"You... you shameless creep!"
Dugu Yan gritted her teeth.
She glared at Chen Jin, her eyes filled with humiliation, anger, and panic.
Chen Jin remained composed.
He unhurriedly took a set of clean clothes from his Storage Soul Tool.
He put them on at a leisurely pace.
"Shut up."
"If I hadn't burned away all your clothes, the lingering toxins would have attacked your body again."
"I was saving you, not deliberately taking advantage of you."
Chen Jin fastened his belt, turned around, and looked down at her.
"Besides, you have a nice figure. It would have been a shame not to look."
Dugu Yan trembled with rage at his words.
"You... you're still saying that!"
"I'll kill you!"
Dugu Yan moved to stand up.
But the movement was too large, and she nearly exposed herself again, hurriedly shrinking back.
She clutched both hands tightly over her chest.
She was so humiliated and furious she wanted to die.
"Grandpa!"
Dugu Yan shouted toward the outside.
The moment the flame cocoon dissipated, Dugu Bo had already sensed what was happening inside.
Hearing his granddaughter's shriek-
The Titled Douluo stood a hundred meters away, his aged face turning green and then pale.
He could neither leave nor stay.
"Ahem, Yanyan, young friend Chen was only trying to save you."
"Besides, has the poison in your body really been cured?"
Dugu Bo's voice carried over from afar, tinged with awkwardness and anticipation.
In the valley.
A gentle breeze blew.
The rich fragrance of medicinal herbs spread through the air.
Hiding behind a huge Giant Rock, Dugu Yan hurriedly took a brand-new green dress from her Storage Soul Tool.
She fumbled as she pulled it on.
Her fingers refused to obey her in her nervousness.
She failed several times to fasten the buttons.
The burning heat in her cheeks had yet to subside.
The scene from moments earlier kept flashing through her mind.
The sight of them facing each other so bare made her heart race as though it would leap out of her chest.
Chen Jin stood a short distance away, his expression calm and his hands behind his back.
His gaze rested on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well ahead, without so much as a glance behind the Giant Rock.
Footsteps drew nearer.
Finally unable to contain his anxiety, Dugu Bo flickered into motion, trailing a string of emerald afterimages as he arrived beside the Giant Rock.
"Yanyan!"
Concern filled the old man's voice.
Dugu Yan had just finished straightening her clothes and stepped out from behind the Giant Rock.
Though her face remained flushed, she looked astonishingly invigorated.
The sickly dark green in her eyes had now condensed into a crystalline gleam of green, bright and lively.
It was a sign that the toxins had been drawn inward and brought completely under control.
Dugu Bo stepped in front of his granddaughter.
His thin, withered hand settled on Dugu Yan's wrist.
A strand of pure Jade Phosphorous Soul Power carefully probed the meridians inside her body.
The instant his soul power entered her body-
Dugu Bo shuddered violently.
The tension on his aged face gradually gave way to stunned blankness.
Then-
A dazzling brilliance burst from his green eyes.
"This..."
"How is this possible..."
Poison Douluo murmured in a daze.
Through Dugu Bo's senses, the meridians inside Dugu Yan were broad and supple, even bearing a faint Gold-Red halo.
What shocked Dugu Bo most was this.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that had entwined itself deep within Dugu Yan's meridians, almost fusing with her flesh and bones, had now vanished completely.
Not the slightest trace remained.
The toxins deep in her marrow, which caused pain whenever the weather turned damp and rainy, had also been purified by a gentle yet scorching force.
Not only that.
The soul power within Dugu Yan circulated several times faster than before.
The bottleneck that had troubled her for so long was actually showing signs of breaking.
The poison really had been cured.
All of it.
The bloodline poison that had plagued generations of the Dugu Family and sent countless gifted talents to early graves.
It had actually been eradicated by a young man in less than two hours.
Dugu Bo released her wrist and looked toward Chen Jin.
His eyes no longer held their earlier scrutiny or lofty superiority.
They were filled with reverence.
The Titled Douluo drew a deep breath.
His knees bent slightly as he made to bow down before Chen Jin.
Chen Jin flickered aside, avoiding the bow.
"Poison Elder, there's no need for this."
"This was merely part of our deal."
Chen Jin's voice was even, and no emotional fluctuation showed on his face.
Dugu Bo straightened, his expression utterly solemn.
"Young friend Chen-no, Divine Physician Chen."
"To you, this may be a transaction."
"But to me, you've saved a life and bestowed the grace of rebirth by ensuring my Dugu Family's bloodline can continue."
The old man turned to Dugu Yan, who was still fidgeting to one side.
"Yanyan, come thank your benefactor!"
"You were so rude just now. If Divine Physician Chen weren't so magnanimous, I would certainly not let you off!"
Dugu Bo's voice carried a measure of sternness.
Dugu Yan bit her lip.
With delicate steps, she slowly approached Chen Jin.
She looked at the handsome young man before her, who appeared a little younger than herself.
A jumble of feelings stirred within Dugu Yan, like all five flavors mingling together.
