Lin Feng's casual, almost rhetorical question was like an invisible giant hand clamping around everyone's throats.
The restaurant plunged into a deathly silence.
"Now," he asked again, unhurried, "do you still intend to offer all of them to me?"
Dugu Bo's kneeling body stiffened.
Inside his mind, it was as though two vast armies were colliding head-on, tearing his thoughts apart.
On one side echoed Chrysanthemum Douluo's earlier explanation—so fervent it bordered on madness.
"One Immortal Herb can give a person of mediocre talent the potential to reach Titled Douluo!"
"One Immortal Herb can trigger Martial Soul evolution!"
And he had an entire garden of them!
That was an unparalleled treasure—enough to give birth to multiple Titled Douluos and overturn the balance of the entire Douluo Continent!
On the other side was the unforgettable scene of Emperor Xue Ye—before everyone's eyes—regaining his youth and extending his lifespan by twenty years after swallowing a single pill.
Two colossal mountains pressed down on his heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Around him, the diners unconsciously held their breath as well.
An entire garden of Immortal Herbs.
Just… give it away?
Anyone would go mad faced with such a choice.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was so anxious he nearly clawed his own face, staring at the subtle changes in Dugu Bo's expression as though his own life hung in the balance.
In this suffocating silence—
Dugu Bo slowly lowered his head.
He looked at his hands.
Withered. Wrinkled. Like the bark of an ancient tree—corroded by the Imperial Jade Annihilation Poison.
He remembered the agony of a poison outbreak, the sensation of ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart, the desperate wish to slam his head into a wall just to end it all.
He remembered, too, his only granddaughter—Dugu Yan—already beginning to show symptoms of poisoning.
At that moment, hesitation, greed, and reluctance shattered completely, crushed by the weight of familial love buried deep in his heart.
Dugu Bo bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.
Sharp pain surged through him, instantly restoring clarity to his eyes.
Before everyone's gaze, he suddenly raised his head.
The confusion in his emerald snake pupils was gone—replaced by a single, unwavering emotion.
Determination.
"Senior!"
His voice was hoarse, yet every word rang with the weight of iron striking stone.
"Since Junior has already declared that I would offer it to Senior, how could I possibly go back on my word?!"
He let out a bitter chuckle, strangely relieved.
"No matter how precious an Immortal Herb may be… one must be alive to enjoy it."
"If one dies, what use is a mountain of gold?!"
He bowed deeply once more.
Thud!
His forehead struck the hard floor, the sound dull, heavy, and utterly sincere.
"Today, Junior is willing to exchange the medicinal garden I guarded my entire life for a chance of survival—for myself and my granddaughter!"
"Please, Senior… grant my wish!"
The moment his words fell, the entire hall was shaken.
Those who had pitied him, mocked him, or secretly despised his supposed greed now looked at Dugu Bo with completely different expressions.
Shock.
Respect.
Even faint self-reproach.
If it were them—if they truly possessed such a treasure—after learning its value, could they hand it over so decisively?
Most could not.
Chrysanthemum Douluo opened his mouth, staring at Dugu Bo's back, his gaze impossibly complicated.
This old freak…
This time, he truly showed some backbone.
Even Lin Feng's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Truthfully, he had expected Dugu Bo to hesitate—or attempt to bargain once he learned the truth.
He hadn't anticipated such decisiveness.
At that moment, the system's eternally mocking voice echoed in his mind.
"Oh? Host, you've struck gold."
"This system detects a rare mindset—someone not blinded by wealth. Truly uncommon."
"Suggestion: You may consider granting an excessive reward. After all, spending a thousand gold to buy a horse's bones sets a precedent. It will make it much easier to lure—ahem—attract more distinguished guests in the future."
The playful curve at Lin Feng's lips slowly faded.
He looked at Dugu Bo—kneeling, resolute, without a trace of regret—and nodded faintly.
"As you wish."
He didn't even stand.
Leaning lazily against the counter, Lin Feng extended a single finger and pointed into the air.
There was no earth-shattering spectacle.
No overwhelming pressure.
Only a pure, ultimate point of green light drifted from his fingertip.
Like a firefly on a summer night, it gently fluttered toward Dugu Bo's glabella.
Yet the instant that green light appeared—
Every Titled Douluo present felt their souls tremble!
"Aaaargh—!"
A roar filled with endless pain and suppression burst forth!
From Dugu Bo's body, a massive dark-green phantom surged upward uncontrollably!
The Imperial Jade Annihilation Snake!
Its ferocious head, icy triangular pupils, and diamond-patterned scales radiated terrifying poison.
But now, it looked as though it were enduring the most horrific torment imaginable.
Its phantom twisted violently in midair, its enormous body expanding and contracting as though something deep within it was trying to tear its way out!
"This is—!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo leapt to his feet, face drained of color.
Before he could finish—
An even more unbelievable scene unfolded.
To everyone's horror, four fleshy bulges abruptly swelled from the smooth underside of the writhing serpent!
Rip—!
With a sound like flesh being torn apart, four sharp claws—covered in fine scales and gleaming with metallic cold light—burst forth!
Immediately after, two rugged horns tore through the flesh of its ferocious head, thrusting skyward!
"ROAR—!!!"
A roar thundered through Feng Ran Pavilion.
No longer the hiss of a snake.
But something deeper.
More ancient.
Carrying the unmistakable majesty of a dragon!
The dark-green poisonous glow receded, replaced by a deep, abyssal blue-black.
The Imperial Jade Annihilation Snake was gone.
In its place—
A blue-black Jiaolong, with four claws on its belly and rugged twin horns crowning its head!
The Jade Annihilation Flood Dragon!
A Martial Soul never before recorded in the annals of the Douluo Continent!
"Gulp…"
Saint Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi swallowed hard.
A fear rooted deep within his bloodline washed over him, leaving his limbs weak.
His Sacred Dragon Martial Soul whimpered uncontrollably—like a mouse before a cat.
And it wasn't just him.
Qian Daoliu and Posey even stopped eating.
They ignored the fragrant egg fried rice before them entirely.
Their eyes were locked onto the terrifying phantom in midair.
Their Martial Souls screamed warnings again and again.
They had never seen such a Spirit.
Its origin was unknown.
Yet deep in their hearts, a voice howled madly—
This has already crossed into a realm beyond mortals.
This Martial Soul… has stepped into the domain of the divine!
_____________________
https://[email protected]/mrSOMEONE01234? [replace @ with a]
>>>>>I'm a student, and I'll try my best to keep uploading chapters regularly <<<<<
thanks for your support
[[READER TIER 1: translates stories {15$} ]] { RECOMENDED }
[Restaurant in Douluo Dalu {6$}
[other free books as well]
[[[[Please at least visit my patreon so I can have some traffic]]]]]