23 Ch.23: Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors Part 2

Seeing that both of them were in trouble and knowing that without those two's help they wouldn't be able to defeat the Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors, Dugu Xin and Luo Tian intervened at a critical moment. Dugu Xin activated his third spirit ring, summoning a blood-red poison dragon that hurtled towards the ant threatening Bibi Dong. He also used his External Spirit Bone ability to manipulate the dragon's appearance, causing it to shift and blur, creating the illusion of multiple dragons attacking simultaneously. The ant couldn't evade the assault in time, and it collided with the dragon, resulting in apparent physical unharmed but a lingering aura of blood poison, causing severe internal damage.

Meanwhile, Luo Tian summoned his Martial Soul True Avatar to engage the ant that Yue Guan had initially encountered. Seeing the newcomers, Yue Guan inquired with a hint of suspicion, "Who are you?"

Luo Tian responded first, "We're from Hollow Beast Academy."

"Hollow Beast Academy? Isn't that in the Heaven Dou Empire? Why are you suddenly helping us?" Asked Yue Guan suspicious of the motives behind those two's help. Yue Guan had felt their presence the moment they arrived but chose to ignore them as they didn't seem to involve themselves and he already had his hands full.

Luo Tian spoke up, "My student needs a spirit ring, and one of these ant emperors is perfect for him. Considering the young lady's level," he nodded towards Bibi Dong, "I believe she's here for the same reason."

Yue Guan remained cautious, retorting, "Hmph, you old man. That doesn't change the fact that you're strangers. Besides why should I trust you?"

Luo Tian continued, "Esteemed Titled Douluo, I don't doubt your strength, but I suggest we cooperate. This way, we can ensure both youngsters get a spirit ring without casualties. I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but I don't believe you can defeat all three ants while protecting the girl."

"Very well, but remember if you try anything your death will come before that of the Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors" Yue Guan conceded, "Which one do you want? They all have the same age. But I'll let you know that the purple one is for the young miss."

Luo Tian replied, "My student prefers the one with the green aura. We don't need the crimson one." Internally Luo Tian already guessed the identity of the two people they helped. 'Chrysanthemum Douluo is one of the close confidants of the current Pope of Spirit Hall, and if he called that child, young miss it means that she is the current pope's disciple and Spirit Hall Maiden Bibi Dong! Her talent surpasses the rumors, at 20 to reach Spirit Emperor… but Dugu Xin's talent is greater, he is just 13, almost 14 and he is already a Spirit King'

As the battle raged on, Dugu Xin found himself facing the enigmatic Bibi Dong. This was not the cold and ruthless Bibi Dong he had seen before in the show, but the young woman who had once been in love with Yu Xiaogang and hadn't suffered the same fate as her counterpart.

"Who are you?" Bibi Dong asked, her tone defensive.

Dugu Xin introduced himself, "Name's Dugu Xin. Me and my teacher are here to help. And what's your name?"

"Bibi Dong. I'm from Spirit Hall."

As they exchanged introductions, the purple ant emperor broke free from its stupor and charged towards them once more. Both Dugu Xin and Bibi Dong reacted swiftly. Bibi Dong unleashed her third spirit skill, "Demon Spider Restraints," launching two purple spider webs shrouded in dense energy towards the ant. However, the ant easily cut through the webs. In response, Dugu Xin activated his fourth spirit skill, "Stopped World," casting a gray shroud over the surroundings. The ant froze in place, allowing Dugu Xin to grab Bibi Dong and move her out of harm's way.

Upon realizing they were in a different location, Bibi Dong seemed surprised and retorted, "Idiot, let go! I already have someone I like."

Startled by her sudden remark, Dugu Xin released his grip. "I think we should focus on the enemy. While my teacher and your guardian deal with the other two ant emperors, we need to hold this one back until they can assist us."

Bibi Dong agreed, "Fine, but this one will be my sixth spirit ring."

Dugu Xin concurred, "Fine by me, but the green one is mine."