Shyness.
Gratitude.
And a trace of something strange she could neither explain nor describe.
"Just now..."
"I misunderstood you just now."
"I'm sorry."
Dugu Yan lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Thank you for saving my life."
With that, Dugu Yan bowed gracefully to Chen Jin.
Chen Jin nodded and accepted her bow.
"Rise."
"Since we've reached an agreement, I will naturally keep my promise."
Chen Jin turned his gaze toward Dugu Bo.
"Next, it's your turn."
Dugu Bo's spirits surged at those words.
"I entrust my body entirely to your treatment as well, Divine Physician Chen."
Without any hesitation, the old man sat cross-legged on the Giant Rock.
Chen Jin walked behind Dugu Bo.
He looked at the Poison Douluo before him, whose name resounded across the continent.
Dugu Bo's poisoning ran ten, even a hundred times deeper than Dugu Yan's.
After all, the old man had already cultivated to the Titled Douluo realm. The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison had long since penetrated all his internal organs and even fused completely with his soul core.
Without a ten-thousand-year Head Soul Bone forcibly gathering the toxins together, he would likely have gone to the Yellow Springs long ago.
"The process will be ten times more painful than it was for your granddaughter."
"Grit your teeth, and don't circulate your soul power to resist."
Chen Jin's voice sounded beside Dugu Bo's ear.
The old man closed his eyes.
"Go ahead. I've lived for so many years-what pain haven't I experienced?"
Chen Jin said no more.
The Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Martial Soul within him erupted once again.
Gold-Red light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire valley as brightly as day.
A sacred phoenix apparition spread its wings behind Chen Jin.
The heat of ultimate fire began to warp the surrounding air.
Chen Jin raised his hands, gathering two balls of almost tangible Gold-Red flame in his palms.
He slammed them against Dugu Bo's back.
Boom!
The raging ultimate fire transformed into countless streams of scorching flame, forcibly charging into Dugu Bo's meridians.
Dugu Bo began to tremble violently.
Beads of sweat the size of beans seeped from his forehead.
His face lost all color in an instant.
Ultimate fire collided fiercely with Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison within his meridians.
The pain was like ten thousand ants gnawing at his bones, like raging flames burning his body.
Dugu Bo clenched his teeth so hard that even his gums began to bleed.
Yet he stubbornly refused to utter a sound.
Chen Jin remained composed, his spiritual power intensely focused.
He controlled the divine phoenix fire, weaving Gold-Red nets of flame within Dugu Bo's body.
He began driving out the stubborn toxins entrenched deep within the meridians.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss-"
A corrosive hissing came from within Dugu Bo.
As the ultimate fire refined the toxins-
Wisps of ink-black smoke, carrying a nauseating stench, were continuously forced from Dugu Bo's pores.
The moment the black smoke touched the air, it sizzled, attempting to corrode everything around it.
However.
Under the absolute suppression of the Nine-Heaven Divine Phoenix's fire.
Before the poisonous mist could spread, it was purified into nothingness.
Dugu Yan stood to one side, watching nervously.
Her hands unconsciously clutched the hem of her dress.
Though she knew what Chen Jin was capable of, she still could not help feeling her heart tighten at the sight of her grandfather's suffering.
Time passed, minute by minute and second by second.
Chen Jin had expended an enormous amount of Soul Power.
Sweat covered his forehead as well.
The Nine-Turn Nirvana Art circulated at full speed within him, constantly replenishing his depleted Soul Power.
"Focus your mind as one!"
"Guide all the poison into your Soul Bone!"
Chen Jin commanded in a low voice.
Dugu Bo's heart tightened.
He immediately followed Chen Jin's instructions, enduring the excruciating pain as he mobilized his remaining Soul Power.
He began working with the Divine Phoenix Fire, steadily compressing the poison that had been driven back into his Soul Bone.
Under the pursuit of Ultimate Fire, the poison scattered throughout his body fled like dogs that had lost their home.
It surged continuously toward his Head Soul Bone.
As the poison poured in, the Soul Bone emitted an eerie emerald glow.
But with the seal of Ultimate Fire in place.
The poison was locked firmly inside the Soul Bone, no longer able to inflict any backlash on his body.
An hour later.
Chen Jin drew a deep breath and abruptly pulled both hands away.
The Gold-Red light receded like a tide.
The Divine Phoenix phantom gradually dissipated.
Chen Jin was slightly out of breath and looked pale, but his breathing remained steady.
Dugu Bo sat on the Giant Rock.
He looked ten years younger.
His withered skin had gained a faint luster.
The greenish cast that had lingered on his face for years had vanished completely.
Only a healthy rosiness remained.
The old man slowly opened his eyes, and two sharp gleams flashed and vanished.
Dugu Bo stood up.
He tried moving his body, and his joints gave a series of crisp cracks.
Relief.
Utter relief.
It felt as though he had cast off shackles weighing ten thousand jin that he had borne for decades.
Every cell in his body was cheering.
