Tang San continued, "As for treatment... this poison has become deeply entangled with Your Excellency's life force. Ordinary methods of detoxification would not only be ineffective, but might also trigger a complete outbreak of the poison and endanger your life."
"This junior takes the liberty of asking to get closer and carefully examine the poison's exact flow and where it has accumulated within Your Excellency's body. At the same time... I'll need to make use of this place's unique environment—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well." As he spoke, Tang San bowed.
Tang San's gaze swept over the spring, where red and blue intertwined, radiating the extreme aura of ice and fire. "Here, yin and yang converge. It's a treasure trove blessed by the heavens. Though the precious medicinal herbs have been destroyed, the environment at its source remains."
"Based on what I find, I'll need to make use of this place's ability to balance ice and fire, supplemented by... supplemented by some surviving herbs with compatible medicinal properties, or... substitutes."
He forced out the words "substitutes," his heart aching over the immortal herbs Xiao Yu had taken. "I'll try to guide the accumulated poison out of Your Excellency's body, balance your yin and yang, and slowly draw out or suppress the poison that's turning against you, so it stops further corroding your vital organs."
Tang San finished speaking and held his breath, waiting for Dugu Bo's verdict.
He knew he had laid all his cards on the table. Whether he lived or died now depended on whether the mercurial Poison Douluo chose to believe his astonishing diagnosis and treatment plan.
Just as Dugu Bo's eyes flickered and he was about to make his decision—
An overwhelming, irresistible pressure—holy, icy, and scorching all at once—crashed down like a tangible mountain!
In an instant, it enveloped the entire valley of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
"Roar—!!!"
A roar that could shatter metal and stone, brimming with boundless fury and murderous intent, tore through the sky. The valley trembled, and even the Poison Miasma churned and scattered!
Dugu Bo's expression changed drastically. He knew that aura all too well!
The fear and humiliation of that night in the imperial palace a month ago surged into his mind. He jerked his head up and saw a vast figure hovering above the valley, its wings spread wide enough to blot out the sky.
Its starry, ice-blue, and scarlet feathers gleamed with a mysterious sheen. Its deep eyes fixed on him, cold and unyielding—it was the Holy Wing King, Xiao Yu!
"Dugu Bo!!" Xiao Yu's mental voice crashed through Dugu Bo's and Tang San's minds like thunder, filled with undisguised killing intent.
"Last time, you escaped by sheer luck. Today, this Sunset Forest will be your grave!"
Before his words had even faded, Xiao Yu abruptly brought his wings together and struck!
"Ice Fire Storm!"
Rumble—!!!
A colossal ice-and-fire tornado, far larger than the one in the imperial palace battle, formed in an instant!
Violent ice crystals and flames intertwined, the forces of extreme cold and scorching heat tearing through the air as they bore down on Dugu Bo below with the power to destroy everything!
It was so fast and so vast that it completely blocked every route Dugu Bo could have taken to dodge!
"What?!!" Dugu Bo was horrified! He had never imagined that this terrifying Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had not only survived, but was also hiding in the Sunset Forest—and had struck while he was at his weakest, his mind in turmoil!
The intense threat of death instantly unleashed all the power of a Titled Douluo within him.
A jade-green phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor appeared behind him with a hiss, and the Seventh Soul Ring at his feet—the Martial Soul Avatar—flared to life!
"Jade Phosphorous True Body!"
Dugu Bo's body swelled in an instant, transforming into a gigantic Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. Dense poison fog spread around him like a domain, trying to corrode and weaken the terrifying Ice Fire Storm.
At the same time, he opened his jaws and spat out a condensed column of dark green poisonous flames, meeting the destructive tornado as it descended from the sky!
But forced to fight without warning, and already unsettled and physically unwell after Tang San had exposed the poison turning against him, Dugu Bo's attack was far weaker than it would have been at his peak.
Sizzle, sizzle—BOOM!!!
The Ice Fire Storm and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's poisonous flames collided violently! An ear-splitting explosion rang across the sky!
A raging shock wave swept through the valley, hurling the remaining herbs and rocks into the air and smashing them to pieces!
Dugu Bo's poisonous flames were powerful, but the storm tore them apart in moments! The remaining Ice Fire Storm continued unabated, slamming into the enormous body of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor!
"Pfft—!"
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor let out a pained hiss as its massive body was blasted backward and smashed into the cliff, leaving a deep crater! Its hard scales shattered, and dark green blood mixed with ice shards and sparks flew in every direction!
The devastating blow in his Martial Soul Avatar form made Dugu Bo feel as if his internal organs had been displaced. The poison already stirring within him was fully roused by the violent attack, stabbing through his marrow and organs like countless steel needles!
"Argh—!" Forced to cancel his Martial Soul Avatar, Dugu Bo returned to human form and dropped to one knee. He spat out a mouthful of dark green poisonous blood flecked with strange points of light, his aura instantly weakening. Pain and horror mingled on his face.
He stared at the enormous figure in the sky, like a god or demon, with one thought in his mind: How could this be? That beast was even stronger than it had been on the night of the imperial palace battle!
Tang San, standing nearby, had long been stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Taking advantage of the terrifying energy currents from their clash, he scrambled behind a huge rock that had been knocked over by the shock wave, his heart pounding wildly.
"What kind of Soul Beast is that? Why has my teacher never told me about it???" Tang San stared at the unfamiliar, powerful Soul Beast, his mind racing, but he couldn't think of a single Soul Beast that matched it.
After all, he knew of powerful Soul Beasts such as the Titan Giant Ape, but he had never heard of this one.
Seeing Dugu Bo at a disadvantage shook Tang San even more. It had to be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but he had only ever heard of such beasts living in the Star Dou Forest. When had one appeared in the Sunset Forest?
What was more, did Dugu Bo really not know that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast lived in the Sunset Forest? Why else would he have built his Herb Garden here?
Surely Dugu Bo knew the saying: "How can one tolerate another sleeping beside one's bed?"
Hovering in the air, Xiao Yu swept his cold gaze over Dugu Bo below, who was in a wretched state with poisonous blood staining his clothes. His killing intent only grew stronger.
As for Tang San, he had noticed him long ago, but his target today was Dugu Bo, not Tang San. He knew Tang San had Tang Hao backing him, and that the man was still lurking somewhere out of sight.
He understood his current strength. At most, he could take on Soul Masters below the Super Douluo level. Against anyone stronger, he would have to evolve into the Holy Wing King first.
He was certain that once he evolved, no one on the continent would be his match—not to mention the gods above.
"Old Poison, how does it feel?" Xiao Yu's mental voice was full of mockery. "I told you: whoever offends me, no matter how far away, will be hunted down!"
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