Dugu Bo

"Gen... General!" Yang Wudi's tone became more solemn and eager than ever before.

"General, I, Yang Mou, am willing to heed your orders! I only ask... only ask to behold the true face of this precious land. If I may gather even a few herbs for research, I, Yang Mou, would be endlessly grateful!"

His attitude had undergone a complete reversal. The passivity and doubt from before had turned into initiative, even carrying a trace of pleading.

To those who understood it, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was just that tempting.

Lin Jin was very satisfied with Yang Wudi's reaction.

He knew that once Yang Wudi truly witnessed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, neither Yang Wudi nor the Breaking Clan behind him would ever return to the Clear Sky Sect.

"Senior Yang, you flatter me." Lin Jin made a token gesture of support. "It is merely mutually beneficial. The urgent matter is to resolve Dugu Bo's problem first."

"Tell me, what should I do?" Yang Wudi immediately asked.

Lin Jin smiled faintly and briefly explained his plan to Yang Wudi.

"I understand now. So Dugu Bo still does not know the function of this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. General Lin, rest assured, I will cooperate with you and put on a good show." Yang Wudi patted his chest in assurance.

Up ahead, Dugu Yan had her ears pricked up, but she heard only muffled voices and could not make out anything clearly.

Still, she thought indignantly, Hmph, just wait until we see Grandfather. Let's see how you die then!

Under Dugu Yan's guidance, Lin Jin's group silently and swiftly disappeared into the darkness of Sunset Forest.

Deep within the forest, the cries of night owls occasionally rang out, making the place even more eerie.

After more than an hour, amid Dugu Yan's resentment, unease, and a faint trace of anticipation she could hardly perceive herself, the group finally arrived outside a valley shrouded in dense Poison Mist.

Strangely, the Poison Mist here was multicolored, gleaming with an eerie luster beneath the faint moonlight.

The Poison Mist gathered without dispersing, forming a Dark Green barrier across the entire area.

Yet Lin Jin remained calm, as though the deadly place before him were merely ordinary scenery.

Yang Wudi's eyes, however, shone brightly as if he had discovered an unparalleled treasure. He took a deep breath, carefully identifying the toxins in the air, and muttered, "What an exquisite, naturally formed Mixed Poison Array!"

"Poison Douluo could never create Poison Mist with such complex components, and it remains gathered without dispersing. There must be something within this poisonous mist controlling it."

"We're here. My grandfather is inside." Dugu Yan stopped before the Poison Mist and turned to Lin Jin.

Lin Jin walked to Dugu Yan's side and said in an unquestionable tone, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Dugu Yan to pass along a message to your grandfather."

Dugu Yan bit her lip, but in the end, she still circulated her Soul Power and shouted into the Poison Array, "Grandfather, save me!"

Her voice echoed through the silent valley.

After a brief dead silence, the Poison Array began to churn violently as though it had boiled over!

A terrifying pressure that made hearts tremble suddenly erupted from deep within the valley, like a slumbering beast awakening.

"Who dares hold my granddaughter hostage!"

A Jade Green figure flashed like lightning, instantly crossing the Poison Array and appearing before everyone.

The man was tall and thin, standing as straight as a javelin. His hair and beard were all Dark Green, while his eyes gleamed like emeralds.

He was none other than the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo whom Lin Jin had been seeking!

His expression was grim, and Killing Intent blazed openly in his eyes. Nine Soul Rings surrounded him as he released the formidable pressure of a Titled Douluo without reservation.

All the Blood Blade soldiers aside from Lin Jin and Yang Wudi felt their breathing seize up, as though they had been targeted by venomous snakes. Cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.

But Dugu Bo did not dare make a move, because Lin Jin's left hand was already clamped around Dugu Yan's throat, ready to snap it at any moment.

"Boy, who are you to dare hold my only granddaughter hostage?!" Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse and filled with Killing Intent.

"I'll give you three breaths. Release my granddaughter, then kill yourself. I can leave you an intact corpse! Otherwise, this old man will let you taste Myriad Poisons Devouring the Heart—the feeling of wanting to die but being unable to!"

"Lin Jin, Captain of the Fifth City Defense Force, pays his respects to Your Excellency the Titled Douluo."

Lin Jin's voice was terrifyingly calm, as though neither the hand gripping Dugu Yan's throat nor the Titled Douluo before him, radiating monstrous Killing Intent, existed.

He even gave a standard military salute, though his left hand still held Dugu Yan firmly under control.

"Release your granddaughter? Forgive me, but I cannot do that."

"The Fifth City Defense Force? Men of the Empire?" Dugu Bo's eyes sharpened, though confusion soon appeared within them. Why would Xue Ye send people after his granddaughter?

He did not seem to have offended anyone from the Heaven Dou Royal Family.

"Grandfather!" Dugu Yan said with difficulty. "They said that you conspired with Prince Xue Xing to poison Xue Ye."

Lin Jin looked sharply at Dugu Bo and said word by word, "Dugu Bo, by Xue Ye's order, I have come to arrest the accomplices of the traitor Prince Xue Xing. You, Dugu Bo, conspired with Prince Xue Xing. Not only did you poison the Second Imperial Prince and the Third Imperial Prince to death, you also poisoned Xue Ye. The evidence is now conclusive."

"Dugu Bo, for your granddaughter's sake, will you not surrender without resistance?"

"What a joke!" Dugu Bo laughed in fury, then snorted coldly. "Though I, Dugu Bo, am no good man, I would never stoop to the deeds of petty thugs."

"This old man does not care who framed me. Release my granddaughter at once, or none of you will leave here alive today!"

The terrifying pressure of a Titled Douluo swept forth like a tsunami. The surrounding grass and trees visibly withered and blackened, while even the air became thick and deadly.

At that moment, Yang Wudi stepped forward, his bearing as steady as a mountain and as deep as an abyss.

That entirely black Long Spear had not appeared, yet the ultimate sharpness radiating from his body resembled an invisible gigantic spear piercing straight into the heavens.

Eight Soul Rings gleamed around him. The final black Ten-thousand Year Soul Ring in particular emitted a pulse that made hearts tremble.

"If you want to lay a hand on the General, have you asked the Long Spear in my hand?!" Yang Wudi's voice was cold and hard.

"The Soul Breaking Spear! The Breaking Clan." Dugu Bo said in surprise, "I never expected a Soul Douluo from the Breaking Clan to possess an aura no weaker than that of a Titled Douluo."

Yang Wudi said proudly, "Dugu Bo, your poison is famed for dominating the world. Others fear it, but I, Yang Wudi, am the exact opposite. My Soul Breaking Spear can break all Myriad Laws, including your poison!"

Dugu Bo's expression hardened.

For a moment, the auras of the two peak experts clashed fiercely beneath the night sky. On one side was the unfathomable Severe Poison Domain; on the other was the peerless Destructive Spear Intent. Neither side gave way.

Though neither had released their Martial Souls, their auras alone forced the Blood Blade members to retreat again and again. Yet before such an absolute gap in power, they could only force themselves to stand firm.

Dugu Bo's heart turned grave.

Yang Wudi alone was enough to keep him occupied. There was also the boy holding Yanyan captive, along with more than a hundred elite soldiers.

If they truly fought, he might win, but Yanyan would likely...!

Just as the tension reached its peak, Lin Jin spoke again, breaking the deadlock.

Lin Jin said slowly, "Dugu Bo, you have two paths before you: cooperate with me, or return with me to the Imperial Palace."