Chapter 29

The entire chrysanthemum was seamless and whole, yet it gave off no fragrance. Its central stamen rose more than half a foot above the petals, and its tip glimmered with a faint golden light.

This flower was called the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, a neutral-grade immortal herb. Consuming it would send Qi through the limbs and blood through the eight meridians, allowing one to cultivate the Indestructible Diamond Body.

Of course, the Indestructible Diamond Body was certainly an exaggeration, but this chrysanthemum could indeed greatly enhance the consumer's defense and help open their meridians.

To cultivate the Nine Yang Divine Skill to the great completion realm, the final step was to open every meridian in one's body. This chrysanthemum should be able to help Dai Changsheng take that last step.

In truth, the person most suited to consume the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum should have been Chrysanthemum Douluo, since his Martial Soul was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

If Chrysanthemum Douluo consumed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, his Soul Power would definitely break through the bottleneck at Rank 95.

However, Dai Changsheng's relationship with Chrysanthemum Douluo was not close enough for him to give away an immortal herb for free.

Under Dugu Bo's somewhat speechless gaze, Dai Changsheng opened his mouth and bit into the stamen of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, then plucked off and ate its petals one by one.

Dai Changsheng consumed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum this way because its roots and stem were inedible.

Moreover, immortal herbs like the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum were far too rare. Dai Changsheng did not want to be like Tang San and dig it up by the roots, causing it to go extinct in the future.

Rumble...

As the stamen and petals of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum entered his stomach, a powerful and pure medicinal force swept through Dai Changsheng's body like a tsunami. Startled, he hurriedly sat cross-legged and circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill with all his strength to refine it.

Pop, pop, pop...

Under the scouring force of that powerful medicinal energy, the dozens of meridians in Dai Changsheng's body that had yet to be opened were forcibly broken through one after another.

Once all the meridians in Dai Changsheng's body had been opened, the Nine Yang True Qi within him completely flowed together, forming an endless, unceasing current.

After successfully cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill to the great completion realm, Dai Changsheng not only gained a constitution with Immunity to All Poisons, but his Qi Recovery Speed also increased dozens of times over.

Now, even if Dai Changsheng exhausted all the Soul Power in his body, he could fully recover it within a quarter of an hour.

After all, soul masters needed to consume Soul Power when using soul skills, and the more powerful the soul skill, the more Soul Power it consumed.

For example, whenever Dai Changsheng used his third soul skill, Phantom Clone, it consumed twenty percent of his main body's Soul Power.

Even though Phantom Clone had no cooldown, Dai Changsheng could use it no more than five times in succession.

Furthermore, Dai Changsheng possessed three Martial Souls. If his Soul Power recovery speed were not fast enough, he would not even be able to unleash a complete set of soul skills.

Therefore, cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill to the great completion realm was extremely important to Dai Changsheng. It directly maxed out his endurance.

Phew...

After getting used to his greatly increased strength, Dai Changsheng let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Thank you for guarding me, Senior!"

Seeing Dugu Bo standing guard not far away, Dai Changsheng rose to his feet and bowed to him.

Dugu Bo said with an arrogant look, "Brat, don't misunderstand. I wasn't guarding you. I was only worried that if you died here, that woman Bibi Dong would come looking to fight me to the death!"

"You jest, Senior."

As soon as Dai Changsheng finished speaking, he suddenly asked with a solemn expression, "May I ask, Senior, do you wish to completely resolve the danger of toxic backlash caused by the Jade Scale Serpent Emperor Martial Soul within your body?"

"..."

Seeing Dai Changsheng suddenly turn serious, Dugu Bo's expression shifted slightly. "Brat, what do you mean by that? Could it be that you have a way to help this old man eliminate the hidden danger of toxins in my body?"

"Senior, your cultivation is far beyond mine, and the toxins have long seeped into your bones and marrow. Originally, I had no confidence in being able to detoxify you."

