Chu Yue slowly exhaled.
For some reason, a faint unease rose in her heart—subtle, irrational, yet persistent. It was the kind of premonition a woman could never clearly explain, but also never ignore.
Jun Wuhen noticed the slight stiffness in her posture and spoke reassuringly.
"Yan Yue, don't worry," he said softly. "Poison Douluo is very strong."
He had unconsciously used Chu Yue's name from her previous life.
The moment the words left his mouth, he froze.
Chu Yue's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Jun Wuhen immediately realized his mistake and hurriedly continued, his voice carrying genuine urgency.
"I'm sorry—really, I am. I know you don't want to hear it, but… my death back then deserved it. I won't deny that."
This was not the first time he had a conversation like this, whenever he had a chance he would try to make his words sound sincere.
The words tumbled out one after another, awkward yet sincere.
He wasn't doing this merely out of guilt.
Since arriving in this foreign world, everything and everyone had felt distant, separated by an invisible wall. No matter how close he grew to others, there was always an underlying sense of estrangement.
Only Chu Yue was different. Her presence anchored him, made this world feel real.
Jun Wuhen never realized that these emotions—this sense of familiarity, this attachment—were nothing more than carefully planted psychological cues, gently nudging his heart along a predetermined path.
Chu Yue turned her face away, her expression cold, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.
She said nothing. Jun Wuhen, however, smiled faintly in his heart.
'There's progress.'
'At least she's not giving me the "I'm going to kill you" look anymore.'
----
Outside the Valley
"DON'T YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO COME OUT, DUGU BO!"
As Tang Hao's voice echoed again, the Clear Sky Hammer had already materialized in his grasp. The moment it appeared, it stirred the surrounding air .His killing intent was restrained, but his confidence was absolute.
Whoosh—
The poisonous curtain rippled violently, parting from the center like a sea split by divine force.
A figure emerged.
Dugu Bo stepped out calmly, green robes fluttering faintly as poisonous soul power coiled around him like a living thing. Only when he fully exited the barrier did his eyes finally sharpen, locking onto the man before him.
It was then that Dugu Bo's expression subtly changed.
The aura that crushed the surroundings without being released.
"…Clear Sky Hammer."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes.
"Tang Hao." His voice was low and measured. "I don't recall us ever crossing paths. Why are you making trouble here?"
Tang Hao bared a crooked grin, exposing slightly yellowed teeth. The smile carried no warmth—only arrogance forged through countless life-and-death battles.
"Making trouble?" Tang Hao chuckled. "I merely came to pay a visit. Won't you welcome me to your humble abode hidden behind this poisonous barrier?"
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted slightly. His tone remained calm, but the tension in his body betrayed him.
"My humble abode cannot house a great being like you," he replied coolly.
Tang Hao sighed exaggeratedly, shaking his head as if disappointed.
"Then perhaps…"
His eyes flashed.
"…you'll agree after a good beating."
In the next instant—
Nine soul rings erupted behind Tang Hao.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—
And a final ring so dark it seemed to devour light itself.
The sixth soul ring blazed.
"Clear Sky Stomp!"
The Clear Sky Hammer expanded violently, swelling to more than twice its original size. The ground beneath Tang Hao shattered as he stepped forward, and the hammer descended like a falling mountain.
The distance between them collapsed in a fraction of a second.
To Tang Hao, Dugu Bo was a weak opponent—dangerous, yes, but still someone he could subdue swiftly. There was no need to prolong the fight.
At a distance, Tang San watched intently. His expression was calm, confident.
'Father will suppress him quickly,' Tang San thought. 'Once Dugu Bo is restrained, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well will be ours.'
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Or so he believed.
But— In the instant the hammer was about to crush him—
Dugu Bo's soul power erupted.
"Martial Soul—Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor!"
A deafening hiss filled the air.
Emerald scales flashed as a colossal phantom serpent emerged behind Dugu Bo, its eyes cold and ancient. Poisonous mist surged violently, warping space itself.
And then—Dugu Bo slipped away by a hair's breadth, his figure twisting at an impossible angle like a twisting snake, narrowly evading the hammer that shattered the ground behind him into a massive crater.
BOOM!
Earth and stone exploded skyward.
Dugu Bo steadied his footing several dozen meters away, eyes blazing with fury. The faint smile from earlier was gone, replaced by cold killing intent.
He stared straight at Tang Hao and said icily:
"It seems talking with you is meaningless."
"Third Soul Skill — Jade Phosphor Enchanted Formation!"
"Fourth Soul Skill — Corrosion!"
Dugu Bo's voice rang out sharply.
The ground beneath his feet instantly darkened, jade-green in color spreading outward like living veins. Poisonous mist surged upward, intertwining and solidifying into a three-dimensional toxic formation, with Dugu Bo standing calmly at its core like a monarch seated upon a throne of death.
Leaves curled and melted midair. Stones hissed as if drenched in acid. Even the sunlight dimmed, swallowed by layers of venomous aura.
Tang Hao's expression finally turned solemn.
This was no ordinary poison.
And the aura erupting from Dugu Bo was undeniably that of a Super Douluo, not a low level Titled douluo Level 91.
Tang Hao retreated several steps, not out of fear, but prudence. With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved a small jade bottle and swallowed the antidote Tang San had prepared specifically for Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent poison.
From a distance, Tang San watched intently.
'That antidote should at least suppress his poison temporarily…'
But—Dugu Bo saw and he laughed with anger, ridicule, and murderous intent.