Dugu Bo was desperate to learn how Chen Zhuo would resolve the hereditary affliction of the Dugu Family.
The flaw in his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul had eluded him his entire life.
Now, a god had truly come to save him.
How could he not be excited?
"Wherever venomous snakes dwell, an antidote must lie within three paces."
Chen Zhuo sighed. Dugu Bo had been guarding a mountain of treasure without even knowing it.
He had let all its riches fall into the hands of Tang San, that child of destiny, for nothing.
Dugu Bo did not understand what Chen Zhuo meant.
But Chen Zhuo told him he would understand once they returned to his secluded cultivation grounds.
The path to salvation lay there.
With Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, escorting them, none of the venomous snakes, insects, or ants in the toxic den that was Sunset Forest could harm Chen Zhuo or Dugu Yan.
The three reached the heart of Sunset Forest without incident.
They passed through a sea of Jade-Scale Seven-Extinction Flowers, every part of which was highly poisonous.
Then they arrived at a secluded paradise.
"Grandpa, is this the secret base you mentioned?"
She smelled the sulfur in the air.
She gazed at the vast clusters of crystals exposed on the surface and the countless exotic flowers and herbs.
Dugu Yan marveled that this place was practically a natural Martial Soul simulation cultivation ground. Practicing poison cultivation here would naturally yield twice the results with half the effort.
She knew her grandfather disappeared for a while every year.
He needed this hidden realm to suppress the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that flared up in his body from time to time.
He had only mentioned it briefly before, and this was her first visit.
Everything she saw felt new and wondrous.
Of course, as a disciple of the Dugu Lineage, she was quite well versed in pharmacology herself.
Along the way, she had spotted many highly poisonous medicinal herbs growing here.
She would not recklessly pick flowers just because they were blooming beautifully.
"Burble, burble..."
The strange pool in the valley resembled a taiji diagram.
One half consisted of scalding vermilion water.
The other consisted of icy blue water that gave off a freezing chill.
The two existed in perfect harmony, yet remained distinctly separate.
The scorching Yang Spring and the Extreme Cold Yin Spring.
Twin springs born from a single source.
"What an Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!" Chen Zhuo revealed the nature of this place.
"Look at that infernal delicate apricot shaped like red coral, and that octagonal mysterious ice grass shaped like an oversized white eight-pointed star."
"As long as you consume these two immortal herbs together, then jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, you can neutralize the toxins accumulated in your body."
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted sharply. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his hands and feet began trembling uncontrollably.
Merely consuming two medicinal herbs could cure his Martial Soul's poison?
It was that simple?
Naturally, he did not doubt a single word Chen Zhuo said.
If only he had known this sooner.
His emotions surged so violently.
Because Dugu Bo had already sunk deep into self-reproach.
His family's tragedy was the inner demon that had haunted him all his life.
Chen Zhuo continued, "This method has drawbacks, too."
"It can indeed eliminate the serpent poison accumulated in your body, but the price is steep."
"Once the toxins in your body have been neutralized, all your poison cultivation will be dissolved along with them."
Dugu Bo's expression changed abruptly. His fingers clenched tight, his knuckles turning white.
"Throw away fifty years of bitter cultivation?"
After hearing Chen Zhuo's detoxification method, Dugu Yan also wore a strange expression, wanting to speak but holding back.
Silence. A long silence.
Dugu Bo knew full well that almost all his strength came from poison.
Without the extraordinary Jade Phosphorous poison that had made his name known throughout the world.
He would be like a tiger stripped of its claws.
As fatally crippled as a venomous snake with its fangs pulled out.
When that happened.
Even if his Martial Soul's flaw were resolved, more than half his overall strength and the power of his Soul Skills would be lost.
The popular joke that he was the weakest Titled Douluo would become undeniable fact.
He, the Poison Douluo, had roamed freely and lived as he pleased for half his life.
Was it all to end in such a stifling fashion?
If he had a choice.
He would rather die spectacularly from his poison than cling to life in a miserable state.
Of course, if this was what Chen Zhuo wanted him to do.
He would obey without hesitation.
"There are other ways."
"But the price you must pay will be greater as well."
Chen Zhuo told Dugu Bo that he could force all the toxins in his body into a Soul Bone, using it as a vessel to condense and seal away the deadly poison he had cultivated throughout his life.
