The Strong Vie for Zhuqing (Part 1)

"If none of you dare to step inside, then let this old man take a look."

Dugu Bo sneered, and the Jade Phosphorous purple mist around him instantly unfurled.

"I want to see if this Demon Emperor's Poison can compare to my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison!"

He swept his gaze across the Title Douluo present, each harboring their own hidden agendas, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance.

"Let's get the ugly words out of the way first: I am going in first. Whoever finds anything inside gets to keep it, and don't even think about playing any games of snatching or looting from me afterward."

With that, he bolstered his Jade Phosphorous purple mist, transformed into a dark green stream of light, and plunged headlong into the churning, pitch-black poison barrier.

Seeing this, Yue Guan's brows furrowed tightly. He instinctively moved to follow, only to be grabbed by Ghostly beside him.

"What's the rush?"

Ghostly's voice was wrapped in a sinister chuckle. "That old poison-master Dugu Bo is best at handling toxins; let him be the one to scout the path."

"If there really is a trap, he'll be the first to die."

"And if there really is treasure, with the strength of the two of us, are you afraid we won't be able to snatch it from his hands?"

Yue Guan, who had been pinching his chrysanthemum, paused, then smiled as well.

"You are as thoughtful as ever. His Holiness the Pope specifically instructed: we must see the spider alive or see its corpse. The trace of the Demon Emperor must be thoroughly investigated."

On the other side, the remaining Title Douluo participating in the encirclement also held their ground.

They kept their eyes locked on the movements within the poison barrier, waiting for Dugu Bo to reveal the truth of the situation.

Inside the poison barrier, the moment Dugu Bo stepped in, his expression shifted slightly.

This poison was even more overbearing than he had anticipated.

The moment he made contact, his protective Jade Phosphorous purple mist hissed with corrosion, and even his soul power was being consumed at a rate visible to the naked eye.

He gritted his teeth, channeled all his soul power to shield his body, and walked step by step toward the center of the poison barrier.

Soon, the scene on the ground came into view.

The corpse of a Demon Spider Emperor, dozens of meters long, lay across the ground. Its carapace was covered in hideous cracks, and it had long since lost all signs of life.

Not far from the corpse, a small girl covered in wounds lay curled on the ground, trapped in a deep coma, hanging on by a single breath.

Dugu Bo stepped forward to examine the Demon Spider Emperor's corpse first. The moment his fingertips touched the carapace, he was repelled by a surge of residual, highly potent poison.

A flash of shock crossed his eyes.

This Demon Spider Emperor was indeed dead through and through.

Its soul had completely dissipated, leaving only an empty shell, yet the residual toxicity was still terrifying enough to threaten a Title Douluo who let their guard down.

He turned his head to look at Zhu Zhuqing on the ground, his brows lifting slightly.

This little girl only had soul power in the twenties, yet she had managed to hold on until now within the Demon Emperor's poison barrier; her life was certainly tenacious.

He flicked a strand of Jade Phosphorous soul power toward her, shielding Zhu Zhuqing's heart meridian to prevent her from being eroded to death by the miasma.

Just then, Yue Guan's voice drifted in from outside the poison barrier, carrying a hint of deliberate courtesy.

"Dugu Bo, how is the situation inside? Is the Demon Emperor truly dead?"

Dugu Bo let out a cold snort and called back, "Dead as a doornail!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than several figures instantly broke through the edge of the poison barrier and landed inside.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, leading the group, locked his gaze onto the Demon Spider Emperor's corpse on the ground, a flicker of greed flashing in his eyes.

But upon stepping forward to investigate, he found the interior of the corpse completely hollow. Forget soul bones; not even a trace of origin soul power remained.

"Damn it! Nothing was left behind!"

Yue Guan's expression turned gloomy. "This Demon Emperor is truly ruthless; it wouldn't leave a single thing for others even in death."

Dugu Bo watched his display and let out a scoff.

"What? Don't tell me you were actually counting on this notorious Demon Emperor to leave some treasure for you?"

