Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor [55]

Dugu Bo stormed into the courtyard, his bloodshot eyes blazing with fury. Behind him, his long green hair stood on end under the influence of his soul power, swaying wildly in midair. He looked as if he were on the verge of a berserk rampage.

Chen Ming had envisioned many scenarios for meeting Dugu Bo, but he had never imagined one like this. All the preparations he had made—his planned demeanor and words—were utterly rendered useless at this moment.

Faced with the overwhelming pressure emanating from this walking calamity, Chen Ming dared not show any carelessness. His first soul ring flashed as a poisonous mist enveloped his body. Meanwhile, his second soul skill, Poison Explosion, and the Poison Emperor Possession granted by his soul bone were ready in his hands, prepared to be unleashed at any moment.

Seeing someone daring to play with poison in front of him, Dugu Bo couldn't help but laugh out of anger. If it weren't inappropriate, his flying hair might have formed a giant question mark in midair.

Confronting the audacious Chen Ming, Dugu Bo waved his hand, and a dense, dark green poisonous mist surged toward Chen Ming, threatening to engulf him.

Though enraged by the thought of someone stealing his granddaughter, Dugu Bo still retained a sliver of rationality. As much as he wanted to kill this brat, he held back, considering his relationship with Dugu Yan. The poison mist he unleashed was restrained—strong enough to incapacitate a Soul King or weaker Soul Emperors, but not fatal. It was designed to leave a painful and unforgettable impression.

Dugu Bo assumed that subduing Chen Ming with this poison mist would be a piece of cake. After releasing the mist to envelop Chen Ming, he didn't make another move. Instead, he stood coldly in place, waiting to see how this wild boar would react.

But reality delivered a slap to Dugu Bo's face.

Although the amount of poison mist Dugu Bo unleashed far exceeded Chen Ming's, when the two came into contact, Dugu Bo's poison mist was gradually devoured by the poison mist released by Chen Ming.

Not only did his poison fail to breach Chen Ming's defense, but part of it was even assimilated into Chen Ming's mist, becoming a part of his defensive barrier.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo froze in astonishment.

He blinked, and the hair flying behind him stopped swaying. Like a ghost, he circled Chen Ming, scrutinizing his martial soul. Then, he extended a finger to probe the highly unusual poisonous mist surrounding Chen Ming.

"Hiss~ This is impressive. Really impressive."

The poisonous mist of the Jade Phosphor Seven Absolutes Flower was powerful, but it posed no threat to Dugu Bo, who had already reached the rank of Titled Douluo.

Perhaps this was what it meant to truly share a bloodline.

Not only did Dugu Bo probe the poison with his hands and soul power, but he even deliberately withdrew part of his soul power, leaned his head into Chen Ming's poison mist, and took a deep breath.

Feeling the unique and potent poison, Dugu Bo glanced at Chen Ming's face and his Scorpion Emperor-like martial soul. Gradually, his rage subsided, as if he had thought of something. He even nodded slightly.

Then, without a word, Dugu Bo struck Chen Ming's chest with his palm. Although he didn't channel Titled Douluo-level soul power into the strike, the force was still enough to knock out a mere Soul Grandmaster.

Chen Ming, fully focused, channeled his soul power into his palm. His waist and hips powered his arm, transmitting force to his hand as he met Dugu Bo's strike head-on without dodging.

Chen Ming neutralized the force of Dugu Bo's palm, but what followed was a relentless surge of poison-attributed soul power.

The toxic soul power of the Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor clung to him like a bone-deep curse, eroding Chen Ming's soul power and trying to invade his body. This forced Chen Ming to continuously mobilize his soul power to resist.

Dugu Bo controlled his soul power, gradually increasing it from the level of a Soul Grandmaster to that of a Soul Elder. Only when his soul power reached the level of a Soul Ancestor did Chen Ming begin to show signs of exhaustion.

