Coercion and Temptation, Subduing Dugu Bo!

Dugu Yan's body trembled.

Martial Soul Hall, Holy Son!

"Do you know that my grandfather has a grudge against your Martial Soul Hall!" she spoke instinctively.

Dugu Yan did not know the origin of the feud between her grandfather and Martial Soul Hall; she only knew that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had once severely wounded her grandfather, and that he had been saved by Prince Xue Xing, which led to him becoming a guest elder for the prince.

"I know."

Qin Yao's reply was crisp and decisive.

"But so what?"

He took a step forward, looking Dugu Yan over.

"If I said I have a way to completely cure your snake venom, how do you think your grandfather would react?"

A confident smile played on Qin Yao's face.

He actually had no interest in killing Dugu Bo.

A Title Douluo who controlled large-scale lethal poisons would be far more useful on the future battlefield than an ordinary assault-type Title Douluo.

The future Martial Soul Hall would certainly unify the continent, and such talent had to be firmly in the hands of Martial Soul Hall.

Dugu Yan fell into complete silence.

That was true; given how much her grandfather valued her, what did this bit of hatred amount to?

"Do you really have a way?" she asked uncertainly.

"I never joke."

Qin Yao reached out his hand. "Now, can you take me to see your grandfather?"

Dugu Yan hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she nodded as if resigning herself to fate.

She raised her hand and pointed toward a direction deep in the forest.

"My grandfather should be in that valley."

Qin Yao looked in the direction she pointed, where the outline of a circular mountain range loomed in the distance.

That was the location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

"Very good." Qin Yao nodded with satisfaction.

The next moment, without waiting for Dugu Yan to react, he stepped forward again and swept her up into his arms.

"What are you doing!"

Dugu Yan let out a cry of surprise, her hands instinctively wrapping around his neck.

"You're walking too slowly."

Qin Yao dropped these words, the bone wings on his back suddenly unfurling. Holding her, he soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of purple light as he flew rapidly toward the valley.

The wind whistled in her ears. Held tightly in his arms, Dugu Yan could clearly feel the warmth of his chest and his steady, powerful heartbeat.

Her cheeks grew burning hot, whether from the speed of their flight or something else entirely.

Soon, they arrived at the outskirts of the valley.

Clouds of multicolored poisonous mist rose from below, forming a natural barrier.

"This is the poison formation set up by my grandfather!" Dugu Yan whispered a warning.

"No matter."

Purple flames emerged around Qin Yao, forming a protective shield that enveloped them both.

Without slowing down in the slightest, he dove straight into the poison formation capable of killing a Soul Douluo!

The gale whipped past her ears. Dugu Yan instinctively buried her face in Qin Yao's chest, feeling that this man's torso was excessively solid and his heartbeat so steady and strong that it calmed her chaotic thoughts.

Soon, the sensation of weightlessness vanished.

Qin Yao landed steadily on his feet, and he gently set down the soft, warm burden in his arms.

Dugu Yan steadied herself, only then finding the composure to look at her surroundings.

The valley floor was not large, but it was a world of its own.

A peculiar hot spring occupied the center of the valley; the water was clearly divided, half crimson and half icy white. The intertwining, rising steam made the entire valley look like a fairyland.

And there, by the edge of the spring, a thin, tall, green-haired old man sat cross-legged.

The moment he sensed intruders, his pair of emerald-green eyes snapped open!

His gaze was like two sharp swords, instantly locking onto Qin Yao and Dugu Yan.

When he saw his most beloved granddaughter being set down from the arms of a strange man, and noticed the unnatural flush on her cheeks, a towering rage instantly surged to the top of Dugu Bo's head!

"Yan-yan!"

Dugu Bo's figure flickered, and the next moment he appeared in front of Dugu Yan, shielding her firmly behind him.

His cold, serpentine pupils stared fixedly at Qin Yao, and the pressure of a level 91 Title Douluo was released without reservation, causing the air in the entire valley to turn viscous.

"Who are you! Daring to touch my granddaughter—you're courting death!"

Facing this pressure, enough to make an ordinary Spirit Master's liver and gallbladder split in terror, Qin Yao simply stood his ground, speaking unhurriedly:

"This Humble One is Qin Yao, Holy Son of the Martial Soul Hall!"

"Martial Soul Hall?"

Dugu Bo's expression turned even uglier in an instant, old grievances and new hatreds surging to his heart.

"Good! A fine Martial Soul Hall! Back then, those two fellows Ju and Gui ambushed this old man, and today they send some dog-shit Holy Son! Do they really think this old man is made of mud?"

