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--- Chapter 195 ---
Dugu Yan is not the type of person who likes to play around. Ever since she learned that her family was on the verge of destruction due to their inherent poison, something shifted inside her.
Something primal.
Desire for power.
Ability to protect.
She learned that to protect her family, she must be strong. She knew that to follow that young man, she must be strong!
Today, she will show what she has achieved.
As soon as Butler Wang's cries echoed in the garden, Wei Dero and others froze in their spots. They stared at the one-winged Spirit Sage in disbelief because they couldn't understand how Dugu Yan cut his wing off.
Simple, sharp, unpredictable.
Everything happened too fast.
Only one person could see this whole situation clearly, and it was none other than Ye Lingling.
Ye Lingling stared at her best friend, 'Jade-Scaled Sea Dragon is a strong dragon-type spirit. It has three very domineering attributes, Ultimate Poison, Extreme Water, and Extreme Wind.'
'Back then, when it was still Jade-Scaled Flood Dragon, Yanyan struggled with water manipulation as she was too used to using poison. However, in just three short years, she has mastered water and wind manipulation, using them to enhance her poison art further.'
'It's not explosive one for sure, just silent and deadly.'
Ye Lingling compared Dugu Yan's poison art with that latter's father and grandfather, but the way they fought is different.
Dugu Yan glanced around and declared arrogantly, "I don't have time for this face; come with all you got."
"I will show you why you shouldn't mess with Dao Academy."
"For once, and all!"
The sounds of rustling armor filled the quiet garden. Count Dero saw the guards of his mansion had arrived upon noticing the abnormality within the mansion.
"Wang!" shouted one of the guards, wearing more refined knight armor than the other. He was a rugged man, looking like a majestic lion in silver armor.
This man is Count Dero's trusted captain guard, Chang Meng.
And behind Chang Meng are his trusted vice-leaders, Pan Wuhan and Sun Fu.
Three of them are Spirit Saint Experts.
However, the expressions on their faces upon seeing their strongest friend, Butler Wang, on the ground with only one snow-like feather remaining, were one of utter shock.
Who is Butler Wang?
He's a half-step Soul Douluo known as the Winged Demon Killer.
Yet, he got incapacitated right before their eyes.
Count Dero didn't hesitate to shout his orders, "Captain Meng, Wuhan, Fu, surround that girl. Neutralize her as quickly as possible! Don't worry about Butler Wang, he will support you from the back later!"
Upon hearing this, Chang Meng, Pan Wuhan, and Sun Fu finally turned their gazes toward Dugu Yan.
The five spirit rings floated around her, giving them the idea of what they were going to fight.
They didn't look down on Dugu Yan like Butler Wang and summoned their martial souls immediately.
"Mighty Lion, Possessed!" Captain Wang roared, transforming himself into a half-human, half-lion hybrid.
Pan Wuhan summoned a staff covered in greenish tiger relief made of metal.
Sun Fu clenched his finger, and a bunch of yellow-colored vines appeared around him.
"Go!" They didn't have to look at each other, and rushed toward Dugu Yan with familiar coordination.
Dugu Yan saw this and giggled, "Three spirit sages against one spirit king, no one would believe this."
"How shameless."
"However, it's understandable. Even a lion used all its might when hunting."
"Well, then." Dugu Yan clasped her hands. I have to entertain you guys similarly."
"Thousand Whirlpools Domain."
A ripple appeared from Dugu Yan's slender fingers, creating one whirlpool after another with the power of water and wind. These whirlpools act as barriers, protecting her from physical, elemental, and spiritual attacks.
So, when the three spirit sages attacked Dugu Yan with their fastest attack, they got neutralized upon contact.
It is Dugu Yan's Domain - Thousand Whirlpools Domain!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Water splashes everywhere, but Dugu Yan, at the center of chaos, wasn't affected by it.
In return, Dugu Yan grabbed one of the whirlpools and pointed toward Captain Chang, "Whirlpool Dragon Bullet."
Swoosh!
One whirlpool condensed into a high-speed rotating bullet and then flew toward Chang Ming's body, leaving a bloody hole in his chest. Thankfully, it missed his heart by a few centimeters.
Even then, Chang Ming's eyes widened as he grunted in pain.
"Snowless Domain!" Butler Wang, who has recovered from the pain, used his domain immediately to counter Dugu Yan's. A fierce wind and frost covered the garden and clashed with Dugu Yan's whirlpools.
Pan Wuhan and Sun Fu took a two-pronged strategy. One is binding Dugu Yan with his vines, and the other unleashed a powerful one-target attack.
Dugu Yan lets the chill air freeze her whirlpool, the vines bind her body, and the spear attack lands on her remaining whirlpool, allowing Captain Ming a chance to attack.
Captain Ming gritted his teeth, roaring. "Martial Soul's True Body!"
A giant lion over five meters tall and ten meters long appeared. Its body is brownish-golden, and its mane glows with a black aura. Seven standard spirit rings flashed rapidly, making the beast's entrance more impressive than ever.
"Howling Beast Cannon!" The mighty lion roared, firing a concentrated spirit energy beam infused with dark elements.
