Dugu Yan at His Side

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On the first night after Bibi Dong retreated, the first rain of autumn fell at Jialing Pass.

Nan Feng sat cross-legged in a side hall of the city gate, meditating. The tower hovered three inches in front of his knees, the seventh layer of Samsara patterns and the sixth layer of Return to the Void patterns alternating in brightness. The Return to Origin Power seeped into his meridians from the bottom of the tower, repairing the meridian walls that had shattered during the day's confrontation with the Rakshasa God. He closed his eyes, his Peng Eye inward, his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light slowly sweeping across a range of three thousand steps, every fluctuation of Spiritual Power inside and outside the city clearly appearing in his mind. In the direction of the Spirit Hall's main camp, an extremely strong source of Soul Power was continuously pulsating, its frequency completely consistent with Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Divine Power. She was gathering strength, preparing for the breaching of the city three days later.

Nan Feng channeled his Primordial World Power into his dantian, fusing it with liquid Immortal Power to gradually repair the minor cracks in his left arm and Right Leg Soul Bone bones caused by the battle. The Nether Step: Shrinking Earth technique flowed slowly through his Right Leg Soul Bone as he meditated, widening the leg's meridians with each flow. Nourished by the Return to Origin Power, the Soul Bone of the 120,000-year-old Nine Netherworlds Dark Python gradually fused completely with his bones, increasing the explosive power and endurance of his right leg by nearly 30% compared to before the Abyss Hunt.

"You need to calm down." Old Huai's voice came from the Tower Spirit Space, his half-face, now solidified from a remnant soul, filled with worry. "You're stuck at level Level 87, which isn't a multiple of ten, so your Soul Power can't increase. But after you came out of the Abyss, you withstood three consecutive battles against Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Bibi Dong. Your meridians are overloaded. Bibi Dong will breach the city in three days. You need to get yourself back to peak condition."

Nan Feng opened his eyes, the tower retracting into his palm. He moved his right leg, the power of the Nether Step quietly dormant within his leg bone. "Two days to repair my meridians, one day to comprehend the third level of the Mountain Suppression Art." He stood up and walked to the window of the side hall. In the rain, the Soul Guidance Lamp on the city wall emitted circles of cold white light, and the patrol team on the city wall carried waterproof Soul Power lamps, moving back and forth in the rain. The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light detected several faint fluctuations of Soul Beast Spiritual Power outside the city gate; these were low-level Soul Beast driven from their burrows by the rain, posing no threat to the city wall.

"Nan Feng." The sound of Xue Beng came from outside the palace.

Nan Feng turned around. Xue Beng pushed open the door and entered, soaking wet, clearly having just returned from patrolling the city walls. His armor was covered in mud, and his face looked even more tired than during the day, but his eyes remained sharp. Behind him followed a messenger carrying a sealed letter.

"Just arrived." Xue Beng handed over the secret letter. "The Dugu Family's carrier falcon flew in the rain; its wings were soaked through when it reached the city wall."

Nan Feng opened the secret letter. The letter was written in Dugu Bo's hasty handwriting, the ink blurred by rain in several places, but the content was still clear. "Boy, Yan'er is bringing five hundred poison-type Soul Master from the Dugu Family to the pass tomorrow. Her grandfather asked me to tell you that the Primordial World Power in your soul needs poison-type stimulation to further awaken. The poisonous mist of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent resonates with this Primordial World Power; Yan'er will tell you the details. Also, Yan'er wanted to come herself; I couldn't stop her. Protect her. --Dugu Bo."

Nan Feng folded the letter and put it into the Tower Spirit Space. Dugu Yan. After their parting at the Soul Master Tournament, she went into seclusion at the Dugu Family to cultivate the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, and there had been no news of her for the past two years. Nan Feng sensed that the dark red serpent bead in the Tower Spirit Space pulsated slightly, and the remnant Soul Power of the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python seemed to have some kind of response to the letter from the Dugu Family.

"The Dugu Family's poison-type Soul Master is the strongest poison-type combat force on the continent," Xue Beng said. "The average Soul Power of the five hundred members is above level fifty, Dugu Yan herself is said to have broken through to level seventy-five. With her leading the reinforcements, Jialing Pass's control of the battlefield will be elevated to a new level."

