The Poison Douluo Relents and Forges an Alliance

Sword Douluo saw his struggle and added, "Esteemed Douluo, the Douluo Continent is undergoing great changes. Martial Soul Hall covets combat skills, and the Fierce Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest are also eyeing resources. It's difficult for you to guard this treasure trove alone. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to send five Soul Douluos to be stationed in the valley to help you guard the stone cave. All cultivation expenses—including Glazed Jade, nourishing liquids, and Soul Guiding Cultivation Lamps—will be borne by us."

He spoke solemnly, word by word, "For the future poisonous herbs harvested, we will split them 20/80—you get 80%, and we get 20%. Furthermore, the guarding Soul Douluos must obey your commands and are not allowed to enter the core area of the stone cave without authorization. You only need to provide the treasure land and seeds; leave everything else to us."

"A 20/80 split?" Dugu Bo looked up sharply, his eyes full of surprise. "You only want twenty percent?" He had expected the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to ask for at least fifty percent, and was surprised by such generous terms. The cost of cultivating poisonous herbs was extremely high; a single Thousand Year Glazed Jade alone was worth 100,000 points, and the salaries for five Soul Douluos were also considerable. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was practically "losing money" on this collaboration.

Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded, "We are not seeking short-term gains, but a long-term partnership. You can use the treasure land to exchange for points, improve your strength, and protect your granddaughter; we can use the twenty percent of poisonous herbs to exchange for points to acquire combat skills and refine anti-toxin pills for our sect disciples. Besides, with your current strength, even if we wanted to play tricks, we would be no match for you. You can rest assured."

His words, though seemingly humble, carried confidence. Dugu Bo was now a Rank 93 Titled Douluo and had mastered the minor achievement of the "Ghostly Poison" combat skill, capable of contending with a Rank 97 peak Soul Master. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect indeed had no reason to offend him.

Dugu Bo fell silent, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the Cold Jade Bed. He looked at Ning Fengzhi's gentle yet firm gaze, then at Sword Douluo's steady aura. He considered his own situation—guarding the treasure land alone was too tiring, his cultivation techniques were insufficient, his point accumulation was slow, and he had to guard against the covetous eyes of Martial Soul Hall and the Star Dou Great Forest. If he cooperated with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, all these problems could be easily solved.

Most importantly, the 80% share would allow him to quickly accumulate points, enabling him to exchange for Mysterious Tier combat skills for his granddaughter Dugu Yan sooner, and also to quickly master his "幽毒" combat skill to its great achievement.

"Good! I agree to the cooperation!" Dugu Bo finally relented, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes. "However, I have three conditions: First, the Soul Douluos guarding the treasure land must wear my specially made anti-toxin suits and are not allowed to touch any poisonous herbs; Second, the right to harvest all poisonous herbs during the cultivation process belongs to me. You can only take your twenty percent after harvest; Third, if there are any new resources for poisonous herb cultivation in the auction house in the future, you must prioritize purchasing them for me."

"No problem!" Ning Fengzhi immediately agreed, a joyful smile appearing on his face. "I will send the cultivation elders and five Soul Douluos over tomorrow to set up the 'Poison Gathering Nourishing Array' for the treasure land and then use Thousand Year Glazed Jade to improve the soil."

Sword Douluo also nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. This arduous negotiation had finally succeeded. With Dugu Bo's supply of poisonous herbs, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have more confidence in future auctions.

Dugu Bo stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "Follow me, I'll show you the treasure land." He activated his "Ghost Poison" movement technique, his figure turning into a purple streak as he dashed towards the depths of the valley. Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo followed closely, their Soul Power subtly moving beneath their feet, easily avoiding the poisonous herbs and mires along the way.

After passing through three hidden poison arrays, a massive stone cave appeared before them. Black miasma swirled at the entrance of the cave, and the poisonous energy in the air was several times stronger than outside the valley, even suppressing Sword Douluo's sword energy slightly.

"Be careful, this miasma can corrode Soul Power," Dugu Bo warned, releasing a faint purple Soul Power to form a barrier in front of him, slowly pushing the miasma away.