Every pore greedily drank in the fresh air.
His dry, sluggish Soul Power now surged endlessly through his meridians like mighty rivers.
It flowed with incomparable ease.
And that was not all.
Without the poison suppressing him.
The level ninety-two bottleneck that had troubled him for years actually loosened at that moment.
There were faint signs of a breakthrough to level ninety-three.
"Hahahaha!"
"I... I'm finally free!"
Dugu Bo threw back his head and laughed, his voice echoing through the valley.
As he laughed, the corners of his eyes actually grew wet.
Seeing this, Dugu Yan also wept with joy.
She hurried over and hugged Dugu Bo's arm.
"Grandpa, you're all right! You really are all right!"
Dugu Bo patted the back of his granddaughter's hand.
Then.
He slowly walked up to Chen Jin.
Before Dugu Yan's astonished eyes.
This Poison Douluo, ordinarily so proud, whose might shook the continent.
Bent his knees.
And solemnly sank onto one knee.
He clasped his hands in salute.
"Divine Physician Chen, I, Dugu Bo, will remember your kindness in granting me a new life until my dying day!"
"From this day forward, this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well belongs to you, Divine Physician Chen."
"You may do as you please with all the medicinal herbs in this valley, Divine Physician Chen."
Dugu Bo raised his head, his eyes filled with resolve and sincerity.
"Whenever you have any use for this old man, Divine Physician Chen."
"Through mountains of blades and seas of fire, I will never refuse!"
"Should I break this oath, may Heaven and Earth strike me down!"
His aged voice rang with unwavering force through the valley.
Chen Jin looked at the Titled Douluo kneeling before him.
His expression remained calm.
He stepped forward and reached out to help Dugu Bo up.
"You're being too solemn."
"We each got what we needed. I'm very satisfied with this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
The emerald mist had been burned away completely by the Divine Phoenix Fire.
Dugu Bo stood with his back bowed, his manner respectful.
Chen Jin withdrew his hand. The Small Circulation within him completed its cycle, and his depleted Soul Power swiftly recovered under the guidance of the Nine-Turn Nirvana Art.
"Poison Elder, my business in Sunset Forest is finished. It's time I left."
Chen Jin looked at the Titled Douluo before him, his tone calm.
Dugu Bo hastily clasped his hands.
"Divine Physician Chen, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well awaits you at any time. I will remain here to guard it and will never allow anyone else to disturb it."
Chen Jin nodded.
His gaze swept over Dugu Yan beside them.
Dugu Yan's face was rosy, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet Chen Jin's eyes.
Chen Jin said nothing more. Gold-Red light flickered beneath his feet.
The Phoenix God's Wings shimmered faintly behind his back.
He became a streak of red light, shot into the sky, and vanished into the mists of Sunset Forest.
On the main road.
A gentle breeze brushed the loose hair across his forehead as Chen Jin walked at an unhurried pace.
The tournament preliminaries in Heaven Dou City had drawn to a close.
The various academies had entered a period of rest.
Nearly a month remained before the upcoming advancement matches.
That was enough time to do many things.
Chen Jin examined the inside of his body.
His Soul Power had already reached the level forty bottleneck.
After absorbing large amounts of whale rubber, coupled with his breakthrough in the Nine-Turn Nirvana Art, his physique had become unimaginably powerful.
His Fourth Soul Ring.
He had to obtain it as soon as possible.
Only by obtaining his Fourth Soul Ring could he truly enter the Soul Ancestor realm and unleash the might of the Nine-Heaven Divine Phoenix.
Although Sunset Forest had Soul Beasts, most of it was dark and damp, suitable for the poison attribute.
To find a top-tier fire-attribute Soul Beast, he would still have to go to Star Dou Great Forest.
Chen Jin got his bearings, set his body in motion, and sped toward Star Dou Great Forest.
A few days later.
On the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest.
Ancient trees towered overhead, their enormous crowns blotting out the sky and sun.
The scent of damp earth filled the air.
Chen Jin stood on the branch of a giant tree, overlooking the dense jungle below.
This was a paradise for Soul Beasts.
And a playground for slaughter.
Chen Jin concealed his entire aura and moved among the treetops.
His objective this time was to find a Five-Thousand-Year or Older Fire-Attribute Soul Beast.
If it was a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, his current physique would allow him to attempt absorbing it as well.
As he moved forward, hurried rustling came from the dense forest ahead.
It was accompanied by the dull thuds of something heavy hitting the ground.
Chen Jin stopped and concealed himself in the shade.
The bushes below were abruptly torn apart, and a black figure stumbled out in a sorry state.
It was a woman dressed in a tight black leather outfit.
Her sizzling figure was particularly eye-catching beneath the formfitting outfit.
Her long black hair lay scattered messily over her shoulders.
Zhu Zhuqing.
Chen Jin's brow twitched.
Zhu Zhuqing was not in good condition.
Her breathing was rapid, her face utterly bloodless.
Her leather outfit was torn in several places, exposing fair skin streaked with blood beneath.
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