Chapter 39: Soul Hunting (II)

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Liu Erlong was in the process of absorbing the soul ring, while Dugu Bo carefully inspected the corpse of the Blazing Unicorn Serpent. Unfortunately, there were no soul bones to be found.

High-level ten-thousand-year soul beasts had a relatively high chance of dropping soul bones, and the higher the bloodline of the soul beast, the greater the probability. Another method to increase the drop rate was to brutally kill the soul beast. 

However, even with these factors, the probability remained quite low. Dugu Bo had once hunted over twenty ten-thousand-year soul beasts in the Sunset Forest and only obtained three soul bones—a stroke of incredible luck.

The group now waited for Liu Erlong to finish absorbing the soul ring before assisting Flender in hunting the seventy-thousand-year Sky Dome Divine Eagle. Finally, they would help Li Luochen hunt the variant Tyrant Dragon.

With Liu Erlong, now at Spirit Sage level, protecting Li Luochen and Dugu Yan, the combined strength of Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo, and Flender, a Spirit Douluo, should be enough to take down the Tyrant Dragon.

The king of sub-dragon species was no joke—it could rival a hundred-thousand-year soul beast even at just ten thousand years, much like the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear. They couldn't afford to be careless.

To play it safe, Li Luochen asked Dugu Bo to help refine some medicinal pills. Herbs that enhanced spiritual power, such as Spirit Nourishing Flower, could be refined into pills that boosted mental energy.

The Breaking Clan's formulas included such recipes, and Dugu Bo had already prepared the pills for Li Luochen in advance. As for why he didn't use the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew? Dugu Bo knew its effects and decided to save it for his granddaughter.

He wanted her fourth soul ring to also be a ten-thousand-year soul ring—though not as extreme as Li Luochen's, something just over ten thousand years would suffice.

Dugu Bo understood that ten-thousand-year soul beasts possessed the ability to cause soul tremors. To ensure the refinement of spirit-enhancing pills, he used all the mature spirit-attribute herbs from the Ice and Fire Dual Eye, such as Spirit Nourishing Flower, Soul-Stabilizing Grass, Seven-Illusion Green Spirit, and Ghost-Face Ginseng.

Two types of pills were refined: one directly boosted spiritual power, similar to the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, and the other stabilized the mind when absorbing soul rings.

For this variant Tyrant Dragon, Li Luochen had gone to great lengths. If successful, he would soar to new heights. And if not? There was no room for failure. What cultivator feared challenges? Charge forward, and everything would fall into place.

About a day later, Liu Erlong completed the absorption of the soul ring, her spirit power reaching the peak of level 71. The True Body of the martial soul was crucial.

Since the attributes of the Blazing Unicorn Serpent matched well with Liu Erlong, its bloodline further advanced her dragon transformation. Her head, limbs, and body had fully transformed into a dragon-like form. Only the dragon horns and wings remained incomplete.

When using the True Body of her martial soul in her dragonized state, Liu Erlong was practically invincible at her level. Even against a Spirit Douluo, she could dare to fight. Though victory wasn't guaranteed, her dragon transformation was a signature technique of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, akin to the Great Sumeru Hammer of the Hao Tian Sect.

"Alright, next we'll search for the Sky Dome Divine Eagle. This time, Flender will protect the two children while Dragon girl and I handle the battle."

Dugu Bo gave the instructions. With his extensive experience, he knew how to deal with a seventy-thousand-year soul beast. Originally, the plan was for Flender and Dugu Bo to work together.

The Sky Dome Divine Eagle could fly at incredible speeds, and Flender, as a flying-type quasi-Spirit Douluo, could block it. But now, with Dugu Bo's left-arm bone and his eighth soul skill, Time Solidification, they could restrain the eagle. Liu Erlong could simply deliver heavy blows.

The five of them headed toward the territory of the Sky Dome Divine Eagle in the Sunset Forest.

After about half a day of travel, they finally arrived. The trees here were much taller and thicker than in other parts of the Sunset Forest.

