Chapter 34: Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye
After taking a glance around the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, Yang Xiong did not hesitate and immediately left the area.
Given Dugu Bo's current strength, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant. If Yang Xiong were to encounter Dugu Bo, he would have no hope of survival.
This place was Dugu Bo's lair, and he might be secretly watching Yang Xiong. The slightest show of interest might lead to death, and even if not, it would raise suspicions that could cause future trouble for him.
With his current strength, Yang Xiong knew that he couldn't enter the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye. Only a Title Douluo like Sword Bone Douluo might stand a chance, but they didn't understand the true value of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye and wouldn't offend Dugu Bo over something unknown. Yang Xiong didn't want to reveal the value of the Immortal Herbs either.
After leaving the area, Yang Xiong moved toward Heaven Dou City, continuing his training while waiting for the right opportunity.
Yang Xiong had already calculated the timing. In about a month, it would be Emperor Xueye's 80th birthday—one of the most important events in the entire Heaven Dou Empire in recent months.
It was said that the royal family of Heaven Dou had made various preparations for Emperor Xueye's 80th birthday, and the birthday celebration was going to be grand beyond imagination.
Especially since Emperor Xueye wanted to showcase the empire's prosperity, he had invited people from all directions, including the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Even the various sects of the Heaven Dou Empire had been invited.
According to Yang Xiong's estimate, this grand event would not only include domestic sects but also members of the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire. After all, Heaven Dou Empire was one of the two dominant empires on the continent, and on the surface, it ruled the country.
At such a time, the only Title Douluo of the Heaven Dou royal family, the honorary guest Dugu Bo, would absolutely need to attend. Without him, it would be impossible to handle the powerful figures from other factions, especially since Spirit Hall would likely send someone like Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Yang Xiong had been keeping track of time in the Sunset Forest, hoping to find the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye before the birthday celebration.
As for the ownership of the Immortal Herbs, those herbs weren't cultivated by Dugu Bo. He only temporarily occupied the area, and even he didn't recognize them. They could only be considered as unclaimed items.
Whether Tang San and the Shrek Seven Devils would ever encounter the Immortal Herbs wasn't something Yang Xiong could concern himself with.
In a sense, the Haotian Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were allies, but from the beginning, Tang San had only sold hidden weapons to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at a high price and had never done anything significant for the sect. In the end, to save him, Sword Bone Douluo was sacrificed, making it the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's most unprofitable transaction.
...
In the next period, Yang Xiong continued his training along the same route, though he didn't leave the path. He occasionally fought lower-level soul beasts, but always with efficiency. If he couldn't defeat a soul beast in a short amount of time, he would immediately use teleportation to escape.
One day, while Yang Xiong was battling a thousand-year-old Thousand Jin Ant, he suddenly sensed a terrifying aura in the sky, as if a powerful expert was approaching from above.
The aura was unlike any Yang Xiong had felt before, different from the ones given off by Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo. This one carried a faint, unpleasant stench.
Having studied various toxins over the years, Yang Xiong immediately recognized the presence of poison in the aura. Furthermore, the pressure came from a Title Douluo-level expert. If it wasn't for Dugu Bo not targeting him directly, Yang Xiong believed he might have been unable to endure the poison alone.
Yang Xiong acted as though he hadn't noticed and continued battling the Thousand Jin Ant in front of him.
After about half an hour, once he confirmed that Dugu Bo had moved further away and would not return, Yang Xiong quickly headed toward the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye.
Calculating the time, there were still three days left until Emperor Xueye's actual birthday. This was his only chance. If he missed it, it would be a long time before another opportunity presented itself.
To avoid arousing Dugu Bo's suspicion, Yang Xiong had deliberately trained 20 kilometers away from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye to track Dugu Bo's movements without raising any doubts.
When Yang Xiong reached the outer area of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye again, his eyes were filled with excitement. This was the greatest treasure of the Douluo world, especially since it was unguarded at the moment.
Suppressing his excitement, Yang Xiong took out a special set of armor.
This armor was split in half at the chest and was made with a large sum of money. It was crafted entirely from deep-sea silver, and the joints were reinforced with the skin of a high-level soul beast. Yang Xiong had specifically chosen the skin of the ten-thousand-year Ice Crystal Toad.
The Ice Crystal Toad was said to be the nemesis of all snake-type soul beasts, immune to any snake venom, and its outer skin had a special suppressive effect on toxic soul beast venoms.
The helmet of the armor, made entirely of deep-sea silver, was embedded with a piece of Xuan Crystal, a treasure resistant to toxins and capable of letting light through, though with relatively poor visibility.
To be extra cautious, Yang Xiong had coated the outer layer of the armor with Ice Crystal Toad's poison, creating an icy crystalline layer that would counteract the Biphon Snake's venom.
Yang Xiong had already tested the armor at home, and even in his pool, he was able to walk normally while wearing it. He had spent half an hour in the pool without any water seeping in.
However, the armor had its drawbacks. It restricted movement, especially with the fingers, and from an appearance standpoint, it resembled a space suit, albeit with higher protection and lesser flexibility.
With the armor on, Yang Xiong carried a steel cord on his back. The cord was very thin but long, with a sharp hook at the end.
Once everything was ready, Yang Xiong started walking slowly into the center of the toxic mist.
Visibility was poor within the mist, and there were even toxic arrays set by Dugu Bo. Yet, the primary danger still came from the poison of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye.
As he progressed into the mist, Yang Xiong noticed that the protective layer of the Ice Crystal Toad's poison coating was beginning to dissolve, and even the deep-sea silver armor seemed unable to withstand the corrosion from the toxic arrays for long.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Xiong knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time. He had to get through the toxic array as quickly as possible. If the armor fully dissolved, he would likely be reduced to a puddle of blood.
After walking for several dozen minutes, Yang Xiong finally arrived at a steep cliff, where he distinctly felt an even stronger Ice Fire aura below.
At this moment, Yang Xiong's heart leapt with joy. He quickly used his soul power to latch the hook of the steel cord into the cliff and then wrapped his arms around the cord. Using his soul power, he began slowly descending.
(END CHAPTER)
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