Three days later, early in the morning, two luxurious carriages slowly departed from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
As the sun set and evening approached, in the desolate wilderness—
"Hmm?" While secretly following behind the carriages, Dugu Bo suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning his head toward the distant side.
Within a few blinks, a golden figure appeared in sight.
'Chrysanthemum Douluo? Could it be…?' Dugu Bo's brow immediately furrowed. He glanced back at the carriage disappearing into the distance, then quickly turned to intercept the incoming enemy. When he landed not far in front of Chrysanthemum Douluo, his voice sank. "Chrysanthemum Douluo, did Bibi Dong send you?"
"Hmph, Spirit Hall really has gone backwards. They actually send a Titled Douluo to bully a junior?"
He instinctively assumed Chrysanthemum Douluo had been dispatched by Bibi Dong to assassinate Yang Yunhai.
"Bah! Unlike you, I still have my face—I don't sneak around like a thief!" Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately retorted.
Dugu Bo's old face flushed, though his expression barely changed. His tone stayed sharp. "Don't bring that up. Weren't they just some worthless herbs? Was it worth chasing me halfway across the continent? If it weren't for you, how could I have missed my son's final moments?"
"That's my fault, is it?!" Chrysanthemum Douluo's anger spiked. "If you hadn't destroyed the medicine garden I poured my heart into, would I have chased you at all? And Old Poison, don't tell me you really thought that as a Soul Douluo back then, you could escape from me, a Titled Douluo?"
"Hmph, if I hadn't pitied you, knowing everything you did was just to save your son, barely making you a qualified father, I'd have killed you long ago."
"But instead, afterward you kept provoking me again and again. If you were me, wouldn't you fight back?"
"And besides, when have I not let you off in the end?"
"If I really had no shame, every time I'd have brought along Old Ghost. With the two of us together, even ten lives wouldn't be enough for you."
"..." Dugu Bo was stunned into silence. Thinking back carefully, it was true.
Two versus one, with a rank advantage? He'd have had no chance to escape at all.
Still, after nearly ten years of clashing, every encounter ended with him beaten and fleeing in embarrassment. That grudge was impossible to swallow.
"Hmph, enough talk. If you want to fight, come. I'm not afraid!" He straightened his back and growled coldly.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Chrysanthemum Douluo looked riled. "Old Poison, ten years now—our feud should be settled."
"All these years, I've had enough of you hounding me. Today, you and I will have a proper, fair duel. Win or lose, we'll end it here."
"From now on, you walk your Yangguan Road, I'll cross my log bridge, and we'll leave each other alone. How about it?"
"I won't even take advantage of you. We'll both suppress our levels to rank 91. Old Poison, do you dare?"
"Fight then! You think I'm scared?" Dugu Bo snapped.
The poison in his and his granddaughter's bodies was nearly purged—he no longer had to fear death. With a future to live for, who wouldn't want peace? Besides, he still had to protect Yunhai and ensure the boy's safe growth. Less trouble was better than more.
"Then let's do this!" Chrysanthemum Douluo raised his voice. His hand swept up, summoning his martial soul—the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
'Hmm? His martial soul seems different than before. Has his realm advanced again?' Dugu Bo's brow furrowed. The golden sheen on the petals was broader and brighter than the last time they fought, its texture like gleaming steel.
'As expected, his martial soul's strength has risen a lot.'
"So, that's it. No wonder you dared to come looking for me. Turns out your realm's advanced again!" Dugu Bo sneered as he summoned his own martial soul. Green light surged over him, his pupils narrowed into vertical slits, his whole presence sinister and chilling.
'And this is all thanks to you, Old Poison, for helping me find that immortal herb.' Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart swelled with satisfaction.
After consuming the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, his long-stalled cultivation finally broke through, soul power rising to rank 96. Most importantly, his martial soul's strength had skyrocketed, now as tough as steel, nearly matching top-tier blade-type martial souls.
His offensive and defensive power had soared!
The flaws of his plant-type martial soul—its lack of toughness and limited attack—were now fully compensated.
"Old Poison, I've already suppressed my soul power to match yours. I'm not taking advantage. Spouting excuses now—are you afraid?"
His words struck back like barbs. As he spoke, he lifted his martial soul high, infusing it with surging soul power until its size swelled enormously.
"As if I'd fear you!" Dugu Bo growled, though in his heart he was already planning. 'His attack skills are mostly ranged. My Jade Phosphorus Serpent's poison won't easily touch his body. I'll have to control him first, then strike.'
His thoughts formed—
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
Light burst from his body. A colossal Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor shadow rose behind him, condensing instantly into a massive green serpent.
Dugu Bo stood within its brow, hands pressed together, sending the great serpent lunging forward.
'Trying to get close, then use your skull skill Medusa's Gaze to control me before poisoning me?' Having fought him for years, Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately guessed his plan. He raised his arms.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
"Sixth Soul Skill, Golden Stamen Flowing Light!"
His hands shoved outward. Behind him, the enormous Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum blazed golden from its core, erupting with countless shining beams. They shot skyward, then bent back down, locking onto the Jade Phosphorus Serpent's head and striking in volleys.
Dugu Bo frowned. In the past, this dispersed ranged skill couldn't penetrate his Martial Soul Avatar's defenses. Even if his realm and martial soul had improved, it shouldn't be that much stronger.
He chose to take it head-on.
"Hmph, you think I'm the same as before?" Chrysanthemum Douluo sneered.
His body flared with golden radiance, power surging as his arms lifted higher.
The serpent's head reeled as volley after volley slammed down. Cracks spiderwebbed across its scales like shattered glass.
'What? Its strength increased this much!?' Dugu Bo was horrified. His Martial Soul Avatar injured, the backlash struck his body immediately. A mouthful of blood surged up his throat—he forced it down, stabilizing the serpent's form.
But just as he steadied it—
"Eighth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Rays of Light!"
A golden pillar as wide as two men shot straight toward him.
"Damn it!" Dugu Bo cursed. 'One misjudgment, and I've lost the initiative!' Fury and helplessness warred within him. He could only unleash his counter. His Wisdom Skull was a mere ten-thousand-year soul bone—it couldn't petrify energy this overwhelming. Chrysanthemum Douluo knew his tricks too well. He had no choice but to use the one skill that could withstand it.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Time Freeze!"
Light exploded from his hands, rippling outward. Wherever it spread, space and time itself froze. The golden pillar halted midair, suspended in place.
The wave kept pushing outward, drawing closer and closer to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
(End of Chapter)
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