After seeing off Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, who had been forced to leave by Dugu Bo's repeated, insistent demands, Xiao Yan sat upright before the twin pools of ice and fire, meditating with his eyes closed.
"Brat, how much longer are you going to dawdle? Don't tell me you're upset because I drove your old Grandpa Chrysanthemum away?" Dugu Bo said in displeasure. Xiao Yan knew that the old bastard Dugu Bo probably hadn't believed him at all. He hadn't agreed to a single one of Xiao Yan's earlier conditions, though there had only been one in total.
Dugu Bo had only promised that, if Xiao Yan's method worked, he would consider joining Spirit Hall. But Xiao Yan was no innocent in the ways of the world; the old poison monster was plainly trying to catch a white wolf barehanded. Fine. If you want to take advantage of me, let's see whether you have the appetite to swallow it, Xiao Yan thought. He was no pure and guileless soul himself. Though another person's promise mattered, Xiao Yan still trusted his own methods more.
"Little Yanzi, will you be all right staying here alone with this old poison creature while Grandpa's away?" Yue Guan had asked worriedly before leaving. On the one hand, he was clearly uneasy; on the other, he couldn't imagine how Xiao Yan could use this to win over Poison Douluo. He feared that Xiao Yan would exhaust himself scheming, only to sew a wedding dress for that old bastard for nothing. Xiao Yan had smiled at his words and replied confidently, "Trust me, Grandpa Chrysanthemum. Go back first. Right now, I need to keep this old monster's mind at ease. I promise you, I'll bring Dugu Bo back to Spirit Hall with me."
"Even so, it won't be that easy..." Yan Xiao sighed. Xiao Yan's heart tightened as well. Their so-called method was not particularly reliable. Had Xiao Yan not obtained a treasure from the seal when he broke through to four rings, he wouldn't have dared propose it.
"Senior Dugu, you jest. I was merely cultivating for a while. After all, if my strength isn't sufficient, it will be difficult to treat you, Senior Dugu," Xiao Yan replied.
"That's easy enough. Gather a few medicinal herbs from this garden and eat them."
"I can't accept a reward without doing anything to deserve it..." Xiao Yan sighed politely, though inwardly he wondered how the old bastard could possibly be so kind. For all he knew, Dugu Bo might poison the herbs, torture him until he wished he were dead, then brush it aside by saying he was only testing him. The old bastard was malicious and had to be guarded against.
With that, Xiao Yan sprang to his feet, and three flames emerged at once. The ingenuity of his flame control left Dugu Bo dumbstruck. "This secret method of mine is also called the Poison Pill Method. The Poison Pill Method seizes the fortune of heaven and earth and defies the principles of the poison path; it cannot succeed without a heaven-defying art. My Emperor Flame Martial Soul can produce several kinds of extraordinary flames. It requires the aid of three Heavenly Flames at once, which are an indispensable part of the three things the Poison Pill Method requires."
Dugu Bo nodded repeatedly, evidently taking in the considerable amount of information. But he seemed to think of something suddenly and cried out in surprise, "You mean that for this method to succeed, you have to be the one to perform it?"
"Of course," Xiao Yan said with a soft chuckle, thinking, Surely this will be enough to keep you here, you old poison creature?
"No, no! How could my Dugu Family entrust our lives and fortunes to someone else?" Dugu Bo's anger flared; he clearly felt he had been played. Xiao Yan had anticipated this and gently reassured him, "There's no need to worry, Senior Dugu. My Heavenly Flames have a divine skill that can separate out Child Flames for others to use. Child Flames renew themselves endlessly and won't dissipate even after thousands or tens of thousands of years. Once separated, the Child Flames and their mother flames have no connection. Absorbing them not only poses no risk, but will also take your strength to the next level. It's just that..."
"Just that...?"
"It's just that my strength is meager at present. It might not be difficult to use the Heavenly Flames to perform the Poison Pill Method for you, Senior Dugu, but if I were to separate out three Child Flames, I'm afraid my will would exceed my strength."
When Xiao Yan finished, he even gave two affected coughs, his wolfish ambition plain for all to see. Dugu Bo frowned at the sight. After pondering for a moment, he said helplessly, "I knew you were trying to squeeze me, brat. Fine. You're the esteemed Holy Son of Spirit Hall, so I wasn't going to take your life anyway. Now..." With that, he raised a hand, and a wisp of emerald-green gas suddenly drifted away on the wind from among the countless rare treasures. Xiao Yan cursed inwardly. The old bastard really had planned to poison him. "I've withdrawn the poison gas hidden among the medicinal herbs. While you're performing the secret method for me, you can use this medicine garden as you please. Just be careful not to eat yourself to death." Dugu Bo then gave a snort, clearly distressed at parting with his medicinal herbs. Seeing this, Xiao Yan chose not to expose his little scheme and continued:
"The second required item is a wonder of heaven and earth, a miraculous liquid called 'Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva.' It's extremely difficult to find, and even I have very little left..." Seeing Dugu Bo's face darken again, Xiao Yan chuckled and changed tack. "However, I do have something that, with proper nurturing, can provide an endless supply of Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva." With a shake of his sleeve, an emerald-green fragment emerged. It gleamed brilliantly and had a viscous appearance, as though it contained boundless vitality. "This is called a Bodhi Heart. When an ordinary person consumes it, it can replace their heart, increase their vitality, and nourish their soul. It can also guarantee that its user will attain a divine position, regardless of talent or strength. Unfortunately, I only have a fragment, which lacks those miraculous functions. But Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva condenses on a Bodhi Heart, and even a fragment can produce it endlessly if nurtured with the power of wood spirits."
