Chapter 41: Soul Hunting
"By the way, Yan, have you taken the pills I gave you?"
Hearing Ning Bei's question, Dugu Yan patted her head.
"Oh, I was just about to go find Grandpa! I already took the pills you gave me, and I've reached level 40. I'm planning to have Grandpa help me find a soul ring. Let's go quickly."
She said, pulling Ning Bei's hand as they headed toward the Sunset Forest, where Dugu bo was currently cultivating at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.
To be honest, this girl had a lot of guts, daring to cross through the Sunset Forest, one of the three major soul beast gathering areas. It was rumored that the Pope, Bibi Dong, had once hunted the 100,000-year-old Death Spider King here.
Ning Bei shook his head in disapproval at Dugu Yan's reckless behavior.
Summoning the Dan Tower, Ning Bei summoned Ah Bao to guard in front of the two of them.
When Dugu Yan saw the Dark Gold Fearsome Claw Bear appear before them, she was startled and tightly grabbed Ning Bei's arm.
Seeing her nervousness, Ning Bei couldn't help but laugh. "Where did that tiger-like bravery go just now?" He lightly patted her delicate shoulder.
"Don't worry, this is also my partner. The Sunset Forest can be dangerous, so it's better to be cautious."
Upon hearing Ning Bei's words, Dugu Yan let out a breath and patted her chest, still trembling.
"Okay, let's go then. I can't wait to get my fourth soul ring."
The two continued towards the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.
Not long after, perhaps due to the release of the Dan Tower, some of the fragrance leaked out. Shortly after they set off, a Mandala Snake appeared in front of them.
Ah Bao immediately bared its claws and stepped forward to protect the two.
Looking at the giant snake before them, Ning Bei's eyes lit up.
"Yan, your soul ring is here. This is a Mandala Snake, about 5,400 years old. It has strong toxicity and is perfect for your fourth soul ring."
Dugu Yan was delighted to hear Ning Bei's words, but then she grew worried.
"Ah Bei, although the Mandala Snake is suitable for me, isn't its age a bit too high? Isn't the limit for the fourth soul ring around 5,000 years? I'm not a freak like you."
Ning Bei smiled reassuringly at her careful approach. It seemed she wasn't overwhelmed by the sudden soul ring from the sky.
"It's okay, Yan. Didn't I have you take the whale glue to enhance your physique half a year ago? Even though the time was short, it still made you stronger than before."
"Also, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a pill called the Pulse Protection Pill, which temporarily boosts the strength of meridians and can slightly increase the age of the soul ring you can absorb. So, the 5,400-year soul ring isn't a problem."
After hearing Ning Bei's explanation, Dugu Yan couldn't suppress her joy. Ever since Ning Bei helped her get rid of the toxins in her body, she had completely trusted his words.
"Really, Ah Bei? Then what are we waiting for? Let's take it down!"
Ning Bei nodded, and soon, Ah Zhu , Yao Yao, and Chang´e appeared by their side.
Dugu Yan, seeing all the soul beasts surrounding them, was curious but knew it wasn't the time to ask questions.
She activated her Martial Soul, and a pair of small horns appeared on the emerald-green snake's head, indicating it was no longer a simple Green-scaled Snake Martial Soul. Yellow, yellow, and purple—three soul rings began to shine.
Seeing this, Ning Bei didn't stop Dugu Yan's actions. As a battle soul master, more fighting was always a good thing.
Soon, several pills such as Beast Strength Pills, Spirit Enhancement Pills, and Accumulation Pills appeared in his hands, and he handed them to her.
"Yan, take these."
Without asking what the pills were, Dugu Yan, who trusted Ning Bei unconditionally, immediately took the pills. As she felt her strength and soul power rapidly increase, she looked at Ning Bei with shining eyes.
"Ah Bei, you have more of these good things?"
"Yep, once you absorb the soul ring, I'll give you more."
Seeing the Mandala Snake's hesitation at the sight of the two of them and their four soul beasts, it was about to try to escape. However, before it could turn around, its body was tangled by Yao Yao's tree branches. Although Yao Yao's poison wasn't effective on a poisonous creature like the Mandala Snake, the snake still needed to expend energy to break free from the branches.
Meanwhile, the Human-faced Demon Spider didn't idle around. It quickly shot a poison web at the immobile Mandala Snake.
Dugu Yan, seeing the two beasts' effectiveness, activated her second soul skill.
"Emerald Toxic Tail."
The tail of the Green-scaled Jiao glowed darkly and struck the Mandala Snake's vital point, causing it to cry out in pain.
At this moment, Ah Bao also arrived in front of the snake and slashed its body with a claw. This was at Ning Bei's instruction—otherwise, with Ah Bao's claw strength, it might have killed the snake instantly, and Dugu Yan wouldn't have gotten her soul ring.
Even with this restraint, the claw still left the Mandala Snake severely injured, lying on the ground with shallow breaths.
Seeing the opportunity, Ning Bei turned to Dugu Yan.
"Yan, it's almost time, go ahead."
Dugu Yan nodded, and with another strike of her second soul skill, she targeted the bleeding wound, and a purple soul ring floated up from the now lifeless Mandala Snake.
Ning Bei took out a Pulse Protection Pill from his necklace and handed it to Dugu Yan.
"This is the Pulse Protection Pill. Eat it and then start absorbing the soul ring."
Since Dugu Yan hadn't exerted much effort in this soul hunting, she didn't need to adjust her state. She nodded to Ning Bei, took the Pulse Protection Pill, and began sitting cross-legged to absorb the soul ring.
Ning Bei instructed the three soul beasts to form a triangular formation around them for protection, while the Emerald Swan circled overhead, performing reconnaissance.
This was the first time Ning Bei had observed someone absorbing a soul ring, and he was curious about the process. He wondered if there was anything special about watching the soul ring absorption from the perspective of an observer.
He saw Dugu Yan's already slender body becoming even more alluring under the influence of the soul ring and soul power. It seemed that her previously unremarkable chest had also slightly grown.
Tsk, don't look at things like this, who knows which pig will benefit from this beautiful cabbage in the future?
Ah! It's me, never mind.
Two hours later, the soul ring absorption neared completion. The purple soul ring had fully solidified around the Green-scaled Jiao, and Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes, filled with excitement, locked onto Ning Bei.
"Ah Bei, my soul power has reached level 41."
"What about the soul skill? What's your soul skill?"
Dugu Yan closed her eyes and felt her fourth soul skill. Then she turned to Ning Bei to explain.
"My fourth soul skill is called Twin Toxic Fangs. It lets me attack the enemy with venom-coated fangs. If the target is already poisoned, the damage is doubled. It works great when combined with my third soul skill, Toxic Mist."
Ning Bei silently calculated the appearance of this soul skill and realized it felt strangely familiar.
"Really? This skill is quite fitting for you."
"Yes, Ah Bei! Let's go find Grandpa in the hot spring. I'm sure he'll be shocked."
It seemed this woman, like himself, enjoyed seeing the elders at home in a state of shock.
(END CHAPTER)
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