The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's Transformation

Shui Family.

Chen Feng immediately made a connection in his mind.

But he didn't say anything, instead he asked:

"So, senior, you went to explore overseas with the Shui Family and successfully obtained your spoils?"

Dugu Bo said:

"They did indeed reap a harvest, but the process was not smooth. According to the Shui Family's records, there were apparently two kinds of Immortal Herb with different attributes there. Judging from the strange phenomena they observed, they should be Ice Attribute and Water Attribute, respectively."

"And the powerful Sea Beast guarding that place is a gigantic Shark. This Shark is incredibly strong, probably approaching the level of a hundred thousand years old, making it extremely difficult to deal with. The Shui Family suffered many defeats before because of its obstruction."

Chen Feng thought for a moment and asked:

"Why not use a diversionary tactic? Just lure the Shark away, won't that work?"

"Shark always travel in groups, and that Shark is the leader of its group. Even if we lure it away, there are still a group of Shark under its command. So, there's basically no other way but to launch a direct attack," Dugu Bo explained.

Chen Feng understood, "But a direct assault would require a lot of manpower, and the only known gains from that place are two immortal Immortal Herb, and there's no guarantee they'll actually be there. If we gather too many people, the spoils might not be divided fairly."

"That's right." Dugu Bo nodded. "The Shui Family had always wanted to devour both of those Immortal Herb, but they didn't have the strength to match their greed, so the situation remained deadlocked."

Chen Feng laughed, "It's fortunate they kept the secret so well; it hasn't leaked out all these years."

"Things concerning the rise and fall of the family must naturally be kept strictly confidential," Dugu Bo said calmly.

"But this time they invited you, an outsider. Has the Shui Family come to their senses?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

"Yes, the current head of the Shui Family, Shui Wuyue, is a smart man. He knows the principle that if you want everything, you will get nothing. He decisively gave up part of his gains, hoping to use them to attract helpers."

"So he took out the family's treasured Ten-Thousand-Year Water Attribute Herb, hoping to lure out experts who needed Water Attribute Herb. That's how I was lured there."

"The reason he abandoned the Water Attribute and wanted the possible Ice Attribute Immortal Herb is because the genius of this generation of the Shui Family has Ice Attribute Martial Soul," Dugu Bo said.

"Ice Phoenix?" Chen Feng asked.

"How did you know?" Dugu Bo asked curiously.

"Uh, just a guess."

Although Dugu Bo didn't believe it, he didn't investigate further.

He knew this brilliant Scholar had many secrets, but he wasn't someone who was overly curious or liked to pry into everything.

So he continued:

"You guessed right. Shui Wuyue has a daughter named Shui Bing'er, whose Martial Soul is the Ice Phoenix, and her talent is exceptional. Shui Wuyue has placed the family's hopes on her, and therefore wants to obtain that Ice Attribute immortal Immortal Herb that might exist overseas, so that Shui Bing'er's Martial Soul can advance even further."

"So how did you deal with that Shark and its pack?" Chen Feng asked.

"Naturally, it's poison." Dugu Bo gave a predictable answer.

"My poison is particularly effective at killing groups of Shui Wuyue invited me to join him. However, my poison is diluted in the sea, so I don't actually kill many Shark; most of them escape because of the threat of the poison."

"After dealing with the massive Shark swarm, the nearly 100,000-year-old Shark sensed danger after a fierce battle with me and the Shui Family, and finally chose to flee. We were able to finally reach the island it was guarding."

"Are there really two Immortal Herb up there?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

Dugu Bo shook his head. "There's only one."

"Huh?" Words like "unequal distribution of spoils" and "murder and robbery" flashed through Chen Feng's mind.

Initially, Dugu Bo and the Shui Family agreed that Dugu Bo would select the harvest first, because the Shui Family believed that there were two Immortal Herb on the ground, at least based on the strange phenomena observed by their ancestors.

Even if Dugu Bo gets one, the Shui Family will still get one, so they won't lose out at all.

However, the result was not the initial expectation of two Immortal Herb, but only one. Wouldn't this create a contradiction?

The Shui Family provided intelligence and sent a large number of people, so they would probably find it hard to accept returning empty-handed. But now Dugu Bo was sitting perfectly fine in front of Chen Feng, and his hair had even turned black.

