"Who is it?"
Both Ci Xue (Porcupinefish Douluo's name) and She Long (Snake Spear Douluo) were filled with shock. They had never heard of such a bizarre soul skill—it had no soul power fluctuations. The moment they sensed the attack, it had already landed. An invisible pressure weighed heavily on their hearts, making it hard to breathe.
Moonlight spilled like silver frost onto the bluestone ground as Gu La's figure, clad in a billowing black robe, suddenly appeared in the courtyard. He glanced at Emperor Xue Ye and confirmed he could still be saved.
"Who are you, sir?"
Dugu Bo spoke up, his tone cautious but tinged with hope. He moved to shield Emperor Xue Ye.
"Step aside. I'll detoxify Xue Ye."
A faint green glow appeared in Gu La's palm, emitting a fragrant aroma. Under Dugu Bo's astonished and wary gaze, the lingering toxic mist in the courtyard surged violently at Gu La's gesture.
Dugu Bo's emerald pupils quivered violently as he watched his pride—the poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor—melt away like spring snow under the emerald light emanating from Gu La's palm.
The glow illuminated Emperor Xue Ye's pale face, alternating between light and shadow. The foul-smelling black blood seeping through his white robes visibly receded.
Even potent toxins, no matter how deadly, couldn't withstand the effects of Aromatherapy.
However, the damage inflicted by the poison on his body remained and would require separate treatment.
But that was no longer Gu La's concern. It wasn't beneficial for him if Xue Ye became too powerful. A successful breakthrough with lingering injuries was the best outcome for Gu La.
As the fragrance dissipated, Emperor Xue Ye's pain-contorted face returned to normal, and his soul power fluctuations continued rising toward level ninety-one.
Dugu Bo exhaled in relief. With Emperor Xue Ye safe, he hadn't broken his promise.
The Porcupinefish Douluo and the Snake Spear Douluo watched silently as Gu La treated Emperor Xue Ye. Though they wanted to stop him, they dared not speak.
Their thoughts now turned to how they could save themselves and escape.
"Who are you, sir? Why are you interfering with us?"
The Porcupinefish Douluo cautiously asked, inwardly regretting their overconfidence. They had thought two of them working together would ensure success. Who could have predicted an unexpected intervention?
Gu La casually replied, "No particular reason. I just didn't approve."
The Porcupinefish and the Snake Spear fell silent. Such a flippant excuse—was he trying to fool a fool?
"An unexpected boon."
Gu La glanced at the still-bleeding corpse of the seven-colored white deer in the corner. The kaleidoscopic glow refracting from the broken antlers made his eyes flash with keen interest.
His telekinetic power sliced open the skull like an invisible blade. A burst of seven-colored light flashed across the courtyard as an eighty-thousand-year-old head spirit bone floated into the air, each facet reflecting dazzling colors.
Dugu Bo hesitated to speak. He had noticed the spirit bone dropped by the seven-colored white deer earlier. However, he had already fused a head spirit bone and believed Emperor Xue Ye, given his status, deserved possession of it. He had no intention of claiming it for himself.
But now…
"This will serve as my consultation fee."
Gu La took the shimmering seven-colored spirit bone, inwardly delighted. This was the highest-year spirit bone he had ever obtained.
Upon appraisal, he discovered it was a rare auxiliary-type spirit bone with the soul skill Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart. It allowed a soul master to multitask across seven tasks simultaneously and could enhance auxiliary-type soul skills by thirty percent at the cost of spiritual power.
If Xue Ye possessed it, his auxiliary capabilities would instantly surpass Ning Fengzhi's.
'Too bad—it's mine now.'
Gu La stowed the spirit bone and maintained the Psychic pressure on Ci Xue and She Long.
However, his spiritual power wasn't limitless. Considering the consequences of killing two Title Douluos, he sighed.
"Please accompany me for a moment."
---
Gu La levitated using telekinesis. Nearby, Dugu Bo secretly wondered—earlier, he hadn't sensed any soul power fluctuations and assumed Gu La's control was extraordinary. But now that he was flying without any detectable soul power, Dugu Bo realized Gu La's method of flight differed from that of ordinary Title Douluos.
"Is it his martial soul ability or a special soul skill?" Dugu Bo speculated.
The Porcupinefish Douluo and the Snake Spear Douluo exchanged covert messages, reaching a consensus. Forced into submission, they swallowed their humiliation and followed Gu La to the streets.
Outside the lord's residence under the night sky, the wide avenue was shrouded in a chilling atmosphere.
Over thirty figures crisscrossed the battlefield, their soul power shaking loose leaves from the trees. The imperial elders, though poisoned, relied on their advantageous terrain to form defensive formations. Meanwhile, the Spirit Hall's elite forces, bolstered by numerous Soul Douluos, relentlessly launched attacks. The clashing sounds of their soul skills echoed for miles in the cold wind, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
When Gu La emerged from the lord's residence with the two Title Douluos under his control, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
The Spirit Hall's Soul Douluo clad in dark golden armor was the first to stop fighting. His gaze swept over the unnatural expressions on the Porcupinefish Douluo's face, and he clenched his throat before bowing. "May I ask, Lord Ci Xue…"
"Stand down!"
Ci Xue suppressed the surging humiliation in his chest as he stared at the black-robed youth under the moonlight.
He could clearly sense that Gu La's seemingly casual stance was, in fact, highly vigilant. The invisible force restraining them continued to grow stronger.
Ci Xue looked at Gu La, his eyes regaining composure. He knew Gu La didn't intend to kill them—otherwise, he wouldn't have let them leave the courtyard. Dealing with a group of Soul Douluos weaker than Title Douluos would still be troublesome.
"Your strength is extraordinary, sir. Why serve Xue Ye when you could join us? We can offer terms that will surely satisfy you."
Gu La's tone was indifferent. "No need. I have no intention of joining any faction. My actions today were simply to prevent chaos caused by your kind."
"I know you're unconvinced, thinking I subdued you through an ambush. Now, I'll give you the chance to defeat me fairly."
"If you win, Xue Ye is yours."
"Truly?"
The Porcupinefish Douluo and the Snake Spear Douluo exchanged glances. In truth, neither had confidence in defeating Gu La. After all, his telekinetic abilities were bizarre—formless and intangible, impossible to grasp.
Even a spirit-type Title Douluo might have some means to counteract it, but they certainly did not.
"Proceed."
Gu La said no more, folding his hands behind his back as he ascended into the air. Moonlight filtered through the treetops, forming frost-like steps beneath his feet.
"Arrogant!"
The Snake Spear Douluo's heart burned with anger. He drew his eight-zhang serpent spear, and his seventh soul ring shone brightly as the spear transformed into a forty-meter-long phantom.
Snake Spear True Body!
He held nothing back. He hadn't even used his True Body against Dugu Bo, yet he unleashed it immediately this time.
The Porcupinefish Douluo also activated his martial soul True Body, transforming into a massive blood-red pufferfish. They had to complete their mission—failure would mean unbearable shame, regardless of their young master's disappointment.
She Long's pupils contracted sharply as his serpent spear emitted a piercing shriek like a giant python.
His ninth soul ring exploded violently, enveloping the true form of his weapon in overwhelming power. The forty-meter spear phantom cleaved the entire birch forest in half.
"Beware of his invisible soul skill!" At the moment Ci Xue transformed into the blood-red pufferfish, he released a torrent of poison needles, each one precisely targeting vital points around Gu La's body.
The coordination between the two Title Douluos was impeccable. She Long's aggressive assault forced their opponent to engage directly, while Ci Xue's poison array sealed off all escape routes.
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