Count Dero's breath hitched in excitement. He believed Dugu Yan couldn't take this attack. Of course, he wasn't so hopeful to kill the genius girl as that would trigger Dao Academy's anger more, but at least she would faint, right?
Dugu Yan watched the incoming beam and grinned slightly. Her five spirit rings glowed brightly before merging into one, becoming a crimson red halo.
'Xiao Yuan, I wish you could see how strong I've become...'
'Martial Soul's Liberation!'
A roar of a dragon echoed from the depths of Dugu Yan's soul, more precisely, her martial soul.
The Jade-Scaled Sea Dragon seemingly transformed under everyone's eyes and smacked the incoming beam away.
BOOOOOM!!
The beam was sent to the nearby wall, destroying it into pieces.
The Jade-Scaled Sea Dragon roared once more, and this time, the transformation is complete.
A slender dragon hovered above Dugu Yan. Its body resembled that of a typical western dragon, featuring four lower limbs and wings, but it had a longer neck and tail, completely covered in gleaming azure scales. Each scale acted like armor—impregnable and mirror-like in its brilliance, with immense toughness.
The dragon had a shape reminiscent of a bulky spearhead, with crown-shaped horns perched above its striking azure-colored eyes. However, the most captivating aspect of the dragon was its wings, which were 'naturally' enveloped in a swirling typhoon.
Seeing this dragon, everyone was stunned, Ye Lingling included.
Although Ye Lingling has been around Dugu Yan for years, she hasn't seen her martial soul's liberation, and much to her surprise, the quality of the Jade-Scaled Sea Dragon actually could reach such a height!
Martial Soul's Liberation is a forbidden technique that enables a person to unleash their full potential by tapping into their most primal sources of strength, including their bloodline.
Although Ye Lingling did not perceive a divine presence from Dugu Yan's evolved spirit, which means it wasn't a god-level martial soul, there was no doubt that it was a pure-blooded true dragon spirit.
"Crying Sky, Land of Sorrow..."
Dugu Yan's voice brushed everyone's mind.
Drip!
Drip!
Drip!
A downpour suddenly materialized. Rainwater fell from the sky rapidly, followed by a thunderous roar in the black clouds.
Storms hit the garden.
Cry, and shouts echoed throughout the mansion.
"Poison!"
"The rain is poisonous!"
"What!" Count Dero listened to the cries and froze.
"H-How could you! Aren't you afraid of offending the whole noble society by doing this!"
Butler Wang, Captain Ming, Pan Wuhan, and Sun Fu suddenly knelt on the ground. Their complexions were pale due to the danger posed by the rain. They only had one thought, 'It wasn't just a large-scale attack, but also a domain!'
'Damn, she has two freaking domains!'
Dugu Yan smiled, "Why should I be afraid?"
"My name is Dugu Yan."
"My grandfather is Dugu Bo."
"I dare you to ask those noble friends of yours to attack me after this."
"Y-You!" Count Dero pointed his finger at Dugu Yan weakly. He was in disbelief.
'Why didn't you say that sooner!'
If Count Dero knew Dugu Yan's background, he wouldn't have dared to attack her even if he had three more lives.
Dugu Bo is not just a name in the spirit master's community; he's a symbol of fear, a devil that one shouldn't provoke unless they want their family to perish with his poison.
Fuck, why do I have to target Dao Academy? This meeting should be a secret!
Unknown to Count Dero, nothing is secret with the right amount of money.
He got betrayed from the very beginning.
The source?
Han Yuan!
Yes, Han Yuan allowed these greedy nobles to acquire Dao Academy's resources through unethical means.
For what? To make an example!
However, even Han Yuan didn't expect Dugu Yan to get involved.
The beating wasn't supposed to be this painful.
Dugu Yan's lone figure stood in the garden. She looked up and smiled faintly, "What a nice day to rain."
"Well, let's wrap this up."
Snap!
Dugu Yan snapped her fingers, and some raindrops became needles, sharp enough to penetrate even Soul Douluo's defense. Then, thousands of water needles swam from the sky like a storm dragon and swept Count Dero's mansion.
Each needle attacked the people Dugu Yan deemed not innocent, and had a plan to sabotage Dao Academy.
Dugu Yan exited the Martial Soul's Liberation state and commented casually, "Don't worry, aside from you and your partners who got their martial souls crippled, the rest only get fevers."
"I am not that cruel."
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Count Dero's bloodshot eyes glared at Dugu Yan before falling to the ground, fainting from the pain of getting his dantion shattered.
As the rainclouds washed away, the sunlight hit the mansion. Only silence remained.
Then, a towel was 'suddenly' thrown in Dugu Yan's face.
"What's with that somber look?" Ye Lingling arrived beside her.
"Shouldn't you be happy after beating these people?"
Dugu Yan pouted, "Hmph, they are too weak!"
"Girl, you're literally using Martial Soul's Liberation! A literal cheat code, shut up!" Ye Lingling cast a healing spirit skill to restore Dugu Yan's condition.
"But..."
"You're quite cool when doing it." She smiled at her.
Dugu Yan grinned, "Right?!"
"I wanted to show Xiao Yuan how much I have improved!"
"I can't wait!"