Chapter 40: Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo Suffers the Pain of Poisonous Backlash!
Yue Guan looked at the vast area of poisonous mist in front of him, frowned, and said, "How can there be a poison array here? And the aura of this poisonous mist is so familiar... Right! It's that Old Poison's!"
Hu Bai secretly rejoiced in his heart. The Sunset Forest was not small, and he didn't expect them to find it in just a few hours. They were truly lucky.
"Uncle Yue, do you have a way to lead us through this poison array? I feel like you should have what we need. Since Senior Dugu Bo went to such great lengths to set up a poison array here, could it be his medicinal garden behind the array?"
Yue Guan was also a little curious: "What kind of medicinal garden would require Old Poison to be so cautious?"
Yue Guan felt that behind this poisonous mist, there must be something important to Dugu Bo; otherwise, there would be no need for such an elaborate setup.
The next moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo released his Martial Soul, Chrysanthemum, forming a protective shield enveloping all four of them. This was his first Soul Skill, Body Protection.
However, Chrysanthemum Douluo was worried that the defensive effect might not be enough, so he also activated his second Soul Skill, Qirong Light, stacking it on top. These were the only two defensive Soul Skills he possessed.
"Alright, let's go in," Yue Guan said with a faint smile.
The moment his two defensive Soul Skills were activated, Hu Bai finally remembered why Chrysanthemum Douluo was considered mediocre among experts of the same level.
Perhaps Chrysanthemum Douluo initially intended to follow a Defense System path, but later realized that as an individual, he lacked offensive means. As a result, he still attached offensive soul rings to his Martial Soul. This led to him not being particularly powerful among attack system Soul Masters.
If a level 95 Dai Mubai were to fight Yue Guan, it was obvious Yue Guan would probably lose.
What impressed Hu Bai the most was Chrysanthemum Douluo's ninth Soul Skill: "Chrysanthemum Ruins, Fill The Earth With Wounds, Flowers Fall on Broken Hearts."
The name alone suggested tragedy.
The key point was that the strongest ninth Soul Skill of an attack system Soul Master, was not a single-target attack but an area-of-effect attack, which diluted its power.
Under Yue Guan's lead, Hu Bai also activated his third eye, attempting to see through the layers of poisonous mist to discern the scenery within.
After a short while, the four of them passed through the poisonous mist and arrived at a valley free of the mist.
What they saw after passing through was a sea of flowers. Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes sparkled with stars as he exclaimed, "I didn't expect Old Poison to have such a wonderful treasure land..."
However, before Chrysanthemum Douluo could finish speaking, he saw a green-haired elder sitting cross-legged in the center, looking extremely pained, with the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul faintly visible behind him.
When someone passed through the poisonous mist he had laid out, Dugu Bo had already sensed it. In his current state, he couldn't possibly use mental power to sense. After opening his eyes, he saw Chrysanthemum Douluo. For some reason, Dugu Bo felt a slight sigh of relief in his heart.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, why are you here?" Dugu Bo said, enduring the severe pain in his body, his face was extremely pale.
"Old Poison, are you poisoned? I didn't expect that you, the Poison Douluo, who reigns supreme, would suffer a backlash from your own Martial Soul. It's a miracle you've lived this long. Oh, no—if it weren't for this place, you probably wouldn't have lived until now, right?"
With Chrysanthemum Douluo's sharp eyesight, he could naturally tell why Dugu Bo was poisoned.
The reason he couldn't tell during their previous encounters was because Dugu Bo had concealed it well, and it hadn't acted up until now.
"Hmph, what cold remarks are you making? In my current state, do whatever you want with me!" Dugu Bo also resigned himself to fate. But then he remembered his granddaughter and spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of plea:
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, considering our many encounters, don't touch my granddaughter. She is my only relative in this world."
"Senior Poison Douluo, since you're so reluctant to part with your granddaughter, why don't you try to recover quickly?"
At this moment, a voice attracted Dugu Bo's attention. It was a handsome young child standing next to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Dugu Bo said coldly, "Who are you? Do you think I haven't tried? Over the years, I've tried everything, but nothing worked. If it weren't for this place, I would have died long ago."
Hu Bai wanted to say, "If you're weak, practice more." Just because he couldn't do it didn't mean Spirit Hall couldn't.
Hu Bai gave Yue Guan a look, and Yue Guan understood. He looked at Dugu Bo and said, "He is the Supreme Pontiff's new Disciple, Hu Bai, and these two are his parents, Xie Tian and Hu Leyao. Old Poison, if it's impossible, how about you join Spirit Hall? I'll ask the higher-ups—perhaps someone in Spirit Hall can cure your Martial Soul backlash."
Dugu Bo, however, said, "Let me join Spirit Hall? Impossible! Is there anyone in your Spirit Hall more skilled in poison than me? Even if they are better at using poison, they might not be able to solve my problem."
"Moreover, Prince Xue Xing has shown me kindness. If I joined your Spirit Hall, what kind of person would I be?"
Dugu Bo was indeed very persistent in certain aspects.
Should he be called a righteous gentleman? He initially coveted Tang San's External Soul Bone.
Should he not be? He repaid kindness tenfold or a hundredfold.
All in all, Dugu Bo could be considered a character who is both righteous and evil, doing things as he pleases but also adhering to his principles.
Yue Guan said faintly, "Although I don't know how Prince Xue Xing coincidentally saved your life back then, if I say I can help you alleviate your Martial Soul backlash now, shouldn't you thank me? Then how should you repay my kindness?"
Dugu Bo: ???
"This poison, even I can't solve it. You say you can help me alleviate it now?" Dugu Bo's eyes showed disbelief as he looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Yue Guan chuckled: "But there's a condition. After I help you alleviate it, this place will belong to me. How about that?"
"Impossible!" Dugu Bo retorted instinctively, as if his lifeline had been touched. "This place was discovered by me, and I cherish some of the herbs here!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes narrowed slightly. He sensed that Dugu Bo didn't recognize most of the Immortal Herbs here; otherwise, how could he still be suffering from Martial Soul backlash now?
At this moment, Hu Bai said, "Then what if I say I can completely cure your illness, and you give this treasure land to me? Of course, in your current situation, if we kill you, this treasure land will also be ours. But why are we speaking to you so earnestly, Senior Poison Douluo? You should know full well, shouldn't you?"
"Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider your granddaughter, right? Since you said she is your only relative left in this world, then presumably your Martial Soul backlash is hereditary and can also affect females, which means your granddaughter is now also severely poisoned. Do you want to watch her die before your eyes?"
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End of Chapter