Subduing Dai Hua, Chaos Heaven-Mending Art

Dugu Bo's eyes lit up at that. The little bit of dissatisfaction and resentment from before vanished the instant he heard the condition, replaced by endless wild joy!

This idea... was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! If the other party really agreed, what would he ever have to worry about regarding Yan Yan's safety in the future?

A level ninety-four Title Douluo protecting her personally—this treatment was better than even an imperial emperor received!

So he bowed deeply to Bai Shu once more, his tone filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Young Master, for thinking of this old man! I completely agree with this plan!"

As he spoke, Dugu Bo turned to look at the old man. At that moment, the killing intent in his eyes had vanished completely, replaced by fervent anticipation. He sincerely hoped the other man would agree.

The old man also noticed the complete reversal in Dugu Bo's gaze. While bitterness welled in his heart, he could not help reassessing this unfathomable youth before him.

Logically speaking, his own strength far surpassed Dugu Bo's. If it were an ordinary person, they probably would not have considered whether Dugu Bo was willing at all. To gain a powerful subordinate, they would have simply forced him into service.

But Bai Shu had prioritized Dugu Bo's feelings, even devising such a plan to dissolve their grudge.

It was easy to imagine that although this youth was young, he would surely use both kindness and authority with his subordinates, while showing them considerable consideration.

Following someone like this might... not be too bad? Perhaps in the future, he really would be able to see different sights.

At that thought, the pride in the old man's heart as a powerhouse was finally crushed beneath his fear of death and the last shred of hope he held for the future.

He sighed deeply and spoke with some difficulty. "I... am willing to join you, young lord... under your command, and protect Miss... Dugu Yan's... safety."

"Good!" Bai Shu's face also lit up with joy at this. Today really was a good day. He had not expected that the fifth Title Douluo he had been worrying over before would be recruited so easily in such a dramatic fashion.

The next moment, with a thought, Bai Shu directly summoned his Spirit Soul, and the dense Life Domain instantly enveloped the entire rear garden.

He raised his hand and pointed. A stream of emerald-green life energy, so dense it had almost taken solid form, flowed like a creek into the old man's withered body.

The old man only felt a warm energy pour into every limb and bone, forcefully dragging him back from the cold edge of death. His internal organs, on the verge of shattering, and the hideous wounds across his body were rapidly stabilized and repaired beneath this power.

As Bai Shu maintained the treatment, he instructed Dugu Bo:

"Senior Dugu, his injuries are too severe. My life energy can only stabilize his life temporarily. To save him completely, we'll need a professional.

Send someone to the Nine Heart Begonia Family at once and invite the current head of the Nine Heart Begonia Family here."

"Yes, Young Master!" Dugu Bo did not dare delay either. This concerned the "personal bodyguard" for his precious granddaughter; nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

After respectfully bowing to Bai Shu, his figure flashed, transforming into a green shadow that vanished from the rear garden.

Only then did Bai Shu look again at the old man, who had temporarily recovered enough to catch his breath and had regained a little color in his face. He asked calmly, "Tell me. What is your name?"

The old man sighed. His voice was still weak, but it now carried a trace of awe. "In reply to Young Master, this old man is Dai Hua."

Bai Shu nodded and continued, "Good. Yue Guan, Gui mei, take him to a quiet room to rest first. We'll talk about protecting Dugu Yan after his injuries recover."

"Yes, Young Master." Yue Guan and Gui mei bowed in unison in reply. But before leaving, when Yue Guan looked at the green lotus Spirit Soul suspended in Bai Shu's hand, his gaze appeared exceptionally fervent, even carrying a trace of pilgrimage-like devotion.

In the end, before stepping out of the rear garden, he still could not help turning back and, suppressing his excitement with all his might, asked, "Young Master... forgive my presumption, but this Spirit Soul of yours... what is its name?"

Bai Shu looked at Yue Guan without understanding. Thinking it was because Yue Guan loved flowers, he casually replied, "Chaos Green Lotus."