Nan Feng nodded. "I'll go to the border to meet them tomorrow."

At noon the next day, Dugu Yan's poison-type Soul Master arrived thirty miles outside Jialing Pass.

Nan Feng led three hundred Imperial Guards out of the pass to provide support. He silently activated the Nether Step: Shrinking Earth technique, covering a hundred paces in three steps. The Imperial Guards behind him accelerated their formation with their Soul Power, following closely behind. The autumn grass on the plains outside the pass had already withered and turned yellow, bending in the wind like waves. Nan Feng's Peng Eye shone with a golden light, his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light covering three thousand paces, capturing a dense cluster of Spiritual Power points to the north. A formation of five hundred Soul Master was rapidly advancing, and in the center of the formation was an exceptionally dense, emerald-green Soul Power fluctuation, more than ten times stronger than the surrounding Soul Master.

The poisonous Spiritual Power contained within that emerald green Soul Power fluctuation resonated faintly with the Primordial World Power in Nan Feng's meridians. The Samsara patterns on the seventh floor of the tower glowed slightly in response to this resonance, and a flash of silver-blue light passed through his palm.

Half an hour later, Nan Feng saw Dugu Yan.

She walked at the forefront of the poison-type Soul Master, dressed in a dark green outfit, her purple hair fluttering in the wind, her face even more aloof and sharp than during the Soul Master Tournament. Her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul condensed behind her into a ten-zhang-long emerald python phantom, its head held high, its forked tongue flicking out emerald green poisonous mist that dripped from the phantom, staining the withered grass within a hundred paces with a layer of eerie green poisonous light.

Dugu Yan paused when she saw Nan Feng. Her gaze swept over the fluctuations of Soul Power on Nan Feng's body, and her pupils contracted slightly—she could sense that the ancient power in Nan Feng's soul was more than ten times stronger than when they last met. That golden Primordial Origin was like a blazing sun in her Jade Phosphorous Serpent's perception, dazzling and impossible to look directly at.

"Nan Feng." Dugu Yan walked up to him, her tone much calmer than when they first met in Gengxin City, but the sharp edge of the Dugu Family in her brows remained unchanged. "Grandpa asked me to help you. He said the Primordial World Power in your soul needs poison-based stimulation to awaken further."

Nan Feng nodded. "I received Senior Dugu's letter. The 500 Poison-type Soul Master ' encampment is located on the eastern wing of the pass, near a water source, which facilitates the Purification and treatment of the poisonous fog after it spreads."

Dugu Yan stared at him for a couple of moments, then said, "You've lost weight. And your hair has turned quite a bit whiter."

Nan Feng didn't reply, but turned and walked towards the pass. He activated the Nether Step - Shrinking Earth under his feet, leaving a trail of afterimages on the autumn grass. Dugu Yan led the Soul Master closely behind, and the poisonous mist of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent formed two dark green barriers on both sides of the marching column, driving away all the low-level Soul Beast along the way.

That night, Dugu Yan stood outside the tent for a long time before coming in.

Nan Feng sat in the tent, meditating, with the tower suspended in front of her knees. When Dugu Yan lifted the curtain and entered, she brought in a wisp of autumn night coolness. She stood in the tent and watched Nan Feng for a while before her gaze fell on the nine-story bronze tower. The Samsara patterns on the seventh floor of the tower shimmered with a silvery-blue light in the candlelight, while the Return to the Void patterns on the sixth floor swallowed the surrounding light like a black hole.

"Your tower has gained two more layers of patterns." Dugu Yan sat down opposite him, her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul receding into a faint green shadow behind her. "The seventh layer is Samsara, and the sixth layer is Return to the Void. Both are abilities that can only be unlocked with Soul Ring of over 100,000 years."

Nan Feng opened her eyes. "Your perception is more accurate than last time."

