External Soul Bone: Void Divine Eye (II)
His pupils also changed; the original deep black faded, turning into a clear light blue halo, with faint starlight flowing within them.
Wherever his gaze swept, every spatial fluctuation in the air was laid bare, even the trajectory of light refraction was clearly revealed to his senses. Just standing there quietly gave him a chilling feeling of being completely seen through.
"Brother Lin Chen, you're awake!"
When Xiao Wu saw him open his eyes, she immediately ran over, her face full of joy. But when she met his light blue eyes, she subconsciously paused for a moment, her steps slowing down by half a beat.
Those eyes were so special, like they held the entire galaxy, clear and deep, as if they could see through everything.
Just one glance from her made her feel as if all her actions and even her deepest thoughts had been read beforehand, and she felt inexplicably flustered.
"I'm fine."
Lin Chen's mind stirred, the mark between his brows slowly faded, his pupils returned to their original black, and his tone returned to its usual calm, "I'm sorry to have worried you."
"You brat..." Dugu Bo walked over, his brows furrowed, his tone still carrying a hint of shock and disbelief, "You actually fused with your Associated Soul Bone. This thing... I've only ever seen a few words about it in ancient texts, something like ' Void Divine Eye,' Space System External Soul Bone the brow. Its specific uses and evolution path are all vaguely described."
He paused, his gaze settling on Lin Chen's brow, his expression grave. "External Soul Bone are already one in ten thousand, and Space System perception-type ones are even rarer. But how far can such Soul Bone go, and how many taboos does it hold? No one can say for sure. I only have a superficial understanding and dare not make any rash conclusions."
Lin Chen nodded slightly and gently pressed his fingertips against his brow.
He had only achieved initial integration, feeling his perception was infinitely enhanced, able to detect subtle tremors in the surrounding space. However, he had only a vague understanding of how much power the Divine Eye still possessed and how it could coordinate with the Chaos Pearl.
"Thank you for informing me, senior. But now is not the time to delve deeper." Lin Chen withdrew his hand, his tone calm. "The Soul Ring has just been absorbed, and the Soul Bone has only been initially fused. The foundation is unstable, and forcing an investigation could easily lead to problems. Let's go back and stabilize our cultivation first, and then study it slowly once everything has settled down."
Dugu Bo nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's right. A 50,000-year Soul Ring and Associated Soul Bone both require time to nurture and mature; they can't be rushed. We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's Sunset Forest first. You should stabilize your cultivation level and thoroughly refine and return the Soul Ring and Soul Bone to their proper places. We can discuss the rest when we get back."
He didn't say anything more about the Soul Bone —something that even ancient books didn't record clearly, so discussing it now would only be speculation and could easily disturb Lin Chen's mind.
Lin Chen internally examined himself for a moment, absorbing the Five Ten Thousand Year Third Soul Ring. With the addition of the External Soul Bone, he directly broke through from a level 30 Soul Grandmaster to a level 35 Soul Elder, skipping five levels.
The Five Ten Thousand Year Third Soul Ring, the Soul Skill of Void Shift, and the External Soul Bone the Void Divine Eye.
This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest yielded far more than expected. He not only regained the cultivation he had sacrificed, but his strength also increased several times over.
"Let's go back." Dugu Bo nodded, said no more, and turned to lead the way.
After the three finished packing, Dugu Bo walked in front, his body slowly spreading out a green poisonous aura, causing the Soul Beast along the way to retreat.
Lin Chen followed behind, holding Xiao Wu's hand, a faint blue light occasionally flashing in his eyes.
He didn't deliberately activate the Divine Eye anymore, but simply let it slowly merge with his divine soul. Many vague perceptions would need to be sorted out and explored slowly after he returned.
The setting sun filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting dappled light.
Lin Chen walked behind, his gaze fixed on the direction of Sunset Forest.
Next, he will fulfill his promise to Dugu Bo and solve the poisoning problem that has plagued the Dugu Family for generations.
The night was as dark as ink, spreading across the layers of Sunset Forest.
It was late at night when the three returned from the Star Dou Great Forest.
The spring of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well churned with red and blue light, illuminating the valley in a half-light, half-dark.
Without delay, Lin Chen returned to the thatched hut and sat cross-legged in meditation. His gray and blue Soul Power flowed slowly around him, stabilizing the 50,000-year Soul Ring he had just absorbed, while simultaneously nurturing the Void Divine Eye between his brows.
He sat there for the entire night.
The next morning, before the morning mist had completely dissipated, the three of them stood on the flat rock beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
With a flick of his finger, Dugu Bo produced a small, black wooden box about an inch long in his palm.
The moment the lid was lifted, a chilling, poisonous aura wafted out, but it wasn't pungent; instead, it carried a strange, sweet fragrance.
Inside the box lay a snake skull the size of a human head, its entire body gleaming with a dark purple luster. Its surface was covered with fine snake scale patterns, and a scarlet venomous core was embedded between its eyebrows. The shimmering light revealed it to be a ten-thousand-year-old Medusa's Head Soul Bone.
"Medusa Head Soul Bone, which I hunted deep within the Star Dou Great Forest many years ago," Dugu Bo said calmly. "Ten thousand years of cultivation, poison attribute, with added mental impact. I originally intended to save it for Yanyan, but now I have no choice but to use it for now."
As he spoke, he took out another jade box. As soon as the lid was opened, a faint fragrance instantly wafted out, and just one whiff of it made one feel refreshed.
Inside was a wondrous flower, pure white, with petals layered like brocade, and a faint seven-colored halo emanating from its stamen—truly Aromatic Silk Beauty.
"This Aromatic Silk Beauty, capable of neutralizing all poisons and stabilizing the soul. There's only one of this kind near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that's the right age." Dugu Bo glanced at Lin Chen. "Kid, tell me, how do you plan to get it?"
Lin Chen stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the Soul Bone and the Immortal Herb. His tone was steady. "Senior's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison is a primordial poison etched into your bloodline, domineering and pure, deeply rooted in your internal organs and meridians; Medusa Poison is a Soul Bone poison, subtle and unpredictable, adept at seeping into the Soul Bone. The two have similar yet mutually antagonistic properties. By using the Aromatic Silk Beauty as a neutralizing agent, the two poisons can interact and gradually force out the scattered poison wandering in your bloodline."
He paused, then continued, "I used my Chaos Soul Power to guide all the turbulent toxins into the cavity of this Medusa Head Soul Bone, sealing it away to nourish the poison, and then slowly refine it with the spiritual energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. This was the first time I stored and channeled the poison."
"That's feasible." Dugu Bo nodded without further ado. "Let's begin."
He sat cross-legged in the center of the rock, picked up Medusa Head Soul Bone, and pressed it to his brow. With the activation of his Soul Power, the Soul Bone gradually transformed into a dark purple stream of light, slowly merging into his body along his brow.
"Um--"
Dugu Bo grunted, his brows furrowing suddenly.
The purplish-blue Medusa Poison spread from his Soul Bone, wandering along his meridians and colliding with his own emerald-green Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison.
The two deadly poisons, one yin and one yang, one soft and one hard, surged through his meridians instantly, like two venomous dragons writhing and tearing at his flesh. His face turned blue and purple, veins bulged on his forehead, and all the muscles in his body tensed slightly.