Holy Light Breaks the Mirror, the True Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Sunset Forest seems untouched by the changing of seasons, remaining lush and verdant all year round.

Nestled in the center of this forest lies an inverted conical valley shaped like a gourd, its entrance extremely well-hidden.

Beyond the treacherous terrain surrounding the valley, there is a belt of toxic mist formed by poisonous plants like the Jade Scale Seven Absolute Flowers; ordinary soul masters or soul beasts that approach are severely injured or even drop dead instantly.

Looking closely, these patches of Jade Scale Seven Absolute Flowers seem to breathe, constantly exhaling a jade-green poisonous mist.

This mist then follows the pull of a certain power, merging into the Seven-Colored Poison Miasma—a natural defensive barrier that Dugu Bo modified with his own Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison after moving in.

Entering the valley and looking down from above, one can see an oval-shaped pond divided into two by a natural stone ridge, distinct and separate, never mingling.

One side is the milky-white Cold Spring, its chill bone-piercing, with fine ice often forming around its perimeter.

The other side is the vermilion Hot Spring, where heat waves billow and the very air appears distorted by the scorching temperature.

Not far from these peculiar springs stands a small thatched cottage, home to our silver-haired little boy—Chen Jieqi.

He sits facing the cottage door, legs crossed, back straight, hands folded over his abdomen, eyes tightly shut.

Soft golden light emanates from his brow, heart, and hands; Holy Light gathers from the heavens and the Naaru Brand on his forehead.

Like a warm current, it permeates his body, merging into his bloodlines, circulating and condensing under the guidance of his soul power.

At this moment, Chen Jieqi's soul power repeatedly washes through his meridians, yet it remains blocked outside the bottleneck by an invisible barrier.

It is the critical point of soul power circulation, a shackle of both spirit and flesh; every impact causes his meridians to ache, as if they are about to be torn apart.

He centers his mind, sinking his consciousness entirely into his body, guiding his soul power to slam against that bottleneck again and again.

At first, there was only a faint tremor, but gradually, the soul power surged like a rushing river, growing increasingly powerful.

"Crack."

Suddenly—

A faint, crisp sound echoed within his body.

The barrier that had troubled him for so long shattered with a roar.

The previously sluggish soul power instantly surged like a tide, rushing wildly through his meridians as the full cycle was completely opened.

A surge of soul power, far thicker and purer than before, erupted from his brow, sweeping through his limbs and bones, scouring his skeleton, flesh, and martial soul.

At this moment, Chen Jieqi was bathed in bright Holy Light, his soul power aura rising steadily as he broke free from his shackles, his realm completely transcended.

The moment he opened his eyes, a golden light flashed within them; his aura was steady and powerful, and his entire being seemed reborn.

"Finally reached level 20."

Chen Jieqi exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, and as he stood up, he pressed his left palm to the ground, placed his right hand over his heart, and whispered a praise:

"The Holy Light is with me!"

No sooner had Chen Jieqi finished his praise of "The Holy Light is with me" than he heard the sound of light footsteps at the door.

"Little brother Xiao Qi, have you finished your breakthrough?"

Dugu Yan's crisp voice came from outside.

"Yes, I have successfully broken through to level 20."

Chen Jieqi walked forward, a faint smile of success still lingering on his face.

"A quasi-Soul Grand Master at six and a half years old—I imagine you're the only one on the continent. You really are a monster!"

Dugu Yan stroked his hair, clicking her tongue in wonder, the amazement in her eyes undisguised.

Chen Jieqi tilted his head to dodge her hand, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"Sister Yanyan, you, a 13-year-old quasi-Soul Elder at level 30, might not be the only one, but a Soul Elder who breaks through several levels after obtaining a soul ring, and a beautiful soul master at that—you are definitely the only one."

He paused, adding silently in his heart:

"Of course, excluding a certain 'freebie' little angel!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spring, at Dugu Bo's location.

At this moment, heaven and earth energy was gathering frantically around his body, forming a vortex of various colors several yards in diameter with him at the center; wild winds howled, and loose stones on the ground were swept into the air.

