Dugu Bo wore a grave expression, his disbelief plain to see.
Xiao Yan frowned.
The man before him felt incredibly strong.
"This guy is a Titled Douluo!"
Xiao Huo was now fused with Xiao Yan. They could be said to share one heart, each able to know what the other was thinking.
Xiao Huo spoke gravely. "He was probably drawn here by the Ice Dragon King's divine power earlier."
"A Titled Douluo!?"
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted.
The only Titled Douluo in Sunset Forest!
Wasn't that Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!?
He had actually caught Dugu Bo's attention.
In the distance, Yu Tianming lay collapsed on the volcanic mud. Although the poison was still spreading, the Heavenly Flames at his heart were keeping him alive by a thread.
That eased some of Xiao Yan's worry.
Suddenly, a wave of pressure descended.
Xiao Yan felt as if his spine was about to buckle. Enduring the pain, he raised his head to look at Dugu Bo.
This guy had actually attacked!
"I'm talking to you. How dare you ignore the words of a Titled Douluo!?" Dugu Bo's voice was cold, and the eyes he fixed on Xiao Yan were icy.
"What was that divine power earlier!? What did you obtain in my Fire and Fire Yin Yang Spring!?"
"Or did you find the ruins of a god!?"
Dugu Bo's gaze grew even more fervent as he looked at Xiao Yan.
The appearance of divine power earlier had shocked him.
If he could obtain the ruins of a god, he would have a chance to become a god himself!
How could a Titled Douluo not yearn for that!?
Xiao Yan sneered. "If I told you I was that god, would you believe me!?"
"You!?"
Golden light flickered in Dugu Bo's slit pupils. "Do you think I'm too easygoing? How dare you make a joke at the Poison Douluo's expense!?"
Hum!
A green serpent with jade scales flashed into existence.
Boundless killing intent poured from its golden eyes.
Xiao Yan snorted coldly.
"A mere long worm, and you dare attack me!?"
Without releasing his Martial Soul, Xiao Yan gave a slight flick of his fingertip and sent out a streak of fiery red flame.
The temperature soared, and the flame took the form of a divine dragon!
Boom!
Pfft!
The fire dragon roared, shaking heaven and earth, and bit down, crushing the little jade-scaled serpent to pieces.
Blood splattered everywhere, a horrifying sight.
Dugu Bo stared in shock. "You..."
The power made his heart tremble!
It was unmistakably...
Divine power!
Firelight flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes. "You have three seconds to get out of here."
"Are you really a god?" Dugu Bo asked suspiciously.
He hesitated.
Were there really still gods on the Douluo Continent today!?
"One!"
Xiao Yan said calmly.
Dugu Bo frowned.
"Two!"
Dugu Bo gritted his teeth.
He didn't believe it.
Yet he had no choice but to believe it.
There was absolutely no mistaking the divine power from earlier.
If this guy really was a god, he could probably crush Dugu Bo with ease, couldn't he!?
So should he leave!?
"Three!"
Before Xiao Yan had finished speaking, Dugu Bo vanished.
In the end, he didn't dare take the gamble.
After all, this was a terrifying being who possessed at least a trace of divine power.
Even if he wasn't a god, he was definitely not someone Dugu Bo could afford to provoke.
Seeing Dugu Bo leave, Xiao Yan finally let out a long breath.
Deep within his soul, Xiao Huo sighed as well. "Luckily, we're near the Fire Yang Spring, so I can draw on some of the remaining divine power."
"After some time, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Spring will become a dead land again."
"Then we won't be able to bluff him anymore..."
"In the end, we're still too weak right now."
Xiao Yan shook his head, his gaze resolute. "We're not too weak. We just haven't had time to cultivate."
"I'm going to walk the path of cultivation. As long as I'm given time, I'll surpass everyone."
He hoisted Yu Tianming onto his back, preparing to treat his injuries.
Yao Lao spoke softly from within the ring. "Leave the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Spring first. That divine power earlier will probably attract quite a few important figures."
Xiao Huo nodded as well. "The old man in the ring is right. We have to leave here first."
"My strength is gradually weakening. When I fuse with you, my strength won't exceed the host's."
"In other words, no matter how strong I become in the future, I can't be stronger than you yourself."
Xiao Yan nodded. Wind sprang up beneath his feet as he used his Soul Power to leave at speed.
The scenery flew past, and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Spring began to collapse.
The ice mountain and volcano slowly toppled, and all sorts of immortal medicinal herbs wailed.
Without the two dragon kings as their foundation and source of nourishment, they no longer had the fairyland soil they once did.
Moreover, the entire Yin Yang Spring would be destroyed today.
Everything would cease to exist!
"These are all good things!" Yao Lao's eyes burned with desire.
As an alchemist, he knew that every immortal herb before him was something one could only hope to encounter, not seek out!
Naturally, Xiao Yan didn't hold back. Wherever he passed, not a single immortal herb was left growing.
He swept everything away.
He carried off nearly eighty percent of the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Spring.
The remaining twenty percent were destroyed as the mountains collapsed and the earth split apart.
The ice mountain and volcano merged and finally came crashing down.
The magma and the freezing currents were two extremes. Their destructive power was too great; nothing could stand in their way.
The entire valley became a ruin.
At night,
beside a campfire,
Yu Tianming gradually opened his eyes.
The poison throughout his body had long since receded, and he had returned to his former state.
He was even better than before!
"My meridians-the blood clots in all of them have been cleared by someone!?" Yu Tianming stared blankly for a moment, then sat up.
A trace of warmth reached him from ahead.
The campfire glowed warmly not far away, making him squint slightly.
There was another flame not far away.
It was even brighter!
Looking closely, he saw that there was actually a figure within the flames!
"Xiao Yan!?"
Yu Tianming panicked, thinking Xiao Yan was about to burn to death.
He reached out to grab him, only to see a ring of white-gold light flickering beneath Xiao Yan's feet.
"A Soul Ring!?"
"This guy is cultivating!?"
Yu Tianming felt a little relieved, but then he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Oh!
A Soul Ring!
While he was unconscious, this kid had obtained a Soul Ring!
That was right.
"Why do I still feel like something's wrong!?" Yu Tianming scratched his head.
Then he froze on the spot.
"A white-gold Soul Ring!?"
The shock was like an ancestor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon crawling out of a grave and delivering a thunderous crack to his forehead.
Soul Rings came in all sorts of colors.
White, yellow, purple, black, red!
What the hell did white-gold mean!?
"Could it be that Xiao Yan went and obtained a Ten-Year Soul Ring to save me, and the Soul Ring mutated!?"
Yu Tianming became increasingly certain.
He had been poisoned by a Titled Douluo-level miasma.
How could a child without a Soul Ring possibly cure that poison!?
The only possibility was that Xiao Yan had wanted to strengthen himself to save him, and had absorbed a Ten-Year Soul Ring without hesitation.
In the end, he had relied on the Heavenly Flames to obtain an immortal herb and save him...
His First Soul Ring had become a Ten-Year Soul Ring...
The blow this dealt to a Soul Master could be said to be infinitely great.
It had all but restricted his future!
"Xiao Yan! I've wronged you!"
Snot and tears streaming down his face, Old Yu threw himself straight at Xiao Yan.
"Brother Yan, don't worry. Even if you have no future and become a cripple!"
"I'll take care of you in your old age!"
"I have one granddaughter left, and she's gorgeous as hell. Perhaps I can give her to you in marriage!"
Xiao Yan opened his eyes. "Really!?"
(End of chapter)