantly with a soul-piercing sharpness.

He wore a plain gray robe, without a single unnecessary ornament on his person.

Still, his entire body exuded an illusory and dangerous aura, as though what stood there was not a living man, but a phantom that could disperse at any moment.

A young girl followed behind the old man.

She appeared to be around ten years old. Her short dark-purple hair was neat and sharp, framing a small face full of heroic spirit.

She was not breathtakingly beautiful, yet she possessed a distinct, bewitching charm that made it difficult to look away after one glance.

Most striking of all were her green eyes. Like the old man's, they were emerald green, carrying an air of strangeness and mystery.

Her fingernails were jade green as well, long and sharp, glinting with a dim light as though coated in venom.

She wore a short skirt, her snow-white shoulders exposed above it. Her collarbones were as delicate as butterfly wings, and her skin gave off a soft, lustrous sheen beneath Dragon Valley's dim light.

Dugu Bo.

Lu Mingfei's mind buzzed.

He would have recognized that appearance even with his eyes closed...

Dark-green hair, dark-green beard, sunken cheeks, a plain gray robe, and those emerald-like eyes. Across all of Douluo Continent, there was no second person besides Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

He had been deeply impressed by this character when reading the novel. This man was a genuine Titled Douluo.

One of Heaven Dou Empire's foremost experts, his poison arts were unparalleled. He was someone who could run rampant across the entire continent.

And the purple-haired, green-eyed girl behind Dugu Bo needed no introduction. She was Dugu Yan.

The future wife of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's young master, inheritor of the Jade Phosphor Snake martial soul, and the biological granddaughter of Poison Douluo, the Heaven Dou Empire royal family's honored guardian.

The instant Huang Fei saw who had arrived, her expression changed drastically.

Her pupils constricted, and her body instinctively tensed for a moment. The name nearly slipped from her lips. "Dugu Bo..."

Before she could finish, she abruptly realized something and swallowed the rest of her words.

Huang Fei's breathing became slightly hurried. She swiftly concealed every trace of abnormality from her face, lowered her eyes, and adopted a cautious, low-profile posture.

Huang Fei's strength already qualified her as a formidable expert within Spirit Hall.