Dugu Bo stopped short, looking somewhat confused:
"Senior, this place is out in the middle of nowhere. Could some powerful Soul Beast be guarding it?
Even if there is one, with my strength now, nothing short of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could trouble me."
"There aren't any Soul Beasts."
Yu Nan gave a cold laugh and dropped a bombshell:
"But I'm sure you know the owner of this Soul Bone, and... he's someone you absolutely don't want to provoke."
Dugu Bo's heart lurched, and a foreboding feeling welled up inside him:
"Who?"
"Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao."
"Hiss—!!"
At the sound of that name, Dugu Bo sucked in a sharp breath. His forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.
He even instinctively retreated several hundred meters.
His old face was instantly filled with terror and apprehension.
Tang Hao!
The ruthless man who had once gravely wounded Spirit Hall's previous pope all by himself and smashed several Titled Douluo to pieces!
He was the universally acknowledged god of slaughter in the Soul Master World, someone who gave even Spirit Hall a massive headache.
Though Dugu Bo was arrogant, he knew exactly how much he was worth.
Among Titled Douluo, he was nothing more than a "floor tile" who specialized in poison.
If he really faced a brute like Tang Hao, who relied on sheer strength, he probably wouldn't withstand even three hammer blows!
"Se...Senior, you're not joking, are you?"
Dugu Bo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice unsteady:
"That Soul Bone was left behind by Tang Hao?
If we go take it, wouldn't that be... snatching food from a tiger's mouth?"
"What, are you scared?"
Yu Nan said mockingly:
"Fortune favors the bold.
It's a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, and it has top-tier recovery skills like 'Flight' and 'Wildfire Cannot Burn It Out, Spring Breeze Blows Again.'
With it, Yan Yan's ability to protect herself will increase more than tenfold."
In the original story, after Tang San absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone...
These were its two Soul Bone Skills.
But if Dugu Yan absorbed it, the skills might not be the same.
Still, there was a very high chance that "Wildfire Cannot Burn It Out, Spring Breeze Blows Again" would remain unchanged.
After all, it was the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone!
Hearing how much this could benefit his granddaughter, the fear in Dugu Bo's eyes receded a little, replaced by hesitation and inner struggle.
"But... what if Tang Hao is there..."
"That's why I told you to test the waters first."
Yu Nan said gravely:
"As far as I know, although Tang Hao lives in seclusion here, most of the time he's secretly protecting his son or getting drunk somewhere else.
He can't possibly spend all twenty-four hours guarding that cave."
"Besides, the cave holds the thing that matters most to him. He wouldn't go in and disturb it without good reason."
"Now, conceal your presence and land in the woods opposite that mountain."
"Don't scan with your mental power directly. Tang Hao's mental power is exceptionally sharp; he'll notice the moment you touch it."
"Use your poison."
Yu Nan instructed him:
"Release the faintest wisp of your colorless, odorless Life-Bound Poison Qi and let the wind carry it toward that waterfall.
Use the feedback from the poison's fluctuations to sense whether there are any living people inside."
"If Tang Hao is there, given how domineering he is, your poison will be scattered the instant it approaches.
If that happens, don't say a word—take Yan Yan and run immediately. Get as far away as you can."
"If the poison drifts in smoothly without provoking any reaction... then nobody's home."
Dugu Bo listened, gritted his teeth, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
"Fine!
For Yan Yan, I'll risk it!"
He took Dugu Yan with him and carefully landed in a dense forest several miles from the back mountain of Holy Soul Village.
"Yan Yan, stay here and don't move. Conceal your presence, and no matter what happens, don't make a sound."
Dugu Bo gave her stern instructions.
Dugu Yan obediently nodded. She could tell from her grandfather's reaction how serious the situation was.
After making sure his granddaughter was settled, Dugu Bo took a deep breath and sat cross-legged in the canopy of a great tree.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he gently tapped a fingertip.
A wisp of extremely faint, almost imperceptible, emerald-green vapor.
Carried by the mountain breeze like an invisible spirit snake, it silently slithered toward the roaring waterfall in the distance.
At that moment, Dugu Bo's heart was in his throat.
He was taking a gamble.
Gambling that the god of slaughter wasn't home right now!
Time seemed to freeze.
Dugu Bo held his breath, fine beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.
His emerald-green eyes, which usually struck fear into the hearts of those who saw them, were now fixed on the waterfall plunging down from above.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The wisp of Life-Bound Poison Qi slipped through a gap in the rushing water and entered the pitch-black cave.
Dugu Bo's heart pounded wildly as he waited—for the earth-shattering hammer blow that might come, or for the Divine Slaughter's Domain, enough to make even a Titled Douluo tremble.
But...
Ten breaths passed.
Then twenty.
Apart from the roar of the waterfall, everything remained deathly silent.
The wisp of poison circled around the cave. The only information it brought back was a sense of chill and dampness, along with the faint, fresh fragrance of a plant brimming with life.
There wasn't a trace of any powerful presence!
He couldn't even sense a single strand of hair belonging to the so-called "Clear Sky Douluo"!
"Phew..."
Dugu Bo let out a long breath. His tense body relaxed at once, and delight spread across his face.
He'd won the gamble!
That scourge really wasn't home!
"Grandpa?"
Seeing her grandfather's signal, Dugu Yan immediately concealed her presence and swiftly slipped over.
"Let's go! We need to move fast!"
Dugu Bo didn't dare waste a moment. He grabbed Dugu Yan by the arm.
His Soul Power surged, and he turned into a blur, skimming swiftly across the water.
Even though he was sure Tang Hao wasn't there, who knew when that madman might return?
The thrill of pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth made even the old veteran Dugu Bo's heart pound with fear.
"Hold your breath and stay close to me!"
When they reached the base of the waterfall, Dugu Bo barked an order. A Soul Power barrier instantly sprang up around them.
Boom!
The two braced against the tremendous pressure of the water and shot through the heavy curtain like fish swimming upstream.
Their vision suddenly darkened.
Then a cool, damp breeze washed over them.
They landed steadily on the hard rock floor.
"So this is... behind the waterfall?"
Dugu Yan curiously looked around.
It was a naturally formed stone cave, not especially large. The interior was dim, lit only by the faint watery light filtering in through the entrance.
The air reeked of damp earth, but mingled with that smell was a strange, delicate fragrance that lifted their spirits as soon as they breathed it in.
Dugu Bo flicked his finger. A ball of emerald-green Soul Flame flared into existence, lighting up the entire cave.
"That's..."
By the firelight, Dugu Yan immediately spotted the strange plant growing on a mound of earth in the middle of the cave.
It was a stalk of Blue Silver Grass.
Before you continue