Chapter 36: Dugu Feng: If You've Got the Guts, Try Poisoning Another!
Just as Dugu Shuo neared the fallen Hu Yan Hong, another of the Elephant Armored Sect members suddenly collapsed with a dull thud. His veins bulged, his complexion turned ghostly pale, and though his mouth opened to speak, not a sound came out.
"Hu Yan Ming, you too!?" Hu Yanzhen's expression twisted in confusion. What was going on? He had only told Hu Yan Hong to pretend to be poisoned—not Hu Yan Ming.
That fool was probably improvising mid-performance. Still… his acting was disturbingly convincing.
"Good. Very good." Dugu Shuo's voice was cold and sharp. "Right before my eyes, and yet someone dares poison again? Do they think so little of my Dugu Clan? As long as I'm here, Hu Yanzhen, none of your sect will die!"
Blue veins bulged on Dugu Shuo's forehead as his fury seemed to explode.
Seven soul rings rose around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—the perfect configuration. His aura surged skyward with the force of a Soul Saint.
He strode toward the carriage where Hu Yan Hong lay.
Around him, members of the Elephant Armored Sect exchanged eager, knowing glances.
When Dugu Shuo channeled his poison power for detoxification, that would be when his defenses were lowest.
The moment Hu Yan Hong struck, that would be the signal—and they would attack simultaneously with their strongest soul skills, annihilating the ten surviving members of the Dugu Clan.
Their enemies numbered barely ten, with only Dugu Shuo and Old Snake at the Soul Saint level.
The rest weren't even close—one Soul Emperor had gone to aid Thunder Academy, and among those left, one was merely a single-ring soul master.
Pathetic.
A single volley from the Elephant Armored Sect's soul masters would be enough to wipe them out.
"Hmm? Why hasn't Hu Yan Hong attacked yet? Dugu Shuo's already in range," Hu Yanzhen muttered impatiently. "This is the perfect moment!"
Then—
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Four more heavy crashes shook the ground. Four of the towering, armored giants of the Elephant Armored Sect fell simultaneously, all of whom had already activated their Martial Souls.
"What—ugh!" A furious roar ripped through the air as a massive dark green serpent burst into the sky. Old Snake, in his Martial Soul form, glared down with glowing eyes, seven soul rings shimmering brilliantly.
"Who dares unleash poison before my Dugu Clan? Do you take us for weaklings? Come out and fight me for three hundred rounds if you have the courage!"
His furious declaration echoed across the area, though Dugu Feng couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Enough already, old man.
Hu Yanzhen was dumbfounded. What was happening? Four more of his men had collapsed! This wasn't acting—they were really down.
"Hu Yan Hong! Hu Yan Ming! All of you—attack now!" he commanded desperately through sound transmission.
He itched to act himself but hesitated.
Then, from not far away, Dugu Feng's voice rang out defiantly:
"Shameless! My Second Grandfather is the Titled Douluo Jade Phosphor Crown himself! You dare poison people in front of our Dugu Clan? Show yourself—kill another if you've got the guts!"
His tone was fierce and youthful, echoing piercingly through the night.
And as if answering his challenge—
Every remaining Elephant Armored Sect soul master aside from Hu Yanzhen collapsed one by one. Seven in total.
All bleeding black from their mouths, their huge bodies fell like mountains hitting the earth, shaking the ground underfoot.
Dugu Feng opened his mouth in a stunned expression. "Sect Master Hu Yan, don't look at me! I only wanted to scare whoever's in the dark!"
He quickly shrank back, inching closer to his father's side, feigning bewilderment.
"You…" Hu Yanzhen's eyes bulged wide as realization finally struck.
They weren't pretending.
His men had really been poisoned.
The antidote pills Spirit Hall had supplied—completely useless.
Grim with disbelief, he bit through the two pills hidden between his teeth—nothing. No effect at all.
"Dugu Shuo," he snarled through gritted teeth, his eyes wide as copper gongs, "it's you! You poisoned them!"
The earlier secret poisoning incidents had been arranged by Spirit Hall—it couldn't be them harming their own allies.
That meant only one possibility remained: Dugu Shuo.
He didn't even have the clarity left to question how Dugu Shuo had seen through their plot.
He only wanted revenge.
Three Soul Saints, four Soul Emperors—gone, just like that? Impossible.
No. He refused to believe this man could truly kill him.
He was a Contra, his diamond body armor nearly equal to a Titled Douluo's defense!
Eight soul rings rose behind him as his frame began to swell, muscles bulging like steel cables.
Bang, bang! His upper garments split apart, revealing glistening diamond-patterned muscles that shimmered like mirror-cut gemstones.
"Unlimited Diamond!"
Brilliant light flared heavenward.
With a furious roar, Hu Yanzhen charged straight at Dugu Shuo.
But Dugu Feng only smiled faintly, coldly.
He doesn't even realize how long Father's been near him. The poison's already in his system…
The more soul power he channelled, the faster it would spread through his veins—and the faster he'd die.
"Hu Yanzhen! You ungrateful hypocrite!" Old Snake's furious voice boomed from the sky. "My Clan Chief was trying to detoxify your people, yet you accuse him of poisoning them? I've had enough—I'll end you myself!"
The colossal dark-green serpent's tail swung down like a thunderbolt—then stopped midair.
Because below, Hu Yanzhen had already halted. His eyes were wide open, body turning a sickly black-green. Even the diamond sheen of his skin was corroding, releasing a putrid stench.
"You… you…" he rasped, his last words dripping with regret.
Boom!
The giant's body hit the ground with an earth-shaking crash.
In his final moments, despair clouded his eyes. He had underestimated the Dugu poison. If he had known how deadly it truly was, he would never have provoked them.
Within seconds, the fourteen members of the Elephant Armored Sect were all dead.
The entire convoy fell utterly silent.
Dugu Shuo stood still, murmuring, "I hadn't even begun the detoxification yet… and they're all dead? The toxin's too strong. Who could've released it in secret? Their poisoncraft surpasses even mine."
Dugu Feng, understanding everything, hid a smirk. It was the first time he'd seen this playful, teasing side of his father.
I still have a lot to learn, he thought.
Around them, the faces of the Thunder Academy soul masters, the Ge Clan, Yu Luomian, and Ge Long all twisted with disbelief.
It was too bizarre.
So many people dead—and no one knew who had killed them.
The Dugu Clan had the strongest motive, yet their outrage seemed genuine—they clearly believed themselves innocent.
The whole scene oozed eerie confusion.
No one dared move.
Yu Luomian swallowed hard, watching the fallen giants' corpses begin to corrode, their flesh dissolving into skeletons.
Dugu Shuo had partially restrained the poison—otherwise, the bodies would have melted into black sludge instantly.
Gone was the arrogance from Yu Luomian's face.
Hu Yanzhen had been a true Contra, nearly breaking through to Titled Douluo, with defensive might rivaling the best in the world.
And now he was gone—instantaneously.
If such poison touched him, Yu Luomian realized grimly, he would die as well.
Elder brother, he thought miserably, you sent me here on purpose, didn't you?
(END CHAPTER)
🔥 Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
⏰ Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 10, 2026.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10