Dugu Yan didn't respond to the praise. She took out a jade bottle of emerald green from her sleeve. When she opened the bottle, an extremely dense poisonous mist billowed out, with a faint golden light within it. "This is the ' Jade Phosphorous Nine-Turn Poison ' that I refined during my seclusion in the Dugu Family's forbidden area. Grandpa said your Primordial World Power needs poison stimulation to awaken. This venom was refined using the original venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent and the essence of three ancient poisonous herbs. Its concentration is thirty times that of ordinary Jade Phosphorus Snake."

Nan Feng stared at the jade bottle. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light detected the unusually active state of the Spiritual Power points within it; the frequency of that golden point was strikingly similar to that of Primordial World Power. "When you refined this venom, did your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul undergo some kind of change?"

Dugu Yan paused for a moment. She looked up at Nan Feng, a hint of shock flashing in her purple eyes. "How did you know?"

"A golden light has appeared in your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison," Nan Feng said. "That's the Primordial World Seed I left in your Martial Soul Core last time. It has taken root in your poison-type Spiritual Power."

Dugu Yan remained silent for a long time. She looked down at her hands, her emerald green Soul Power flowing between her fingertips, interspersed with a few extremely fine golden threads. "I've been in seclusion for the past two years, and my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul has indeed been evolving at an accelerated pace. The corrosive power of the poisonous mist is 30% stronger than before, and—" She paused, "When my Soul Power broke through to level 75, golden specks of light appeared in the poisonous mist. Grandpa said that was the residual influence of Primordial World Power."

Nan Feng stood up and walked to Dugu Yan. "Give me your hand."

Dugu Yan extended her right hand. Nan Feng placed his left hand on the back of her hand, a wisp of golden Primordial World Power seeping into her meridians from his fingertips. The moment the Primordial World Power entered the core of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, Dugu Yan's whole body trembled. The illusory image of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent behind her suddenly swelled, its python head roaring to the sky, and a turquoise poisonous mist spewed out from the illusion, spreading throughout the tent. When the poisonous mist came into contact with the Primordial World Power on Nan Feng's body, countless golden points of light suddenly lit up in the turquoise mist. The concentration and corrosive power of the poisonous mist increased by 30% under the stimulation of the golden points of light, and the wooden table in the tent instantly turned into a pool of black water under the corrosive effect of the poisonous mist.

Dugu Yan stared wide-eyed at the scene. Her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison had never reacted like this before. The golden light spots not only did not weaken the toxicity, but instead gave the poisonous mist a property that surpassed that of ordinary toxins—corrosion of the Soul Power shield.

"Your Primordial World Power is evolving my Martial Soul," Dugu Yan's voice trembled slightly, "It's rewriting my bloodline."

Nan Feng withdrew his hand. The illusory image of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent slowly receded, and the golden specks in the poisonous mist gradually disappeared into the emerald green fog, but that trace of golden essence had already remained in Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Core. "The Primordial World Power has the ability of 'transformation'," Nan Feng said. "It can help you break through the limits of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul itself has reached a bottleneck; the poison-type bloodline of ordinary Soul Beast cannot support you in breaking through to Titled Douluo or higher. But the Primordial World Power can rewrite the underlying structure of the bloodline, allowing your Jade Phosphorous Serpent to evolve to a higher level."

Dugu Yan looked at her hands. Within the emerald green Soul Power at her fingertips, the golden threads were even clearer than before. "That's why Grandpa sent me to the front lines." She looked up at Nan Feng, "He said you needed poison-based stimulation, but what he didn't say was that I also need your Primordial World Power to break through."

Nan Feng nodded. "Mutual benefit."

Dugu Yan stood up and walked to the tent flap. She lifted the flap and glanced at the Jialing Pass city wall through the rain, then turned to face the Nan Feng. The sharpness in her purple eyes softened, replaced by a more complex emotion. "Two days from now, when Bibi Dong breaches the city, I'll be standing beside you."

"Your poison mist, combined with my Tower Suppression, can create a large-scale control effect," Nan Feng said. "However, Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Divine Power can suppress your poison mist. You need me to infuse your Primordial World Power into your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, allowing the poison mist to acquire the attribute of corrosive Divine Power."

Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow. "A poison that can corrode Divine Power?"

"Give it a try," said Nan Feng.

On the morning of the third day, Bibi Dong arrived.

At 3:45 AM, the sky outside Jialing Pass was torn apart by a jet-black pillar of light. Rakshasa Divine Power swept in from the direction of the Spirit Hall camp, and within the dark pillar, Bibi Dong's figure emerged like a demon god from the Abyss. The twin phantoms of the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor intertwined behind her, forming a black-purple spiderweb-like canopy that covered the sky for miles outside the pass. Tuoba Lie's Holy Dragon Legion of 50,000 elite Soul Master simultaneously released their Soul Power, and 50,000 pillars of Soul Power merged into the jet-black divine light Bibi Dong, pushing that oppressive aura to the limit of a Level 99 Titled Douluo.

On the walls of Jialing Pass, all Soul Master below the Soul Emperor level retreated into the inner city. Only Nan Feng, Dugu Yan, Xue Beng, and twenty elite Soul Saint remained on the walls. The protective Soul Guidance Array operated at full power, and the blue light curtain trembled violently under Bibi Dong's pressure, with dense cracks appearing on its surface.

Nan Feng stood at the very front of the city wall. The tower body floated in front of his chest, and the seventh layer of Samsara patterns and the sixth layer of Return to the Void patterns reached their brightest at the same time. Dugu Yan stood half a step to his side, releasing her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul at full power. The emerald green giant python phantom coiled above the city wall, and the eerie green poisonous mist fell from the phantom, forming a poisonous mist barrier covering a hundred paces in front of the city wall.

Bibi Dong's gaze swept across the city wall, lingering for a moment on Dugu Yan before settling on Nan Feng. A hint of amusement flashed in her purple eyes. "Looking for help? Dugu Family girl, your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison is ineffective against Rakshasa Divine Power."

Dugu Yan did not respond. Her purple eyes were fixed on Bibi Dong, while the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent emitted a low hiss behind her.

Nan Feng placed his hand on Dugu Yan's shoulder. A wisp of golden Primordial World Power seeped into the Martial Soul Core from his palm. Dugu Yan's whole body trembled, and the illusory image of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent suddenly expanded. Countless golden points of light lit up in the poisonous mist, and the emerald green poisonous mist gradually deepened in color under the stimulation of the golden points, transforming from emerald green to cyan-gold. The corrosive power of the poisonous mist surged under the enhancement of the Primordial World Power, and the ground a hundred paces ahead emitted a piercing sizzling sound as the poisonous mist fell, corroding the bluestone bricks with dense holes.

Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly.

Nan Feng used the Tower Realm to contain Dugu Yan's poisonous fog within its sealing range. The Tower Suppression's suppressing power merged with the poisonous fog, and silver-blue suppressing patterns emerged within the emerald green fog. The Tower Realm's light membrane covered a hundred paces of the city wall, concentrating the corrosive power of the poisonous fog in a narrow area in front of the city wall, forming a defensive line interwoven with poisonous fog and suppressing power.

"Dugu Yan," Nan Feng's voice was low, "I'll seal her Soul Power flow, and you'll use poisonous mist to corrode her protective divine Divine Power. Her Rakshasa Divine Power can suppress your poison, but my Primordial World Power can neutralize her Divine Power. The three of us will work together."

Dugu Yan's lips twitched slightly. The illusory image of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent coiled behind her in an attack stance, and the poisonous mist condensed into dozens of cyan-gold poisonous mist spears in the light membrane of the Tower Realm. Each spear contained the dual attributes of Primordial World Power and Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison.

Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Divine Power surged once more, a jet-black pillar of light piercing through the city's protective array, shattering the first layer of protective light barrier. Nan Feng used his Tower Realm to withstand the impact of the second layer, while his Mountain Suppression Art created a suppressing layer on the surface of the city wall beneath his feet, dispersing the aftershocks of the Rakshasa Divine Power into the earth. Dugu Yan's poisonous mist spears, enhanced by the light membrane of the Tower Realm, were simultaneously unleashed, dozens of cyan-gold poisonous mists piercing through Bibi Dong's first layer of Rakshasa God shield, corroding large holes in the second layer of shield.

