Yu Yuanzhen shot into the sky like a bolt of lightning tearing through the night and vanished into the black heavens.
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo had carried Dugu Yan and Lu Mingfei deep into Sunset Forest under cover of the heavy darkness.
He moved with astonishing speed. Each stride covered dozens of yards, while trees and rocks blurred beneath him and swept backward. The wind shrieked in his ears.
Dugu Yan lay curled in her grandfather's arms. Her face was still pale, but she looked much better than she had in Dragon Valley.
Dugu Bo held Lu Mingfei by the back of his collar with his other hand, leaving him dangling and swaying in midair.
But Lu Mingfei's dark eyes were unusually alert. He watched the scenery flash past without a word.
After roughly an hour, a deep valley surrounded by towering cliffs finally appeared ahead.
A thin layer of dark green mist hung over the valley, carrying a damp, distinctive scent of herbs and earth.
It was not unpleasant. If anything, the smell was strangely soothing.
Dugu Bo descended and landed steadily before a cave deep in the valley, like a hawk folding its wings.
Thick vines half concealed the cave entrance.
The vines were as thick as a child's arm, with fleshy, dark green leaves beaded with tiny droplets of water.
Dugu Bo pushed the vines aside, revealing a long passage.
Emerald moss covered the passage walls, giving off a faint glow in the dark.
Dugu Bo carried them swiftly into the depths of the cave, where the space suddenly opened up...
It was a stone chamber that had been carved by hand, several yards across.
Several luminous pearls set into the walls cast a soft white light, filling the chamber with a warm glow.
A thick layer of dry grass covered one corner of the chamber.
An animal-hide blanket lay over it.
On the other side stood several clay jars and jade boxes beside a pile of drying herbs.
Dugu Bo laid Dugu Yan on the bed of grass.
Then he carried Lu Mingfei to a stone bed on the other side of the chamber and set him down.
Lu Mingfei landed on the hard stone bed, which dug painfully into his back. But since fusing with the Million-Year Soul Bone, his body had grown far stronger than before. That little bit of pain was nothing.
He propped himself up on his elbows and glared warily at Dugu Bo, only to find those jade-green snake eyes fixed on him with interest. There was the excitement and greed of a hunter sizing up his prey in that gaze.
"Boy."
Dugu Bo spoke in a low, hoarse voice tinged with amusement. "What was that domain of yours?
"Tell this old man everything, and don't try any tricks.
"I've spent more years among Soul Masters than you've spent reading books. Whatever tricks you use to fool people won't work on me."
Lu Mingfei fell silent for a moment.
He knew he could not hide it.
Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo. He had seen the Emperor Domain unfold in Dragon Valley with his own eyes.
With his keen eye and experience, he had probably already guessed something.
Rather than stubbornly deny it, take a beating, and confess anyway, Lu Mingfei might as well tell him now and spare himself the pain.
With that thought, he drew a deep breath and truthfully explained what his Emperor Domain could do...
"My domain is called Emperor. It can awaken and strengthen the dormant Dragon Clan bloodline within Soul Masters who carry Dragon Blood, increasing its purity. It can also help lesser dragon Martial Souls evolve toward true dragons."
When Dugu Bo heard this, his jade-green eyes lit up. His gaze turned blazing hot, like a starving beast spotting a delicious meal.
His lips slowly spread into a grin, and a nearly crazed delight filled his gaunt face.
A low, hoarse laugh rose from his throat. "Good. Good! Heaven is on my side!"
His laughter echoed through the chamber, sending a chill down Lu Mingfei's spine.
Then his smile vanished. He raised his bony right hand and opened his mouth, releasing a dense jade-green light from deep in his throat.
The light grew brighter and brighter until it gathered into a thumb-sized jade-green bead, which slowly emerged from Dugu Bo's mouth.
The bead was a vivid, glistening green, with fine snakescale patterns flowing across its surface.
A jade-green flame seemed to burn quietly within it, radiating a strange and powerful fluctuation of Soul Power.
Dugu Bo held out his left hand, and the jade-green bead slowly settled into his palm as though drawn by a thread.
He glanced down at it, and a fleeting trace of reluctance crossed his eyes before stronger greed took its place.
He stepped up to Lu Mingfei and seized his jaw with a bony hand. His grip was so strong that Lu Mingfei's teeth creaked.
Without another word, Dugu Bo forced the jade-green bead into Lu Mingfei's mouth.
"Swallow it!"
Dugu Bo's voice was cold and brooked no refusal. With his other hand, he pressed and pushed against the back of Lu Mingfei's neck, sending the bead down his throat and into his stomach.
Lu Mingfei felt something warm slide down his throat and into his abdomen.
When the bead reached his dantian, it settled slightly. Then warmth spread from it and flowed slowly through every part of his body.
That warmth carried a wondrous power. His meridians loosened, and the flow of his Soul Power grew smoother and more balanced.
Far from feeling any discomfort, he felt a pleasure well up from deep within his body, so intense that he almost sighed aloud.
Dugu Bo released him and stepped back, folding his arms as he looked down at the frail boy on the stone bed.
His voice was icy and full of menace. "Listen carefully, boy. I'll tell you plainly: this pill bead formed after my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul evolved into the Serpent Emperor.
"You could say half my strength resides in this bead.
"It contains all the venomous essence of my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor and the full might of the Serpent Emperor.
"If you behave and make yourself useful to me, this bead will only benefit your cultivation. It will continually nourish your Soul Power and temper your body, letting you cultivate far faster than an ordinary Soul Master.
"But if you try any tricks, or think of running away!"
Dugu Bo's tone abruptly turned even colder, and murderous intent surged in his jade-green eyes:
"I'll detonate the bead inside you. Forget a little Soul Grandmaster like you—even a Titled Douluo couldn't withstand the force of a bead containing half my strength exploding inside their body. The venom will dissolve your flesh into pus, and the blast will grind your bones to dust."
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