So

"Are the Shui Family still alive?" Chen Feng couldn't help but ask.

Dugu Bo glanced at him, saw what he was thinking, and said:

We did not have a conflict.

"The Shui Family accepted the fact that they came all this way for nothing?" Chen Feng asked in surprise.

"They didn't make a wasted trip, because although it was a Immortal Herb, it had two fruits, or rather, seeds, with different attributes."

"That immortal Immortal Herb looks like Lotus Pod, but it grows in pairs, with a Lotus Seed in the center of each Lotus Pod. One seed is of the Ice Attribute, and the other is of the Water Attribute. It looks extremely mystical," Dugu Bo explained.

"I see. So that's why the Shui Family saw the two strange phenomena."

"That's right, so the Shui Family and I each took one Lotus Seed, and we parted ways when we returned to the mainland," Dugu Bo said.

Only then did Chen Feng learn the reasons behind Dugu Bo's disappearance over the past two years. Although Dugu Bo spoke of it in a very calm manner, the truth was probably much more complicated and dramatic than he described.

After all, that's overseas. Putting aside the endless stream of Sea Soul Beast, that place is also close to the Extreme North, so the environment must be quite harsh.

It is precisely in such an environment that a wondrous Immortal Herb with both ice and water attributes can be nurtured.

The Water Attribute Lotus Seed was taken by Dugu Bo, and judging from his current situation, the benefits he gained are probably considerable.

His thick black hair alone is enough to show that the harm caused by the toxins to his body has been greatly reduced.

The Ice Attribute Lotus Seed was taken by the Shui Family, and they will likely use it on Shui Bing'er to further enhance her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.

As Chen Feng pondered, he suddenly realized something.

If Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix Martial Soul advances further, wouldn't Skywater Academy be greatly strengthened? Wouldn't they be able to easily defeat the other Academy in the Spirit Master Tournament?

However, Chen Feng quickly realized there was no need to worry, because although Skywater Academy had evolved, Shrek Academy was not to be underestimated.

When the time comes, we'll see who wins and who loses, so there's no need to worry too much.

"Speaking of which, Senior, did your Martial Soul undergo any changes after consuming the Immortal Herb?" Chen Feng asked.

"Yes, quite a change." Dugu Bo pulled out a piece of paper from somewhere. "I've drawn what my Martial Soul looks like now. I feel it has completely surpassed the scope of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, but I haven't thought of a name yet."

Chen Feng took it and saw a drawing of a blue snake monster on the paper.

The basilisk's face looked somewhat like a human face, and it bore some resemblance to Dugu Bo. It had eight protrusions near its neck, and black liquid dripped from its mouth. Its overall appearance was terrifying and horrifying.

It looks quite realistic.

"Your drawing skills are quite good, senior," Chen Feng praised.

"I was bored at sea with nothing to do, so I passed the time by drawing," Dugu Bo said.

"By the way, what are those protrusions on your Martial Soul neck?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

"I don't know. My Martial Soul changed like this after I ate that Lotus Seed, and my Soul Power also reached level ninety-three."

"Congratulations." Chen Feng handed the painting back, but suddenly stopped.

He took the painting back and looked at it again. His pupils contracted immediately, and his expression changed significantly.

The serpent monster drawn on the paper was terrifying at first glance, and even more chilling upon closer inspection, but this was not the reason for Chen Feng's change in expression.

Chen Feng's expression changed drastically because he suddenly realized that the snake monster in the painting was somewhat similar to a being he had learned about in his previous life.

This basilisk has eight protrusions on its neck. If these protrusions are considered as undeveloped heads, and the heads that grow out are the same as the basilisk's current head, then this basilisk is extremely similar to a certain being.

Nine-headed, human-faced creature with a snake's body and blue color—could this be Xiangliu?

Chen Feng stared at the snake monster drawn on the paper with suspicion and disbelief, his heart filled with turmoil.

He had always had a question: why could he find corresponding figures in this world for many of the creatures from myths and legends from his past life?

Leaving aside the most famous dragons and phoenixes, Douluo Dalu 2 also introduced creatures like the Suanni, Golden Crow, and Taotie. Now, even Martial Soul resembling Xiangliu's has appeared. Could there be some unknown connection between the two worlds?

Why are there legends about these strange creatures appearing on Earth in past lives? Did these strange creatures actually exist on Earth?

