A One-Incense-Stick Wager: The Primordial World's Answer

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Dugu Bo's oppressive aura arrived even faster than Nan Feng had anticipated.

Nan Feng stood at the edge of the Yin Yang Well, the Tower Realm was in motion, and a layer of light film formed on the cyan-gold barrier.

The oppressive force pierced through the air at the bottom of the valley, pressing down on the soul.

That feeling was different from the killing intent in the Slaughter City. The killing intent in the Slaughter City was violent and disorderly, like a flood washing over the soul. Dugu Bo's pressure was pure and concentrated, like a fine needle piercing the surface of the soul, probing to the deepest part.

The Nan Feng neither receded nor sealed the soul, allowing that Soul Power to roam freely.

Dugu Bo's expression changed. For the first time, a crack appeared on his old face. His brows furrowed, and the corners of his mouth curved into a deeper smile. The sharpness in his eyes turned into shock.

"Your soul..."

The sound came from the other end of the valley, hoarse and somber.

"He's different from that brat surnamed Tang." Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, probing deeper with his Soul Power.

"That brat's soul has the aura of a strange cultivation technique. Whether it's the Mysterious Heaven Skill or something like that, I don't care. But your soul—"

"There is a power within your soul that I have never seen before. It is ancient, even more ancient than Soul Power. Chaotic, primordial, and untamed by any system."

"Like Core Flame sealed within a stone from ancient times."

The Nan Feng remained still.

Dugu Bo's Soul Power circled once more on the surface of his soul, stopping at the outer edge of the Primordial World Imprint.

The brand, like a sleeping star, flashed briefly.

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted, and his body froze on the rock.

His Soul Power abruptly withdrew, as if it had been struck by a scorching hot iron. He took a half step back, and pebbles tumbled down beneath his feet.

"That thing in your soul..." he said, each word seemingly ground out from between his teeth, "What is it?"

The Nan Feng did not answer.

The Nan Feng spoke, its voice flat.

"Senior, I didn't come here to steal the Immortal Herb."

Dugu Bo chuckled, but his lips were slightly stiff.

"Not here to steal the Immortal Herb? Then what are you doing here? Just sightseeing?"

"We're here to gamble," Nan Feng said.

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes.

What are we betting on?

"I bet I can withstand your poisonous fog for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," Nan Feng said, his voice steady.

"If I lose, you can do whatever you want with the Immortal Herb; leave without touching a single one. If I win, let me pick the Immortal Herb, including that Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus."

Dugu Bo stared at him as if he were a madman.

"You, a mere Soul Elder, can withstand my poison?" His tone was laced with absurd laughter. "Even Titled Douluo wouldn't dare stand in my poisonous mist for more than ten breaths, and you, a mere..."

His gaze swept across the Tower Realm.

The Soul Power swept over again, lighter and more cautious, like a hunter assessing the depth of a trap.

He sensed the Primordial World Power flowing within the Tower Realm, like a lamp in the darkness.

"Your tower Martial Soul," he said, "Contains the aura of a god. Very faint, yet it's the very essence of God Level. Where did you obtain it?"

The Nan Feng did not answer.

Are you willing to bet?

Dugu Bo stared at him for a long time.

His gaze swept from the Nan Feng to the Immortal Herb, and then back to that Primordial World Imprint.

His expression shifted. From mockery to scrutiny, then to complexity. Beneath it lay greed, as well as vigilance and hesitation.

He had lived to be eighty or ninety years old and spent most of his life in the Soul Master World. He had never seen a young person with God Level origin in their soul.

That power was more than an era older than his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. Its aura reminded him of fragments in ancient texts, legends about the ancient world before its destruction.

"What's your name?" Dugu Bo suddenly asked.

"Nan Feng."

"Nan Feng." Dugu Bo pondered these two words, then suddenly smiled. A spark of interest ignited in his eyes.

"Okay. I'll take the bet."

Nan Feng nodded. He retracted the Tower Realm to the surface of his soul, leaving only the most basic defense. With his back to the heat waves of the Fire Spring and his face to the cold air of the Ice Spring, he hung his arms on his knees with his palms facing up.

"You set the rules," Nan Feng said.

Dugu Bo walked to the center of the valley and stood still.

With his right palm facing upwards, a dark green mist rose and condensed into a dark green cloud.

"One incense stick's time," Dugu Bo said. "The poisonous fog is controlled within a radius of ten steps. You sit there without moving. If you're still alive after one incense stick's time, you win. If you can't hold on, shout 'I surrender,' and I'll withdraw the poison. Just hold on until you pass out—"

He paused for a moment, then a smile curved his lips.

"Then I can only assume you've lost."

The Nan Feng nodded.

Dugu Bo made a grasping motion with his left hand, and a stick of incense appeared at his fingertip. He flicked his finger and lit it.

"Start."

Dugu Bo clenched his right fist. Dark green poisonous mist exploded from his palm and spread in all directions.

