Chapter 29: Detoxification (Part Four)

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Dugu Bo presented the soul bones he had obtained over the past few days. Overall, his harvest had exceeded expectations. The drop rate for soul bones was only one in ten thousand, and obtaining three soul bones after hunting more than twenty ten-thousand-year soul beasts was already an incredible stroke of luck.

"Lord Dugu, could you introduce these soul bones to us? What did you manage to obtain this time?"

Li Luochen gazed at the three soul bones before him, their spirit energy fluctuations dense and powerful. Though they didn't match his attributes, he was curious about their years.

"Hmph, still calling me 'Lord'? You might as well call me Grandpa, just like Yan Yan. You've certainly moved fast, haven't you? If I'd returned any later, would you two have already consummated your relationship?"

Dugu Bo spoke lightly, but his words caused Dugu Yan's face to flush red once again. It wasn't as if she had intended to act on her feelings—they hadn't even kissed yet—but they had been caught in the act.

"Very well, I'll take the liberty then, Grandpa Dugu. Could you tell us about your haul?"

Li Luochen shamelessly climbed the ranks of familiarity, and Dugu Bo's expression instantly brightened. Truly, a child who knows how to address elders properly gets rewarded.

"This time, I obtained three soul bones: a seventy-thousand-year Boundless Venom Python right arm bone, a fifty-thousand-year Mandrake Snake King left arm bone, and a forty-thousand-year Black Mamba of Ink Jade left arm bone.

My luck was excellent. I specifically targeted powerful poison-type soul beasts in Sunset Forest, slowly corroding them with my venom until they dropped soul bones. However, I've practically exterminated all the poison-type soul beasts in that forest."

As Dugu Bo spoke, though he had only been out for two or three days, dealing with each soul beast hadn't taken long. The strongest, the Boundless Venom Python, had lasted only fifteen minutes, while the others hadn't even survived that long before being reduced to nothing.

Upon hearing Dugu Bo's explanation, Li Luochen's jaw dropped. These were all top-tier ten-thousand-year soul bones, including one that was seventy-thousand-years old. Was Dugu Bo's luck really this good?

"So, Grandpa, how do you plan to distribute them?"

Li Luochen cut to the heart of the matter. Allocating these soul bones would be tricky since they were all exceptional.

"My initial thought was to give the two higher-year soul bones to Yan Yan. But from the look in your eyes, it seems you have other ideas?"

Dugu Bo, ever the doting grandfather, naturally wanted to give the best to Dugu Yan. However, Li Luochen's expression gave him pause.

"No, Grandpa. One soul bone is enough for Yan Yan. You should absorb two—it will help you advance further. Receiving even one is already a great fortune for me. More than that, I wouldn't be able to protect."

Dugu Yan was clear-headed. She knew her limits. A Great Spirit Master possessing two soul bones would inevitably attract assassins seeking to claim them. Even the title of Poison Douluo wouldn't be enough to deter those lured by the Blood River Treasure.

"Precisely. Yan Yan is right. I don't recommend her absorbing two soul bones. Instead, she should absorb one of the lower-year left arm bones. If a Great Spirit Master possesses two soul bones, death is almost guaranteed.

Moreover, one soul bone is sufficient for Yan Yan's current toxin levels. Your toxins are far more severe—one soul bone might not suffice. Absorbing two simultaneously will be safer and allow you to grow stronger.

This aligns with our next step. I suggest you absorb the seventy-thousand-year soul bone. Once you grow stronger, we can continue searching for more soul bones."

Li Luochen's words resonated with Dugu Bo. Possessing soul bones—the Blood River Treasures—could endanger his granddaughter. Only by becoming stronger himself could he protect them.

"Alright. I'll absorb two soul bones. Yan Yan, you absorb this forty-thousand-year Ink Jade Black Mamba left arm bone. That black mamba was far stronger than the Mandrake Snake King.

Its soul bone should be more powerful, and I believe it will grant a formidable attack."

Dugu Bo recalled the black mamba's crescent-shaped toxic slash—a devastating attack.

"Yes, Grandpa."

This time, Dugu Yan didn't refuse. She understood that the soul bone could save her life. Taking the black left arm bone, she began the absorption process.

Dugu Bo sat cross-legged and began absorbing two soul bones: the seventy-thousand-year Boundless Venom Python right arm bone and the fifty-thousand-year Mandrake Snake King left arm bone. This might allow him to advance further.

Soul bones over fifty thousand years were highly coveted, even by Title Douluos. Such soul bones could provide immense benefits—not just an additional soul skill, but also a significant boost to physical attributes.

Dugu Bo, who had been stuck at level 91 for several years, broke through to level 92 with the help of the soul bones' spirit energy. Moreover, he quickly reached the late stages of level 92, with level 93 just within reach.

As for Dugu Yan, the energy from the soul bone was incredibly potent. Her spirit power, originally at level 28, surged to level 30. The exact increase would become clear once she obtained her third soul ring.

After completing the absorption of their soul bones, Dugu Bo planned to capture a soul beast for Dugu Yan's third soul ring. Originally, a soul beast of over a thousand years would suffice.

However, Li Luochen suggested capturing a two-thousand-year-old soul beast. Soul bones significantly enhanced a soul master's physical capabilities, and since Dugu Yan had absorbed a forty-thousand-year soul bone, she should be able to handle an over-limit soul ring.

Following Li Luochen's advice, Dugu Bo went out and captured a two-thousand-year-old Purple Venom Snake. After absorbing its soul ring, Dugu Yan's spirit power reached the peak of level 32. The Black Mamba soul bone had granted her an additional two and a half levels of spirit power.

With this, Dugu Yan successfully became a Spirit Elder. Next came the busy task of refining medicinal pills, during which Li Luochen contributed his blood.

Both Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo forced the snake venom within their bodies into their respective soul bones. Dugu Yan completed the process in just three days, while Dugu Bo required half a month.

Though Dugu Yan's eyes remained green after detoxification, the color had noticeably faded. Li Luochen took her pulse, and upon probing her body with his spirit power, he found that most of the toxins were gone, though some residual poison remained.

Additionally, prolonged exposure to the toxins had left her body with some latent injuries that would require gradual recovery.

Worth noting was that Dugu Yan's third soul skill remained the Jade Phosphorous Purple Poison, though its power had increased significantly. The soul bone skill from the left arm bone was the Black Mamba Venom Slash—a crescent-shaped slash of black venom with extreme corrosive properties. 

Since Dugu Yan had forced her own Jade Phosphorous Snake venom into the soul bone, the venom evolved into something even more potent. The originally black venomous slash now turned ink-green, combining the Black Mamba's corrosive venom with the Jade Phosphorous Snake venom into a mixed-toxin slash.

As for Dugu Bo's soul bone skills, they were truly formidable. The seventy-thousand-year Boundless Venom Python right arm bone granted an amplification skill, doubling all poison-related attributes by 200%. Now, Dugu Bo's poisons posed a serious threat even to Title Douluos of the same level.

Once he forced his toxins into the right arm bone, the venom released by his Jade Phosphorous Emperor Snake would become even more terrifying.

The fifty-thousand-year Mandrake Snake King left arm bone's skill was relatively straightforward: summoning multiple snake shadows to entangle opponents and release deadly poison—a control-type soul skill.

Anyone caught by the left arm bone's skill and exposed to Dugu Bo's venom would suffer greatly—even a ninety-five-level Super Douluo could sustain severe injuries.

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