Xiao Yan frowned slightly. In the Douluo Continent, there are not many Soul Master with poison attribute Martial Soul, and those who can emit such concentrated and high-quality poison gas are even rarer.
He only knew a handful of poison-attribute Soul Master, and the only one who could possibly appear in this desolate valley was probably that one.
With a thought, his Soul Division Martial Soul quietly separated from his main body.
A dark shadow rose silently from beneath his feet, almost blending into the twilight.
The Soul Division Martial Soul transformed into a faint black shadow and flew towards the source of the Soul Power fluctuations.
The Soul Division Martial Soul passed through a dense pine forest, branches passing through its body without hindrance, without disturbing a single pine needle.
In a secluded valley surrounded by mountains, the terrain is flat, and in the center lies a clear lake, its waters shimmering with golden light in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Large patches of wildflowers grow along the lakeside, including purple lavender, white wild chrysanthemums, and yellow marigolds. Their fragrance mingles together and is carried in all directions by the evening breeze.
By the lake, three people were surrounding a Soul Beast that was on the verge of death.
It was a massive, Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, nearly three zhang long, resembling a giant lizard, covered in hard, dark green scales, each scale the size of a washbasin, with edges as sharp as knives.
Dark green venom still lingered around its mouth. The venom dripped onto the grass, instantly corroding the blades into a pool of black charcoal, emitting wisps of pungent blue smoke.
This is clearly a poison-attribute Soul Beast that uses highly venom as its means of attack.
Judging from its size and the intensity of its toxicity, its cultivation level is approximately 20,000 years.
At this moment, its body was covered with wounds of all sizes, the most fatal being on its neck, where a deep gash that exposed bone was gushing out black blood.
Its breathing was extremely weak, and its huge body lay on its side on the grass, each breath producing a hoarse sound like a broken bellows.
A deep purple Soul Ring was slowly condensing above its corpse, and it would be fully formed in a few moments.
Standing directly in front of the Soul Beast was an old friend whom Xiao Yan hadn't seen in a long time, Dugu Bo.
The renowned Poison Douluo, who was famous throughout the continent, was still wearing his signature dark green robe, with several snake patterns embroidered in gold thread on it, the hem of which fluttered gently in the evening breeze.
His hair and beard were as white as snow, his face was thin but his spirit was vigorous, and his narrow eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's.
The poison gas on his body formed a pale green halo around him, about ten feet in diameter, which blocked all the venom sprayed out by the dying Soul Beast.
The venom splashed onto the pale green aura, hissing as it was quickly broken down and neutralized.
Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright, like an old pine tree that has weathered many storms yet still stands tall.
Standing behind Dugu Bo was his beloved granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
When Xiao Yan's gaze fell on Dugu Yan, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
The girl I remembered, pale-faced and sickly from years of poisoning, now seemed like a completely different person.
Her complexion was rosy and healthy, her skin was fair and radiant, and her bright green eyes were full of vitality.
The pain and gloom from being tormented by the toxins are gone.
Her hair was thicker than it had been two years ago, braided into a long, thick braid that draped over her left shoulder, with a jade pendant of emerald green tied to the end.
She looked much more energetic than she did two years ago.
He has also grown taller, and his shoulders are no longer hunched over as before, but rather stretched out confidently.
Standing there, she was like a bamboo stalk that had finally escaped pests, full of vitality, as if even the surrounding air became more vibrant because of her presence.
Xiao Yan could tell at a glance that the toxins in her body had been completely removed.
It seems that the antidote Tang San provided to Dugu Yan back then was indeed effective, and Dugu Bo probably put in a lot of effort to completely rid his granddaughter of the poison.
Clearing away the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison is not something that can be done overnight, especially the stubborn toxin that has been entangled with Dugu Yan's meridians for more than ten years.
Although Dugu Bo, the grandfather, was cold and ruthless to outsiders, he was genuinely good to his granddaughter.
Standing next to Dugu Yan was Yu Tianheng.
This direct disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect still possessed an imposing presence, his figure as upright as a pine tree, with a faint blue lightning swirling around him.
He was dressed in a dark blue, fitted outfit with tight sleeves and a silver belt around his waist, making him look dashing and heroic.
He stood half a step ahead of Dugu Yan, subtly separating her from the dying Soul Beast behind her.
This is a long-established habit.
The two stood side by side, their movements revealing the tacit understanding that had developed from spending so much time together.
Xiao Yan noticed that Yu Tianheng was wearing a jade-green ring on the ring finger of his left hand, which was made of the same material as the jade pendant on the end of Dugu Yan's braid, and they looked like a pair.
It turned out that Dugu Bo had brought his granddaughter to hunt for the Fifth Soul Ring.
Xiao Yan could tell at a glance that Dugu Yan's Soul Power had reached level fifty.
Her aura fluctuated at the threshold between the peak of Soul Ancestor and Soul King, and she was only one Soul Ring away from officially stepping into the Soul King realm.
The ten-thousand-year-old poisonous Soul Beast that she hunted down was the perfect Soul Ring she needed to break through to the Soul King.