Bibi Dong shattered the poisonous mist spear with a flick of her sleeve, but for the first time, her brow furrowed. Traces of cyan-gold poisonous mist remained on her Rakshasa Divine Power Shield, slowly corroding the shield's underlying structure—a slow but undeniable process.

"The fusion of Primordial World Power and the venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison." Bibi Dong stared at Nan Feng, the fervor in her purple eyes growing even stronger. "Not only can you use Primordial World Power Primordial World Power, but you can also share it with others. What exactly is your soul made of?"

Nan Feng did not answer. The seventh layer of the tower's Samsara patterns erupted with the strongest silver-blue light, and the Samsara Power poured down from the bottom of the Suppress Mountains and Rivers, covering a hundred paces of the city wall and suppressing Bibi Dong's Rakshasa God by another thirty percent. Taking advantage of the situation, Dugu Yan released a second wave of poisonous mist spears. The cyan-gold poisonous mist condensed into a poisonous net covering fifty paces within the Tower Realm's light membrane, enveloping Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong snorted coldly, and the phantom of the Death Spider Emperor flicked out a jet-black spider silk, tearing the poisonous web apart. But the moment the poisonous web shattered, fragments of cyan-gold poisonous mist splashed onto her shield, corroding large patches of the Rakshasa Divine Power on the shield's surface.

"Enough." Bibi Dong's voice suddenly turned cold. Her Rakshasa Divine Power erupted in full force, and a dark pillar of light enveloped everything within a hundred paces in front of the city wall. The poisonous mist dissipated under the impact of the Divine Power, two layers of the Tower Realm's light membrane shattered, and Nan Feng's Suppress Mountains and Rivers shook violently under the impact of the Divine Power. Nan Feng slid back two steps on the city wall, and the Primordial World Power in his meridians circulated wildly, devouring and transforming the Rakshasa Divine Power that had invaded his body.

Bibi Dong did not continue her attack. She withdrew her Rakshasa Divine Power, and the dark pillar of light slowly dissipated. She stood three hundred paces outside the pass, the phantoms of the Twin Spider Emperor receding behind her, her deep purple pupils churning with complex emotions.

"The city will fall in three days," Bibi Dong said. "Neither your poison nor your towers can stop me."

She turned and walked back to the Spirit Hall camp.

Nan Feng stood atop the city wall, the tower slowly retracting into his palm. Dugu Yan panted beside him, the illusory image of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent receding into her body, the ground of the city wall covered with cyan-gold corrosive marks after the poisonous mist dissipated. She looked down at her hands, the golden threads in the emerald green Soul Power at her fingertips even more concentrated than before.

"My poison can corrode her shield." Dugu Yan's voice carried a restrained excitement. "Although only a little, it can definitely corrode it."

Nan Feng absorbed the tower into his palm. He sensed that the Primordial World Power within his meridians had become more solidified after combining with Dugu Yan's poisonous mist, and the liquid Immortal Power in his dantian showed signs of solidifying during the battle. His Level 87 Soul Power surged through his meridians, three levels away from Level 90, but his Soul Power was stuck at a non-multiple of ten and could not be increased. The eighth ring could only be absorbed at Level 90.

Old Huai spoke in the Tower Spirit Space: "The fusion of your Primordial World Power and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison has created a new attribute—corrosion Divine Power. This attribute has never appeared in the Douluo Plane. Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Divine Power Shield has been corroded, which means that her God Level defense is no longer impenetrable against your combination attack."

Nan Feng turned and walked towards the city tower. Dugu Yan followed half a step behind him, her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul quietly coiled behind her, golden threads faintly visible in the emerald green Soul Power. Their figures were elongated in the morning light, Hu Liena's secret letter floated quietly in the Tower Spirit Space, its dark fox tail pattern shimmering slightly in the cyan-gold immortal light.

Three days later, Bibi Dong breached the city. But Nan Feng already knew that her shield could be corroded.

He needs three days to turn this into a real game-changer.