Chapter 52: The Miserable Poison Douluo
"If even Dugu Yan's poison can't be cured, how are we supposed to detoxify Dugu Bo?"
Qian Renxue's voice echoed in Qi Tian's mind, laced with worry.
"Ghost Uncle, it seems we won't be able to recruit Dugu Bo after all."
Qi Tian smiled faintly as he escorted Dugu Yan out of the Crown Prince's mansion.
"Actually, I do have a way to help them—both to detoxify and to suppress the Jade Phosphor Serpent's venom."
"Oh?" Qian Renxue's tone sharpened. "What way?"
As Qi Tian continued the polite farewell outside, he kept speaking to her through their spiritual link.
"There's someone who can cure their snake venom. That person is—"
Before he could finish, Yang Wushuang suddenly interjected.
Having watched Dugu Yan leave, and now feeling no need for secrecy, the poison master stepped forward.
"Young Miss, I know someone who can help both Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo with their poison!"
Qi Tian raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Who?"
Could it be that Yang Wushuang also knew about Bibi Dong's immunity to poison?
Yang Wushuang bowed deeply.
"It's Her Holiness the Pope!"
"I once tried to display my mastery of poisons before her," he admitted bitterly. "But no matter how deadly the venom I used, Her Holiness was completely unaffected!"
Qi Tian's eyes lit up instantly. That made things far easier—since the suggestion had come from Yang Wushuang, it wouldn't raise any suspicion toward him.
However, Qian Renxue didn't seem pleased.
"Ghost Uncle," she pressed, "you still haven't told me your method."
Qi Tian sighed softly.
"My method… is also to ask Bibi Dong for help."
Silence fell between them. Qian Renxue didn't respond for a long time. When she finally spoke, her tone was low and complicated.
"Can't we just… give up on recruiting Dugu Bo?"
Qi Tian shook his head.
"No. Dugu Bo's abilities are invaluable to Spirit Hall's future—especially if we plan to found the Spirit Empire and unify the continent."
The venomous mist released by Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent was a weapon of mass destruction. On the battlefield, few could rival its devastating potential—not even Bibi Dong's Death Domain or her Deathly Toxins could match it.
He alone could hold off an entire army of a million men. But precisely because of that overwhelming lethality, Qi Tian thought grimly, Dugu Bo was a "living calamity"—a weapon that should only be unleashed as a last resort.
Qian Renxue had investigated Dugu Bo's history before; she knew well how terrifying the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul was.
She sighed in resignation.
"Fine. I'll send her a message. But whether she agrees to help… that's not something I can control."
After leaving the Crown Prince's mansion, Dugu Yan returned home.
Their residence was large but desolate—eerily quiet, with hardly any servants around.
Both she and her grandfather were poison users. Even a trace of Jade Phosphor Serpent venom leaking from their cultivation could easily kill an ordinary person.
Because of that, their home was unlike any noble estate. No bustling maids, no grand retinue—just a cold emptiness.
"Yan'er, why are you back so late today? Where did you go this afternoon?"
The voice came from a frail-looking old man.
He was thin as a stick, skin stretched tight over bone, his greenish eyes glowing faintly like a serpent's in the dark.
His long hair and beard were a deep, unnatural green.
It was hard to believe this ghostly figure was actually a soul master on the verge of reaching rank ninety—Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo.
"Grandpa! You scared me again!"
Dugu Yan pouted, her icy expression melting into the mischievousness of a young girl.
"Ha! How did Grandpa scare you?" he chuckled hoarsely.
She wrinkled her nose and quickly changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about that. Grandpa, I went to visit the Crown Prince's mansion today…"
She recounted everything that had happened—Qi Tian's words, the poison master's diagnosis, and the Crown Prince's invitation. After all, she knew this was no small matter and that her grandfather had to be informed.
Dugu Yan was no fool. She understood perfectly that Xue Qinghe's (Qi Tian's) intentions were not as simple as kindness—his purpose was recruitment.
And her grandfather, a reclusive man who loathed politics, would never willingly serve any faction.
"Hmm? Poison backlash?"
Dugu Bo's eyes widened sharply, a faint green light flickering within them.
