Crushing a Soul King! Fighting a Soul Emperor! Threatening a Soul Sage!

The Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire of the Chaos Green Flame were compressed to their limits.

In Ye Qing's palm,

chaotic light spun madly,

devouring and annihilating itself.

A heart-palpitating wave of destruction spread from the center of the sphere.

The surrounding air began to warp, while the earth beneath his feet silently turned to dust.

Dugu Bo's emerald pupils suddenly contracted.

"Kid, that move of yours—"

Before he could finish,

Ye Qing had already pushed out the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus.

The intertwined azure and crimson sphere trailed a long tail of flame as it carved a dazzling path through the air.

It was unbelievably fast.

And not far from where it was headed, Dugu Yan was standing there watching the battle.

"!"

Dugu Bo's pupils shrank sharply.

That girl was standing far too close!

With the blast radius of that move, she would definitely be caught in it.

"You little bastard, where are you throwing that?!"

Dugu Bo cursed inwardly.

He could no longer afford to suppress his Soul Power.

The terrifying pressure of a Title Douluo erupted in full.

Nine Soul Rings rose abruptly from beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

"Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul Avatar!"

"Hiss—!!!"

A deafening hiss rang across the sky.

A Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor as massive as a small mountain appeared out of thin air.

Its entire body was green as jade, its slit pupils upright as chilling light swept across the land.

The pressure of a Title Douluo was as immense as mountains. Soul Beasts within a thousand meters sensed the aura and fell prostrate, trembling in fear.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor opened its blood-filled maw.

Just as the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus was about to explode, it swallowed it whole.

He intended to take the blow head-on.

Using his Martial Soul Avatar, he would lock all the force of the explosion inside his body.

The instant after swallowing the fire lotus,

"Boom—!!!"

A thunderous explosion shook the heavens.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's abdomen swelled violently, and azure-black light leaked through the gaps in its scales.

A mushroom cloud rose vertically from the valley.

Interwoven in azure and black, it shot into the sky.

"Ah! W-what's happening?!"

Dugu Yan was pushed back repeatedly by the violent shockwave in the distance.

Her skirt snapped in the wind, and her emerald hair whipped wildly in the gale.

She held her arms before her and barely managed to steady herself.

When she lowered her arms, she froze.

The entire clearing had vanished.

In its place was an enormous crater dozens of meters wide.

Wisps of smoke rose from the scorched soil around its edges, while an eerie aura of extreme cold and extreme heat filled the air.

The clash of ice and fire had completely extinguished all life from this land.

And Dugu Bo stood at the center of the crater.

His robes had been blasted into tatters, hanging from his body in strips.

Part of his carefully groomed beard had been singed, giving off an unpleasant burnt smell.

Even his waist-length emerald hair had been scorched short in several places, falling unevenly over his shoulders.

He looked utterly disheveled.

"Cough, cough—"

Dugu Bo coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of green smoke.

Ye Qing descended from the air.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he staggered two steps and nearly fell.

His Soul Power had been completely exhausted. His body was empty now, and even remaining standing took effort.

He gave Dugu Bo a wry smile and cupped his hands. "Senior, this junior admits defeat."

The moment he finished speaking, he dropped straight onto the ground.

It was not that he did not want to stay standing.

He truly could not stand anymore.

The more Soul Power and Chaos Green Flame he invested into the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus, the greater its power became.

In a moment of impulsiveness, he had drained all his Soul Power to unleash that strongest attack, simply to test its maximum power.

Now every muscle in his body was protesting, and he did not even have the strength to raise a hand.

"Ye Qing!"

A green figure flashed to his side in an instant.

Dugu Yan grabbed his arm, her eyes slightly reddened as she frantically checked him over.

"Let me see. Are you hurt?"

As she examined him, she did not forget to complain to Dugu Bo in the center of the crater.

"Grandpa, didn't you hit too hard?"

