The illusory image of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent King pressed down, blocking out a large patch of sunlight.
"Hiss~"
The Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent roared to the sky.
A wisp of black smoke actually rose from the fine white scales on its body, condensing on its body, and its aura instantly increased significantly.
It roared again, a bloodthirsty light flashing in its eyes.
Its previously coiled body leaped like lightning!
It didn't dodge or avoid, but shot directly into the air, colliding with the descending illusory image of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent King.
Bang!
As fast as it went, it returned just as fast, a jet-black serpent slamming heavily into the ground.
Boom!
A muffled, explosive sound resounded in Ye Qiu's ears.
Centered on the location of the cave, a gust of wind carrying dust spread outwards!
"Damn! This demon serpent is just stubborn!"
"Ah~!"
Ye Qiu quickly pulled Dugu Yan to his side, covering his eyes, mouth and nose, and hiding behind a large tree.
A cloud of dust swept in, and Dugu Yan hurriedly buried her head in Ye Qiu's arms.
When all the noise subsided,
the only sound they could hear was each other's breathing.
"Boy! Stop hugging her, get Yan Yan out of
here!" Dugu Bo's voice rang out, and Dugu Yan finally pushed Ye Qiu away.
"We... Ah!"
"Hurry!"
Dugu Yan tried to pull Ye Qiu out, but he became even more anxious, grabbing her hand and running outside.
"Gulp."
Looking at the ravaged ground before and around him, Ye Qiu couldn't help but swallow hard.
This was the power of a Title Douluo!
The black dragon-patterned demonic serpent, its scales shattered, its body mangled, its once full form now flattened considerably.
The original cave had long since collapsed, the dragon-patterned demonic serpent embedded in a large crater, blood flowing freely, emitting a strong, pungent stench.
The ground within dozens of meters around it cracked inch by inch, as if plowed.
It was utterly terrifying!
Seeing the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent barely breathing, its eyes barely open, Ye Qiu's lips twitched involuntarily.
"Senior...you used too much force! It's going to break!"
Ye Qiu complained, looking speechlessly at Dugu Bo who had just floated down.
"Hmph! Who knows how fragile it is? Do you think I told you to hurry up and get started? Otherwise, we'll have wasted our time!"
Dugu Bo turned his head away, looking up at the distant sky at a 45-degree angle. He couldn't very well admit that he had been faking it earlier!
"Ye Qiu, I...what should I do?" Dugu Yan also understood that the situation seemed to be getting urgent.
"Come with me!" Ye Qiu glanced at Dugu Bo speechlessly again and had no choice but to hurry.
"Just sit here, leave the rest to me!"
He took Dugu Yan's hand, found a relatively flat spot near the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent, and pressed her shoulders down, making her sit cross-legged.
"Oh, right! This is the antidote I prepared. Put a few in your mouth for emergencies!"
"Okay!" Dugu Yan nodded, obediently opening her mouth and putting the pills in.
"Hehe. Don't worry, everything will be fine!"
Ye Qiu noticed a slight tension between her brows and gently brushed a strand of
hair behind her ear. His fingertips traced a blush on her face.
"Yes, I believe you!" Dugu Yan nodded slightly and slowly closed her eyes.
"Senior, then I'll trouble you to protect her!"
"Don't worry! I won't be careless about Yan Yan's affairs!"
He rolled his eyes. You're the one who's careless the most; you almost killed the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent! He didn't
think too much about it. Anyway, the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent wasn't dead yet, and everything was ready.
Ye Qiu's Eternal Kaleidoscope appeared in his eyes. He stepped forward and laboriously pried open the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent's eyelids.
Without any struggle, the vertical pupils of the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent suddenly changed, revealing a pattern identical to Ye Qiu's martial soul.
"Miss Dugu! It begins!"
As Ye Qiu's voice fell, an invisible aura locked onto Dugu Yan.
The Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent's several-meter-long corpse suddenly burst into black flames, rapidly engulfing its entire body.
Strands of energy converged on Dugu Yan's location
, swirling around her and absorbing the power with each breath.
