Dugu Yan Defeated in an Instant!

Bright sunlight bathed the world, yet the Sunset Forest remained dim.

At the bottom of a valley deep in the forest, shaped like an extinct volcano,

Water mist rose where the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well met. Immortal Herbs swayed around it, bathed in a hazy, treasured glow. In the distance, inside a thatched hut nestled against the rock face...

An impatient voice rang out.

"Grandpa, why hasn't that peerless genius you mentioned arrived yet?"

"Don't be impatient, Yanzi."

Inside the hut, Dugu Bo sat at the table, sipping tea. He smiled and reassured her:

"Let's have some tea first."

"Hmph! It's so boring sitting in here. I'm going out for some air."

Dugu Yan stood up and headed for the door, her voice full of dissatisfaction.

Dugu Bo hurriedly warned her, "Yanzi, don't run around. Stay away from the spring, and don't touch anything. It could cost you your life!"

"I know, I know..."

Dugu Yan waved a hand, pushed the door open, and walked out.

Bang!

Dugu Yan closed the door and leaned beneath the eaves, playing with a strand of dark hair beside her ear.

Almost at the same time,

Dugu Bo set down his teacup and looked up with a smile.

The space above the thatched roof began to warp.

A young man appeared out of thin air. He wore a black combat outfit and had short, tousled black hair. The blood-red color in his eyes gradually faded, returning them to their original inky black.

Ye Qiu glanced at the spring and Immortal Herbs in the distance, then leaped down without a second thought.

"Hm?!"

Before Ye Qiu landed, he caught sight of a graceful figure lounging beneath the eaves out of the corner of his eye.

Dugu Yan spotted Ye Qiu as well. The languor vanished from her eyes in an instant. She straightened up and folded her arms, studying him closely with her green eyes.

"Are you the peerless genius Grandpa was talking about? How did you get through the poison formation?"

"..."

Ye Qiu landed on the ground,

And calmly looked at the woman standing before the door, who was about the same age as his Sister Yun'er.

She had long green hair, green eyes, a high, delicate nose, and a fair, refined face with a cold pallor. Her well-fitted purple qipao outlined her already mature, graceful figure. She looked somewhat aloof, yet was tall and alluring.

Ye Qiu could have figured out who she was with his ass.

"Dugu Yan, right?"

"Hm?!"

Dugu Yan frowned slightly.

It was bad enough that Ye Qiu hadn't answered her question, but he had even called her by name.

"You!"

"Making us wait so long was bad enough, but you're being so rude too."

Before she had finished speaking,

Dugu Yan casually pulled out a dagger and threw it at Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu turned sideways and easily dodged it. He looked at Dugu Yan in puzzlement and asked, "Miss Dugu, what is the meaning of this?"

"Grandpa said you were a peerless genius, so I'm going to test you..."

"Let me see how strong you are!"

Dugu Yan's face was cold. She crossed her legs and pressed them together, turning her hands outward as she gripped her dagger tightly.

As her words fell,

Her green eyes had already become vertical slits, and her body grew more slender and supple. Everything below her waist strangely transformed into an emerald-green snake's body, around which floated three Soul Rings, two yellow and one purple.

Her whole appearance grew bewitching, full of exotic charm.

"Take this!"

Dugu Yan shouted.

Even though she had to keep twisting her slender waist to maintain her balance after her lower body turned into a snake's tail, it didn't affect her speed in the slightest.

The instant she spoke,

Dugu Yan shot toward Ye Qiu like a tightly compressed spring.

The dagger in her hand flashed with cold light as it went straight for his throat.

"..."

Ye Qiu shook his head helplessly.

He understood... Dugu Bo was hiding inside the thatched hut, watching the show.

But a show of strength was necessary too,

And could save him a lot of trouble in their future dealings.

Ye Qiu said nothing. He simply raised a hand, and three purple rings appeared beneath his feet.

"?!"

Dugu Yan caught sight of the light beneath Ye Qiu's feet, and her face changed drastically in shock.

Yet the dagger in her hand instinctively moved a little faster.

With a puff!

When Dugu Yan was less than three steps away from Ye Qiu, Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and swiftly bound her tight.

"Ah!"

Dugu Yan cried out. She couldn't even raise her hands anymore.

"Ugh!"

Dugu Yan gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and struggled with all her might. Ye Qiu's figure was reflected in her slit pupils, and disbelief was written all over her face.

"How is this possible? How could you have three Thousand-Year Soul Rings?!"

"Heh..."

Ye Qiu chuckled softly but didn't answer.

He stepped forward twice and glanced at her body, squeezed flat by the bindings. Then he snatched a dagger from Dugu Yan's fair hand and pressed it against her throat, saying calmly:

"Miss Dugu, now... you should know how strong I am, right?"

"Bastard! Don't look down on me!"

Dugu Yan gnashed her teeth, her cold snake eyes full of unwillingness. The Third Soul Ring beneath her tail lit up in an instant. Her red lips parted, and she sprayed a cloud of purple mist at Ye Qiu's handsome face.

"Whoosh-!"

Dugu Yan pursed her lips as she watched Ye Qiu breathe in the purple mist, a cold smile glimmering in her beautiful eyes.

So what if he had three purple rings?

Wasn't he still going to be defeated by her?!

With Dugu Bo there, Dugu Yan wasn't worried in the least that she would poison Ye Qiu to death.

But the next moment,

The smugness in Dugu Yan's cold eyes turned to utter horror. She exclaimed in fright, "Y-you, what are you doing?!"

"Whoosh-"

Ye Qiu took a deep breath, actually inhaling the entire cloud of Jade Phosphor Purple Poison. He even drew it into his lungs before slowly breathing the poisonous gas back into her face.

Dugu Yan clenched her teeth, her cheeks flushed red by the burning sensation of his breath.

Ye Qiu drew on the Jade Phosphor Purple Poison and asked politely with a smile, "Miss Dugu, this poison is quite good. Do you have any other tricks?"

"You!"

Dugu Yan's eyes widened.

This guy was actually immune to her snake venom? How was that possible?!

"Thank you for going easy on me!"

Ye Qiu smiled, then looked toward the thatched hut.

"Senior Dugu, the show's over. You don't have to play dead anymore, do you?"

"Haha..."

Dugu Bo strode out of the hut, laughing. Looking at the bound Dugu Yan, he said in amusement, "Well, Yanyan, Grandpa didn't lie to you, did he? This boy's talent is more than a hundred times greater than that boy from the Yu Family."

Dugu Yan snorted coldly, unable to argue at all. She glared at Ye Qiu and said:

"You can let me go now, can't you?"

Ye Qiu nodded. "Of course, as long as Miss Dugu doesn't do anything reckless again."

"Hmph! I'm not going to ask for another beating!"

Dugu Yan snorted.

She had to admit that Ye Qiu had utterly crushed her. It was like an attack from a higher dimension; he hadn't even needed to use a Soul Skill!

"That's good."

Ye Qiu smiled and casually waved a hand, releasing her from her bindings.

"..."

Dugu Yan stared at Ye Qiu, rubbing the places where the Blue Silver Grass had squeezed her painfully.

Her slit pupils returned to normal, and her legs reappeared beneath her qipao. Swaying her slender waist, she took delicate steps slowly toward Ye Qiu.

She wasn't a sore loser,

And besides, Ye Qiu truly deserved to be called a peerless genius and was worth befriending.