This Old Life of Mine Is Yours to Command!
At that moment, Dugu Bo personally led the way, and they soon arrived at a hidden stone hall on the cliff behind the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Boom! The massive, ten-thousand-pound stone gate slowly descended, completely isolating it from all light and prying eyes.
As soon as the stone gate closed, Dugu Bo turned around and stared intently at Su Chen, his voice urgent. "Young friend Su Chen, let's not beat around the bush! Just now outside the mountain gate, you revealed the backlash death syndrome that has been hidden in my body for twenty years without missing a single word. The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison has already seeped into my internal organs and deep into my bone marrow, even the Martial Soul Origin has been contaminated by the poison. Since you can completely remove the venom from Yanyan's body and help her Martial Soul Evolution, you must also have a way to save my life!"
At this point, Dugu Bo gritted his teeth, lifted his robe, and was about to kneel before Su Chen: "If you, young friend, are willing to save my life and teach my Dugu Family the method to completely rid ourselves of snake venom backlash, I will give you my life at your command!"
Su Chen extended his right hand and supported Dugu Bo's bowing arm.
For a seasoned veteran like Dugu Bo, simply making him kowtow is of little practical use. The real way to control people is to empty his core resources and then tie him to an unbreakable bond of interests.
"Senior Dugu, there's no need for such a grand gesture. Xiaoyan is both my woman and the Vice Captain of the Dragon God Team. For both personal and professional reasons, I will not stand by and watch you succumb to the poison."
Su Chen walked to the stone chair in the center of the secret chamber and sat down, getting straight to the point. "However, senior should know that Xiao Yanzi is level 39, and the snake venom in her body has not yet invaded her internal organs. I only need to infuse her with a wisp of Pure Yang Dragon Qi to burn away the poison and cleanse her marrow. But you are different. You are a level 91 Titled Douluo, and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison has completely grown into your essence, energy, and spirit. Forcibly burning it with Dragon Qi might not cleanse the poison completely; your internal organs would be reduced to ashes first."
Dugu Bo's heart sank, and his face turned deathly pale. "Then... then am I beyond saving?!"
"Others can't save them, but I can."
Looking at Dugu Bo's extremely tense expression, Su Chen slowly raised two fingers. "To completely eradicate your snake venom, we need to proceed in two steps. First, the Head Soul Bone you already have has helped you absorb nearly 30% of the deadly poison, which is why you've survived until today. I can use my primordial Pure Yang Dragon Qi combined with my unique acupuncture technique to forcibly expel the accumulated deadly poison from your bone marrow and internal organs, sealing it all into your Soul Bone, ensuring that the poison won't affect your heart for ten years."
Dugu Bo trembled violently, exclaiming, "You even know that I possess the Medusa Head Soul Bone?!"
This Head Soul Bone is his greatest trump card for survival. He keeps it hidden from the world and no one else in the world knows about it except for the enemies who have died at his hands!
The eyes of the boy in front of me were so clear, they seemed to see right through a person's internal organs and even their soul!
There aren't many things in this world that can escape my eyes.
Su Chen continued, "As for the second step, if you want to completely rid yourself of the Yin poison like Xiao Yan, simply forcing the poison into your bones isn't enough. You must refine a batch of pure Yang holy medicine that rivals the creation of heaven and earth, and combine it with my primordial dragon blood to completely transform your blood and cleanse your marrow! The rare and precious materials needed to refine this holy medicine can only be found in the entire world in your Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye Herb Garden deep within Sunset Forest."
The moment Su Chen uttered the words "Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well," Dugu Bo jumped up like a venomous snake whose tail had been stepped on!
"You... you even know about my Medicine Garden in Sunset Forest?!"
Dugu Bo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Did Yanyan tell you? No! Yanyan only knows that I have a Poison Array for cultivation in Sunset Forest; she has no idea about the name or origin of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well! How did you find out?!"
That Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was a peerless treasure he accidentally discovered in the heart of Sunset Forest after surviving a near-death experience!
Over the years, he has relied entirely on those two extremely cold and extremely hot springs to suppress the poison damage in his body. He has never even taken his own granddaughter inside once. How come this kid can casually call out such an ancient name as "the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well"?
