Douluo: Starting by Forging a Gun Chapter 45

"Xiao Feng?!"

"Little brother??"

Seeing the figure of Shen Feng, both Dugu Bo and Yanyan were completely stunned.

At this moment, Shen Feng's appearance had changed drastically. He was clad in black-gold Bright Light Armor, holding the Leiming Blade that crackled with purple lightning. Behind him were dragon wings burning with red and white flames. The wings flapped slightly, keeping him suspended in mid-air above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The black-gold Bright Light Armor was the evolved form of the Black Scale Thunder Armor.

Previously, beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Shen Feng's Body Martial Soul had resonated with his External Spirit Bone, the Black Scale Thunder Armor.

Now, whenever he activated the Black Scale Thunder Armor, it naturally carried the amplification of his Body Martial Soul.

As a result, by activating the Black Scale Thunder Armor while wielding the Leiming Blade, Shen Feng had entered a state akin to a semi-self Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

This was why the black-gold Bright Light Armor, which only appeared when performing a self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, had manifested on his body.

In this state, Shen Feng's energy consumption was much lower; compared to the full-power burst of a self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, this state was far better suited for his routine combat.

Of course, maintaining this state at the moment was simply to avoid being indecent.

After all, the moment he jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the clothes on his body had been completely dissolved by the spring water within.

As for the dragon wings on Shen Feng's back, they were the spirit bone skills contained within the Water and Fire Dragon Kings spirit bones: Water Wings and Fire Wings.

These dragon wings were composed entirely of pure water and fire elements. Not only did they allow Shen Feng to defy gravity and fly, but they also granted him the ability to manipulate water and fire elements.

Coupled with the other benefits he had gained, Shen Feng had received an epic-level enhancement from this trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"Old man, Yanyan, what's with those expressions? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

At this moment, the expressions on Dugu Bo and Yanyan's faces were truly complex: three parts surprise mixed with one part confusion, three parts excitement blended with one part sorrow, three parts astonishment hiding one part disbelief, and the final part was sheer incredulity.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Shen Feng would have found it hard to believe that human emotions could be this complicated.

"Ghost, ghost, ghost, ghost!"

Caught off guard and unable to process the situation, Yanyan pointed at Shen Feng and shrieked.

"Ouch~, Grandpa, why did you hit me?"

Withdrawing the fist he had just planted on Yanyan's head, Dugu Bo looked at Shen Feng with an agitated expression.

"You brat, you're actually still alive."

Shen Feng was slightly stunned, then gave a faint smile: "Old man, what kind of talk is that? Shouldn't I be alive?"

Dugu Bo shook his head excitedly: "No, no, no, you should be alive, you absolutely should be."

"It's just that it's been too long; Yanyan and I both thought you were dead."

Yanyan nodded weakly: "That's right, it's been ten whole months. We even finished holding your funeral."

"Look, the tombstone is still right there."

Following Yanyan's gesture, Shen Feng froze instantly.

He saw that beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, at the very spot where he had jumped down, stood a long, rectangular stone tablet, and his storage Soul Tool was resting right on top of it.

Shen Feng looked down at the invitation in his hand and gave an awkward laugh.

"Uh~, well, did I come back too late? Is the banquet already over?"

Dugu Bo and Yanyan were stunned, unable to react for a moment.

"Hahahaha, little brother, you're really something, actually wanting to attend your own funeral feast."

With Yanyan's laughter, Dugu Bo suddenly realized the absurdity of it all.

Shaking his head helplessly, Dugu Bo beckoned to Shen Feng: "The invitation in your hand might be good for Xue Ye's banquet, but it's no use for your own."

"Come down first. Aren't you tired of flying in the sky?"

"Also, what on earth did you encounter down there to be delayed for so long? Do you have any idea how the old man... sigh, forget it. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

Hearing Dugu Bo's unfinished sentence and seeing his graying hair, Shen Feng felt a tremor in his heart.

With a faint smile, Shen Feng flapped his wings and landed in front of Dugu Bo.

"Old man, I brought gifts for you and Yanyan."

If one gives me a peach, I shall return it with a precious gemstone.

Since Dugu Bo valued their bond so deeply that he had even worried himself gray, Shen Feng naturally wouldn't be stingy.

