Fighting Poison with Poison, Scheming for Immortal Herbs

Fighting Poison with Poison, Scheming for Immortal Herbs

"Poisoned?" Dugu Bo's dark green vertical pupils abruptly contracted. Like a venomous snake that had discovered a priceless treasure, he instantly locked onto Ling Feng! His cold gaze seemed to turn into tangible probes, seeking to pierce through Ling Feng's flesh and see everything within him.

Ghost Leopard Douluo also looked at Ling Feng in surprise. What was this brat up to? When had he been poisoned? How did he not know? Could he have been bitten by some poisonous creature in the forest? But judging by how lively he had been while absorbing the soul ring earlier, it didn't seem likely.

Ling Feng calmly endured Dugu Bo's soul-piercing scrutiny, his face revealing just the right hint of pain and despair intertwined as his acting peaked. "Yes, Senior. When I was young, I accidentally consumed a strange, highly toxic plant called the Soul Devouring Bone Corroding Grass. This poison is cold and vicious, sinking deep into the marrow. It normally lies dormant, but every full moon, it feels as though countless ants are gnawing at my heart, leaving me wishing I were dead! Worse still, it is slowly eroding my vitality and Soul Power foundation! I have sought out countless renowned physicians, but all were helpless. They only said that I must find a place where extreme cold and extreme heat converge, and perhaps use the harmonizing power of yin and yang there to suppress the poison and delay its onset... I... I truly do not want to die!" His voice choked slightly as he perfectly portrayed a youth tormented by deadly poison and desperately struggling to survive. Soul Devouring Bone Corroding Grass? Of course he had made it up! But the symptoms he described pointed precisely at Dugu Bo's greatest secret—the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison afflicting both him and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan!

Sure enough!

The moment he heard the key phrases "deep into the marrow," "eroding vitality and Soul Power foundation," and "where extreme cold and heat converge," violent waves suddenly rose within the depths of Dugu Bo's otherwise placid dark green pupils, as though a massive boulder had been thrown into a deep pool! Shock! Disbelief! And a trace of... fury and killing intent at having his sore spot touched!

How did this brat... know?!

Had Spirit Hall already uncovered his secret?! Was he here to test him? Or...

Terrifying killing intent erupted from Dugu Bo like tangible poisonous mist! Even the air at the valley entrance seemed to turn into viscous venom! He stared fixedly at Ling Feng, his voice as cold as ice from the underworld. "Brat... you... are... lying!" Every word carried chilling murderous intent!

Ghost Leopard Douluo's expression changed, and his body instantly tensed as he secretly gathered his Soul Power! He could feel Dugu Bo's undisguised killing intent! What madness had Old Poison fallen into?

As if crushed by that terrifying killing intent until he could barely breathe, Ling Feng's face turned deathly pale with a flash. His body swayed, but his eyes still held desperate resolve. "Senior, please see clearly! Every word I have spoken is true! If I have uttered even half a lie, may heaven strike me down!" He suddenly gritted his teeth as though making an extremely painful decision, extending his right hand and circulating his Soul Power toward his fingertips!

"If Senior does not believe me, then look!" As his Soul Power forced its way forward, an extremely faint, nearly transparent stream of dark green air seeped with difficulty from beneath the skin of his fingertip. Though this wisp was weak, its chilling, bone-eroding aura, as though capable of devouring souls, made Dugu Bo's pupils shrink sharply again!

Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison! Though so faint it was nearly negligible, that fundamental aura... could not be mistaken! It was precisely the nightmare that had plagued him and his granddaughter for decades!

This strand of poisonous vapor had been forcibly simulated by Ling Feng over the past three days while studying poison theory in Spirit Hall's library. Combining his vague perception of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison through Fate's Gaze with the Judgment Angel Martial Soul's exquisite control over energy, he had created this false appearance! Though it had only the form and none of the substance, it was enough to deceive him for now!

"This...!" The killing intent around Dugu Bo receded like a tide, replaced by immense astonishment and suspicion, along with a trace of... unbelievable absurdity! This brat... had actually been poisoned by something similar?! And judging by the nature of this poison, it seemed even stranger and colder than his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison? Ling Feng had simulated an enhanced version.

"Soul Devouring Bone Corroding Grass..." Dugu Bo murmured the name, his dark green vertical pupils fixed on the fading wisp of dark green air at Ling Feng's fingertip, his expression constantly shifting. Could such a bizarre poison truly exist in this world? And this brat actually knew how to suppress it? What could that... mean for him?

