Ye Lingling shouted, enunciating every word: “You… how can you say that? I—I’ve decided. From now on, for at least one hour… no, for at least the rest of today, I’m not talking to you.”
This completely unthreatening “threat,” even carrying a hint of coquettishness, finally made Ling Ye chuckle softly.
The laughter echoed in the mental world, filled with tolerance and a faint sense of amusement.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” Ling Ye’s voice returned to its usual gentle and steady tone.
“Lingling, your mother has been here protecting us for several days. Her spirit must be weary. Go pick the ‘Romantic Tulip’ and the ‘Jade Bone of Narcissus’ for her.”
Hearing this, Ye Lingling looked towards her mother, Ye Qingxian, who had been anxiously guarding them nearby.
Her mother’s brow showed signs of fatigue, but even more so, relief and comfort.
A warm current surged through Ye Lingling’s heart.
Following his instructions, and under Ling Ye’s guidance, she easily found the elegant and magnificent “Romantic Tulip,” radiating a rich, exotic fragrance, and the “Jade Bone of Narcissus”—crystal clear, entirely like jade, capable of purifying the constitution and nourishing the physique.
She carefully presented the two immortal herbs to Ye Qingxian.
“Mother, Senior Ling Ye says these two immortal herbs have gentle, complementary properties. They are most suitable for nourishing your meridians, solidifying your foundation, and may even help you advance to the next level of cultivation.” Ye Lingling said softly.
Ye Qingxian looked at the immortal herbs radiating spiritual energy in her daughter’s hands, and then at her daughter’s increasingly deep and bright green eyes.
Her heart was filled with a thousand emotions.
She did not refuse.
Taking the immortal herbs, she said warmly, “Lingling, thank Senior Ling Ye for me.”
Ye Qingxian found a relatively secluded corner rich in spiritual energy, consumed the immortal herbs, and began secluded meditation to absorb their essence.
Surrounded by the faint fragrance of tulips and an emerald-like glow, her aura gradually became calm and sustained.
After settling matters on her mother’s side, Ye Lingling walked over to Dugu Bo, who had been silently watching from the side.
Ling Ye, controlling Ye Lingling’s body, got straight to the point.
His tone carried full confidence: “Yan’er’s hidden danger has been resolved, and her future is bright. Now, it’s your turn to solve your own problem.”
Dugu Bo’s body trembled slightly.
He took a deep breath.
“Lingling, go ahead. This old man can take it.”
Ling Ye nodded and said no more.
He controlled Ye Lingling to step back a few paces, creating some distance from Dugu Bo.
After a moment’s thought, the Life Begonia Emperor Spirit manifested once more.
“Senior Dugu, please lower your mental and physical defenses. Completely release your Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor Spirit and expel all the toxins accumulated over decades within your body. Do not suppress them; let them all manifest.”
Ling Ye’s voice seemed to carry a strange rhythm, directly reaching Dugu Bo’s mind.
The honored Spirit Power of a Titled Douluo erupted fiercely.
A massive phantom of the Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor coiled menacingly behind him, and poisonous mist began to spread.
Ling Ye’s gaze focused slightly.
The light emanating from the Life Begonia Emperor behind Ye Lingling intensified.
It was no longer the gentle cleansing light used when treating Dugu Yan, but transformed into countless fine yet incredibly resilient emerald green threads of Life.
As if possessing intelligence, they precisely pierced into Dugu Bo’s vital acupoints and areas where toxins were concentrated.
“Focus your mind, calm down, and follow my instructions!” Ling Ye commanded sharply.
Drawing upon his profound understanding of energy condensation and spirit cores from his time as a 100,000-year Spirit Beast, and combining it with the Life Begonia Emperor’s absolute control over Life energy through its ultimate Life attribute, he guided Dugu Bo’s Spirit Power and will.
He began, little by little, to “strip away” and “expel” the toxins from Dugu Bo’s flesh, meridians, and bones—toxins that clung like maggots to bone.
Under Ling Ye’s precise control and Dugu Bo’s full cooperation, the extracted toxins did not dissipate.
Instead, deep within Dugu Bo’s dantian, they were forcibly compressed and tempered by the immense Spiritual Power Ling Ye infused and the special guidance of Life.
Time passed, day by day.
Within the mental world, Ye Lingling observed and learned with full concentration.