"Even if it died, it wouldn't leave its life's work to you Martial Soul Hall lot."

Having said that, Dugu Bo ignored the teeth-gritting Chrysanthemum Guan and directly summoned his martial soul, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.

The giant snake, over a dozen meters long, was a translucent jade green, its scales shimmering with a ghostly purple toxic light.

Its golden vertical pupils were cold and intimidating, and as its forked tongue flickered, it emitted a toxic aura capable of corroding even the air itself.

The Jade Phosphorous purple mist around its body collided with the Demon Emperor's poison barrier, producing a hissing sound.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor lowered its head, and its sharp fangs gently bit onto Zhu Zhuqing's arm, slowly drawing out the Demon Emperor's toxins that had invaded her body.

The Title Douluo present did not stop him; they all understood he was detoxifying the little girl.

But no one truly believed Dugu Bo was acting out of kindness to save a life.

Given his nature, he was surely eyeing the residual Demon Emperor toxins within the girl's body, wanting to take them for his own research.

Just then, a deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out, causing everyone to turn their heads in an instant.

"Could it be a sacrifice?"

The man who spoke wore a grey cloth tunic, his figure as upright as a pine tree.

His face was resolute, and the aura surrounding him was as heavy and deep as a mountain; he was none other than Tang Wu, a Titled Douluo elder from the Clear Sky Sect, the number one sect under heaven.

Upon hearing the word "sacrifice," the several Titled Douluo who had been somewhat impatient instantly turned solemn, each of them turning their thoughts toward this possibility.

Yet, after only a moment, the Clear Sky Sect elder shook his head himself.

"No. The Demon Emperor is a terrifying existence; it devoured its own kin, the Spider Emperors, and even after Star Dou and the spirit masters joined forces to surround and suppress it for months, they only just managed to corner it. How could it possibly be willing to sacrifice itself to a human? Especially a little girl of only twenty-something levels."

Tang Wu swept a glance at Zhu Zhuqing and continued.

"While such talent is considered outstanding, it is far from being top-tier."

"Even if the Demon Emperor wanted to find a host to inhabit and swear revenge, it would never choose such a useless sapling."

"Furthermore, that Demon Emperor is the epitome of evil; why would it ever do something so disadvantageous to itself?"

Hearing this, the crowd nodded one after another, dismissing the notion.

Just then, the corpse of the Demon Spider Emperor suddenly began to shatter inch by inch, transforming into a sky full of pitch-black poisonous powder, causing the already dense poisonous miasma to surge several times over, its toxicity multiplying even further!

"Not good!"

Yue Guan's expression changed, and he immediately erected a spirit power barrier. "It really did leave a contingency; the corpse is self-destructing!"

The crowd panicked instantly, each urging their spirit power to resist the erosion of the poisonous powder, all of them taking to the air and retreating from the core area of the miasma.

Although more than half of the Demon Spider Emperor's corpse remained, with the poisonous miasma now surging, no one dared to approach it rashly again.

Beyond that, the only thing of value left at the scene was the unconscious Zhu Zhuqing in the hands of Dugu Bo.

Every pair of eyes fell squarely upon Dugu Bo, each harboring their own schemes.

This little girl was the only person present at the scene; she had been right beside the corpse before the Demon Emperor self-destructed.

Even if she hadn't been the recipient of a sacrifice, she might know something.

They had spent months on this siege; they could not simply return empty-handed.

"What? Are you all planning to snatch someone from this old man's hands?"

Dugu Bo's expression darkened as his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor spirit manifested once more, toxic mist churning around him as he assumed a confrontational stance.

"Wait a moment, I recognize this girl."

A voice carrying the murderous aura of a military formation suddenly rang out.

The crowd turned to look and saw a man clad in the black-and-gold armor exclusive to the Star Luo Empire, his gaze fixed upon Zhu Zhuqing.

It was none other than Dai Hengtian, the Guardian Douluo of the Star Luo Empire.