The Secret of Yan Poison, A Move Across Space

The Secret of Yan Poison, A Move Across Space

Dugu Bo stood atop a crimson rock, his dark green robe billowing faintly in the rising heat. His brows were tightly furrowed, and the light in his dark green vertical pupils flickered unpredictably. He was clearly deep in thought. Ling Feng's theory of "using the heat of the Sun Spring Channeling to suppress an extremely cold poison" was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, stirring enormous waves in his heart.

He had guarded the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass, this miraculous place beneath the heavens, for decades. He had collected countless rare poisonous herbs and refined countless antidotes to deadly poisons, yet he had never been able to completely cure the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison inherited in his own bloodline and that of his granddaughter, Dugu Yan. He had tried countless methods—to fight poison with poison, to balance medicinal properties—but with little success. He had never considered... directly harnessing the ultimate forces created by heaven and earth!

Yang Spring... supremely yang, supremely fierce...

Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison... supremely yin, supremely sinister...

Perhaps... it really could work? Even if it only suppressed the poison, it would be a blessing beyond measure for him and Yan Yan!

Ghost Leopard Douluo watched the contemplative Dugu Bo, then glanced at Ling Feng nearby, who had lowered his head and put on an "I'm weak and obedient" act. His assessment of this bizarre brat rose another level. With just a few words, he had not only saved his own life but also made that temperamental Old Poison stop and think? What a move... incredible!

Seeing that the timing was about right, Ling Feng decided to add more fuel to the fire and shift the target toward Dugu Yan. He clutched his chest, a pained expression appearing on his face as he continued his performance. In a weak voice, he said, "Senior... there is something this junior does not know whether he should say..."

Dugu Bo was interrupted in his thoughts and looked at Ling Feng with some displeasure, his dark green vertical pupils scrutinizing him. "Speak."

"When this junior was describing the suffering caused by the strange poison in my body earlier, I observed Senior's expression..." Ling Feng carefully chose his words. "There seemed to be a hidden worry between Senior's brows, and when your aura circulated... there appeared to be a trace of the same gloomy, stagnant chill that is extremely similar to the cold poison within this junior?" He deliberately kept his words vague, stopping just short of saying too much.

The dark green poisonous aura around Dugu Bo suddenly surged! An even fiercer killing intent, mixed with the furious shock of having his secret exposed, erupted in an instant! He stared fixedly at Ling Feng, his voice as cold and piercing as a venomous snake's hiss. "Brat! You dared pry into this old man?!" The terrifying pressure of a Titled Douluo bore down on Ling Feng like a mountain!

"Please calm your anger, Senior!" Ling Feng's face turned deathly pale beneath that pressure, and his body swayed as he hurriedly offered a "panicked" explanation. "This junior had absolutely no intention of prying! It is only because this junior has suffered from this poison for many years and is far too sensitive to this bone-eroding chill! When Senior's emotions fluctuated just now, a trace of aura leaked out unintentionally, causing the cold poison in this junior's body to resonate... that was why... why this junior noticed it!" He attributed the reason to the sensitivity of shared suffering.

Ghost Leopard Douluo immediately stepped half a pace in front of Ling Feng, raising his Soul Power as he stared coldly at Dugu Bo. "Dugu Bo! Why throw your weight around against a junior? Was what he said not the truth?" Though he did not know the details, Ling Feng's "perception" had clearly struck Dugu Bo's sore spot! This was the perfect chance to apply pressure!

The killing intent around Dugu Bo churned violently, cold light flashing in his dark green vertical pupils. Ling Feng's words were like a sharp sword, piercing the deepest pain and fear in his heart! Yan Yan! His only granddaughter! She was suffering from the same agony! This brat... could actually sense it? Was it because their poisons shared the same origin? Or...

Looking at Ling Feng's "terrified" yet sympathetic expression, then at Ghost Leopard Douluo standing before him with his aura locked onto him, Dugu Bo took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his surging killing intent. He could not kill this brat! At least, not yet! The poison from the Soul Devouring Bone Corroding Grass in this brat's body, along with his method for suppressing it, might prove highly useful to him! Moreover, this brat seemed to possess an extraordinary perception of such cold and sinister poisons...