So someone had actually seen through the weakness of their martial soul?
For decades, he had endured the torment of his poison, clawing his way to his current rank through sheer willpower. But his granddaughter… she might not possess the same endurance.
Even now, he himself was nearing his limit.
If the problem wasn't solved soon, the venom within him would one day consume him completely.
So even the mighty Poison Douluo (Soul Douluo currently)… is running out of time.
"Xue Qinghe, huh? I'll go and meet him myself!"
"Grandfather! Don't hurt the Crown Prince!"
Before Dugu Yan could stop him, Dugu Bo had already vanished from sight.
She hurriedly chased after him in panic.
Outside the Crown Prince's Mansion, a gaunt, skeletal old man appeared—it was Dugu Bo.
"The Heaven Dou royal family is nothing but a few stray cats and dogs. If not for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they would have collapsed long ago!" Dugu Bo muttered to himself coldly.
That very thought was why he dared to come here so boldly—he intended to kidnap Xue Qinghe to verify his granddaughter's words.
"I hope what you said to Yan'er is true. If you can really remove her poison, fine. But if not... don't blame this old man for being ruthless."
Dugu Bo's character was neither good nor evil—he only kept the promises he chose to make. Everything else meant nothing to him.
With a single leap, he crossed the walls of the Crown Prince's residence, his spiritual power sweeping around as he searched for Xue Qinghe's aura.
His Beast-type Martial Soul had strengthened his body greatly. Even without soul skills, he was still a powerhouse.
However, the moment he stepped inside the mansion, a crushing aura descended upon him.
"Who dares trespass into the Crown Prince's Mansion?"
A cold voice rang out as a shadow shot forward. A twisted snake lance flew like lightning, thrusting straight at Dugu Bo's face!
"—A Titled Douluo!?" Dugu Bo's pupils contracted sharply.
When did the Heaven Dou royal family gain such a powerhouse? Was this someone Ning Fengzhi recently recruited?
Dugu Bo immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, his seventh soul ring flashing beneath his feet. In an instant, his body transformed into the colossal form of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, its emerald scales gleaming with toxic light.
Two beams of venomous green light shot out from his eyes, colliding head-on with the incoming lance.
But the opponent's power was overwhelming. A Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo were worlds apart. The snake lance wasn't repelled—instead, it pierced through the serpent's defenses and struck his scales directly.
Clang!
A sharp sound echoed as a chunk of gem-like scales was ripped clean off his serpent form.
"—Hiss!" Dugu Bo gasped, his face twisting in pain. He was actually injured!
Without hesitation, several soul rings beneath him flared in rapid succession. Ignoring the commotion he caused—and the guards from both the royal family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—he unleashed multiple soul skills in retreat.
He barely managed to flee, battered and bloodied, from the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Only after confirming no one was pursuing did he dare to return home.
When Dugu Yan saw her grandfather return wounded, her heart tightened.
"Grandfather! What happened? Why are you hurt?" she asked anxiously.
Dugu Bo opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Who could have expected that a single prince's residence would hide such a terrifying expert?
Back inside the Crown Prince's Mansion—
The snake lance vanished into thin air, and a tall, thin old man slowly appeared from the shadows.
It was She Long, the Snake Lance Douluo of Spirit Hall.
Qi Tian, using Bibi Dong's body before, had once met him—back then, She Long had only been a Soul Douluo.
"Your Highness," She Long said respectfully, "the intruder was Dugu Bo. Shall I pursue and kill him?"
The massive form of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor had made his identity unmistakable. Any knowledgeable soul master would recognize Dugu Bo instantly, much less She Long.
However, She Long had held back—he hadn't even revealed his own Martial Soul True Body when repelling Dugu Bo.
He'd feared exposing his identity, so he had restrained his power.
Qi Tian waved his hand lightly. "No need. Wait a few more days. If he refuses to submit... then we'll act."
"Yes, Your Highness." She Long bowed and retreated into the darkness once again, silently guarding Qian Renxue's safety.
Qi Tian, meanwhile, calmly ordered his attendants to clean up the aftermath and suppress any rumors of the incident.
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(End of Chapter)