At that thought, Luo Chen began recalling when Dugu Bo had left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in the original story. Unfortunately, Gudu Bo had no fixed schedule for leaving; he spent most of his time living and cultivating in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Left with no other choice, Luo Chen could only use his earth-burrowing technique again, planning to sneak in underground and wait until Dugu Bo left before picking the immortal herbs.
Having made up his mind, Luo Chen leaped down from the tree and landed on the ground outside the valley.
He took a deep breath and said softly:
"Netherworld Scorpion Emperor Martial Soul Possession!"
"First Soul Skill-Scorpion Emperor Transformation!"
In an instant, dark green carapace patterns enveloped his skin, his lower body transformed into a scorpion's body, and nine scorpion tails thrust skyward from his sacrum.
"Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Sword, dig!" Luo Chen shouted in a low voice, and all nine scorpion tails stabbed into the ground at once.
Crack, crack, crack, crack...
Before the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Sword, even the hardest rock was like tofu meeting a blade, pierced with effortless ease.
As dirt and rubble were steadily excavated, a hole so deep its bottom could not be seen soon appeared before Luo Chen.
Luo Chen leaped into the hole, his scorpion tails continuing to dig downward.
One meter, two meters, five meters, ten meters... He kept descending and soon burrowed deep underground.
Shortly after he reached the depths underground, something unexpected happened.
Luo Chen suddenly felt a burning sensation in his left palm.
"Could the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor be waking up?" At the thought, Luo Chen stopped digging and opened his left hand.
Soon, a crimson light bloomed in his palm, and a scarlet scorpion slowly took shape in his hand.
"Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor, you've finally awakened." Luo Chen smiled and tapped the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's head, delighted as he asked, "Is there something you need to do?"
To his surprise, the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor actually answered him, conveying through Martial Soul resonance, "Luo Chen, let's hurry into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I have a fortuitous opportunity to give you."
Hearing this, Luo Chen was thrilled.
After all, the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor had been formed from heavenly fire and earthly soil, two of the four great elements of creation, and was born carrying the continent's providence. If it said it had a fortuitous opportunity to offer, it had to be a tremendous one.
At that thought, Luo Chen's heartbeat suddenly quickened. He knew very well that the opportunity the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor spoke of should be enough to change his entire life, but he also knew very well that charging in recklessly was absolutely inadvisable.
Thus, Luo Chen cradled the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor against his chest and explained softly, "Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor, I understand your urgency, but there's a Titled Douluo living inside. With our current strength, going in would be marching to our deaths."
"If we want to go inside, we have to wait for that Titled Douluo to leave. Understand?"
The Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor did not answer. It merely raised its pincers and snapped them at the air several times. The motion looked as though it was adjusting something, or perhaps foreshadowing something.
Luo Chen was somewhat puzzled by the sight. Every time the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor came out, it would snap its pincers at the air several times.
Just as he was about to ask the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor why, the spiritual perception he had cultivated suddenly detected an extremely powerful presence racing from inside the valley toward his location at incredible speed.
What's going on? Why has Dugu Bo suddenly come out? Luo Chen was greatly startled. With no time to think further, he willed the External Soul Bone on his right forearm, the Netherworld Scorpion Claw, to appear before his eyes.
"Netherworld Scorpion Claw Soul Bone Skill-Dark Concealment!"
As Luo Chen activated the Soul Skill of his External Soul Bone, the Netherworld Scorpion Claw, a transparent mist instantly poured from the claw and enveloped him in layers. At the same time, his presence was completely concealed.
At that same moment, a figure suddenly appeared hovering above the ground directly over Luo Chen's location.
It was none other than the Titled Douluo Dugu Bo. His figure was gaunt, and his dark green robes swayed in the wind. At this moment, his gaze flashed like lightning as he scanned his surroundings, seemingly searching for something.
Hidden underground, Luo Chen saw this through the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's ability to see through things, and his heart leaped into his throat.
Have I been discovered?
But that's impossible!
My Dark Concealment can only be detected by someone whose spiritual power has reached the divine level. Even the eight-hundred-thousand-year-old Di Tian couldn't detect it. How could the level ninety-one Dugu Bo possibly detect it?
At that thought, Luo Chen's taut nerves gradually relaxed a little.
Meanwhile, aboveground, Dugu Bo frowned after his gaze swept over Luo Chen's location.
He seemed to have noticed something different, but could not put his finger on it.
"Strange..." A trace of confusion flashed through Dugu Bo's green eyes as he muttered, "If I remember correctly, this slightly darker soil should be underground. Why is it on the surface?"
As he said this, his divine sense passed through the ground and swept underground, but... found nothing.
"Perhaps cultivating for too long has muddled this old man's memory." Dugu Bo shook his head with a smile. Withdrawing his gaze, he looked up into the distance, a trace of cruelty flashing in his eyes. "Hmph, this old man would like to see which blind fool dared bully a Titled Douluo's granddaughter."
As his words fell, green light blazed around him. He turned into a streak of dark green light and sped toward Star Dou City, vanishing beyond the horizon within a few breaths.
Underground, Luo Chen watched Dugu Bo's retreating figure through the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's ability to see through things and inwardly let out a long sigh of relief.
"He's finally gone..."
"That old fellow really is cautious. He even scanned underground with his divine sense. If I hadn't had the Netherworld Scorpion Claw, he really might have discovered me."
At that thought, Luo Chen sensed how little Soul Power remained in his body and said with a bitter smile, "Dark Concealment still consumes so much. Even with my Soul Power at level thirty now, I can still only last three minutes."
"But... it was worth it."
With that thought, Luo Chen could not help curling his lips into a smile. He said calmly, "Since Dugu Bo has left, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is mine."
With that, he hesitated no longer and immediately commanded the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Sword to
break through the earth.
As all nine scorpion tails stabbed fiercely upward at once,
Boom!
The earth exploded, and a figure shot skyward from underground.
Luo Chen landed steadily on the ground outside the valley. After taking a few steps, he stood before the Jade Phosphor Seven Absolutes Flower and looked up into the valley.
At this moment, only purple poisonous miasma and white mist continued to interweave and coil around each other inside the valley, yet they remained as distinctly divided as the Jing and Wei rivers, never merging.
"My fortuitous opportunity, my precious money, my future-all of them will undergo a complete transformation today!"
With that, Luo Chen drew a deep, heavy breath, a trace of fervor flashing in his eyes. "Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well... here I come."