Chapter 30: The Azure-Eyed White Python
Sunset Forest. The valley where the Ice-Fire Twin Eyes resided was as serene as ever.
Suddenly, a voice shattered the quiet.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! I've strengthened it—can we go hunt spirit beasts now?"
Little girl Dugu Yan bounced excitedly toward Dugu Bo, who was studying hidden weapon techniques, her face radiating joy.
Dugu Bo smiled and put away the "Hundred Solutions" hidden weapons he had been working on, which lay on the stone table. "Alright~ Let's go. Grandpa will take you to hunt spirit beasts!"
"Grandpa, are we hunting long-lived spirit beasts?" Dugu Yan's delight was unmistakable.
Hunting spirit beasts to obtain spirit rings was always an exhilarating experience for any spirit master. No matter the age, every spirit master felt excitement at the chance to gain a new ring, and Dugu Yan's enthusiasm was particularly apparent.
Thinking for a moment, Dugu Bo explained to his granddaughter, "The maximum lifespan for a third spirit ring is seventeen hundred years. But to be safe, we'll choose a spirit ring from a beast over a thousand years old but under fifteen hundred. That's sufficient."
Pushing for the extreme lifespan is risky—a single mistake could lead to severe injury. Only those obsessed with power would dare. He would never let his granddaughter take such a chance.
With him, her grandfather and a Title Douluo, at her side, why would she need to be that strong? Besides, a difference of two hundred years in lifespan wouldn't be noticeable in the long run.
Spirit beasts around a thousand years old were generally found near the outskirts of Sunset Forest.
But Dugu Bo knew the forest better than anyone. Some of the powerful ten-thousand-year beasts would also keep their offspring nearby, meaning even near the forest core, there would be thousand-year beasts with strong bloodlines—perfect for Dugu Yan's spirit rings.
As luck would have it, he knew exactly where to find beasts suitable for her.
Dugu Bo led his granddaughter out of the valley, quickly passing through a poisonous formation. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he concealed his aura and flew toward the location in his memory.
Meanwhile, Dragon Lord Meng Shu and Snake Matron Chao Tianxiang, accompanied by their granddaughter Meng Yiran, arrived at the entrance to Sunset Forest.
The forest entrance was as lively as always, filled with students in academy uniforms, scions of various families, and most commonly, wandering cultivators.
The three quickly passed through the noisy crowd, heading directly toward the forest core.
Along the way, Meng Yiran looked up and asked brightly, "Grandpa, where are we going?"
Meng Shu smiled. "There's a senior living in this forest. We need to see them for something."
"Is it the senior who saved us yesterday?" she asked.
"Yes." Meng Shu ruffled her hair gently.
Chao Tianxiang frowned slightly. "Why would this senior live inside a spirit beast forest?"
Meng Shu explained, "I heard this senior is a recluse. With their strength, living in a spirit beast forest poses no problem."
Hearing this, Chao Tianxiang nodded and fell silent. The three of them swiftly wove through the forest, racing toward the core.
Elsewhere, Dugu Bo had brought his granddaughter to a wetland.
Towering trees reached into the clouds, their dense foliage blocking most sunlight, leaving only scattered golden rays on the forest floor. The air was cool and fresh.
Here lived a nest of Azure-Eyed White Pythons. The largest was around forty thousand years old, and when he last came, he had seen several hatchlings.
It was likely they were still here. Spirit beasts rarely migrate once they've chosen a habitat.
Dugu Bo scanned the surroundings, about to check the area, when he sensed a heavy breathing nearby.
"Rustle—"
A disturbance came from the bushes. Dugu Bo furrowed his brow and instructed, "Yan Yan, find a place to hide."
Dugu Yan immediately understood, nodding and hopping onto a nearby tree trunk, concealing herself among the thick branches to watch.
From her astonished gaze, a massive head suddenly emerged from the bushes not far from Dugu Bo.
A triangular head clearly marked it as a giant serpent. What made it unusual was that its eyes, aside from the black vertical pupils, were completely turquoise.
"Hissss—"
Its tongue flicked in and out, hissing ominously. The giant head lunged forward, gaping its maw at Dugu Bo, intent on devouring the human who dared provoke it near its lair.
Without even releasing his martial soul, Dugu Bo's thick, powerful soul energy surged. He shifted his body and effortlessly dodged, striking the serpent's head with a palm.
Thud—
The impact made the head wobble. If only he had said "Asiba" while striking—it would have been perfect. Alas, Dugu Bo didn't.
From her vantage point, Dugu Yan finally saw the beast in full: a colossal python over ten meters long. Every scale gleamed silver-white, as if polished metal, radiating a cold shimmer.
Its defense alone was formidable, its speed terrifying, and its venom made it a lethal opponent. In short, it was an incredibly powerful spirit beast.
Silver scales and rare turquoise eyes—this was an Azure-Eyed White Python.
Dugu Bo frowned slightly. He recalled that there were supposed to be a pair here. Where was the other one?
Had it been hunted? Killed by another spirit beast? Anything was possible—fights among spirit beasts could be even fiercer than those between beasts and humans.
Before Dugu Bo could ponder further, the python swung its massive tail toward him. He quickly dodged to the right.
The tail slammed into the ground, shaking the earth and kicking up dust. The attack didn't stop; it kept coming. Dugu Bo's swift movements and rapid footwork avoided the strikes. His previous position was left with deep craters from the blows.
At his speed, this forty-thousand-year-old spirit beast posed no real threat to a Title Douluo like Dugu Bo.
____________________________
T/N: this shitty ass chapter took me 30 minutes once again because the countings is throwing the ai off (the original chapter 30 is an announcement for Chinese readers and I ain't translating that)