Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Although Dugu Bo's words were cold, a flicker of hope ignited in Flender's eyes.

On the Douluo Continent, strength reigns supreme. A mere Soul Sage, though considered a high-level soul master, was nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered before a Title Douluo. If he died, he would just be dead.

Even his fellow brothers at the academy might not risk offending a Title Douluo for his sake.

However, judging by Zhao Wuji's personality, even if he knew that it was Dugu Bo who had killed Flender, he would likely avenge his death at the cost of his own life.

But in times like this, people often measure others by their standards.

Flender understood deep down that he wouldn't risk offending a Title Douluo for anyone other than Erlong and Xiaogang. Naturally, he assumed others would act the same way as he would.

If death could be avoided, no one would want to die.

Though he knew that the punishment would surely come at a hefty price, for Flender, being able to escape death at the hands of a Title Douluo was already a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Dugu Bo extended his hand, his soul power transforming into invisible chains, pulling Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai, who were huddled together trembling, toward him. A layer of special venom coated his hand.

First, he lightly struck Dai Mubai's abdomen, injuring the meridians near his kidneys and leaving behind a deadly poison.

From that moment on, Dai Mubai would lose his ability to function as a man. However, due to the lingering effects of the poison, his desires would burn even more intensely than before, and his personality would gradually become more feminine.

Dugu Bo casually tossed the oblivious Dai Mubai to the side, then delivered a similar strike to Ma Hongjun's abdomen.

This blow was different. It targeted Ma Hongjun's dantian, draining most of the soul power he had just recently advanced to level 20 with, leaving him barely at the level of 8 or 9.

Normally, such a significant loss of soul power would seriously damage the origin of one's martial soul, making future cultivation impossible.

But Dugu Bo deliberately held back, using his soul power to stabilize Ma Hongjun's martial soul origin, leaving him at a level where he could still cultivate—but at a snail's pace.

With some effort over the next year or two, Ma Hongjun might recover to level 10 and regain the ability to use his first soul skill. This was designed to give him a glimmer of hope amidst his despair.

However, Ma Hongjun would never be able to advance beyond level 30 in his lifetime. No matter how hard he trained, the absolute limit he could reach would be level 29.

From that point on, Ma Hongjun's cultivation speed, future potential, and even the mutation of his martial soul would resemble someone with innate soul power of only half a rank—a self-proclaimed genius turned complete waste.

Who knew if Flender would feel some twisted pride in seeing how similar Ma Hongjun's fate was to that of his dear brother?

Of course, while Dugu Bo was unaware of Ma Hongjun's unique condition, Chen Ming understood it perfectly.

Though this method reduced the quality of Ma Hongjun's martial soul and stifled his future potential, it left his Evil Fire entirely intact.

Even though his soul power had dropped to the level of 8 or 9, the Evil Fire remained at the intensity it had been at level 20—or perhaps even stronger, due to the damage to his martial soul.

What kind of sparks might ignite between Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun in the future? Only the heavens knew.

It certainly wouldn't be the sparks of friendship. Chen Ming didn't consider himself an evil person, but at this moment, he couldn't help but silently recite a Buddhist chant in his heart to atone for his dark sense of humor.

What? You say such actions wouldn't decrease my karmic merit but instead increase it? Oh, well, then it's fine.

Finally, Dugu Bo used his soul power to lift Flender off the ground, striking his chest lightly with a palm.

This blow injured Flender's lungs and left a little gift behind.

From then on, Flender would breathe like a bellows, with every breath bringing him pain.

While his daily movements wouldn't be affected, any large-scale use of soul power or combat would bring him immense suffering, making it impossible for him to sustain long battles.

Dugu Bo leaves some irritant toxins in Flender's lungs.

From then on, whenever Flender became agitated, the toxins would cause his emotions to spiral further out of control, potentially driving him into a frenzy.

What kind of twisted path would such a distorted Shrek Academy take in the future? Only the heavens knew.

On the Douluo Continent, killing was considered normal. The fact that Chen Ming had Dugu Bo spare these three lives made him feel like the ultimate good Samaritan.

By comparison, the little extras left behind seemed almost negligible.

After dealing with the three of them, Dugu Bo intended to leave with Chen Ming and Dugu Yan. Before leaving, Chen Ming pulled out the jade bracelet Flender had gifted him from his storage soul tool and casually tossed it onto Flender.

"I don't need your gift."

Leaving behind this faint remark and the bracelet, the three of them walked off into the distance. It was a long while before Flender, enduring his pain, struggled to climb to his feet. He slapped both Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun hard across their faces.

Even though Flender's bones were fractured, making the slaps weak and causing his already injured arm to bend at an unnatural angle, he still glared at the two of them with eyes that burned with hatred.

Flender tried to speak, but his agitation triggered his internal injuries and the emotion-stimulating toxins, causing him to faint in rage, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The least injured, Dai Mubai, looked at the disastrous scene and was overwhelmed by a desire to flee. He wanted to run away, just as he had fled from the Star Luo Palace in the past, leaving everything behind.

But realizing there was no escape for him, Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and helped Flender up before viciously kicking Ma Hongjun in the crotch.

"Get up, you fat bastard!"

Dai Mubai noticed his voice sounded strange but didn't think much of it, assuming it was due to shock. He had no idea he had already lost the most precious thing a man could have.

Ma Hongjun clutched his crotch as he staggered to his feet. Though he was filled with resentment toward Dai Mubai, he didn't dare speak. Slowly, he helped Flender up on the other side, and the three of them stumbled away into the distance.

PS: What the heck?