"Jade Phosphorous Thousand Illusion Miasma!"
Facing Yang Xingchen, who had drawn his sword and charged toward him, Dugu Bo casually tossed the Poison Core in his hand into the air. A cloud of brilliantly multicolored poisonous mist billowed from it.
"Boy Yang, this Soul Skill is something I envisioned in my youth. It was only because my control over poison wasn't good enough that I could never use it."
Hearing Dugu Bo's voice coming from every direction, Yang Xingchen instantly stopped and used Satiated Frost Heart Peering, attempting to locate him.
The instant he used Satiated Frost Heart Peering, Yang Xingchen detected Dugu Bo's figure and abruptly raised his sword, slashing out a blade of ice.
The ice blade sliced through the multicolored poisonous mist, revealing a massive rock cleaved in two.
"An External Soul Bone, a Spiritual Detection-type Soul Skill... To be honest, even I'm starting to envy your good fortune, boy!"
Just then, Dugu Bo's voice abruptly sounded behind Yang Xingchen.
But when Yang Xingchen suddenly turned to look behind him, Dugu Bo's voice continued sounding at his back, like a maggot clinging to the bone.
Yang Xingchen had definitely detected him correctly just now. Dugu Bo had been right in front of him, yet somehow, he was now behind him.
Could Dugu Bo's body have merged with the poisonous mist after using this Soul Skill, allowing him to move instantaneously through it?
"You didn't sense him incorrectly. Your sense of direction has become dulled. This poisonous mist is interfering with your perception of direction."
The Snow Empress studied Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Thousand Illusion Miasma with shining eyes. The idea behind this Self-Created Soul Skill was brilliant.
The Snow Empress was already itching to try out the new Soul Skill she had devised by imitating Jade Phosphorous Thousand Illusion Miasma!
"I specifically spread Emperor Cold Heaven: Snow Dance Shining Sun around my body, so how could I still get poisoned?"
"When did this empress ever say you were poisoned? He's only using the poisonous mist to interfere with your vision. He has no intention of poisoning you at all."
It was precisely because this Soul Skill used light to deceive the eyes that the Snow Empress felt she had a chance to imitate it and create something similar.
"Boy Yang, you're at your wits' end this time, aren't you? I haven't had my fill yet. Whatever other tricks you have, bring them out!"
Noticing Yang Xingchen standing motionless, Dugu Bo thought his Soul Skill had left him completely helpless.
After all, this was one of his few Soul Skills that could be used without relying on poisoning someone.
"You said it yourself, Poison Douluo. Don't go crying when you lose in a moment!"
Yang Xingchen dispersed the ice-crystal longsword in his hand, a mischievous smile appearing on his face as the phantom of the Heavenly Snow Woman emerged behind him.
"Emperor Mirror: Thousand Illusions Without a Trace!"
In the blink of an eye, forty or fifty mirrors made of ice appeared throughout the poisonous mist, while Yang Xingchen vanished from where he stood.
Dugu Bo instantly realized something was wrong. He was certain this Soul Skill was absolutely not meant for defense.
An ominous thought surfaced in Dugu Bo's mind.
Wait, could this boy have analyzed Jade Phosphorous Thousand Illusion Miasma in just a few minutes and reverse-engineered an ice version?
At that thought, Dugu Bo instinctively swallowed. If this was true, Yang Xingchen's talent was simply too heaven-defying.
To verify his suspicions, Dugu Bo stopped hiding and stepped out of the poisonous mist, controlling the Poison Core to release dozens of streams of venom.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
As the venom splashed onto the mirrors, the mirrors made of ice instantly exploded, forming a shower of tiny ice crystals above Dugu Bo's head.
Before Dugu Bo could detect Yang Xingchen, the sunlight reflected by the ice crystals suddenly dazzled his eyes.
"This is bad! I've fallen into a trap!"
The instant the sunlight dazzled his eyes, Dugu Bo realized that the ice crystals now filling the sky were what Yang Xingchen had been waiting for all along.
With no time to think further, Dugu Bo mobilized all his Soul Power, attempting to use it to create an air current and blow away the ice crystals filling the sky.
