One Sword Decides Victory! A Poison Pill Decides Life and Death! (Bonus chapter for monthly votes)

Meanwhile, in reality, the enormous Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor had already stopped attacking. Its head remained raised high, but the ferocity in its eyes gradually faded, even giving way to a faint trace of satisfaction.

Without any further soul power driving it, the churning poisonous mist began to disperse slowly. The Serpent Python Heavenly Shield guarding its head dimmed as well.

Li Qingshan watched, silver light flickering in his eyes. His Martial Soul Avatar not only doubled the power of his emotion-based soul skills, but also greatly enhanced his own spiritual power.

Moreover, Dugu Bo's mind was already entangled by the threads of emotion. Only then could Delusion seize the opening and turn those desires buried deep in his heart into scenes unfolding before his eyes.

Li Qingshan wasted no time. He abruptly raised his silver-white longsword and flashed forward, thrusting through the gradually collapsing serpent-shaped shield before stopping the blade directly in front of Dugu Bo's throat.

An icy sensation entered Dugu Bo's awareness.

Inside the illusion.

The smile on Dugu Bo's face suddenly faltered.

"Something's wrong."

He lowered his head to look at the nine soul rings surrounding him, his brows gradually knitting together. Where did my ninth soul ring come from?

"And Xin'er..."

"He clearly suffered a poison flare-up not long ago, and that young man saved him with his needles."

"Wasn't I fighting him? When did I become a Titled Douluo?"

As those thoughts flashed through his mind, the figures gazing at him with reverence suddenly grew blurry.

Even Dugu Xin, standing beside him, gradually became indistinct, as though seen through a veil of watery mist.

Dugu Bo's heart jolted, and he shouted urgently:

"Damn it! An illusion?!"

He immediately focused his mind, trying to break free of everything before him. Almost simultaneously, the scene that had filled him with such satisfaction shattered!

The cliff face, broken rocks, and lingering poisonous mist came into view once more.

Dugu Bo's consciousness finally returned to reality. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the silver-white sword edge mere inches away froze his body completely.

Li Qingshan's sword had already stopped before his throat.

It had not cut down.

But neither had it left enough room for him to dodge with ease.

Dugu Bo instinctively tried to muster his soul power, but stopped the moment the thought arose. It was clearly already too late.

While he was trapped in the illusion, his defenses had dispersed. Had his opponent truly intended to kill him, that sword would never have needed to wait until he woke.

At that thought, a chill rose in Dugu Bo's heart.

Before the poison arts he took such pride in could truly harm his opponent, he had unwittingly lost even the ability to distinguish whether everything before him was real or false.

"Awake?"

Li Qingshan's voice reached him.

Dugu Bo looked at the sword edge poised before his throat. After a moment of silence, he slowly exhaled and said, "I lost."

This time, he made no further attempt to attack. The enormous Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Avatar gradually dissipated, and Dugu Bo returned to human form, landing on a rock beside the cliff.

Li Qingshan also dismissed his Martial Soul Avatar and slowly lowered the Passionate Sword in his hand.

Dugu Bo raised a hand and touched his throat. That icy sensation seemed to linger there still.

Recalling everything he had seen in the illusion, his expression inevitably grew complicated. Those scenes were precisely what he had wanted most all these years, yet could never obtain.

Yet his opponent had used just one soul skill to immerse him in them so deeply that he had nearly forgotten he was in a fight.

Dugu Bo raised his head and looked solemnly at Li Qingshan. "Your strength is indeed formidable. I concede."

Li Qingshan smiled faintly without immediately answering.

Dugu Bo's gaze had already turned toward the valley floor, where Dugu Xin still lay quietly on the grass.

He suddenly remembered the rosy-cheeked boy in the illusion, standing before him and smiling as he said it no longer hurt. Yet his son in reality was still waiting for treatment.

Dugu Bo withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Qingshan again, his tone far more earnest than before.

"Next, as long as you can truly resolve the poison in Xin'er's body, so he never has to suffer those flare-ups again..."

He paused, then said solemnly:

"I, Dugu Bo, will take you as my master."

"I will never go back on my word!"

