Looking at the pill in Yu Tianjiao's hand, Dugu Bo's eyes brimmed with longing.
But he was a mighty Titled Douluo, and an elder besides. He had his dignity to consider, so he was too embarrassed to step forward and ask for it. He could only rub his hands together awkwardly where he stood.
Yu Tianjiao noticed the look on his face and chuckled to himself.
It was rare to see the old man so flustered.
Still, this wasn't the time to put on airs and tease Dugu Bo. Yu Tianjiao simply flicked a finger, and the Break Calamity Pill—wreathed in dense purple light, giving off a peculiar medicinal fragrance, and about the size of a wutong seed—floated slowly toward Dugu Bo.
"Senior, please take this pill."
Yu Tianjiao's voice carried a trace of weariness, but his gaze remained bright and confident.
Dugu Bo watched the purple pill hovering before him. Its strange fragrance slipped into his nostrils, and just one breath of its medicinal aura made the insidious, bone-deep poison that had tormented him for most of his life pause, as if it had encountered its natural enemy. A sense of ease unlike anything he had ever known coursed through his limbs and bones.
This feeling... there was no mistaking it!
If its fragrance alone had such a miraculous effect, the pill was sure to work!
Uncontrollable excitement and delight surged into his eyes.
But he still didn't take it. Instead, he looked at Dugu Yan, his gaze full of affection.
Then he turned to Yu Tianjiao and asked,
"Why don't we give this one to Yanyan? I can wait a little longer. I'll be fine."
Yu Tianjiao was startled by his words and hurriedly waved his hands.
"No! The pill's medicinal power is too potent. Yanzi couldn't withstand it!"
That wasn't wrong, but it wasn't the whole story.
In truth, his sixth-grade alchemy skill had expired as soon as he'd finished refining the pill.
If he tried to refine another one, he wouldn't be able to.
"But Yanyan..."
Dugu Bo looked worried.
His doting love for his granddaughter was certainly touching, but he was letting his concern cloud his judgment.
Dugu Yan was Yu Tianjiao's girlfriend. How could he not have made preparations for her?
"Senior, please take it without worry. I've already made arrangements for Yanzi. Her poisoning is still mild, so she doesn't need a pill this potent."
Yu Tianjiao explained.
"That's right, Grandpa. Tianjiao is my boyfriend. He won't just stand by and let the poison torment me. Go ahead and take the pill!"
Dugu Yan quickly chimed in, having realized it as well.
Ye Lingling nodded beside them.
Only then did Dugu Bo relax. He sat cross-legged at once, took a deep breath, and no longer hesitated. He opened his mouth and drew the Break Calamity Pill inside.
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, instantly becoming a warm yet immensely powerful torrent that surged down his throat!
"Ugh!"
Dugu Bo groaned, his body jolting violently.
An indescribable heat erupted inside him, but he felt no pain. It was like rain after a long drought, washing away the cold poison that had accumulated in his meridians and marrow over decades.
Before their eyes, Dugu Bo's skin, originally a little pale with a sickly gray-green tinge, began to flush an unnatural red.
Threads of foul-smelling, dark-green mist seeped from the pores all over his body, like damp firewood catching alight. They quickly spread through the air and dissipated.
Seeing this, Yu Tianjiao promptly raised a finger. The Buddha Fury Fire Lotus hovered above Dugu Bo's head, and a green curtain of flame descended, enclosing him.
The Heavenly Flames refined the poison directly, leaving not a trace to escape.
Dugu Bo's body trembled violently. The veins on his forehead bulged, and sweat instantly soaked through his dark-green robe.
He could clearly feel the warm yet domineering medicinal power, like countless tiny brushes, thoroughly cleansing the finest corners of his body and its most stubborn deposits.
A surge of warmth replaced the icy pain that had penetrated to his bones. Each cleansing brought a sense of relief beyond words.
"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan gripped Ye Lingling's hand tightly. She trusted Yu Tianjiao, but seeing Dugu Bo in pain still made her heart clench.
Though Yu Tianjiao had expended a tremendous amount of Soul Power and mental strength, his gaze remained steady.
"Don't worry. The pill is taking effect, forcibly removing the poison rooted in his marrow and life origin. The process will be painful, but he has to go through it."
Ye Lingling gently reassured her too.
"Yanzi, trust Tianjiao—and trust Grandpa Dugu."
Dugu Yan's expression eased a little at that.
The violent cleansing lasted for about the time it took to burn an incense stick. The poisonous mist seeping from Dugu Bo's skin began to thin, and its color shifted from dark green to pale green.
His trembling gradually subsided, and the flush on his face faded, replaced by a healthy rosy glow.
At that point, the warm energy stopped cleansing the poison in his body and began to harmonize deeply with Dugu Bo's life origin and Martial Soul Origin.
Like an adhesive, it smoothed over the conflict between the poison in his Martial Soul and his life energy.
His body, once sluggish and cold from the poison's corrosion, was now like spring water thawing after winter, brimming with life once more.
Dugu Bo's furrowed brow relaxed completely, and an indescribable sense of comfort and satisfaction spread across his face.
He could feel the "ticking time bomb" that had plagued him all his life and threatened both his and his granddaughter's lives being dissolved by the medicinal power.
A sense of ease and strength unlike anything he had ever known began to stir within him.
Yet just as everyone thought it was about to end, a sudden change occurred!
The dark-green Soul Power around Dugu Bo surged out of control, gathering behind him into the enormous phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor!
But the phantom no longer radiated the chilling menace it once had. Instead, it gave off an ancient, regal aura.
The serpent's eyes, originally a sinister dark green, now faintly glimmered with a dignified, emerald-like warmth!
Its scales grew more solid, turning a lustrous jade green like colored glass. Its fangs seemed longer and sharper, and its entire form appeared to be undergoing some kind of transformation.
Yu Tianjiao's eyes narrowed.
Had the old man's Martial Soul really mutated?
It certainly didn't look as though it would become the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python.
What in the world would it turn into?
A full hour later, the fluctuations in Dugu Bo's Soul Power gradually settled, and the drastically changed phantom of his Martial Soul behind him slowly disappeared.
He opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and stood up to stretch. A series of crisp cracks sounded from his body.
He lowered his gaze to his hands. His skin was smooth and rosy, full of vitality. His Soul Power flowed through him more smoothly and powerfully than ever, and the lingering, icy pain had vanished without a trace!
"Haha... Hahaha!" Dugu Bo could no longer contain his excitement. He threw back his head and laughed, his booming voice echoing through the valley, brimming with the joy and relief of being reborn. "That damned poison is finally gone!"
Before you continue