As he continued cultivating afterward.
His Martial Soul would still produce Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that corroded his body.
When that happened.
He would simply need to repeat the process and seal the toxins inside the Soul Bone.
Chen Zhuo explained the advantages and disadvantages of this method to Dugu Bo in detail.
Dugu Bo understood.
He knew that although this second method looked promising, it treated only the symptoms, not the root cause.
For example.
If he had ten years left to live in his current state, then using a Soul Bone as a medium to regularly "expel the poison."
Might extend his lifespan to fifteen years, or even longer.
But both his body and the Soul Bone within it had limits to how much poison they could bear.
Sooner or later, the day would come when they could no longer withstand the burden.
As long as he cultivated his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, the toxins would keep forming anew.
Unless the problem was resolved at its root, there was no escaping this deadly cycle.
His lifespan was destined to be far shorter than that of other Soul Masters at his level.
But...
Dugu Bo raised his head to look at Chen Zhuo, his gaze turning resolute.
He was just about to voice his wishes. If possible, he wanted to choose the second option.
This was also the detoxification method Tang San had offered Dugu Bo in the original timeline.
In a sense, Tang San had planted an invisible land mine for Dugu Bo.
It served as a means of keeping him in check.
Of course, neither could really blame the other in this matter.
Neither was innocent.
And both had understandable reasons.
As though he had seen through Dugu Bo's thoughts, Chen Zhuo's lips curved slightly, his gaze as deep as an abyss.
"Actually, this method is perfectly viable."
"You just need a more special kind of Soul Bone."
Chen Zhuo told Dugu Bo that he only needed to obtain an External Soul Bone, preferably a scorpion tail bone from a Soul Beast such as a Pink Lady or an Ice Jade Scorpion.
Would that not give the residual poison accumulated by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor somewhere to go?
Hearing this, Dugu Bo felt as though the fog in his mind had suddenly cleared.
Yet the spark of hope that had just risen in his heart was doused by the cold water of reason.
There were seven types of Soul Bones produced by Soul Beasts.
Soul Bones were divided into six standard categories and the rarest kind of all, External Soul Bones.
The standard Soul Bones were skull bones, torso bones, left arm bones, right arm bones, left leg bones, and right leg bones.
External Soul Bones had no fixed form.
They could be wings, tails, or even eyes.
With his strength and standing as a Titled Douluo, obtaining a thousand-year Soul Bone would not be difficult.
But once a Soul Bone reached ten thousand years, it became a sect-defining treasure for the great sects.
Unless a sect was destroyed, almost no one would offer one for trade.
And External Soul Bones were far rarer than any of the six standard categories.
He had never even seen one in his entire life.
Beside him, Dugu Yan was also torn.
She did not want to see her grandfather, who had finally broken through to Titled Douluo and extended his lifespan, still fail to escape the fate of dying young like her father.
She was wondering whether to persuade him to abandon his poison cultivation and simply choose the first option.
But she did not know how to broach the subject.
"Guess what?"
"As for an External Soul Bone."
"I have one!"
Chen Zhuo reached behind him, and Water Severer appeared in his hand.
"A ninety-thousand-year Transforming Serpent External Soul Bone."
"It's yours."
It would have been a lie to say parting with it did not hurt at all.
But once Chen Zhuo made a decision, he would not regret it.
Sabers and swords certainly looked impressive.
But in terms of compatibility with his Twelve Animal Form Fist, a spear suited him better!
Once he mastered his fist art, he would have to forge himself a great spear.
This detachable, symbiotic External Soul Bone was practically made for Dugu Bo's affliction.
A match made in heaven.
"Young master, this..."
Dugu Bo's Adam's apple bobbed, but no words came out.
What had he done to deserve an External Soul Bone that could theoretically evolve without limit?
Chen Zhuo's current identity was the young master of Dugu Manor. But even in private, Dugu Bo had begun addressing him that way.
Chen Zhuo could not be bothered to correct him.
At any rate, it was better than being called "master" all day.
"I'm giving it to you, so take it."
Chen Zhuo shoved Water Severer directly into Dugu Bo's hands.
"Later, I'll teach you a saber-control technique."
For Dugu Bo, Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison was the ideal medium for forging a connection between man and blade.
Next.
He would find an immortal herb for Dugu Bo.
Before you continue