Chapter 121: Dugu Bo — Heaven Is Unfair!
This time, neither Yu Yuanzhen nor Yu Luomian appeared, and Dugu Shuo suspected something had changed.
A shift in stance from one of the Upper Three Sects could easily shake the balance of the entire continent.
He needed to contact Heaven Dou's other allied forces to discuss the situation, and so he departed.
Left alone at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Feng continued absorbing the energies of the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and the Yearning Heartbroken Dew within his body.
The herbs' medicinal power had blended into him, though some of their essence still lingered, precipitating in his spirit sea and flesh, awaiting complete refinement.
Once those final traces were absorbed, his strength would surely advance again.
At the same time, he began testing his father's theory—approaching the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
According to his father's belief, any herb that had developed consciousness could be considered an immortal herb.
And at the Yin Yang Well, these immortal plants truly possessed their own spirit—perhaps by refining their inherent poisons, he could earn their recognition.
Dugu Feng stepped toward the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
It grew exactly at the core of the cold spring's pole of yin—an area so frigid that even a few steps closer meant courting death.
The moment he came within ten meters, a wave of bone-penetrating chill washed over him.
He stopped right at the boundary of that radius, not daring to cross further himself.
Instead, he extended his external spirit bone—the silver scorpion claws—into the freezing zone.
Instantly, a thin layer of pale frost coated the scorpion talons.
The crystalline petals atop the ice grass shimmered more brightly, radiating waves of white mist from their jeweled center.
Sensing with both soul and spirit, Dugu Feng suddenly felt a sharp sting within his mind—not just cold, but a violent toxin intertwined with it.
He understood at once.
It wasn't simple frost or poison—it was cold poison, the combination of both taken to the extreme.
"Let's see just how powerful your cold poison is!"
He snorted, retracting his scorpion claws a few meters, then surged all his soul power into them, launching into a battle of refinement.
The claws became a battlefield as his energy clashed with the frigid venom, tempering and absorbing it.
The silver crystallized further, growing purer, denser, harder.
After several intense moments, Dugu Feng exhaled shakily, his eyes glinting.
That thin layer of cold poison alone had consumed more than half his soul power to fully refine.
Even Dugu Bo couldn't withstand this cold poison—he could never channel it safely into his meridians.
But within Dugu Feng's external bone, the toxin remained stable. The scorpion claws drank it in, adapting slowly to its immense potency.
Only after exhausting most of his soul power did he subdue the cold toxin and seal it within the bone—a preliminary victory, forcing the poison into submission.
Still, to refine it further and channel it into his actual meridians would require at least another major breakthrough or two.
Dugu Feng studied the massive claws before him.
"They're ugly," he muttered with a grin, "but damn, are they powerful."
As for the Fiery Apricot Bloom nearby, he hadn't attempted it yet.
His Eight Spider Lances didn't naturally bear a fire attribute—the scorpion claw's affinity with ice already opposed it.
It would take time before both could harmonize within his body.
Better to take things one step at a time; greed only leads to loss.
Thus his routine began—refining the cold poison in the morning, training soul skills in the afternoon, meditating on spiritual energy at night, steadily digesting the immortal herbs' powers.
He was completely immersed in cultivation.
One day, as he meditated in stillness, Dugu Bo returned.
The elder's sharp gaze instantly found Dugu Feng seated cross-legged in the valley.
"You really have no fear, boy—staying here this long without dying."
His voice was cold, mocking.
Dugu Shuo and Old Snake were gone; this young man remained alone amid the valley's deadly mists.
Even with a Killing God Domain, what use was that against the all-pervasive poisons of ice and fire?
Dugu Bo himself could barely tolerate more than short periods here.
Yet this nephew dared to live here like it was home—was he suicidal?
"Second Grandfather—"
"Who's your grandfather? Call me His Excellency Bi Lin!" Dugu Bo interrupted sharply.
Dugu Feng smiled. Clearly, the old man still bore a grudge from the poisoning incident with his father.
"Understood, Your Excellency Bi Lin. As a disciple of the Poison Lineage, I thrive on confronting the impossible.
These cold and fire toxins are just another form of poison. If I can absorb their properties, won't my toxins grow even deadlier?"
His tone was calm and respectful.
Dugu Bo snorted. "You'll poison yourself to death sooner or later, madman."
But gone was his former disdain.
Once he had looked down on the poison branch of their family—until Dugu Shuo's recent leap in power forced him to reconsider.
He could only grumble now, unable to deny their results.
To make matters worse, even he couldn't defend against his nephew's toxins. It was humiliating.
Dugu Bo ignored Dugu Feng after that, turning instead to survey his valley—only to frown.
"Hmm? A few herbs… are missing."
Surprise flickered in his eyes.
"Boy—did your father take those?"
Dugu Feng stood, replying evenly, "Yes, Your Excellency Bi Lin.
Those herbs assist our clan's cultivation. Father took only a few, and since you granted this place for the clan's use, that naturally includes the herbs."
In truth, they had taken only small portions—even the precious immortal herbs had been carefully trimmed rather than uprooted.
Leaving them to regrow ensured the longevity of the site; plundering it completely would serve no one.
They were not like Tang San, who harvested without restraint.
For a moment, Dugu Bo could only stare wordlessly.
"Leave, boy. Yan Yan has acquired a spirit bone and waits at my cave halfway up the hill. I'm preparing medicine for her," Dugu Bo muttered irritably.
The sight of Dugu Feng simply grated on him now.
This time it was Dugu Feng's turn to be speechless.
What, afraid I'll learn your refining methods?
If his alchemy were so great, he wouldn't have accepted his father's "antidote formula" in the first place.
Shaking his head, Dugu Feng summoned his twin Emerald Dragon Snakes. In a graceful leap, he rose into the air, soaring upward effortlessly.
"Heaven is unfair!"
Watching the youth vanish, Dugu Bo snarled in frustration, slamming his hand against his storage ring.
Dozens of alchemical tools spilled out across the ground as he prepared to brew medicine for his granddaughter.
Meanwhile, Dugu Feng descended to the other side of the hill, reaching a cave halfway up the mountainside—Dugu Bo's hidden residence.
Inside waited Dugu Yan.
Dugu Feng's eyes glinted with interest.
He'd long thought—if he could control Dugu Yan, he could control Dugu Bo.
And now… wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
He extended his left hand.
The second Emerald Dragon Snake shimmered into view, unleashing its stealth ability under the cover of his Dan Pearl's power, slipping silently into the cave like a shadow.
A ten-thousand-year spirit beast—small, unseen, and utterly undetectable.
There was no way Dugu Yan would notice its approach.
(END CHAPTER)
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