Even though Chen Ming was splitting his soul power to use it with extreme efficiency, he couldn't sustain the consumption in this battle of attrition. It was a pure numerical advantage that Chen Ming, in his current state, had no way of overcoming.

Moreover, while Chen Ming's martial soul was now approaching the level of the Scorpion Emperor, Dugu Bo's martial soul had long since reached the apex as the Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor. In terms of quality, Dugu Bo's martial soul naturally suppressed Chen Ming's, adding yet another layer of disadvantage.

Being able to hold on until now already shows that Chen Ming surpasses most ordinary soul masters.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo nodded slightly, his palm emitting a faint fluctuation of soul power, directly pushing Chen Ming back several steps. Watching Chen Ming maintain a composed state under his test, Dugu Bo couldn't help but nod in approval.

Although Dugu Bo couldn't accept the fact that his granddaughter had been won over by some unknown brat in just a few days, as someone who stood unrivaled in the path of poison, he couldn't deny this brat had indeed performed outstandingly.

In terms of age, Chen Ming was only eleven this year, four years younger than his granddaughter Dugu Yan, yet his soul power had already reached level 24—a clear indication that he was more talented than Yan Yan. His soul rings, one yellow and one purple, was also exceptional beyond the norm and not something ordinary people could compare to.

As for his martial soul, the Emerald Scorpion King was a top-tier poison attribute martial soul. Although it wasn't as strong as his own Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, it still surpassed 99% of poison attribute martial souls in the world, standing a level above the ordinary Jade Phosphor Serpent.

With continued cultivation in the future, Chen Ming's martial soul, which was already close to the level of the Scorpion Emperor, might even evolve further, equal to his own Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor.

As for his poison...

Although Dugu Bo was reluctant to admit it, the poison of this Emerald Scorpion King, which had absorbed who-knows-what kind of soul ring, was indeed far superior to that of an ordinary Jade Phosphor Serpent. Even his poison, as a Soul Elder or even a Soul Ancestor, might not be as potent.

At first, he had been furious and wanted to slap this random brat to death. However, after circling Chen Ming and testing the strength of his poison, most of Dugu Bo's anger dissipated.

Appearance, age, martial soul, and even his chosen path—Chen Ming excelled in every aspect that could satisfy Dugu Bo. His initial dislike gradually turned into an appreciation for talent.

Even so, when he thought about his earlier imposing demeanor and his poison mist being gradually neutralized, Dugu Bo still refused to let go of his pride and maintained a stern expression on his face.

"Brat, I am Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. There's been talk throughout the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy about you and my granddaughter, Dugu Yan. I just confirmed this with the academy's board members. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Senior Poison Douluo, there's more to this than meets the eye."

"Hmm?" Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed, unclear whether he was displeased by Chen Ming's excuse or his form of address.

"A while ago, I was training in the poison-attribute mimicry cultivation field. That day, the weather was bad—it was stormy outside—and Dugu…"

"Hmm?"

"Dugu Yan was attempting to break through level 30."

"Hmm…" Upon hearing the mention of bad weather and breaking through level 30, even without asking his granddaughter directly, Dugu Bo immediately guessed in mind.

"I don't know what exactly happened, but in the absence of any external interference, Dugu Yan failed her breakthrough. Her soul power backfired and she collapsed to the ground, falling into a chaotic state."

"I was training at the time, and when I heard the commotion, I went to investigate. I found that her soul power was in turmoil, and there was a backlash of poison tormenting her body."

"I thought to myself, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. So I tried to use my soul power to stabilize hers and suppress the poison in her body. Once her condition improved slightly, I took her to the school's medical office for treatment."

"Wait." Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed into slits, resembling a venomous snake as he stared at Chen Ming. His soul power began to stir faintly, his martial soul on the verge of manifesting.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I took her to the school infirmary…"

"I'm talking about the sentence before that," Dugu Bo said in a hoarse voice, tinged with a hint of agitation.

"I stabilized Dugu Yan's soul power and suppressed the poison in her body."

"Come with me!"