Subduing Dugu Bo, Joining Spirit Hall—Please Follow Along

"Grandpa Qian Jun, Grandpa Jiang Mo, there's no need to resort to force. We only need to make him understand the situation and choose for himself," Lin Yu said.

"Oh?"

Qian Jun and Jiang Mo exchanged glances, both eager to see what Lin Yu could do.

"Let me try."

Lin Yu stepped in front of Dugu Bo, his expression calm. "Senior Dugu Bo, I believe you understand the current situation. If you want to live, joining Spirit Hall is your only option."

"I know you may not fear death, but what about your granddaughter? Of course, after you die, we can spare her."

"But even if we spare your granddaughter, she probably won't live past twenty!"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Dugu Bo raised his head and looked at the extraordinary boy before him, unease filling his heart.

Lin Yu said bluntly, "While your Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul grants you powerful poison abilities, it also leaves you corroded by snake venom. This Poison Backlash causes unbearable pain and can even threaten your lives."

"You can still use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to suppress the Poison Backlash, but your granddaughter was steeped in toxins from the moment she was in her mother's womb. That is why hers manifests sooner and more severely!"

"Even if she lives past twenty or thirty, she will spend her entire life suffering the endless torment of Poison Backlash."

Lin Yu's words were like needles, each sentence piercing Dugu Bo's heart. Looking at his adorable and beloved granddaughter beside him, as lovely as a flower, Dugu Bo felt miserable.

Yet he was equally shocked at how Lin Yu knew this. Gritting his teeth, Dugu Bo stared at Lin Yu and asked in a low voice, "How did you know?"

"You don't need to know that. You only need to understand that I can help you and your granddaughter resolve the Poison Backlash in your bodies."

Dugu Bo's eyes widened, and his emotions surged. "You can cure it!?"

"That's right." Lin Yu nodded and said again, "Senior Dugu Bo, now you can make your choice."

"Will you choose death, leaving your helpless granddaughter to suffer from Poison Backlash until she eventually dies?"

"Or will you choose to cure the Poison Backlash with your granddaughter, join Spirit Hall, and live happily together as grandfather and granddaughter?"

One choice was heaven, the other hell.

In truth, Dugu Bo already had an answer in his heart, but certain concerns kept him from making his decision.

"Grandpa! Just agree! Spirit Hall isn't so bad, and Yanyan... Yanyan doesn't want to watch you die!" Dugu Yan cried, her face streaked with tears.

"Yanyan." Dugu Bo's heart stabbed with pain once more. He clenched his fists. "If you truly can cure the poison in our bodies, joining Spirit Hall is no problem. But I, Dugu Bo, have offended Chrysanthemum Pass. If I join Spirit Hall, wouldn't I have to lower myself and serve that Chrysanthemum Pass!"

Dugu Bo did not have much of a grudge against Spirit Hall itself, but Chrysanthemum Douluo was his mortal enemy within it.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was an elder who held considerable authority in Spirit Hall. If Dugu Bo joined, wouldn't he become Chrysanthemum Douluo's subordinate and be ordered around by him?

That was something he truly found difficult to accept.

Lin Yu smiled knowingly. The moment Dugu Bo said that, he had already made his choice.

He smiled. "Any powerhouse at the Titled Douluo level is qualified to become an elder of Spirit Hall. I can apply to have you granted elder status, making you equal in rank to Chrysanthemum Douluo."

"After joining Spirit Hall, you need only serve our Worship Hall. You won't need to take orders from the Pope. Things are relatively relaxed in the Worship Hall."

"Is that true? You can directly make me an elder of Spirit Hall?" Dugu Bo's eyes lit up.

"Mm, I'd say there's a ninety-nine percent chance I can."

Who exactly is this child? He actually has such influence in Spirit Hall? Dugu Bo suddenly became intensely curious about Lin Yu's identity, and he finally made up his mind.

He slowly lowered his proud head. "Please grant me the method to cure the poison. I, Dugu Bo, am willing to join Spirit Hall!"

"Get up first, Senior Dugu Bo." Lin Yu reached out and helped Dugu Bo to his feet, then explained, "To resolve the toxins accumulated in your bodies, you only need to force them into a soul bone. By using a soul bone as a vessel, you can prevent the toxins from continuing to backlash against your bodies while preserving all your poison abilities."

"But! A soul bone's capacity will eventually reach its limit. When that happens, the toxins will still backlash against your body. So this is only a temporary measure."

"For now, you can force the toxins in your bodies into a soul bone. Oh, right—try not to choose a head soul bone."

Dugu Bo asked in confusion, "Why?"

"For safety's sake, it's better to choose a soul bone from one of the four limbs. The chances of an accident are low, but if something really goes wrong, you can at least cut off an arm or leg. You can't exactly cut off your own head, can you?"

"I see. Makes sense! That makes perfect sense!"

"The capacity of one soul bone should be enough to store your toxins for around ten years. After ten years, if you are still sincerely serving Spirit Hall, I will find a way to completely eradicate the toxins in your body." (In the original novel, Dugu Bo never died. Here, we'll go by the time of death in the anime. After forcing the poison into a soul bone, Dugu Bo lived for roughly another ten years.)

"This old man understands. Many thanks!"

Seeing that Dugu Bo had been completely persuaded, Jiang Mo and Qian Jun exchanged smiles behind him.

However, Dugu Bo still faced a problem. He had only absorbed one head soul bone, though he also possessed a two-thousand-year poison lizard-type leg soul bone.

Dugu Bo had specifically saved that soul bone for his granddaughter.

If he gave it to Dugu Yan, he would have none left for himself.

Yet Dugu Bo did not hesitate as he took out the leg soul bone. "Yanyan, Grandpa prepared this soul bone for you. It is time to give it to you. Absorb it, then force the toxins in your body into the soul bone."

"But Grandpa, if you give it to me, you won't have a limb soul bone!" Dugu Yan tried to refuse.

"Grandpa will find another one. Hurry and absorb it."

"Grandpa, how could soul bones possibly be so easy to find?"

Seeing the grandfather and granddaughter endlessly yielding to each other, Qian Jun Douluo directly interrupted, "Enough, stop passing it back and forth. I happen to have a four-thousand-year poison-type left leg bone here. Consider it a gift from Xiao Yu. You only need to repay Xiao Yu's kindness in the future."

As he spoke, Qian Jun Douluo directly tossed the soul bone before the grandfather and granddaughter.

Grandpa Qian Jun really treats me well. Lin Yu was deeply moved.

Qian Jun wanted Dugu Bo to owe Lin Yu a favor for no other reason than to give Dugu Bo another reason to become a steadfast backing for him.

Though the soul bone was not suitable for Qian Jun Douluo, every soul bone was incomparably precious...