Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's Unease

Golden Crocodile Douluo suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his heart and put away the Earth Dragon Golden Melon.

The two followed the sound and looked over, only to see a dark green figure hovering in the air not far away.

The newcomer was a lean old man, his beard and hair both dark green, his eyes resembling emeralds. The old man was none other than Dugu Bo.

Due to the flaws of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, Dugu Bo had to come here every so often to enter seclusion and suppress the toxins constantly accumulating within his body.

A few days ago, Dugu Bo had emerged from seclusion and returned to Heaven Dou City, where he had spent several days with his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.

Now that the toxins were about to flare up again, he returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, only to unexpectedly discover that outsiders had trespassed within.

"Martial Soul Possession."

Dugu Bo gave a low shout. Behind him, the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor emerged, and nine soul rings descended in sequence: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

"You dare trespass into this old man's territory? Prepare to die!" Dugu Bo's voice was cold and arrogant, filled with undisguised killing intent.

Before his words had even faded, Dugu Bo unleashed the pressure of a Title Douluo, his aura surging toward the two like a tidal wave.

Golden Crocodile Douluo merely stepped forward calmly, shielding Ji Xuan behind him.

"Hmm...?"

Dugu Bo frowned deeply. These two remained completely unmoved beneath his pressure, their expressions unchanged?

How was that possible?!

Ordinary soul masters would have long since collapsed to the ground under the full force of his pressure, yet these two before him...

"Who exactly are you?"

Dugu Bo's heart trembled, yet he still could not discern Golden Crocodile Douluo's true strength.

With Golden Crocodile Douluo's power, all he needed to do was slightly conceal his aura, and Dugu Bo would be unable to see through him.

Furthermore, Golden Crocodile Douluo had stayed out of worldly affairs for many years, so Dugu Bo naturally failed to recognize him.

At that moment, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Golden Crocodile Douluo's lips.

The next second, the Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul appeared with a thunderous roar!

Nine soul rings descended one by one: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

"A Title Douluo! A... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"

When that final soul ring, as bewitchingly red as blood, appeared, Dugu Bo's pupils suddenly contracted. His mind shook violently, and the arrogance on his face instantly vanished, replaced by incredulous horror.

"Martial Uncle Golden Crocodile, kill him outright. This place will belong to Spirit Hall from now on."

Ji Xuan's expression remained calm, his tone casual.

Although he had the ability to help Dugu Bo neutralize his poison, he could not be bothered to waste words on him.

Spirit Hall was not lacking in poison-using Title Douluos. They did not need one more Dugu Bo.

Besides, Dugu Bo was no good man either. Ji Xuan had no intention of saving him.

"You... you're from Spirit Hall?"

BOOM—

Dugu Bo turned to flee, but an immense force suddenly crashed down upon him, smashing him viciously from the air to the ground.

"Spare... spare me. This place... is yours," Dugu Bo said with difficulty.

At this moment, Dugu Bo's face was filled with terror. The person before him seemed capable of crushing him with nothing more than a flick of a finger.

But he could not die yet. Otherwise, what would happen to his granddaughter Dugu Yan? Who would protect her from being bullied when she was left all alone?

"Martial Uncle Golden Crocodile, do it. This place is of great importance and cannot be compromised." Ji Xuan ignored Dugu Bo's pleas.

Golden Crocodile Douluo gave a slight nod. This place truly could not be exposed, or it would inevitably draw the covetous attention of every major faction.

Golden Crocodile Douluo slowly walked toward Dugu Bo...

"Spare..." Dugu Bo struggled to speak.

Golden Crocodile Douluo's expression did not change. He lifted his foot and stepped on Dugu Bo's neck. With a crack, Dugu Bo's body trembled once, and then he drew his last breath.

Under Golden Crocodile Douluo's absolute suppression in strength, Dugu Bo had no ability to resist whatsoever.

Ji Xuan condensed the Sword of Order and stepped forward. He first cut open Dugu Bo's limbs, then split open his Brow. A soul bone emitting a green glow emerged.

The Medusa Head Soul Bone contained the soul bone skill Medusa's Gaze, which could petrify enemies.

"I didn't expect Dugu Bo to have a soul bone?" Golden Crocodile Douluo exclaimed in surprise.

"Unfortunately, this soul bone has already been contaminated by toxins." Ji Xuan shook his head slightly and stored it in his Soul Tool.

Then, Ji Xuan crouched down and removed a blue brocade pouch from Dugu Bo's waist.

The Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch could store living things. It was exactly what he needed at present.

The storage Soul Tool his Master Qian Daoliu had given him could only store dead objects.

"Martial Uncle Golden Crocodile, why don't you go absorb the Immortal Herbs first?" Ji Xuan stood and suggested to Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"Alright." Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded slightly.

"Just consume it directly," Ji Xuan added.

Golden Crocodile Douluo walked to an open area some distance away, took out the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, drew a deep breath, and swallowed it as Ji Xuan had instructed. Then he sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and began refining it.

Ji Xuan, meanwhile, began following the harvesting methods in the Immortal Herb Illustrated Guide, packing the immortal herbs one by one and storing them in the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch.

Meanwhile, at Heaven Dou Royal Academy's training grounds.

The members of Imperial Dou Team One were undergoing physical training, running with weights.

Their instructor was Qin Ming, who had graduated from Shrek Academy years ago. He stood some distance from the training grounds with his arms folded, his gaze fixed on the students.

Among the runners, one girl stood out in particular. She had short, dark-purple hair cut to her ears, giving her a valiant air. She could not be called breathtakingly beautiful, yet she possessed an alluringly sinister charm. Her green eyes gave off a somewhat eerie impression.

She was Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan.

Suddenly, Dugu Yan came to an abrupt stop, her right hand clutching tightly at her chest.

A violent palpitation had just struck her, as though she had lost something vitally important...

"Yanyan, what's wrong?" The girl beside her immediately sensed something was off and stopped as well.

The girl had a cool, detached aura and a slender figure. A layer of black gauze covered her face, while waterfall-like blue hair cascaded down her back.

She was Ye Lingling, the possessor of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.

She stepped forward to support the slightly swaying Dugu Yan, concern evident in her eyes above the veil.

The other team members also stopped and gathered around.

"Vice-captain, are you alright?"

As the captain of the Imperial Dou Team, Yu Tianheng had originally been running at the very front of the group.

Noticing the disturbance at the rear, he immediately changed direction and hurried back.

"Yanzi, what's wrong?" He quickly reached Dugu Yan's side.

"Tianheng..." Dugu Yan shook her head slightly. "I don't know... My heart suddenly started pounding just now."

"Maybe you're too exhausted from training?" Yu Tianheng frowned slightly. "How about you go rest first?"

Just then, Qin Ming rushed over as well. "What happened?"

"Teacher Qin Ming, Yanzi isn't feeling well. Let her rest first," Yu Tianheng said before anyone else could.

"Lingling, take Dugu Yan back to the dormitory first."

Qin Ming nodded in agreement. Dugu Yan's grandfather was the Poison Douluo.

The Poison Douluo was temperamental and unpredictable. Qin Ming did not dare offend him. If anything happened to Dugu Yan, the man would never let him off.

Ye Lingling nodded gently and supported Dugu Yan as they headed toward the dormitory.

Qin Ming turned to the remaining team members. "The rest of you, continue training."