The Lone Family

The joy on Emperor Xue Ye's face deepened, and he nodded repeatedly. "Of course. Rest assured, Your Eminence, we will certainly help take good care of your esteemed son."

Inwardly, however, he was already making calculations. He had not expected His Eminence the Death God to have such a young son. It seemed he had to work harder too—have a princess as soon as possible. When the time came, if he could arrange a marriage between the two sides, would that not bind Sky Demon Island even more closely to them?

Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered as he thought of his own wife. She was already pregnant, though he did not know whether the child would be a boy or a girl. Hopefully, it would be a girl!

"There's no need to fuss over him too carefully. Just make sure no one uses their age and strength to bully him. I'm having him grow up on the mainland to temper him, not to make him a flower raised in a greenhouse."

"Understood. Of course."

Ning Fengzhi and Emperor Xue Ye nodded again and again, yet both of them were already setting their sights on that young lord who had yet to arrive.

At that moment, an attendant brought over the prepared alliance pact. It was written on special beast-hide paper with special ink and brush, and possessed a unique effect. It was said to be related to the God of Contracts; if the pact was violated, there would be backlash.

Zhu Huang looked over the contents of the pact and discovered that it was an alliance with the Heaven Dou imperial family, not the Heaven Dou Empire.

Zhu Huang understood at once. It seemed what Emperor Xue Ye cared about most was the rule of their Xue clan. If the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire was no longer someone of the Xue clan, this pact would become invalid.

Both sides signed their names with blood from their middle fingers. Zhu Huang used the false name Zhu Di, but as long as he was the one who signed it, it was effective. In the unseen depths, there seemed to be some mysterious force restraining him, though he did not know if it was just his imagination.

The pact was made in duplicate, with Zhu Huang and Emperor Xue Ye each holding one copy.

"My storage Soul Tool was accidentally destroyed by me, and most of what was inside was destroyed as well. I haven't had time to get a new one yet. Do you have any high-quality storage Soul Tools here? If you do, I can trade Soul Bones for them."

Zhu Huang remembered that he still had no storage Soul Tool. He also had no interest in researching artifact refining at the moment, so he planned to get a storage Soul Tool to use.

At the mention of Soul Bones, Ning Fengzhi's heart jumped, and he smiled. "So Your Eminence auctioned the Soul Bones because the items in your storage Soul Tool were destroyed. I knew it—how could Your Eminence possibly be short of money? Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect may lack other things, but we have no shortage of all kinds of treasures. We have also collected several high-quality storage Soul Tools. I shall gift one to Your Eminence as a congratulatory gift for Your Eminence's alliance with the empire."

Zhu Huang shook his head. "No need. I'll exchange Soul Bones for them. If you have extras, I can exchange for several more. I still have a few Soul Bones of decent quality here."

Ning Fengzhi's heart trembled. Sky Demon Island was truly unfathomable. Did they not even take Soul Bones seriously? They were actually using them to exchange for storage Soul Tools. The value between the two sides was not even comparable!

Naturally, Ning Fengzhi would not miss such a fine opportunity. He nodded and said, "Please give me two days, Your Eminence. I will immediately have those high-quality storage Soul Tools brought over."

Emperor Xue Ye, however, regretted that Ning Fengzhi had beaten him to it. The Heaven Dou Empire also had high-quality storage Soul Tools! He immediately said, "Your Eminence, there are also several fine storage Soul Tools in the imperial treasury. If you are in a hurry to use them, I will have them brought to you right away."

Amid Ning Fengzhi's slightly ugly expression, Zhu Huang said, "Then bring them over for me to take a look. Sect Master Ning, have yours brought over as well. There are many people on my Sky Demon Island. One can never have too many storage Soul Tools."

Only then did Ning Fengzhi's expression improve, and he smiled. "Rest assured, Your Eminence. I will have the storage Soul Tools transferred over as quickly as possible."

Emperor Xue Ye then ordered an attendant to go to the treasury and bring over four or five boxes. Inside were all kinds of storage Soul Tools: necklaces, bracelets, jade pendants, belts, and rings.

Most of their space was around twenty to thirty cubic meters. The largest had fifty cubic meters, which was already more than enough.

"These storage Soul Tools are all quite good. I won't let you suffer a loss either. How about one fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone?"

Emperor Xue Ye was overjoyed. A fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone! Something that could only be encountered by chance and not sought, far rarer than these storage Soul Tools. How could he possibly disagree?

"Your Eminence is the one taking a loss!"

"We're each taking what we need. I'll have it sent to you later."

Zhu Huang did not have a storage Soul Tool on him. The Soul Bones he had brought were placed somewhere in Sunset Forest; otherwise, carrying them around would have been inconvenient.

Ning Fengzhi watched with envy. A fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone was enough to serve as a legacy treasure for any force. Even their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect did not have many, and this was simply not something money could buy.