"Hmph!" Dugu Bo snorted and withdrew his pressure, though his tone remained icy. "Brat, your senses are overly sharp. Yes, this old man... does indeed suffer from a chronic affliction." He admitted it, though vaguely. "That method of using the Sun Spring Channeling you mentioned... explain your thoughts in detail! If you utter even half a lie..." The threat needed no further explanation.

Success! Ling Feng rejoiced inwardly. He had finally pried open Old Poison's mouth! Suppressing his excitement, he put on a grave expression of shared suffering. "Senior, this junior is merely speculating based on my own condition. The cold poison within this junior has entrenched itself in my marrow and penetrated deep into my soul veins. Ordinary medicine cannot reach it at all. Only by borrowing the supreme yang power between heaven and earth, entering from without to within, like using a furnace to forge steel, and slowly permeating it through the body, might it be possible to force out the deeply hidden cold poison... But the process would certainly be agonizing beyond measure and require extremely precise control. The slightest mistake would mean setting oneself ablaze and having one's soul scattered..." He made the process sound exceptionally dangerous, implying that he too was gambling with his life.

"Using a furnace to forge steel... from without to within..." Dugu Bo muttered, the light in his dark green vertical pupils flashing rapidly. Ling Feng's words coincided perfectly with certain vague ideas he had entertained for years! But how could he control the domineering power of the Yang Spring? How could he ensure that it did not damage his foundation? That remained an enormous problem!

For the first time, the way he looked at Ling Feng carried a trace of complexity. Though this brat was weak, his understanding of poison and his courage to stake everything on a desperate gamble... made Dugu Bo see him in a new light.

"This method... is far too dangerous." Dugu Bo slowly shook his head, but his eyes showed that he had not abandoned the idea. "You are still so young, yet you must gamble your life with such a method... sigh." Rarely, he actually sighed, carrying a hint of sorrow for another's fate. Ling Feng's description of that "miserable state" involuntarily made him think of his granddaughter.

Now! A sharp glint flashed through Ling Feng's eyes! It was time to cast the final bait!

"Senior..." Ling Feng's voice carried a trace of "bitterness" and "resolve." "This junior knows that this method offers only a slim chance of survival. But this junior is alone in the world, with no attachments. If I die, then I die. It is only that... when this junior sensed that faint gloomy aura within Senior's body earlier, I also vaguely sensed... somewhere not too far from here, there seemed to be another, even more... even more 'youthful' aura, also entwined with a similar, perhaps even more 'active,' cold poison?" He raised his head and looked at Dugu Bo with "concern." "That aura... seems to be connected to Senior by blood? Could it be..."

Dugu Bo was struck as though by lightning! His entire body instantly froze!

His dark green vertical pupils contracted to their limit! Boundless shock and terror swallowed him in an instant!

Yan Yan! He was talking about Yan Yan! He had actually sensed Yan Yan's existence and the poison within her as well?! How was that possible?! Could it truly be because of some mysterious connection between poisons of the same origin?!

"You... what did you say?!" For the first time, Dugu Bo's voice lost its coldness, trembling violently with disbelief! He stared at Ling Feng as though he wanted to devour him alive, yet also as though he had seized a lifeline!

Ghost Leopard Douluo was completely dumbfounded as well! He looked at the uncharacteristically shaken Dugu Bo, then at the "innocent" Ling Feng, and felt his brain failing to keep up. What exactly was this brat doing? What young aura? What blood connection? Did Old Poison have a poisoned relative?

Facing Dugu Bo's gaze, which seemed ready to swallow him whole, Ling Feng showed "sincere" concern. "Senior... that aura... the poison within it seems even more 'active.' Though it has not penetrated into the marrow, it has already begun to affect the foundation... If a solution is not found soon, I fear..." He did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Dugu Bo's body swayed, and his expression instantly became incomparably ugly. Ling Feng's words were like an icy dagger stabbing viciously into his deepest fear! Yan Yan's poison truly was more "active" than his, and its attacks were even more painful! Furthermore, as she had grown older, it had already begun to affect her Soul Power cultivation! This brat... had gotten every word right!

