Chapter 73: Ambush, Crypt Spider!
Dugu Yan also had a decisive personality.
She drew the dagger she had prepared long ago and stabbed it fiercely into the Bone-Corroding Viper Dragon's most vulnerable spot, the seven-inch mark.
The Bone-Corroding Viper Dragon's massive body writhed frantically, instantly churning the surrounding swamp into a chaotic mess.
Lin Yang and Dugu Yan retreated a few steps, standing aside to watch with cold indifference.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Bone-Corroding Viper Dragon's aura completely dissipated, and a purple Soul Ring slowly emerged from the corpse, taking shape in the air.
Dugu Yan sat cross-legged on the spot, circulating her Soul Power to draw the Soul Ring toward her, guiding it to her body as she began to refine and absorb it.
In the shadows, Dugu Bo wanted to step in and stop her several times, but he ultimately held back.
He believed that since that kid Lin Yang dared to let Yan Yan do this, he must have some level of certainty; if he appeared now, he might actually ruin things.
As time passed, the changes in Dugu Yan were exactly as Lin Yang had anticipated.
After enduring the initial period of pain, Dugu Yan's state began to stabilize. Her furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and her breathing became steady and long.
Most importantly, the earth dragon golden melon in her body that hadn't been fully digested and absorbed began to take effect under the stimulation of the Soul Ring.
A faint dragon's pressure began to emanate from her, more oppressive and heavier than before.
At the same time, her Soul Power fluctuations became increasingly stable and smooth.
At this stage, there was basically no possibility of failure in the refining process.
In the shadows, Dugu Bo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He withdrew his gaze and let it fall on Lin Yang instead, his eyes filled with immense satisfaction.
As expected, letting this kid take Yan Yan out for a Martial Soul hunt was definitely the right choice.
Just then, he noticed Lin Yang suddenly move, even directly summoning his Martial Soul.
Dugu Bo's heart skipped a beat. Before he could react to what was happening, he saw the ground beneath Lin Yang's feet suddenly explode.
A dark shadow shot out from underground, eight hideous spider legs tearing through the air as it lunged straight at the seated Dugu Yan.
The speed was incredible and the attack was extremely sudden.
Even as a Titled Douluo, he didn't have time to react for a moment.
"Yan Yan—!"
Dugu Bo's eyes nearly split from rage as his body instinctively lunged forward.
But Lin Yang was even faster. As if he had long anticipated this, he stepped in front of Dugu Yan first, the three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—at his feet flashing simultaneously.
Clang—!
The Nichirin Blade was drawn from its scabbard, its pitch-black blade glinting with a cold, piercing light.
In the next instant, a flash of blade light appeared.
This strike was unbelievably fast. Scorching flames accompanied an endless barrage of blade energy, weaving together into an airtight net that enveloped the Soul Beast.
Swish, swish, swish—!
The blade light subsided.
The Soul Beast's figure suddenly froze in mid-air.
In the next second, that massive body shattered like a collapsing pile of blocks, scattering across the ground.
Looking at the pile of shredded meat and thick fluid on the ground, Lin Yang flicked his wrist to shake the blood off "Scarlet Edge" and sheathed the blade.
His movements were clean and efficient, as if he had simply swatted a mosquito, and he hadn't allowed it to disturb Dugu Yan behind him in the slightest.
At this moment, Dugu Bo, who was about to rush forward, suddenly froze, as if a paralysis spell had been cast on him.
One strike?
No, he had unleashed many strikes in that single instant; it was just that the speed was so fast it looked like only one.
And...
Dugu Bo looked at the black Soul Ring emerging from the shredded meat, and he suddenly felt that he had grown old.
If this kid grew up, he would surely become another figure on the level of Qian Daoliu.
Meanwhile, Lin Yang was staring at the shredded meat in front of him, lost in thought.
A ten-thousand-year Crypt Spider?
The Crypt Spider he just killed... it couldn't be the one that was supposed to become Tang San's fourth Soul Ring in the future, could it?
In the Sunset Forest, the number of ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts wasn't large; maybe he really had run into it.