Meeting Dugu Bo's surprised and uncertain gaze, Su Chen confidently stated, "Since I recognize the root of your problem, I naturally recognize all the herbs and spiritual veins in the world. You possess one of the Three Great Treasure Basins, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, yet you can't even identify all the Immortal-Grade Spirit Medicine growing within. You only know how to feed ordinary poisonous herbs to snakes, like a cow chewing on a peony—a blatant waste!"
This merciless reprimand did not anger Dugu Bo; instead, it made the Titled Douluo blush, and the last trace of doubt in his heart completely vanished.
Indeed, he had been guarding that strange hot spring for so many years. Apart from knowing that the spring water could suppress toxins and that the surrounding plants grew quickly, he dared not eat most of the strange-looking herbs inside, for fear of accidentally exploding and dying.
The young man before them could rattle off the names of the "Three Great Treasure Basins," the "Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well," and the "Immortal-Grade Spirit Medicine" with ease, demonstrating an unfathomable mastery of pharmacology and toxicology!
"Then... what does young friend Su Chen mean?" Dugu Bo swallowed hard and asked cautiously.
"My rule is simple: you pay for the consultation with medicinal herbs."
Su Chen stood up, staring intently into Dugu Bo's eyes. "I'll go with you to Sunset Forest. I'll remove the bone marrow poison from your bones, help you break through the level 92 bottleneck, and even find a complete set of soul bones for your granddaughter in the future; in exchange, I can pick and use all the immortal herbs and spiritual medicines in your Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye Garden without you uttering a single objection. Will you take this deal or not?"
Pick and use as you like!
Dugu Bo's eye twitched violently. Although he didn't recognize many of the herbs in that Medicine Garden, any one of them growing in such a precious place was a priceless treasure. This kid actually wanted to empty his Medicine Garden?
However, when he thought of the excruciating pain of being pierced by countless needles every midnight and noon, and then of the majestic Jade Phosphorus Purple Crystal Snake he had just witnessed on his granddaughter Dugu Yan's body outside the door, and Su Chen's casual promise of "breaking through the level 92 bottleneck"...
What's the use of having a garden full of unrecognizable weeds when you die? Are you going to take it with you to the coffin as a burial offering?!
After weighing the pros and cons for only a moment, a resolute ruthlessness flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes. "Fine! I agree! Those herbs are just gathering dust in my hands. As long as you can cure my poison wounds, I won't hesitate to pick even a few, or even empty the entire Medicine Garden!"
The moment the words fell, a faint golden light silently surfaced deep within Su Chen's mind:
[Ding! Successfully subdued the level 91 Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, completely severing the connection between Tang San and the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well! Triggered the stage-specific Destiny Plunder reward: Minor Mastery of the Invulnerability to All Poisons Physics, Complete Guide to the Divine-Level Pharmacology Encyclopedia!]
A clear and profound understanding instantly flowed into his body, and Su Chen felt greatly at ease.
"Excellent. Without further ado, Xue Xing has already carried the bodies of the Xue Beng victims back to the city to report the news. Rather than staying in Heaven Dou City to deal with those flies, we should set off for Sunset Forest now. After I finish retrieving the herbs from the Medicine Garden, I'll come back and have some tea with His Crown Prince."
Su Chen turned and strode towards the stone door of the secret chamber. "Let's go, Senior Dugu, lead the way."
"Good! With me personally leading the way, we should reach the heart of Sunset Forest in less than half a day!"
Dugu Bo was greatly encouraged and took the lead in pushing open the massive stone door. Sunlight poured in from outside, and the five women waiting in the pavilion rose to greet him.
Su Chen gave them a brief explanation, instructing them to return to the Skywave Villa to consolidate their cultivation. At the same time, he used his Soul Power to send a telepathic message to Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, who was high in the clouds, ordering him to secretly return to the Skywave Villa to protect the four women. He himself would travel light with Dugu Bo.
With the arrangements made, Dugu Bo dared not delay for a moment. His dark green level 91 titled Soul Power surged and transformed into Jade Cloud Aura energy that lifted the air currents. It carried Su Chen beside him and soared into the sky like a green meteor tearing through the sky, rushing towards the Sunset Forest in the northeast direction outside the Heaven Dou Imperial City!