Boom!
Those words exploded like thunder beside her ears, striking Dugu Yan so hard that her mind reeled and went utterly blank.
Her pupils abruptly contracted, and she froze where she stood, unable to move.
How was this possible?!
Her grandfather was a mighty Titled Douluo who had roamed the Douluo Continent for decades, possessing the top-tier Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor martial soul.
Though nearly a hundred years old, he was still in his prime by a Titled Douluo's standards, his body strong and his spirit vigorous. How could he have become this wretched figure before her, a candle guttering in the wind, his flesh rotting, already halfway into the grave?
Dugu Yan stared dazedly at the old man before her, her gaze tracing every detail of his distorted, festering face.
Only after a long while did she discern a few familiar contours of his brows and eyes amid those ruined features-the likeness etched into their bloodline, unchanged all along.
The cruel truth slammed into her heart, leaving her cold from head to toe.
"Yan Yan... I don't have... much time left..."
Dugu Bo dared not waste a moment. Clinging to his consciousness as it threatened to dissolve, he tried to struggle upright, only to discover that his body was already completely beyond his control. His limbs were stiff and numb, and he had exhausted even the strength to raise a hand.
He could only gaze steadily at his granddaughter, whose tears were about to spill, and use the last of his strength to solemnly instruct her, "After I'm gone... remove my skull soul bone..."
"Fully absorb the Medusa Skull soul bone, and transfer all the serpent venom that has accumulated in your body over the years... into the soul bone..."
"The toxins in your body have built up for