The moment Fang Chang struck, Dugu Bo—already on high alert—reacted instantly. The phantom of his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor spat forth an emerald beam, intercepting Fang Chang's fire dragon.
Simultaneously, Dugu Bo retreated over a dozen paces, putting distance between them. From his sleeve shot forth a streak of green light—a tiny creature darting toward Fang Chang.
Rather than evade, Fang Chang grinned and stepped forward to meet it.
A faint snap sounded as something latched onto Fang Chang's right shoulder.
Only then did the creature reveal itself—a palm-sized, jade-green serpent.
Dugu Bo's tension eased slightly upon seeing his venomous strike land. "Hmph, I'll admit your soul power likely surpasses mine. But your arrogance will be your downfall. That was my Nine-Section—"
His words cut off abruptly, his face twisting in shock.
The young man before him showed no reaction to the Nine-Section Jade's venom—the deadliest poison in the continent, capable of felling even ordinary Titled Douluos.
Not only was Fang Chang unaffected, he reached up with his left hand, plucked the serpent from his shoulder, and—
Crunch.
He popped it into his mouth, chewing vigorously.
Dugu Bo's mind blanked. He prided himself as the continent's foremost poison master—perhaps only that Tang San kid could rival him.
Yet even he wouldn't dare consume a Nine-Section Jade raw.
Fang Chang devoured scales, bones and all, then belched contentedly while picking serpent remnants from his teeth. "Old man, got more of these? Don't hold out on me."
Dugu Bo gulped, grief for his lost serpent secondary to dawning horror. This man's strength far exceeds my estimates.
With a thought, his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor phantom solidified further. Nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, five black—pulsed around him, their aura defiant.
Then, his seventh ring flashed.
Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul True Body!
Dugu Bo's form swelled violently, his serpent phantom merging with his flesh. Within breaths, he transformed into a thirty-meter-long, barrel-thick behemoth clad in emerald scales.
Yet Fang Chang still hadn't summoned his martial soul—what utter contempt!
With Fang Chang's recent power surge, his ability to conceal his aura had perfected. Unless he acted, even Titled Douluos would struggle to identify him as a spirit beast.
The colossal serpent's crimson eyes locked onto Fang Chang before it lunged.
If he insists on arrogance, I'll crush him!
Fang Chang simply raised his right hand.
THUD.
The charging serpent halted mid-strike, immobilized by that single outstretched palm despite Dugu Bo's frantic thrashing.
What monstrous strength! Dugu Bo's mind reeled. Even in True Body form, he was overpowered effortlessly. What is this creature? No human could—
His thoughts shattered as Fang Chang's right hand ignited, searing the serpent's snout.
Dugu Bo recoiled—only for jagged ice pillars to erupt beneath him, spearing through his underbelly and pinning him to the earth.
Agony exploded through his scaled form as Fang Chang's flaming hand closed in, heat blistering enough to wither even a Titled Douluo.
In desperation, Dugu Bo's eighth ring flashed.
Eighth Soul Skill: Temporal Stasis!
The world stilled. Seizing this frozen instant, Dugu Bo shattered the ice spears and writhed free.
BOOM!
Time resumed. Fang Chang's infernal grasp clenched empty air, the shockwave alone scorching the landscape.
Nearby, Dugu Bo reverted to human form—pale, gasping, torso riddled with bloody punctures.
That attack would have flayed him alive.
Worse yet, his opponent still hadn't revealed his martial soul, only leaking traces of an eerie, familiar aura—
Like a spirit beast...
"You—you're not human!" Dugu Bo leaned heavily on a boulder, voice ragged.
"Took you long enough." Fang Chang's smile turned predatory. "Too late now."
His hands swept outward as if drawing a taiji symbol.
Yin and yang forces collided—scorching heat and glacial cold spiraled toward Dugu Bo in a lethal vortex.
Injured and drained from his shattered True Body, the old poison master couldn't dodge.
One side of his body charred instantly; the other flash-froze.
The alternating extremes ravaged his aged frame beyond even his poison's torment.
Blood fountained from Dugu Bo's mouth as his body failed.
Only then did Fang Chang relent. His jaws distended unnaturally, a black void sucking the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's phantom from Dugu Bo's body before swallowing it whole.
Power surged through him.
The now-soulless, crippled Dugu Bo barely registered as Fang Chang kicked him off the cliff.
From this height, even survival would leave him broken.
The Ice and Fire Control far exceeded all expectations.