Chapter 16: The Spoils — A Golden Jiao
Tuoba Lan and Huyan Lie, both Soul Sages, possessed formidable defenses.
But their resilience lay in resisting soul power attacks, not those aimed at the mind.
Now facing the Jade Phosphor Crimson Poison—deadly precisely for its focus on spiritual corrosion—their strength meant little.
The first to falter was Huyan Lie, who had focused too much on fleeing.
His spiritual defenses collapsed, his consciousness clouding as the venom invaded his mind.
His steps grew unsteady.
"Huyan Lie's death is only a matter of time," Old Snake murmured. "But this Tuoba Lan… the White Armored Earth Dragon truly lives up to its reputation. Strong will, formidable power."
He set Dugu Feng down and then disappeared, becoming a shadow that melted into the night.
He approached the massive dragon unseen.
Tuoba Lan, for his part, was growing anxious.
Enemies like this—impossible to locate, impossible to strike—were the worst kind.
And the entire forest was smothered in poisonous mist functioning like a domain.
Boom! Boom!
Massive blasts of white breath vapor burst from his maw, each strike felling trees and churning the earth.
He picked one direction and slammed his claws down, forcing two deep cracks into the soil before lunging skyward.
He refused to believe his speed couldn't outstrip the poison's range.
The longer he remained, the more likely death became.
He had to escape the gas, find open sky.
After all, such a large-scale toxin release had to cost immense soul power. His foe couldn't possibly sustain it indefinitely.
As he soared upward, he felt relief. The crimson haze thinned in the air.
But then—a shadow expanded suddenly within his pupils.
A tiny figure—a dwarf, no higher than a child's waist—hovered above his head.
Compared to his colossal dragon body, the man was like an ant before a giant.
"Poison Burst!"
A sphere of energy, swirling violet and crimson, exploded upon contact—right against the dragon's head.
Old Snake's voice followed, eerie and mocking.
"You poor White Armored Dragon. You should've stayed down, waited quietly, let your mind cloud over, and died without pain.
Look at your partner, Huyan Lie—his arms, his legs—they're gone, melted to nothing. Yet he still thinks he's running, blissfully unaware that he's already dying.
Until the last breath, he'll believe he can still escape.
But you—you had to resist. You had to struggle. Now face the pain, the despair of wishing you'd never been born."
His words dripped with venom more soul-piercing than his poison.
As soon as he stopped speaking, his figure vanished again, vanishing into the treetops without a trace.
Below, the giant dragon's head turned dark, black light radiating from the scales.
Just as Little Snake had once said—once the toxin entered the body, the best course of action was to wait. Death would come on its own.
Old Snake had just unleashed his sixth soul skill—Poison Explosion.
A fusion of Violet and Crimson toxin condensed into one attack. Upon contact, it detonated, shattering defenses and forcing venom through flesh and soul alike.
Even the smallest wound was enough for the poison to seep in, spreading through every vein.
Tuoba Lan was now a textbook example of this fate.
Despite his thick scales and incredible endurance, his weaknesses lay where all creatures bore them—the senses.
Eyes, nose, mouth, ears—the softest gates of entry.
The poison penetrated these with ease.
"Argh! Ahhh!!"
Pain came next—unimaginable agony.
Like the Dugu Clan's poison flare, it tore through body and spirit alike.
The gigantic dragon writhed violently, smashing trees and cratering the ground in blind torment.
Its body convulsed, white scales dimming to gray.
In less than a few breaths, Tuoba Lan's martial soul form collapsed, leaving behind a man-shaped figure lying in the dirt.
Moments later, his flesh corroded into liquid black filth.
Huyan Lie had already died—earlier, and far more quietly. At least his end had been mercifully swift.
Silence fell upon the forest once more.
At last, two figures reappeared within the shadows of the trees—Old Snake and Dugu Feng, their faintly glowing green eyes reflecting the carnage like twin eerie lanterns.
Old Snake looked utterly pleased.
"Young Master, this is why our Dugu Clan ranks among the Seven Great Powers controlling the Great Spirit Arenas.
No other family dares oppose us.
If they can't guarantee total annihilation, they know the price—they'll face endless death.
Killing is an art we've perfected." He inhaled deeply, sounding like a boastful sage.
"Enough nonsense," Dugu Feng sighed. "Sunset Forest houses Titled Douluo. We need to clean up and leave—now."
After all, Dugu Bo was known to haunt this forest.
With the noise their battle had made, staying here meant courting death.
Old Snake clicked his tongue in disappointment but obeyed.
He moved swiftly, dissolving all traces.
His venom spread again—melting blood and bone into dust—before he drew back the poison essence into his body.
He knew full well that those slain—the Saint Dragon and Elephant Armored Sect elites—had deep ties to Spirit Hall.
And Xiahou Mang's affiliation with the Clear Sky Clan would not be ignored either.
This bloodshed must vanish without a sound.
Moments later, both figures were gone from Sunset Forest.
This time, Old Snake didn't bother with a carriage.
He carried Dugu Feng on his back, flashing through the night like lightning.
Returning to the Dugu mansion with the soul bone was their top priority.
Inside the endless rush of wind, Dugu Feng rummaged through two objects—a ring and a pendant—feeding soul power into them to probe their inner dimensions.
Spoils of battle: the storage soul tools of Tuoba Lan and Huyan Lie.
"Hm? What's this?"
He sifted through their collections—plenty of valuables: healing herbs, gold soul coins, rare metals, finely crafted weapons—each item delicate and refined.
None of it particularly useful to him.
Until he found it.
A golden crystal, about the size of a palm, gleaming faintly like a piece of liquid sunlight.
Whale Gel.
Dugu Feng raised an eyebrow. Trust that dragon-blooded Tuoba Lan to keep something like this. Quite the collector.
From its hue, this Whale Gel was at least three thousand years old—a potent treasure.
He summoned it with a flick of soul power, holding the gem aloft.
Old Snake's eyes gleamed knowingly. "Ah, Young Master, high-quality Whale Gel. Best split it with Little Snake—he's at the age to carry on the bloodline."
He smirked nostalgically. "Why, I myself started marrying at twelve. Took twenty years and eight wives before my son arrived. A lifetime's effort, filled with tears and sweat!"
Dugu Feng pictured the stoic assassin-like Little Snake following his father's "mission" to produce heirs and was left utterly speechless.
Still… it was the Dugu family way.
He hadn't forgotten—on his very first day after transmigrating, his father had told him he'd buried eight wives before his birth.
And his mother—dead from poison, like all before her.
Every Dugu born into this world was the final victor among countless corpses.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10