Unbeknownst to Dugu Xin, Bibi Dong was contemplating the situation. 'Is he also here for his sixth spirit ring? He looks younger than me, and I reached this level thanks to Spirit Hall's resources and my twin martial souls. His martial soul seems to involve poison, just like mine. Perhaps I can recruit him to join Spirit Hall after this battle. Master would certainly be pleased.'

As the battle continued, Dugu Xin faced off against the ant emperor. "It's troublesome. I can feel the poison eating away at its body, but its power hasn't diminished. I'll have to use everything in this fight."

He activated his "Real Guard" ability, encasing his body in scaled armor, together with his 1st Spirit Skill, Cursed Shroud, which covered his arms and forearms with green-jade scales. Four golden horns protruded from his head's sides, elongating his nails, which turned gold.

Bibi Dong, on the other hand, unleashed the power of her fourth spirit ring, "Thistle Spider Armor." As dark purple spikes enveloped her body, she transformed into a formidable armored figure. These spikes weren't merely for protection; they also harbored a venomous attribute, making them a deadly weapon in close combat. She also activated her innate domain. Her own attributes received a significant boost of ten percent, while her opponents suffered a detrimental reduction of twenty percent in their attributes. The poison emitted was highly corrosive, capable of swiftly eroding and diffusing through the surroundings. As if that weren't enough, it also reduced the movement speed of her foes by ten percent.

However, Dugu Xin remained focused on the battle at hand. He addressed Bibi Dong with confidence, "Nice domain. Quite powerful, I admit, but I doubt it will be a game-changer in this fight."

Bibi Dong responded with a hint of determination, "I'd love to see you try to match its power, but you don't possess a domain. So, I suggest you stop complaining and help me take down this ant."

In response to Bibi Dong's sarcastic comment, Dugu Xin offered a confident smile and activated his own domain. The world around them transformed into a monochrome landscape, devoid of color and vitality. His domain had the power to suppress everything within its reach, draining the life force and energy from the environment and living beings alike. Bibi Dong was taken aback by the sudden change in the surroundings. She couldn't help but think, "What?! He also possesses a domain? And his domain is overpowering mine."

Dugu Xin explained, "Monochrome Aura." As he spoke, the aura enveloped the area, cutting the power of the Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor by a substantial 40% and causing damage to the surrounding environment. "Let's begin."

With a somewhat distracted nod from Bibi Dong, they launched their joint assault on the ant emperor. Bibi Dong employed her spider legs as weapons, attempting to strike the ant emperor's armored hide. However, they couldn't penetrate its defenses. In response, Dugu Xin targeted the joints in the ant's exoskeleton, leaving shallow cuts that allowed his potent poison to spread further through its body. Realizing her spider legs were ineffective against the ant emperor's defense, Bibi Dong activated her second spirit skill, "Disrupting Web.", she unleashed a purple spider web pattern on the ground. The closer the ant got to her, the heavier it became, impeding its movements.

For the next three hours, they fought fiercely against the relentless ant emperor. During this time, Dugu Xin managed to comprehend and develop a new domain technique called "Monochromatic Wall." This defensive technique retracted his domain, intensifying its effects significantly. With it, he was able to block the Ant Emperor's attacks with some effort, protecting himself and Bibi Dong.

…

After three exhausting hours of battle, Dugu Xin and Bibi Dong found themselves battered and drained. Dugu Xin's body bore numerous small cuts, and he had only 20% of his soul power left, forcing him to cancel his domain. Bibi Dong was in even worse shape, covered in cuts, with two broken ribs, and her soul power nearly depleted.

Their opponent, the Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor, was no better off. Its outer appearance seemed intact, but internally, it was ravaged by poison, with its cultivation damaged and vitality greatly diminished. It was preparing to launch one final attack when a voice rang out behind them, halting its intentions.

