Chapter 71: The Gap
After a simple dinner, the two discussed taking turns on night watch, ultimately deciding that Dugu Yan would take the first half of the night and Lin Yang the second.
That being said, neither of them was actually carefree enough to truly sleep.
For a Soul Master, cultivating is the best form of rest.
The first half of the night passed without incident.
However, during the second half of the night, the watchman Lin Yang suddenly opened his eyes.
The Transparent World was already active the moment he opened his eyes; a mass of light and shadow was moving at high speed, heading directly toward their location.
Whoosh!
Just as Lin Yang was about to stand up, a gust of vicious wind lunged from behind, sharp fangs aiming straight for Dugu Yan's neck.
Lin Yang didn't even blink; without even summoning his Martial Soul, he flickered and blocked the path behind Dugu Yan.
Clenching his fist, he threw a straight punch right at that blood-red maw.
Bang—!
"Awoo—!"
With a dull thud of flesh hitting flesh, the Soul Beast let out a shrill wail. Its entire head was knocked backward, and it went flying like a cannonball.
After crashing through several large trees, it finally slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Lin Yang retracted his fist and finally saw clearly that it was a Swift Wind Leopard; judging by its size, it should be around three thousand years old.
However, this Swift Wind Leopard looked quite pathetic at the moment.
A fist-sized indentation had appeared on its face, and blood was gurgling out.
Its two canine teeth, sharp as daggers, were half-broken and hung crookedly from its mouth.
Just as Lin Yang was about to finish off this uninvited guest, Dugu Yan's voice rang out from beside him.
"Younger Brother Lin Yang, let me do it!"
Lin Yang was startled. He turned to look at Dugu Yan and raised an eyebrow, reminding her,
"Senior, this Soul Beast has three thousand years of cultivation."
Although half its life had been punched out of it, it didn't mean this Swift Wind Leopard was no longer a threat.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Dugu Yan's mouth, a dangerous light flashing in her eyes.
"Humph, so what? I, Dugu Yan, am not just some decorative vase."
She paused, her eyes shimmering with a hint of coquettishness in her voice.
"Besides, isn't Brother Lin here watching over me?"
Lin Yang shrugged and naturally didn't stop her. He took two steps back, clearing the space.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan leapt up, completing her Martial Soul Possession while still in mid-air.
Her slender snake tail lashed out, and two yellow Soul Rings rhythmically pulsed around her body.
Dugu Yan's eyes glowed faintly in the darkness—the gaze of a predator.
The Swift Wind Leopard struggled to its feet and shook its head as a large amount of blood flowed from the wound, matting half its face.
Yet, facing Dugu Yan, it still let out a low growl.
By now, the Swift Wind Leopard had thoughts of retreating, and its intention was seen through by Dugu Yan.
"Thinking of running? It won't be that easy!"
With that, Dugu Yan took the initiative to attack.
However, the moment she made contact with the Swift Wind Leopard, Dugu Yan's heart skipped a beat.
She had originally thought that a Soul Beast that could be sent flying by a single punch from Lin Yang couldn't be that strong.
But when she actually faced it, she suddenly realized that it was Lin Yang who was strong, not the Swift Wind Leopard that was weak.
Even though it was heavily injured, the Swift Wind Leopard's speed made it difficult for her to handle for a moment.
Sharp claws tore through the air, grazing past her side time and again, forcing her to retreat repeatedly.
Fortunately, the Azure Phosphorus Poison Flood Dragon Martial Soul greatly enhanced her melee capabilities, allowing her to stay in the fight despite being at a disadvantage, and her toxins were also having some effect on the Swift Wind Leopard.
Lin Yang naturally noticed Dugu Yan's weaknesses as well.
Her two Martial Soul Abilities, Phosphorus Red Poison and Phosphorus Blue Poison, were both control-type skills that could eliminate pain and increase her own attack power and speed.
These Soul Rings were likely specifically chosen by Dugu Bo to delay the erosion of the toxins within Dugu Yan.