Every subtle adjustment of Spirit Power and every act of mental guidance by Ling Ye deepened her understanding of her own strength.
Half a month later.
The energy fluctuations that had persisted in the valley for half a month finally reached their peak, then suddenly collapsed inward.
“Condense!”
With Ling Ye’s clear shout, Dugu Bo’s body trembled violently.
The raging poisonous mist around him instantly receded, all seeping into his body.
Within his dantian, an energy crystal the size of a thumb, perfectly shaped and a deep emerald green, was steadily forming—this was the Poison Core.
This was also Dugu Bo’s Spirit Core.
“Haah…” Dugu Bo exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
This breath no longer contained toxins; instead, it was incomparably pure.
He opened his eyes.
The emerald green light in his pupils had shed some of its madness, becoming clearer, and now radiated a daunting brilliance.
The pain of toxin backlash that had plagued him for decades, tormenting him day and night, had completely vanished.
In its place, the “Poison Core” in his dantian granted him absolute control over his own toxins, while his Spirit Power recovery speed had also seen a shocking increase.
“Hahaha! Success! It really succeeded!” Feeling the unprecedented lightness and surging power within him, Dugu Bo couldn’t help but laugh heartily towards the sky.
He looked at “Ye Lingling,” whose face was slightly pale but whose eyes remained calm.
He bowed deeply and respectfully: “Lingling, I will never forget this grace of rebirth. From this day forward, should you ever need anything, I, Dugu Bo, will not hesitate even if it costs me my life.”
Just at that moment, Ye Qingxian, who had been cultivating in seclusion nearby, also happened to finish.
Her aura was harmonious and full.
Her original Rank 72 Spirit Power, nourished by the two top-tier immortal herbs, had actually broken through to Rank 77.
Not only had her Spirit Power greatly increased, but more importantly, her foundation had become incredibly solid.
Her meridians had widened, and there were faint signs of sublimation in her Spirit.
Her future path of cultivation would surely be much smoother.
Becoming a Titled Douluo was no longer an unattainable dream; even advancing to Super Douluo was now a possibility.
She looked at her daughter, her eyes brimming with pride and gratitude.
Ye Lingling nodded slightly and said to Dugu Bo: “Congratulations on advancing to a higher level. However, this Poison Core has only just formed and still needs further stabilization and stimulation of its potential.”
Ling Ye’s gaze swept across the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire.
“This place possesses the ‘Fragrant Radiance Immortal Treasure,’ which can detoxify, protect the heart, and safeguard the meridians. Consume it first to stabilize the Poison Core and prevent injury from any toxin leakage from the core.”
“Then consume the ‘Snow Swan’s Kiss.’ This item can multiply toxins thousands of times over. For you, it is a supreme treasure to stimulate the Poison Core’s potential and strengthen the source toxins. You need only endure the pain of the toxin’s violent eruption. With the protection of Fragrant Radiance and the control of the Poison Core, you will emerge unscathed.”
At this moment, Dugu Bo regarded Ye Lingling as a deity.
He raised no objection whatsoever.
He promptly found the two immortal herbs, followed the instructions, and consumed them, entering cultivation once more.
A few days later, the emerald glow around him receded, but his aura had become even more profound and terrifying.
His Spirit Power had broken through again, reaching Rank 93, and his foundation was stable; Rank 94 seemed within reach.
After this tempering, the venom of the Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor had reached a new, terrifying level.
After Dugu Bo had fully absorbed the medicinal power, Ling Ye, through Ye Lingling, spoke to the elated Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan:
“Yan’er’s Spirit Power has improved, and her foundation is laid. After she obtains her fourth Spirit Ring, she can consume the ‘Eight Petal Immortal Orchid.’ This immortal herb’s properties are gentle and enduring, most suitable for consolidating the foundation and promoting Spirit Power cultivation, helping her establish a solid base for breaking through to even higher realms.”
Dugu Bo was overjoyed upon hearing this.
This was practically paving a direct path to heaven for his granddaughter.
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, he immediately said to Ye Qingxian and Ye Lingling: “Madam Ye, Lingling, I dare not speak lightly of this kindness, but I will forever engrave it in my heart. I will take Yan’er out now to find her the most suitable dragon-attribute Spirit Ring. You two make yourselves at home here; don’t stand on ceremony. If you need anything at all, just tell this old man!”