Dugu Bo said, "There's no need to rush the experiment. Focus on finding Spirit Beasts first. It won't be too late to try when you advance to Spirit King and are ready to leave."
Li Qing nodded, "Okay."
Dugu Bo hid in the shadows again, while Li Qing continued on his way. However, having learned his lesson, he was noticeably more cautious, doing his best to conceal his aura.
But it was useless.
His methods of concealing his aura could only deceive Spirit Beasts below ten thousand years. Those above ten thousand years were unaffected, and as soon as he made a move, he would instantly attract a swarm.
Hone combat experience?
Hone a hammer, he couldn't hone it at all. The entire night, he was either running or on the way to running, being chased up and down by numerous Spirit Beasts and living dead.
He hadn't honed his combat experience, but his escape experience was gradually improving.
Li Qing finally understood the horror of Death Canyon, and he could also understand why Hu Liena and the others were so terrified when they heard the name Death Canyon.
This cursed place is truly not fit for humans.
If Dugu Bo hadn't repeatedly intervened to save him, he would have died at least ten times that night. Sometimes, Dugu Bo even appeared before he saw the real enemy.
That was a mental-type Spirit Beast, and its Spirit Ability was an illusion.
Li Qing was ganged up on in the illusion for a long time, and only after Dugu Bo killed that Spirit Beast did he realize that the Spirit Beasts ganging up on him were merely figments of the illusion.
It was truly infuriating.
It was also that Spirit Beast that made him think of Tang San's Purple Demon Eye, a pupil technique that could even see through illusions from a Spirit Saint like Shi Nian.
He suddenly felt a little envious.
Day broke, and the bustling Death Canyon returned to its tranquility. Those Spirit Beasts, like specters who couldn't bear the light, all disappeared somewhere when day arrived.
And Li Qing finally had a chance to rest properly.
At this moment, Li Qing was vastly different from when he first entered. His valuable black-gold robe had turned into tattered rags, stained dark red with blood.
If he didn't still have his Xuan Niao state, he would have gone to seek medical attention long ago.
The outer reaches of Death Canyon were already this terrifying; it was hard to imagine how terrifying the core area would be. Perhaps even a Spirit Saint, or even a Spirit Douluo, would have to kneel there.
It was terrifying to this extent.
That night, Li Qing actually encountered quite a few death-attribute Spirit Beasts, and many of them had excellent Spirit Abilities, but their age was still quite far from his expectations.
His fifth ring needed to be at least fifty thousand years old; for high-quality Spirit Beasts, he could slightly lower the requirement.
After adjusting his mindset slightly, Li Qing began to recover his spirit power. The death qi that surged into his body with the world's energy was skillfully stripped away by him.
Having struggled to survive for an entire night, his spirit power as a Spirit Ancestor was naturally insufficient.
Every time Dugu Bo saved him, he would guard him while he recovered his spirit power. At first, he needed to recover before stripping away the death qi, but later he gradually learned to absorb energy and strip it away simultaneously.
This was only possible by relying on the Heart Separation Control method of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School as a foundation.
"Bang!"
The sky was clear, but suddenly a thunderclap boomed.
Li Qing abruptly opened his eyes, feeling a strong spirit power fluctuation coming from afar. He spread his wings and flew high into the sky, looking towards the direction from which the spirit power fluctuation came.
At the edge of his vision, he saw two tiny dark figures fighting back and forth in the air.
Because of the great distance, he couldn't clearly see what those two dark figures were, and it was even difficult to distinguish whether they were humans or Spirit Beasts.
However, judging by the intensity of the spirit power fluctuations, they were both stronger than that zombie fellow from last night.
If they were human, their strength would be at least that of a Spirit Saint, and the corresponding Spirit Beast cultivation for a Spirit Saint was around fifty thousand years.
Except for individual top-tier qualities.
Li Qing didn't hesitate much and headed straight for the battlefield.
Although from the sound, one of them should be lightning attribute, an existence that could fight it evenly should not have too much difference in strength.
Perhaps it was the Spirit Beast he needed.
As he gradually approached, Li Qing finally saw the appearance of the two combatants: a giant black python, about ten meters long, with two heads and a pair of wings on its back.
A Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent, a top-tier lightning-attribute Spirit Beast.
Although the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent belonged to the lightning attribute, it simultaneously possessed both Yin and Yang attributes. One head could spit out Yin lightning, and the other head could spit out Yang lightning.
Its strength was extremely powerful, with almost no natural enemies.
The Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent's age could be determined by its inverse scales, but because the distance was too great, Li Qing couldn't see them directly, nor did he dare to get too close.
As for its opponent...
It was a living dead person with a Purple Lightning Eagle Spirit, wearing female clothing. To be able to fight the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent, her strength naturally wouldn't be too bad.
She was a Spirit Saint with seven spirit rings.
Moreover, facing the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent at this time, she might even be an eighty-level seven-ring Spirit Saint, possibly eyeing the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent's spirit ring.
Li Qing didn't pay much attention to her, his gaze remained focused on the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent.
Dugu Bo emerged from the shadows: "A forty-thousand-year-old Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent. It's a good choice. Your Spirit's two attributes are also completely opposite, so the compatibility shouldn't be too bad."
"Good, then I'll trouble Grandpa Dragon."
Li Qing was not someone who hesitated. Although the attributes were somewhat mismatched, Yin and Yang could barely align with his life and death, and perhaps it was more suitable than a single attribute.
Life and death, Yin and Yang, it sounded quite good.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo activated his Spirit, and his wings appeared. He flew directly towards the battlefield, startling both the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent and the living dead person.
"Running away! Running away!"
The living dead person was still human after all, and her intelligence had not been extinguished. So, the moment she saw a Titled Douluo, she turned and ran without hesitation.
"Rumble!"
The Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent, however, was completely unafraid. In its rage, one of its heads suddenly spat out a black lightning plasma towards Dugu Bo.
The lightning plasma was as black as ink and as viscous as paste, somewhat similar to the 'dirty water lightning' rumored on Earth, but its power would probably be far inferior.
After all, this is the Douluo World.
Dugu Bo was a bit speechless. Using a long-range attack from so far away, was it too disrespectful to him? If he couldn't even dodge this, what was the point of his cultivation?
"Hmph!"
Dugu Bo snorted coldly, easily dodging with a spread of his wings. As he rapidly approached the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent, spirit power had already been injected into his left arm bone.
"Rending Sky Claw!"
Dugu Bo roared, his left claw slashing down like a sharp blade. Three purple claw lights flashed and disappeared, reaching the Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent in the blink of an eye.
"Rumble—"
The Yin Yang Twin-Headed Serpent's other head spat out a blue lightning bolt, striking the three claw lights, suddenly erupting in a huge roar and a strong explosive aftermath sweeping out.