Time passed little by little. In the blink of an eye, night had already fallen. As the effects of the immortal herbs began to manifest, both Yue Guan and Dugu Yan started undergoing noticeable changes.
After consuming the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, Yue Guan's body was now radiating a faint golden glow—just like his Martial Soul, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum. Originally sitting cross-legged, his entire body was now emanating and retracting golden light in cycles.
The nine spirit rings around him flickered dazzlingly at an astonishing speed. From his throat came occasional low growls like distant thunder, while his entire body trembled rhythmically in a peculiar pattern.
Dugu Yan's absorption process, on the other hand, was peaceful. She simply sat quietly, but faint radiant light shimmered around her form.
Cheng Xiao and Dugu Bo sat together, looking somewhat bored as they watched the two who had yet to awaken.
After another hour, Dugu Yan quietly opened her eyes. Feeling the transformation within her Martial Soul, she immediately became ecstatic.
"Grandfather, it worked!" Dugu Yan's eyes sparkled with excitement as she hurriedly ran to Dugu Bo. Her face was filled with joy and disbelief, her delighted smile growing wider by the second.
"My Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul has evolved into the Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor! Grandfather, my Martial Soul really evolved!" Dugu Yan threw her arms around Dugu Bo's neck in excitement. After all, when Dugu Bo's Martial Soul had evolved back then, he had reached the rank of Titled Douluo!
Yet she, only at the Soul Sect level, had already completed her Martial Soul evolution!
"Hahaha! Seems that old brat Chrysanthemum Guan didn't lie to me! Yan Yan, Grandpa is so happy for you!" Dugu Bo's eyes turned slightly red as he raised his hand to pat Dugu Yan's head. The joy in his heart could only be understood by himself.
After a brief moment of excitement, Dugu Yan finally calmed down. Smiling at Cheng Xiao, she said, "Cheng Xiao, it's all thanks to you remembering me. Thank you."
"Sister Yan, you're joking. This is what you deserve—no need to thank me," Cheng Xiao replied with a faint smile and shook his head.
"That's right, Yan Yan, you don't need to thank this brat," Dugu Bo laughed heartily. "Though your grandpa didn't understand all those herbs, in the end, without them, that old Chrysanthemum Guan wouldn't have succeeded either."
"By the way, Yan Yan, did your spirit power rank increase? When a Martial Soul evolves, the spirit power should rise quite a bit too, right?"
Hearing that, Dugu Yan paused slightly, feeling the flow of spirit power within her body. After a moment, she slowly said, "My spirit power seems to have risen by at least five levels. But exactly how much, I'll only know after absorbing my fourth spirit ring."
"Good, good, good!" Dugu Bo exclaimed three times in excitement. "Then Grandpa will take you to get your fourth spirit ring right now! Let's see just how strong your new Martial Soul is!"
Just as his words fell, an extremely soft yet powerful voice rang out, followed by a surge of overwhelming aura. The source of that aura—none other than Yue Guan, the Chrysanthemum Douluo—had finished absorbing the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum!
Stretching with a long lazy motion, Yue Guan opened his eyes as though waking from a long sleep. "Finally! I've finally achieved the Diamond Body of Invulnerability!"
In the next instant, nine spirit rings spiraled upward from beneath his feet. His entire body gleamed with golden radiance. Dugu Bo could clearly sense that Yue Guan's spirit power had already broken through to Rank 96.
Perhaps now, he was no longer that Chrysanthemum Douluo who only had value when paired with Ghost Douluo.
"Level 96… so this is what it feels like," Yue Guan murmured with a blissful expression. The bottleneck of Rank 95 had trapped him for over a decade. Now that he had broken through, he was naturally overjoyed.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten who helped him achieve it. The moment he opened his eyes, he appeared before Dugu Bo and, right in front of Dugu Yan and Cheng Xiao, gave him a tight hug.
Yue Guan's sudden move made Dugu Bo's face instantly darken. For some reason, Yue Guan's body gave off a faint fragrance like that of a woman, which made Dugu Bo feel a wave of disgust.
Still, having known each other for decades, Dugu Bo endured it for the sake of civility.
"Cough, cough—Chrysanthemum Guan, let go of me this instant," Dugu Bo said coldly, unable to bear it any longer.
"Too excited, too excited," Yue Guan laughed and quickly let go, saying, "Old Poison, I truly owe you. There's no way I can repay you for this immortal herb."
