The Hidden Hand in the Cultivation Art!

"Hall Master, these Immortal Herbs..."

"You may use them in the future," Dugu Bo said. "But there is one rule: before using them, you must obtain my consent. It is not that I am stingy, but some Immortal Herbs have potent medicinal properties. Using them incorrectly can cost lives."

Yang Wudi nodded. He accepted this rule.

After settling the members of the Breaking Clan, Dugu Bo called Yang Wudi aside alone.

"Yang Wudi, I will not go back on what I promised you."

Yang Wudi raised his head and looked at Dugu Bo.

"Nine Nether Hall has only just begun. I need time, and so do you. The debt owed by the Clear Sky Sect cannot be settled in a day or two."

Yang Wudi fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I can wait."

Dugu Bo gave a satisfied hum and took a jade tablet from the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, handing it to Yang Wudi.

"These are portions of the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art: the Soul Power Refining Chapter and the Body Refining Chapter. Take them back for your clansmen to cultivate and build a foundation first. Once you have adapted, I will teach you the deeper parts."

Yang Wudi accepted the jade tablet and extended his spiritual power into it, absorbing the information within.

A moment later, an incredulous expression appeared on his face.

"This cultivation art... did you create it?"

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth lifted slightly, but he did not answer directly.

"Cultivate it well. Once you do, the Breaking Clan's future will be limitless."

Yang Wudi took a deep breath, tucked the jade tablet close to his body, and clasped his fists in salute.

"Thank you, Hall Master."

From that moment onward, Yang Wudi completely placed himself in the position of a subordinate of Nine Nether Hall.

Dugu Bo nodded and turned toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

The Dark Golden Dragon Eyes gazed toward the distant sky, their look unfathomably deep.

Nine Nether Hall had finally gained its first true group of personnel.

The Breaking Clan had over a hundred members, Yang Wudi was an eighty-first-rank Soul Douluo, and the clan also had several Soul Saints and Soul Emperors.

Placed within any power in the Tiandou Empire, this force would have been impossible to ignore.

And in Dugu Bo's hands, they would become even stronger.

Night fell.

Beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, Dugu Bo sat cross-legged atop a bluestone. The Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art circulated slowly as violet Nether Qi flowed around his body, intertwining with the mist rising from the spring and refracting a hazy glow beneath the moonlight.

Yang Wudi walked over from the wooden house area, his steps somewhat hurried and his face filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Hall Master."

He stopped beside the bluestone and clasped his fists in salute.

Dugu Bo opened his eyes. The Dark Golden Dragon Eyes glimmered faintly in the night as he glanced at Yang Wudi.

"What is it?"

"Hall Master, I cultivated the cultivation art you gave me."

Yang Wudi's voice was full of suppressed excitement. His Soul Power now circulated through his body more smoothly than before, while the physical strengthening brought by the Body Refining Chapter had elevated his entire vigor and spirit to a new level.

In just a few days, he could already feel a clear improvement in his strength.

"The Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art... Hall Master, where did you obtain this cultivation art?"

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth lifted slightly, but he did not answer directly.

"As long as it works, why ask so many questions?"

Yang Wudi opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately did not press further.

He was a smart man and knew that some things should not be asked.

If the Hall Master wished to say it, he naturally would. If he did not wish to say it, asking would be useless.

Yet what he did not know was that from the moment he began cultivating the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art, an invisible force had quietly seeped into his Sea of Consciousness.

Dugu Bo had never intended to pass on the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art to anyone without conditions.

He had tampered with this cultivation art.

Before inscribing the cultivation art into the jade tablet, he had already implanted a wisp of Nine Nether Power within its core.

This power was extraordinarily concealed, so concealed that even a Titled Douluo would find it difficult to detect.

It would not affect the cultivator's mind, interfere with the cultivator's judgment, or cause the cultivator any harm.

It would do only one thing.

Subtle influence.

As those who cultivated the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art circulated the technique, they would unknowingly develop a sense of closeness and trust toward Dugu Bo.

The longer they cultivated it, the deeper that feeling would become.

It was not enslavement, nor was it control. It was a faith that came from the depths of the heart.

The cultivators themselves would not sense anything unusual.

They would feel that such emotions had arisen naturally, because Dugu Bo treated them well, gave them opportunities, and led them down the path to becoming stronger.

They would believe they willingly chose to follow Dugu Bo.

But in truth, from the first day they cultivated the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art, their fate had already become bound to Dugu Bo.

They could not break free, nor could they reverse it.

This was Dugu Bo's hidden hand.

He had never been a generous man.

The Breaking Clan had over a hundred people. Why should he give them cultivation arts, resources, and protection for nothing?

Because he was kindhearted?

Because he pitied the Breaking Clan's downfall?

No.

Dugu Bo had never believed in that nonsense about trading hearts for hearts.

This world was too cruel. Only benefits were eternal bonds.

Rather than gamble on human hearts, it was better to use methods.

The hidden hand within the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art was his greatest method.

Not control, not enslavement, but faith.

Faith was the most terrifying power in the world.

It could make people willingly give everything for the object of their faith, even their lives.

And Dugu Bo was the faith of everyone in Nine Nether Hall.

Yang Wudi knew none of this.

He only knew that the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art was a peerless cultivation art. After cultivating it, his strength was increasing at a visible rate.

"Hall Master, there is one more matter."

Yang Wudi restrained the excitement on his face and spoke seriously.

"Speak."

"Nine Nether Hall needs people for its expansion. The Breaking Clan excels at refining medicine, not building houses. I have an old brother in the Xingluo Empire. If he can bring his entire clan to join Nine Nether Hall, the expansion of Nine Nether Hall can proceed at least three times faster."

Dugu Bo's brows twitched slightly.

"Who?"

"The Defense Clan, Niu Gao."

When Yang Wudi mentioned that name, a complicated look flashed through his eyes.

Back when the Clear Sky Sect withdrew into seclusion, the Four Affiliated Clans scattered in all directions.

The Strength Clan settled in Heaven Dou City, the Speed Clan barely survived in the forests, the Defense Clan followed Niu Gao to the Xingluo Empire to work in construction, while the Breaking Clan made its living through pills in the Xingluo Empire.

The four clans were scattered across the world, each with their own hardships.

"The Defense Clan, builders." Dugu Bo nodded. "Niu Gao, an eighty-second-rank Soul Douluo. His Martial Soul is the Plate Armor Giant Rhinoceros, and his defensive power is exceptionally strong."

Yang Wudi froze. "Hall Master, you know him?"

"I have heard of him."

Dugu Bo did not elaborate.

Of course he knew Niu Gao. In the original story, the Defense Clan had been among the earliest forces to follow Tang San. Niu Gao was loyal and righteous, straightforward by nature, and just as much of a hardened man as Yang Wudi.

Moreover, the Defense Clan's construction skills were truly first-rate. If he could bring them over, Nine Nether Hall would no longer need to worry about building its base.

"Can you persuade him?"