Dugu Bo, watching the scene before him, felt a surge of excitement. It was indeed an identical ability; such a miracle, no matter how many times he witnessed it, still left him deeply awestruck!
"Kid, are you alright?"
"I'm fine! It'll be over in a second!" Ye Qiu covered his eyes, only feeling a slight pain.
After consuming the Autumn Water Dew, there had indeed been a significant change; even after using it excessively for a period, the previous bleeding no longer occurred.
The Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone and its first soul skill, Endless Regeneration, were activated.
In just a moment, the pain in his eyes was greatly relieved.
The two quietly watched over Dugu Yan, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Under Ye Qiu's observation, the absorption process was so far going smoothly without any problems.
When absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring, the soul master would be affected by the soul shock, but there was no such hidden danger in sacrifice.
Now, the only thing to worry about was the snake venom accumulated in Dugu Yan's body!
"Hmm,"
suddenly, a muffled groan sounded, and Dugu Yan's face suddenly turned pale.
"Kid! Something's wrong!?" Seeing his granddaughter's face lose its color, Dugu Bo's heart trembled. Was her age still too high?
"Gulp." She swallowed the antidote in her mouth, and her face regained some color, and her brows relaxed slightly.
"Phew~ thank goodness!" Dugu Bo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Not good!"
Ye Qiu frowned, however, as he had been using his Sharingan's perception ability to monitor the circulation of soul power within Dugu Yan's body.
"What's wrong?" Dugu Bo's expression hardened as he looked at Ye Qiu anxiously.
"The backlash from the snake venom has only just begun!" Ye Qiu said in a deep voice.
Dugu Yan had already reached level 40, and the venom, along with her soul power, had been accumulating in her body for a long time. Now, it seemed as if it had found an outlet.
"Kid! What should we do next? Should we give Yan Yan some more antidote?" Dugu Bo's face was no longer as calm as before; he was somewhat anxious.
"That's the only way! Don't worry, senior, everything will be alright!"
Ye Qiu's voice was calm. The antidote she had just swallowed had already proven that it could be quite effective in this situation.
As he spoke, Ye Qiu came to Dugu Yan's side and sat down cross-legged.
At this moment, Dugu Yan's face was ashen, her lips had turned pale green, and there was a fine layer of sweat on her forehead as she gritted her teeth and persevered.
Ye Qiu took out a small jar from his divine power space and placed it on the ground. With one hand, he began to put the medicine into her mouth, while with the other hand, he took her somewhat cold hand.
Blue Silver Emperor's two soul skills, Endless Life and Blue Silver Fragrance, activated simultaneously, sending warm life force into her body, the refreshing fragrance dispelling her pain.
After the measures were taken, the pained expression on Dugu Yan's face eased, and she tightly grasped Ye Qiu's hand. Ye Qiu also squeezed her hand in return, reassuring her.
"Hmm?" Ye Qiu, who was fully circulating his soul power, suddenly frowned.
The seed within the miniature Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye inside his body was becoming a little restless!
Ye Qiu keenly sensed that some of the energy surrounding Dugu Yan was being slowly absorbed by the Seed of Life along his arm.
During this process, some energy was also absorbed by Ye Qiu, and his cultivation level had actually advanced a little bit.
"Kid, what's wrong?" Dugu Bo also noticed the change in Ye Qiu's expression.
"It's nothing." Ye Qiu breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head.
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Fortunately, under his Sharingan's observation, Dugu Yan's vital signs were not affected in the slightest.
Her soul power was also circulating smoothly and was steadily increasing.
Just in case, Ye Qiu even activated the Blue Silver Domain.
A natural and peaceful aura enveloped the two of them, further enhancing the power of the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Skill.
Even the Blue Silver Grass seeds that had been dormant in the soil beneath their feet began to take root and sprout, slowly emerging and emitting faint light.
"This kid actually has a domain!? This aura is somewhat similar to that girl, Xiao Lan?"