Li Qingshan looked at Dugu Bo, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Good. Remember what you said today."

Dugu Bo offered no further objections. He merely looked down toward the valley floor, worry resurfacing in his eyes. "Then when can you begin treating Xin'er's poison?"

"Now."

Li Qingshan put away the Passionate Sword and leaped down along the cliff, returning to the valley.

Dugu Bo followed close behind.

On the grass, Dugu Xin had yet to wake.

However, thanks to the earlier Nine Needles for Suppressing Poison, his breathing remained fairly steady, and the bluish-green tint on his face had faded considerably since the flare-up.

Li Qingshan bent down to examine him for a moment, then placed two fingers on his wrist.

Dugu Bo stood beside him without interrupting. Only when Li Qingshan withdrew his hand did he finally ask, "How is he?"

"He's out of danger for now. We can begin." Li Qingshan stood, swept his gaze over the surrounding herbs, then looked at Dugu Bo.

"However, there's something I need to make clear first."

"The poison in both your bodies has long since become intertwined with your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Souls. If we simply expel it, even if your condition is cured, your cultivation will inevitably suffer."

Dugu Bo frowned slightly.

Naturally, he had considered these things himself. That was precisely why, throughout all these years, he had only been able to find ways to suppress the poison, never a true solution to its backlash.

"Then what do you intend to do?"

Li Qingshan said slowly:

"Condense the poison into a pill."

"A Poison Pill?"

Dugu Bo was slightly taken aback.

"Exactly." Li Qingshan nodded and said gravely, "We'll use medicinal pills to draw out the toxins scattered throughout his meridians and internal organs, then guide them with acupuncture, allowing them to gradually gather within his body until they finally form a Poison Pill."

"Once the poison has somewhere to reside, there will be no need to let it keep corroding his body. Whenever he needs to use poison, he can simply draw it from the Poison Pill."

At this, Dugu Bo's eyes immediately lit up. Wouldn't that resolve the poison's backlash while preserving both his and his son's poison arts?

But then something else occurred to him, and his expression grew more serious.

"That poison has accumulated in his body for years. If we really stir all of it up, I'm afraid Xin'er's body won't be able to withstand it."

"That's why we can't rush." Li Qingshan glanced at the boy on the ground and spoke solemnly.

"We'll protect his meridians and internal organs first, then draw out the poison in stages. Today, we'll give the Poison Pill its initial form. Afterward, we'll slowly gather the remaining accumulated toxins."

"His body can't withstand anything too drastic right now."

Dugu Bo nodded slowly.

Clearly, Li Qingshan had already considered all of that.

Li Qingshan wasted no more time and turned toward the herb garden.

With the complete legacy of an Alchemy Master at his disposal, he soon selected several herbs he needed. However, he left every one of those eye-catching immortal-grade herbs untouched for the time being.

Dugu Xin's meridians were weak now. The first step was to protect his body before guiding the poison, so anything with overly potent medicinal properties would actually be unsuitable at present.

Dugu Bo followed beside him. Seeing how skillfully he gathered the herbs, and how clearly he understood the different ways each needed to be processed, the last trace of worry in his heart gradually eased.

A short while later, the two returned to Dugu Xin's side.

Li Qingshan chose a flat patch of open ground and called upon the system to take out the Xuanling Pill Cauldron. It landed with a soft sound.

Dugu Bo glanced at the pill cauldron a couple of times but asked no questions. He simply followed Li Qingshan's instructions and stayed beside his son.

As flames rose, warmth gradually spread through the cauldron.

Li Qingshan added the prepared medicinal ingredients one by one, slowly feeding soul power through the cauldron's walls to control the changes in their medicinal potency.

Some herbs needed to be broken down first, while others could only be added after the heat had eased slightly. Soon, a faint medicinal fragrance drifted from the cauldron.

Dugu Bo had worked with herbs for years himself, yet he still could not resist taking several more looks at the scene before him.

Could these same few herbs really be used with such finesse in this young man's hands?

Some more time passed.

Li Qingshan slightly drew back the soul power in his palm, and the heat inside the cauldron eased accordingly. When the lid opened, several pale green medicinal pills lay at the bottom.

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