"Chaos Green Lotus... Chaos... Green Lotus..." Yue Guan murmured absentmindedly as he and Gui mei supported Dai Hua out of the garden. Although Gui mei noticed Yue Guan's odd behavior, Dai Hua was still there, so he did not ask further.

After only Bai Shu and Xie Biyan remained in the courtyard, Bai Shu looked around, found a relatively clean spot, and sat down. He said to Xie Biyan in a deep voice, "Old Xie, seal off the surroundings. Do not let anyone disturb me."

"Yes."

Xie Biyan could also see Bai Shu's solemnity. Without another word, his figure flashed and appeared atop the high wall. At the same time, vigorous Soul Power surged from within him, turning into an invisible barrier that completely wrapped around the entire garden, ensuring not even a fly could get in.

At this moment, Bai Shu finally settled his mind and summoned the long-absent system panel. He silently said in his heart, "System, I want to claim my reward."

[Ding. Mission completed.]

[Mission: Have the number of Title Douluo under your command reach five. (Completed)]

[Reward: A cultivation method compatible with the host and possessing growth potential.]

[Ding. Congratulations on completing this mission and obtaining the reward: low-grade Profound-rank cultivation method, Chaos Heaven-Mending Art.]

[Notice: Cultivation method grades are reasonably classified based on the host's cognition and do not affect the cultivation method's upper limit.]

The instant the system issued the reward, Bai Shu's consciousness was suddenly yanked out of his body by an irresistible mighty force. The world before his eyes collapsed in an instant, the colors all around turning into flowing lines of light before returning to endless darkness.

Within the void-like darkness, Bai Shu's thoughts were exceptionally clear. Countless memories flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern, yet he could not control his body to take any action, as if he had become an observer stripped of everything.

After an unknown amount of time, a hazy beam of light tore open this eternal darkness.

In that instant, Bai Shu saw a lotus flower.

Completely different from his Spirit Soul, it was a lotus of creation so vast that words could not describe it. It had a full thirty-six petals, and on each petal, universes seemed to be born, while stars emerged and perished.

It was rooted quietly in the endless dark void, devouring every tangible and intangible force, turning all things into its nourishment and allowing it to grow slowly.

The instant Bai Shu noticed the lotus, one of its petals suddenly trembled ever so slightly. Then a stream of seven-colored light shot fiercely toward Bai Shu's consciousness!

His vision blurred. When Bai Shu came back to himself again, he discovered that he was still sitting cross-legged in the garden of Dugu Manor, while Xie Biyan still guarded quietly atop the high wall. Even the rise and fall of his robes seemed exactly the same as before.

"Was it an illusion..." Bai Shu's expression was somewhat indescribable. The scene just now had been too real—so real that he felt he had truly gone to another world.

But before Bai Shu could think it through, a massive torrent of information, as if it would burst his brain apart, drilled fiercely into his mind like floodwaters breaking through a dam and exploded in the depths of his soul!

"Urgh—!"

Bai Shu could no longer control himself. His face twisted as he clutched his head, blue veins bulging like coiling dragons across his temples and neck.

He gritted his teeth hard, struggling to keep his mind clear. It felt as though hundreds of millions of steel needles were piercing his brain at the same time, as if his entire soul were about to be torn apart by this information!

Only after an unknown amount of time did the stabbing pain, comparable to death by a thousand cuts, ease slightly. Bai Shu looked as though he had just been fished out of water, his outer moon-white robe completely soaked through with cold sweat and clinging tightly to his body.

His whole body trembled uncontrollably as he gasped for breath in great gulps. Only after a long while did he finally recover. He slowly raised his head and began sorting through the additional information in his mind. It was precisely the mission reward cultivation method: Chaos Heaven-Mending Art.

But after he carefully read through the opening general principles of the Chaos Heaven-Mending Art, even though Bai Shu had long since made considerable mental preparations, he was still left dumbstruck by the power of this cultivation method, and even a little horrified.

Because this cultivation method was no longer merely tyrannical. Its core principle was simply... evil!