The Failed Attempted Killing, Di Yao Raises the Price Instead

Outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Poison Mist had yet to disperse.

Half of it was icy air slithering along the ground like white snakes, while the other half was a heatwave surging from the crimson spring, warping the air slightly with its scorching heat.

Di Yao stood at the mouth of the valley.

Most of his black robe had been torn apart. Several small wounds marked his shoulder and chest; the blood had barely seeped out before the dark-gold flames overflowing from within his body evaporated it into wisps of white smoke.

That attack just now had not been a test.

Dugu Bo had truly intended to kill him.

If not for the unique terrain of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and if Di Yao had not briefly drawn upon the medicinal effects of three Immortal Herbs and the aura of the spring beforehand, even if that blow had not killed him, Poison Douluo would have crippled half his life.

Hu Liena stood at his side, her fingers still gripping the short blade at her waist, her knuckles slightly pale.

Seeing the blood at the corner of Di Yao's lips, she frowned tightly and suppressed her anger as she said, "You're still standing? Treat your wounds first!"

Di Yao did not look at her.

His gaze remained fixed on Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo stood amid the Poison Mist, his long green hair moving despite the lack of wind, his eyes as cold and venomous as if they had been steeped in poison.

He was also looking at Di Yao.

At this brat who had clearly been injured yet still dared stand before him.

After several breaths, Dugu Bo suddenly let out a cold laugh. His voice was hoarse. "Brat, your life is quite tough."

Di Yao raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his thumb.

The blood turned into a dark-red spot on his fingertip.

His tone was calm. "Your attempt to kill me failed. I'm still alive."

Dugu Bo's gaze darkened.

Di Yao raised his eyes and continued, "So the deal continues."

The moment those words fell, the valley entrance fell silent.

Hu Liena abruptly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She was truly getting angry.

This man had just been beaten bloody by a Title Douluo. Instead of thinking about how to save his own life, he was still thinking about making a deal?

Dugu Bo was also stunned for a moment.

Then, as though he had heard some absurd joke, the corners of his mouth slowly spread into a grin—but there was not a trace of warmth in it.

"A deal?"

He took a step forward. Poison Mist churned beneath his feet as cold fury laced his voice. "I failed to kill you just now, and you think that gives you the right to keep negotiating with me?"

Hu Liena's expression changed. She immediately stepped in front of Di Yao.

Gritting her teeth, she stared at him warily. "Senior Poison Douluo, that was enough. Di Yao is someone His Holiness the Pope values. If you attack again—"

"Step back."

Di Yao's voice was not loud, but it was cold.

Hu Liena's shoulders stiffened.

She turned back, unable to suppress the anger in her eyes. "Do you even know what condition you're in right now?"

Di Yao glanced at her.

His gaze was faint.

So faint that it was as if he were stating something very simple.

"You can't stop him."

Hu Liena pressed her lips together.

Those were unpleasant words.

But she knew they were true.

If Dugu Bo truly wanted to kill someone, then a young soul master who was not even a Soul Elder would merely add another corpse by standing in his way.

Di Yao did not look at her again. Instead, he stepped forward half a pace.

With every step, the wound on his chest split open a little more.

Yet his back remained perfectly straight.

Dugu Bo stared at him, his eyes growing increasingly grim.

"Brat, you've got guts."

Di Yao replied blandly, "Guts can't buy a life. Debts can."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, his voice cold and hard. "I never settle accounts when I kill."

Di Yao looked up at him without yielding in the slightest. "That's why your granddaughter still hasn't been cured."

Boom!

The green Poison Mist exploded violently.

Hu Liena's expression changed drastically, and she nearly rushed forward on instinct.

But in the next instant, a gentle yet irresistible surge of Soul Power descended from the side and stopped her.

Yue Guan had appeared beside an ancient tree at some point. His golden hair fell over his shoulders, and the smile on his face had faded considerably.

Looking at Di Yao, he let out a soft sigh.

"This little fellow's mouth really isn't afraid of death."

Dugu Bo's face had completely darkened.

That remark had struck his reverse scale.

Dugu Yan.

She was his greatest weakness.

Dugu Bo had spent his life wielding poison. When others spoke of Poison Douluo, they feared his poison—but he himself knew best that he could not even save his own granddaughter.

That sense of helplessness cut deeper than any humiliation.

He stared at Di Yao as killing intent seeped from him in strands.

"You really think I don't dare kill you?"

Di Yao did not retreat. His voice merely became colder. "Of course you dare."

"But killing me would be a loss for you."

The corner of Dugu Bo's eye twitched.

Di Yao raised a hand and pointed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well behind him.

"This place has already been half exposed."

"If I die here, Spirit Hall will investigate. With Chrysanthemum Douluo here, Pope Palace will investigate. My soul rings, the Immortal Herbs, and the location where I disappeared will all point to Sunset Forest."

He paused, his eyes settling on Dugu Bo's face.

"You can kill me."

