"I haven't seen such a bold little rat in a long time."
"Whoosh!"
The next moment,
the old man rushed out of the cave.
Returning to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Ye Yuan'er gazed at the spring water, its milky-white and crimson halves divided like yin and yang, neither encroaching on the other. It radiated an aura that even Titled Douluo feared, leaving her shaken once again.
Just then, her lovely brows drew together.
A wave of Soul Power charged toward her, carrying killing intent, accompanied by a vicious, sinister voice.
"You little brat, how dare you trespass on this old man's territory..."
A green figure appeared above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He was tall and thin, his hair entirely dark green.
His eyes gleamed like emeralds, but their light was as unnerving as a venomous snake.
A powerful aura radiated from him, and his nine Spirit Rings were especially striking.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
He was unmistakably a Titled Douluo.
Dugu Bo's gaze had initially been full of pride, but when he got a clear look at the two of them, he faltered in surprise.
One was tall, the other small. The smaller one seemed harmless, yet an evil and uncanny aura radiated from him.
The taller one's strength was impossible to read. She was clearly a Titled Douluo no weaker than he was.
Dugu Bo's expression grew serious.
"Who are you? Why have you trespassed in my Medicine Garden?"
"My title is Lingyuan!"
Ye Yuan'er studied him closely. His Soul Power was at level ninety-one.
With his dark green hair and attire, he was clearly Poison Douluo.
She sneered. "Since when did a valley in Sunset Forest become private property?"
Dugu Bo didn't answer, silently turning the title over in his mind.
Lingyuan Douluo!
"Are you from Spirit Hall?"
As he spoke, Dugu Bo's wariness reached its peak.
He probed the area with his Soul Power,
afraid that Spirit Hall had come to surround and kill him, and that another Titled Douluo might be hiding in the bushes!
"Don't bother looking. There's no one else. It's just the two of us today!"
"Poison Douluo, I'll get straight to the point. I want to take something from this place. Do you object?"
As Ye Yuan'er spoke, she stepped forward. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
The instant she released the aura of a Titled Douluo, nine Spirit Rings rose one after another from beneath her feet.
When the ninth, red Spirit Ring appeared, its color stained the surroundings crimson. Ripples spread through the air, and the oppressive force of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast swept across the entire valley.
As the Blazing Fire Phoenix soared into the sky with a cry, the air around them grew hazy with heat, and scorching warmth enveloped the area.
Dugu Bo involuntarily took half a step back.
His pupils widened to their limit.
A top-tier Beast Martial Soul, the Fire Phoenix!
And she actually had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Anyone with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was bound to have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone as well.
A fire-attribute Titled Douluo had the perfect counter to him, to a certain extent.
"Crack!"
Dugu Bo was afraid.
But as he listened to her, his fists clenched of their own accord.
He was a Titled Douluo, after all.
She was far too arrogant.
This was his territory. If he slunk away,
how could he ever show his face again?
Chrysanthemum Guan would be the first to mock him.
A Titled Douluo who couldn't even protect a Medicine Garden!
"Ahem!"
Just as the tension reached its peak and a fight seemed imminent, Su Wen coughed twice at an inopportune moment.
"Aunt Ye, wait a moment."
"You're Senior Dugu, right? We can talk!"
Su Wen could tell Dugu Bo wouldn't leave without a fight.
He really didn't want things to come to blows.
Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo, after all, and his Spirit Skills dealt damage over a wide area.
If Aunt Ye couldn't take him down quickly—or if he fought back with everything he had, even deciding that if he couldn't have this place, he'd destroy it—
then the Immortal Herbs here could really be ruined.
In the worst-case scenario, word of this would get out. Soon, everyone would know two Titled Douluo were fighting over an Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...
"Heh. Little one, what do you want to discuss with me?"
Dugu Bo wanted an excuse to back down, too. It wasn't that he was afraid; he simply didn't feel like fighting today.
"We'll just pick a few things and use this place for a few hours. We won't take over the valley, and once we leave, we won't tell anyone what happened here. How does that sound?"
Su Wen proposed the most reasonable arrangement, but Dugu Bo only snorted and said nothing, clearly rejecting it. To him, it was far too humiliating.
A displeased look crossed Ye Yuan'er's face, and her aura surged.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo refused to back down. His seventh Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring rose.
He even let out a threatening sneer. "I might not be able to beat you, but with that little one in tow, you'll have to hold back, won't you? Besides, this place must be important to you, or you wouldn't want it. If I accidentally destroy it, heh..."
"Go ahead and try!"
A fearsome aura radiated from Ye Yuan'er, and a vast wave of Soul Power suddenly bore down on him.
Dugu Bo instantly activated the Martial Soul Avatar he had prepared.
A gigantic, emerald-green serpent phantom coiled in the air, radiating deadly poison.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor let out a hissing roar, and its powerful wave of Soul Power crashed against hers.
The collision of the two forces immediately set off a series of sonic booms.
"Dugu Bo, you're poisoned, aren't you?"
Su Wen stepped forward and took Ye Yuan'er's hand. Remembering what had happened in the original story, he decided to give it a try.
It wouldn't be bad to recruit Dugu Bo.
He was indeed loyal and true to his friends.
And he also had a very special reputation.
He couldn't beat a Titled Douluo, but he could fight until the other person was left with nothing but their title.
If they could bring him over to their side, he could be a powerful asset to Spirit Hall.
"Poisoned?"
Dugu Bo's cold eyes suddenly froze, then he sneered again. "I, Poison Douluo, poisoned? Boy, you're talking nonsense."
Su Wen went on to explain exactly what the original story had said about when Dugu Bo's poison flared up and what the symptoms were.
Dugu Bo withdrew his Soul Power and transformed back into human form.
His previously sinister expression fell silent.
His heart was swept by Raging Waves.
The Dugu Clan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul was powerful, with poison that inspired terror.
But a Martial Soul was inseparable from the body, and the poison would erode the body as well.
The higher one's cultivation, the more poison accumulated.
Eventually, it could no longer be suppressed, and the poison would erupt throughout the body.
Worse, this poison could also be passed on during intercourse. The amount was small, but over time, it could still prove fatal.
His son and daughter-in-law had both died from Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison.
If his Martial Soul hadn't mutated, and if he hadn't found a treasure like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to suppress the poison, he would have died long ago.
But these were secrets of the Dugu Clan, unknown to outsiders.
The fact that this little fellow had seen through it at a glance was truly astonishing.
Su Wen dangled the temptation before him. "I read about the Jade Phosphorous Serpent in Spirit Hall's library. I think I can cure your poison. Want to give it a try? I might even be able to change your clan's situation."
Before you continue