The mist rising from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well shrouded Dugu Bo's face. His withered fingers hovered over Sea Horse Douluo's arm as threads of eerie, almost demonic jade-green Soul Power—like the nimblest and most dangerous venomous snakes—carefully probed, touched, and sensed along the edges of the dark-purple poison marks.
Time seemed to grow thick and sluggish within the valley.
Sea Illusion, Sea Witch, and Sea Horse Douluo held their breaths. Sea Horse Douluo could clearly feel the instinctive trembling and rejection emanating from Dugu Bo's incomparably pure Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison Soul Power when it came into contact with the stubborn, bizarre toxin inside him. Deeper still, there was an almost greedy urge to devour it... locked in a standoff with fear.
"Hiss—"
After a long while, Dugu Bo suddenly withdrew his fingers as if he had been burned. He staggered back half a step, shock still lingering on his face, along with an indescribable... gravity.
"Senior Dugu?" Sea Illusion Douluo's heart tightened.
Dugu Bo did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes, seemingly reliving that fleeting sensation, or perhaps struggling to calm the instinctive warning and discomfort transmitted by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison Soul Power within him.
After a while, he slowly opened his eyes. Those once eagle-sharp eyes, brimming with inquisitive light, now held only profound calmness, even carrying a trace of detachment.
"You should go back." Dugu Bo's voice was calm, betraying neither joy nor anger.
"Senior?" Sea Witch could not help stepping forward.
Dugu Bo waved a hand, pointed at Sea Horse Douluo's arm, then lifted the Sea God Island Jade Slip in his hand. His tone was so flat it was almost cold. "This poison... I'm afraid I can't cure it."
"What?!" Sea Horse Douluo cried out, his face