Kill Dugu Bo, Time Stops

Dugu Bo stood there, gnashing his teeth in hatred.

His heart was filled with fury, resentment, and a sense of humiliation that defied description.

He had lived for so many years; when had he ever been forced like this?

And to be forced into submission by a mere twelve or thirteen-year-old child?

If word of this got out, how could he, Poison Douluo, continue to hold his head high in the soul master world?

Dugu Bo's fists clenched until they cracked, his nails digging into his palms; the pain helped him regain a sliver of composure.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage that had surged to his throat, and plastered a smile on his face that looked even worse than crying.

"Good... very good. The little one truly has spirit. This old man... agrees."

Demon Subduing Douluo stood to the side, watching Dugu Bo's twisted face. His mouth twitched, but he did not expose him.

He could tell at a glance that while this old poison-master agreed with his words, he was harboring malicious intent in secret.

Ji Ye looked at Dugu Bo, that faint, elusive smile still hanging on his lips.

Dugu Bo took two steps forward and stopped in front of Ji Ye, reaching into his robes to pull out a fist-sized, emerald-green vial.

The vial was translucent, filled with a viscous liquid that shimmered with a ghostly green light under the sun.

"Since this old man has chosen to submit, I naturally cannot come empty-handed. Take this; consider it my token of allegiance." Dugu Bo held the emerald vial in his palm, his face piled with smiles.

"Inside is the Jade Phosphorous Pill, which I have refined for ten years using the venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. Consuming it grants immunity to all poisons and is of great benefit to Soul Power cultivation. Little one, come and take it."

Ji Ye looked at the emerald vial in his palm, then glanced at Dugu Bo's ghostly green eyes.

The smile on Ji Ye's lips deepened.

Without hesitation, he stepped toward Dugu Bo.

"Very well."

"Little Ye!" Demon Subduing Douluo's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of warning.

He did not believe Dugu Bo would hand over something so valuable so readily; was this kid Ji Ye being too careless?

Ji Ye did not look back, waving a hand behind him as he continued his stride.

Dugu Bo watched him approach step by step, cradling the vial of Jade Phosphorous Pill in his palm. The smile on his face grew wider and wider, until Ji Ye stood right before him and reached out to take the medicine—

Dugu Bo's wrist snapped forward!

The emerald vial was not handed over; instead, he crushed it in his palm. From the shattered fragments, a burst of thick, emerald-green venom erupted like a living viper, lunging straight for Ji Ye's face!

"Little brat, remember in your next life—don't be too arrogant!"

The emerald venom was less than half a foot from Ji Ye's face.

A pungent, fishy-sweet scent filled the air; just smelling it was enough to make one dizzy.

Clearly, this was the lethal venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, enough to give even a Title Douluo a run for his money.

Demon Subduing Douluo's pupils contracted sharply.

"Little Ye!"

He had already lunged forward, but the distance was too great; it was too late.

Ji Ye stood his ground, watching the emerald venom rush toward him, the smile on his lips not changing in the slightest.

His lips moved slightly, and a flash of blue light flickered in his eyes.

"Time Stop."

Second Martial Soul, "Time," activated!

The next second, everything within a twenty-zhang radius centered on Ji Ye suddenly froze.

The emerald venom hung in mid-air, every drop locked in the posture of lunging toward Ji Ye's face, frozen in that very moment.

The smile on Dugu Bo's face stiffened halfway, the triumph and malice in his eyes locked in place.

Demon Subduing Douluo's foot remained suspended in mid-air, his body leaning forward, the anxiety on his face frozen in that instant.

The wind in the valley ceased, the fragrance of the herbs solidified, and even the ripples on the surface of the pool stood still.

The entire world felt as if it had been paused.

Ji Ye walked slowly through the frozen world, passing the glob of emerald venom suspended in the air, and arrived before Dugu Bo.

He reached into the void with his right hand, drawing out the Void Sword, its translucent blade shimmering with a cold light.

He held the blade against Dugu Bo's neck, pressing it firmly against his Adam's apple; the sharp sensation could be felt even through the skin.

Second Martial Soul deactivated.

Time resumed.

With a soft "pfft" sound.

The glob of emerald venom, having lost its target, missed and splashed onto the dirt behind where Ji Ye had been standing. It hissed, emitting a cloud of white smoke as the ground was instantly corroded into a fist-sized pit.

Before the smile on Dugu Bo's face could even shift into shock, he felt a cold, stinging pain at his throat.

He looked down and saw a translucent longsword pressed against his throat.

Ji Ye stood before him, gripping the hilt, his gaze so calm it sent a chill down one's spine.

Dugu Bo's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"You... how did you..."

"Senior, did you really take me for a child you could easily deceive?" Ji Ye's voice was soft, his tone indifferent.

"I already gave you a chance."

Dugu Bo's lips trembled, but he didn't know what to say.

"Senior, since you do not wish to submit—" Ji Ye applied a slight pressure to the hand holding the Void Sword.

"Then so be it."

The next instant.

The blade sliced across his throat.

Clean and swift, without a hint of hesitation.

Dugu Bo's body stiffened for a moment before falling backward, hitting the ground with a thud.

His eyes remained open, his pupils still holding traces of shock and resentment; he simply could not believe that Ji Ye would actually kill him.

That was why he had been caught completely off guard.

Clearly, he had underestimated Ji Ye's ruthlessness.

Demon Subduing Douluo stood where he was, somewhat stunned.

"You just killed a Title Douluo, just like that?"

Ji Ye flicked the blood off the Void Sword; the droplets were shaken away by the power of space, leaving not a single trace behind.

He retracted the sword into a void rift, turned around, and looked at the corpse on the ground with an expression as indifferent as if nothing had happened.

"A bottom-tier Title Douluo is useless to keep around," Ji Ye said.

"If they refuse to submit and still think about biting back, keeping them is only a liability."

Demon Subduing Douluo finally closed his mouth, walked over to Ji Ye's side, and looked down at Dugu Bo's body, remaining silent for several seconds.

Then, he patted Ji Ye on the shoulder, his voice lower than usual.

"You brat... you really dare to kill. Even I'm starting to be a little afraid of you."

Ji Ye tilted his head to look at him, his gaze as calm as a deep pool of water.

"If I didn't kill him, he would kill me. Even if he couldn't kill me now, he would eventually."

"Why would I keep such a hidden danger around?"

Demon Subduing Douluo looked at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he simply nodded.

"...You're right."

"But you moved too fast, kid. I didn't even have time to react."

Ji Ye smiled, looking perfectly well-behaved.

"Senior, I intend to go into seclusion here for a while. You can find a house nearby to stay in. Dugu Bo managed this place as a medicinal garden for twenty years; he must have left a residence behind."