Taking It! A Level 48 Soul Ancestor! Dugu Bo Returns!

The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum truly deserved its status as one of the finest Immortal Herbs. It excelled at tempering sinews and bones, and in mere moments, it raised the strength of his body by a tremendous degree.

At the same time, his Soul Power seemed to have been ignited, surging wildly upward.

The level 43 realm that had only just stabilized after absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring began to loosen once more.

Level 44, level 45, level 46...

Like tidal waves, his Soul Power battered one new threshold after another. With every breakthrough, the golden radiance within him grew richer.

Huang Yun closed his eyes. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his breathing alternated between ragged and steady as he guided the Immortal Herb's energy through his meridians with all his strength, refining and absorbing every last trace of it.

After roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, the golden light in the cave gradually receded.

Huang Yun slowly opened his eyes. A flash of gold flickered deep within his pupils before they returned to their usual blue-white color.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands. A faint golden sheen flowed over his skin, as though it had been coated in a thin layer of gold foil. When he clenched his fingers, his joints crackled sharply, and the hardness of his fists had clearly risen by far more than a single level.

This was the beginning of the Indestructible Vajra Body.

Though he had only just entered the path, it had already taken shape. Combined with his future speed, a few more rounds of real combat tempering and cultivation would gradually bring it to completion. By then, his body itself would be a weapon. Enemies would be unable to break his defenses, while a single charge from him would crush everything in his way.

And his Soul Power had broken through as well.

A level 48 Soul Ancestor.

One Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum had raised his Soul Power by five levels in one go while also forging the physique of the Indestructible Vajra Body. This trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been well worth it.

Moreover, the herb's effects would continue for at least another three months.

He planned to break through level 50 within that short time.

Huang Yun rose and stretched his muscles. His bones crackled all over, and he felt an unprecedented sense of clarity and fullness from the inside out.

He walked to the cave entrance and listened carefully to the sounds outside. Only after confirming that no one was approaching did he gently part the vines and gaze into the distance.

Sunset Forest remained quiet. Wind passed through the treetops, accompanied now and then by birdsong.

And his next step had already become clear.

Deep within Sunset Forest, a streak of dark green light raced back over the dense woods.

Dugu Bo's expression was far from pleasant.

He had rushed over to investigate those beast roars earlier. It had merely been a Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Dragon Lizard and a Thousand-Year Ironback Python fighting over territory. They had made quite a commotion, but it was beneath his notice. He had casually driven the two beasts away before turning back.

Yet along the way, he had felt vaguely unsettled, though he could not say what was wrong.

Until he flew over the valley where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located.

As was his habit, he glanced down. Just as he was about to land on the stone platform in the center of the basin, his movements suddenly froze.

Dugu Bo hovered in midair. His narrow emerald eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze sharp as a blade as it swept inch by inch across the entire basin.

The flowers were still there.

The grass was still there.

The spring still gurgled and churned, while the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's taiji pattern continued to rotate peacefully.

But Dugu Bo still felt that something was wrong.

He landed on the stone platform and stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over every inch of ground and every plant like that of an eagle.

He walked from the eastern side of the valley to the western side, then paced from south to north. His steps grew slower and slower, and his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Then he stopped.

His gaze landed on a patch of soil in the northeastern corner of the basin.

The ground there appeared utterly ordinary, no different from the surrounding area. But Dugu Bo recognized the shape of every inch of earth.

He remembered clearly that a pure golden chrysanthemum-shaped plant had once grown there. Its flower head had been enormous, its layered petals seemingly cast from gold, glowing with a soft, warm luster beneath the sunlight.

That golden chrysanthemum was gone.

When he had first discovered this treasure land, that Immortal Herb had already been there.

Though he had never fully understood the plant's exact use, he had studied it repeatedly over the years and knew that it contained extraordinarily pure energy. It had remarkable effects in tempering sinews and bones, yet he had still not dared to consume it rashly. After all, he had nearly died that time.

Thus, he had always regarded it as one of the most precious treasures in this herb garden, guarding it carefully and never entrusting it to anyone else.

But now, that golden chrysanthemum was gone.

Only a shallow pit remained where it had stood. The soil was darker than that around it, clearly having been disturbed recently.

Furthermore, the pit had been refilled. The work was crude, as if someone had simply scraped a few handfuls of dirt over it. The soil had not even been packed down.

Dugu Bo crouched, pinched up a bit of soil from the edge of the pit, rubbed it between his fingertips, and brought it to his nose.

The soil was damp and carried the fresh scent of grass and vegetation.

It had been dug up less than two hours ago.

Dugu Bo's pupils abruptly contracted, and his expression darkened in an instant.

He shot to his feet and unleashed his Mental Power with all his strength. Like a vast net covering the sky and earth, it spread in every direction. Nothing within several miles could escape his senses.

Nothing.

There was nothing at all.

The intruder's aura was as clean as though it had been washed away by water. Not even a trace of Soul Power fluctuation remained.

Dugu Bo stood in the middle of the basin, his face livid, his fists clenched until they crackled.

Who was it?

Several possibilities flashed rapidly through his mind.

Though Sunset Forest was dangerous, only a handful of people on the entire continent could break through the poisonous miasma he had laid around this valley and reach this place.

Ordinary Soul Beasts could be ruled out first.

The poisonous miasma around the valley was incredibly potent. Ordinary Soul Beasts would die upon contact, and even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts would be poisoned into a miserable state if they barged in.

Anyone who could pass safely through the poisonous miasma, enter the basin, and precisely dig up the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum without touching any other plants could not possibly be a Soul Beast.

That left only humans.

But ordinary Soul Masters could not withstand that poisonous miasma at all. Even if they could, there was no way they could come and go so silently within his territory.

Unless the other party was exceptionally powerful, or...

Dugu Bo's brow knotted tightly.

Or the other party possessed some extremely special method that allowed them to ignore the corrosive effects of the poisonous miasma and move with such speed that they could infiltrate, dig up the herb, and withdraw during the time he had been away.

The more he thought about it, the more a chill crept over him.

If the other party was a Titled Douluo, why would they sneak around and do such a thing?

They could have simply shown themselves and negotiated terms with him.

If the other party was not a Titled Douluo, then how had they done it?

Dugu Bo drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and fury in his heart as he began carefully inspecting the valley.

He crossed every inch of land and closely examined the condition of every plant.

All the other flowers and grasses remained unharmed in their original places. Not a single one of the lesser spiritual herbs was missing.

Only the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum had disappeared.

Dugu Bo stood beside the spring, his gaze grave as countless thoughts churned within his heart.