Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Deep among the mountains.
Ning Xian continued along the mountain path with Dugu Yan.
Xuanhuang light wound around Dugu Yan's wrist. Unable to break free, she could only follow behind.
The two walked several hundred paces.
Suddenly, dense poisonous fumes drifted from the woods ahead.
Jade-green mist surged out of the valley, spreading rapidly along the ground.
The surrounding vegetation withered the instant it touched the poisonous mist.
Dugu Yan's expression shifted slightly.
"Grandpa's here."
She turned to look at Ning Xian.
"It's not too late to let me go."
Ning Xian did not stop.
"You think he can stop me?"
Dugu Yan opened her mouth.
She recalled how Ning Xian had suppressed her with a raised hand earlier and ultimately said nothing more.
At the center of the valley.
An old man in gray robes walked through the air toward them.
His hair was disheveled, his face gaunt, and he wore no adornments whatsoever.
Yet with every step he took, the poisonous mist around him grew denser.
Nine Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
When the final Soul Ring appeared, jade-green light enveloped the entire valley.
Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze settling on Ning Xian.
"You trespassed into Heaven Dou Royal Academy and took my granddaughter."
"I'll give you one chance."
"Release Yanyan and leave this place at once."
Dugu Yan immediately said, "Grandpa, he isn't from the academy."
Dugu Bo raised a hand to interrupt her.
His eyes remained fixed on Ning Xian throughout.
Someone who could slip past the academy's guards without a sound and bring Dugu Yan here was certainly no ordinary Soul Master.
Ning Xian looked up at Dugu Bo.
"The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul."
"Rank ninety-one Soul Power."
"The serpent poison accumulated in your body has already invaded your bone marrow."
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted slightly.
Having cultivated the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor for years, he knew his own condition better than anyone.
The greater the power the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor granted him, the worse the poison backlash became.
All these years, he had been searching for a way to suppress the poison.
But things capable of neutralizing Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison were exceedingly rare in this world.
"You've investigated me?"
"There's no need."
Ning Xian said calmly:
"You can't hide your poison."
A measure of scrutiny entered Dugu Bo's eyes.
"Since you know how poisonous the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor is and still dare stand before me, you must indeed have some ability."
He raised his palm.
Jade-green Soul Power gathered in it.
"But knowing that isn't enough."
"I'll ask you once more. Will you release her?"
Ning Xian looked at Dugu Yan.
"Your grandfather has quite a temper."
Dugu Yan gently bit her lip.
Of course she knew Dugu Bo's temperament.
As long as Ning Xian continued to refuse, her grandfather would never stop.
"Ning Xian, leave now."
"Grandpa's poison is extremely powerful."
Ning Xian raised his hand.
A Xuanhuang Ancient Tower slowly rose behind him.
The tower stood dozens of zhang tall.
Xuanhuang radiance spread from its base, instantly covering the entire valley.
The jade-green poisonous mist that had filled the air rapidly dissipated beneath the mystic yellow radiance.
All nine Soul Rings around Dugu Bo froze at once.
The Soul Power he had just gathered was also forced back into his body at that moment.
The Ancient Tower Projection behind Ning Xian grew ever clearer.
Mountains and rivers flowed beneath the tower.
Stars alternated above its peak.
An immense, weighty presence pressed down from the heavens.
Dugu Bo's body sank, his feet plunging straight into the ground.
He tried to unleash his Martial Soul Avatar.
But the moment his Soul Power began to circulate, an even vaster force suppressed it.
"This is..."
Dugu Bo looked up at the Xuanhuang Ancient Tower, his expression changing completely.
Dugu Yan stood behind Ning Xian.
As she gazed at the Ancient Tower looming over the valley, her green eyes brimmed with admiration.
Earlier, outside the academy, she had only known that Ning Xian was powerful.
Only now did she truly understand just what sort of person she had encountered.
A single Ancient Tower Projection could suppress a rank ninety-one Titled Douluo.
Ning Xian's strength had already surpassed anything she could comprehend.
"Grandpa, hurry and put away your Martial Soul."
Dugu Yan spoke urgently.
Dugu Bo did not answer.
He continued to stare at Ning Xian.
"Who exactly are you?"
Ning Xian lowered his hand.
The Xuanhuang Ancient Tower remained suspended above the valley.
"Who I am doesn't matter."
"What matters is that I can resolve the poison in your body."
Dugu Bo's expression froze.
The next moment, disregarding his suppressed Soul Power, he dropped straight to his knees.
The rock beneath his knees shattered.
Dugu Yan was stunned as well.
She had never expected her ever-proud grandfather to kneel before Ning Xian.
Dugu Bo lowered his head.
"Senior, if you can resolve the bloodline poison in my body, I am willing to serve you."
Ning Xian looked at Dugu Bo kneeling before him.
"You're certainly decisive."
Dugu Bo raised his head.
"My lifetime of poison cultivation is both my strength and my torment."
"The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor bloodline passes down from generation to generation."
"I've endured poison backlash for decades, and Yanyan has already begun to show the same problem."
"As long as you can save the two of us, Senior, my life is yours."
Dugu Yan's expression stirred.
She lifted her head, her gaze settling on Ning Xian.
"I'll listen to you too."
"As long as you can help my grandpa."
Ning Xian looked at her.
"The poison in your body hasn't fully erupted yet."
"It won't be difficult to resolve."
Dugu Bo immediately asked, "Senior, you have a way?"
"Remove the poison and alter the bloodline."
Ning Xian said:
"You cultivate the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, so your bloodline itself is highly poisonous."
"Forcing the poison out would only damage the foundation of your Martial Soul."
"I can separate the poison from your bloodline, then use another kind of power to rebuild your foundation."
A light appeared in Dugu Bo's eyes.
"What do you need?"
"Immortal herbs."
"What immortal herbs?"
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
Ning Xian looked up toward the depths of the mountains.
"Enough immortal herbs grow there."
"Only with those immortal herbs can your bloodlines undergo a complete transformation."
Dugu Bo immediately said, "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is in Sunset Forest."
"I'll take you there right now, Senior."
He rose from the ground.
The shattered stones beneath his knees rolled down the slope.
Ning Xian glanced at him.
"Not yet."
Dugu Bo stopped in his tracks.
"Why?"
"I still have things to do."
Ning Xian continued forward.
The Xuanhuang light tugged Dugu Yan along, and she hurried after him.
Dugu Bo stood where he was, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Senior, treating our bloodlines cannot wait."
"The poison in my body has already accumulated for years."
"Yanyan is still young. The sooner it's dealt with, the fewer hidden dangers will remain."
Ning Xian did not look back.
"I said there's no hurry."
Dugu Bo watched his retreating figure, his heart filled with questions.
He could identify the problem with the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor bloodline and name the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well at a glance.
Yet someone like him was in no hurry to obtain the immortal herbs.
Could he have something more important to do than treating our bloodlines?
Dugu Yan turned to look at Dugu Bo.
"Grandpa, come along."
After a moment of silence, Dugu Bo strode after them.
Though anxious, he did not dare urge Ning Xian on.
When the Ancient Tower's suppression had descended earlier, he had not even had a chance to resist.
Between a rank ninety-one Titled Douluo and Ning Xian lay a gulf that could not be crossed.
Before you continue