Many bird-type soul beasts resided here, likely subjects of the Sky Dome Divine Eagle. As one of the dominant beasts of the Sunset Forest, how could it lack followers?

However, most of these soul beasts were only thousand-year-level and were immediately scared off by the overwhelming presence of Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo.

Screech—

A loud eagle cry echoed through the forest. The pressure released by Dugu Bo startled the Sky Dome Divine Eagle, which perceived the intrusion as a violation of its territory.

The Sky Dome Divine Eagle was an awe-inspiring sight—its body a pale blue-white, thirty meters long with a wingspan of seventy meters. Its feathers were razor-sharp, resembling blades. It exuded majesty, truly appearing as the ruler of the skies.

"Hoh, here it comes! Dragon girl, let's go! Seventh Soul Skill: True Body of the Jade-Gold Phosphorous Snake Emperor!"

"Seventh Soul Skill: True Body of the Crimson Dragon!"

Dugu Bo and Liu Erlong unleashed their True Bodies to confront the enemy.

A forty-meter-long Jade-Gold Phosphorous Emperor Snake, with a golden dragon head and snake body, charged toward the Sky Dome Divine Eagle. Simultaneously, a twenty-meter-long fire dragon also surged forward.

The Sky Dome Divine Eagle engaged in combat with Dugu Bo and Liu Erlong. The shockwaves from their clashes forced nearby bird-type soul beasts to retreat. Meanwhile, Li Luochen and Dugu Yan stood safely behind Flender.

In the sky, two-thirds of the pale blue-white body of the Sky Dome Divine Eagle was covered in green venom, with small patches scorched black by flames.

The Sky Dome Divine Eagle realized it was in trouble. It tried to flee but was entangled and unable to escape. Though the poison wasn't deep, it was enough to rapidly weaken its combat ability.

Meanwhile, the fire dragon kept delivering powerful blows, making it difficult for the eagle to cope.

"Alright, Dragon girl, switch places with Flender. This will end soon."

Dugu Bo transmitted the message to Liu Erlong, who immediately flew toward Flender. After explaining the situation, she deactivated her True Body, and Flender activated his True Body to quickly join the battle.

During this brief exchange, the Sky Dome Divine Eagle seemed to seize an opportunity. Its body suddenly glowed as it endured Dugu Bo's attacks and attempted to escape into the distance.

"Hoh, you want to run? Eighth Soul Skill: Time Solidification!"

Dugu Bo unleashed his eighth soul skill, freezing the fleeing Sky Dome Divine Eagle in place.

"Flender, quickly gather your energy and aim for the wound on its abdomen. Deliver a fatal blow. After I release the Time Solidification, I'll use Snake King Bind to restrain it, but only for a few seconds. You must strike decisively."

Dugu Bo instructed Flender, channeling his spirit energy into his left arm.

"Understood, Your Excellency!" Flender immediately gathered spirit energy into his right arm. His right-arm bone, obtained from a fifty-thousand-year soul beast, was part of his seventh soul ring. It granted him a powerful single-target attack skill: Golden Eagle Sky-Cleaving Claw. This was Flender's strongest attack.

"Get ready! I'm about to begin."

Dugu Bo signaled to Flender, his left arm now fully charged.

Whoosh—the Time Solidification was lifted. Before the Sky Dome Divine Eagle could react, it was entangled by several green snake shadows.

"Golden Eagle Sky-Cleaving Claw!" In his True Body state, Flender unleashed the soul skill of his right-arm bone, doubling its effectiveness. The synergy between the soul ring and soul bone from the same soul beast amplified its power.

Flender's True Body maximized the enhancement of his right-arm bone skill.

A golden slash struck the wound on the Sky Dome Divine Eagle's abdomen. Corroded by venom, the area lacked protective feathers, ensuring that Flender's strike would shatter the eagle's internal organs.

Screech—the Sky Dome Divine Eagle let out its final cry before lowering its proud head. A black soul ring emerged from its body.

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