According to the plot he remembered—
Emperor Xue Ye was indeed poisoned.
The toxin was a compound poison, so well-hidden that even Dugu Bo hadn't detected it.
Only after exchanging knowledge of mixed poisons with Tang San did he finally realize the truth. And even then, he could only suppress it with poison-against-poison, never cure it completely.
In the end, it was Yang Wudi who cured him.
Of course, Yang Wudi only managed it because the poison itself had been crafted by his own clan's traitor - Yang Wushuang.
Back when the Clear Sky Sect retreated, the four single-attribute clans were besieged by all sides.
Yang Wudi's brother, Yang Wushuang, was captured by Spirit Hall. He betrayed his clan and defected, helping Qian Renxue poison the Second Prince and Third Prince.
Now, most likely, they were planning to poison Emperor Xue Ye himself.
Whether it had already happened, Dugu Feng did not know.
Lost in thought, he didn't realize the carriage had rolled smoothly into the imperial palace.
Only when it stopped outside the emperor's sleeping hall did he come back to himself.
The Imperial Guards had already sent word inside.
Dugu Feng and Dugu Shuo followed the attendants straight in.
The hall was vast. Eight golden pillars held up a towering dome, empty yet majestic.
At the very center sat a man on a dragon throne.
Clad in red-gold robes, crowned with a radiant diadem, his face was stately, his presence commanding—this was none other than Emperor Xue Ye.
Below him stood several figures.
Among them, Dugu Feng spotted someone he knew: Xue Beng.
The prince fidgeted restlessly, scratching his ears, clearly wishing to be anywhere else.
Xue Beng was also a student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, three years older than Dugu Feng. They'd crossed paths a few times. They were barely acquaintances.
At school, Xue Beng acted the spoiled playboy, but only toward small clans and low-status students.
Toward Ning Rongrong, the Feng brothers, or even himself, he was at least fair.
Now, catching Dugu Feng's eye, Xue Beng grinned without fear, utterly unbothered by the emperor's presence.
He really did play the part well.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Father and son stepped forward, bowing before the throne.
The emperor smiled, face ruddy with health. "Patriarch Dugu, no need for formality. Be seated."
Dugu Shuo nodded and sat.
Dugu Feng stood respectfully at his father's back, glancing at the others present.
Besides Xue Beng, there was an old man, a young man, and a girl.
"Thank you for the trouble, Patriarch Dugu," the old man said.
Dugu Shuo inclined his head. "Prince Xue Xing, you are too kind."
So the elder in the yellow robe was Prince Xue Xing himself.
He took the seat beside Dugu Shuo and extended his left hand for testing.
On his father's brow, a green diamond scale appeared. Multicolored light surged forth, enveloping Prince Xue Xing.
Immediately, Dugu Feng felt an oppressive weight.
That light wasn't ordinary...it shimmered purple, gray, gold, and black, four colors interwoven with strange might.
Under its glow, Prince Xue Xing showed no abnormalities.
Soon, Dugu Shuo withdrew the light.
The next to step forward was the young man.
"Patriarch Dugu, many thanks." His smile was warm, genuine—even to Dugu Feng.
The sincerity felt so real it made one's guard drop.
But Dugu Feng knew who it was—
Qian Renxue, disguised as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
The true culprit.
Surely Xue Xing and Xue Beng already suspected.
For a wild moment, Dugu Feng wondered: What if I exposed Qian Renxue right now?
He could already picture it -mtwo Titled Douluo descending from the heavens, whisking her away.
But not before killing him and his father on the spot.
Just imagining it made his blood stir.
Then another thought chilled him.
If Emperor Xue Ye was already poisoned, and if his father discovered it…
Wouldn't Qian Renxue mark the Dugu Clan for death?
Yes. Even now, she and Bibi Dong were likely plotting to erase them.
After all, in the Heaven Dou Empire, only the Dugu Clan had the strength to purge poisons.
That was why Dugu Bo's constant battles with Chrysanthemum Douluo were no accident.
Spirit Hall genuinely wanted him dead.
And later, in the story that he he remembered, there was no mention of Dugu Shuo's line at all.
Yet here, Emperor Xue Ye clearly valued his father highly.
Which meant… sometime between now and the Continental Tournament, their branch of the clan might be annihilated.
Especially with Elephant Armored Sect waiting to betray them at Spirit Hall's command.
The pieces were falling into place.
Qian Renxue smiled gently, but in her heart she must already be cursing Dugu Shuo.
Dugu Feng schooled his face into calm indifference, betraying nothing.
"Your Highness flatters me," Dugu Shuo said, and repeated his multicolored light scan. As expected, no results.
Then came Xue Beng, then the little princess Xue Ke—both clear.
Finally, the main event—Emperor Xue Ye himself.
This time, Dugu Shuo stepped right up to the throne.
Dugu Feng followed, close behind.
The multicolored glow spread once more.
At first, nothing seemed wrong. Yet the air in the hall grew taut.
"Ha! No need for worry. With Patriarch Dugu here, who dares poison me?" Emperor Xue Ye laughed.
"His Majesty carries the hope of millions—of course he is safe," Xue Xing echoed, though his eyes never left the glow.
He was already suspicious of Xue Qinghe.
The other princes were dead. The last obstacle to her ascension… was the emperor himself.
So every test had him on edge.
Xue Beng looked careless as ever. Xue Ke, still a child, strained to appear composed.
And Xue Qinghe—Qian Renxue—smiled serenely, her poise flawless.
Then Dugu Feng stiffened.
Inside him, the Pearls suddenly whirled faster, soul power rushing wildly through his veins.
He hurried to clamp down, forcing them still.
But he knew.
The source of that resonance was Emperor Xue Ye.
He was poisoned.
And not just poisoned—the venom was potent enough to stir the Pearls themselves.
Dugu Feng's heart sank.
This was the calm before the storm.
One wrong step, and the Dugu Clan would be targeted for extermination.
For this was no mere poison—
It was tied to Bibi Dong's ambition, and Qian Renxue's grand design to seize the throne.