"If you need to find me, have Dugu Bo contact me. Farewell."

Holding those five or six storage Soul Tools, Zhu Huang disappeared into the wind and snow.

He did not immediately go to the place in Sunset Forest where he had hidden the Soul Bones. Instead, he first went to the Heaven Dou Auction House, preparing to collect the money from his auction.

The Heaven Dou Auction House was undoubtedly extremely well-informed. When he came this time, all the auction house higher-ups who had never appeared before were respectfully waiting at the entrance to greet him. Seeing that he had no intention of entering as a guest, they respectfully presented him with a storage bracelet.

"Your Eminence, this is the total of eighteen million Gold Soul Coins obtained from auctioning the three Soul Bones. Please accept it."

Zhu Huang took the storage bracelet from the hands of the Heaven Dou Auction House's hidden owner, an elderly Soul Douluo. This storage Soul Tool had around ten cubic meters of space.

Zhu Huang was just about to transfer the Gold Soul Coins into his own storage Soul Tool when the Soul Douluo manager quickly gave a fawning smile. "Your Eminence, for you to entrust Soul Bones to our Heaven Dou Auction House is our Heaven Dou Auction House's honor. Not only will we not take your commission, we also offer this storage bracelet to thank Your Eminence for entrusting treasures to our establishment. We sincerely beg Your Eminence not to disdain it."

Zhu Huang said indifferently, "No need. Do things as they should be done. I am not someone who takes by force or trickery."

After saying this, he ignored the changing expressions of the people from the Heaven Dou Auction House and directly transferred the Gold Soul Coins into one of his own dragon-shaped storage rings. Of the eighteen million Gold Soul Coins, he left behind one million eight hundred thousand, exactly a ten-percent commission.

"Your Eminence is truly open and upright. This one admires you."

The elderly manager had failed to curry favor with this supreme figure, and felt extremely regretful, but he did not dare show the slightest dissatisfaction. Instead, he offered another round of flattery.

Zhu Huang did not say anything more. After receiving the money, he left, bought more than ten high-quality jade boxes, and returned once again to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He glanced at Ah Yin's condition and saw that she had visibly grown taller by another stretch. Soul fluctuations were coming from within the Blue Silver Grass; she was not far from fully recovering her intelligence.

As usual, he released a little imperial blood. Zhu Huang then harvested the immortal herbs around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well one after another, leaving only the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, which had special requirements and could not be picked.

This strange immortal herb, which was the king of immortal herbs even among immortal herbs, possessed all kinds of unimaginable effects. However, only someone devoted and deeply faithful in love could successfully pick it. Zhu Huang did not think he met the requirement.

In truth, he had tried. It was very difficult for him to focus the girls he cared about in his heart on a single person, resulting in failure.

Zhu Huang did not force it. In any case, the effects of immortal herbs on him personally were already very weak, and even if he picked it, he would not be able to use it.

After staying at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for half a day, Zhu Huang retrieved the Soul Bones he had hidden and placed them into his storage Soul Tool. Then he flew through the air back to Heaven Dou City, this time heading straight for Dugu Manor.

"Dugu Bo greets the Lord."

"Dugu An greets the Lord."

"Lin Xin greets the Lord!"

"Dugu Yan greets the Lord!"

In Dugu Manor, Zhu Huang saw Dugu Bo's family. It was far from the desolate scene over a decade later, when only the lonely grandfather and granddaughter would remain. At this time, in the Dugu family, Dugu Bo's son and daughter-in-law were still alive, though they were merely clinging to their last breaths.

Zhu Huang looked at the middle-aged couple whose faces were already covered in a sickly green pallor, who were in unbearable pain and as frail as candles in the wind. With his eye, how could he not tell that if they did not receive effective treatment soon, this husband and wife would absolutely not live past a year?

Beside Dugu An and Lin Xin was a tender, pretty little girl of six or seven. She was very beautiful, but a faint green light also flickered in her eyes, and the roots of her black hair were beginning to turn green as well.

The snake venom she had carried from the womb had made the young Dugu Yan begin to suffer its backlash too. She looked listless all over, stirring pity in anyone who saw her.

"No need for so much ceremony."

Zhu Huang waved his hand, letting Dugu Bo and the other three rise.

Dugu An, Lin Xin, and Dugu Yan were all meeting the legendary master for the first time. Beyond reverence and curiosity, their eyes were filled with expectation.

A maid served tea. Zhu Huang did not drink it, but said calmly, "I came this time because I promised Dugu Bo I would detoxify you. Once this is done, I will return to Sky Demon Island. Six years from now, my son will come to Heaven Dou City. When the time comes, you will protect him."

"As you command!"