"You... you can sense Yan Yan?!" Dugu Bo's voice was dry and hoarse, carrying a trace of... hope that even he had not noticed? "You... you have a way?!" He instinctively stepped forward, his dark green vertical pupils fixed on Ling Feng as if clinging to his last straw!

Ling Feng felt completely at ease inside! The fish had taken the bait completely! He showed a "troubled" and "thoughtful" expression as he slowly said, "This junior... does not dare claim to have a solution. But this junior suffers from a strange poison and knows well that such cold poisons cause even greater damage to a young body! Though this junior's method of 'channeling the Yang Spring' is dangerous, it may be worth attempting. But for that... young lady, since the poison has not penetrated deeply, perhaps... perhaps a gentler method of 'guiding' and 'neutralizing' could be tried?"

He looked at Dugu Bo and offered the crucial suggestion. "For example... find some heavenly treasure containing pure life force or an extreme yang attribute, then use a gentle method to slowly absorb its essence, nourish the body, suppress the poison's activity, allow it to lie dormant for the time being, and delay its onset... Then, when her strength is greater and her foundation more stable, seek a method to eradicate it completely?" He subtly guided Dugu Bo toward the immortal herbs—especially those within the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass that could detoxify and nourish life force!

"A heavenly treasure containing pure life force or an extreme yang attribute?" Astonishing light burst from Dugu Bo's dark green vertical pupils! It was as though he had seen a lighthouse in the darkness! Did the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass not contain such things?! The Infernal Delicate Apricot! The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass! And the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum...! He had guarded a treasure mountain for decades, yet had never considered using them to cure poison! He had only treated them as poisonous objects for study!

A whole new path opened before him in an instant! It was like clouds parting to reveal the sun!

He looked at Ling Feng, his gaze complex to the extreme. This brat... was practically sent by heaven to awaken him! Though his strength was low, his knowledge and understanding of poison made even him, the Poison Douluo, feel ashamed! And he had sensed Yan Yan's poison... perhaps this truly was fate?

Dugu Bo took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart. The way he looked at Ling Feng had completely changed. The scrutiny and killing intent from before were gone, replaced by an indescribable... importance, and perhaps even a trace of gratitude?

"Brat... Ling Feng, right?" Dugu Bo's voice softened considerably, even carrying a hint of warmth. "You... are not bad. This old man permits you to cultivate here, on the side of the Yang Spring outside this valley. But remember, you may only remain within the area this old man designates! If you dare trespass..." He paused, his tone carrying a trace of complexity. "You will bear the consequences yourself. As for the heavenly treasures you mentioned... this old man will consider it." He tacitly accepted Ling Feng's claim that he sought "heavenly treasures" to suppress his own poison, while also finding a new direction for Yan Yan!

"Thank you for granting this, Senior!" Ling Feng rejoiced inwardly, but his face still held gratitude and weakness. The first step of his plan had been perfectly accomplished! He had successfully remained near the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass and planted the seed of using immortal herbs to cure poison in Dugu Bo's heart! Next, he would use Gaze of Destiny and the map to find an opportunity to approach the immortal herbs!

Ghost Leopard Douluo watched this dramatic scene, then looked at Ling Feng's "weakly grateful" face, and could not stop the corner of his mouth from twitching. This brat... had fooled a Titled Douluo with nothing but words? He had even obtained a precious cultivation ground for free? For the first time, he felt that Bibi Dong taking this brat as her adopted son might truly have been... finding a treasure?

Ling Feng settled down in a small patch of dry rock designated by Dugu Bo near the mountain wall beside the crimson Yang Spring. Sitting cross-legged, he put on a show of "guiding the Yang Spring's heat," but his mind had long since sunk into Gaze of Destiny. That invisible gaze, like the greediest probe, quietly extended toward the depths of the valley—to the core of the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass, shrouded in red and blue mist and filled with countless exotic flowers and strange herbs! Immortal herbs, here I come!