Dugu Bo stood frozen in place, not daring to move. He stared at Di Tian, his heart crawling with fear.
Too terrifying. This man in black robes was simply terrifying. A casual slap had sent him flying.
If they hadn't meant him any harm, he would probably have been dead already.
Xuan Qing walked up to him and looked him over. Green robes, green hair, and a strange, sweet scent clinging to him—this was indeed Poison Douluo.
"Dugu Bo, right?"
Dugu Bo stared blankly. "You know this old man?"
Xuan Qing raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Enough with the nonsense. I'm taking your medicinal garden. In return, I'll help you and your granddaughter solve your snake-venom problem."
Dugu Bo's eyes widened. "Y-you said what? You can cure the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Venom?"
His voice trembled. The venom had tormented him his entire life and had passed to his granddaughter. Every time it flared up, they wished they were dead.
If it could be cured, he'd give up his life for the garden. But this child in front of him... could he really be trusted?
Xuan Qing could tell what he was thinking, but didn't bother explaining.
"Di Tian, give him the Soul Core cultivation method."
Di Tian walked up to Dugu Bo and tapped him between the brows. He moved so fast Dugu Bo didn't even react.
A flood of information poured into Dugu Bo's mind: how to guide Soul Power, how to build an energy core inside the body.
Once the transfer was complete, Di Tian withdrew his hand. Dugu Bo staggered twice, then steadied himself against the mountainside.
He digested the information in his mind, his eyes growing brighter by the moment. This thing... it actually seemed to have some substance!
Only after Dugu Bo had recovered did Xuan Qing speak.
"This method was discovered inside a Soul Beast. It hasn't been perfected yet, but it'll be enough to solve your problem."
That gave the Soul Core cultivation method an explanation. He couldn't exactly say he'd plucked a peach from the future, could he?
Dugu Bo took a deep breath. The look he gave Xuan Qing changed completely, from wary to grateful, even fervent.
He bowed. "Thank you, young master, for saving the lives of the Dugu Family. If you ever need anything, the Dugu Family will follow your orders."
Xuan Qing waved a hand. "Your problem is taken care of. As for your granddaughter, you'd better ask what she wants: to keep following the old path, or to take the stronger Dragon Transformation Path."
Dugu Bo froze. "Dragon Transformation?"
"A snake grows into a python, a python into a flood dragon, and a flood dragon into a dragon. Becoming a True Dragon is unlikely, but turning into a sub-dragon like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is perfectly possible."
Dugu Bo furrowed his brow. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon isn't a True Dragon?"
Di Tian had been struggling to hold back, but since he was in a good mood, he might as well enlighten them.
"If it's a pure-blooded Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, then yes, it's a True Dragon. But the quality of the Martial Soul these days only makes it a sub-dragon."
"If you really ranked them, it wouldn't even make the top three. The Tyrant Dragon, king of sub-dragons, and the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon, ancestor of sub-dragons—either could pin the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon to the ground and beat it."
Dugu Bo's face twitched. Though he was a Titled Douluo, he didn't know much about dragons. He'd never imagined the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was such a letdown.
"All right, enough chit-chat. You can go get your granddaughter now. Let's settle this quickly; we're in a hurry."
Dugu Bo nodded, bowed slightly, and withdrew. He needed to hurry back to Heaven Dou City and bring his granddaughter here.
Xuan Qing looked at Di Tian and pointed toward the spring in the middle.
"That spring formed from the remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon King. You can take the remains, but leave the Immortal Herbs here. I need them."
Di Tian gave a slight nod. "This junior understands. May I ask, senior, what is your name?"
Xuan Qing smiled. If he was going to spin a grand tale, he might as well see it through. He straightened his back, his voice taking on a hint of authority.
"I am the Eastern Azure Dragon, one of the Four Spirits of Heaven, guardian of the world's eastern reaches. My peers are the White Tiger in the west, the Vermilion Bird in the south, and the Black Tortoise in the north."
Di Tian's pupils contracted. Four Spirits of Heaven? He'd never heard that title before.
Seeing his reaction, Xuan Qing continued.
"The me before you is merely a manifestation I use to experience the warmth of human life. Since I chose to take human form, I must abide by the rules of the human world."
He released Little Qilin as well. The little fellow still lay lazily across his shoulder, and as he spoke, Xuan Qing poked it.
"This little fellow is a Qilin, formed from a wisp of energy borrowed from an old friend. Among scaled and aquatic creatures, the dragon reigns supreme; among birds, the Phoenix leads; among the beasts of the land, the Qilin is first."
"Dragons, Phoenixes, and Qilins are all called Auspicious Beasts in another world. You should be able to feel it, too: Soul Power circulates fifty percent faster wherever I am."
Only then did Di Tian carefully sense it. It was true.
Di Tian bowed respectfully. "This junior understands."
Then he looked at Zi JI. "From now on, stay by senior's side and satisfy his every need."
Zi JI nodded slightly.
Di Tian didn't linger. He leaped into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Xuan Qing began identifying the Immortal Herbs from memory.
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, the Infernal Delicate Apricot, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum...
About half an hour later, a streak of black light shot out of the spring.
After landing, Di Tian held two balls of light in his hands. Inside them were two faint souls.
"Senior, this junior must take his leave. Aunt Ice and Aunt Fire are in bad shape. If I'd come a few years later, they might really have vanished."
"Go. Let that Silver Dragon think of something. There may still be a way to save them."
Di Tian didn't hesitate. He opened a spatial gate and headed toward the Star Dou Forest.
Just then, Dugu Bo returned with a purple-haired girl of about fourteen or fifteen, her hair falling to her shoulders.
Dugu Bo introduced her. "Young master, this is my granddaughter, Dugu Yan."
Dugu Yan bowed obediently as well. "Greetings, young master."
Xuan Qing didn't waste time and got straight to the point.
"Have you decided? Which path will you take?"
Dugu Yan had already heard everything from Dugu Bo. She nodded firmly.
"I choose the Dragon Transformation Path."
Xuan Qing smiled, walked over, picked a Earth Dragon Golden Melon, and tossed it to her.
"This Immortal Herb can awaken the dragon bloodline within your Martial Soul. Just swallow it. The process will be painful, though, so you can still change your mind."
Without hesitation, Dugu Yan stuffed it into her mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it whole. Then she sat cross-legged and began refining it.
Soon, her face flushed red, and sweat appeared on her forehead. Behind her, the phantom of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent emerged, writhing and struggling in agony.
Dugu Bo watched from the side, aching with worry, but didn't dare disturb her.
"You can start condensing your Soul Core. Zi JI will keep watch over you both."
Dugu Bo nodded, found a spot a little farther from his granddaughter, sat down, and began practicing the method.
Xuan Qing walked to the spring, looking at the two special Immortal Herbs, then summoned the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear.
He swept it across the roots of the two herbs. Two crescent-shaped spear arcs sliced them cleanly from the ground.
The herbs landed in his hands. His left hand turned numb with cold, while his right burned with scorching heat. Xuan Qing took a deep breath and swallowed both herbs whole.
The next second, two torrents of energy—one icy, one fiery—exploded inside him. The left side of his body felt frozen solid, while the right felt scorched.
Grimacing, Xuan Qing pulled off his shirt, then leaped into the spring. As his body sank beneath the water, the icy and fiery energies surged into him.
Xuan Qing circulated the Azure Dragon Mysterious Heaven Art and began refining the energy within the herbs. The process was excruciating.
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