Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

The vast majority of scorpion-type soul beasts grow larger as they age. However, it is said that a small portion of them, upon reaching an advanced stage of cultivation, begin to shrink in size. The scorpion soul beast occupying the Emerald Gecko's nest was only about one meter in length, with a vivid amethyst-like coloration that gave its body a metallic sheen. Its tail, extending about half a meter, added to its striking appearance. Overall, it looked very petite.

Underneath the scorpion lay a mountain of corpses made up of fallen Emerald Geckos. Though the corpses had not yet fully decomposed, they exuded a dense aura of death.

This death energy surged in waves, continuously absorbed by the scorpion perched atop the corpse mountain.

Despite its relatively small body, the creature seemed like a demon king from the depths of hell, existing solely to spread death. The corpse mountain beneath it resembled a throne fit for such a king. A single glance at this scene could leave one's mind shaken.

When Dugu Bo first saw this soul beast, he thought he had encountered a scorpion-type soul beast that had been cultivated for over 100,000 years, shrinking its size as it evolved. His heart nearly leaped into his throat.

But upon closer inspection, he realized that this creature was not what he initially thought. However, in terms of rarity, it was probably no less valuable than a 100,000-year soul beast—perhaps even more so.

"Xiao Ming, you're in for a treat! This is a Netherworld Scorpion!" Dugu Bo whispered excitedly, nudging Chen Ming on the shoulder as he spoke in hushed tones.

"A Netherworld Scorpion?!" Upon hearing Dugu Bo's assessment, Chen Ming's eyes widened in disbelief.

The Netherworld Scorpion was a soul beast of great renown, so much so that even ordinary farmers without awakened soul power had heard of it.

According to legend, in the ancient era before the Angel God ascended, a black fissure appeared in the heavens, from which poured forth a swarm of massive scorpions.

These scorpions possessed physical strength and bodies rivaling that of dragons, and their terrifying venom left barren wastelands in their wake, where not even a single blade of grass would grow for centuries.

These creatures had no intelligence and could not communicate, existing solely for slaughter. They killed humans and soul beasts alike, tearing apart their prey with massive pincers or dissolving them with their venom.

Even dragons became their prey, shredded by their pincers and devoured. Not even the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear could stand against them. Moreover, even if someone managed to kill one, it would not leave behind a soul ring.

People feared them and called them Netherworld Scorpions, believing them to be monsters that had crawled out of the underworld—catastrophic beasts, unlike any ordinary soul beast.

Hundreds of years later, when the Angel God rose to prominence and led humanity in their struggle against soul beasts, the Netherworld Scorpions were eradicated.

In the legends of the Angel God, it is said that before ascending to godhood, the Angel God and their companions slayed the leader of the Netherworld Scorpions and sealed the black fissure in the heavens. After that, the Netherworld Scorpions gradually weakened, and when killed, they began leaving soul rings behind, much like ordinary soul beasts.

In a way, one could think of this as akin to the Douluo Continent's equivalent of the Nuwa mending the heavens myth.

Because of the immense destruction these creatures caused to the continent, neither humans nor soul beasts could tolerate their continued existence. Even during the era of conflict between humans and soul beasts, both sides would temporarily set aside their enmity when confronted with Netherworld Scorpions.

It is said that after the era of the Angel God, these catastrophic beasts became exceedingly rare. Successive heirs of the Angel God would immediately destroy any Netherworld Scorpions they found to honor their forebear's legacy.

In theory, these beasts were exterminated thousands of years ago, leaving only a few sub-species behind. Even these remnants were extraordinarily rare, with most of them being top-tier soul beasts or even super-quality beasts.

The Dark Illusion Scorpion, which Chen Ming had previously chosen for a soul ring, was said to be one of the sub-species left behind on the continent. Among the sub-species, it was relatively weak, having mutated to possess spiritual poison.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming's first reaction was doubt—wondering if Dugu Bo had made a mistake. After all, weren't these creatures supposed to have gone extinct thousands of years ago? His second thought was that, given the Netherworld Scorpion's high quality, even one that had just passed the 10,000-year mark could rival a 100,000-year soul beast. Could Dugu Bo handle it? Should they tactically retreat and come up with a better plan?

"Is this a Netherworld Scorpion? Didn't they go extinct? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Chen Ming whispered cautiously, suppressing his aura and soul power as he questioned Dugu Bo.

"There's an 80-90% chance it's a Netherworld Scorpion. Even if it isn't, it's certainly a sub-species that's infinitely close to the real thing. Its quality is even higher than the Medusa I encountered back in the day."

"Though this is my first time seeing the real thing, its appearance matches the descriptions in ancient texts perfectly. And that sinister aura of death—it's worthy of the title Netherworld."

"Don't be fooled by its seemingly low cultivation age—below 10,000 years. See those corpses beneath it? Among them are several soul beasts with cultivation ages in the 10,000s, including one that's nearly 40,000 years old. That one was close to transforming into an Emerald Gecko Emperor."

Dugu Bo pointed to the largest corpse in the pile and whispered to Chen Ming.

"Less than 10,000 years old, but it wiped out a group of 10,000-year and 1,000-year Emerald Geckos in their own nest? This thing is that strong…"

"Grandpa, can we even take it on?" Chen Ming was eager for the Netherworld Scorpion's soul ring but couldn't help feeling apprehensive.

"If this thing had a cultivation age of 100,000 years, the Sunset Forest would already be a wasteland. It would take the High Priest of the Spirit Hall to deal with it. If it were over 50,000 years old, we would run immediately—grab Yan Yan, clear out the herbs in the yard, and flee to report it to the Spirit Hall."

"If it were 10,000 years old, I'd have to put up a tough fight to kill it, and I wouldn't let you stay nearby to watch. But since it's under 10,000 years old… it's troublesome, sure, but not unmanageable."

"Xiao Ming, do you want its soul ring?" Dugu Bo grinned confidently as he asked.

"Yes! I want it! I want it!" Chen Ming's eyes sparkled with excitement, his heart racing.

The Netherworld Scorpion was said to have invaded the Douluo Continent from another world, only to be assimilated into the rules of this world after its leader was slain. Even if it wasn't as powerful as the legends claimed, it was still undoubtedly one of the strongest soul beasts in terms of quality.

The benefits its soul ring could provide, along with the unique traits it might contain from its otherworldly origins, were beyond Chen Ming's imagination. Even if it were barely over 1,000 years old, he would eagerly absorb it and work to enhance its age later.

After all, aside from legendary poison-type divine beasts, nothing could compare to this mythical creature.

"Stay hidden here. Grandpa will go beat it half to death!" Dugu Bo declared confidently.