Cold Ash Severed Souls

Seeing Dugu Bo's battered state, Tang Zong finally relaxed and stepped forward, his gaze contemptuous.

"Still going to stop us? I'm standing right here. Come hit me again if you've got what it takes!" Tang Zong braced one hand against his Xuan Iron Hammer. Though he was still panting, the fear in his eyes was gone.

Dugu Bo spat out a cloud of poisonous mist, making Tang Zong shrink back in fright.

"If you'd stepped aside earlier, none of this would've happened. But look at you now. Your son died at the hands of our Spirit Hall, and now his old man is going to join him."

"Enough talking. Finish this quickly so we can report back," Li Hanshuang's voice rang out.

Tang Zong frowned and raised his iron hammer, preparing to end the battle.

Li Hanshuang stood behind him, holding the Frost Sword point-down, ready to enjoy a Titled Douluo's final moments.

"Die!"

But the hammer never struck Dugu Bo. Hidden in that mouthful of poisonous mist was his deadly trump card, Cold Ash Soul Separation.

Concealed within the poisonous mist, Cold Ash Soul Separation became an exceedingly fine needle and pierced Tang Zong's body. By now, its effects had already taken hold.

Tang Zong suddenly felt alternating chills and heat throughout his body. The cold and hot energies traveled through him before finally gathering at the Martial Soul brand on the back of his right hand.

The Xuan Iron Hammer no longer felt like an extension of his body. The weight that had previously brought pain only to his enemies now bore down on him. The Xuan Iron Hammer in his hand became as heavy as a thousand tons, and now he felt utterly estranged from it.

The Xuan Iron Hammer crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"You... what did you do?!"

Tang Zong was still trying to recall the Xuan Iron Hammer, but he watched helplessly as the Martial Soul mark on the back of his hand slowly faded, until it vanished completely.

He could no longer sense his Martial Soul. It stood right before him, yet all his Soul Power and his nine Soul Rings had lost their vessel.

"Haha." Dugu laughed in satisfaction.

Li Hanshuang could spare no thought for anything else. He grabbed the howling Tang Zong and swiftly darted away, not daring to gamble on how many times Dugu Bo could use that move.

Only after both figures had vanished did Dugu Bo finally reach his limit and collapse unconscious.

After a night of commotion, this land that had lain silent for a thousand years returned to quiet once more.

The dust slowly dispersed, and moonlight once again spilled over the valley. Insects began to chirp. A massive hammer lay on the ground, beside a figure whose chest shone with golden light.

That golden light was working desperately to repair Dugu Bo's injuries and his burning life essence.

Several stalks of Blue Silver Grass broke through the earth and wove a grass mat beneath him. Dugu Bo's breathing grew a little steadier.

As Li Hanshuang hurried along, he had yet to put away the Frost Sword. Patches of rust grew across its blade, covering its blood-red base.

He lowered his head and glanced at Tang Zong, whom he carried in his hand, still howling in agony and struggling to go back for his Xuan Iron Hammer.

He silently considered, This man is so noisy. So annoying... Besides, he's already crippled. Why not let the sword devour him? The Frost Sword has been hungry for so long. Whatever else he is, he's still a Titled Douluo... Li Hanshuang's gaze grew increasingly dangerous.

But in the end, he looked away and restrained the Frost Sword's bloodthirsty desire. After all, someone still had to bear the consequences of this failed battle. Failing to take the place was already an offense. If Tang Zong, the man chiefly responsible, went missing and the Pope laid blame on him, he might not be able to bear it.

The two of them thus reached the nearest Spirit Hall Branch.

As they approached the city, Tang Zong struggled and demanded that Li Hanshuang put him down. Perhaps he feared being seen by outsiders. Tang Zong cared about appearances too, and forced some of the deathly pallor from his face, replacing it with a cold, stern expression. Yet nothing could hide the lifelessness in his eyes.

The two went straight to the third floor and pushed open a door. A purple-robed bishop was reviewing documents and immediately rose to greet Li Hanshuang and Tang Zong.

"The Pope's warrant." Li Hanshuang took a token from inside his robes and said, "I need you to send word to the Pope. The operation against Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's treasure ground in Sunset Forest has failed. Poison Douluo possesses an unusual poison capable of stripping Soul Masters of their Martial Souls."

He paused there and glanced at Tang Zong before continuing, "Hammer Douluo has been poisoned and has lost his Martial Soul. I didn't know whether Dugu Bo had any more of this poison, so I chose a tactical withdrawal."

His words made the purple-robed bishop beside them glance involuntarily at Tang Zong. That single glance made Tang Zong's long-accumulated shame erupt. Nine Soul Rings lit up, and all his Soul Power bore down on the bishop.

But Li Hanshuang reached out to stop him. "Why are you going mad here?! Report to the Pope quickly, and perhaps you can still be saved." With that, he waved the purple-robed bishop away.

The man turned and left, even forgetting to close the door, his hurried footsteps making it seem as though he were fleeing.

"You'd better think about how you're going to report to the Pope first." Li Hanshuang flicked his sleeve and left the room as well.

Left alone in the room, Tang Zong looked at his right hand and gently closed it, as though gripping the Xuan Iron Hammer that had accompanied him for so long. But he could no longer feel its solid presence against his palm. He went to the window and looked toward Sunset Forest. Before the break of dawn, the forest resembled a ferocious beast crouched upon the earth, having swallowed his past.

Meanwhile, at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Dugu Bo opened his eyes and looked up at a sky brightening with dawn. The moon had drifted west, and the sun had yet to rise fully, creating a scene of sun and moon shining together.

He shifted his body and was wondering why it was so soft beneath him when Ah Yin's voice rang out.

"Brother Dugu, you're awake."

Dugu Bo looked down and only then discovered that, at some point, he had been laid upon a soft grass mat.

Ah Yin's voice came from a half-meter-tall stalk of Blue Silver Grass beside him, carrying an unconcealable sorrow. "Sit up slowly and work with me to tend your wounds. You'll recover a little faster that way."

Dugu Bo slowly sat cross-legged and lowered his head to examine his chest. The wound Li Hanshuang's sword had pierced through was covered in golden light. He recognized that gold. It was none other than Lan Changsheng's Life Divine Power.

The Life Divine Power was repairing it little by little along the edges. The same wondrous sensation he had experienced before arose within him, a feeling as though every cell in his body were cheering and leaping for joy. He felt that his internal injuries had already healed, leaving only the wound on the surface.

"How long was I unconscious?" Dugu Bo asked hoarsely.

"Only two to four hours or so."

"The people from Spirit Hall haven't come back, have they?"

The little stalk of grass shook her head. "No, but I'm afraid they won't let this rest."

"Yes. Cold Ash Soul Separation was exposed today. Spirit Hall will either kill me at any cost, or try to buy me off, or even capture me alive."

"Ah, that's..."

Dugu Bo smiled calmly. "It's all right. Neither you nor your brother caused this. Even without what happened with your brother, Spirit Hall's wolfish ambitions would've brought them here to fight me for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well sooner or later."

"You nearly died. If that sword had struck just a little farther to the side..."