Next, under the erosion of the purple-gold poison gas, the middle section of the tree trunk began to rot and liquefy at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Extreme cold made the wood brittle, extreme heat snapped its fibers, and the deadly poison completely destroyed its vitality.
Crash!
In less than three breaths, the century-old Ironwood tree, which had stood tall for a hundred years,
was reduced to a pile of red-and-blue splinters and foul liquid under the assault of the extreme cold, heat, and poison.
Not even a single intact scrap remained!
"Hiss—"
Watching this, Dugu Bo felt his molars ache. He drew in a sharp breath.
"What... what kind of overbearing poison is this?"
"It has the viciousness of cold poison, the explosive force of fire poison, and the melting properties of corrosive poison..."
"Yan Yan, with a strike like that, forget about Soul Ancestors at your level—even Soul Kings and Soul Emperors could meet their end on the spot if they let their guard down!"
Although Dugu Bo was an expert in poison, he had never seen such an unreasonable mixture of toxins in his life.
Ordinary antidotes could dispel poison, but not ice and fire.
Resisting the ice and fire with Soul Power would only leave you vulnerable to the deadly poison.
It was practically an inescapable death loop!
"Surprised already?"
Yu Nan's voice rang out at just the right moment, carrying a hint of smugness.
"This is called 'Yin-Yang Dual Poison.'"
"From now on, this girl's poison won't be a mere biological toxin. It will be an attribute poison imbued with the laws of heaven and earth."
"Unless your opponent possesses an Ultimate Attribute or can withstand it with the Soul Power of a Titled Douluo, you'll be invincible among your peers and able to kill those of a higher rank as easily as reaching into a bag!"
Dugu Yan looked at her hands, her eyes brimming with delight.
She could feel that her offensive power had grown stronger.
More importantly, the faint pain she used to feel throughout her body whenever she used Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison had disappeared completely!
Now, she was like a perfect vessel, able to contain and unleash this terrifying poison without restraint.
"All right, the first stage of this girl's special training is complete."
Yu Nan changed the subject. His half-transparent phantom floated before Dugu Bo, regarding him with an amused expression.
"Old Poison Freak, it felt pretty good watching your granddaughter grow stronger, didn't it?"
"Now it's your turn."
Dugu Bo shuddered, the excitement in his eyes instantly turning to apprehension.
Dugu Bo looked at the churning red and white waters of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, then at his own old bones. He swallowed and smiled wryly.
"S-Senior... you're not going to make this old man strip naked and jump in too, are you?"
"Yan Yan had those two Immortal Herbs to protect her. This old man doesn't."
"And at my age, if I jumped in, I'd probably be cooked through in no time..."
"What are you thinking?"
Yu Nan rolled his eyes.
"Those two Immortal Herbs are peerless treasures. Once they're gone, they're gone."
"Besides, the poison that's built up in your body over decades has already penetrated to your very bones."
"If you really jumped in, the medicinal power of the herbs wouldn't even have time to take effect before the poison inside you rebelled and blew you up like a firework."
"Then... what do you mean, Senior?"
Dugu Bo asked cautiously.
"The cure for you lies with your granddaughter."
Yu Nan pointed at Dugu Yan.
"She's mastered the Ice and Fire Golden Body. Her blood is now the finest antidote in the world."
"It's also the only key to suppressing the backlash in your body."
"Yan Yan's blood?"
Dugu Bo was taken aback.
"That's right."
Yu Nan's expression turned serious as he began to teach him the true method.
"Dugu Bo, the poison is backlashing against you because the toxins in your body are too mixed, too chaotic, and spilling uncontrollably through your limbs and bones."
"What I'm going to teach you is the Poison Pill method!"
As a 200,000-year-old poison dragon, Yu Nan had ample experience with Poison Pills.
Drawing on the method Tang San had used to cure Dugu Bo in his memories, Yu Nan came up with the best way for Dugu Bo to condense a Poison Pill.
Dugu Bo already had a Poison Pill within him, carrying half of his poison cultivation.
With Yu Nan's guidance, he could condense another Life-Bound Poison Pill.
The two problems would resolve themselves.
"You need to use Yan Yan's blood as a catalyst and draw on the extreme ice-and-fire power it contains."
"Force the mixed poison cultivation inside you to compress and purify!"
"Drive every last trace of poison into your dantian and condense it into a 'Life-Bound Poison Pill'!"
"Once the Poison Pill is formed, you'll have complete control over your poison cultivation, and it will no longer turn against you."
"Your Soul Power will also grow purer as the poison is refined."
At this point, Yu Nan paused, having dangled his final bait.
Dugu Bo listened, his heart surging with excitement as he clenched his fists.
The nightmare that had haunted him for most of his life, the curse that had tormented his son to death—
Could it finally... finally end today?
"Yan Yan, lend Grandpa a little blood."
Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter, his gaze complicated.
"Grandpa, I'd give you as much as you need!"
Without a second thought, Dugu Yan raised her wrist and drew her fingertip across it with a flick of Soul Power.
Ting!
A crisp sound rang out.
Dugu Yan awkwardly realized that the Ice and Fire Golden Body she had just mastered was so tough that her Soul Power hadn't even cut her skin.
"..."
Dugu Bo and Yu Nan fell silent for a moment.
"Ahem. Put some more force into it."
Yu Nan reminded her.
Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed. This time, she used more strength and finally cut open a gash on her fair wrist.
Bright red blood flowed out, giving off a faint, sweet fragrance. A red-and-blue glow shimmered faintly within it, making it look extraordinarily mysterious.
Dugu Bo didn't hesitate any longer. He took a deep breath and sat cross-legged.
He accepted the blood his granddaughter handed him, tilted his head back, and drank it. Then he formed hand seals and began to guide the Soul Power in his body according to the formula Yu Nan had taught him.
"Sink your qi to your dantian, gather your essence, and guard your unity!"
"Use blood as a catalyst, and bring all poisons under one banner!"
As Yu Nan's sharp cry rang out,
Dugu Bo's body turned emerald green. Thick clouds of poison gushed from every pore in his skin,
instantly corroding the surrounding grass into a patch of scorched earth.
His face twisted with agony. Forcing the poison that had penetrated to his bones out of his body and condensing it was clearly an excruciating process.
But Dugu Bo clenched his teeth and didn't make a sound.
For his granddaughter, for the Dugu Family,
and for the dignity of a Titled Douluo!
This little pain was nothing!
Yu Nan floated nearby, keeping a close eye on Dugu Bo's condition. At the same time, he sent out a strand of spiritual power to protect Dugu Bo's heart meridians.
"Though this Old Poison Freak's talent is a little lacking, he's got plenty of grit."
Yu Nan thought to himself.
Time passed, second by second.
As the medicinal power of the ice and fire in Dugu Yan's blood took effect, the poison raging within Dugu Bo seemed to have met its natural enemy.
It began to obediently gather toward his dantian.
The terrifying emerald green covering his body gradually faded as well, contracting toward the center of his dantian.
Before you continue