Chapter 119: A Duel Between Poison Masters
"Not interested."
Upon hearing Sun Zhongjing express his desire to compete in poison mastery, Dugu Bo, convinced that this old man couldn't possibly cure his poison affliction, immediately lost interest. Without even bothering to settle the earlier provocation, he turned around, preparing to leave.
"Aren't you in a hurry to get rid of the poison in your body?"
The words behind him made Dugu Bo freeze mid step. He immediately turned back, his eyes locked onto Sun Zhongjing as he spoke hoarsely, "You can cure me?"
Sun Zhongjing simply stroked his long beard, smiling at him in silence.
"Fine! I'll duel you!"
Dugu Bo took a deep breath, studying him for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"We can't fight properly here. Let's find a more suitable location," Dugu Bo stated. Without another word, he transformed into a green streak of light, dashing out of the city.
Fighting, especially between poison masters, could easily devastate the surrounding environment, spreading deadly toxins across vast areas. Even Dugu Bo knew better than to battle in Tian Dou City destroying buildings, spreading poison, and potentially killing innocent people would only invite the wrath of the imperial family. Cleaning up lingering toxins would be a nightmare, and if any royals were harmed, he'd be in serious trouble.
Though he didn't fear the imperial family, he had no reason to go against an entire empire over something trivial.
As they sped through the night, Dugu Bo glanced back and nearly gasped in shock.
The white haired old man behind him strolled leisurely through the air, following effortlessly. There was no strain, no struggle he looked as though he was merely taking a casual walk!
Dugu Bo immediately realized that Sun Zhongjing was far stronger than he had anticipated. He wasn't just a Spirit Emperor or a Spirit Saint. He could very well be a Spirit Douluo or even another Titled Douluo!
But the stronger Sun Zhongjing was, the more credible his claim of being able to cure Dugu Bo became.
Soon, the two arrived in the wilderness beyond Tian Dou City an uninhabited wasteland.
"Alright, how do you want to do this?" Dugu Bo asked as he stopped and turned to face Sun Zhongjing.
"If we're competing in poison mastery, the simplest way is to poison each other. Whoever succumbs first or fails to neutralize the poison loses," Sun Zhongjing said with a serene smile.
"Agreed. That's the simplest way."
Dugu Bo nodded, and the duel began.
Sun Zhongjing casually found a large rock to sit on. From his storage soul tool, he retrieved a musical instrument.
An ancient looking erhu.
The sight left Dugu Bo stunned.
Wasn't this supposed to be a duel of poisons? What was he doing with a musical instrument?!
"Don't mind me. Just use whatever methods you like." Sun Zhongjing said indifferently as he adjusted the strings of his erhu. "Show me what the infamous Poison Douluo is capable of."
"Good! Then take this!"
Clearly provoked by Sun Zhongjing's dismissive attitude, Dugu Bo's expression darkened. He had ruled the Spirit Master world for years, striking fear into countless opponents when had anyone ever dared to look down on him like this?
With a cold snort, he flicked his middle finger, releasing a wisp of pale green mist that shot toward Sun Zhongjing.
Dugu Bo was a master of poison, and despite his personal affliction, his techniques were formidable. The seemingly simple green mist expanded in an instant, completely engulfing Sun Zhongjing.
But the old man acted as if nothing had happened, still calmly adjusting his erhu strings.
Dugu Bo frowned. Something wasn't right.
He should have already inhaled the poison so why wasn't he reacting?
As the green mist dissipated, Sun Zhongjing remained completely unaffected. There was no sign of poisoning at all.
Dugu Bo had only released a test poison, which he could have neutralized easily if needed. But for Sun Zhongjing to resist it so effortlessly was unexpected. His competitive spirit was now fully ignited.
"Fine! I admit I underestimated you."
With a flick of his hand, Dugu Bo summoned a tiny emerald snake into his palm. The creature's transparent body shimmered with a flowing green light, its crimson eyes appearing almost adorable.
This was a Nine Segment Jade Viper, an extremely venomous creature.
It was the ultimate variant of the Bamboo Leaf Green snake, possessing venom so potent that it could dissolve a person into a puddle of liquid within minutes. Despite its small size, it was among the deadliest snake species, its body as tough as steel, impervious to normal blades.
"Go!"
At Dugu Bo's command, the tiny serpent shot forward like a green flash, latching onto Sun Zhongjing's wrist in an instant. Its fangs sank deep into his flesh, leaving two bleeding puncture wounds.
A direct hit!
Without lingering, the Nine Segment Jade Viper launched itself back into Dugu Bo's palm.
Watching closely, Dugu Bo expected Sun Zhongjing to immediately counteract the poison. But instead, the old man remained as calm as ever.
He showed no signs of distress.
If not for the visible bite marks, Dugu Bo would have suspected that the snake hadn't injected any venom at all.
"You… why aren't you reacting?" Dugu Bo asked in disbelief. "Didn't you get poisoned?"
"This level of poison is meaningless to me."
Sun Zhongjing continued tuning his erhu without even looking up.
Dugu Bo's expression twitched.
Suddenly, nine spirit rings rose from beneath his feet fluctuating with powerful energy. Behind him, a giant green snake phantom appeared, exuding a dark and sinister aura.
"I admit you're skilled at resisting poison," Dugu Bo said coldly. "But that was just a warm up. Now, I'll use a poison even I cannot control. If you keep underestimating me, don't blame me when you die!"
The poison he was about to unleash was his lifeblood toxin, derived from the Emerald Phosphor Serpent Emperor. Augmented by his cultivation, its deadly potency was beyond imagination.
"Go ahead."
At that moment, Sun Zhongjing finished tuning his erhu.
He slowly raised his head, looking at Dugu Bo with calm, unwavering eyes.
His demeanor remained completely indifferent as if nothing that Dugu Bo did could possibly concern him.
Seeing him take his warning so lightly, Dugu Bo's patience snapped.
"Fine! Since you refuse to take this seriously, I'll show you why they call me Poison Douluo!"
(End of Chapter)
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