Chen Feng felt he would have difficulty finding answers to these questions.

If a reasonable explanation must be given, then the Information Perturbation Theory would be quite appropriate.

Just as different universes may share the same dominant life form—humans—there might be informational disturbances between these universes that cause similar life forms to evolve in different universes.

However, just because they evolved doesn't mean they can adapt to the environment and avoid extinction.

Perhaps those mythical creatures once existed on Earth, but later became extinct for some reason.

It's also possible that mythical beasts like dragons, Qilin, and qilin never actually existed on Earth. Rather, they were simply information from Other Universe that Earthlings received and used to create related cultural works, which is why we have various legends about mythical beasts on Earth.

Chen Feng couldn't figure out which of these two scenarios was true, just as he didn't know why the legend of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well existed in Tang San's original world.

The mysteries of the universe are beyond his current ability to explore; he can only keep them buried in his heart as a question.

Dugu Bo Dugu Bo noticed the change in Chen Feng's expression, but he did not ask any questions rashly.

Only after Chen Feng's expression gradually calmed down did Dugu Bo speak:

"You know what this is, right?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Chen Feng said, not giving a definitive answer.

"Tell me your thoughts. It's okay if you're wrong," Dugu Bo said.

Chen Feng organized his thoughts and said:

"I learned from some tattered ancient books that a type of Primordial Beast once lived in this world. Senior, your current Martial Soul is somewhat similar to a kind of beast I've seen before."

This wasn't just something he made up; the Douluo World truly is inhabited by Primordial Beast. For example, the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent in the City of Slaughter is an ancient Primordial Beast that still exists today.

In the Original Work, Ma Hongjun successfully Martial Soul Evolution into Ten-Headed Phoenix by using the inner core of the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent.

However, in the Manga, Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul is the Nine Heavens Neon Phoenix, which has the potential to evolve into Ten-Headed Phoenix.

"What's its name?" Dugu Bo didn't ask where the ancient book was, but instead asked the question that mattered to him.

He knew very well that the so-called tattered ancient books were mostly an excuse, and he was too lazy to investigate where this genius Scholar had gotten his knowledge from. Smart people don't need to be so clear-headed when they talk to each other.

At least Chen Feng was willing to come up with an excuse, which already shows a lot of respect for him, doesn't it?

"Judging from its appearance, this snake monster somewhat resembles Xiangliu," Chen Feng replied.

"Xiangliu? What is the description of this strange beast in the ancient books you saw?" Dugu Bo asked again.

Chen Feng recalled for a moment and said:

"Xiangliu is a terrifying Nine-Headed Serpent Monster, entirely blue in color, with a serpent's body and a human face. Wherever it goes, it turns the land into swamps and streams, and the blood it flows out is foul-smelling and cannot be used to grow plants."

"It doesn't sound like anything good," Dugu Bo said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"If it is Xiangliu's True Form, then that is indeed the case; its existence is a terrible disaster. But if it is a Martial Soul, then its power is beyond doubt."

"Furthermore, Martial Soul is controlled by a person, unlike Xiangliu's True Form which leaves nothing but desolation in its wake. So, senior, you don't need to worry too much," Chen Feng comforted him.

"I understand, but who could remain calm knowing their Martial Soul is such a calamity beast?" Dugu Bo shook his head. "Speaking of which, in your description just now, Xiangliu is a kind of Nine-Headed Serpent Monster?"

"Yes."

"Then it seems these eight protrusions must be the undeveloped heads," Dugu Bo said, looking at the drawing in Chen Feng's hand.

Chen Feng nodded. "The Immortal Herb has helped your Martial Soul advance further, Senior. If all nine heads fully grow, you will definitely become incredibly powerful."

As he spoke, an idea suddenly occurred to him, "Senior, have you ever thought about passing on such a powerful Martial Soul?"

"How do we send it?" Dugu Bo hadn't reacted at first, but seeing Chen Feng's somewhat unserious expression, he immediately understood.

He flicked his sleeves and said irritably, "I'm already this old, do you think that's possible?"

Chen Feng, unwilling to give up, urged, "As the saying goes, old age is no excuse for weakness."

Dugu Bo sneered, "You should let your master settle his life's most important matter first. Wouldn't it be a waste not to pass on such a powerful Martial Soul as the Seven Kill Sword?"