But Lin Yang quickly stopped overthinking it. Ever since he arrived in this World, the so-called plot had already been torn to shreds.
Who cared about a single Soul Beast?
Dugu Bo's figure quietly appeared beside the two. From now on, he would personally guard Dugu Yan; he didn't want to experience what just happened a second time.
Lin Yang wasn't surprised at all by Dugu Bo's appearance.
"Greetings, Senior," Lin Yang said with a slight bow.
Dugu Bo looked at Lin Yang with a complex expression and said with emotion,
"Kid... thank you for just now. You've saved Yan Yan's life again."
"Senior is too kind. Even without me, this Crypt Spider would be no match for Senior."
Dugu Bo shook his head. A Crypt Spider that had just passed the ten-thousand-year mark was indeed something he wouldn't normally care about.
But in a split second between life and death, under those circumstances, if Lin Yang hadn't acted in time, even he could only have watched helplessly as his granddaughter perished.
"Lin Yang!"
Dugu Bo's emerald-green eyes looked at Lin Yang, his voice filled with solemnity,
"From today on, your business is my, Dugu Bo's, business. As long as I am alive, no one else shall touch a single finger of yours."
Dugu Bo's meaning was already very clear: he was willing to be Lin Yang's protector until Lin Yang fully matured.
It was no longer just about relying on so-called promises and oaths.
This was a deeper level of binding.
Lin Yang had saved Dugu Yan multiple times, which was a very heavy debt of gratitude for Dugu Bo.
Similarly, Lin Yang's various performances made him believe that Lin Yang's future achievements would far exceed his own; this was also an investment.
Connections based purely on gratitude or interest were often the most unreliable.
Only when gratitude and interest were bundled together could there be long-term development.
Lin Yang's expression shifted as he bowed slightly: "Thank you, Senior!"
"Haha," Dugu Bo laughed loudly and waved his hand,
"Don't call me Senior anymore. Just call me Grandpa like Yan Yan does; it sounds more close-knit."
"This..." Lin Yang hesitated for a moment,
"I'll just call you Old Poison."
Dugu Bo didn't mind the title and nodded: "That works too!"
Afterward, the two of them guarded Dugu Yan, chatting idly.
As time passed, the purple Soul Ring around Dugu Yan had been completely refined, lining up with her first two Soul Rings and emitting a dazzling light.
At the same time, the Soul Power on her body was significantly stronger than before.
"Rank thirty-three."
The corners of Dugu Yan's mouth couldn't help but curl up.
The residual effects of the earth dragon golden melon and the Bone-Corroding Viper Dragon's Soul Ring had brought her Soul Power Rank directly level with Lin Yang's.
Did this count as getting a little bit closer to that guy?
Then Dugu Yan opened her eyes, and a kind, concerned old face suddenly leaned in front of her.
"Grandpa," Dugu Yan blurted out,
"Why are you here?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized.
No wonder Grandpa was so comfortable letting her go out for a Martial Soul hunt with Lin Yang; he had been secretly following behind all along.
"Grandpa!"
Dugu Yan hugged Dugu Bo's arm, shaking it while acting spoiled,
"You clearly said you'd let me act freely during this Martial Soul hunt; you didn't keep your word."
"How did I not keep my word?" Dugu Bo glared,
"When you were dealing with that Swift Wind Leopard earlier, didn't I stay out of it?"
Dugu Yan narrowed her long eyes slightly, a hint of suspicion flashing through them,
"Grandpa, that Swift Wind Leopard... you didn't release it on purpose, did you?"
Dugu Bo gave a dry cough, an unnatural look flashing across his face, but he soon stiffened his neck and said righteously,
"It was just to test your strength. Now it seems... you've barely passed."
"Hmph!"
Dugu Yan let go of his arm and turned her face away, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn upward.
It was then that she noticed a puddle of shredded meat not far away, with a deep black Soul Ring slowly floating above it.
Dugu Yan instinctively covered her mouth, looking at Dugu Bo in disbelief,
"Grandpa, did you release this one too?"
Dugu Bo was stunned:???
No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!
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