Chapter 24: Star Dou Great Forest, Encounter with the Dragon and Serpent Duo and a Pursuit?!
"This external Spirit Bone was obtained by my teacher from an ancient ruin in his early years. He has treasured it ever since, never willing to use it."
"It wasn't until my Martial Soul Awakened and was confirmed as the Light Holy Dragon that my teacher bestowed it upon me without hesitation, helping me overcome my weaknesses and soar through the Nine Heavens."
At this point, Yu Jingcheng looked at Dugu Bo with a knowing, half-smile.
"Old Poison, you should understand."
"Everything I possess is merely the tip of the iceberg of my teacher's foundation."
"Follow me, and as long as you are utterly loyal, in the future, whether it's Soul Bones or anything else..."
"This one can afford to give it!"
Hearing these words, Dugu Bo trembled all over.
The last trace of doubt in his heart completely vanished.
Replacing it was an even more fanatical reverence.
That mysterious "teacher" was instantly elevated to an unimaginable height in Dugu Bo's mind.
Perhaps a reclusive Super Douluo?
Or even... a 99th rank Limit Douluo?
Or perhaps a demigod?
Dugu Bo was getting carried away with his own fantasies.
Regardless, clinging tightly to the thigh of this "Young Lord" before him was undoubtedly the most correct decision Dugu Bo had ever made in his life!
"Rest assured, Sect Master!"
Dugu Bo took a deep breath, slightly bowed in mid-air, his tone reaching the peak of respect:
"This old man's life has long been pledged to the Sect Master."
"Even if the road ahead is paved with mountains of blades and seas of fire, should the Sect Master give the order, this old man would not even frown!"
"Good!"
Yu Jingcheng laughed heartily, his golden wings giving a powerful flap, transforming his entire body into a golden meteor that instantly streaked across the sky.
"Then keep up!"
"Target, the Star Dou Great Forest!"
The Star Dou Great Forest, with its ancient trees reaching for the sky, blocked out the clouds and sun.
Three streaks of light shot past like fleeting glimpses, instantly piercing through the outer region and heading straight for the border between the mixed zone and the core zone.
This was the paradise of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts and the Forbidden Land for the vast majority of Soul Masters.
"Sect Master, let's stop around here."
Dugu Bo halted, hovering in mid-air, his gaze sweeping over the jungle below like lightning.
"Xin'er is now a level 60 quasi-Soul Emperor. After your medicinal conditioning, his body should have no problem absorbing a Soul Ring from a Soul Beast around twenty thousand years old."
"This area is frequented by Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts. If we go further in and encounter a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast, even this old man would have to exert considerable effort."
Yu Jingcheng nodded, the glow from the bright dragon wings on his back gradually receding, but they remained spread, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
"Twenty thousand years is indeed a safe choice."
Yu Jingcheng said calmly:
"However, since we are hunting, we must find the one most suitable for the Martial Soul's characteristics."
"The Jade Phosphor Serpent specializes in poison. It's best to find a top-tier Soul Beast with poison or Yin-cold attributes."
Just as the group was about to split up to search for prey...
Boom!
A deafening roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the dense forest in the distance.
Immediately after, vast swathes of towering ancient trees collapsed like wheat being harvested, stirring up clouds of dust.
An extremely violent wave of Soul Power, accompanied by a shrill, agonized roar, surged towards them like a tsunami.
"Hmm?"
"Such a powerful Soul Power fluctuation!"
Dugu Bo's expression changed, his figure instantly shielding Dugu Xin. A trace of gravity flashed in his jade-green eyes.
"This aura... it's from a Soul Beast of at least sixty thousand years, and it's gone berserk!"
"Moreover, there seems to be a human Soul Master's aura mixed in as well?"
Yu Jingcheng narrowed his eyes. Relying on the keen perception of his Spiritual Power, he detected two not-so-weak Soul Powers rapidly approaching their location.
"Fleeing in panic?"
The corner of Yu Jingcheng's mouth curled into an amused arc.
"Let's go take a look."
With that, instead of retreating, he advanced, flapping his wings and flying first towards the source of the commotion.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo could only grab Dugu Xin and follow closely behind.
Before long, two utterly disheveled figures came into the trio's view.
A man and a woman, both middle-aged.
The man was tall and sturdy, holding a dragon-headed cane. Six Soul Rings pulsated up and down around him.