But before Dugu Bo could act, an ice-crystal longsword was already getting "up close and personal" with his neck!
"Poison Douluo, you've lost this round again!"
This time, it was Yang Xingchen's voice that sounded behind Dugu Bo.
"Sure enough, the waves behind drive on those ahead in the Yangtze, and the waves ahead die on the beach! I really can't keep up with you anymore, boy."
Dugu Bo sighed helplessly. To be honest, in all his years of cultivation, this was the first time he had felt so clearly that a gap existed even between geniuses.
Hearing this, Yang Xingchen voluntarily dispersed the ice-crystal longsword in his hand and accepted the praise with a smile.
Although I didn't create Emperor Mirror: Thousand Illusions Without a Trace myself, this was my first time using it. How could it not count as mine?
However, Yang Xingchen also understood that Dugu Bo had not fought seriously either. Throughout this match, Dugu Bo had only used two offensive skills.
Yet those two offensive skills showed that, with the Poison Core, Dugu Bo now had an endless succession of ways to attack.
Judging solely by the Self-Created Soul Skill Dugu Bo had used at the start, Jade Phosphorous Thousand Illusion Miasma, Yang Xingchen felt that ordinary Titled Douluo would gain no advantage against him.
"All right, Boy Yang! I'm planning to head out soon to search for some highly poisonous things to strengthen my Poison Core."
"If you want to keep staying at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, you can have my cave to live in."
"If you want to leave, you can come to me anytime you run into trouble in the future. I'll help even if I have to risk my life."
Now that Dugu Bo had not only resolved the toxins within his body but also successfully condensed a Poison Core, he naturally spoke to Yang Xingchen in high spirits.
Dugu Bo could sense that the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's poison alone could not bring the Poison Core to its limit. If he wanted to advance further, he had to collect poisons that could seal the throat upon contact with blood.
"I'll stay at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a while longer. You don't need to worry too much, Poison Douluo."
Yang Xingchen was not at all surprised by Dugu Bo's plan to go out and search for more poisonous things.
The Poison Core still had much untapped potential. If Dugu Bo's trip went smoothly, his strength would probably have advanced another step by the next time they met.
He just did not know whether Dugu Bo would unexpectedly obtain a Godhood Inheritance suited to him, as he had in the comic version.
"All right. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is yours according to our agreement anyway. Stay as long as you like!"
"But to ensure your safety, I'd better upgrade the poison formation so it can hold off a few Titled Douluo for you."
With the Poison Core at his disposal, the more Dugu Bo looked at the poison formation he had previously set up, the weaker it seemed. Neither the toxicity nor the concentration of the surrounding poisonous mist was sufficient.
After speaking, Dugu Bo used Martial Soul Avatar and stood atop the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's head, controlling the Poison Core to improve the formation nodes that released poisonous mist within the poison formation.
A quarter of an hour passed, and the poison formation surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had completely changed.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, originally shrouded in dark-green poisonous mist, had vanished entirely. All that lay before them was a forest almost indistinguishable from its surroundings.
"Poison Douluo, how did you do that?!"
Finally seeing Yang Xingchen's shocked expression, Dugu Bo could not help the corners of his mouth from lifting slightly.
"I incorporated Jade Phosphorous Thousand Illusion Miasma into the poison formation to create a lifelike illusion of a forest."
"However, whenever the sun rises and sets, this illusion will disappear briefly, and the area surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well will return to its original appearance."
As Dugu Bo spoke, he raised a hand and sent the Poison Core floating beside him rushing toward the illusion ahead.
In an instant, it was as though a hole had been torn in space, revealing the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well filled with poisonous mist in the middle of the lifelike forest.
"But you don't need to worry. When you want to enter, just use Emperor Mirror: Thousand Illusions Without a Trace, the skill you imitated, to change the surrounding light and make the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well reappear."
Dugu Bo crooked a finger, and the Poison Core flew back from the poison formation into his palm.
"I'll also show you the safe route inside in a moment. Make sure you remember it."