Ice and Fire Reflecting the Moon, That Bone and Wine

The next day, Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The mist was heavy; the steam rising from the hot and cold springs refracted pale colors in the morning light. On the banks, spirit herbs dripped with dew, their medicinal fragrance crisp and cool.

Dugu Bo sat cross-legged by the spring, the Soul Bone box open before him.

Blue-gold light spilled out like a living thing, intertwining with the mist.

The leg bone was slightly smaller than an ordinary Soul Bone, entirely blue-gold, with fine textures resembling plant veins or perhaps ancient runes.

He stared at it for a long time.

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone,"

Dugu Bo finally spoke, his voice heavy, "In all my years, I've never seen one."

His palm hovered an inch above the Soul Bone, never making contact.

The blue-gold halo seemed to have a life of its own, pulsing slightly and wrapping around his fingertips, causing Dugu Bo's hand to tremble.

"Such pure vitality."

He whispered, his eyes complex, "The owner of this Soul Bone... had no resentment before death."

Chen Jieqi did not speak.

The Blue Silver Emperor had sacrificed herself; naturally, there would be no resentment, at least on the surface.

Dugu Bo was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

He would not ask about "attribute incompatibility" a second time.

He could see through the little schemes in this brat's eyes perfectly well.

Taking a deep breath, Dugu Bo took out the Soul Bone and placed it on his knees.

"Guard me."

"Understood."

Chen Jieqi stood up and retreated ten meters away, sitting cross-legged to watch quietly.

Dugu Bo closed his eyes, his dark green soul power surging out to intertwine with the blue-gold light.

The mist of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well churned, and ripples spread across both the hot and cold springs simultaneously.

The absorption began.

There was no violent backlash as expected; the blue-gold light flowed like a gentle stream, obediently pouring into his body through the meridians of his arm, carrying a dense, inseparable aura of life.

Dugu Bo felt the hidden injuries and backlash accumulated in his bones and blood over the years, under the infiltration of this power, actually beginning to heal inch by inch, like withered wood meeting spring, or parched earth receiving sweet rain.

His heart shook.

This Soul Bone was transformed from the Blue Silver Emperor, its life attribute pure and pristine. It should have been incompatible with the snake venom in his body, yet it was doing so in an inconceivable way, turning those corrosive toxins into nutrients and, in turn, repairing his once riddled meridians.

Chen Jieqi sat ten meters away, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Dugu Bo's back.

He dared not close his eyes.

The second day, the sun was high, but the mist had not dispersed.

Dugu Bo sat motionless, yet his complexion was much ruddier than the day before.

The phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind him floated quietly, its snake body entwined with blue-gold light patterns, no longer struggling, but instead exuding a sense of docility.

Chen Jieqi could feel that the power of the leg bone was merging perfectly with Dugu Bo, without the slightest sign of losing control.

His clenched fists remained tight.

Although there were no violent fluctuations, the mist on the periphery of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well paused slightly at noon, as if it had been gently nudged by something.

The third day, the sun tilted to the west.

Dugu Bo's breathing was steady and long, his complexion ruddy, showing no signs of abnormality.

Chen Jieqi sat ten meters away, his palms slick with sweat.

Then, Dugu Bo slowly opened his eyes.

A flash of blue-gold flickered in his pupils before returning to their usual color.

But his temperament had changed; it was not sharper, but deeper and steadier.

Like a blade that had been reforged.

He looked down at his hands, clenching his fists and then releasing them.

"Level ninety-five."

He said, his voice calm, yet carrying a trace of undisguised tremor.

"But this shell... it has cracked."

Chen Jieqi looked at him, "The bottleneck has loosened?"

"More than just loosened."

Dugu Bo raised his eyes, a light burning in their depths.

"That door, I can see it."

The door to level ninety-six.

Once unreachable, it was now right before his eyes, only one final step away.

And what this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone brought him was far more than just that.

With a thought from Dugu Bo, his body floated into the air.

No wings, no fluctuations of soul power, just an instinct granted by the soul bone skill.

He could turn, accelerate, and hover in the air at will, as if walking on flat ground.

He circled once above the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, landing without a sound, even the poisonous mist beneath his feet naturally pushed aside by his aura.

"Flight."

He said calmly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

But what moved him most was the power of regeneration hidden deep within the soul bone.

"Wildfires cannot destroy it; the spring breeze brings it back to life."

That was the origin power of the Blue Silver Emperor; as long as there was a sliver of vitality, one could stand again.

Combined with the Soul Core within his body, and this masterful poison of his, Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment.

Even facing Tang Hao, it might not be impossible to win; even if he couldn't beat him in a head-on clash, he could wear him down to death.

"Listen,"

Dugu Bo's voice lowered, carrying a hint of awkward sincerity.

"I will absorb this bone into my body for now.

