The nearest carriage to the Dugu Clan was the Ge Family's.
Marshal Ge Long himself was dumbstruck.
Having once worked with the Dugu Clan, he knew their poison arts better than most. His family had long listed the Dugu as one of the few forces never to provoke.
But even so, tonight still shook him.
Ge Ying's poisoning might not have been Dugu Shuo's doing… but the Elephant Sect's deaths? Those were definitely Dugu Shuo's.
What on earth was happening?
He suddenly realized just how ignorant he was.
The Elephant Sect, Sacred Dragon Clan, and Dugu Clan, clearly a hidden struggle was unfolding, and he had been blind to it all.
Ge Long gave a bitter laugh.
"Father, I just heard screams from Sacred Dragon Clan too, it seems someone else poisoned. Since the Elephant Sect's people are already dead, why not treat Sacred Dragon Clan first?"
A calm, childlike voice broke the silence.
It was Dugu Feng.
"Good. We'll save the Sacred Dragon Clan soul master first."
Dugu Shuo turned toward the carriage of Sacred Dragon Clan.
At its side stood Tuoba Xi, clad in bright silver armor, a great golden dragon emblem embroidered across his chest.
Even he had been shaken. He knew more than Hu Yanzhen ever did.
He knew the one in the shadows—the poisoner—was none other than Yang Wushuang, younger brother of Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan. After the Clear Sky Sect withdrew from the world, Yang Wushuang had been captured and turned by Spirit Hall.
With him, Sacred Dragon Clan had dared stand against the Dugu Clan.
Which made the Elephant Sect's fate all the more terrifying. It couldn't have been Yang Wushuang,then it could only be… Dugu Shuo.
And the antidote pills Yang Wushuang had given were utterly useless.
Tuoba Xi clenched his jaw, tasting the bitterness of the two antidote pills he had just bitten through. No comfort, no protection.
Behind him, ten soul masters trembled. Some so badly that their hands shook.
The poison… it was too terrifying.
"Senior, senior!," Tuoba Xi whispered with spirit power, voice trembling. "The Dugu Clan has sensed our plan. They struck first, killing Hu Yanzhen. I can't even perceive the poison… let alone resist it."
His plea was silent, but the fear within it was obvious.
Step.
Step.
Dugu Shuo's footsteps echoed through the night.
Each one fell like a death knell.
He drew closer to the Sacred Dragon Clan's carriage.
Inside, Tuoba Yan, the soul master who had faked poisoning, he lay sprawled, veins bulging, face pale, limbs trembling.
As Dugu Shuo neared, his terror grew.
Hu Yanhong of the Elephant Sect had been the first "fake" to die.
The Dugu Clan…they were too ruthless.
Poisoning in the dark, then shifting the blame onto others.
If he stayed, he would die.
No… I can't die here.
Tuoba Yan's eyes flickered. He bit down hard, swallowing his antidote.
"Ahhhh—the poison…it burns! It hurts!!"
His seven spirit rings flared. With a roar, a white dragon burst skyward and vanished into the night, fleeing faster than flight itself.
A Soul Sage… had run away.
He even excused himself as he fled, screaming that the pain was too much to endure.
The Sacred Dragon Clan disciples left behind froze.
He was poisoned. How can he run?
You… you bastard. Do we run too? If we flee, it proves our guilt. But if we don't, we'll die here.
Their faces paled.
"Trash," Tuoba Xi cursed silently. Even if you were acting, you should've had some backbone.
He himself stayed rooted. He had a backer. Spirit Hall.
Surely Dugu Shuo wouldn't dare touch him?
His eyes glinted coldly as he stared at the approaching figure.
Yes, the Dugu Clan had known of their collusion with the Elephant Sect, hence the massacre.
But the Sacred Dragon Clan was different. They belonged to Spirit Hall.
Would Dugu Shuo really dare?
Step.
Step.
The sound grew louder, heavier.
Behind Tuoba Xi, his own men trembled visibly, hearts pounding like drums.
The suffocating fear was breaking them apart.
He swallowed hard. His foot slid back half a step.
Senior… if you don't come now, I'll run too. Face be damned—better alive than dead.
Soul power gathered around him, ready to explode outward at the first chance.
"Coward," a cold voice echoed in his mind.
Tuoba Xi's heart leapt.
He almost wept with relief.
"Dugu Patriarch, there's no need for you to trouble yourself further. Spirit Hall's elder has arrived—he will detoxify us."
His eyes gleamed. Breath steady again.
And then—
A figure appeared atop the Sacred Dragon Clan's carriage.
Swathed in black cloth, indistinguishable from the night, only two bright eyes glimmered like lanterns.
No one had seen him arrive.
No one could even tell what he looked like.
But with a wave of his hands, a shadowy barrier descended, shrouding the Sacred Dragon Clan.
Tuoba Xi wiped the sweat from his brow. He had nearly bolted.
"Finally, senior. You came."
"How regrettable… I was just about to detoxify them."
Dugu Shuo's voice was faint. He stopped walking.
Only now did he sense the man standing atop the carriage.
A Spirit Hall Title Douluo.
One he could not afford to provoke.
"Greetings, Elder Ghost." Tuoba Xi bowed deeply. His voice was steady now, but his heart raced.
Only one elder of Spirit Hall cloaked himself in shadow like this—Ghost Douluo!
And by Spirit City's reports, he was one of the new Pope's most trusted, often sent to handle delicate matters in her name.
"Dugu Patriarch… such ruthless means."
Ghost Douluo's voice was chilling, drifting like wraiths through the night.
"Elder Ghost, what do you mean? Surely you don't think this poison is mine? The Dugu Clan may wield venom, but we don't scatter it carelessly.
I already know who's behind this—it must be the Breaking Clan!
Back when they served the Clear Sky Sect, they wielded poison for them in countless shadowy deeds.
Rumors say they've hidden in the Star Luo Empire. They must have been recruited by the Dai Clan.
Now that Clear Sky Sect has withdrawn, a share of the Arena's profits lies open. Of course Zhu and Dai would try to seize it by poisoning us to weaken us.
Alas, the Elephant Sect… I hadn't even started detoxifying before they all perished.
At the Soto City gathering, Elder Ghost, you must uphold justice!"
His tone was sharp, tinged with anger—but beneath it, wary. Spirit Hall was not to be crossed.
"Hmph. You claim it was the Breaking Clan? Do they truly have the ability to poison Hu Yanzhen silently, beneath so many eyes?"
Ghost Douluo's figure never moved.
But from his body… a second shadow peeled away.
A phantom of himself, surging forward like a tide, pressing down on Dugu Shuo.