[Template: War God Feng Yao] [Ability: Grow stronger through combat] [Ultimate skill: Shining Spirit Art] [Equipment: White Tiger Power Lock (Douluo version). Increases combat power tenfold when equipped] [Martial Soul Avatar can transform into a Super Beast] [Name: Dai Jinge] [Martial Soul: White Tiger] [Soul Power: Level 30] [Soul Skills: Instant Teleportation, White Tiger Annihilation Strike]
Dai Jinge opened his information panel, glanced at it, and asked with concern:
"Zhu Zhuqing, what level is your Soul Power now?"
Zhu Zhuqing paused, carefully sensing her current Soul Power Level, then said in surprise, "My Soul Power seems to have already reached level twenty."
Dai Jinge took out a lustrous crystal ball and held it out to Zhu Zhuqing. "Give it a try."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded and placed her hand on the crystal ball. It quickly lit up, displaying a reading of precisely level twenty.
"My Soul Power actually rose by three levels..."
Looking at the reading on the crystal ball, Zhu Zhuqing covered her small mouth in astonishment.
"That's not all. Once you absorb your Second Soul Ring, it'll rise even further."
Dai Jinge was certain of that.
After all, not only had Zhu Zhuqing and he tempered their bodies with octagonal mysterious ice grass and infernal delicate apricot, but they had also just absorbed half of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red each.
The Lovesick Heartbreak Red was a divine treasure. Consuming it alone could raise someone's Soul Power by ten levels outright, even at the Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor stage.
Yet he and Zhu Zhuqing were only Soul Masters with one or two rings. Even though each had absorbed only half of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, its effects would still be substantial.
"What about you, Jinge?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.
Dai Jinge smiled. "I'm already at level thirty, and I rose to it from level twenty-three. The accumulation needed for that is nothing like going from level seventeen to twenty."
Zhu Zhuqing looked thoughtful and murmured, "In that case, once I become a Soul Grandmaster, my Soul Power should rise by at least another five levels or so..."
Dai Jinge wholeheartedly agreed. "There's no time to lose. Let's find suitable Soul Beasts here in Sunset Forest."
Zhu Zhuqing paused. "Just the two of us? Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"
Dai Jinge reassured her, "Zhu Zhuqing, don't worry. Our Martial Soul Fusion Skill can help us handle those problems. If we still encounter a Soul Beast that's too powerful, I can get you out safely."
The worry on Zhu Zhuqing's face began to fade.
"Before that..."
Dai Jinge let out a deep sigh. "Let's collect Patriarch Yang's remains first."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Dugu Bo's remains and asked, "Then... what about him?"
Dai Jinge considered it for a moment. "He's dead. Let him rest in peace beneath the earth. We'll bury him here and put up a headstone. Hopefully, his granddaughter will find it someday."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
Dai Jinge first gathered Yang Wudi's remains, then buried Dugu Bo's remains where they lay.
Even in death, Dugu Bo's bones still contained extremely potent toxins.
Fortunately, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well could suppress poison. The toxins in Dugu Bo's remains would gradually disappear entirely with time.
"Tiger Roaring Flash Chariot!"
Dai Jinge gave a low shout, and a sound like a ferocious beast's roar suddenly rang through the valley.
In an instant, the [Tiger Roaring Flash Chariot] appeared in its aircraft form and hovered before Dai Jinge.
"Zhu Zhuqing, let's go."
"All right~"
Zhu Zhuqing smiled sweetly and stepped in front of Dai Jinge. He then sent the [Tiger Roaring Flash Chariot] into the air, swiftly leaving the valley.
"Zhu Zhuqing, look down there!"
Dai Jinge gazed at the deathly silent forest below, his heart pounding with alarm.
At his words, Zhu Zhuqing looked down.
When she saw that every tree within an area roughly a thousand meters across had withered and died, without a trace of life remaining, Zhu Zhuqing could not help exclaiming, "How terrifying!"
Dai Jinge said gravely, "If I'm not mistaken, Dugu Bo did all this. For a Titled Douluo like him, it wouldn't be difficult."
Zhu Zhuqing murmured, "A Titled Douluo... to think they could be so terrifying..."
By the time the two returned to the restaurant, evening had already fallen.
Inside the restaurant, two Yang Family disciples sat in the ground-floor dining hall, listlessly eating and drinking.
The moment Dai Jinge and Zhu Zhuqing entered the restaurant, they caught the two disciples' attention.
Almost without hesitation, both rose at once and walked toward Dai Jinge and Zhu Zhuqing, greeting them. "Fourth Prince, Miss Zhu."
Seeing the two Yang Family disciples, Dai Jinge could hardly bring himself to meet their eyes. But some things could not be hidden; what had to come would come.
Dai Jinge took a deep breath. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go upstairs."
The two Yang Family disciples exchanged looks, their brows furrowing. Though their minds were full of questions, they could hardly ask them now, so they could only follow Dai Jinge upstairs.
In a room at the restaurant, Dai Jinge took out Yang Wudi's bones before the two Yang Family disciples.
The bones had already undergone special treatment, leaving no residual poison. Otherwise, even the tiniest trace would have been enough to kill both Yang Family disciples.
At the sight of the bones, the two Yang Family disciples froze. They had their suspicions but dared not acknowledge them. Both stared fixedly at Dai Jinge in disbelief, demanding an explanation with their eyes.
Dai Jinge sighed. "Your patriarch... is dead. These are his remains. Take good care of them."
At those words, one Yang Family disciple demanded in a low voice, "Fourth Prince, what exactly happened? Why did our patriarch go out with you, only for you to come back alive while he died?"
The other disciple's expression turned icy, and he had even summoned his Martial Soul.
Dai Jinge said gravely, "At the time, Zhu Zhuqing and I were attending to something very important, while your patriarch was gathering medicinal herbs. But by the time we returned, he was already dead, killed by a deadly poison."
"As for who killed him, I can give you an answer: Poison Douluo Dugu Bo."
"Dugu Bo himself is also dead. His remains... had been reduced to fragments. I suspect he died by self-detonation."
Hearing Dai Jinge's explanation, the two Yang Family disciples exchanged looks, their faces filled with disbelief.
One of them asked, "Fourth Prince, are you saying our patriarch and Dugu Bo killed each other?"
Dai Jinge nodded. "That's my guess. I don't know whether that's really what happened."
"But..."
The Yang Family disciple said with anguish, "Even if that's true, our patriarch is dead. How are we supposed to explain this to our clansmen when we return?"
Dai Jinge could not feel exactly what they felt, but he understood their current emotions well enough. He sighed. "Every word I've said is true. I hope you can believe me."
The other disciple clenched his teeth and said angrily, "Easy for you to say! You're not the one who died! You want us to believe you, but who's going to believe us?"
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