Consider it... kept with Grandpa for the time being, I'll look after it for you for a while."

He paused, then snorted, as if trying to suppress that touch of warmth.

"Whenever you need it in the future, or if I am no longer around, you can take it back at any time.

Don't let it fall into the hands of outsiders."

Chen Jieqi looked at him for a long time, then nodded.

"Alright."

Dugu Bo turned his head away.

Chen Jieqi could not see his expression, only his Adam's apple bobbing, as if he had swallowed some words back down.

When he turned back, his voice had returned to its usual hoarseness.

"Enough, Grandpa has noted it."

He closed the box and carefully put it away.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you sure? This thing, you could have used it yourself."

"The attributes don't match," Chen Jieqi said.

Dugu Bo snorted.

"Bullshit. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone can be forcibly fused even if the attributes don't match. You just gave it to me on purpose."

Chen Jieqi did not deny it.

Dugu Bo was silent for a while, then reached out and patted his shoulder with a heavy hand.

Dugu Bo suddenly asked, "That Blue Silver Emperor seedling, where did you dig it up from?"

Chen Jieqi was stunned for a moment.

"Behind the mountain in Holy Soul Village, inside a cave."

"A cave?"

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

"When a Blue Silver Emperor sacrifices itself, logically speaking, Tang Hao should have at least found a spiritual site to nurture that seedling."

"How could he shove her into a place like that, devoid of light and air?"

He turned around, staring at Chen Jieqi.

"You brat, you said before that the leg bone was also found in that hidden compartment in the cave?"

"Yes."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"If Tang Hao truly loved the Blue Silver Emperor, he wouldn't have left the only thing she left behind after her death to rot in a cave alongside a spirit bone."

He paused, his eyes as cold as a viper flicking its tongue.

"I suspect that the sacrifice back then might not have been entirely voluntary. Or rather, it might not have been the Blue Silver Emperor's original intention."

Chen Jieqi looked at him without denying it.

"I've thought about that too."

He said, his tone as calm as if he were discussing someone else's affairs.

"If Tang Hao really cared about her that much, he would have at least planted the seedling in a place with plenty of sunlight and abundant spirit power."

"There is another possibility: he knew the value of that seedling, and he knew the value of this leg bone. He couldn't bear to destroy them, but since he couldn't use them himself, he just stored them away."

Dugu Bo was silent for a long time.

The night wind brushed over the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, stirring up the faint sound of water.

"Interesting."

He only said these three words in the end, but his eyes were filled with a chilling frost.

The outskirts of the Sunset Forest.

Several spirit-hunting squads operating near the edge of the forest stopped in their tracks almost simultaneously.

"Was that... light just now?"

"Coming from the depths? It looked emerald green."

"Must be an illusion, right? That hellish place is reeking with poisonous gas; how could anyone be staying there?"

The few looked at each other, eventually attributing it to eye strain, and continued on their way.

They did not know that just a short while ago, in the deepest part of this forest, a flash of emerald light capable of catching the attention of a Title Douluo had briefly torn through the poisonous mist, only to be suppressed by layers of poison formations, leaving behind nothing but a lingering trace.

Tiantou City, thirty miles to the southeast, at a watchtower.

A sect disciple on duty rubbed his eyes and gazed toward the southeastern horizon.

"Senior brother, did you see that? It looked like there was a flash of light over by the Sunset Forest."

"Stop being so paranoid. Aside from poison and spirit beasts, what could possibly be in that place? Hurry up, it's time to change shifts."

The disciple muttered as he walked away, not taking the fleeting anomaly to heart.

At night, by the campfire.

Dugu Bo did not press further; he reached into his robe, pulled out a porcelain bottle, and tossed it to Chen Jieqi.

"A newly concocted Antidote Pill, more effective than the last one. Take it."

Chen Jieqi caught it and tucked it away.

"What do you plan to do next?"

"Return to Tiantou and make my move."

Dugu Bo snorted. "That game of chess you're playing is quite large."

"Not large," Chen Jieqi said, "it just needs time."

"And," Dugu Bo turned his back, his voice muffled, "if something happens, send word. Don't carry it all on your own."

Chen Jieqi looked at his back, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Understood, Grandfather."

The night was deep, the moonlight like water.

In the distance, that blue-gold seedling, amidst the mist of alternating cold and heat, seemed a fraction thicker in its stem than it had been three days ago.

The blue-gold luster was more mellow, swaying gently under the moonlight.

Dugu Bo took a long swig of wine and glanced at Chen Jieqi, yet he asked nothing.

Some things did not need to be said.

Under the moonlight, the old man and the youth sat by the campfire drinking, no more words spoken.

That blue-gold seedling swayed gently in the wind, as if guarding something, or perhaps waiting for its own stretch of water.

The night breeze brushed past, carrying away the words left unsaid.