Bibi Dong was undeniably beautiful, but when she was angry, she exuded an overwhelming sense of authority. At this moment, both Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo below her dared not utter a single word of dissent.
Only when Bibi Dong gradually calmed down did Yue Guan speak up, "Your Majesty, this battle wasn't due to our lack of strength compared to Dugu Bo. The real issue is that he possesses a terrifying weapon—Snow Swan Kiss. That's why we couldn't defeat him."
"Snow Swan Kiss? What is that?" Bibi Dong asked. She wasn't Yue Guan—she did not know herbs or their properties.
"Snow Swan Kiss is an immortal herb, somewhat similar to my martial soul. The difference is that this herb cannot be consumed. Its sole effect is to amplify toxins to their maximum potential."
"This herb would be useless in anyone else's hands, but in Dugu Bo's hands, it's equivalent to a divine weapon. It allows his venom to be amplified without limit. Even the enhancements of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring or soul bone couldn't compare!" Yue Guan explained with lingering fear, clearly traumatized by his encounter with Dugu Bo.
"Snow Swan Kiss… To think such an item exists in this world, and of all people, it ended up in Dugu Bo's hands. With this, he will undoubtedly become a major threat to the Spirit Hall." Bibi Dong was so enraged that she nearly crushed her Pope's scepter. "Yue Guan, in your opinion, how many people would it take to deal with Dugu Bo?"
Hearing Bibi Dong's question, Yue Guan gave a bitter smile. "Numbers won't help. Dugu Bo isn't afraid of group battles. Even if three or four Titled Douluo of my level were to surround him, he could still use the Snow Swan Kiss to amplify his venom infinitely. At that point, no matter how many people we send, they'll die. He can at least ensure mutual destruction."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong struck her scepter against the ground. "This Snow Swan Kiss—does it have no countermeasure?"
"There are two ways to defeat Dugu Bo with the Snow Swan Kiss. The first is to rely on a Titled Douluo with soul power above rank 97. Such a powerful individual could temporarily repel the toxins with their overwhelming soul power, creating a brief window to kill Dugu Bo in a single strike."
Yue Guan's first suggestion essentially relied on brute force. Dugu Bo's ability to fight one-on-one wasn't exceptional. Without the Snow Swan Kiss, even Ghost Douluo could defeat him. However, Ghost Douluo lacked the soul power to counter the enhanced venom. At least rank 97 was required, but there were only a handful of Titled Douluo above that level on the entire continent. They were hard to find.
It wasn't as though Bibi Dong could take action herself. Besides, due to the inheritance of the Rakshasa God, she couldn't currently unleash her full power.
Bibi Dong seemed to have thought of something and glanced toward the direction of the Worship Hall. There were two Titled Douluo above rank 97 there, one at rank 98 and the other at rank 99, both among the strongest in the world.
Unfortunately, she had no authority over them.
Bibi Dong could only shake her head. "This method is infeasible. I can't summon a Titled Douluo above rank 97. Yue Guan, what is the second method?"
"The second method is to find an herb that counters the Snow Swan Kiss. In this world, everything has its counter. Since there's an herb that amplifies toxins, there must also be an herb that neutralizes them. It's called Aromatic Silk Beauty!"
"This herb is known as the bane of all poisons. In its presence, no toxin can take effect," Yue Guan explained. His second suggestion was more realistic.
But it wasn't necessarily easier than finding a Titled Douluo above rank 97. It might be even less likely. This was because the Aromatic Silk Beauty was currently in Tian Lin's possession, and Dugu Bo was about to become an elder of his sect. There was no way they would use it against one of their own.
However, Bibi Dong was unaware of this. She immediately had Yue Guan draw an image of the Aromatic Silk Beauty and ordered all Spirit Hall branches to keep an eye out for it, promising a generous reward to anyone who could find it.
Bibi Dong treated this matter with utmost importance. She had always been wary of Dugu Bo's ability to annihilate an entire city with his venom. While she was immune, most of the Spirit Hall consisted of ordinary soul masters. If the Spirit Hall were to launch a campaign to conquer the continent, Dugu Bo's poison would be a nightmare for her armies.
What's more, with the Snow Swan Kiss in hand, Dugu Bo's venom had reached a level where even Titled Douluo couldn't ignore it.
After finishing the drawing, Yue Guan coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. He was severely injured this time and would need at least a year or two to recover. Even then, his soul power might drop a few ranks.
"Forget it. Elder Chrysanthemum, go and rest. Detoxify yourself properly. I won't assign you any tasks for the next year," Bibi Dong said, waving her hand. After all, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were her most capable subordinates. She couldn't punish them too harshly for one failure, lest it sow discord.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. However…" Yue Guan hesitated, as though he had something difficult to say.
In the end, Ghost Douluo mustered the courage to speak. "Your Majesty, we swore on our martial souls to give Dugu Bo two soul bones in exchange for resolving the grudge from when we pursued him. Only then were we able to escape. As you know, a martial soul oath cannot be broken. If we go back on it, our cultivation will stagnate, or worse, regress. Therefore, we humbly request two ordinary spirit bones from you."
"Useless!" Bibi Dong finally couldn't hold back her anger. She had assumed the two had escaped through their abilities, only to find out they had essentially paid a ransom.
But no matter how furious she was, what could she do? She hadn't fully consolidated her control over the Spirit Hall, nor could she unleash her full strength. Losing these two capable subordinates was not an option. With a sigh, she said, "Fine. There are some lower-quality thousand-year soul bones in the treasury. Take two of them."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo breathed a sigh of relief. Since Bibi Dong didn't punish them, it meant the matter was settled. She wasn't one to retaliate after the fact.
Just as they were about to leave, someone outside suddenly shouted, "Reporting to Her Majesty, Lord Lor Diarra requests an audience!"
"What now?" Bibi Dong, already irritated, almost sent them away. But considering that Lor Diarra was in charge of crucial intelligence, she calmed herself, sat back on her throne, and ordered, "Come in!"
A man in a black robe entered the hall and respectfully greeted the trio before him, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Pope, Elder Chrysanthemum, and Elder Ghost."
This man was none other than the Golden Eagle Soul Douluo from the original story, tasked with assassinating Tang San. In any major force, intelligence work was usually entrusted to flying soul masters to ensure the swiftest delivery of critical information.
In the Spirit Hall, Lor Diarra's role was equivalent to that of Yin Yang in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
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