Earth Tyrannosaur

"Over twenty-three hundred years!"

"Earth Tyrannosaur!"

Dugu Bo rested a hand on Dugu Yan's shoulder and briefly examined her, then nodded slightly.

"She can handle it."

Based on his examination, Dugu Yan's physical limit was roughly twenty-five hundred years, so an Earth Tyrannosaur over twenty-three hundred years old would pose no problem.

"There's an Earth Tyrannosaur over there?"

Having confirmed Dugu Yan's physical limit, Dugu Bo turned and looked toward the direction Gu Ping'an was pointing, his brows furrowed.

He hadn't sensed the presence of an Earth Tyrannosaur at all.

"There is!"

Gu Ping'an walked ahead to lead the way.

Before long, Gu Ping'an brought the two of them to a plant soul beast that looked somewhere between a vine and a tree.

Ten vine-like branches protected its central trunk.

Thousand-Tangle Wood!

A ten-thousand-year plant soul beast!

"Your Eminence Poison Douluo, sorry for the trouble, but please cripple it for me."

Dugu Bo looked at Gu Ping'an, then at the Thousand-Tangle Wood, suspecting that Gu Ping'an had brought him here to serve as hired muscle.

"Hmph!"

Dugu Bo snorted coldly. With a wave of his hand, several streaks of green light swept through the Thousand-Tangle Wood's ten vines, effortlessly destroying them like rotten timber and leaving the trunk powerless to resist.

"There. Whatever you're going to do, brat, hurry up. Don't delay Yanyan getting her soul ring."

Ignoring Dugu Bo's urging entirely, Gu Ping'an approached the Thousand-Tangle Wood, summoned his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, and wrapped it around the trunk.

Devour!

The Thousand-Tangle Wood's life essence and soul power poured into Gu Ping'an in an unending stream.

Am I struggling to handle it?

Gu Ping'an frowned slightly. The soul power of a ten-thousand-year soul beast was still too immense for him, as he was only a quasi-Soul Elder.

His gaze swept over Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan standing nearby. With a thought, Gu Ping'an sent out two strands of Blue Silver Grass to coil around them.

"First Soul Skill: Healing!"

It worked!

He could absorb and expend it at the same time.

He could not absorb only the life essence yet, but expending the soul power he could not withstand and keeping only the life essence would achieve the same result.

"What are you doing?"

Dugu Bo's gaze swept over the Thousand-Tangle Wood as it gradually withered and lost its luster. Then he gave Gu Ping'an a strange look. He was devouring and expending energy at the same time.

Wasn't that a waste of effort?

Something changed!

Watching the Thousand-Tangle Wood gradually turn into dead wood, Gu Ping'an recalled his martial soul and let it hover quietly above his palm.

It seemed a little stronger. Not by much, but the improvement was real.

"All right, let's go! Next stop," Gu Ping'an said, glancing back at Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

"Next stop?" Dugu Bo repeated under his breath.

"Brat, you didn't really drag me along to be your hired muscle, did you?"

There was another stop!

Dugu Bo genuinely began to suspect that the Earth Tyrannosaur was merely an excuse, and Gu Ping'an had brought him along to do his fighting for him.

"They're all in the same direction. If Your Eminence Poison Douluo doesn't trust me, you can go find it yourself."

Gu Ping'an waved a hand, unconcerned by Dugu Bo's suspicions.

"Fine! Brat, I'll trust you."

Dugu Bo bristled and glared, but there was nothing he could do.

An Earth Tyrannosaur's bloodline fell short of those of supreme soul beasts such as the dark gold terrorclaw bear, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, and the Silver Dragon King, but it was still a top-tier soul beast of the highest caliber.

It was no weaker than top-tier soul beasts such as the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python.

Even if he took Dugu Yan to the Star Dou Great Forest, he had no confidence that he could find something as suitable as an Earth Tyrannosaur around a thousand years old.

"Greenwood Vine!"

"Your Eminence Poison Douluo, sorry for the trouble, but please subdue it."

"Undying Wood!"

"Your Eminence Poison Douluo, sorry for the trouble, but please subdue it."

"Withered Glory Divine Tree!"

"Your Eminence Poison Douluo, sorry for the trouble, but please subdue it."

They kept walking, and he kept subduing soul beasts. Dugu Bo's expression grew darker and darker.

Dugu Yan, on the other hand, hardly complained.

Every time Gu Ping'an devoured and absorbed energy, he needed to expend the excess soul power by releasing a soul skill.

So he kept casting Healing on her and Dugu Bo.

The healing energy flowed throughout her body like a warm spring current washing through every limb and bone, leaving her comfortable from head to toe.

She even hoped he would do it a few more times.

"We're here!"

Gu Ping'an led them into a barren, silent stretch of woodland.

The ground was uneven, riddled with pits and holes.

"There really is an Earth Tyrannosaur."

