Chapter 36: Ice Fire Body Refinement
Yang Xiong summoned his martial soul and soul rings, using his second soul skill, Golden Heart, and even summoned his Xuanming Armor. Although carrying the turtle shell on his back made him look awkward, his chest and abdomen were fully covered with thick turtle shell, elevating his body's condition to the utmost limit.
Yang Xiong held an iron dagger as he approached the Eight-Cornered Xuan Ice Grass. Despite his physical state being maximized, the intense chill that emanated from the grass spread throughout his body, making him feel as if he was about to freeze solid.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Xiong decisively slashed the Eight-Cornered Xuan Ice Grass, and as his left hand gripped it, his entire hand felt as if it was turning into ice. No matter how many protective measures he had, they were useless.
At this moment, Yang Xiong's face showed absolute determination. There was no turning back now; he would endure any pain that came his way.
He quickly moved to the Fiery Apricot Blossom and used the jade knife to sever it at the root, immediately gripping the herb with his right hand.
The moment he held the Fiery Apricot Blossom, the iron gloves he wore seemed to turn a deep red, as though they were about to melt. Even the Heavenly Silkworm gloves couldn't withstand such high temperatures, and a burning smell began to emanate from his hands.
Even though Yang Xiong activated his second soul skill, Golden Heart, to heal his body, the pain in his hands was excruciating. His left hand felt like it was freezing into solid ice, while his right hand felt like it was being roasted in magma.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Xiong quickly placed the Eight-Cornered Xuan Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Blossom together. The collision of the intense cold and heat caused their energies to neutralize each other in a short period, like a battle between red and white auras.
Without any hesitation, Yang Xiong quickly placed the two Immortal Herbs in his mouth, determined to consume them both as quickly as possible. The cold and hot energies would explode in just ten breaths, and the result could be even more terrifying.
As soon as the two Immortal Herbs were consumed, their cold and hot auras exploded within him, causing his stomach to erupt with explosive energy.
First, an extreme cold engulfed him, and his entire body turned blue, as if he was frozen in ice. His flesh, skin, cells, even his marrow, felt like they were freezing solid. It was a hundred times colder than the body refinement process he had undergone before.
In an instant, the blue aura dissipated, and his body became red hot, as though he were submerged in magma. Waves of heat radiated from him, and his hair was about to catch fire.
His body alternated between extreme cold and heat, now as cold as ten thousand years of ice, now as hot as molten lava. His soul power was also being affected by these opposing forces, and it felt as if he were about to collapse.
The pain was unbearable. It felt as though his body was being tortured, as if being slowly dissected.
Using the last of his willpower, Yang Xiong stumbled towards the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye. He didn't care about anything else; he jumped straight into the spring.
Once he entered the spring, the pain intensified rather than diminished, especially since he could no longer release the cold and heat from his body. His entire body contorted in agony.
The Ice Fire power inside the spring grew even more intense, pulling at his body as if he were being torn apart.
Although Yang Xiong had his second soul skill to heal his body and eliminate negative effects, it was too weak compared to the power of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye's spring and the ice and fire forces inside his body.
Unlike Tang San in the original, Yang Xiong didn't have Xuantian Gong's regenerating ability. However, after years of refining, his body was much stronger than Tang San's. His full-body martial soul, being his own body, made him more resilient.
In his understanding, ice and fire represented the two extremes of the world. To truly withstand the forces of these two elements, they had to be integrated and made to spin together.
Yang Xiong used meditation and his last shred of consciousness to make his soul power flow rapidly, especially through his torso, creating a circular, closed loop.
In this extreme pain, Yang Xiong felt as though he was seeing the essence of his martial soul, observing the veins in his body, and his soul power surged through these veins, as if it were endless.
What Yang Xiong didn't know was that as his soul power moved, it began to influence the spring's waters of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye. The previously distinct red and blue waters began to mix, intertwining and spinning together.
If people from the Blue Star were to observe, they would have seen a distinct mark forming in the water, much like a Tai Chi symbol.
As Yang Xiong continued to channel his soul power, his final bit of consciousness began to fade. He slowly sank, but his soul power continued to flow uncontrollably, like a great river that would never stop. The ice and fire powers of the two herbs had formed a massive cycle within his body.
Under the corrosive power of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye's waters, the turtle shell on his back began to melt. The Xuanming Armor, his external soul bone, began to resemble his bones, continuously dissolving and then regenerating, eventually transforming into armor that adhered to the surface of his body.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Xiong gradually regained consciousness. Although he was still lying in the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye's spring, he no longer felt the agonizing ice and fire power. Instead, he felt incredibly comfortable, as if the ice and fire forces had merged into every cell of his body.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but roar in triumph. After risking his life, he had succeeded—not only had he completed the Ice Fire Body Refinement, but he had also undergone a true transformation. Even the experiments he had once fantasized about had been successful.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong quickly climbed out of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, changed into a new set of clothes, and packed everything up. He then swiftly climbed out of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye using the steel rope. After all, this was Dugu Bo's lair, and he didn't know how long he had been in the Eye. If Dugu Bo came back, it would be trouble.
After completing the Ice Fire Body Refinement, Yang Xiong no longer feared any toxic mists. He quickly exited the toxic array and headed toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It was best to stay within the sect for now.
(END CHAPTER)
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