"Cut the nonsense. I don't want to see you taking my immortal herb, breaking through your spirit power level, and then coming back to cause me trouble," Dugu Bo snorted.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Who doesn't know who Yue Guan is? You old Poison, of all people, should know me best," Yue Guan replied.
"Hmph, how would I know?" Dugu Bo shot him a look, though the hostility in his eyes had lessened considerably.
Seeing that the tension between them had eased, Cheng Xiao took the chance to bring up his plan—to establish his own faction.
"Xiao, are you insane!?"
After hearing Cheng Xiao's idea, Yue Guan was utterly shocked. "Do you even realize how vast the Spirit Hall's power is now? The Worship Hall alone has several offerings, each of them Titled Douluo above Rank 95. The Grand Worship is even a Rank 99 Peerless Douluo! You can't just think of replacing the Spirit Hall like that!"
"Besides, all the elders of the Elder Hall are currently loyal to Her Holiness the Pope. Apart from Ghost Douluo and myself, there are also Ghost Leopard Douluo, Demon Bear Douluo, and Spirit Kite Douluo—three more Titled Douluo."
"Ghost Leopard and Demon Bear Douluo are both Rank 95. Only Spirit Kite Elder and the Sect Master of the Holy Dragon Sect, who is about to reach the Titled Douluo level, are below Rank 95. Xiao, are you really planning to build a faction to oppose the Spirit Hall?"
Yue Guan's words were not unreasonable. Though he was an elder of the Spirit Hall, he understood well the internal shifts that had taken place since Bibi Dong took power. Before, he had no choice but to obey her due to his limited strength.
But now, things were different. After consuming the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, he had broken through Rank 95, mastered the Diamond Body, and even sensed that, given time, he could reach Rank 97. At that level, even Bibi Dong would no longer be able to treat him like a pawn.
In the past, his silence was due to weakness—lack of qualification. But as his strength grew, Yue Guan's heart began to yearn for freedom from control.
No one is born a slave, nor willingly remains one. It's only the cruelty of reality that forces submission.
"Teacher, I understand your concern," Cheng Xiao said with a faint smile, "but what if we don't confront the Spirit Hall directly? What if we instead dismantle it from within—or rather, dismantle the Pope's faction?"
"The Pope's faction!?" Yue Guan's pupils shrank sharply. Looking at Cheng Xiao in astonishment, he said, "Xiao… are you planning to ally with the one from the Worship Hall and reshuffle the Spirit Hall from the inside out?"
"Perhaps," Cheng Xiao said after a moment's thought. "I'm not sure what her current intentions are, but with her around, there shouldn't be any problem from the Worship Hall's side."
"My heavens…" Yue Guan gasped sharply, staring at Cheng Xiao in shock. No wonder Qian Renxue had been with Cheng Xiao in the Star Dou Forest—it turned out they had already joined forces.
No wonder Cheng Xiao wanted to establish a faction—it was all Qian Renxue's plan!
At this moment, Yue Guan's thoughts of breaking free from Bibi Dong's control grew stronger. As a Spirit Hall elder, he knew all too well how ruthless and cruel Bibi Dong could be. Her iron-blooded means were far more terrifying than those of the previous Pope.
Still, Yue Guan decided to take a gamble. The current Spirit Hall was no longer the glorious one of the past. From top to bottom, it reeked of corruption. Apart from the ordinary members, its upper ranks were already rotten to the core.
Taking a deep breath, Yue Guan finally understood what he truly desired. Power and wealth—he had already enjoyed them. What he now wanted… was freedom—the freedom to live unbound and under no one's control!
"Xiao, I've been in the Spirit Hall for so many years and have seen all kinds of human warmth and coldness. Thanks to you, I've been given another chance to rise. At this point… let your teacher go mad with you once!"
...
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" Douluo 2: Martial Soul Wish Tree — Wang Dong Got Addicted (18+) "
" Douluo: Super Sex Slave System (18+) "
" BTTH: Writing Up a Diaries, Xiao Yan Became My Fanboy "
" Douluo 3: Adopting Gu Yuena at the Start "
" BTTH: I, Peerless Poison Pet, Got Picked Up by Little Fairy Doctor "
" BTTH: Elemental God "
" Douluo: Transmigrated as the Second Young Miss of Spirit Hall "
" BTTH: Flame Emperor, Please Restrain Yourself — Your Brother Is Really Just a Simple Man "
" BTTH: I'm Just an Alchemist "
" BTTH: Traveling Through with the Ancestral Talisman"
" Douluo: Ranking the Top Ten Peerless Goddesses at the Start "
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(End of Chapter)