Before the words had even faded, his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor spirit possessed him, nine spirit rings rose beneath his feet, and terrifying poisonous gas began to permeate the air.

"Grandfather! Wait a moment!"

Dugu Yan hurriedly grabbed Dugu Bo's arm from behind.

"He... he didn't come to cause trouble!"

"Not here to cause trouble?" Dugu Bo was so angry his beard stood on end. "He carried you back here, and that's not causing trouble?"

Dugu Yan's face turned beet red in a flash, and she stomped her feet in anxiety:

"Oh! It's not what you think! He... he said he has a way to cure the poison in our bodies!"

Dugu Bo's movements came to a sudden halt.

The pressure and poisonous gas he had released also paused.

He slowly turned his head, his emerald-green eyes locking onto Qin Yao, every word squeezed out from between his teeth.

"You... how did you come to know this information!"

This matter was the greatest pain in his heart, and the weakness he would never allow outsiders to know!

Watching his look of both shock and rage, a playful smile appeared on Qin Yao's face.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Look at your current state; aren't these the symptoms of poison having seeped into your bone marrow?"

Immediately, Qin Yao changed his tone.

"If it weren't for the fact that you still have some use to me, I wouldn't be wasting so much breath on you."

"After all, my Martial Soul Hall is certainly not lacking a level ninety-one Titled Douluo who doesn't have long to live."

"You!"

Dugu Bo trembled with rage, his spirit power spiraling out of control again, yet he could not find a single word to refute him.

Because everything this brat said was the truth!

He knew the strength of the Martial Soul Hall better than anyone. Never mind one level ninety-one, even if two more came, they might not even be worth a glance in their eyes.

"Qin Yao! You..."

Dugu Yan couldn't bear it any longer and stepped out to speak for her grandfather.

"Yan'er!" Dugu Bo stopped her.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood. Having lived for so many years, he was no longer an impulsive young lad.

The youth before him, possessing such strength and cunning at such a young age, was definitely no ordinary person.

Most importantly, he had exposed his greatest secret in a single sentence and claimed to have a method of salvation.

Regardless of whether it was true or false, this was his only hope.

"How can I believe you?" Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of expectation he hadn't even noticed himself.

"It's simple."

Qin Yao held up two fingers.

"I will completely detoxify you and Dugu Yan. In exchange, you two, grandfather and granddaughter, will swear allegiance to me and join the Martial Soul Hall."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the valley filled with rare herbs and exotic plants.

"Furthermore, this treasure land will also belong to me."

Outside the valley, hidden in the shadows, Qin Xiong heard this conversation and couldn't help but grin.

"Good lad, ruthless enough! This temperament, it takes after me!"

Although Dugu Bo's level couldn't rank among those old monsters in the Worship Hall, his poison techniques were truly bizarre and unpredictable; he was definitely a lethal weapon on the battlefield.

Recruiting him—not a loss!

After hearing Qin Yao's conditions, Dugu Bo fell into a long silence.

Join the Martial Soul Hall and serve his enemies? He was a hundred times unwilling.

However, Yan'er's life...

He looked at his granddaughter beside him, her pale face filled with worry.

Fine, fine!

For the sake of Dugu Yan, he would accept it!

Having thought this through, Dugu Bo raised his head, a flash of resolve flickering within his emerald snake-like pupils.

"Fine! This old man agrees to your terms!"

"As long as you can completely cure Dugu Yan's poison, this old life of mine is yours to command!"

"From this day forth, this old man shall join Martial Soul Hall, but..."

His tone shifted, his gaze locked onto Qin Yao.

"I will only take orders from you, brat! As for the others, even the Pope, don't even think about commanding me!"

This was his final shred of pride.

He could see that the youth before him was the true investment with potential. Rather than pledging loyalty to the faction-ridden Martial Soul Hall, it was better to cling directly to this thickest of thighs.

"Deal."

Qin Yao agreed crisply and decisively.

Dugu Bo making such a choice saved him quite a bit of trouble.

With the deal struck, the atmosphere within the valley eased significantly.

Dugu Bo retracted his Martial Soul, though the expression he wore while looking at Qin Yao remained far from friendly.

"Brat, anyone can talk big. Now, let this old man see exactly what kind of ability you possess!"

Dugu Yan also watched Qin Yao nervously, her beautiful pale purple eyes filled with anticipation.

Qin Yao, however, was in no rush to act; he walked toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well with his hands behind his back.

"Don't be impatient."

His voice drifted over leisurely.

"Before I treat the illness, I must first gather some medicinal herbs."