Subduing Dugu Yan: Tonight, She Calls Me Master!

"This finger of pure Yang energy can only suppress your condition for three hours."

Su Chen looked at Dugu Yan kneeling on the carpet, his mind racing with calculations.

Dugu Bo, that old poisoner, is eccentric and suspicious. If we rashly go to his door and forcibly seize the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, we will inevitably alarm the Spirit Hall's secret guards, and may even force the old man to act desperately and destroy the Immortal Herb.

But as long as we can completely control this little snake Dugu Yan, and make her obedient from head to toe, not only Dugu Bo willingly hand over the treasure land of Sunset Forest, but we can also get a Titled Douluo as our gatekeeper and henchman for free.

"Three hours later, the suppressed snake venom will retaliate with double the intensity." Su Chen's voice was cold and hard, leaving no room for negotiation. "If you want to live, I have only one condition."

Dugu Yan dug her fingers deep into the blanket, raised her pale face, and asked in a trembling voice, "What are the conditions?"

"Sever all ties with the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. From this day forward, your life, Dugu Yan, belongs to me, Su Chen. You will serve under me, be my maidservant at my beck and call. If I tell you to go east, you cannot go west." Su Chen leaned forward slightly, his eyes locked on hers. "Do you understand? I don't want any deals or collaborations; I want your complete and utter submission."

Boom!

These words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Dugu Yan's mind blank.

Become his maid? And sever all ties with Yu Tianheng?

She is the only granddaughter of the dignified Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo! The Azure Phosphorous Serpent prodigy who runs rampant in Heaven Dou City! Every day, which prince or nobleman doesn't fawn over her and coax her? Yu Tianheng, in order to please her, is even more obedient to her in every way.

This young man is now demanding that she abandon all her dignity and self-respect to become his tea and water-servant?!

"You... you've gone too far!" Dugu Yan was filled with shame and indignation, her neck flushed red. She instinctively tried to sit up and retort, "I am the granddaughter of Titled Douluo!! Yu Tianheng is the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. You want me to abandon him and become your slave? My grandfather will never agree to that!!"

"Yu Tianheng?"

Su Chen scoffed, "Just a piece of trash who can't even protect his own Martial Soul, lying on the bed howling like a dead dog. When you sneaked out of the hotel to find me tonight, why didn't you think of bringing him along? In the end, in your heart, your so-called romantic feelings are nothing compared to your own life."

Dugu Yan's face turned deathly pale, as if she had been stripped naked in public.

Indeed, the moment she decided to leave, all she could think about was how to save her own life, and she didn't dare to care about the life or death of the seriously injured Yu Tianheng.

"As for whether your grandfather agrees or not..." Su Chen stood up, slowly walked to Dugu Yan, and stared down at her trembling head, "When you die from the poison and become a purplish-black dried corpse, do you think your grandfather will hold onto that ridiculous bit of pride for you, or will he regret not kneeling down and begging me for you? The door is right behind you, I will not force you to stay. You can leave now, go and wait to die with your crippled Blue Lightning Young Master."

After saying that, Su Chen turned around and stopped looking at her.

The hall was eerily quiet, save for the torrential rain pouring outside the window and Dugu Yan's heavy, disordered breathing.

The comfortable sensation brought by the wisp of Pure Yang Dragon Qi between her brows was still flowing through her Meridians, but Dugu Yan knew in her heart that once she stepped out of this door tonight, what awaited her was a torment worse than death and a doomed path.

On one side lies the illusory pride of a noble family and the crippled Yu Tianheng; on the other, a tangible chance for survival and the continuation of the family line. Which one?

Even the most proud and arrogant person would find that in the face of true life-or-death terror, all dignity is as fragile as a thin sheet of paper.

Not to mention, this man in front of us is only twelve years old, yet he can crush Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon with his bare hands and withstand the Xuanwu Twin Shields with his bare body. He also has the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and mysterious powerful figures protecting him.

Is following a hegemon destined to stand at the pinnacle of the continent really more humiliating than guarding Yu Tianheng, that good-for-nothing whose very Dao heart has crumbled?

The struggle lasted only ten breaths...

