Are You Poisoned?

Dugu Bo landed below, the angry rebuke he had prepared stuck instantly in his throat.

Dugu Bo never imagined that those who had broken into his Poison Array were not just a few lucky soul masters, but the Pope of Spirit Hall in person, accompanied by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

Damn it, why would Spirit Hall come here? These aren't some petty thieves.

These are powerful dragons crossing the river.

And they are the exact ones I least wanted to encounter.

Dugu Bo's expression turned incredibly grim.

He looked at Bibi Dong, then at Yue Guan and Gui Mei, already regretting the grand entrance he had just made.

If he had known these three were below, he would never have walked down step by step like that.

Yue Guan, however, did not let the opportunity pass.

He looked at Dugu Bo and said with a beaming smile, "Yo, Old Poison Freak, those nine soul rings of yours aren't bad at all."

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth twitched slightly.

Yue Guan continued, "Since you've already shown yours, why don't you take a look at mine?"

As his voice fell, soul rings rose beneath Yue Guan's feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

Nine soul rings circled around him, and the aura of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum spread outward.

Gui Mei did not speak, but his nine soul rings appeared the very next moment.

They were likewise Titled Douluo, likewise nine soul rings.

Two powerful auras pressed in from left and right, making Dugu Bo's expression even more rigid.

If it were only Yue Guan, he might not be afraid to the point of being unable to fight.

Even if Yue Guan's strength surpassed his, he had the Poison Array to rely on, so he wouldn't be completely without the power to resist.

But with Yue Guan and Gui Mei together, the situation was entirely different.

When these two joined forces, it was far from a simple case of one plus one.

Not to mention, there was still Bibi Dong standing to the side.

Just as the pressure in Dugu Bo's heart grew, Bibi Dong let out a cold snort.

The next moment, nine soul rings appeared beneath her feet as well.

The preceding soul rings were already enough to shock Dugu Bo, but when he saw Bibi Dong's final soul ring, his pupils contracted violently.

Red.

A hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

The moment that ring of red appeared, the entire valley seemed to fall silent.

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

He suddenly felt that his behavior of stepping through the air from above just now was like jumping down voluntarily to provide entertainment for others.

Three Titled Douluo.

And one of them was the Pope of Spirit Hall, who possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

With this lineup, let alone seizing his Herb Garden, even if they wanted to keep him here as well, he might not be able to escape.

Dugu Bo forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart and said, "Even if you are from Spirit Hall, isn't it a bit improper to forcibly seize someone else's Herb Garden?"

As he spoke these words, he felt his own lack of confidence.

But he couldn't just hand the place over without saying a word.

Hearing this, the smile on Yue Guan's face deepened.

Gui Mei spoke coldly, "As long as you die here, won't there be no one left to know?"

His voice was very calm.

It was precisely because it was calm that it sent a chill through one's heart.

Dugu Bo felt a chill run down his back.

He knew very well that Gui Mei's words were not merely meant to scare him.

Given the style of Spirit Hall, if they truly felt he was in the way, killing him here and taking over this Herb Garden was something they were more than capable of doing.

Moreover, this place was inherently secluded.

With his Poison Array outside the valley, ordinary people could not enter at all.

If he died here, it was true that no one would know for a long time.

Cold sweat had already broken out on Dugu Bo's forehead.

He was not afraid of a fight, but this was not a question of whether he could fight; it was a question of having absolutely no chance of winning.

With Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Bibi Dong joining forces, he might not even have a chance to run.

Dugu Bo quickly made his decision.

He looked toward Bibi Dong and said in a deep voice, "Since you want my Herb Garden, then take it."

He paused there, as if fearing they would not believe him, and added, "This old man can swear upon my Martial Soul that I will never speak a word of today's events to the outside world."

Yue Guan raised an eyebrow.

Gui Mei remained silent.

Bibi Dong, however, did not immediately respond to Dugu Bo, instead turning her gaze toward Lu Chen.

"Xiao Chen."

Lu Chen looked up at her.

Bibi Dong said, "This is the place of opportunity you sensed. How do you think we should handle it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Dugu Bo could not help but look at Lu Chen as well.

From the moment he appeared, his attention had been focused almost entirely on Bibi Dong, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei.

After all, none of those three were simple figures; he naturally had no inclination to pay attention to a child standing on the sidelines.

It was only now, when Bibi Dong took the initiative to ask for Lu Chen's opinion, that Dugu Bo truly looked at him.

He was stunned by what he saw.

The child appeared to be only seven or eight years old (his physique having grown somewhat after absorbing a soul ring), but what shocked Dugu Bo was not his appearance, but the fluctuations of his Soul Power.

Level twenty-six.

A child who looked only seven or eight years old already possessed level twenty-six Soul Power.

What kind of monster was this?

Dugu Bo's expression shifted slightly.

It was no wonder Bibi Dong would ask for his opinion.

Such a genius, even within Spirit Hall, could never be an ordinary disciple.

Lu Chen did not answer immediately; he was also considering how to deal with Dugu Bo.

If one were to look at it solely from the current perspective, Dugu Bo's willingness to yield the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and swear upon his Martial Soul not to leak the secret seemed sufficient.

Yet, Lu Chen knew things were not that simple.

In the future, during the battle at Jialing Pass, Dugu Bo would use his poison arts to slaughter hundreds of thousands of Spirit Hall soldiers. To Spirit Hall, this was an absolute catastrophe.

Although that was something that would only happen in the future, Lu Chen could not pretend to be completely ignorant of it.

Furthermore, one could not ignore that Dugu Bo's area-of-effect capabilities were truly terrifying.

In terms of a direct, one-on-one confrontation, Dugu Bo was not considered strong among Title Douluo, but if placed on a large-scale battlefield, the effect his poison could exert far exceeded that of an average Title Douluo.

More importantly, he was a major future ally to Tang San.

Now that he had already intercepted the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he could not simply let Dugu Bo go.

If he were allowed to leave, it was highly likely that the future would return to its original trajectory.

However, killing him outright was not the best choice either.

Dugu Bo's value was immense.

If he could be brought to heel, it would be a massive asset for Spirit Hall.

Lu Chen knew clearly in his heart that subduing Dugu Bo was as difficult or as simple as one made it.

The key did not lie with Dugu Bo himself, but with the poison issues plaguing him and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.

Dugu Bo cultivated the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison, and the toxins had long since reached a critical state.

Although the poison granted him the strength of a Title Douluo, the toxins accumulated within his body were also constantly tormenting him.

Dugu Yan was not yet old, but she had already inherited the problems associated with the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul.

If the hidden danger of the poison could not be resolved, they would sooner or later follow the same path.

And the immortal herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were exactly what might change all of that.