Halfway through, Dai Changsheng changed the subject. "However, the environment here is extremely special and can forcibly suppress the toxins in your body.

"On top of that, after consuming the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum just now, I cultivated my self-created new soul skill, the Nine Yang Divine Skill, to the great completion realm. That gives me a thirty percent chance of helping you resolve the hidden danger within your body."

"Only a thirty percent chance?"

While Dugu Bo felt somewhat disappointed, he also found the claim rather believable.

After all, Dai Changsheng's cultivation was far too weak. If he claimed to have absolute confidence in resolving the toxic backlash caused by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, Dugu Bo would instead suspect that he was boasting.

"The reason I only have a thirty percent chance is actually because my Soul Power is still too low."

Before the disappointment could fade from Dugu Bo's face, Dai Changsheng continued, "If I become a Title Douluo as well, then I will have at least a ninety percent chance of completely resolving the hidden danger caused by your Martial Soul's backlash."

Dugu Bo's hopes immediately rose again upon hearing that.

Given the cultivation talent Dai Changsheng had displayed, he should be able to attempt a breakthrough to Title Douluo in another thirty years or so at most.

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Marriage Alliance

"Enough! Brat, I can't be bothered to beat around the bush with you. Just tell me, what do you want this old man to do for you?"

Dugu Bo was no inexperienced rookie. He understood perfectly well that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Since Senior has put it that way, then I will not stand on ceremony."

Dai Changsheng smiled and clasped his hands. "The spirit herbs in your medicinal garden can greatly shorten the time it takes for me to break through to Title Douluo, so I would like the freedom to use those spirit herbs."

"Hmm..."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes and pondered for a while before saying, "Brat, if you can truly help this old man resolve the hidden danger of toxins in my body, then you may take whatever spirit herbs you want from this medicinal garden!"

"Thank you, Senior."

"Don't thank me yet. This old man still has a condition!"

Dugu Bo directly interrupted Dai Changsheng, saying in an unquestionable tone, "You said it yourself. Even if you break through to Title Douluo in the future, you will only have a ninety percent chance of resolving the hidden danger in my body.

"What if this old man is unlucky and happens to run into that remaining ten percent? Wouldn't all my investment go down the drain?"

"What does Senior have in mind?"

"Brat, you know that this old man has only one granddaughter, Yan-yan. If anything happens to me, wouldn't Yan-yan be all alone and miserable afterward?"

A sly glint flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes as he revealed his true intentions with a smile. "Therefore, before I die, I must find Yan-yan a suitable husband who can protect her.

"If you agree to marry Yan-yan, then we will be family. Forget the spirit herbs in this medicinal garden—even if you ask this old man to help you fight for the throne of the Star Luo Empire, I will not refuse."

To be honest, Dugu Bo had a keen eye. In the original story, he had once considered marrying Dugu Yan to Tang San.

Unfortunately, before Dugu Yan met Tang San, she and Yu Tianheng had already fallen in love, and Tang San had refused the arrangement.

Now that Dugu Yan had not yet had the chance to fall in love, Dugu Bo naturally wanted to turn a prodigy like Dai Changsheng into his grandson-in-law.

"This..."

Dai Changsheng pretended to hesitate in conflict for a while before finally nodding helplessly. "Senior, I can agree to marry Sister Yan-yan, but you also know that I have a throne to inherit in the future, and I already have a fiancée. So it is destined that Sister Yan-yan cannot be my only woman."

"You need not worry about that. This old man is not so unreasonable. It is perfectly normal for a man to have several wives and concubines. As long as you treat Yan-yan well in the future, that is enough."

Dugu Bo knew that Dai Changsheng was the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire, so naturally he would not foolishly forbid him from building a harem in the future.

After all, for the ruler of a nation, having too few heirs could directly shake the foundation of the state!

"Then I have no objections."

Halfway through speaking, Dai Changsheng reminded Dugu Bo, "Oh, right! Senior, you still need to ask Sister Yan-yan what she thinks. If she is unwilling, then let us forget about it."