"But after killing me, you'll have to face Spirit Hall, Pope Palace, Worship Hall, and an Herb Garden you can't hide."

Dugu Bo said nothing.

The Poison Mist merely churned more violently.

Di Yao continued, "More importantly, no one will treat Dugu Yan's poison."

This time, Dugu Bo's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

It was very slight.

But Di Yao saw it.

He knew the price had hit home.

Standing behind him, Hu Liena watched Di Yao's back, and an incredibly complicated feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

This man was too calm.

Calm to the point of being terrifying.

If anyone else had taken that blow, even if they did not cry out or beg for mercy, they would at least be angry, afraid, or thinking of escape.

But Di Yao had not.

He had even treated that blow he had suffered as leverage to raise the price again.

Dugu Bo remained silent for a long time.

So long that the Poison Mist in the valley gradually sank.

At last, he spoke with a cold face. "Go on. What do you want?"

Hu Liena's eyes shifted.

Dugu Bo had backed down.

At least, at this moment, he had not attacked again.

Di Yao's voice remained steady. "First, I won't reveal the location of the Herb Garden or damage the foundation of the spring."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly. "That was what you should have done to begin with."

Di Yao ignored his tone and continued, "Second, I need to temper my body around the outer edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, using the ice and fire aura here to suppress the medicinal effects of the Immortal Herbs."

Dugu Bo frowned.

"You want to consume an Immortal Herb now?"

Hu Liena's expression changed, urgency in her voice. "Are you insane? You're injured!"

Without turning back, Di Yao said, "Thirty levels of Soul Power are compressed inside my body. The longer I delay obtaining my Third Soul Ring, the worse the backlash will become."

Yue Guan's gaze shifted.

The faintly amused look of a spectator he had worn earlier was gone, and he became more serious.

Di Yao was right.

With the foundation of innate level twenty Soul Power, two soul rings beyond his limits, and three Immortal Herbs on top of that, the Soul Power within Di Yao's body was already beyond what an ordinary level-thirty soul master could bear.

If he did not stabilize it quickly, there really would be trouble.

Dugu Bo asked coldly, "What else?"

Di Yao said, "Third, information on high-level fire-attribute soul beasts in Sunset Forest."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. "You want to obtain your Third Soul Ring here?"

Di Yao answered swiftly, "Yes."

Dugu Bo suddenly laughed.

There was mockery in that laugh, along with an indescribable trace of vigilance.

"Brat, I just beat you until you coughed blood, and you still want to obtain your Third Soul Ring?"

Di Yao looked at him, his tone indifferent. "Or should I wait for you to hit me again?"

Hu Liena nearly laughed from anger at that.

She could not help muttering, "You really don't value your life at all."

Dugu Bo stared at Di Yao and suddenly said, "I can give you the information, and I can let you temper your body in the outer area."

Di Yao showed no joy.

He knew Dugu Bo's words would not be that simple.

Sure enough, Dugu Bo's next sentence turned cold.

"But first, you will suppress Yanyan's poison once."

He stepped half a pace forward. The killing intent in his green eyes had not faded, only been forcibly restrained.

"I want to see the results with my own eyes."

"If you're only good with words, then there's no need to discuss this deal today."

Hu Liena frowned, just about to speak, when Di Yao had already nodded.

"Fine."

Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened.

Di Yao raised his eyes and added, "Suppressing the poison is one price. Curing the root cause is another."

Dugu Bo's face twitched violently.

Behind him, Hu Liena closed her eyes.

She understood now.

This man was not merely bold.

He could even split saving a life into several separate transactions.

Dugu Bo laughed in extreme anger. "Good. Very good."

"I'd like to see just how capable you really are, brat."

Di Yao said nothing more.

When he turned around, his steps swayed slightly.

Hu Liena immediately reached out to support him. Her movements were swift, though anger remained in her eyes.

Di Yao lowered his gaze to look at her hand.

"I can still walk."

Hu Liena did not let go. Suppressing her fury, she said in a low voice, "Say one more word, and I'll knock you unconscious right now."

Di Yao looked at her.

Hu Liena stared back at him.

After a moment, Di Yao withdrew his gaze and did not shake her off again.

Watching from the side, Yue Guan could not help covering his lips with a light laugh.

"Little fellow, letting someone support you once in a while won't disgrace you as the Demon Emperor."

Di Yao said blandly, "Support me if you want, but don't hold me back."

Hu Liena gritted her teeth, and the strength in her hand increased slightly.

"Don't worry. I won't drag you to death."

Dugu Bo watched this scene, his eyes cold and hard, but he did not attack again.

He knew the situation had changed.

From the moment Di Yao had survived, this was no longer simply a matter of killing or sparing him.

It was a deal.

A deal he disliked intensely, yet had no choice but to continue.

Di Yao lowered his head and looked at the blood still staining his palm. A flicker of Dark Gold Firelight flashed through his eyes and vanished.

Tang Hao.

Black Market.

Herb Garden.

Dugu Bo.

Third Soul Ring...