While being vigilant about his surroundings, Dugu Bo kept a close eye on the changes in Ye Qiu and Dugu Yan.
Although it was strange, he didn't delve too much into Ye Qiu's secrets, since they would be family anyway.
"Hmm? Is the antidote finished?" He habitually reached for the antidote in the jar, only to find it empty.
Seeing Dugu Yan's face turn green again, Ye Qiu didn't dare to hesitate. With him as a human blood pack, this was definitely a sure thing.
He bit his index finger hard and quickly put it into Dugu Yan's mouth.
A few drops of blood stained her lips as she gently sucked Ye Qiu's blood. The pain in her body eased, and her ashen face turned pale, then flushed red.
Ye Qiu also felt the touch on her fingertips—warm, moist, soft, and smooth.
"Hoo!" He let out a long breath, his reddish-purple eyes no longer filled with tension.
"Senior, it's all right now. It won't be long before Miss Dugu successfully obtains her fourth soul ring!"
"Haha... all thanks to you, kid!" Dugu Bo's face also broke into a smile again. He could sense that Yan Yan's aura had stabilized.
"Hmm? It's almost over!" Dugu Bo exclaimed happily.
"Hiss~" A hiss came from Dugu Yan's body.
Behind Dugu Yan, the phantom of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent King appeared, its blood-red maw wide open, continuously absorbing the black energy. The two small horns on its head grew even larger.
The black flames on the Dragon Pattern Demon Serpent corpse extinguished, its life force extinguished, and the sacrifice was finally complete.
The Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul circled around Dugu Yan several times before plunging into her body.
Her Soul Rings slowly rose beneath her, a mix of yellow and purplish-black!
Simultaneously, her Soul Power level finally broke through to level 40, making her a four-ring Soul Master!
Her cultivation level soared, from 41, 42, and finally reached level 43 before stopping.
"Good!" Dugu Bo shouted, genuinely happy.
Although he hadn't cultivated much due to the snake venom, this ten-thousand-year Soul Ring had made up for that gap!
Moreover, there was still a Soul Bone he hadn't absorbed!
Dugu Bo's gaze fell on the middle of the Dragon-Patterned Demon Serpent's body, where an object shimmered with a dark, jade-like light.
Slowly opening her eyes, Dugu Yan saw Ye Qiu's smiling face. Her blush instantly spread across her face as her gaze met his eyes, and she lowered her gaze involuntarily.
The metallic taste lingered in her mouth. She reached
out and grasped Ye Qiu's wrist, her fragrant tongue gently sucking away all the blood. She then withdrew her hand, a few drops of sweet saliva clinging to her fingers.
"Thank you~" Dugu Yan said softly, her head bowed, wiping Ye Qiu's hand clean with her sleeve before letting go.
"Cough cough...no, it's nothing!" The soft, damp sensation on his fingertips disappeared, and Ye Qiu finally came to his senses, turning his head away, unable to look directly at her.
"Haha! Yan Yan! How are you feeling?"
Dugu Bo's laughter only added to the awkwardness between them. Ye Qiu had no choice but to stand up first, helping Dugu Yan up as well.
"Grandpa! I feel great! I'm already a level 43 Soul Master!" Dugu Yan clenched her fist, feeling her whole body brimming with power!
She activated her Martial Soul, the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor appearing behind her, four soul rings—yellow, purple, and black—pulling beneath her feet. Her joy was impossible to conceal.
"Miss Dugu, it's best not to use your Martial Soul yet, lest the snake venom in your body flare up again!" Seeing her somewhat restless, Ye Qiu reminded her from the side.
"What's there to be afraid of? Aren't you here?" Dugu Yan turned to look at Ye Qiu, her smile bright, her face flushed slightly.
"..." Faced with this, Ye Qiu opened his mouth but couldn't refute it.
"Hehehe, alright Yan Yan, Ye Qiu is right. I've already extracted the Dragon Pattern Demon Serpent's Soul Bone. Let's go back and absorb the Soul Bone first, lest something unexpected happens!"
Dugu Bo held a jet-black Soul Bone in his hand, a right arm bone with white patterns on it, resembling both a python and a dragon.
