Dugu Bo's face remained solemn, his mind racing with possibilities. He knew well that the technique Xiao Tian had handed him—the Poison Spirit Purification Technique—wasn't just unique, it was revolutionary.
"You understand," he said quietly, "that if this technique spreads, the first person it will attract is Bibi Dong herself. You know who she is—the Pope of Spirit Hall. Both her spirits are of the Spider Emperor type, their poison outstripping even mine. If I count myself as the second strongest poison user in this continent, then she—she is absolutely the first. If she learns of this method…" Dugu Bo shuddered faintly, his venomous aura flickering, "she will hunt you down without fail."
But Xiao Tian's expression remained perfectly calm. "Why are you worrying so much, Senior? If you don't want it, we can always forget about it—but then, what about your granddaughter's future?" His tone was casual, bordering on teasing. "Relax. It's just a technique. If others covet it, so what? The stronger your enemies, the more they'll have to bleed if they want to harm you. But remember—this method will only be most effective in your hands. And if anyone dares expose it, you and your granddaughter will face immense danger together. Keep it secret, no matter what."
Dugu Bo blinked slowly, astonished at how dismissive Xiao Tian sounded about a technique worth kingdoms. To the boy, it really was just another outcome of a few days' calculations—not nearly as sacred as Dugu Bo considered it.
Yet to him… it was everything.
The Poison Douluo took a deep breath, his voice suddenly solemn. "Xiao Tian, I will never forget this debt. From this day forward, anyone who dares trouble you must pass me first. Should someone come to kill you… then they must step over my corpse before they lay a hand on you!"
Xiao Tian blinked. The vow sounded oddly familiar. For a moment, he thought back to endless lines he'd once read in novels and heard in dramas. Hah. So even Poison Douluo can sound like a dramatic knight.
He raised his hand sheepishly. "Cough, Senior Dugu Bo, don't be too serious. Do I look like I need protecting? To be honest—" his smile stretched slyly "—I'm stronger than you now."
The declaration made Dugu Bo pause, his expression frozen.
Did this brat just…?
"Ahem." Xiao Tian's eyes danced mischievously as he continued, "I said before I might have the strength to defeat you. You doubted me then. Do you still doubt me now?"
Dugu Bo's sharp eyes narrowed, suspicion and incredulity flashing beneath. Ordinarily, if anyone else dared say such a thing, he would poison first and laugh later. But Xiao Tian wasn't 'anyone else.' This child had shattered too many of his assumptions already.
Could it… be true?
"You're not joking, are you?" Dugu Bo asked finally, voice low.
Instead of replying, Xiao Tian simply chuckled. "Come out—Ah Yin, Da Ming, Er Ming. Let's reveal ourselves."
At once, ethereal light shimmered around him. From Xiao Tian's body emerged three figures—first the elegant silhouette of Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Emperor, faint but radiant. Then two immense phantoms rippled into existence: the gigantic coiling form of Da Ming, the Azure Bull Python, and the towering colossus that was Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape.
The air itself trembled beneath their presence.
"Senior Dugu Bo," Xiao Tian said softly, though there was steel behind his voice, "from this moment, what you see stays with you forever. This is my greatest secret. You must swear it remains a secret—no exceptions."
Da Ming's massive eyes flickered with unease as he turned his colossal head toward Xiao Tian. His deep voice resounded. "Xiao Tian, you're really staking everything by showing this to him. Placing your own life in another's hands… that's dangerous."
Er Ming rumbled agreement, his fists clenching.
For a beat, the two beast kings hesitated. Then, silently deciding their course, they burst into their true forms.
The valley shook as their suppressed aura exploded outward. Hundred-thousand-year soul beast might blanketed the land like an iron sky. Poison in the air fled in panic before their ancient pressure, and the very herbs seemed to bow beneath their tremors.
The Poison Douluo's body turned stiff.
"This…" For once, even he felt his venom falter. His throat clenched as his eyes widened in disbelief. "That is—the Titan Giant Ape! And the other… though I've never seen it before, I can feel it. Its aura surpasses even the Titan… Azure Bull Python?" His lips quivered. "Two… two hundred-thousand-year beasts, standing here before my eyes?"
As for Ah Yin's faint form, with cultivation barely past a thousand years, he waved her off—yet the faint noble aura she carried unsettled his heart. Something about her was different…
Xiao Tian stood proudly. "Now you see. These are not ordinary summons—they are my contracted souls. Da Ming, the Azure Bull Python; Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape; and Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Emperor."
"Souls?" Dugu Bo repeated blankly. The word was foreign, with no place in his experience. But the evidence stood undeniable.
Nothing short of miracles could explain why these supreme beasts resided in Xiao Tian's body.
At last, a laugh rasped through his throat, awe-spiced with bitterness. Monster. This child is more monster than I am.
"I understand now," Dugu Bo said solemnly. "It turns out you weren't boasting. Truly—you do have the power to defeat me." His lips cracked up into a thin smile. "No… against those two alone, it isn't defeat. It's slaughter. Even I wouldn't survive."
But then the old Douluo's mind caught upon another puzzle. His eyes flicked over Xiao Tian sharply.
"Wait… If you've bound them, then by logic you should have absorbed the soul rings and bones they left behind. Two hundred-thousand beasts. At least one hundred-thousand-year ring in your body, beyond doubt. Yet everyone outside thinks you're barely a Soul Sect. That doesn't fit…"
Xiao Tian smirked, tilting his head. His lips curved upward slowly.
Purple light bloomed, followed by deep black.
Five soul rings floated upward around him—flawless, radiant, balanced. Not the configuration of an immature Soul Sect, but that of a Soul King.
Dugu Bo's breath seized as his eyes traced the noble glow of each ring.
Purple. Black. Black. Black. Black.
"This…" His voice cracked.
Xiao Tian's grin widened. "Satisfied now, Senior?"
Silence stretched.
Then, strangely, Dugu Bo exhaled and let out a bark of laughter. "Hah! So they were right to call you a little monster. But perhaps even that doesn't capture it. You're far beyond the word 'prodigy.' Xiao Tian, you… you'll overturn the continent."
"Monster, brat, freak," Xiao Tian replied with a wink. "Pick whichever pleases you. But don't forget, Senior—you're an 'old monster' yourself. Everyone outside calls you the Old Poison after all. Seems fitting we're in the same category, doesn't it?"
Dugu Bo froze, then laughed, his old heart lightening in ways it hadn't in years. "Old Monster. Ha! I like it. Indeed, you and I are alike."
"Now then," Dugu Bo asked after a pause, "how long do you intend on staying here? Our business is mostly finished, no?"
Xiao Tian's gaze drifted to Ah Yin. Seeing her faint smile, he shook his head. "Not yet. Ah Yin's growth here will be multiplied a thousandfold in this environment. I plan to let her stay and absorb for one or two months before we leave. In the meantime, I'll also prepare gifts for my companions—herbs paired with techniques tailored to their strengths."
Dugu Bo nodded. He had no objections. A few months here meant nothing to him, especially now that his body finally felt free of eternal torment. If anything, he intended to seize the time to refine his state and stabilize his new power.
As he reflected quietly, Xiao Tian took out three more glittering herbs from his soul guide. He held them out, handing them to his companions one by one.
"These," Xiao Tian said with a smile, "are Lingyun Blue Heart Grass, Qingming Lingyun Flower, and Giant Strength Divine Vine. Perfect fits for you three. Absorb them, and your cultivation will leap forward."
Joy and excitement twinkled in the eyes of Ah Yin, Da Ming, and Er Ming.
For them, this was more than just a gift. It was hope—the promise of regaining the strength they had once lost.
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