This kind of Soul Ring configuration was indeed good for arena matches, but in a true life-and-death struggle, it couldn't fully unleash the power a poison-type should have.
Someone like the Old Poison Fiend, although jokingly called the weakest Titled Douluo, who among the Douluos could compare to him when it came to large-scale destruction?
One person slaughtering a whole city was no mere saying.
At that moment, the Swift Wind Leopard also realized that the woman in front of it seemed to be nothing special.
With a roar, it turned into an afterimage and lunged straight at Dugu Yan.
Its speed was astonishing; under the moonlight, only a blurry gray shadow could be seen.
Facing the gray shadow, Dugu Yan didn't dodge. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, intending to rely on her scales to tank the blow.
Bang!
Dugu Yan's body shuddered violently as she stumbled back several steps.
The sharp claws swiped across her arms, tearing several emerald scales and drawing blood, but Dugu Yan didn't even frown.
Instead, seizing the opportunity, she spat a cloud of deep green poisonous mist from her small mouth.
This was Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Origin poison, which she had always regarded as her final trump card.
After her Martial Soul evolved, the power of this Origin poison was even greater than before.
As the poisonous mist came into contact with the wound on the Swift Wind Leopard's face, a chemical reaction seemed to occur; the bright red blood instantly turned black, carrying a foul stench.
The skin around the wound began to fester, spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Swift Wind Leopard let out a shrill wail.
Dugu Yan took the opportunity to retreat several steps to avoid a final desperate counterattack from the Swift Wind Leopard.
The wailing only lasted for a dozen breaths before the Swift Wind Leopard's body collapsed with a "thud," dark red blood flowing from its seven orifices as it died completely from the poison.
A purple Soul Ring condensed above the corpse.
She won!
Dugu Yan looked at her hands, her expression somewhat complicated.
She had won, defeating a Swift Wind Leopard with three thousand years of cultivation using only level thirty Soul Power.
For a Soul Elder who had not yet obtained their third Soul Ring, this was already a quite staggering achievement.
But she wasn't as joyful as she had imagined; instead, she felt a bit empty.
Lin Yang had used only one punch, without even using his Martial Soul, to beat the Swift Wind Leopard half to death.
In contrast, she herself, dealing with a Swift Wind Leopard that had only half its life left, was actually forced to use her Origin poison and rely on the wound Lin Yang had left to slowly wear it down to death.
The gap was too large!
She raised her head and looked at the calm youth not far away, a complex feeling welling up in her heart.
"It turns out I'm not that strong after all!"
Since childhood, she had always lived under the halo of being a "Genius."
Her grandfather was a Titled Douluo, and she herself was exceptionally talented, so she was looked up to wherever she went.
As time passed, she truly believed she was very powerful.
But only now did she see clearly that between her and a true Genius, there lay a visible chasm.
Lin Yang's casual punch was a level she could only reach by giving her all.
In the shadows, Dugu Bo watched all of this quietly.
When he noticed the blood flowing down his granddaughter's arm, a flash of heartache crossed his eyes, but he forced himself to endure it.
In the past, he would have rushed out long ago; whoever dared to harm his granddaughter, he would dare to retaliate a thousand times over.
But things were different now.
Previously, he had no way to solve the backlash of the toxins in Dugu Yan's body, so he could only desperately be good to Yan Yan, wanting to give his granddaughter all the best things.
At that time, he felt that as long as Yan Yan was happy, it was enough.
As for strength, with him backing her up, what was there to fear?
But now, the poison had been cured.
He also had to consider Yan Yan's future; it was impossible for her to hide behind this old bag of bones for her entire life.
This Soul Hunt was originally intended to let Yan Yan see with her own eyes the gap between her and Lin Yang.
Being weak isn't scary; what's scary is being constantly immersed in a false dream and unable to wake up.
"Kid, I'm counting on you...!"
Dugu Bo withdrew his gaze and turned to vanish into the darkness.
The road ahead must be walked by Yan Yan herself.
Loving Book So Far? Check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/FictionOP