It spread extremely quickly, but its range was precisely controlled, forming a barrier ten steps away from which it was never crossed.

The poisonous fog overwhelmed the Nan Feng.

The first layer of the Tower Realm shattered the moment it touched the surface. The basic defenses were like paper windows against the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison's venom, completely corroded away in three breaths.

The toxic mist felt cold and stinging on the skin, like fine needles pricking the pores.

The poisonous mist seeped into the veins through the skin and traveled throughout the body via the bloodstream. In an instant, the lips turned dark purple, the nails turned black, and the veins on the forehead bulged.

The second level of the Tower Realm unfolded automatically, and cracked within ten breaths.

The third layer of the Tower Realm was operating at full power, and the light membrane fluctuated violently. The golden filter of Primordial World Power kept rotating, absorbing and transforming the corrosive components.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison carries the Soul Power of a Title Titled Douluo; every bit of its poisonous mist is enough to render Soul Saint- level Soul Master incapable of fighting.

The meridians of the Nan Feng spasmed under its scouring. The internal organs felt as if they were being squeezed, and every breath brought a burning pain.

Dugu Bo stood ten steps away, his arms crossed over his chest.

The incense stick had burned less than a fifth of its length. He stared at the Nan Feng as if he were observing an experimental subject.

He sensed it.

Deep within Nan Feng's soul, the Primordial World Imprint shone brightly under the stimulation of the poisonous fog.

Golden light radiated outward from the Soul Core, flowing upstream along the meridians, colliding with the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, and devouring each other.

The Primordial World Power swallowed the chaotic components in the poisonous fog, transforming them into its own energy, which turned into tiny golden specks of light and flowed back into the dantian.

The excessively violent parts were rejected, forced along the meridians towards the skin, and bounced back into the poisonous mist.

Nan Feng's body relaxed in the golden light. His lips changed from dark purple to light purple, the black on his nails faded, and his breathing became steady and deep.

The light membrane at the third level of the Tower Realm stabilized again.

"What is that?" His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

He didn't stop. The concentration of the poisonous fog increased again, turning the dark green into almost black.

The incense stick was half-burnt.

The Tower Realm of the Nan Feng fluctuated violently again, and new cracks appeared on the third layer of light film.

The speed at which the Primordial World Power was being converted couldn't keep up with the corrosive effects of the poisonous mist. His meridians spasmed again, more severely than before, accompanied by a tearing pain.

Nan Feng remained still. His back was straight, his arms hung at his knees, palms facing up. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was labored but rhythmic.

A stream of Power of Creation seeped from the crack in the doorway of the third level of the tower, repairing the meridian walls damaged by the poisonous mist.

The incense stick had burned down to two-thirds of its original length.

Dugu Bo's expression changed completely. He lowered his arms, took a step forward, and then stopped.

He stared at the increasingly bright golden brand. His expression changed from indifference to shock, and then to as if he had been struck by something.

"That is..." His lips moved, but he didn't utter a complete sentence.

The incense stick had burned down to three-quarters of its length.

Nan Feng's body tensed up once again. The concentration of the poisonous fog was approaching the limit that his Soul Power could withstand.

The Power of Creation was operating at full capacity, and the speed of repair barely offset the speed of damage.

His meridian walls became thinner and more brittle under the corrosive effects of the poisonous mist. Each time his Primordial World Power repaired them, it reinforced the meridian walls with a layer, making them even more resilient than before.

The incense sticks burned out.

The wisps of smoke dissipated within the Spiritual Power of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Dugu Bo withdrew his right hand, and the poisonous mist dissipated within ten steps.

The air at the bottom of the valley cleared up again, leaving only the chill of the icy spring and the heat of the fiery spring.

Nan Feng sat on the stone platform and opened her eyes. Her face was pale and her lips were slightly purple.

He looked down at his palm. A very fine golden line on his palm was fading.

He stood up, but his legs were weak, and he couldn't stand.

Dugu Bo remained silent for a long time.

His gaze moved from Nan Feng's face to the depths of his soul, and then to that golden pattern.

His lips moved a few times.

Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse.

What power resides in your soul?

Nan Feng looked at him without looking away.

"Primordial World."

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted, and his body leaned back as if he had been pushed.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat. He lowered his head, his hands clenching and unclenching.

Much later, Dugu Bo raised his head. The look in his eyes was different now. The indifference and scrutiny were gone, replaced by an expression that Nan Feng couldn't decipher.

"You win," Dugu Bo said, his voice much softer than before. "You can pick the Immortal Herb. You can also take the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus."

He paused for a moment.

"But you have to tell me, what exactly is that power in your soul?"

Nan Feng looked at him.

Dugu Bo stood amidst the Immortal Herb, his figure slightly hunched.

"You've guarded this place for thirty years," Nan Feng said, "Not just for these Immortal Herb, right?"

Dugu Bo did not answer.

His clenched hand loosened.