"Okay, then I'll listen to Grandpa!" Dugu Yan nodded, put away her Martial Soul, came to Ye Qiu's side, and took his hand. "
Kid, thank you for your trouble!" Dugu Bo also stood up.
"Hehe, it's nothing!" Ye Qiu chuckled, and without further delay, his divine power appeared, and the three of them disappeared from the spot.
...
Sunset Forest, within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well Secret Realm.
Dusk had fallen outside, and with Ye Qiu's help, Dugu Yan had successfully absorbed the soul bone.
"Yan Yan, how is it?"
"Grandpa, my soul power has broken through to level 44!" Dugu Yan stood up happily, stretched her body, then seemed to remember something, her face turning somewhat disappointed.
"It seems my martial soul can only stay like this."
Dugu Yan activated her martial soul, which was still in the form of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent King, only with two small horns on its head.
"This is probably because she missed the optimal time for martial soul evolution, or perhaps the medicinal power of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon wasn't enough to directly evolve the Azure Phosphorous Serpent into a Flood Dragon," Ye Qiu explained at the opportune moment.
"Haha. It's alright, at least it's stronger than Grandpa's martial soul. She'll definitely become a Title Douluo in the future!"
Dugu Bo was quite optimistic. Now that his granddaughter's snake venom was resolved, her future was bright. As for martial soul evolution? Maybe there would be another opportunity in the future!
"By the way, Yan Yan, how's your newly acquired soul skill?"
"My fourth soul skill is Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Shadow."
Next, Dugu Yan demonstrated her new soul skill to Ye Qiu and the other person.
Fourth Soul Skill, Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Shadow!
Its effect is to condense a huge azure-scaled serpent emperor phantom behind her, imbued with dragon might, intimidating anyone who sees it, reducing their attack and speed by 30%, or directly charging out to cause damage!
Soul Bone Skill, Hidden Shadow Dragon Serpent!
Four long serpents resembling dragon-patterned demonic serpents, condensed from soul power, are released from her arms. They can coil and bite, and are highly venomous; one more serpent is added for every ten levels gained.
For Dugu Yan, a control-type Soul Master, it was like having several extra, extendable arms, enriching her methods and making her control abilities even more prominent on the battlefield during Soul Battles!
"Hehehe, good, good, good!"
Dugu Bo shouted happily, saying "good" three times in a row, and then patted Ye Qiu's shoulder.
"Kid, let's not worry about the time. You watch over Yan Yan for me, I'm going to buy something to celebrate!"
"Senior, should I go...?"
Before Ye Qiu could finish speaking, Dugu Bo formed a hand seal and disappeared before their eyes.
The air suddenly became quiet.
The two sat facing each other at a low table under the wooden shed.
Green eyes met blue eyes, speechless.
"Ye... Ye Qiu!" Dugu Yan had just opened her mouth when Ye Qiu lowered his head. He still remembered the X-ray vision incident.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Seeing Ye Qiu's desire to escape, Dugu Yan was furious, but still blushed and said what she wanted to say.
"I won't hold it against you for seeing me naked last time! But thank you for today~"
She gritted her teeth, her voice filled with resentment, then softened again.
"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to." Ye Qiu looked up at her, his voice apologetic, as if granted a reprieve.
She lowered her head, feeling a mixture of shyness, resentment, and disappointment.
'Hmph! Didn't mean to, yet you looked for so long... you clearly saw everything, but...'
...
Time slowly passed, and a green streak appeared on the horizon of Sunset Forest.
It disappeared into the forest.
"Hehehe!"
A strange laugh echoed from beside the low table within the secret realm.
The food on the table had barely been touched, leaving only Dugu Bo sitting there alone.
Ye Qiu and Dugu Yan, however, were already lying on the ground.
Seeing the two young people in such a daze, Dugu Bo felt he had to do something for his granddaughter.
The things he had prepared a few days ago were now ready to be used!
After drinking the tea, Dugu Bo began to take action!
(End of Chapter)