Xiao Tian didn't rush immediately into creating a cure for Dugu Bo's poison. He knew enough to understand that treating such a deeply rooted venom couldn't be done with a single miracle herb or a simple pill. To truly resolve the problem, Dugu Bo needed more than temporary relief—he required a technique to draw all the scattered poison throughout his body into the single poison pill condensed within him.
That, Xiao Tian realized, was the real difference.
The reason Dugu Bo suffered endless backlash from the Jade Phosphorus Snake King's venom—so badly that even his descendants were cursed—was because he lacked this control. Instead of completely gathering the poison, a constant, invisible stream leaked from his body. That venom seeped into his organs unceasingly, burning him from within. And worse, it passed forward through his rice-green liquid, tainting his offspring before they even took their first breath.
It was exactly why Dugu Bo's son had died young. Poisoned from childhood, he didn't even make it past maturity. By the time he reached Soul Saint, the venom exploded inside him, tearing both body and cultivation apart.
Xiao Tian's eyes narrowed as he studied the vast valley around him. That was the curse he now intended to dismantle. His first step, however, would be simple suppression—something to buy time. He would craft an elixir to ease the suffering, reduce the venom's impact, and give both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan a chance at future survival.
His gaze immediately fixed upon two herbs among the countless treasures of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes:
The Eight-Angled Mysterious Ice Grass—a sharp, crystalline herb radiating a freezing aura so pure that frost formed instantly near its stalks.
And directly across from it, defying the cold with its blazing brilliance, was the Fiery Apricot Grass, radiating scorching flames as though born from molten earth.
These two herbs were living embodiments of absolute extremities—frozen poison and burning toxin. Alone they were deadly, but balanced together, they were miraculous.
Xiao Tian knew their secret: combined properly, these two herbs could forge a resistance so great that the body would become immune to poison.
It was the exact pair Tang San had once used to withstand Dugu Bo's famed innate venom in another timeline.
The only problem? There was only one of each, and Xiao Tian had never personally refined pills.
He turned to the white-haired figure beside him. "Senior Dugu Bo, I need your help with something. You should know how to refine medicine, right?"
The Poison Douluo flickered forward, eyes suddenly sharp. "Brat, do you truly—truly—believe you've figured out a way to cure me?"
"No." Xiao Tian shook his head honestly. "Not yet. The path to cure will take time. What I need is your skill with alchemy. This pill won't completely detoxify you, but it will increase your resistance, enough to make you immune to poisons of any kind."
Dugu Bo's eyes sharpened, gleaming with hope. "Immune… to all poison?"
The temptation was too great. The thought alone was like breathing air for the first time after suffocating for decades.
"Fine," he said fiercely. "You tell me the steps. Leave the rest to me."
With a flash of his hand, he drew out a small, ancient alchemy furnace from his storage soul guide—a relic scorched by years of venomous practice, but still stout and serviceable.
Xiao Tian wasted no time. His eyes moved to the ultimate yin and yang herbs. The challenge was that if picked alone, each herb's extreme nature would instantly infest the body with chaos. They had to be neutralized against each other.
He summoned his qi swords, his control delicate as silk threads. Several swords rose at once. Two swept down in a precise arc, slicing cleanly beneath the roots of the Ice Grass and Fire Apricot simultaneously. The others softened, channeling gentle energy, guiding the herbs like floating feathers until they drifted directly into each other.
Crash.
The two collided, sparking as red and blue light fused together. The venomous aura dissipated instantly, balanced into calm.
The Poison Douluo's sharp gasp broke the silence. His pupils shrank. Even Sword Douluo Chen Xin—the continent's famous sword peerless—could never control power with such surgical grace. But Xiao Tian had done it casually, like flipping a page.
"Monstrous…" Dugu Bo muttered under his breath. "Simply monstrous."
Satisfied, Xiao Tian picked up the now-harmless twin herbs and set them beside other auxiliaries he had collected. He turned back solemnly. "Alright, Senior. Follow my instructions carefully. Remember—there's only one pair of these herbs. If we fail, it will be gone forever."
Dugu Bo did not scoff. He knew very well the stakes. He closed his eyes briefly, repeating Xiao Tian's words several times in his head until the sequence was engraved on his mind. Then he began to refine.
The sound of flames roaring under the pill furnace filled the air. He poured his soul power slowly, rotating it to sustain a steady heat. Xiao Tian remained at his side the entire time, whispering corrections, guiding soul power infusions, adjusting flame intensity.
The work was painstaking, a dance of patience and precision.
One hour passed. Two hours.
Finally, after nearly two and a half hours, the valley air shifted—fragrant smoke curled upward, carrying the purity of yin and yang. The cauldron lid trembled, and within spun a pill glowing red and blue, hovering above the flames as if alive.
Exhausted but grinning, Dugu Bo slumped back with sweat streaking his brow. "Hah… finally. If I'd lasted any longer, my soul power would've been drained dry."
He reached out and caught the pill with trembling fingers. His mouth twitched into a rare smile of real relief.
Xiao Tian smiled, plucking a soul guide bottle from his ring and handing it over. It shimmered lightly. "Here. Store the pill inside. And while you're at it—this soul guide will restore your drained power quickly. Don't take the pill until your soul strength is at full peak."
The moment Dugu Bo held it, warmth surged up his arm as soul power automatically replenished. His eyes went wide. "This… this device—just what kind of treasures do you keep hidden, boy?"
To him, this young swordsman was no longer just talented. He was a miracle wrapped in human skin.
A terrifying prodigy in the sword, a healer capable of solving poisons even Spirit Hall couldn't touch, and now… soul tools beyond the age. To Dugu Bo, Xiao Tian seemed less a boy and more a mystery gifted by heaven itself.
Xiao Tian didn't bask in praise. His eyes were already back on the sea of herbs. "Senior, I'll harvest some more treasures for my companions. Don't worry—I'll find something for you and Yanyan as well. Consider it my thanks."
Dugu Bo waved a hand with feigned nonchalance. "Do what you want. This valley has sat untouched long enough; better you put it to use. In truth, Xiao boy… just having met you, I feel I've earned more than detoxification."
But behind his careless tone, his decision hardened. Even if Xiao Tian ultimately failed to fully purge his poison, he'd maintain this bond. For his granddaughter's future, for her safety, he now wanted nothing more than to keep this boy close.
Xiao Tian, preoccupied with sorting herbs, did not notice the old monster's change of heart. His attention was fixed on which plants would suit his friends.
Not long after, he sat down cross-legged with a luminous stalk of Longing Dew cupped in his palm. This herb was extraordinary—when absorbed, it could sharpen spiritual power to another level entirely.
He closed his eyes, drawing the essence inward. Radiant white light seeped through his skin, flowing into his spiritual sea.
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo recovered his strength, then swallowed the pill they had refined.
Within Xiao Tian's spiritual space, a disturbance stirred.
Ah Yin, the once-slumbering Blue Silver Emperor, jolted as a strange energy surged through her body. It wasn't just stronger—it was accelerating her recovery immensely.
Her petals glimmered, sapphire streams of vitality flooding through her.
"Ah Yin," Er Ming grunted, scratching his thick neck. "You've been acting strange since earlier. What's happening?"
Da Ming's giant body shifted slightly, his massive eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Could it be… this environment? Could it somehow amplify your cultivation? Do you… want to emerge into the outside world?"
Ah Yin fell silent, her petals trembling faintly under the peculiar rhythm of the Yin-Yang Eyes.
Something was calling to her.
Something was waking.
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