Chapter 33: The Battle Concludes!
Sunset Forest, core region!
The sky was clear and cloudless, yet suddenly several streaks of azure lightning tore through the void and exploded within the forest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, lightning serpents danced where the strikes landed. Trees fell one after another, and dust billowed into the air.
Across half the forest, spirit beasts collapsed to the ground, trembling in fear.
As for the one responsible—Dugu Bo descended lightly from the sky. Glancing at the stunned Meng Shu and his group, he said calmly, "Go bring that Azure-Eyed White Python over. I left it with a sliver of life."
Meng Shu snapped back to his senses, suppressing the joy in his heart as he hurriedly nodded. "Thank you, Your Excellency, for your generosity!"
With that, he rushed toward the place where the attack had landed.
Given the terrifying power of that strike, Dugu Bo's meaning was obvious—he had deliberately left the beast alive for them.
Chao Tianxiang held her granddaughter's hand, not even daring to look directly at Dugu Bo. Thinking back to that overwhelming aura, she couldn't help but swallow nervously.
So this is the power of a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring skill… truly terrifying…
Beside her, Meng Yiran gazed at Dugu Bo with admiration, her eyes sparkling.
She glanced at Dugu Yan, who was still absorbing her spirit ring, a hint of envy flashing across her eyes. Her grandfather looks young and is this powerful… I'm so jealous…
If Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang knew what she was thinking, they'd probably cough up blood from frustration…
Seeing their reactions, the corners of Dugu Bo's lips lifted slightly.
Of course, they were too absorbed in their thoughts to notice.
Using his martial soul and a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring skill to deal with a mere thirty-thousand-year spirit beast was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
But his goal wasn't just to ensure his granddaughter's absorption went undisturbed—it was also to establish authority in front of Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang.
From the looks of it, the effect was excellent.
After that attack, nearby spirit beasts had likely fled, so Meng Shu no longer had to worry about danger as he sped through the forest.
Soon, he reached the impact site.
Within several kilometers, the land was in ruins. Massive craters scarred the earth where lightning had struck. The surviving trees were charred black, as if struck by real heavenly thunder—an awe-inspiring sight.
The Azure-Eyed White Python lay in one of the craters.
Its body was scorched black, its scales dulled and ruined beyond recognition.
Its back had been pierced through by lightning, leaving a massive hole. There was no blood—everything had been burned and cauterized.
Judging by its size, it was less than thirty thousand years old—perfect for Chao Tianxiang's absorption.
No wonder Dugu Bo had said a spirit ring was coming.
Suppressing his shock, Meng Shu grabbed the python's tail and rushed back.
The beast was on its last breath—any delay would waste the spirit ring.
Before long, he returned, dragging the python behind him.
"Quick! Old woman, kill it now! It's about to die!" he shouted urgently.
Azure-Eyed White Python: "???"
Is that even something a person should say?!
A flash of light—Chao Tianxiang summoned her martial soul, the Serpent-Head Cane.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—five spirit rings rose around her.
She aimed the bladed tip of the cane at the python's head and thrust down with force.
Puchi—
The blade sank deep into its skull. Warm blood splattered across the ground.
"Hiss—! Hiss—!"
The python let out a final, agonized scream as a bloody hole opened in its head.
Thud!
As the last trace of life faded, black light began to gather from its body, condensing in the air.
Just like before, the light quickly formed into a deep, dark ten-thousand-year spirit ring.
Guided by Chao Tianxiang's soul power, the ring floated above her head, then shrank to bracelet size and settled onto her martial soul.
The energy within the ring flowed continuously through her Serpent-Head Cane into her body.
This was the difference between beast spirits and tool spirits.
For tool spirits, the energy passed through the martial soul before entering the body.
For beast spirits, the energy flowed directly into the spirit master's body—one reason why beast spirit users typically had stronger physiques.
Meng Shu and Meng Yiran stood guard anxiously.
Dugu Bo, meanwhile, watched over his granddaughter while casually flipping through the "Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons."
Time passed quietly…
After an unknown duration, Dugu Bo suddenly turned his head.
As if sensing something, Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes.
"I did it, Grandpa!"
She jumped up excitedly and ran over. "Guess how many levels I gained?"
Dugu Bo gestured for silence and pointed toward Chao Tianxiang, who was still absorbing her ring.
Only then did Dugu Yan notice the others, looking at her grandfather in confusion.
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes. "I just told you to keep it down, not to stop talking."
"Oh…" she muttered, then protested, "Well, how was I supposed to know if you didn't explain clearly…"
After briefly introducing Meng Shu's family, Dugu Bo led her back.
Dugu Yan leaned in mysteriously. "Grandpa, don't you want to know how much I improved?"
Dugu Bo played along. "Let me guess… Level 32?"
Of course, he knew it had to be higher—the medicinal effects in her body hadn't fully settled yet.
Dugu Yan beamed. "Wrong! I reached Level 35!"
Dugu Bo placed a hand on her shoulder, sensing her condition before nodding.
"For a while, don't cultivate further. Your power has risen too quickly—you need to stabilize it."
Dugu Yan stuck out her tongue. "Got it, Grandpa."
Their conversation was overheard word-for-word by Meng Shu and Meng Yiran.
Both looked at Dugu Yan with complicated expressions.
As expected of a Title Douluo's descendant… reaching Spirit Elder level at such a young age…
Meng Yiran felt a hint of bitterness.
They were about the same age—but she was only Level 24.
The gap between them was enormous.