Poison Douluo Blocks the Way and Comes to the Rescue

"Neither of you two will walk out of here in one piece today."

Li Zhexian first glanced at Huo Wu, then turned his gaze to Jin Ling.

"Senior, which two do you mean?"

"The two who entered my herb field and stepped on something."

Huo Wu looked down at her feet, then raised her hand and pointed at Li Zhexian.

"I didn't step on anything. He did."

"Only one plant."

"Stepping on one still counts."

Dugu Bo struck the ground once with his walking stick. The green mist had already parted to either side, revealing several broken medicinal herbs on the ground.

Li Zhexian looked at the footprints on the broken stems.

He did not argue any further.

Bone Flag Douluo, who had been chasing them from behind, also stopped, his bone flag still floating behind him.

Dugu Bo raised his walking stick and pointed it at the rock wall to the side.

"All of you, move over there."

Huo Wu did not move. Her gaze remained fixed on Bone Flag Douluo.

"He's here to capture Li Zhexian."

"I could already tell. Move over there first."

"Are you planning to capture him too?"

"Talk less."

Li Zhexian reached out and took Huo Wu by the arm.

"Let's go over there first. If he wants to capture us, it won't matter where we stand."

Huo Wu slapped his hand away, but she still retreated to the rock wall.

Jin Ling followed behind the two of them, keeping an eye on Bone Flag Douluo's movements.

Dugu Bo turned to face their pursuer.

"You came to my herb field chasing someone and trampled my herbs into this state. You've got some nerve."

Bone Flag Douluo looked at Li Zhexian behind Dugu Bo.

"I only need that brat."

"There's only one kind of person I allow to touch my herbs."

"What kind?"

"Dead people."

Grayish-white Soul Power crawled across the rock wall, and bone spikes emerged from the ground one after another.

A jade-green serpent's silhouette had risen behind Dugu Bo. As soon as the fallen leaves at his feet came into contact with the green mist, their color quickly changed.

Li Zhexian leaned out to take a look.

"Senior, could you attack me with your poison?"

Huo Wu grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back.

"First think about how you're going to survive today."

"I'm only asking."

Dugu Bo also glanced at Li Zhexian.

"You just escaped from someone else, and you're still in the mood to think about my poison?"

"I can get things from attacks on me, so I wanted to know whether poison damage would work too."

"You want to test that with your own life?"

"That's why I wanted to ask you to control the dose, senior."

Dugu Bo snorted.

"Wait until you leave here alive. Then we'll talk."

Taking advantage of their conversation, Bone Flag Douluo waved his bone flag and charged.

The serpent's silhouette behind Dugu Bo opened its enormous jaws, and green mist surged toward the bone flag.

Bone Flag Douluo released grayish-white Soul Power, scattering the poison mist in front of him, and several bone spikes shot toward Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo turned sideways to evade them, and the poison mist spread across the ground toward his opponent again.

Unwilling to let the poison mist come near him, Bone Flag Douluo had no choice but to take two steps back.

"Old bastard, are you really going to fight me because of him?"

"You've already trampled my herbs, and you're still asking why?"

"You intend to stop me?"

"I intend to make you pay for my herbs."

"How much?"

"Ask again when you get out alive."

Bone Flag Douluo's expression darkened, and the Soul Rings behind him lit up one after another.

The bone flag began to tremble, and dozens of bone spikes flew toward Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo tapped the ground with his walking stick, and the rising green mist blocked most of the bone spikes.

Li Zhexian was about to see how Dugu Bo would handle the attack when one bone spike curved around the poison mist and flew toward Huo Wu by the rock wall.

"Watch out!"

He used Wind Walking Step to rush over, holding the Azure Lotus Sword horizontally in front of Huo Wu and deflecting the bone spike.

By the time the bone spike hit the ground, Li Zhexian's arm had gone numb.

"On the left!" Jin Ling shouted.

Li Zhexian turned sideways to get out of the way. Another bone spike grazed his sleeve before embedding itself in the rock wall.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo thrust his walking stick forward.

Several streaks of green light passed through the mist and struck Bone Flag Douluo's shoulder.