In truth, Xiao Yan naturally had a complete Bodhi Heart. Back when Flame Emperor Xiao Yan was a Dou Zun, he had refined it into his body. But during the Battle of the Two Emperors, after he transformed himself into Heavenly Flames to suppress Hun Tiandi, his physical body was utterly destroyed. The Bodhi Heart lost its anchor and left his body. After Xiao Yan reconstructed his body, the Bodhi Heart no longer had any effect on his Dou Di Body, so he stored it in his Storage Ring, intending to give someone else a fortunate opportunity someday. He had never expected it to come in handy for him in another world. After breaking through to four rings, Xiao Yan had also found an opportunity to hunt a new Soul Ring for the Heavy Xuan Ruler, thereby obtaining the Bodhi Heart. Clearly, however, he did not intend to use this entire stroke of fortune as a bargaining chip to win Dugu Bo over. He had merely chipped off a small fragment and taken the rest into his body to replace his heart, reaping boundless benefits. In any case, the Bodhi Heart's vitality was inexhaustible, and the missing fragment would regenerate after some time.
When Xiao Yan finished, Dugu Bo's expression shifted. Even as he thought what a headache this brat was, speaking of heaven one moment and earth the next, making his heart pound with alarm, he immediately reached out for the Bodhi Heart fragment. But Xiao Yan withdrew his hand and tucked the fragment back into his sleeve. "For your Poison Pill Method, Senior Dugu, the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva I have will suffice. As for this Bodhi Heart, heh heh, we can discuss it later..." Xiao Yan was not afraid that Dugu Bo would be so blinded by greed as to kill him and seize the treasure. The fragment itself was bait to hook Dugu Bo, but on the one hand, Dugu Bo could not possibly be unafraid of the teacher and Spirit Hall standing behind him; on the other, if Dugu Bo killed him, he would have no chance of obtaining the Heavenly Flames. Dugu Bo was not so foolish as to let a single leaf blind him. Though he desperately needed the Bodhi Heart fragment, he had not let the prospect of gain cloud his judgment. He took a deep breath, suppressed his desire, and asked in a low voice:
"Fine. Since you already have two of the items, what is the third?"
Xiao Yan laughed inwardly, marveling at Dugu Bo's strong self-control, and said, "The third required item doesn't require my help. You only need to find the essence blood and Soul Ring of a Demon Poison Dragon Scorpion at least a thousand years old and fuse and refine them into a pill. If you can absorb its Soul Bone, the Poison Pill's boosting ability will rise to another level. But even without a Soul Bone, the Poison Pill can still take shape and provide supreme power."
Before coming here, Xiao Yan had learned of Dugu Bo's trouble with his own poison body harming him and had wanted to find a way to win him over. When Yan Xiao learned of it, he had blurted out, "Familiar... truly familiar. Don't tell me this Dugu Bo has a Poison Pill too?" Xiao Yan's spirits had lifted at that-Dugu Bo really did have a Poison Pill. The two had immediately begun studying the Poison Pill Method from their memories of their previous life and had searched through the essence blood of countless Soul Beasts for a substitute for the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's Magic Core. The Demon Poison Dragon Scorpion was the Soul Beast Xiao Yan had found that most closely resembled the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast.
"Fuse the three required items and add my secret method, and the Poison Pill Method can be performed. Once the Poison Pill is formed, the poison body can be controlled! Once this method succeeds, not only will all the poison gas in your body be compressed into the Poison Pill, no longer harming you, but it will also help you cultivate, bringing endless benefits."
"Senior Dugu, this method has a long history. It was originally used to help cultivate a certain special physique. If you hadn't cultivated the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor to this level, I wouldn't have thought of using this secret method on you."
"But fortunately, Senior Dugu, not only have you become a Titled Douluo, you've also refined a pill bead of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. Crude as this pill is, it has already become the rudiment of the Poison Pill Method. That's why I believe the Poison Pill Method will work for you too. With your understanding of the poison path and your talent, combined with my pill-refining skills and knowledge of the Poison Pill Method, I believe we can achieve a miracle."
At this point, Xiao Yan could not help marveling at the depth of Poison Douluo's immersion in the poison path and his genius. With no one to rely on, he had explored his way to the rudiments of the Poison Pill Method entirely by himself. With such talent, he would probably have been no ordinary person even on the Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Yan extended his right hand to Poison Douluo and offered, "The opportunity to change the lives of your entire Dugu Family is right before you, Senior Dugu. Are you going to turn a blind eye and let the duck already at your mouth fly away?"
Before he had finished speaking, Dugu Bo's thin, deeply wrinkled hand clasped Xiao Yan's right hand. He said nothing, but everything was understood without words.
Xiao Yan laughed and said, "A pleasure working with you, Elder Dugu."
Dugu Bo was taken aback at his words. He looked toward the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, filled with emotion.
The skies over the Heaven Dou Empire were probably about to change.