Fanning the Flames

"Heh, tell me, with so many spirit beasts here, how come you're all such cowards? There are so many of you—can't you even handle one Dugu Bo? Why run? Just go back and deal with him now."

"Look at the sorry state of you lot. Aren't you ashamed to call yourselves spirit beasts?"

As more and more Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts gathered around him, Li Yuan could not help running his mouth. As a drunk keyboard warrior, this was what he did best.

"That's right, we outnumber him! Why are we being so cowardly?"

Well, although Li Yuan had merely been talking big, his words really did remind these Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts of something.

If they had run at the beginning because they could not defeat Dugu Bo, that was understandable. But now, if they truly fought Dugu Bo, with so many Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts gathered together, they might not necessarily be unable to handle him.

Then why the hell were they running? They should go back and take him down! The Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts of the Sunset Great Forest were not to be bullied.

In an instant, the group of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts that had been focused solely on fleeing seemed to remember something. They all stopped, turned around, and stared maliciously at Dugu Bo, who was still pursuing them.

Still chasing us? This is our territory!

Dugu Bo: ("▔□▔)

With a group of spirit beasts, each at least ten thousand years old, staring at him with ill intent, Dugu Bo panicked badly.

Fortunately, he had already sensed that something was wrong. More and more Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts had gathered around, and he could no longer handle them all.

Dugu Bo had kept his guard up and slowed down long ago, which was why he had not charged headfirst into the crowd of spirit beasts.

Even so, faced with such a group of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts, Dugu Bo looked as though he were facing a formidable enemy.

If he had been at full strength, he might have had a little confidence. But in his rage just now, he had directly activated his Martial Soul Avatar.

Then Li Yuan had tricked him again, forcibly interrupting his Martial Soul Avatar. He was currently weakened and could only exert half of his peak strength.

Under these circumstances, facing so many Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts, Dugu Bo truly lacked confidence.

But even if he was nervous, he could not lose the dignity of a Titled Douluo. Was he, Dugu Bo, supposed to be frightened into fleeing in a pathetic state by a bunch of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts?

Though he was panicking inside, Dugu Bo put on a confident expression. He stood in midair, releasing his full aura as he struck a pose.

"Hmph!" Seeing the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts slowly surround him, though every one of them had wary eyes, Dugu Bo snorted. Feeling that the atmosphere had been built up enough, he finally spoke. "What, you beasts intend to risk your lives against me? Don't say I didn't warn you. What I fear least in my life is a group battle."

"I am the mighty Poison Douluo. I am not someone to be trifled with. If you aren't afraid of death, then come and try!"

As if to confirm Dugu Bo's words, a powerful green light flared from his body in the next moment. Nine spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—slowly rose around him.

At the same time, a green mist thick with a pungent stench began gathering around Dugu Bo, enveloping his body.

At this sight, quite a few Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts could not help taking a step back, their faces showing remarkably human-like wariness.

Most of the dozen or so spirit beasts here had cultivation levels exceeding Fifty Thousand Years.

Having cultivated to this point, their intelligence was no worse than that of ordinary humans—if anything, it surpassed them. Quite a few spirit beasts over Fifty Thousand Years old had even specifically learned foreign languages, allowing them to communicate with humans without the slightest difficulty.

Thus, seeing Dugu Bo appear ready to risk his life, these spirit beasts also became somewhat flustered. Many began to retreat, staring warily at the green smoke Dugu Bo had released.

Their instincts told them that the green smoke was extremely dangerous. If they were careless, even they might perish.

"Heh, beasts really are just beasts. As soon as I put on an act like I'm ready to fight for my life, they're all scared. Heh, I really am too clever!"

Seeing that none of the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts dared approach, Dugu Bo was delighted. He remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, he could not stop praising his own cleverness.

However, at that moment, the voice Dugu Bo hated to the extreme rang out again. Dugu Bo swore that he had never hated anyone so much in his life. It made his teeth itch with hatred, and he wished he could tear him into ten thousand pieces.

"Don't be afraid, everyone! That old man is only good at using poison. I have a special antidote here that can cure all poisons. Take the antidote and kill that old man!"

When Li Yuan saw the spirit beasts backing down, he was immediately unhappy. If this continued, how was he supposed to enjoy the show?

So, without another word, Li Yuan handed out the antidotes Grandpa Duke had prepared for him.

Dugu Bo: ("▔□▔)

All the spirit beasts: ~o(￣▽￣)o

This time, the spirit beasts that had been considering retreating immediately perked up. Their gazes toward Dugu Bo became dangerous once more.

Although Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo and immensely powerful, what he excelled at most was poison. Otherwise, he would not have been called the Poison Douluo.

If his poison was ineffective, at least half his strength would be crippled. On top of that, Li Yuan had tricked him just now and ruined his Martial Soul Avatar.

Under such circumstances, Dugu Bo's strength had truly been weakened severely, dropping roughly to the level of a Spirit Douluo.

Li Yuan was also afraid that these spirit beasts would be too cautious and miss this good opportunity, so he kept fanning the flames from the side.

"Don't be afraid, everyone! This guy just used his Martial Soul Avatar, so he's weak right now. And his poison doesn't work on you. He's trash now—rounding things off, he can't even beat a Spirit Douluo. What the hell are you standing around for? Fuck him up!"

"That old man chased you for so long, and you don't have any temper at all? I don't know what kind of temper you have, but if it were me, I definitely wouldn't be able to take it."

"Take it, my ass! Settle down, you idiot!"

Just as Li Yuan was making a huge fuss, a massive claw suddenly descended from the sky and slapped directly onto his head.

Li Yuan's vision went black, and he was immediately knocked unconscious, knowing nothing more.