Seeing that Dai Changsheng still considered Dugu Yan's feelings, Dugu Bo became even more satisfied with this future grandson-in-law.

"Don't worry. Yan-yan is this old man's only granddaughter. Of course I will not force her to do something she dislikes."

Dugu Bo smiled as he stroked his beard. "If Yan-yan agrees, this old man will personally make a trip to the Star Luo Empire and discuss your engagement with Yan-yan with the Star Luo Emperor."

Although Dugu Bo was a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Empire, he was also a genuine Title Douluo.

Faced with a Title Douluo in-law who had come knocking on his door, the Star Luo Emperor would certainly not refuse a marriage alliance between Dai Changsheng and his granddaughter.

"That would be excellent!"

Dai Changsheng nodded with a smile. "Senior, you should be quite familiar with the soul beasts living in Sunset Forest. Do you know of any places where soul beasts with cultivation between twenty thousand and thirty thousand years live?

"After consuming the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, my Soul Power has already reached Rank 40. I am preparing to find a suitable fourth soul ring."

"Soul beasts with cultivation between twenty thousand and thirty thousand years?"

Dugu Bo thought for a moment. "This old man does know of a few. Fine! I happen to be in a good mood today, so I will accompany you personally."

Since Dai Changsheng had already agreed to marry Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo regarded him as half a grandson-in-law. Naturally, he would not let him risk hunting soul beasts alone.

Under Dugu Bo's lead, Dai Changsheng quickly found a soul beast suitable for his fourth soul ring. It was a Crimson Flame Tiger with cultivation exceeding twenty-eight thousand years.

After absorbing the soul ring it dropped, Dai Changsheng's Soul Power surged directly from Rank 40 to Rank 47.

Five ranks of Soul Power came from the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, while the remaining two ranks came from the Soul Power fed back by the Ten Thousand Year Crimson Flame Tiger's soul ring.

The fourth soul skill Dai Changsheng awakened was called White Tiger Crimson Flame Transformation. It was also a strengthening-type soul skill that could increase all of the user's attributes by two hundred percent for half an hour.

After absorbing the fourth soul ring, Dai Changsheng asked Dugu Bo to help him hunt a Thousand Jun Ant with cultivation of around thirty thousand years, then used Aid and Abet to enslave its soul.

The Thousand Jun Ant was a small soul beast renowned for its strength. The main reason Dai Changsheng enslaved its soul was because it was skilled at burrowing and tunneling underground.

Compared with the spirit herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, what Dai Changsheng wanted more were the million-year soul bones of the two Dragon Kings.

That was why Dai Changsheng wanted to enslave more Soul Battle Slaves skilled at traveling underground, so they could work together to search for the two Dragon Kings' soul bones.

When he learned that Dai Changsheng had been lucky enough to obtain an External Soul Bone from the first soul beast he killed, Dugu Bo could not help envying his good fortune.

Fortunately, Dai Changsheng was not Dugu Bo's enemy. Otherwise, he would definitely have cast aside all dignity to bully the weak and kill him to silence him!

The potential Dai Changsheng had displayed was simply too terrifying. If one became enemies with someone like him and did not find a way to kill him, they would have nightmares even while sleeping.

However, Dugu Bo now regarded Dai Changsheng as his future grandson-in-law, so naturally he hoped that he would grow stronger and stronger.

After helping Dai Changsheng hunt the soul beasts, Dugu Bo brought him back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and had him remain there alone to cultivate. Meanwhile, Dugu Bo went to speak with Dugu Yan about marrying her to Dai Changsheng.

Perhaps it was because Dai Changsheng was a handsome young man, or perhaps because he had saved Dugu Yan's life, but Dugu Yan also had a favorable impression of him.

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Double Pupils Awaken

Therefore, when Dugu Yan learned from Dugu Bo that he wanted to bring her and Dai Changsheng together, she ultimately nodded in agreement with a shy expression.

