Journey to Vast Sea City, Buying Whale Rubber!

Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

Dugu Bo stood beside the spring, watching the family of three in the distance with a faint smile on his lips.

Dugu Xin and Dugu Yan sat side by side on a bluestone. The father and daughter seemed to be chatting about something, and Yan Yan occasionally let out clear, cheerful laughter.

Lin Wan'er sat beside her daughter, listening quietly and occasionally adding a word or two, her eyes and brows filled with tenderness.

Ten years apart, reunited at last.

Dugu Bo could not bear to disturb such warmth.

"You three stay here for now."

Dugu Bo spoke softly, but all three of them heard him.

Dugu Xin raised his head. "Father, where are you going?"

"On a long trip." Dugu Bo answered simply. "If all goes well, I'll be back in a few days. At most, no more than ten."

At those words, a trace of reluctance flashed through Dugu Yan's jade-green Dragon Eyes.

Grandfather had only just returned. Why was he leaving again?

But she did not try to stop him.

She knew her grandfather had many matters to handle lately, and every one of them was important.

"Grandfather, be careful on the road."

Dugu Bo nodded, then looked at Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er.

"You two stay here with Yan Yan, and take the time to properly adapt to your new bodies."

"An Undead Body differs from that of a living person. You need time to adjust."

"Also, you only recently absorbed your seventh Soul Rings. You'll need to explore your soul skills as well."

Dugu Xin rose to his feet and nodded solemnly.

"Father, don't worry. We're here."

Dugu Bo gave a quiet hum and did not linger any longer.

Dark purple Nether Qi lifted his body as he flew toward the mouth of the valley.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished beyond the horizon.

Dugu Yan watched the direction in which her grandfather had departed, concern flickering in her jade-green Dragon Eyes.

"Father, what is Grandfather going to do?"

Dugu Xin shook his head.

"I don't know either."

"But your grandfather is no ordinary man now. Whatever he does, he must have his reasons."

Dugu Yan fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Grandfather truly was no longer the same as before.

Nine Nether Divine Dragon.

A god-grade Martial Soul.

She could not understand what her grandfather was doing, nor did she need to.

All she needed was to trust him.

Dugu Bo's destination this time was Vast Sea City.

A major coastal city in the southwestern region of the Tiandou Empire.

It faced the sea, with a thriving port and prosperous trade.

But Dugu Bo had not gone to Vast Sea City to see the ocean, nor to conduct business.

He had gone to buy something.

Something called Whale Rubber.

As its name suggested, Whale Rubber was a gelatinous substance extracted from deep-sea whales.

It had a terrible reputation in the outside world.

It stank of fish and was murky in color, often used by certain people for lewd purposes.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Whale Rubber was merely a cheap aphrodisiac, unfit for respectable use.

The Soul Master world did not think highly of it either.

Though some Soul Masters knew that Whale Rubber could strengthen the body, its effects were negligible. On top of that, it was foul-smelling and difficult to swallow, so few were willing to use it.

As for its heaven-defying ability to increase the limit of Soul Rings.

No one knew about it.

At least, no one knew yet.

In his previous life, Dugu Bo had read every novel in the Douluo Continent series and clearly remembered Whale Rubber's true value.

During the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, its effects had been discovered by Huo Yuhao and the others.

If melted at high temperature and consumed after cooling, it could greatly improve a Soul Master's physique and even raise the maximum age limit of their Soul Rings.

But by that era, the price of Whale Rubber had already multiplied countless times, becoming so expensive that ordinary Soul Masters could not afford it at all.

Yet no one knew that now.

This information gap was Dugu Bo's greatest advantage.

Whale Rubber in Vast Sea City was as cheap as scrap.

He would stockpile as much Whale Rubber as possible at the lowest cost.

Whether he used it himself in the future, gave it to Yan Yan, or even used it to cultivate a force, these things would be priceless treasures.

The distance from Sunset Forest to Vast Sea City was even shorter than the journey to Holy Soul Village.

This time, Dugu Bo did not deliberately slow down.

He flew at full speed, stopping only briefly when necessary.

Netherworld Power circulated wildly within his body, while the Martial Soul of the Nine Nether Divine Dragon flickered in and out of sight behind him.

The quality of his Soul Power after being tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation was extremely high, more than enough to sustain high-speed flight for long periods.

Even so, when he arrived in Vast Sea City, it was already dusk on the second day.

Vast Sea City was even more prosperous than Dugu Bo had imagined.

Towering city walls, broad streets, and rows upon rows of shops.

The air was thick with the salty tang of seawater, mixed with the fishy smell of seafood.

Ships of every size were moored in the harbor, their masts standing thickly and their sails overlapping in layers.

Dugu Bo landed outside the city and entered on foot.

He did not want to attract unnecessary attention. After all, he was here to buy things this time, not to cause trouble.

After entering the city, Dugu Bo did not rush to purchase Whale Rubber. Instead, he first found an inn and settled in.

Then, he began asking around about the situation in the city.

Vast Sea City's largest Whale Rubber market was in the port district in the south of the city.

There were many trading houses there specializing in marine goods, and Whale Rubber was merely one inconspicuous commodity among them.

Dugu Bo did not head straight to the market.

He found a merchant house that looked fairly reliable and walked inside.

The owner was a plump middle-aged man with a round face and narrowed eyes. One look was enough to tell that he was shrewd.

Upon seeing Dugu Bo enter, he hurried over to greet him.

"Honored guest, what do you need? We have premium sea cucumbers, abalone, shark fin, and freshly caught goods from the deep sea..."

"Whale Rubber."

Dugu Bo cut him off.

The owner froze.

Whale Rubber?

Hardly anyone came specifically to buy that stuff.

Usually, only those improper old men would buy a little now and then to spice things up.

"How much do you want, honored guest?"

"How much do you have?"

The owner froze again.

He wanted everything available?

This customer... had quite an appetite.

"Honored guest, this humble shop doesn't have much Whale Rubber in stock, only around thirty jin."

"I'll take it all."

Dugu Bo took out a bag of gold coins from his Storage Soul Guidance Ring and tossed it onto the counter.

"Name a fair price."

The owner hurriedly opened the bag and took a look.

The glittering golden light nearly blinded him.

"Honored guest, this is far too much..."

"The rest is a deposit." Dugu Bo said indifferently. "Help me buy it from the market. Buy as much as you can find. I'm staying at Yuelai Inn up ahead. I'll come collect it in three days."

The owner swallowed.

This customer was far too generous.

"Honored guest, what do you need so much Whale Rubber for...?"

Dugu Bo gave him a glance, and a trace of coldness flashed in his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't."

The owner shuddered and nodded hurriedly.

"Yes, yes, this lowly one spoke out of turn."

Dugu Bo turned and left the merchant house.

He had not approached only this one.

Over the following day, he visited another seven or eight merchant houses.

The same explanation, the same generous spending.

Whatever Whale Rubber they had, he bought it all.

He paid a deposit first and would return three days later to collect it.

The owners of those merchant houses were all grinning from ear to ear.