"Didn't you say this was only a sparring test?"

Ye Qing hurriedly waved his hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I just used too much Soul Power. I'll be good after resting for a bit."

"Are you really okay? Don't force yourself!"

"Really. Truer than pearls."

Dugu Yan examined him carefully from head to toe.

Only after confirming that he truly had no external injuries did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Then she turned and glared angrily at Dugu Bo, who was still standing dumbfounded in the crater.

"Grandpa! You said you wouldn't go too hard!"

"!"

Only then did Dugu Bo snap back to his senses.

He walked out of the crater. Hearing his granddaughter's words, he nearly failed to catch his breath.

He looked down at himself.

His tattered robes,

his scorched, curled beard,

and his still-smoking hair.

Then he looked up at Ye Qing, who was sitting on the ground with nothing more than excessive Soul Power consumption, not even a corner of his clothes torn.

Old Poison's mouth twitched violently twice.

"Yanyan, you're glaring at me?"

Dugu Bo pointed at his beard, his voice rising several octaves.

"Look at Grandpa's beard! It's burnt!"

"Then look at Grandpa's clothes! They're ruined!"

"Don't you have any idea who's worse off here?"

"But you aren't injured either!"

Dugu Yan spoke with complete confidence, hands on her hips. "Grandpa, you're a Title Douluo! Ye Qing is only a Soul Ancestor! What if he had really gotten hurt?"

Dugu Bo: "..."

She called this uninjured?

His beard being burnt did not count as an injury?

His clothes being blown to pieces did not count as an injury?

Fine.

To a Title Douluo, that truly did not count.

But he had swallowed that Buddha Fury Fire Lotus with his Martial Soul Avatar and endured the explosion head-on because he was afraid the move would hurt his precious granddaughter!

Otherwise, with the speed of a Title Douluo, would it have been difficult for him to dodge that attack?

Did he need to end up this miserable?

Old Poison took a deep breath and decided not to reason with his granddaughter.

Over the past three months, he had come to understand one thing completely.

Reasoning with a woman in love was harder than fighting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

It was impossible.

"Kid."

Dugu Bo walked over to Ye Qing, his expression complicated.

There was admiration, emotion, and the faintest hint of... heartache.

That kid had treated him as a test target with that move just now.

"I've more or less assessed your strength."

Dugu Bo paused before saying solemnly, "Overall, your true combat strength is already enough to crush a Soul King and fight an ordinary Soul Emperor head-on."

"If that final move of yours can land, even the weakest Soul Sage would definitely suffer if he underestimated you."

"Ah?"

Dugu Yan's eyes widened.

Her emerald eyes were filled with disbelief.

Crushing a Soul King!

Fighting a Soul Emperor!

Threatening a Soul Sage!

Was this really the Soul Ancestor she knew?

Above a Soul Ancestor were still three major realms: Soul King, Soul Emperor, and Soul Sage!

Was that not far too outrageous a leap?

"Kid, what you lack now is only experience and Soul Power."

Dugu Bo continued, his tone becoming unusually serious. "With your Double Soul Rings talent included, once you advance to Soul Sage, I imagine there won't be many people on the entire continent capable of threatening you."

Ye Qing stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.

Though his legs were still a little weak, he stood perfectly straight.

He revealed a bright, sunny smile.

"Senior, then do you think..."

"Is my current strength enough to protect Yanzi?"

Dugu Bo froze for a moment.

Dugu Yan froze as well.

At a time like this,

the first thing he thought about was still that matter.

Three months ago, he had said, "I will become strong—strong enough to protect Yanzi, strong enough for you to feel at ease entrusting her to me."

For those three months, he truly had been risking his life.

He hunted the best Soul Rings, charged toward the highest levels, and cultivated the most dangerous soul skills.

He gave his all in every battle and pushed himself to the limit in every cultivation session.

All so that Dugu Bo could feel at ease entrusting his granddaughter to him.

