"I did it... I really did it!"
The young woman's clear voice echoed through the valley of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, trembling with tears of joy.
For twelve years, the poison that had clung to her like a shadow and seeped into her bones had tormented her. In this moment, it was gone without a trace!
In its place was a lightness and strength she had never known before.
She sprang to her feet, unable to hold back her excitement any longer, and flew straight at Ling Xuqing like a fledgling returning to its nest. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"Young Master, thank you! Thank you for giving me a new life!" Dugu Yan buried her face against Ling Xuqing's chest, and her tears instantly soaked his clothes.
But the moment Dugu Yan embraced Ling Xuqing—
"Whoosh!"
An utterly terrifying killing intent erupted in the valley without warning!
Gu Yuena's peerlessly beautiful purple eyes narrowed at once. In their depths, horrifying visions of stars perishing and all things falling silent seemed to unfold.
The supreme pressure of the Dragon God's incarnation became an invisible blade, locking onto every vital point in Dugu Yan's body!
If Dugu Yan dared to cross the line by even a hair, that killing intent would instantly grind her into nothingness!
"Oh, my! Sister Na'er, your killing intent is way too strong. Don't scare Sister Yan!" Xiao Wu covered her mouth as she giggled, her big eyes curving into crescent moons. She teased them, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Ah Yin also hid a smile behind her hand, her gentle eyes full of mischief. "That's right, Na'er. Sister Yan was just too excited. Don't scare the poor girl."
Bi Ji and Zi JI exchanged smiles, and Zi JI folded her arms and said, "My lord, the girl just escaped death. She was only a little excited, that's all. Don't take it to heart."
At her sisters' teasing, Gu Yuena gave a cold snort, and the killing intent around her finally receded. But her purple eyes still fixed icily on Dugu Yan, as if warning her not to push her luck.
Ye Lingling stood off to the side, watching with joy in her eyes. But beneath that joy lay a deep, restless yearning.
She watched Dugu Yan emerge reborn, utterly transformed, then looked at Ling Xuqing, so calm and composed he seemed like a god. Her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
"Dugu Yan's Martial Soul flaw was cured. What about me?"
"Could he cure my Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul too?"
Once the thought surfaced, it grew like wild grass, impossible to suppress.
"All right, stop crying."
Ling Xuqing gently patted Dugu Yan's back, his voice warm.
Only then did Dugu Yan realize how carried away she had gotten. She hurriedly let go, backed away with a flushed face, and lowered her head, not daring to meet Gu Yuena's icy stare.
"Now that you've finished absorbing your First Soul Ring and the Eight Spider Lances, let's continue."
Ling Xuqing turned to Dugu Bo and spoke calmly.
Dugu Bo had finally recovered from his utter shock. He drew a deep breath, his eyes burning with excitement and anticipation.
"Young Master, I'm ready!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dugu Bo swept out his sleeve and tossed two huge dark shapes from his Soul Tool. They slammed onto the cavern floor.
"Boom! Boom!"
The two impacts made the entire cavern tremble.
Everyone looked closely and saw two enormous snake-type Soul Beasts lying on the ground.
The one on the left was a shadowy, ink-green color and fully ten meters long. Strange poisonous markings covered its scales, and its cold eyes glinted ominously.
It was a five-thousand-year-old venomous snake—the Ink-Scaled Ghost Snake!
The one on the right was even more terrifying.
Its body was an uncanny dark purple, and a bone spike shaped like a crown jutted from its head. A suffocating aura of poison radiated from it.
It was a Purple-Crowned Snake King with a cultivation of ten thousand years!
"I hunted both of these Soul Beasts in the poisonous marshes around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Their poison attributes are exceptionally pure. They couldn't be more suitable as Dugu Yan's second and third Soul Rings!" Dugu Bo said, sounding rather pleased with himself.
Ling Xuqing swept his spiritual power over the two Soul Beasts and nodded. "Good. Their ages are just right. Dugu Yan, go ahead and absorb them."
"Yes!"
By now, Dugu Yan regarded Ling Xuqing's words as divine decree.
She flashed over to the five-thousand-year-old Ink-Scaled Ghost Snake.
After being tempered by Whale Rubber and tested by the Eight Spider Lances, her combat strength was now terrifying.
"First Soul Skill: Spider Web Bind!"
Dugu Yan cried out. The eight black Spider Lances sprang from her back, and eight thick strands of black silk shot forth, pinning the Ink-Scaled Ghost Snake firmly to the ground.
Then she lunged forward, the short blade in her hand flashing like a bolt of emerald lightning as it struck precisely at the snake's seven-inch vital point!
"Thwack!"
Black blood spattered, and a purple Soul Ring slowly appeared.
Dugu Yan sat cross-legged. With Ling Xuqing and Bi Ji protecting her, she absorbed the five-thousand-year Soul Ring without a hitch.
Then, following the same method, she killed the ten-thousand-year-old Purple-Crowned Snake King and absorbed her third Soul Ring.
When the last trace of energy had been fully absorbed, Dugu Yan snapped her eyes open and let out a long roar!
"Boom—!"
An extraordinarily powerful aura burst from her body and soared into the sky. Thick purple poisonous mist enveloped her, and the eight Spider Lances on her back shone with a chilling light.
Her Soul Power surged from level thirty, the rank of a Soul Elder!
Level thirty-one!
Level thirty-two!
Level thirty-three!
Level thirty-eight!
At last, her aura settled firmly at the peak of level thirty-eight, Soul Elder!
"Level thirty-eight?!"
Dugu Bo and Ye Lingling's eyes widened once more, their faces full of disbelief.
She had gone from a level-twenty-six Soul Master at twelve years old to a level-thirty-eight Soul Elder. She now had a two-thousand-year First Soul Ring and an Eight Spider Lances External Soul Bone. This was simply beyond anything the laws of Douluo Continent could explain!
Feeling the power inside her, powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth, Dugu Yan trembled with excitement.
She turned to Ling Xuqing, her beautiful eyes brimming with fervor and adoration.
She drew a deep breath, dropped to one knee, and spoke with unwavering resolve:
"Young Master, from now on, I'm yours! Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it without a single complaint!"
The moment she said it, the air in the valley froze.
"Whoosh!"
Gu Yuena's killing intent erupted again, even more terrifying than before!
She stared coldly at Dugu Yan, purple eyes seeming to gather thunder. Her voice was frosty as ice.
"I'll give you one chance to rephrase that."
"Pfft—"
Xiao Wu was the first to crack. Clutching her stomach, she laughed so hard she doubled over. "Oh, Sister Yan! If you say things like that, Sister Na'er might take you seriously!"
Ah Yin and Bi Ji also couldn't hold back their laughter, while Zi JI joined in the teasing. "Exactly! Our Young Master is very popular. Don't think you can keep him all to yourself!"
Even Dugu Bo blushed. He hurriedly coughed twice and pretended to admire the scenery.
Startled by Gu Yuena's killing intent, Dugu Yan realized how suggestive her words had sounded. Her face turned scarlet, and she wished the ground would open up and swallow her.
Amid the laughter, Ye Lingling felt out of place.
She stood to one side, twisting her hands together, uncertainty and hesitation written across her face.
She watched Dugu Yan come back to life and saw how Ling Xuqing seemed capable of anything. The longing in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
"I... I want to try too..."
As she wrestled with herself, Dugu Yan turned around and noticed her close friend's conflicted expression.
A thought struck her, and she immediately understood what Ye Lingling was thinking.
Dugu Yan bit her lip, gathered her courage, turned to Ling Xuqing, and asked cautiously:
"Young Master, um... could you take another look at Lingling?"
Before you continue