Dugu Bo and the others were overjoyed and hurriedly accepted the order with respect. Even little Dugu Yan knew what this master meant to their family, and like a tiny adult, she copied her father and grandfather, cupping her fists in salute.

Suppressing his excitement, Dugu Bo said, "May I ask how Master intends to treat us? What preparations do we need to make?"

Zhu Huang said, "You don't need to prepare anything. There are three treatment methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. I will explain them, and you can choose one."

Hearing that there were three treatment methods, Dugu Bo's family grew even more excited. This was especially true of Dugu An and Lin Xin; the dead, despairing grayness in their eyes came alive, as if they had glimpsed the vitality of life amid deathly stillness.

Dugu Bo said in a trembling voice, "Please enlighten us in detail, Master."

Zhu Huang said, "The first method is the simplest. I directly use great power to pull the snake venom that is backlashing within your bodies out, and that will solve your problem outright. However, this method treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Even if you are cured now, backlash poison will continue to accumulate later. Still, it should have little effect for at least ten years. After ten years, I can treat you again, and it will last another ten years."

Dugu Bo and the other three listened carefully, their brows relaxing. They now had some reassurance. At worst, they could use this method to delay the problem for ten years, and that was already very good.

"The second method is for each of you to absorb a soul bone. I will channel all the snake venom in your bodies into the soul bone for storage, and any snake venom produced in the future can also flow into the soul bone on its own. The advantage is that you will no longer need me to detoxify you, and with the soul bone storing a large amount of snake venom, when you use it against enemies, it can unleash tremendous power and make you stronger. But the condition is that you need a soul bone of sufficient quality. At the very least, it must be a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. Ideally, it should be a soul bone over fifty thousand years old. Only then would it be foolproof, avoiding the danger of the bone being corroded and damaged by years of poison, which would endanger you yourselves."

Dugu Bo frowned slightly. If there had been no comparison, this method would have been very good. However, Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones were so rare and precious. Even though he was a Title Douluo, he had only absorbed one forty-thousand-year Medusa Skull Bone.

As for his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, none of them had ever absorbed a soul bone. Where was he supposed to find three soul bones over fifty thousand years old? Forget over fifty thousand years; even ones over ten thousand years were hard to find.

Soul bones were rare to begin with, and those who possessed Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones were even rarer. They were all hidden away, and anyone who had one would generally absorb it. Even as a Title Douluo, there was nothing he could do in the short term.

As for wantonly poisoning ten-thousand-year soul beasts and trying his luck, leaving aside the fact that ten-thousand-year soul beasts were difficult to kill and he might well be surrounded and attacked, the soul master world also did not permit the mass slaughter of soul beasts. If he did that, he would definitely be jointly stopped by the two great empires, the seven great sects, and Spirit Hall.

After thinking for a moment, Dugu Bo asked, "Then may I ask what the third method is?"

Zhu Huang glanced at Dugu Bo and said after a moment's thought, "You have condensed a half-finished Poison Core inside your body. Although it cannot solve your snake venom problem, the idea is quite good. I can create a secret technique that allows you to condense all the toxins in your body into this Poison Core. Not only will it perfectly solve the problem of your snake venom backlash, but by cultivating this Poison Core, your strength will also increase greatly. Your poison will gain a terrifying lethality that makes even Title Douluo blanch at the mere mention of it. You will no longer be like you are now—invincible at bullying the weak, but limp and powerless against Title Douluo, worthy of being called the weakest Title Douluo."

"This subordinate is ashamed!"

Dugu Bo's old face flushed red, and he was extremely embarrassed. If the person saying this had not been his own master, he would have drowned him in snake venom long ago and taught him what could and could not be said.

But now that Zhu Huang had bluntly pointed out his predicament, Dugu Bo had no temper at all. He only felt a wave of shame and found himself too embarrassed to face anyone.

However, the third solution Zhu Huang had described stirred his heart deeply. Not only could it resolve the snake venom backlash, it could also perfectly increase the power of his snake venom, turning it into a truly terrifying poison capable of harming Title Douluo. This held a fatal temptation for him.

"Master, if possible, we would like to choose the third method."

Dugu Bo hurriedly spoke. Dugu An and Lin Xin also looked expectant. Only Dugu Yan could not distinguish the pros and cons, and she stared at Zhu Huang with wide, curious eyes in innocent confusion.

Zhu Huang said, "Although the third method is good, it is also the most difficult. Because you have already figured out a half-finished Poison Core on your own, continuing to cultivate it will be easier for you. But for Dugu An and Dugu Yan to form a Poison Core, it will not be something that can succeed in a short time. As for Lin Xin, her problem is the simplest. The snake venom on her body was passed to her by Dugu An. As long as Dugu Yan's problem is resolved, then once the snake venom in Lin Xin's body is pulled out, she will no longer be poisoned in the future."