Chapter 209: Mastering the Dominating Venom
"Only those born with extraordinary talent can cultivate this art. Before it poisons others—it poisons oneself!"
In that moment, a spark ignited in Dugu Feng's mind. He recalled the ancestral creed.
"Only those with extraordinary talent…"
Meaning—only one truly gifted could truly master the Dominating Venom (Ba Du).
But what kind of talent was required?
Physical strength? His body was already at its limit—yet it hadn't helped.
Mental strength? His spiritual power also seemed useless against the venom.
"Poison," he whispered.
He suddenly realized it.
The required gift was comprehension of poison itself.
The Dominating Venom possessed infinite permutations, but all its variations originated from the five base toxins he had absorbed.
Around him, his fifth soul ring shimmered into existence.
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black—five soul rings glowing with terrifying pressure.
He had officially become a Soul King—a Soul King on the brink of death.
Each of those five soul rings represented one poison—five foundations for the endless transformations of the Dominating Venom.
"These five toxins are under my control," he murmured to himself.
But the mixed venom had already fully fused, forming the seamless rainbow toxin now raging inside him. There was no way to separate it back into its base components.
"How can I control it? There must be a way!"
His mind raced, recalling every experience he'd ever had in the art of poison.
At age four, his body first succumbed to the Jade Phosphor Violet Poison.
Before age six, he ate serpent meat and drank snake blood daily—poison countering poison.
After his Martial Spirit awakening, he practiced Jade Phosphor Twelve Fingers, mastering the Violet Poison and evolving it into Jade Phosphor Crimson Poison.
His second soul ring—the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion—gifted him insight into cold toxins.
His third—the Nine Heavens Venomous Centipede—led to the birth of his Three-Colored Mixed Poison, marking a major leap in his understanding of toxins.
His fourth—the Scarlet-Eyed Ice Toad—helped him comprehend the fusion of fire and ice poisons.
And finally, the Human-Faced Demon Spider, bringing all that knowledge together.
Through each stage, his understanding deepened; everything now connected seamlessly in his mind.
"Hahaha!"
Dugu Feng laughed aloud. He understood at last.
Since this was a fusion poison—its form should be his to decide.
He was the master, not the victim.
Though his body was grotesque—bones visible through rotting flesh, organs faintly discernible—his spirit remained unbroken.
Without the constant support of the spiritual pearl and his soul bones, he would have long since perished.
He no longer hesitated.
His first soul ring glowed brightly, amplifying the Jade Phosphor Violet Poison within him.
Instantly, the mixed venom began to shift—its power lessened slightly.
He added the venom essence of the Nine Heavens Centipede, and the Dominating Venom surged again, its strength renewed.
"This is it—the truth of the Dominating Venom. It devours all things, corrodes all things, destroys all things.
But I am its master. By adjusting the ratios of the five base toxins according to my understanding, I can freely control its power!"
The five soul rings flashed in rhythm, each toxin mixing and separating under his command.
Through countless micro-adjustments, the venom evolved—and weakened.
Gradually, the rainbow poison dimmed, losing its violent edge.
Dugu Feng seized the moment and counterattacked from within.
He drove both soul power and spiritual power together, compressing the venom bit by bit toward his right palm.
A resonant hum filled the air.
The Dominating Venom burst free from his body—its brilliance lighting up the entire forest.
A misty, multicolored radiance—like sunlight breaking through post-storm clouds.
Slowly, the venom condensed into tangible form—an oval bead, about the size of a pigeon egg, resting above his palm.
Dugu Feng's eyes locked upon it, unblinking.
Though it appeared harmless, he knew the truth—inject the slightest toxin into it, and its full wrath would awaken again.
It floated barely above his skin, never touching it.
Using the thinnest layer of spiritually-infused poison, he suspended the Dominating Venom in an isolated pocket of space.
The poison of poisons—ever-shifting, endlessly reborn—could erupt again at the faintest contact with air.
Right now, serenity masked calamity—the stillness before a storm.
With a thought, the rainbow bead dissolved into mist, flowing back through his veins until settling in his lower dantian, alongside the spiritual pearl.
He had mastered the Dominating Venom.
Excitement welled in his chest—suppressed yet unstoppable.
He had claimed the highest secret of the Dugu poison arts. The greatest power of the Dugu Clan was finally in his hands.
Now, the family's name could once again strike fear across the continent.
Centering his focus, Dugu Feng began restoring his body.
Anyone seeing him now would be horrified.
No intact skin remained—bones and muscles exposed, blood seeping, a vision of ruin.
But from his right leg soul bone, the green Healing Light bloomed again, flooding his body with rejuvenation.
Meanwhile, his Eight Spider Lances began to glow faintly red—the energy they had absorbed from the Human-Faced Demon Spider awakening within.
The crimson light spread rapidly from his back to his waist, shoulders, chest, and arms—covering his entire upper body.
Under this blood-red brilliance, his wounds healed at an astonishing pace.
The Eight Spider Lances had evolved.
After nurturing under the dual energies of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they had grown immensely strong. Now, infused with the spider's forty-thousand-year essence, their power had soared to an entirely new realm.
From the eight spine-connected nodes on his back, streams of scarlet energy poured into his body, refining and strengthening his physical skills.
In moments, his upper body was nearly whole again.
Dugu Feng rose steadily to his feet.
Behind him, the gigantic body of the Human-Faced Demon Spider crumbled into ash with a faint sound—its life force completely devoured by the Eight Spider Lances.
The spider's death fulfilled his purpose.
Dugu Feng's soul power had risen to level fifty-two Soul King.
At such a rank, he could easily become an instructor at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—a vital force within any major sect.
And he was only sixteen years old.
His heart lifted with satisfaction.
He waved both hands, releasing bursts of soul power to erase all traces of battle around him.
Then, leaping into the air, he soared back toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He had only just gained control of the Dominating Venom, but new ideas already filled his mind about refining it further.
Glancing at his Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass once more, he noted its wilted petals and drooping leaves—it had expended immense energy aiding him in battle and survival.
Even the cold poison stored within his external soul bones had been completely drained.
He needed to return and replenish both himself and the herb immediately.
(END CHAPTER)
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