Having absorbed the spirit bones of the Water and Fire Dragon Kings and seeing their original essence blood mysteriously vanish, Shen Feng took out the two Dragon Reverse Scales.

The moment the two Dragon Reverse Scales appeared, Dugu Bo acted as if he had seen a ghost. He grabbed Yanyan beside him and leaped backward with lightning speed.

It wasn't until they were twenty meters away from Shen Feng that he put Yanyan down, still looking visibly shaken.

At this moment, Yanyan's face was also full of terror, as if she had seen something incredibly horrifying.

Seeing their reaction, Shen Feng stood rooted to the spot, completely baffled, as he hadn't sensed anything at all.

He even turned around in a circle, but couldn't find anything suspicious.

"Old man, Yanyan, what's wrong with you two?"

Dugu Bo stared intently at the two Dragon Reverse Scales in Shen Feng's hand, his eyes filled with vigilance, longing, and even a trace of imperceptible greed as he swallowed hard.

"Xiao Feng, what exactly are those scales in your hand?"

Shen Feng frowned, glancing at Dugu Bo with a strange expression. He secretly circulated his soul power, utilizing the Water and Fire Dragon Kings soul bones to establish a hidden connection with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Should Dugu Bo exhibit any abnormal behavior, he could immediately launch a countermeasure. With the ability to control water and fire elements granted by the Water and Fire Dragon Kings soul bones, Shen Feng's threat level near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well could absolutely reach that of a Title Douluo.

It wasn't that he was making a mountain out of a molehill; Dugu Bo's gaze at this moment was definitely not normal.

After completing these preparations in secret, Shen Feng held up the Dragon Reverse Scales to test him: "These? They are the reverse scales of a true dragon, found beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"It was to obtain the relics of a true dragon that I was trapped beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for so long."

"I absorbed two soul bones, and two drops of true dragon blood mysteriously vanished. In the end, these two reverse scales were all I managed to bring up."

"What's wrong? Old man, you seem very afraid of these two scales?"

Dugu Bo looked at Shen Feng in shock, his expression shifting repeatedly before he finally managed to rationally suppress the greed in his heart.

He shook his head slightly and gave a wry smile: "The hierarchy among dragon-kind is strict; the suppression exerted by higher-ranked dragons over lower-ranked ones is terrifying."

"Although my martial soul has evolved into a Poison Dragon, there is still a significant gap compared to a pure-blooded true dragon. As for Yanyan, her Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul is even more vulnerable in front of a true dragon."

"The two Dragon Reverse Scales in your hand are very likely from a pure-blooded true dragon, and perhaps even a great power among the dragon race, or even the legendary Dragon God."

"In the presence of these two scales, let alone me, even that old dragon king from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would likely be unable to stand tall."

"But this is normal. If it weren't for such a legendary creature, how could it have formed a miraculous place like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well after its death?"

"True dragon soul bones, true dragon blood, true dragon reverse scales."

"Tsk tsk, I have to say, you kid really is favored by the heavens."

Dugu Bo was worthy of being a Title Douluo who had lived for over seventy years; based solely on Shen Feng's few words, he had basically deduced everything.

As for Shen Feng, the reason he couldn't feel this pressure was, first, that he didn't possess a dragon-type martial soul and was not sensitive to pressure specifically targeting dragons.

Secondly, he had absorbed so much energy from the Dragon Crystal and refined the soul bones of the Water and Fire Dragon Kings; the combination of the two was enough to make him immune to all dragon-type pressure on the Douluo Continent.

Seeing Dugu Bo's gaze return to normal, Shen Feng breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Unless necessary, he really didn't want to make an enemy of Dugu Bo, even though he was fully confident he could severely injure or even kill him near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Looking at the Dragon Reverse Scales in his hand, Shen Feng smiled: "It's a pity that the true dragon blood vanished mysteriously; it most likely merged into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"However, these two reverse scales are very well preserved. I just don't know if you and Yanyan need them."

Dugu Bo stood frozen in place, looking at Shen Feng in disbelief: "You brat, did you not hear what I said?"

"These are very likely the reverse scales of the Dragon God, or at the very least, a demigod. In front of them, even that old dragon king from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would have his strength suppressed by at least thirty percent."

