Hovering midair, Yao Lao's hands blurred into invisible seals. As his speed increased, his Dou Qi surged exponentially.
"What is this…?!"
A piercing shriek tore from Dugu Bo's throat. Emerald light erupted from his body, his lean frame swelling rapidly within the jade glow, soaring upward.
Two enormous, green snake eyes locked onto Yao Lao with chilling malice. His forked tongue flickered, thick green mist swirling around him.
Martial Soul True Body!
Dugu Bo had transformed into a colossal emerald serpent nearly 100 meters long.
Facing an opponent of Yao Lao's caliber—especially one whose power was rapidly escalating—Dugu Bo dared not hold back.
Yao Lao moved!
His wings snapped open, his body streaking like lightning. In a blink, he stood before the serpent, delivering a deceptively simple punch that carried devastating force.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor didn't dodge. It unleashed a cloud of toxic mist, its nine soul rings circling its massive form. Lowering its head, it took the blow directly on its armored skull.
THUD!
Invisible shockwaves rippled from the serpent's head to its tail, making its gargantuan body undulate like ocean waves.
"ROOOAR—!"
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor reared back, howling in pain.
It had underestimated the punch—eight layers of hidden force now ravaged its insides.
Meanwhile, Yao Lao retreated swiftly, wings flaring as he evaded the poison cloud. From his ring, he hurled two pills, igniting them midair with Bone Chilling Cold Flame.
BOOM—!
A faint explosion reduced the pills to powder. The herbal dust mingled with the snake venom—and both vanished instantly.
While Yang Fan spent the past year refining pills, dueling, and earning money, Yao Lao hadn't been idle either.
Based on the Douluo Continent's records of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor and his own toxin expertise, he'd developed multiple antidotes specifically for Dugu Bo's venom.
Seeing his signature poison neutralized in seconds, Dugu Bo's lantern-sized eyes widened in terror.
Just then—
The serpent's sixth soul ring flared. Its scales flared outward, and a concentrated jet of emerald mist shot from its maw.
This was Dugu Bo's Sixth Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Venom!
Unlike earlier clouds, this was true venom, empowered by his sixth soul ring.
Though mist-like, it spread with terrifying speed—engulfing Yao Lao in an instant.
Yao Lao didn't flinch. Having secretly taken the Toxin-Purging Pill earlier, he now unleashed his Bone Chilling Cold Flame, letting the venom wrap around him.
Bone Chilling Cold Flame was a Heavenly Flame—naturally resistant to all toxins. Combined with the Tier-4 pill, the venom was instantly nullified.
"Impossible…!" Dugu Bo's serpentine eyes bulged again.
"You're from the Spirit Hall?!"
On the Douluo Continent, only Title Douluos could withstand his venom. Everyone else died in droves upon contact.
And the Spirit Hall was known to harbor unregistered Title Douluos—explaining why he'd never heard of this cloaked old man.
"No."
Yao Lao could've exploited the Spirit Hall's fearsome reputation to scare Dugu Bo off—but he chose not to.
Before the word fully left his mouth—
A Heavy Xuan Ruler materialized in his hand.
Dou Qi surged. Heavenly Flame blazed.
Earth-Class Low-Tier Technique—Flame Splitting Tsunami!
Release!
Having tasted the Octane Blast's hidden force, Dugu Bo no longer dared block directly. Both the technique's power and Yao Lao's nameless "extreme ice-fire" filled him with dread.
The serpent's massive body swayed, narrowly avoiding the cleaving strike. Its tail whipped sideways like a hurricane, sweeping toward Yao Lao.
Short weapon, high risk!
Though terrifying in Martial Soul True form, the serpent lost human agility. Unable to fly naturally, it relied on soul power to hover—making evasion easy for Yao Lao.
But the attack wasn't over.
Mid-swing, the tail suddenly recoiled. The serpent's body twisted unnaturally, its neck flattening as the upper half reared upright. Its jade eyes bleached white, wreathed in eerie halos.
ZAP!
Two beams of ghastly white light shot from its eyes.
Yao Lao recognized it instantly, it was a spiritual attack—Dugu Bo's soul bone skill: Medusa's Gaze!
Direct hit meant instant petrification.
Facing this terror, Yao Lao's Dou Qi surged backward. His pale wings began transforming.
Heavenly Net Decree!
A secret body-refining technique passed down in the Yao Clan. At its tenth layer, it manifested Heavenly Net Wings—a rare flight-based combat skill.
With Heavenly Net Decree active, Yao Lao's speed skyrocketed. He dodged the petrifying beams with agile footwork, then retaliated with a flurry of strikes.
Dugu Bo's greatest weapon—his venom—was useless. His massive form became a liability. Against Yao Lao's activated secret technique, he was reduced to a punching bag.
In under a hundred exchanges, Yao Lao had fully dominated.
"Hmph—!" Dugu Bo snarled. "You just wait, old man!"
Can't win… time to run!
He knew continuing would bring no advantage. Worse, his soul power was nearly exhausted from maintaining the Martial Soul True Body.
For soul masters, Martial Soul True Body was a double-edged sword. Granted at Soul Saint rank (Seventh Soul Ring), it offered explosive power—at the cost of severe soul power depletion. After reverting, a debilitating weakness period followed, its duration depending on the user's rank and physique.
"Master, we won!" Yang Fan cheered, fists clenched.
This meant no one would disturb their herb harvesting soon.
"Mm…" Yao Lao's soul flickered with fatigue.
Dugu Bo had overextended with his Martial Soul True Body—just as Yao Lao had with his Yuan Qi Explosion Decree.
This battle gave Yao Lao clear insight into Douluo Continent's Title Douluos.
Not overwhelmingly strong—but still a major headache for master and disciple.
Without a year's preparation of specialized antidotes, defeating a Title Douluo would've been nearly impossible.
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