"Mm..."

Moved, Dugu Yan shyly turned her head away.

Light rippled in her emerald eyes, and a mist of tears blurred her vision.

Yet the corners of her lips rose uncontrollably.

That idiot.

Why was he saying that at a time like this?

Ye Qing pretended not to notice the redness of her ears and continued smiling at Dugu Bo. "Senior, do you think I qualify now?"

"..."

After a moment of silence.

A smile finally appeared at the corners of Dugu Bo's lips.

It was a smile from the bottom of his heart, filled with appreciation.

"I have indeed seen your feelings for Yanyan."

"However."

His tone shifted, returning to its usual cold arrogance.

"Though your strength is decent now, you are still far from worthy of my, Dugu Bo's, granddaughter."

"Come talk to me again when you can truly defeat me."

Defeat a Title Douluo?

"That will take a long time."

Ye Qing tilted his head toward Dugu Yan, a mischievous grin curling across his lips. "I just wonder whether Yanzi can wait that long."

Dugu Yan's face instantly flushed red.

The blush spread from her ears all the way down her neck.

The way he said it made it sound like she was desperate and impatient!

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

She raised her hand and fiercely pinched Ye Qing's arm. "Who can't wait? Tell me clearly, who can't wait?"

"I never said you couldn't wait. Why are you in such a hurry to deny it?"

"Y-You, shut up!"

"Fine, fine, I'll shut up."

Ye Qing raised his hands in surrender, but the wicked smile on his face could not be hidden.

Dugu Bo's face darkened.

His granddaughter had been completely wrapped around Ye Qing's finger with just a few words.

The dignified young lady of the Dugu Family, the favored daughter of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Yet in front of this little brat, she was like a kitten being stroked into submission.

A daughter was impossible to keep once she had grown up.

Old Poison had once again deeply understood those words today.

"Enough, enough. Stop flirting and bickering in front of me all day."

Dugu Bo waved his hand impatiently and turned toward his Bamboo House.

After taking two steps, he stopped again and said without looking back, "Starting tomorrow, I will officially enter seclusion to force out the poison."

"Boy, don't forget what you promised me."

Ye Qing restrained his smile and solemnly cupped his hands. "Rest assured, Senior. This junior will do his utmost."

"Hmph."

Dugu Bo snorted.

Yet the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted a little higher.

The next morning.

The mist over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had yet to disperse.

Milky-white fog drifted slowly through the Medicine Garden, shrouding the rare herbs in a hazy veil.

Dugu Bo was already seated cross-legged at the center of the Medicine Garden.

Soul Power circulated around him, while the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor flickered behind his back.

"Senior, are you ready?"

Ye Qing stood nearby, holding a jade bottle in his hand.

It contained the blood he had prepared beforehand.

Essence blood tempered by Chaos Green Flame was precisely the final medicinal catalyst Dugu Bo needed to drive the poison into his bones.

"Begin."

Dugu Bo took the jade bottle without any hesitation and tipped his head back, draining the blood in a single gulp.

Boom—!

An indescribable force erupted within his body.

It was not tyrannical. Instead, it carried a gentle, all-encompassing power.

It spread along his meridians.

Wherever it passed, the stubborn toxins that had been entwined with his bones, blood, and meridians for decades actually began to loosen.

Dugu Bo let out a muffled groan.

Veins bulged across his forehead, and his face twisted in pain.

Even with the medicinal catalyst's aid, forcing poison into his bones still felt like being sliced apart a thousand times.

Those toxins had long fused with his meridians. Tearing them out by force was no different from ripping out his tendons and scraping his bones.

But he endured it.

He clenched his teeth and remained silent.

For Dugu Bo, who had suffered under the toxins for decades, this pain was not worth mentioning.

Compared to the agony of countless ants gnawing at his heart when the poison flared up, compared to the despair of watching his son die from poison while being powerless to help.

What was this little pain?