Seeing Dugu Bo's reaction, Ling Feng settled inwardly. The fish had taken the bait!

He struck while the iron was hot, his face full of supplication. "Senior! I know that trespassing into your treasured territory deserves death! But even ants cling to life! I beg Senior, for the sake of two people sharing the same misfortune, to allow me to remain at the outer edge of this valley and borrow a trace of the converging yin-yang energy to suppress the deadly poison within me! I am willing to pay any price! I only ask... to live a few more days!" He lowered himself completely, asking only to remain outside the valley and never mentioning entering the core of the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass.

"Two people sharing the same misfortune?" Dugu Bo stared at Ling Feng, complicated and unreadable light flashing through his dark green vertical pupils. With his fury and killing intent gone, an absurd sense of shared affliction and a sliver of secret hope quietly arose. The poison in this brat was so strange. Could his method of suppression... also work for himself and Yan Yan? Even if it only offered the slightest reference?

He fell silent. The extreme cold and scorching energy at the valley entrance flowed soundlessly.

Watching this sudden turn of events, then looking at Ling Feng's "miserable and despairing" appearance—an act—and finally at Dugu Bo's uncertain expression, Ghost Leopard Douluo felt stormy waves rise within his heart! This brat... was far too uncanny! Poisoned? Since when? That acting... was incredible! And that wisp of poison... how on earth had he produced it? He had even fooled Old Poison?!

At last, Dugu Bo slowly spoke. His voice was still cold, but the killing intent had dissipated. "Brat, what is your name?"

"This junior is Ling Feng," Ling Feng answered respectfully.

"Ling Feng..." Dugu Bo repeated the name, giving him a deep look with his dark green vertical pupils. "Your poison... is somewhat interesting. You may remain outside the valley, but you may only move within the area designated by this old man! If you dare take a single step beyond it or entertain any crooked thoughts..." The dark green poisonous vapor around him swelled slightly, making the threat unmistakable. "Also, tell this old man about your poison in detail!" This was his true purpose!

"Thank you for your mercy, Senior! This junior will certainly obey the rules!" A "wildly delighted" expression appeared on Ling Feng's face as he repeatedly assured him. Yet he sneered inwardly. The first step had succeeded! As long as he remained outside the valley, near the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass, he would eventually find an opportunity with Fate's Gaze and the map!

He immediately began to "describe in detail" the symptoms of the fabricated Soul Devouring Bone Corroding Grass poison—how it chilled and corroded the bones, how it eroded vitality, how it flared during the full moon, how unbearably painful it was... He described it vividly. Ninety percent of it was copied directly from the symptoms of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison, while the remaining ten percent was embellishment of his own to make it seem more pitiful and unique.

Dugu Bo listened with extreme attention, light flickering in his dark green vertical pupils. At times he frowned, and at times he seemed deep in thought. Many details Ling Feng described closely matched his own condition! This made him believe Ling Feng a little more, while also giving him a strong interest in the so-called Soul Devouring Bone Corroding Grass and Ling Feng's "method of suppression."

"Yin and yang converging to suppress the poison... How do you intend to do it?" Dugu Bo asked gravely.

"This junior's thoughts may be foolish," Ling Feng said carefully. "The poison within me is supremely yin and cold, so it needs supreme yang energy to harmonize with and suppress it. Therefore, this junior wishes to find a place near the red mountain peak, the Yang Spring, at the outskirts of your treasured land, and try guiding a trace of the Yang Spring's heat into my body to slowly neutralize the cold poison within... Of course, this is merely this junior's speculation. Whether it is actually feasible still requires Senior's guidance..." He deliberately made it sound uncertain, tossing the decision back to Dugu Bo.

"Guide the Yang Spring's heat?" Dugu Bo frowned deeply. How overbearing were the energies within the Yang Spring and Cold Spring of the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass? Even he did not dare casually draw them into his body. This brat's idea was certainly bold... but perhaps... it contained a little crooked logic? Could this truly be a method for suppressing such strange yin-cold poisons?

He sank into thought. Ling Feng's words were like opening a window in his closed-off way of thinking. He had guarded the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass for so many years, studying all manner of poisonous herbs and creatures, yet he had never considered directly using the naturally formed power of extreme yang and extreme yin to suppress his own Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison! Perhaps... he really could try it?

Seeing Dugu Bo lost in thought, a sharp glint flashed through Ling Feng's lowered eyes. The fish was already circling the bait. Next, it was time to cast out the real lure—Dugu Yan's "poison"!