But his current state was extremely dire. His clothes were in tatters, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he bore multiple injuries, clearly suffering from significant internal wounds.
Beside him, the upright middle-aged woman was only a Soul Sect.
Her situation was even worse. She was practically being half-dragged along by the old man in their frantic run, and her snake-headed cane showed a fine crack.
Both wore expressions of terror, glancing back over their shoulders from time to time.
"That's..."
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted sharply, clearly recognizing the identities of the two. The words escaped his lips:
"Meng Shu?"
"Chao Tianxiang?"
"The Peerless Dragon and Serpent couple?"
Hearing this title, Dugu Xin, who had been following behind, also exclaimed in surprise.
Although this was thirty years before the main story began,
Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang, relying on their Martial Soul Fusion skill, had still made a name for themselves as the 'Peerless Dragon and Serpent' in the regions around Heaven Dou City.
Naturally, Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin were not unfamiliar with them.
Yu Jingcheng looked at Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Should he recruit them?
Even if he waited thirty years,
their combat power would only be comparable to a Titled Douluo's single strike when using their Martial Soul Fusion skill.
But it was merely that one strike under 'burst' conditions!
There was no absolute necessity to deliberately recruit them.
However, if the difficulty of recruitment wasn't high,
Yu Jingcheng wouldn't mind taking them in as a matter of convenience.
Currently, Yu Jingcheng's forces consisted only of the Dugu Family.
And the Dugu Family was sparse in numbers, with only Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin.
The Soul Masters within the Dugu residence were also few in number.
Yu Jingcheng was just worrying about having no capable subordinates. Relying solely on Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin to hold the fort was still too thin.
This Peerless Dragon and Serpent couple, although their strength was inferior to Dugu Bo's, still had some connections and a Family influence within the Soul Master World.
In Yu Jingcheng's memory,
thirty years later, Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang would establish their own academy.
Though at this time, that academy might not yet exist.
Of course, what Yu Jingcheng valued most about them was
their fierce protectiveness of their own and their deep sense of loyalty and righteousness.
Just like Dugu Bo.
If he could save them in this critical moment, he could not only gain two powerful fighters but potentially bind the entire Meng Family to his own war chariot!
"When luck comes, you can't even block it."
Yu Jingcheng's thoughts raced, and he instantly reached a decision.
At this moment, Meng Shu, who was fleeing for his life, also sensed someone blocking the path ahead.
Meng Shu's heart sank, thinking they might be accomplices of the Soul Beast or villains taking advantage of the situation. He immediately roared:
"Get out of the way!"
"Don't block the path!"
"If you don't want to die, scram!"
"Behind us is..."
However, when he clearly saw the three figures suspended in the air ahead, his voice cut off abruptly.
The leading young man had wings on his back, radiant with golden light, like a Heavenly God descending.
He exuded a sacred aura that made even Meng Shu's Martial Soul tremble with fear.
And behind the youth, that old man with green hair and a sinister gaze...
"Du... Dugu Bo?!"
Meng Shu's heart shook violently, a wave of despair instantly flooding his eyes.
Dugu Bo blocking the path ahead, a terrifying Soul Beast in pursuit behind.
Was heaven truly determined to annihilate him and his wife today?
"S... Save us!"
Just as Meng Shu despaired, the Serpent Grandmother Chao Tianxiang beside him couldn't care less. As if grasping the last straw, she cried out shrilly:
"Senior Dugu!"
"For the sake of us all being Soul Masters, we beg you to lend a hand!"
"As long as you save us, our Meng Family is willing to pay any price!"
A sixty-thousand-year Soul Beast.
Although Dugu Bo's combat power was slightly lacking,
he was, after all, a Soul Douluo.
Saving them shouldn't be a problem.
Dugu Bo frowned slightly, instinctively looking towards Yu Jingcheng.
In the past, given his temperament, he wouldn't have glanced at such trivial matters; he might even have added to their troubles.
But now, he was Yu Jingcheng's subordinate.
Whether to save them or not depended entirely on this "Young Lord's" word.
Yu Jingcheng hovered in mid-air, looking down at the disheveled couple.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a gentle yet supremely confident smile.
"You two, calm yourselves."
"Since we've met, it is fate."
"This trivial matter, this one will handle it."
Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin exchanged a glance.
Their eyes held a hint of amusement.
If they could conveniently recruit these two, it wouldn't be bad at all!
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