Chapter 34: Petrification — Medusa’s Gaze!

"Everyone, attack together!" The captain of the guard unit shouted fiercely.

"Boom, boom, boom!" But before the guard unit could advance, a jade-green mist spread around them—and within moments, they all collapsed.

"It's... poison!" The captain, being more experienced, recognized it—but he too soon fell.

Nearby, elegantly seated Dugu Yan silently revealed her three spirit rings, the third purple ring glowing brightly.

She activated her third spirit skill with the Jade-Scaled Serpent soul: "Jade-Scaled Poison Ring!"

"Time to end this pathetic show—especially you. Your mouth sure doesn't need to exist anymore." She rose gracefully, every gesture dripping with seductive menace. She could do this because her grandfather—a Herald Tang Douluo—was already in the city, surely monitoring this situation.

"Oscar~"

"Yes, Big Sis!" Oscar opened his pale cyan spirit wings and quickly flew out of the poison ring's spread.

"Big Bro!" Oscar called to Yun Yibai, who lunged forward, collided with the guard's leftover shockwave, and bounced back into the air.

Yun Yibai caught the "Berserk Flying Fresh Mushroom" that Oscar handed him, swallowed it, and sprouted his cyan wings. He and Oscar flew upward together to avoid Dugu Yan's poison ring—and landed beside her.

"Ah!" The nobleman trembled in terror as the green poison cloud drew nearer.

"Shi Ce! Why aren't you protecting me?!" Yang Wei panicked and called out to the black-robed figure beside him.

"Father!" He shouted upward.

"Save me!!!"

At that moment, a powerful voice boomed: "Young ones, you've gone too far." A figure appeared like a phantom before the nobleman, waving his hand—and the poison mist twisted upward and away.

"Father!" Overjoyed, Yang Wei ran toward him.

Yun Yibai, Oscar, and Dugu Yan looked on to see a middle-aged man in ornate robes standing there. Faint spirit energy rippled from him.

"My son made a mistake," his tone firm but calm, "but he's not someone you can touch." He pressed a wave of overwhelming aura toward the trio.

"Hmph!" A sudden, harsh chuckle halted his assault, dissipating the oppressive aura.

"Who gave you permission to bully my granddaughter!" A commanding voice sounded above, as someone materialized out of nowhere.

It was Dugu Bo, dressed in teal robes and radiating solemn authority. His green eyes and tall posture proclaimed his power without having to speak.

"He floats in mid-air—clearly a Soul Saint or stronger." The city lord paled at the sight, no longer underestimating the man before him.

Suppressing his panic, he forced a polite smile: "Senior, I was just—"

"Just what?" Dugu Bo interrupted, authority plain in his voice. "Just thought you could bully those weaker than you because of your status? If I didn't happen to be here, my granddaughter would've been trampled!"

The city lord's face turned steel-gray, his anger simmering. He never imagined his son would cross paths with a force like this.

"If you cannot fight, you shouldn't bully the weak."

Yun Yibai, Oscar, and Dugu Yan all felt Dugu Bo's immense aura. Oscar was excited; Dugu Yan gazed coldly. Yun Yibai remained calm.

"Senior—I didn't mean to..." the city lord attempted to explain, but Dugu Bo had no time for words.

"You should be grateful for my mercy!" His gaze sharpened, focused on the city lord and Yang Wei.

To Dugu Bo, a Herald Douluo, any mercy he granted to lower-rank soul masters was a gift—even if it came wrapped in "death."

Dugu Bo's personality combined unyielding strength, narrow tolerance, and a tendency to eliminate threats. He had no issue enforcing dominance—but he wasn't bloodthirsty. Once crossed, however, he acted without hesitation.

This time, they'd crossed his line.

Two green lights flickered from Dugu Bo's eyes—like ghostly flames, dripping with lethal intent. The beams shot forward, engulfing the city lord and Yang Wei in an instant.

Time seemed to freeze. As the lights clove through them, their fearful faces remain rigid... but their bodies turn cold and stiff, transforming into living stone figures—capturing terror without movement.

This was Dugu Bo's soul-bone skill: "Medusa's Gaze!" The stone-stoning technique came from his ancient head bone absorbed during a prior soul ring acquisition.

Thus, the tense crisis, triggered by the city lord and his son's aggression, ended with their petrification.

Would he worry about revealing his identity? Not at all. Dugu Bo had no reason to linger in this remote town. Once the story traveled to Xingluo or even the Spirit Hall, he'd already be gone.

Far away, in the headquarters of the Po Zhi Clan, Yang Wudi listened to news of the incident.

"A stranger soul master has come to Sémù City—and he's at least a Soul Saint," the informant reported.

"Since our Clan arrived here ten years ago, no Soul Saint has ever come this remote. Even troublemakers who wanted to provoke us only sent low-ranking thugs."

"Looks like this stranger might be targeting us!" Yang Wudi's lips curled in a cold snort.

Sémù City was impoverished, and strategic only as a border outpost. No mid-to-high-ranking soul master would normally visit. But now, one had come—possibly eyeing the Po Zhi Clan.

Could it be someone from the Soul Hall? That's uncertain—for now, all they knew was a threat had appeared.