Bone Flag Douluo raised a hand and shook off the green light, but his steps had already slowed.

"Your poison..."

"Only now do you know fear?"

Bone Flag Douluo gritted his teeth and waved his bone flag, forcing Dugu Bo back before turning and retreating toward the canyon's exit.

Li Zhexian held his sword but did not pursue him.

Blocking just one bone spike had already taken considerable effort. If he really chased after Bone Flag Douluo, Dugu Bo would probably have to save him again.

"Li Zhexian, I'll come looking for you again!"

"Bring your coffin next time," Dugu Bo said.

Bone Flag Douluo retreated toward the other end of the canyon and soon disappeared from sight.

Dugu Bo waited a while longer before withdrawing his Martial Soul.

"He ran pretty fast."

Li Zhexian also put away the Azure Lotus Sword.

"Thank you for your help, senior."

"I stopped the man who trampled my herb field."

"That still counts as helping us."

"Stop keeping track of favors and think about how you're going to pay for my herbs."

Huo Wu sat down against the rock wall. When she raised a hand to wipe away her sweat, the wound on her wrist began bleeding again.

She tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and wrapped it rather carelessly around the wound.

Dugu Bo glanced at her.

"What's your name?"

"Huo Wu."

"Was your Soul Power extracted from you on the altar earlier?"

Huo Wu's movements paused for a moment.

"How did you know?"

"Toward the end, your Soul Power couldn't keep up with your flames, and the meridians in your shoulder are injured too."

"I can still make fire."

"Being able to make fire doesn't mean you weren't hurt."

Huo Wu looked at him.

"Can you treat it?"

"I'd need to see how badly you're hurt first."

"I don't trust you."

"Good. That saves me the trouble of wasting my breath."

Huo Wu pulled her injured hand back and said nothing more.

Li Zhexian knew she had only just been tied to an altar, so it was only natural that she would not let a stranger touch her now.

He walked over to Dugu Bo.

"Senior, what I said earlier was true. I can get things from attacks."

"What things?"

"Pills, fragments, or possibly useless little things."

Dugu Bo looked him up and down.

"You're telling me this, and you're not afraid I'll tie you up and take you back with me?"

"You just stopped Bone Flag Douluo for us."

"I already told you, that was because of the herb field."

"But you even let the person who stepped on your herbs go."

Dugu Bo looked down at the broken herbs by his feet.

"Who said I was going to let you go?"

"Then I'll compensate you."

"What will you pay me with?"

"After I try your poison, senior, I might have something to pay you with."

Dugu Bo's gaze settled on his chest.

"Do you have something on you to protect your body?"

"Yes."

"How long can it hold out?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"And you still want to try?"

"Yes."

Huo Wu got to her feet and grabbed Li Zhexian's wrist.

"You just escaped from a Soul Saint, and now you're going to stand there and take poison?"

"This time, senior will control the dose."

"You trust him that much?"

"He just said he wouldn't let me walk out in one piece."

Huo Wu glared at him.

"What's there to trust about that?"

"At least he didn't say he wanted my life."

Dugu Bo kept shaking his head after hearing that. He took a small bottle from his medicine pouch.

"Let's make this clear first. If you can't bear it, shout. I don't want you dying in my herb field."

Li Zhexian took two steps forward and stood in the clearing.

Huo Wu did not stop him this time, but she still had her hand raised, ready to pull him back at any moment.

Dugu Bo pulled out the stopper and released a small amount of green mist.

The golden shield in front of Li Zhexian's chest lit up.

The system panel changed repeatedly, and the shield value began to drop.

He watched the panel and saw that the value was not falling very quickly. Only then did he feel a little more at ease.

A ball of green light floated out of the mist and finally stopped in front of him.

Dugu Bo looked at the ball of light.

"What's this now?"

"The first thing."

Li Zhexian reached out to take it, but Huo Wu called out to stop him.

"Check your shield first!"

Li Zhexian looked down to check. The value was still dropping.

Dugu Bo held the small bottle up, his eyes fixed on the golden light at Li Zhexian's chest.

"Stand steady and talk less."

Poison mist continued to pour from the small bottle.