Ye Qing and Dugu Yan stood nearby, scarcely daring to breathe.

Dugu Yan tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, her expression filled with worry. "Grandfather..."

Time passed second by second.

The process of driving the poison into the bone advanced steadily.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that had been suppressed for decades obediently flowed toward that exceptional sixty-thousand-year skull bone under the medicinal catalyst's guidance.

Three hours later.

Dugu Bo suddenly opened his eyes.

A brilliant gleam burst from his emerald eyes, and an immense aura soared into the sky!

The surrounding herbs were blown in every direction by the shockwave.

Ripples spread across the surface of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The two-colored spring waters surged and collided, sending mist billowing into the air.

Ye Qing took two steps back, his eyes widening. "Senior, you..."

Dugu Bo lowered his head and looked at his hands.

He slowly clenched them, then released them.

He felt an ease and comfort within his body that he had never experienced before.

The toxins that had weighed on him for decades and denied him peace day and night were now firmly sealed within the skull bone.

His meridians were clear, and his Soul Power flowed without obstruction.

He laughed.

It was a laugh from the bottom of his heart, utterly unrestrained and joyous.

"Hahahaha, I have been trapped at Rank Ninety-One for many, many years."

Dugu Bo's voice was somewhat hoarse, but he could not suppress his excitement.

"I never imagined that after forcing the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison into the soul bone, my Soul Power bottleneck would actually begin to loosen."

He raised his head and looked toward the horizon, long-lost fighting spirit blazing in his eyes.

"If I can truly force all the poison in my body into soul bones, breaking through to Rank Ninety-Two will be just around the corner!"

"That's wonderful, Grandfather!"

Dugu Yan was so excited that her eyes reddened.

Not only was there hope for resolving the poison problem, but even his Soul Power bottleneck had loosened.

It was simply a double blessing!

Ye Qing also let out a breath of relief, smiling.

"Congratulations, Senior!"

Ye Qing sincerely cupped his hands in congratulations, genuine joy written across his face.

He could somewhat understand how Dugu Bo felt.

After being tormented by poison for decades, he had suddenly found release in a single day.

That sense of exhilaration was no less than breaking through a major realm.

"I should be the one thanking you."

Dugu Bo turned around, and a gravity Ye Qing had never seen before flashed through his emerald eyes.

The usual cold arrogance and teasing were gone from his gaze, leaving only deep solemnity.

"This poison has tormented the Dugu Family for generations. Even my son died by its hand."

His voice sank.

"I thought I would never escape this curse in my lifetime."

"I never expected that, in the end, you would be the one to break this deadlock for us."

The heavy subject left Ye Qing silent.

He did not offer polite words like "it was nothing."

Some debts of gratitude became disrespectful if met with excessive modesty.

As Dugu Bo spoke, he suddenly frowned.

His gaze turned toward Dugu Yan, who stood not far away.

He suddenly thought of a problem.

"My poison can be contained within a soul bone, but what about Yanyan?"

Worry returned to Dugu Bo's voice.

"Soul bones are things one can only encounter by chance, much less exceptional Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones."

"Though the toxins in her body are far less severe than mine, they will eventually accumulate to a fatal point."

"When that time comes..."

He did not finish his sentence.

But Ye Qing and Dugu Yan both understood what he meant.

Dugu Yan pressed her lips together slightly and said nothing.

She had thought about this question many times herself.

Just because she pretended not to care did not mean that she truly did not care.

"Rest assured, Senior."

Ye Qing merely smiled.

He took out a small melon-like fruit from his Soul Tool.

The fruit was only the size of a fist.

Its surface was covered in layered patterns resembling dragon scales.

Every scale gleamed with a dark golden luster.

A rich earth-element aura spread from the fruit, dense and heavy.

It felt as though he was holding not a fruit, but a compressed mountain.

"This is also an Immortal Grade. It is called the Earth Dragon Golden Melon."