Poison-attribute Soul Beast are the most suitable for the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul.
Soul Ring of the same attribute have the least repulsion when absorbed, and the resulting Soul Skill are the most compatible.
Dugu Bo must have gone to great lengths to help his granddaughter catch up with her cultivation progress.
The choice of this poison-attribute Soul Beast with 20,000 years of cultivation was no accident; such Soul Beast are extremely rare within the Heaven Dou Empire.
It's estimated that Dugu Bo started searching for its tracks months in advance.
The three had clearly just finished their hunt; the Soul Beast lay motionless on the ground, its massive tail sprawled on the grass, its life force completely gone.
Dugu Yan sat cross-legged in front of the Soul Beast, her hands forming a hand seal, her eyes slightly closed, and her forehead slightly raised, facing the Purple Soul Ring that was floating in mid-air.
Her lips moved slightly as she silently recited some kind of guiding incantation. Her emerald green Soul Power slowly surged out, transforming into strands of light that guided the Soul Ring to slowly merge into her body.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and slid down her cheeks, but her expression remained calm. There was no pained furrow in her brows, and the corners of her mouth even had a slight upward curve.
Her body was perfectly capable of withstanding the burden of this 20,000-year-old Soul Ring.
This is no easy feat for a Soul Master who has just broken through to level 50. She was able to do this because her physique returned to normal after the snake venom was completely removed.
Secondly, it's because the attributes of this Soul Ring are highly compatible with her own Martial Soul.
Dugu Bo stood to the side, stroking his beard with one hand, his eyes full of satisfaction, and deep crow's feet appeared at the corners of his eyes because of his smile.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's lips curled up slightly.
He didn't show himself to disturb them, but simply controlled his Soul Division Martial Soul to linger quietly at the edge of the forest for a moment before preparing to leave silently.
However, just as he withdrew his Soul Division Martial Soul, Dugu Bo suddenly raised his head and glanced in the direction where his Soul Division Martial Soul had just been.
A hint of doubt flashed in Dugu Bo's sharp eagle eyes.
Just a moment ago, he sensed an extremely faint fluctuation of soul energy.
The intensity and penetrating power of the fluctuations surprised even this Titled Douluo.
It is completely different from Soul Power fluctuations; it is more secretive and more difficult to detect.
If he hadn't dealt with highly toxic substances for many years and been exceptionally sensitive to any unusual odors, he probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.
But when he focused his attention to investigate, the fluctuation had vanished without a trace.
At the edge of the pine forest, only the rustling sound of the evening breeze could be heard, and a few birds returning to their nests flitted across the branches without disturbing a single leaf.
It was as if the fluctuation was just his imagination.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?"
Dugu Yan opened her eyes and noticed her grandfather's unusual behavior.
She had just fully absorbed the Soul Ring, and a few beads of sweat still clung to her forehead. Her face was flushed from the breakthrough she had just achieved.
The Fifth Soul Ring had been firmly integrated into her body, and she could clearly feel an unprecedented sense of fullness in her dantian.
Dugu Bo shook his head, turning his gaze away from the edge of the woods.
He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then casually said:
"It's nothing, maybe some Soul Beast just happened to be passing by."
"You absorbed your Fifth Soul Ring very smoothly, even better than Grandpa expected."
He said this aloud, but secretly he memorized the characteristics of that faint soul fluctuation.
Dugu Yan stood up, stretched her limbs, felt the abundant Soul Power within her body, and a bright smile appeared on her face.
She turned to look at Yu Tianheng and excitedly gave him a victory sign:
"Success! Fifth Soul Skill - Jade Phosphorous Sky Curtain, after release, can form a poisonous mist barrier within a certain range, which can both hinder and trap enemies!"
Yu Tianheng reached out and touched her head, his palm very light and gentle, his smile warm and indulgent.
He rarely smiled, but he could never hold back his laughter in front of Dugu Yan.
Dugu Bo looked at the young couple's affectionate behavior, stroked his beard, coughed lightly, and pretended not to see anything.
The moment he entered Heaven Dou City, Xiao Yan stood on the stone-paved road in front of the city gate.
The afternoon sun made the bluestone slabs underfoot slightly hot, and wisps of heat rose from the ground.
Looking at the three large characters above the city gate—" Heaven Dou City "—a complex emotion, difficult to describe, suddenly welled up in his heart.
He had been to this city before, more than two years ago.
At that time, he was still a member of the Shrek Academy, along with Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and others.
Returning to this place now, everything has changed.
Xiao Yan concealed his aura, steadily suppressing his Soul Power fluctuations to around level forty.
Soul Master of this level are not particularly noticeable in Heaven Dou City.
He slightly adjusted his appearance, thickening his eyebrows and using his Soul Power to puff out his cheeks, making him look completely different from the portrait on the wanted poster.
He mingled with the caravan entering the city, head down, walking calmly, and passed through the city gate checkpoint smoothly.
The soldiers guarding the city merely glanced at him, their gaze lingering on his face for less than a moment before moving on to the next person.
The moment he passed through the city gate, the bustling atmosphere of Heaven Dou City that greeted him made him squint slightly.