"Old monster, wouldn't you say this is karma catching up to you?"
Gu Rong supported Xu Yang while casting a teasing look at Dugu Bo.
"Is that bastard Yue Guan dead or not?!"
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes and straightened himself with Dugu Yan's help, his gaze fixed on the distance. Right now, the only thing he wanted to know was whether Yue Guan had survived. If he could kill him, then everything he had risked today would have been worth it.
"Unfortunately, you may not get your wish," Gu Rong replied, shaking his head. "I can still sense that damn chrysanthemum's presence. He's weakened, sure—but it doesn't feel like he's in any real danger."
In the distance, the cracked earth suddenly bulged. A mound of dirt rose quickly to more than the height of a man. As the soil crumbled away, two figures were revealed—Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan, emerging from underground like phantoms.
Ghost Douluo looked a little battered—his robes shredded, his body marked with minor blast wounds. But injuries like these were nothing to him. With a month or two of rest, he'd recover fully.
The truly miserable one was Yue Guan.
Most of the flesh on his arms had been stripped away, exposing white bone underneath. His body was riddled with grotesque wounds, some so deep that Xu Yang could see his internal organs pulsing beneath the ruined flesh.
But even that wasn't the worst of it.
Black and dark green lines were spreading across Yue Guan's internal organs, a clear sign of severe poisoning. If not for Ghost Douluo constantly suppressing the toxins with his Soul Power, Yue Guan likely wouldn't have lasted much longer.
"Dugu Bo! Gu Rong!"
Yue Guan's voice trembled with rage. His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted their names. He had never suffered injuries this severe in his life—wounds that damaged his very foundation. If not for Ghost Douluo arriving at the moment of the explosion and dragging him underground, he would've been blown to pieces.
He hated Dugu Bo.
He hated Gu Rong too. If not for Gu Rong's arrival, Ghost Douluo would've been free to finish off Dugu Bo and their target with ease.
"Let's go, Chrysanthemum Douluo." Ghost Douluo tugged on what was left of Yue Guan's armor. His voice was low but firm. "With Gu Rong here, we can't kill Dugu Bo or Xu Yang. This mission is a complete failure. You need treatment immediately, or your condition will get worse."
"Old monster, just you wait!" Yue Guan growled, his eyes burning with hatred. "Next time we meet, I'll kill you!"
He spat out the threat and turned to leave.
"Oh? You think you can just walk away like I'm not standing here?"
Before Dugu Bo could respond, Gu Rong narrowed his eyes. While he knew that if a Titled Douluo truly wanted to escape, even another Titled Douluo might not be able to stop them, Yue Guan's arrogance still grated on him.
"Second Soul Skill: Bone Blades!"
Dozens of bone daggers materialized in front of Gu Rong, shooting through the air in brilliant arcs. But before they even traveled far, spatial portals opened up ahead of each one—one portal for each blade.
Ghost Douluo's expression shifted instantly. His body blurred into black mist and surrounded Yue Guan like smoke. Just as the blades vanished into the mist—
Shhhk!
A spray of blood splattered through the air as the Bone Blades struck true.
But as the smoke dispersed—the two of them were gone.
"That damn ghost... still as slippery as ever."
Gu Rong's brow furrowed. The strike had clearly hit, but it wasn't enough to deal serious damage. And even more frustrating, he couldn't trace how they had escaped. Their escape method was genuinely bizarre—even to someone of his level.
"Grandpa Gu, let it go," Xu Yang said weakly, his voice raspy. "Right now, healing is more important. That Poison Explosion Art just now made too big of a commotion… It could trigger a soul beast riot. We should leave."
He looked down at his weakened body, then over at Dugu Bo, who was equally pale and seriously injured. It wasn't worth risking more danger now.
"You're right."
Gu Rong didn't press the matter further. With a wave of his hand, he opened a spatial gate, taking everyone out of the Star Dou Forest and back to Soto City to recuperate.
The hunt for soul beasts would have to wait.
Inside the Seven Treasure Hotel in Soto City, Xu Yang lay on a bed beside the balcony, greedily absorbing the sun's energy to restore his Soul Power. At the same time, he silently activated a secret healing technique to aid in his recovery.
In another room, Dugu Bo sat cross-legged on a bed, meditating after swallowing healing medicine. Dugu Yan stayed by his side, quietly tending to him.
Meanwhile, Gu Rong, relying on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's vast network, had already arranged for several healing-type Soul Masters and physicians to come assist in treatment.
As soon as Xu Yang's Soul Power was stable, he began casting Sunlight on himself repeatedly, accelerating his recovery.
The most serious injury he'd sustained had come from the shockwave of Dugu Bo's Poison Explosion Art. His organs had been mildly ruptured, and several bones broken. Even with accelerated healing, he'd need two to three weeks to fully recover.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Clan Hall
"Bang!"
Ning Fengzhi slammed the intelligence report onto his desk with such force that the thick parchment embedded itself into the hardwood table.
"What happened?" Lady Ning asked, frowning. It was rare to see her husband so furious.
"The Spirit Hall has gone too far," Ning Fengzhi growled. "This time, they sent Yue Guan himself to assassinate Yang'er!"
"Is he alright?!" Lady Ning's face turned pale with worry.
"He's fine. Fortunately, the old monster had one last trump card Yue Guan didn't know about—and Uncle Bone arrived just in time. The Spirit Hall's plan failed. He's injured, but nothing too serious."
Ning Fengzhi's face was still stormy.
"Damn the Spirit Hall…" Lady Ning muttered through clenched teeth. Over the years, she had already come to see Xu Yang as her own child—her future son-in-law. How could she tolerate the Spirit Hall making repeated attempts on his life? At this point, she wished she could march straight into their headquarters and kill Yue Guan herself.
"With the Clear Sky Clan in seclusion, we and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan alone aren't enough to stand against the Spirit Hall."
"So we're just going to take this lying down?"
"Of course not," Ning Fengzhi said coldly. "If we let them get away with this, they'll think the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is weak and easy to push around. I've already thought of a countermeasure. I guarantee—after this, Spirit Hall won't dare touch Yang'er again."
Spirit Hall — Supreme Pontiff's Hall
Inside the grand Supreme Pontiff's Hall, Bibi Dong sat on her throne, her expression icy cold. The Killing God Domain, obtained from the Slaughter City, was leaking from her body uncontrollably, filling the chamber with a suffocating murderous aura.
Kneeling below her were Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Even they, two of Spirit Hall's strongest Titled Douluo, couldn't help but shiver slightly under the weight of her killing intent.
"You're telling me," Bibi Dong said, voice frigid, "that aside from the two of you, every Soul Master we sent on this mission was left behind in the Star Dou Forest?"
Her heart bled at the loss. While the team's overall strength hadn't been high, they had all been her trusted inner circle. Several were exceptional talents, future candidates for Soul Douluo—or even Titled Douluo.