A massive amount of heaven and earth energy was being absorbed into his body, flowing along his meridians into his dantian to provide infinite energy for the condensation of his Soul Core.

Inside his dantian, his liquid soul power was being forcibly twisted by his spiritual power, forming a high-speed rotating vortex of soul power.

The vortex tightened, and the liquid soul power was constantly compressed and purified, its color shifting from various hues to ink-green, its texture gradually transforming from a viscous liquid into a semi-solid crystal.

At the edges of the vortex, soul power constantly overflowed only to be forcibly pulled back, while his meridians suffered a tearing, bloating pain.

As the meridians were pulled back and forth, they were enveloped by a jade-like, lustrous white light, allowing them to return to normal.

This was the power of the Hunyuan Immortal Herb, assisting in the condensation of the "Soul Core."

Over these past six months, the compression of the soul power vortex had reached a critical point.

"Hum--"

A low, deep rumble emanated from the dantian as the semi-solid soul power completely solidified, transforming into a crystal the size of a longan, shimmering with a deep, emerald light.

--"Soul Core,"

It rotated slowly in the center of the dantian.

The moment the "Soul Core" took shape, the heart-wrenching, tearing pain in the meridians vanished without a trace.

The soul power that had been rampaging uncontrollably through the body just a moment ago was now obediently controlled by the bottomless suction of the Soul Core, gathering back into the body.

The previously strained meridians and the feverish dantian settled into complete stability at this moment; it felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his entire being, his aura as steady as a deep pool.

Dugu Bo slowly opened his eyes, a deep emerald light flashing through his pupils and then vanishing.

He then focused his mind to carefully perceive his own state, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a wild, relieved laugh.

"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."

At this moment, his soul power recovery speed had increased more than tenfold, his soul skill release speed was faster, their power was greater, and his control over his soul power was as fluid as moving his own arm.

Every skill he unleashed could now exert unprecedented power, without the slightest hint of hesitation or obstruction.

And what brought him the most ecstasy was the final point:

He had completely rid himself of the risk of soul power loss of control, martial soul backlash, and bodily explosion.

For the past several decades, the sinister poison and backlash brought by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor martial soul had been a sword hanging over his head; a single moment of carelessness could have led to his total destruction.

But now, with the "Soul Core" formed, that backlash force capable of corroding meridians and disrupting soul power had been completely suppressed and contained within the "Poison Sac," unable to stir up trouble ever again.

"Hoo--!"

Dugu Bo let out a long breath. After his soul power had completely stabilized, the changes in Dugu Bo's body were far more shocking than the surge in his strength.

His hair and beard, which had been dark green due to the toxins permeating his body, had now completely shed their sinister hue, turning into a mix of frost-white and jet-black.

His hair, once dry as straw, had become smooth and lustrous, and his cheeks were no longer sunken from toxic erosion; that face, which had been as stiff as a mask for years, finally possessed soft, normal expressions.

Those emerald eyes, once filled with malice and bloodlust, were still sharp and piercing, yet they lacked that bit of sinister cruelty.

He looked a full twenty years younger, with no trace of the terminally ill, decadent state he had been in before.

Even more astonishingly, the pungent, choking "snake scent" around him had completely vanished, as all toxins were perfectly sealed within the Soul Core.

When not releasing his martial soul, he was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary elderly powerhouse; he would no longer disturb others with his own toxins, nor would he have to worry about accidentally harming the innocent.

As for his soul power, Dugu Bo had completely stabilized at the peak of level 91. The operation of the "Soul Core" allowed his soul power to flow without the slightest obstruction.

Before cultivating to level 95, he didn't even feel a hint of a bottleneck; the path ahead was completely smooth.

If he were to encounter any fortuitous opportunities in the future, even reaching the rank of Super Douluo was not impossible.

At the thought of this, a sense of heroic spirit welled up in Dugu Bo's heart.

"Hahaha... Hahaha!"

A hearty laugh echoed through the valley...

He was no longer the sinister, crazed figure tormented by illness; in his place was a sense of steadiness and dominance as immovable as Mount Tai.

"From this day forth, I am the true Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor!"