"Darned ant, I've had enough of your kin! Eighth Spirit Skill: Holy Light Door!" As the voice spoke, an intense golden light manifested behind Dugu Xin and Bibi Dong. A radiant beam of light shot forth, striking the ant and cracking its shell. The ant, now at death's door, fell unconscious. The source of the voice was revealed to be Yue Guan, though his appearance was far from elegant. Covered in dirt and blood, with a trace of blood at his mouth, his usual carefree expression had been replaced by irritation and displeasure.

Yue Guan quickly approached Bibi Dong, using his soul power to assess her condition. He urged her, "Young miss, meditate and heal your wounds promptly. You need to finish off that Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor. I'll assist you with my soul power."

At the same time, Luo Tian, in an even worse condition, made his presence known. His clothing was tattered, and a grave injury on his left abdomen caused him to wince with every movement. A sharp cut marred half of his face. Seeing Luo Tian, Dugu Xin rushed to his aid, concerned for his teacher's well-being. Luo Tian, with a hint of amusement, remarked, "What's this? Am I already in the afterlife? You're calling me 'teacher,' which means I must be dead. But then why are you here?" His slight chuckle accentuated his pain, as he struggled to stand up.

Dugu Xin retorted, "Now is not the time for your sarcastic comments, old man. You'll have plenty of time for that after you recover and tell the others, not me." As he examined Luo Tian's wounds, he realized they were not solely from the Ant Emperors and that some older injuries had reopened. He quickly retrieved a red and blue pill from his storage ring and fed it to Luo Tian.

Luo Tian, displeased by the unexpected pill, quipped, "What was that, kid? Are you trying to poison me?" He almost choked on it, prompting Dugu Xin to explain.

"Shut it, old man. It's a medicine I created, though I never tested it. It harnesses the fire and ice elements from the place of refining. It can dissolve poison in the body, accelerate healing, and aid in soul power recovery. As long as you're not dead, this pill should help you recover." Luo Tian reluctantly accepted the explanation and sat down to meditate and heal his wounds.

Dugu Xin then turned to Bibi Dong and Yue Guan. "Little kid, do you happen to have more healing pills?" Dugu Xin nodded and retrieved two green pills, "These two pills are somewhat weaker than the one I gave to Teacher, and I don't have another like it, these should be sufficient to heal your physical injuries."

Yue Guan accepted the pills and used his soul power to administer one to Bibi Dong while taking the other for himself. He felt the immediate medicinal effects and remarked, "With this, my wounds should heal in about five minutes, and I'll be able to assist in healing Young Miss's wounds heal in around forty minutes."

Yue Guan couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Dugu Xin, "Little friend, where did you obtain these pills?"

Dugu Xin confessed, "I made them, but it was quite a challenging process. I went through a lot of trial and error, wasting numerous precious herbs. Some of these plants, I have no idea about their effects. It's been quite a struggle."

Yue Guan was surprised by the boy's knowledge of spiritual plants but sensed some gaps in his understanding. An idea struck him, and he retrieved a book titled "Immortal and Spiritual Herbs" from his storage purse. He presented the book to Dugu Xin and said, "Little friend, this book contains information on nearly all existing spiritual and immortal herbs. It's a copy of my original book. How about this: if you decide to join Spirit Hall, I'm willing to give you this book and even take you as my student. What do you think?"

Dugu Xin considered the offer carefully. He didn't anticipate Yue Guan's proposal to become his teacher and join Spirit Hall, though the latter was expected.

"Thank you very much for your generous offer," Dugu Xin replied, "but I would like to decline for now. I am still attending school, and I want to explore the continent before settling down. However, that doesn't mean I won't consider it in the future."

He continued with a suggestion, "Sir, how about you still give me the book? In exchange, once I manage to produce more of these pills, I will offer them to Spirit Hall at half the price in the future. Think of it as a future investment that would benefit both parties, and there's nothing to lose on your part."

Dugu Xin secretly hoped that Yue Guan would agree. While he had access to various immortal herbs in the Yin Yang Fire and Ice Well, he couldn't identify most of them because he didn't remember their appearances from the series. Moreover, many of their names were challenging to recall.