Soul Land:I Mass-Produce Poison Cores!

"Your praise is too kind, Sect Master Huyan!"

Dugu Shuo replied indifferently.

"Haha, you’re always like this—utterly humorless!"

Huyan Zhen laughed heartily before turning away from the Dugu Family’s carriage to greet the Ge Family up ahead.

After a while, a blue carriage emerged from Heaven Dou City—the Thunder Academy delegation had finally arrived.

However, the Thunder Academy representatives remained reserved, sending only a Soul King to exchange pleasantries. After brief formalities, the convoy set off.

Four massive carriages advanced majestically toward Suotuo City.

The Thunder Academy was backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.

Dugu Feng already knew that the Five Element Alliance was actually supported by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.

The five Soul Master academies shared profits from the Great Soul Arena and consistently moved in tandem with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family’s decisions.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family maintained independence, aligning with neither the Heaven Dou nor Star Luo imperial families.

Around them gathered several subordinate forces that helped preserve this autonomy.

Among the Five Element Alliance, apart from Thunder Academy, the other four—Divine Wind, Heaven Water, Elephant Armor, and Blazing Fire—had likely been courted by the Spirit Hall.

Did the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family know about this?

If they remained unaware even now, they truly deserved annihilation.

Dugu Feng shook his head, dismissing these thoughts as he quietly cultivated inside the carriage.

The journey passed without incident, and half a month slipped by unnoticed.

Dugu Feng exhaled deeply, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

On his wrist, two Nine-Section Jadeite serpents flicked their tongues against his skin.

Just moments ago, both serpents had broken through the thousand-year Spirit Beast threshold.

It seemed unbelievable, yet the progress had been astonishingly rapid.

The Core Pearl’s effect on them was extraordinary—since joining the energy circulation system, their cultivation had increased by over a hundred years each month.

Moreover, this acceleration showed signs of speeding up further.

A thousand-year Spirit Beast roughly matched the strength of a Great Soul Master to Soul Expert. Reaching this level within a year of hatching was nothing short of miraculous.

It appeared these serpents’ cultivation would soon far surpass his own Soul Power, becoming invaluable allies.

Meanwhile, the Core Pearl’s energy had increased another point, reaching fifty-five.

This created a virtuous cycle—the stronger he and the Nine-Section Jadeite became, the faster the Core Pearl accumulated energy, which in turn accelerated their growth.

What a genius idea it had been to incorporate the Nine-Section Jadeite into the system.

The overall progress had more than doubled.

Dugu Feng was in excellent spirits.

They were now less than a hundred kilometers from Suotuo City.

His initial wariness had gradually faded during the uneventful journey, making him wonder—had the Elephant Armor Sect and Spirit Hall abandoned their plans against his family?

At that moment,

Old Scorpion slipped into the carriage.

Dugu Feng hadn’t even noticed when the man had left.

"Patriarch, about ten li ahead, Sacred Dragon Sect carriages appear to be waiting for our convoy!" Old Scorpion reported with grave expression.

"Sacred Dragon Sect? This is no coincidence!" Dugu Feng declared.

"Their move is imminent!" Dugu Shuo said coldly.

Beside him, Old Snake wore a look of shame. "Old Scorpion and I took turns scouting along the way, but we found no traces of any Poison Spirit Masters!"

Old Scorpion remained silent as well. Though they had discovered the Sacred Dragon Sect, failing to uncover their hidden trump card could lead to trouble.

"No need to rush," Dugu Shuo said calmly.

Not only had Old Snake and Old Scorpion been secretly investigating, but Old Nine had also been on the lookout. Yet none of them had detected anything.

Dugu Shuo already had his suspicions, but there was no need to voice them now. His composed demeanor, however, had a calming effect on everyone.

The carriages continued forward.

Soon, the Ge Family’s carriage at the front also spotted the Sacred Dragon Sect’s convoy. Old Snake, Huyan Zhen, and Ge Long stepped forward to meet them, while Dugu Shuo remained aloof, not even bothering to disembark. The Thunder Academy’s carriage at the rear also stayed motionless.

"I figured you all would arrive soon, so I waited here specifically. How about we travel together to Suotuo City?"

The leader of the Sacred Dragon Sect, clad in a silver leather robe with dragon horns protruding from his shoulders and a massive yellow dragon head embroidered on his chest, looked imposing and domineering. This was none other than Tuoba Xi, the sect master of the Sacred Dragon Sect.

His strength was still clearly at the Soul Douluo level, not yet having broken through to Titled Douluo. Behind him stood over a dozen Sacred Dragon Sect Soul Masters, making for an impressive display.

"Haha, of course! We’re all old acquaintances anyway—we’d have met in Suotuo City regardless!" Huyan Zhen laughed heartily, though a flicker of excitement gleamed deep in his eyes.

"Sect Master Tuoba, please lead the way," Ge Long said evenly, his tone carrying the authority of someone long accustomed to high status.

"Rest assured, Clan Leader Ge. I’ll guide everyone forward," Tuoba Xi replied without taking offense, promptly returning to his carriage.

The convoy resumed its journey, but the atmosphere had shifted—now tense.

The Ge Family, the Five Element Alliance, and the Dugu Family, all part of the Heaven Dou Empire, shared good relations and harbored no hostility toward one another. But the Sacred Dragon Sect was different—they were not of the same faction.

As evening approached, the sun had already set, and the last remnants of twilight faded.

Just when everyone thought the day would pass uneventfully, a blood-curdling scream pierced through the entire convoy.

Dugu Feng jolted—why did the voice sound so familiar?

"That’s Teacher Ge’s voice! What happened to him?"

Without hesitation, Dugu Shuo, Old Snake, and Old Scorpion leaped from their carriage. Dugu Feng, Little Snake, and five other Soul Masters followed closely behind.

The Ge Family’s carriage was positioned just ahead of the Dugu Family’s.

"Everyone, step aside! Let Clan Leader Dugu take a look!" A deep voice commanded as the Ge Family’s Soul Masters disembarked.

As Dugu Feng drew closer, he keenly sensed the vigilance among the Ge Family’s Soul Masters—and it was directed squarely at them. A bad premonition settled in his chest.

Dugu Shuo and Dugu Feng entered the carriage without delay.

Inside, they immediately took in the horrifying sight of Ge Ying.

His skin was marred by an eerie bluish-black hue, veins bulging like writhing earthworms. Golden and black lights clashed across his body as he desperately channeled his Soul Power to resist an unknown energy raging within him.

"Just now, Ying’er suddenly started gasping for breath, and then he became like this. He must have been poisoned!"

Beside Ge Ying stood a middle-aged man in silver light armor, his expression pained yet composed. This was Ge Long, the patriarch of the Ge Family.

Ge Ying was his son and the family’s most talented Soul Master—already nearing the Soul Emperor level at just thirty years old.

Teaching at the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Academy meant interacting primarily with the nobility of Heaven Dou City. It could be said that Ge Long was grooming Ge Ying as his successor.

This sudden poisoning, and a severe one at that, left Ge Long unable to sit still. He turned to Dugu Shuo with an expectant gaze.

Without hesitation, Dugu Shuo activated his Martial Soul Avatar, a green diamond-shaped scale lighting up on his forehead.

A four-colored radiance emerged once more, enveloping Ge Ying.

(End of Chapter)