"Tang San, that strange little guy?" Before Dugu Yan could respond, Dugu Bo spoke up, his expression darkening at the memory of Tang San.
That brat had dared to claim that Dugu Bo was poisoned beyond cure.
Ridiculous! If not for his Poison Core, perhaps it would have been true. But now that his Poison Core was perfected
Had he not deliberately maintained his signature green hair, he could have reverted to his original appearance long ago.
That overconfident kid had even challenged him to a bet, only to fail at curing Dugu Yan's poison. In the end, it was Dugu Yan who had to detoxify him. If not for knowing he was Tang Hao's son and hearing from Ning Rongrong that he had divine backing Dugu Bo would have long buried those fools in a snake's stomach.
And then there was that Yu Xiaogang, who had the gall to threaten him by saying
"I'm from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
As if Dugu Bo didn't already know!
Having spent years in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, he wasn't completely ignorant.
Yu Xiaogang was, after all, the core of Ning Rongrong's initial plans.
Dugu Bo still couldn't fathom how someone as self-aggrandizing as Yu Xiaogang had managed to win over the Pope, Bibi Dong.
Truly baffling.
But for the sake of not disrupting Ning Rongrong's schemes and avoiding unnecessary conflict, he had let them go.
Otherwise, with his 93rd-ranked Title Douluo strength at the time, crushing them would have been effortless.
"Exactly, Tang San. What do you think of him, Elder Dugu?" Seeing Dugu Bo lost in thought, Ning Rongrong finally spoke up when he remained silent for too long.
"To be specific... he doesn't seem like someone his age should be." Dugu Bo sighed.
One had to admit, that Tang San knew far too much.
Just like Qian Renxue and Ning Rongrong.
Qian Renxue, at a young age, had eliminated the three princes of the Heaven Dou Empire and taken the identity of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
And Ning Rongrong... Well, she had tricked both him, a Title Douluo, and his granddaughter Dugu Yan into joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda when she was barely more than a child.
Was this the so-called "maturity" required of divine inheritors?
Not just innate full spirit power, but also cunning, the ability to conceal oneself, and the skill to manipulate others.
"Elder Dugu, are you thinking something rude?" Ning Rongrong asked, noticing his conflicted expression.
"Ah, nothing." A flicker of embarrassment crossed Dugu Bo's face before he swiftly changed the subject.
"You mentioned this concerns Tang San and his group did something happen at the sect afterward?"
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Ning Fengzhi, who sat cross-legged beside the Bone Douluo, seeking answers from his sect master.
Meeting his eyes, Ning Fengzhi sighed. "We made a deal with Tang Hao's side..."
He recounted the events of Tang Hao's visit to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, including Qian Renxue's appearance.
And, of course, the return of Tang Chen the so-called "Invincible of the Continent" who had now reclaimed the Clear Sky Sect and was preparing to bring it back into the world.
As Ning Fengzhi spoke, Dugu Bo's frown deepened.
"So, Sect Master, you're saying my herb garden might not be safe anymore?"
"Old Poison, the strength of a 99th-ranked Title Douluo... Frankly, we truly have no way to oppose it."
The Bone Douluo also sighed.
"The Sword Idiot and I are planning to train in Spirit Fusion Skills. Though we gained some useful things from the trade, and Rongrong says there's a good chance of success, it'll still take time."
"If we push Tang Chen too far, he might ally with Sea God Island or the Spirit Hall. So he probably won't go overboard."
"But you're no spring chicken, Poison. Even if you haven't witnessed it firsthand, you know how the Clear Sky Sect operates."
The Clear Sky Sect's philosophy was simple: What's mine is mine, and what's yours becomes mine once I take it.
Tang Chen might not stoop to bullying the weak, but the possibility wasn't zero.
Especially with Tang Hao the strongest talent among the Clear Sky Sect's Twin Stars and Ning Rongrong's mention that Tang Chen's condition might not be optimal.
If he laid eyes on the immortal herbs and spirit medicines of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he might very well charge in without hesitation.
"So, what's the plan now?" Dugu Bo's expression was grave. "We can't just hand everything over, can we?"
He had witnessed the might of a 99th-ranked Title Douluo before feeling the overwhelming pressure from the distant battle between the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi.
Indeed, even the Sword Douluo, buffed by Ning Fengzhi, paled in comparison.
"We did discuss this before coming. It depends on your thoughts, Elder Dugu." Ning Fengzhi said.
Dugu Bo fell into deep contemplation as Ning Fengzhi explained.
"Harvest the valuable spirit herbs and immortal herbs first, then relocate them?"
"That could work. I have no objections. But why leave behind one or two less useful immortal herbs?" Dugu Bo looked puzzled.
Even the "worst" immortal herbs far surpassed ordinary spirit herbs in value.
"To placate Tang Chen," Ning Rongrong interjected.
"Placate?"
"Exactly, Elder Dugu. What Father described earlier was the worst-case scenario."
"But we must also consider that we wish to maintain the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's independence. If conflict can be avoided, it's best to do so."
After all, facing a 99th-ranked Title Douluo was no joke. As long as they offered enough to save face, the other side might not cause trouble.
Ultimately, forcing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to join another faction was the last resort.
"Actually, there's no need to worry too much." Ning Rongrong glanced around, noticing the anxious expressions, and explained, "I've made progress with Ring Fusion, Ring Explosion, and Spirit Fusion Skills. Though they might not match the Clear Sky Sect's secret techniques, there's still hope for boosting our strength even enough to resist a 99th-ranked Title Douluo."
"In short, what we lack now is time."
"Father, Grandpa Bone, since Elder Dugu and Sister Yan are fine, let's proceed with our main task." Ning Rongrong turned to Ning Fengzhi.
"Main task?"
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan exchanged confused looks.
"Yes. Helping Grandpa Bone break through to the 97th rank is one of our goals for coming to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
"W-Wait!" Dugu Yan's eyes widened. "Bone Elder only reached the 96th rank a few years ago. Now he's..."
She trailed off, finding it hard to believe.
Not everyone was like Bibi Dong, who became a Title Douluo in her thirties and reached the 98th rank before fifty and she was a twin-soul genius!
"It's manageable. From the Dark Devilgod Tiger we killed, I obtained something useful."
"I'm confident in helping Grandpa Bone reach the 97th rank. But since there's some uncertainty, doing it here at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is safer."
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong summoned her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Three purple, three black, and one blood-red soul ring slowly rose.
The sinister, oppressive aura emanating from the red ring was deeply unsettling.
"A... a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?!" Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan gaped in shock.
Though they had mentally prepared themselves for Ning Rongrong possibly obtaining such a ring, they never expected it to appear as her seventh soul ring especially since she had claimed she didn't need to hunt spirit beasts.
"This hundred-thousand-year soul ring is from the Dark Devilgod Tiger. In short, we killed one and obtained its ring."
"But I plan to use a different method infusing the power of this ring into Grandpa Bone's existing soul rings."
"This will greatly enhance the foundational strength of his martial soul and the power of his ninth soul ring."
"Rongrong... this Dark Devilgod Tiger is it the same one that chased us three years ago?"
Dugu Yan suddenly recalled something.