In Dugu Yan's words, "A marriage is decided by one's parents and arranged by a matchmaker! Grandpa will decide my marriage for me~"

Of course, if Dai Changsheng had been ugly, Dugu Yan would probably have said, "I can't bear to leave Grandpa. I want to stay home and be filial to him for a few more years."

Seeing that Dugu Yan had agreed to become engaged to Dai Changsheng, Dugu Bo was extremely pleased. He immediately set off for the Star Luo Empire, intending to settle their marriage once and for all with the Star Luo Emperor.

Meanwhile, Dai Changsheng, alone in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, first took out the Blue Silver Emperor seedling and planted it in a suitable open patch of ground. Then he summoned the Cave Spider, Benson, and the Thousand Jun Ant, ordering them to dig tunnels along the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

While the three soul slaves worked hard at digging, Dai Changsheng began searching for a second immortal herb suitable for him to consume. In the end, his gaze settled on the Crested Phoenix Sunflower.

The Crested Phoenix Sunflower was a purely yang immortal herb, most suitable for soul masters who had awakened fire-attribute Martial Souls.

In the original story, Ma Hongjun consumed the Crested Phoenix Sunflower to resolve the hidden danger of evil fire caused by his Martial Soul.

Although none of Dai Changsheng's three awakened Martial Souls were fire-attribute Martial Souls, his Soul Power had already been transformed by the Nine Yang Divine Skill into an extremely firm and purely yang attribute.

If Dai Changsheng consumed the Crested Phoenix Sunflower, not only could it greatly increase his Soul Power, but it could also further purify its attribute.

Since the Crested Phoenix Sunflower could not be chewed or swallowed and its medicinal power had to be absorbed directly with Soul Power, Dai Changsheng grabbed it with his hand and circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill with all his strength to absorb its medicinal energy.

After refining it with all his strength for several hours, Dai Changsheng finally absorbed all the medicinal power contained within the Crested Phoenix Sunflower. His Soul Power also broke through from Rank 47 to Rank 50.

The Soul Power transformed from the Crested Phoenix Sunflower certainly did not only raise Dai Changsheng's Soul Power by three ranks.

Had he not been held back by the Soul Power bottleneck, Dai Changsheng's actual Soul Power should have been around Rank 51, meaning it had increased by four ranks in total.

Compared to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, which had raised Dai Changsheng's Soul Power by seven ranks, the four ranks raised by the Crested Phoenix Sunflower appeared somewhat low. In reality, however, the two were roughly equivalent.

The higher a soul master's rank, the more Soul Power was needed to advance each rank. Therefore, the higher Dai Changsheng's Soul Power Level became, the less Soul Power immortal herbs could increase.

After getting used to his greatly increased Soul Power, Dai Changsheng summoned the Thousand Jun Ant and the others, then brought them into Sunset Forest to search for soul beasts suitable for serving as his fifth soul ring.

When Dai Changsheng had followed Dugu Bo to obtain his fourth soul ring earlier, he had secretly memorized the activity zones of quite a few Ten Thousand Year soul beasts. He quickly found a suitable target.

It was a Mighty Vajra Bear with cultivation of around thirty-two thousand years. After Dai Changsheng absorbed its soul ring, his Soul Power rose directly to Rank 53, and he awakened a fifth soul skill called White Tiger Mighty Palm.

White Tiger Mighty Palm was also a strengthening-type soul skill. It could increase Dai Changsheng's strength by three hundred percent for half an hour, and it could also unleash long-range attacks similar to the Sky-Splitting Palm.

Although Dai Changsheng could use White Tiger Mighty Palm to attack enemies from a distance, the farther away they were, the weaker the palm force he unleashed became.

After absorbing the fifth soul ring, Dai Changsheng brought the Thousand Jun Ant and the others to hunt a Golden Back Centipede with cultivation of around thirty-five thousand years.