The interior of the stone cave was spacious and bright, with dozens of luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the entire space. On the stone walls on both sides, hundreds of jade basins were neatly arranged, each containing different poisonous herbs. The leaves of the Ghost Orchid Grass were silvery, the Corpse Heart Flower was dark red and budding, the Bone Gnawing Vine coiled around a jade pillar, and there were several rare "Ten Thousand Poisons Flowers" with black petals, emitting a chillingly potent toxicity.

On the stone platform at the deepest part, more than a dozen newly sprouted seedlings were placed, their leaves emitting a faint purple glow, clearly a very rare species. Beneath the stone platform, several black stones were buried, emitting a strong poisonous energy—these were "Ten Thousand Poisons Stones," which could continuously nourish the poisonous herbs.

"It truly is a treasure land!" Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but exclaim. He reached out to touch a Corpse Heart Flower but was stopped by Dugu Bo.

"Don't touch it! The venom of the Corpse Heart Flower can corrode Soul Bones. Even a Soul Douluo cannot withstand it," Dugu Bo said sternly. He took out two black anti-toxin suits from his storage ring. "Only by wearing these can you approach the poisonous herbs. They are woven from Ten Thousand Poisons Spider Silk and can block ninety percent of the toxic power."

Ning Fengzhi took the anti-toxin suit and smiled, nodding. "It was my recklessness. I will strictly abide by the rules from now on." He put on the anti-toxin suit and carefully observed the poisonous herbs in the jade basins, his eyes filled with amazement. "The concentration of poisonous energy in your treasure land is even higher than that of the rumored Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. No wonder you can cultivate so many rare poisonous herbs."

Dugu Bo's lips curled into a proud smile. "This stone cave was formed naturally and connects to the Ten Thousand Poisons Spring at the bottom, providing an endless supply of poisonous energy. It's just that no one knew how to cultivate here before, wasting such a good place."

The three discussed in the stone cave for nearly an hour and finally finalized the detailed cooperation plan:

1. Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect provides: Five Soul Douluos (responsible for guarding), two cultivation elders (responsible for technology), three Thousand Year Glazed Jade (per month), three Poison Gathering Nourishing Arrays, one hundred Soul Guiding Cultivation Lamps. All expenses will be borne by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

2. Dugu Bo provides: Usage rights to the treasure land, existing poisonous herb seeds, and the method for making anti-toxin suits (to ensure the safety of the guarding disciples).

3. Profit distribution: The poisonous herbs harvested monthly will be uniformly sold to the auction house by Dugu Bo. The obtained points will be split 80/20, with Dugu Bo receiving 80% and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect receiving 20%.

4. Cooperation period: Five years, with the option to renew upon expiration.

After the negotiation concluded, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo left the valley with satisfied smiles. Watching their retreating figures, Dugu Bo's lips curved into a smile. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's assistance, his points would increase, and his strength would grow, and no one would dare mock him as the "weakest Titled Douluo" again.

Just then, a dazzling golden light suddenly emanated from the direction of the auction house, clearly visible even from the depths of the stone cave. Dugu Bo looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "What is that? Has the auction house made another move?"

Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo also stopped at the entrance of the valley, looking towards the auction house with curiosity. Ever since the rapid learning service was introduced, every new piece of information released by the auction house had shaken the continent. This time, the golden light was so dazzling that something significant was likely happening.

"It seems we need to start our cooperation as soon as possible. Perhaps the auction house has released something new that can improve the cultivation of poisonous herbs," Ning Fengzhi said, a hint of urgency in his tone.

Dugu Bo nodded in agreement, his eyes full of anticipation. No matter what new item the auction house released, as long as he had points, he could enjoy it immediately. And the cooperation with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a crucial step in accumulating those points.

At this moment, on the golden screen of the auction house, the outline of the words "Immortal Herb Ranking" was slowly appearing, shrouded in a faint golden light, not yet fully revealed. The eyes of the entire continent were drawn to this golden light, and envoys from various major powers rushed towards the auction house, filled with curiosity and anticipation. What earth-shattering news would the auction house bring this time?

This cooperation not only laid the foundation for mutual benefit between Dugu Bo and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect but also quietly paved the way for the impending "Immortal Herb Ranking" frenzy. When the cultivation of rare poisonous herbs became the focus, the even more precious immortal herbs were bound to trigger a continent-wide scramble.