Dugu Bo gave Gu Ping'an a surprised glance. Was the boy's perception sharper than his own?

Dugu Yan's face paled slightly. The heavy, savage aura of the Earth Tyrannosaur permeating the air left her feeling oppressed.

The flood dragon her Jade Phosphorous Serpent had evolved into still fell a notch short of a top-tier soul beast like the Earth Tyrannosaur.

More importantly, Dugu Yan's soul power was only at rank twenty.

An Earth Tyrannosaur a thousand years old could contend with some soul beasts four or five thousand years old.

"Yanyan, Grandpa will take you to get your soul ring."

Taking Dugu Yan's hand, Dugu Bo headed deeper into the barren woodland.

Roar!

A terrifying beast's roar rang out from within the barren woodland.

Clearly, the Earth Tyrannosaur had detected the three intruders in its territory and sensed a threat to its life.

As the three entered the barren woodland, they saw a dragon resembling a Western dragon, over six meters long, with thick limbs like stone pillars. It crouched low, its gaze locked firmly on the three intruders.

"A very strong earth affinity."

The Earth Tyrannosaur had lowered its body not in submission, but to draw closer to the earth. An endless flow of earth energy traveled up its limbs and into its body.

It was strong!

In a single instant, Gu Ping'an knew he could do nothing against it.

The earth's inexhaustible power granted the Earth Tyrannosaur defenses far beyond others of its level.

Its potent draconic bloodline gave it strength equal to that of a Titan Giant Ape of the same level.

Together, these two advantages gave it the foundation to fight above its level.

"Third soul skill: Jade Phosphor Purple Poison!"

Dugu Bo struck. The aura of a Titled Douluo erupted, and a cloud of purple poison mist sprayed toward the Earth Tyrannosaur.

"Roar!"

The Earth Tyrannosaur backed away. Realizing it could not evade the attack, it immediately roared in fury, and an earthen-yellow barrier enveloped its entire body.

Hiss, hiss...

Hiss... hiss... hiss...

The purple poison mist met the earthen-yellow barrier, producing a continuous corrosive hiss.

"It... blocked it!"

Before long, the purple poison mist was completely exhausted.

Aside from a trace of fatigue in its earthen-gold draconic eyes, the Earth Tyrannosaur had suffered no injuries.

Staring at the completely unscathed Earth Tyrannosaur, Dugu Bo showed a clear flicker of surprise.

He was a Titled Douluo. The gulf between his strength and that of an Earth Tyrannosaur just over twenty-three hundred years old was as vast as heaven and earth.

Even if he had not been serious, it should not have been able to withstand his attack.

“Earth Power. It forcibly counteracted the purple poison mist's corrosion with an endless supply of Earth Power,” Gu Ping'an said in surprise.

Had he been in the Earth Tyrannosaur's place, he could only have used Spatial Power to evade the poison mist.

"Sixth soul skill: Jade Phosphorous Serpent Devouring!"

His first attack having failed, Dugu Bo struck again, somewhat embarrassed and angry.

Dark green soul power transformed into venomous snakes that opened their blood-filled maws and lunged at the Earth Tyrannosaur.

Against a serious Dugu Bo, the earthen-yellow barrier shattered instantly, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of the Earth Tyrannosaur's mouth.

Awooo...

The venomous snakes sank their teeth into the Earth Tyrannosaur one after another.

Fangs formed from soul power easily pierced the Earth Tyrannosaur's rock-patterned scales and injected poison into its body.

As the poison entered its body, the Earth Tyrannosaur's earthen-gold draconic eyes rapidly dimmed.

"Yanyan, hurry and kill it."

Dugu Bo spoke quickly.

Ultimately, the Earth Tyrannosaur was only a soul beast of a little over two thousand years. It could not withstand his poison at all.

At Dugu Bo's words, Dugu Yan took a short blade from her Storage Soul Tool and jogged over to the Earth Tyrannosaur, which could no longer resist.

She drove the blade through its eye socket.

Blood flowed out along the blade, and a purple soul ring slowly rose.

"Grandpa, Ping'an, I'm going to start absorbing the soul ring."

Seeing the soul ring rise, Dugu Yan turned toward Dugu Bo and Gu Ping'an, delighted.

"Go ahead, Yanyan!" Dugu Bo replied with a nod.

As Dugu Bo watched her absorb the Earth Tyrannosaur's soul ring, sorrow, wistfulness, and relief surfaced in his eyes one after another.

His son had died from the backlash of his martial soul's poison.

His daughter-in-law had been afflicted with Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison while pregnant with Dugu Yan and had passed away after giving birth to her.

Now, at last, the tragedy of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent had ended with Dugu Yan.

A little over an hour later, the purple soul ring sank into Dugu Yan's body.

The absorption had succeeded!

"Mm... ngh..."

Suddenly, Dugu Yan clutched her right hand with her left, unable to hold back a pained groan.