The last trace of stubbornness in Dugu Yan's eyes shattered completely, turning into deep awe and submission.

She loosened her clenched teeth, slowly straightened her body from the carpet, then straightened her knees and bowed her head deeply towards Su Chen's back, pressing her forehead against the cold back of his hand.

"This servant, Dugu Yan... greets my master. From this day forward, Dugu Yan life belongs to you, master, and I will obey your every command without any disloyalty!"

As she completely submitted and acknowledged him as her master, a golden notification silently appeared deep within Su Chen's mind:

[Successfully recruited the core storyline character Dugu Yan, completely dismantling the core bonds of the Imperial Fighting Team and significantly weakening the Destiny and Fate side quest.]

God-Level Critical Hit reward: Increased control over Pure Yang Dragon Aura Cleansing, and acquisition of the special bloodline restriction "Dragon Emperor Symbiotic Seal".

Feeling the sudden appearance of a profound qi and blood cultivation technique within his body, Su Chen turned around, looked down at the obsequious Jade Phosphorous Serpent girl on the ground, and was quite satisfied.

He stepped forward, extended his right hand, joined his index and middle fingers together, and forced out a drop of Origin Dragon Blood Entanglement in crimson flames.

With a pull of energy, the drop of scalding dragon blood transformed into an intricate and majestic crimson-gold dragon pattern in mid-air.

"Raise your head," Su Chen said in a deep voice.

Obediently raising her pale, pretty face, Dugu Yan's emerald eyes no longer held any arrogance, only trepidation and longing.

Su Chen pointed his fingers down and placed them directly on the center of her smooth brow!

Laugh--!

The scalding red-gold dragon pattern was instantly imprinted deep into her skin, transforming into a vast and boundless pure yang medicinal power that surged into her limbs and bones through her Baihui Acupoint!

"Ah..."

Dugu Yan couldn't help but let out a soft moan that sounded like a mixture of pain and pleasure, her whole body trembling violently...

That domineering Pure Yang Dragon Blood surged through her Meridians, forcibly stripping, calcining, and purifying the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that had accumulated in her bone marrow and deep within her Qimen Acupoint for many years, and then forcing it all into the origin of her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul!

A layer of foul-smelling, sticky, black poisonous sweat seeped from her body, and her skin, which had been slightly dull due to the toxins, became fair and radiant at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul residing within her body was not only undamaged, but under the baptism of the Pure Yang Dragon Blood, it shed a layer of old skin. A small, dark golden fleshy crown faintly grew on its serpent head, and its Soul Power broke through the level 38 barrier, directly stabilizing at the peak of level 39!

A moment later, the crimson-gold dragon pattern between his brows disappeared, transforming into a bloodline mark that only Su Chen could perceive.

Lying limply at Su Chen's feet, Dugu Yan's chest heaved violently. The backlash that had plagued her for over ten years had been completely eradicated in an instant, leaving her feeling so comfortable that she almost wanted to groan out loud.

Raising her misty blue eyes, she gazed intently at the god-like boy before her, her hands involuntarily wrapping around Su Chen's legs, pressing her burning cheeks against his trouser leg.

"Thank you, Master, for giving me a second chance at life... Yan'er this life, I belong to you, Master, and in death, I will be yours."

Looking down at the completely devoted Dugu Yan, Su Chen reached out and pinched her smooth chin, lifting her face. "I have already refined and returned the poison to its source for you, but the poison in your grandfather Dugu Bo's body has penetrated into his internal organs, and cannot be cured by ordinary means. Tomorrow morning, you will return to Heaven Dou Imperial City with the caravan. You don't need to hide what happened tonight; just show Dugu Bo your recovered pulse."

Dugu Yan obediently let him pinch her chin, nodding repeatedly. "Master wants me to lure Grandpa over?"

"He doesn't need to come to Suotuo City. We'll head to the Heaven Dou Imperial City in a few days." Releasing his grip, Su Chen's voice was calm and resolute. "Just tell him that if he wants to live, he should prepare that treasure in Sunset Forest, wash his neck clean, and wait to see me outside Heaven Dou City!"