"Your Holiness, this was my failure. I didn't anticipate Dugu Bo's changes, which led to this outcome. If punishment must be dealt, then let it fall on me."
Yue Guan knelt before Bibi Dong, his face pale.
At a time like this, any excuse would sound hollow. It was better to admit fault outright. Perhaps doing so would lessen the severity of his punishment.
In his heart, Yue Guan understood: Bibi Dong had yet to fully consolidate her authority within Spirit Hall. She couldn't afford to severely punish a Titled Douluo like him—not while she still needed his strength.
"You deserve to be punished," Bibi Dong said coldly, her tone icy as the Slaughter God Domain flared to life and bore down on him. "But given the state you're in, I'll spare you this time. If there's a next time... your head won't belong to you."
Even so, she didn't press further. Yue Guan had sustained near-fatal injuries—pushing him too far now would be counterproductive.
"Understood," Yue Guan replied, bowing his head. Then, with a steely glint in his eyes, he looked up and said firmly, "Your Holiness, please rest assured—once I've recovered, I'll kill that brat Xu Yang with my own hands."
"That won't be necessary," Bibi Dong interrupted coldly. "From now on, do not act against Xu Yang again."
"Ning Fengzhi has already made your involvement public across the continent. Spirit Hall's reputation has taken a serious blow. Several neutral powers that once leaned toward us have begun to distance themselves. If we're not absolutely certain of killing Xu Yang, the assassinations must stop."
Just thinking of Ning Fengzhi's counterstrike made Bibi Dong seethe. That move had unraveled much of the prestige she had painstakingly built within Spirit Hall. Several clans and sects she had personally recruited—such as the Sacred Dragon Sect, Black Tiger Sect, and Fire Leopard Sect—had begun to pull away.
Worse still, the Elder Hall was growing restless. It wasn't that they opposed assassinating Xu Yang—it was that she had dispatched two Titled Douluo and still failed to kill him. That shook their confidence in her political competence—and whether she was still fit to remain as Supreme Pontiff.
By contrast, her predecessor Qian Xunji, had wiped out the top talent of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in a single decisive strike, crippling their development for a generation.
But she? Five assassination attempts—and five failures.
For the first time, she began to feel hesitation. If there were a sixth failure, the Elder Hall might lose faith in her completely—and with it, her path of revenge would be lost.
For now, the matter of Xu Yang... would have to wait.
There was also Dugu Bo to consider. He had clearly sided with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, further strengthening their already formidable power.
Two Days Later
With the aid of several healing-type Soul Masters, Xu Yang, Ning Haiyan, and Dugu Bo had all shown noticeable recovery. Xu Yang in particular had made great progress thanks to his internal healing arts—his condition was now almost fully stabilized.
At the moment, Xu Yang sat inside Dugu Bo's room, chatting casually with him.
"Haha!" Dugu Bo laughed, popping a fruit that looked like a tangerine into his mouth. "Brat, we didn't kill that damn Chrysanthemum Douluo, but we left him half-dead. He might never be the same again."
In his mind, weakening an enemy was as good as strengthening himself. Dugu Bo was already thinking of how to finish the job next time.
Xu Yang shook his head, his tone calm.
"If it were any other Soul Master, that kind of injury would definitely cause permanent damage. Losing a few Soul Power levels wouldn't be a big surprise. But Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Soul is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. It's known for channeling vitality through the limbs and meridians—it can cultivate a body that borders on indestructible. That effect alone is enough for him to realign his injuries and make a strong recovery."
Dugu Bo frowned.
"You're saying he'll recover just like that? After all the damage we did to him?"
He was frustrated. He had risked his life and released his strongest technique—and still didn't manage to kill the man.
"Of course not. Those injuries went straight to his foundation," Xu Yang replied. "Recovering to his previous level is only possible because of the unique nature of his Martial Soul. But moving forward? Making further breakthroughs? That's unlikely."
Dugu Bo's expression darkened. For Titled Douluo, being unable to advance further wasn't exactly rare. He himself suspected he'd be stuck at Rank 95 for the rest of his life without some external force.
So hearing that Chrysanthemum Douluo might not grow any stronger wasn't exactly comforting.
Annoyed, Dugu Bo fished two iron balls from his storage ring and muttered to himself.
"I wonder if these little things will still be useful next time. I'd love to wipe that smug look off his face once and for all…"
"I doubt it," Xu Yang replied honestly. "They're just trinkets I cobbled together. Against a prepared Titled Douluo, they're not likely to work twice. But... you might want to try the other gadget I gave you. That one might just surprise him."
The iron balls—clones of the Mother-and-Child Soul-Piercing Poison Bomb. —were relatively simple in design. Inside, a triggering mechanism activated on impact, launching steel needles outward via an internal explosion.
But Xu Yang's version was more advanced—half a Soul Tool in itself. When the two spheres moved more than three meters apart, they would auto-trigger and slam together. Instead of conventional explosives, they were powered by compressed Soul Power, making their impact several times stronger than the original.
It was one of the two gifts Xu Yang had given Dugu Bo. The other was the Dragon Beard Needles—a weapon that had cost him a fortune in rare materials.
"Let's hope so," Dugu Bo sighed.
"Xu Yang, come shopping with me!"
Just then, Dugu Yan pushed open the door, smiling as she waved at her grandfather. Without missing a beat, she grabbed Xu Yang by the wrist.
"Do we really have to?" Xu Yang asked helplessly. "Soto City doesn't exactly have anything worth browsing…"
Just the thought of being dragged around shopping made his scalp tingle. Even with a Storage Soul Tool, his legs were already going soft.
"Nope. You're coming," Dugu Yan said, her tone brooking no argument. She pulled him toward the door, waving back at Dugu Bo as they left.
Soto City—the granary hub of the Balak Kingdom—was bustling with prosperity.
Its proximity to both the Star Dou Forest and the Star Luo Empire gave rise to a vibrant trade scene, filled with goods and commodities even the imperial capital of Heaven Dou City couldn't match.
Dugu Yan dragged Xu Yang from street to street for over two hours before finally stopping, satisfied, and sitting down with him for lunch.
They chose a restaurant on the second floor, where Xu Yang sat near the balcony, absentmindedly watching the stream of people moving along the street below.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
Far off in the crowd, he spotted three figures walking together—one adult and two children.
The moment his eyes landed on the shorter one—red hair, peach blossom eyes, and a chubby figure—he immediately recognized them.
"It's them…"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin