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for Advance Chapter
Time passed minute by minute.
The sun set, the moon rose, and the sun rose again.
Three days.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing stood guard a hundred paces away for three days. They saw Mo Bai's body constantly cycling between collapse and rebirth—flesh and blood blurring, white bone showing, then being covered by new granulation. That sight was more terrifying than any torture.
Dugu Yan's face grew whiter and whiter. She gripped her grandfather's hand, her nails sinking into his flesh: "Will... will he die?"
"I don't know," Dugu Bo said, his murky eyes fixed on the center of the pool. "But if he can endure this..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
By the twilight of the third day.
The energy storm at the center of the pool finally began to weaken.
Mo Bai's body no longer split open. The boundary between crimson and bluish-white gradually blurred, finally merging into a texture as warm as jade. Faint golden-red and silver-white patterns surfaced on his skin, like some ancient totem, or like the brand of intertwined ice and fire.
He opened his eyes.
In the depths of his pupils, a flash of red-gold crossed his left eye and a flash of ice-blue crossed his right, before returning to normal.
He stood up.
The pool water parted automatically, forming a path at his feet. He walked back to the shore step by step; with every step he took, his aura retracted another notch. By the time he reached Dugu Bo, he looked no different from three days ago—except for his eyes, which seemed deeper, like an abyss capable of reflecting the human heart.
"Mission accomplished," Mo Bai said, his voice somewhat raspy.
Dugu Bo stared at him for a long time, then nodded slowly: "A formidable youth."
It wasn't a compliment; it was true recognition. To be able to endure the medicinal power of the Infernal Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass simultaneously while using the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to temper his body—there were few among Titled Douluo who could accomplish such a feat of courage and perseverance.
"Now, it is Miss Dugu's turn." Mo Bai looked at Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan instinctively took half a step back, then stopped herself. She bit her lip: "What do I need to do?"
"Take off your clothes."
The air went silent for an instant.
Dugu Bo's brow furrowed, but he didn't speak. Xiao Wu blinked, and Zhu Zhuqing turned her head away—the tips of her ears were a blood-red.
Dugu Yan's face turned white then red, then red then white. Finally, she took a deep breath and began to unbutton her clothes.
The outer robe, the inner shirt, the slip... piece by piece they fell to the ground. Soon, she was left only in a form-fitting chemise and short pants. Her skin glowed pale in the sunset, and the dark green snake-scale patterns flickered intermittently on her collarbone, arms, and thighs. Her tall, elegant body was fully revealed—full, prominent breasts with pale pink nipples, a slender waist that flared into shapely hips, and long, toned legs. The faint golden patterns from the previous treatment already traced seductive lines across her skin.
"All of it," Mo Bai said.
Dugu Yan's fingers were trembling. But she still undid the final restraints.
Her naked body was exposed to the air. She was very thin, her ribs clearly visible, and her waist so slender it looked as though it would snap at a touch. But she had all the curves she should have—full, heavy breasts that jiggled slightly with each breath, puffy pink nipples already stiff from the clashing energies, and a smooth, hairless mound between her long legs. Though toxins had eroded her for years, her skin remained pale and almost translucent, now adorned with faint golden snake-scale patterns that glowed softly.
Mo Bai's gaze swept over her body, devoid of lust, containing only evaluation—like a craftsman looking at a piece of jade waiting to be carved.
"Enter the pool. Go to the boundary of ice and fire."
Dugu Yan bit her teeth, turned, and walked into the pool.
The crimson half was so hot she nearly cried out, and the milky white half was so cold her marrow ached. She staggered to the center of the pool—the heart of the Taiji pattern, where the powers of ice and fire clashed and tore at each other, ten times more intense than at the edges.
"Sit," Mo Bai's voice came.
Dugu Yan sat cross-legged. Ice and fire energy surged from all directions simultaneously, like countless needles stabbing into her skin. She let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Mo Bai also entered the pool. He didn't take off his clothes, but they were ground into powder by the energy the moment they touched the water. He revealed a lean, powerful body—his muscle lines were smooth, and the golden-red and silver-white patterns on his skin glowed faintly under the reflection of the pool.
He sat down opposite Dugu Yan.
"Next, I will use my soul power to guide the toxins in your body and reshape your poison dan and soul rings," Mo Bai said, his voice as calm as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner. "The process will be very painful. More painful than all your previous poison breakouts combined. You will feel as if your body is being torn apart and your soul burned, then frozen into ice shards."
Dugu Yan's lips were trembling, but she nodded: "I am ready."
"It's not over," Mo Bai looked at her. "During this process, your body will undergo some... changes. Your poison will be granted new 'properties.' It will become more obedient, but it will also become more... sensitive."
"What do you mean?"
"It means," Mo Bai reached out, his fingertip touching Dugu Yan's brow, "your poison, from now on, will not only be able to kill people, but also... seduce them."
His fingertip was very hot. No, it was an eerie temperature of intertwined ice and fire. That energy drilled into Dugu Yan's brain through her forehead; her whole body gave a jolt.