Pufferfish Douluo gave a scornful smile, opened his mouth, and sucked in a mighty breath, swallowing it in one gulp.
His Martial Soul was the Beast Martial Soul Pufferfish, which had the ability to absorb every poison in the world and turn it to its own use.
"Have a taste of your own poison."
He smiled smugly, preparing to neutralize the poison he had just swallowed. But his body suddenly froze, and terror spread across his face.
"Ah! What kind of poison is this?!" Pufferfish Douluo clutched his swollen chest and belly, his voice hurried.
Dugu Bo let out a cold laugh and said nothing. He activated several Soul Skills, mixing several different kinds of snake venom together until they turned a riotous, colorful black. Then he fired them out at lightning speed, swift and decisive.
Gu Rong, fighting nearby, narrowed his eyes and subtly shifted his position. He curled a finger toward the area behind him.
Seeing this, Pufferfish Douluo, tormented by the venom, immediately tried to dodge.
This opponent was unlike any he had faced before. The poison was exceedingly strange, and his Martial Soul couldn't neutralize it. He had long since begun to think of retreating. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood.
"Chi Xue! Watch out!"
"Hmph, dream on." Gu Rong sneered and positioned himself precisely in the other man's path, then landed a solid punch.
Just as Pufferfish Douluo tried to retreat, the ground beneath his feet suddenly surged upward. Five pillars of earth surrounded him, then closed together to form a sturdy cage.
The mass of snake venom drifted lightly into him, corroding several holes in his body in an instant as wisps of green smoke rose.
His vaunted skin proved utterly useless. He fell to the ground and rolled around in agony, his face contorted.
"Bastard!" Snake Lance Douluo roared. "Just you wait. Spirit Hall won't let you get away with this!"
With that, he thrust his lance several times and shot backward into the distance, using the momentum of his counterattack to retreat.
Second Soul Skill: Overload.
Chen Xin arrived with Han Yu. Han Yu pointed at the retreating figure from afar, and the space in that area froze for an instant.
With his speed enhanced, Gu Rong caught up and blocked him again.
In that moment, the tables had turned.
Looking at Gu Rong before him, Snake Lance Douluo gritted his teeth. "We are both enshrined by Spirit Hall. Do you really want to make an enemy of it?"
"Pathetic clown." Gu Rong gave him a look of contempt and spat viciously.
This man had tried to kill them again and again just moments ago. Now he was afraid?
Han Yu bowed to Chen Xin beside him. "Teacher, when a decision must be made, hesitation only invites trouble."
Chen Xin nodded and unleashed a terrifying aura. He appeared in the distance, joining Gu Rong to trap their opponent between them.
Like a turtle caught in a jar, Snake Lance Douluo stared at the two men in despair, regret rising in his heart.
Half an hour later.
The two Titled Douluo, who had met Han Yu only twice, vanished from the continent.
Fortunately, Pufferfish Douluo had dropped a right leg bone, nearly ten thousand years old. It became Dugu Bo's spoils of war, to be saved for his granddaughter.
"Holy Son, you don't have a right leg bone yet, do you?" Dugu Bo asked softly, looking down at the Soul Bone in his hand.
"Keep it. I have a better option."
Han Yu smiled and declined.
Aside from a Head Soul Bone, his next targets were all Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones. He had no interest in such trifles.
After covering their tracks, they all returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Han Yu had yet to fully absorb the medicinal power of the Immortal Herbs.
"Han Yu, guess what my third Soul Skill is?" Ning Rongrong asked, her hands behind her back as she swayed from side to side.
"A boost to Soul Power." Han Yu struggled to keep from laughing.
"How did you know? Honestly, did Dad and Grandpa Gu Rong tell you?" Ning Rongrong pouted angrily, her brows furrowing as she gave the two men behind her a suspicious look.
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong stiffened, then smiled and shook their heads.
"I'm already level thirty-three now. I've passed you! Impressive, right?" Ning Rongrong turned around and lifted her fair neck, like a proud little swan.
Han Yu smiled and applauded, a hint of fondness in his eyes.
If he could, he hoped Ning Rongrong would always stay this way. Who wouldn't like an adorable little sister?
Still, if Ning Rongrong knew what Han Yu was thinking, she would probably be upset again. What she wanted was more than just a brother-and-sister relationship.
"Spirit Hall finally couldn't hold back. They actually dared to attack our sect in broad daylight." Ning Fengzhi slammed the end of his scepter against the ground, his face dark.
He had been attacked twice in just a few days, both times by Titled Douluo. This was clearly premeditated—their goal was to leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect without a leader.
"Fengzhi, I think we should return to the sect as soon as possible. With that old fossil here, there's no need to worry." Gu Rong nodded in agreement.
Han Yu pointed at the spring and said softly, "Teacher, Sect Master, the medicinal power in my body will take several more months to absorb. Why not have Senior Dugu Bo accompany you back to the sect?"
At that, Dugu Bo shot Gu Rong a sidelong glance and rolled his eyes.
He had completely embraced his identity as an enshrined elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but he still couldn't bring himself to be friendly toward the culprit who had placed a restriction on him.
"Very well. Then I'll trouble you, Senior Dugu Bo," Ning Fengzhi said, inclining his head slightly.
"Think nothing of it, Sect Master." Dugu Bo put away his expression and smiled as he helped him along.
As though he had remembered something, Han Yu stepped out from the crowd and found an unusually shaped Immortal Herb growing in a patch of rocky ground.
He summoned the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and plunged them hard into its base, pulling the entire plant out.
He looked at the taciturn Chen Xin, smiled, and hurried over. Holding out the Immortal Herb, he said slowly, "Teacher, you should take this Immortal Herb too."
The herb was long and narrow, like an unfinished sword. It had few leaves, which were glossy black and marked with several green-gold lines. A few fragments of metal and stone were mixed among its roots.
It was the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo.
"Han Yu, wouldn't this be better suited to your Martial Soul? Isn't the body of your sword made of bamboo?" Chen Xin asked, frowning as he shook his head.
Han Yu summoned the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and gently ran his hand along the blade. His voice rang with confidence. "Teacher, to be honest, the quality of my Martial Soul far surpasses that of the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo. Even if I took it, it wouldn't improve much."
This was a Golden Thunder Bamboo flying sword, formed after Heaven's Thunder Bamboo had reached ten thousand years. He absolutely refused to believe that any material existed in the Douluo Plane that could enhance its essence. After all, the gulf between the two worlds was simply too vast.
Chen Xin considered this, then nodded and accepted it.
At that moment, even his usually steady nature gave way to ragged breathing. His throat bobbed slightly as he silently gazed at the Immortal Herb in his hands.
He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and condensed Soul Power at his fingertips into a sword. Then he split the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo in half.
He tipped his head back and swallowed the dark green-gold sap seeping from the cut, then sat cross-legged.
A lustrous ink-jade sheen appeared across Chen Xin's skin. The medicinal power of the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo spread along his meridians to all the bones in his body, silently strengthening them.
The Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul left his body of its own accord and let out a resonant hum in midair.