Meanwhile, Dugu Bo watched Emperor Xue Ye vent his grievances and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He truly didn't want to get involved in these tangled affairs. All he wanted was to find a quiet corner, sit down, and wait silently for everything to end.
His gaze swept across the hall. Spotting an empty seat, he prepared to quietly slip over.
However, he had taken barely two steps—
A hand, without any warning, gently landed on his shoulder.
The hand was slender and fair, impeccably maintained. Yet the moment it touched him, Dugu Bo's entire body stiffened, as if he had been struck by lightning.
Immediately afterward, a voice he never wanted to hear again echoed softly from behind him—feminine, gentle, and laced with playful mockery.
"Oh?"
"Isn't this Old Poison?"
"Did the sun rise from the west today? You actually have the leisure to stroll around our Spirit City?"
The voice was soft and high-pitched, carrying that all-too-familiar, skin-crawling charm.
Dugu Bo didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
That damned eunuch.
The one who pinned him down and rubbed him into the dirt every year, then had the nerve to lift a pinky finger and ridicule him for being weak.
"Swish!"
Dugu Bo spun around instantly, his body reacting faster than his mind.
Emerald spirit power erupted violently. Two yellow, two purple, and five black spirit rings burst forth—nine rings in total—roaring as they circled him with overwhelming pressure.
His snake-like emerald eyes locked onto the man in the moon-white robe, who wore a teasing smile on his face.
As long as the other party dared to move, he would unleash his deadliest poison without hesitation!
Faced with Dugu Bo's stance—like an enemy confronting a mortal foe—Chrysanthemum Douluo was momentarily stunned.
Then, a strange smile bloomed on his well-maintained face.
He didn't even release his spirit. Instead, he casually twirled a strand of hair with his slender fingers and said leisurely,
"I advise you to put away your spirit rings."
"Otherwise… you'll regret it later, hmm?"
That familiar, condescending tone instantly ignited Dugu Bo's fury.
"Hmph! Ju Hua Guan! Do you think this old man is so easily scared—"
Before he could finish the word "ma?"
Dugu Bo's heart leaped violently, and every hair on his body stood on end.
In that instant, it felt as if he had been locked onto by two ancient apex predators.
He was certain that if he made even the slightest aggressive move, he would be torn apart in the next second—body and soul alike.
His neck turned stiffly, inch by inch, accompanied by an almost audible creak, as he looked behind him.
Then he saw a sight that made his scalp go numb.
The man and woman who had been sitting at another table—previously hunched over, frantically shoveling egg fried rice into their mouths—had appeared beside him at some unknown point.
Each of them had placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.
Just that simple gesture—
Dugu Bo's nine raging spirit rings, like mice seeing a cat, didn't even dare to squeak before being instantly suppressed back into his body, vanishing without a trace.
He recognized the man.
It was none other than Spirit Hall's stabilizing pillar—the High Priest, Qian Daoliu. A Level 99 Peerless Douluo who had been absent from the continent for decades!
As for the woman…
He didn't know her identity.
But he had personally witnessed her at the entrance casually tossing a Titled Douluo into a trash heap like rubbish.
Someone who could sit at the same table and act together with Qian Daoliu…
Even using his toes to think, Dugu Bo knew she was undoubtedly an existence of the same terrifying level.
"Gulp."
Dugu Bo swallowed hard. His calves trembled uncontrollably, nearly giving out beneath him.
His mind went completely blank, leaving only one frantic thought echoing again and again.
Hey! Don't mess with me!
I'm just a small, insignificant Titled Douluo who barely reached level 91!
What virtue or qualification do I have for two such terrifying figures to personally step in?!
Fortunately, the two showed no intention of crushing him on the spot.
Qian Daoliu spoke first, his old face stern and his tone absolute.
"Inside the hall, fighting and loud noises are prohibited."
Immediately after, the noble, aloof woman beside him curved her lips into a faint smile—one that carried immeasurable pressure.
She tilted her head slightly, her sea-blue eyes calmly meeting Dugu Bo's gaze as she spoke in a clear, cold voice.
"I believe you'll give us some face and sit down quietly… won't you?"
Where was Dugu Bo's earlier defiance now?
His head bobbed furiously, nodding so fast it left afterimages behind.
Cold sweat streamed down his face, but his expression was more serious and sincere than ever.
"O-Of course! Absolutely! Your faces—I must give them!"
He hurriedly explained, "This humble one was just… just tired from the long journey. My back was sore, so I wanted to stretch a little! I had absolutely no intention of causing trouble! I swear!"
Qian Daoliu and Posey exchanged glances, then nodded in satisfaction.
They patted Dugu Bo's rigid shoulders simultaneously before casually turning around, returning to their seats, and resuming their meal.
The entire process was no different from swatting away an annoying fly.
Only after those soul-crushing auras completely disappeared did Dugu Bo feel as though he had come back to life.
His legs finally gave out. With a thud, he collapsed into the empty seat beside Chrysanthemum Douluo, panting heavily.
When Chrysanthemum Douluo handed him a wine glass filled with amber liquid, Dugu Bo almost subconsciously took it, tilted his head back, and gulped it down, desperate to calm his nerves.
Sweet and clear, with a faint fruity fragrance. A warm current spread through his stomach.
"Hm?"
Dugu Bo paused.
Smacking his lips, he subconsciously blurted out, "Huh? Since when did the wine brewed by you, you dead eunuch, become this good?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature around him seemed to drop several degrees.
Dugu Bo stiffly turned his head.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's face, which had just been filled with amusement, had gone so dark it looked like it might drip water. His eyes locked onto Dugu Bo with blatant killing intent.
"Uh…"
Realizing his mistake, Dugu Bo coughed hurriedly and forcefully changed the topic.
"Ju… cough cough! Yue Guan!"
He leaned closer and lowered his voice, his face filled with the bewilderment of someone who had just escaped death.
"You… what exactly is Spirit Hall planning this time?"