"And that is only their most superficial effect. Such a heavy treasure—are you really willing to give it to me and Yanyan?"

Shen Feng smiled slightly and asked in return: "How did your hair turn white, old man?"

"Besides, I clearly stated just now that I still have two true dragon soul bones on me. Didn't you manage to restrain your emotions then?"

"Since you are so loyal and righteous, I, Shen Feng, though young, will not fall short."

"As the saying goes, 'If someone gives me a papaya, I will repay them with a precious jade. It is not just a repayment, but a pledge of eternal friendship!'"

"'If someone gives me a peach, I will repay them with a precious stone. It is not just a repayment, but a pledge of eternal friendship!'"

"'If someone gives me a plum, I will repay them with a precious gem. It is not just a repayment, but a pledge of eternal friendship!'"

"If others respect me by a foot, I will return the favor by ten. This is my, Shen Feng's, way of conducting myself in the world."

Dugu Bo could not hide the shock in his heart; he truly had not expected that Shen Feng had seen through his earlier greed.

Yet, Shen Feng didn't care in the slightest and even spoke such words about 'pledging eternal friendship.'

To be so loyal and righteous at such a young age made Dugu Bo feel genuinely ashamed of his earlier greed.

Shaking his head in embarrassment, Dugu Bo took a palm-sized pouch from his waist and tossed it to Shen Feng.

"This thing is called a Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, a Soul Tool that can store living things. Inside are some gifts I prepared for you."

Shen Feng caught the pouch and released a wisp of spiritual power to probe it, discovering nearly a hundred boxes of different materials inside—gold, jade, wood, and more.

Looking at the Immortal Grade herbs that had all disappeared from the vicinity of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and the rare medicinal materials that had become sparse, Shen Feng immediately understood what Dugu Bo meant.

"You are generous, old man. I will not decline."

Dugu Bo waved his hand with a smile: "A pledge of eternal friendship."

"You haven't eaten in ten months, so I'll go prepare some food. You two siblings can chat for now."

With that, Dugu Bo moved, disappearing above the cliff in a few strides.

As a man over seventy, his composure was not even as good as a child under twelve; Dugu Bo really had no face to stay any longer.

It was simply embarrassing.

Shen Feng and Dugu Yan looked at the fleeing Dugu Bo in a daze, then looked at each other and burst into laughter at the same time.

"Sister Yanyan, long time no see."

"Little brother, welcome back."

From their initial acquaintance and mutual understanding, to becoming mentor and friend, to forming a bond that transcended age, and finally to swearing brotherhood, the friendship between Shen Feng and Dugu Bo had reached a point where it was closer than blood.

Between some fathers and sons, some mothers and daughters, or some masters and disciples, there would always be hidden agendas born from vengeance, hatred, or secrets.

But at this moment, Shen Feng and Dugu Bo were not like that; they had endured too many trials together and had become people who could completely entrust their backs to one another.

In the heart of Dugu Bo, Shen Feng was already an existence on par with Dugu Yan.

And in the heart of Shen Feng, the status of Dugu Bo was in no way inferior to that of Oscar, whom he had personally raised.

This was true communion, the kind that was completely devoid of any schemes or trickery.

That night, the first night after Shen Feng returned from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo prepared an incredibly lavish banquet for him.

Of course, the food was not cooked by Dugu Bo himself, as he only knew how to brew poisons.

All the dishes were personally ordered by him from the best restaurant in Heaven Dou City and then packed to go.

Although the only people attending the banquet were Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and Shen Feng, the entire process was a scene of joy and harmony.

A heart without worries is naturally happy; now that the hidden dangers in Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan had been completely removed, and Shen Feng had returned safely with precious treasures, everything was worth celebrating.

After the meal, once they had discussed the soul hunting matters for the following day, Shen Feng went to the living quarters Dugu Bo had arranged for him.

Tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep, Shen Feng simply got up and began to take stock of the immortal herbs gifted to him by Dugu Bo.

Injecting a wisp of soul power into his Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, Shen Feng took out nearly a hundred boxes of varying materials.

Opening them one by one to identify them, Shen Feng discovered that the immortal herbs Dugu Bo had prepared for him were truly numerous.

The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum suitable for Shen Rui.