Seeking the Source in Poison: The Name of the Primordial World
--
When Dugu Bo's poisonous mist exploded, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well changed color.
Dark green mist surged from his palm, swirling within ten steps, becoming almost black. Every bit of this poisonous mist was enough to incapacitate Soul Saint- level Soul Master.
Where the fog shrouded the area, the air was swirled into vortexes, and even the Spiritual Power of the Yin Yang Well itself was forced to retreat to the sides.
Nan Feng sat cross-legged on the stone platform. The Tower Realm fully unfolded before the poisonous fog touched him, a cyan-gold light membrane enveloping him, and Primordial World Power spread out on the inner wall as a golden filter.
The moment the poisonous mist touched the Tower Realm, the first layer of shield shattered. The cyan-gold light membrane split open in the middle, and dark green seeped in, condensing into a greasy, dark film on his skin.
The toxins seeped into his pores and traveled along his meridians. In an instant, his lips turned dark purple, his nails turned black, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
The second layer of shield was added, twice as thick as the first, with a denser golden mesh.
The poisonous mist accumulated outside the shield, crashing like waves. Nan Feng heard a corrosive sound coming from the outer wall of the shield; it was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison gnawing at the Tower Realm.
Ten breaths later, cracks appeared in the second layer of the shield. The cracks spread outwards from the center, like the mud cracks at the bottom of a dried-up pond.
Nan Feng's meridians spasmed under the penetration of the poisonous fog. His internal organs felt as if they were being gripped by a hand, and every breath he took was accompanied by a burning pain.
The third layer of the Tower Realm was operating at full capacity. The lapis lazuli membrane was brighter than before, and the golden filter rotated, absorbing and transforming the corrosive components that had seeped in.
Dugu Bo's poison was too potent.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison suppressed the area with the Soul Power of Titled Douluo. The dark green mist piled up thicker and thicker outside the third-level Tower Realm, changing from light green to dark green, and then from dark green to almost black.
The corrosive components and the suppressive Soul Power combined, relentlessly battering the defensive line.
The Nan Feng's breath was rapid and shallow.
Within the meridians, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison was pushed towards the dantian. Primordial World Power surged from the dantian towards the ends of the meridians, and the two forces collided and devoured each other in every meridian.
Dugu Bo stood ten paces away, his arms crossed over his chest.
The incense stick had burned less than a fifth of its length.
He stared at Nan Feng as if he were examining an experimental subject.
A young man at the Soul Elder level survived the first layer of shattering and the second layer of cracking in the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison he unleashed at full power, surpassing many Soul Emperor.
His eyes remained calm. He had witnessed too many geniuses fall; the title of Poison Douluo was well-deserved. No matter how long this young man could hold on, he would eventually succumb to his fate.
Then he sensed it.
Deep within Nan Feng's soul, that dormant, Primordial World Imprint flickered to life under the stimulation of the poisonous fog.
Golden light radiated outward from the Soul Core, flowing upstream along the meridians, and directly encountered the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that had penetrated deep into the body.
The moment the two forces collided, Nan Feng's body tensed, and his bones cracked loudly.
The Primordial World Power did not confront the enemy head-on; it chose to devour them.
The golden light enveloped the chaotic components within the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, breaking them down, transforming them, and absorbing them. The refined portion transformed into tiny golden specks of light, flowing back into the dantian.
The excessively violent portion was repelled by the Primordial World Power, forced along the meridians towards the skin, and bounced back into the poisonous mist within the Tower Realm.
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 layer of the Tower Realm has stabilized again. The golden filter is now finer and more durable.
Dugu Bo lifted his eyelids.
"What is that?" The voice was very soft, as if talking to oneself.
He lowered his arms and leaned forward.
He sensed that golden mark. It possessed an ancient aura and a chaotic texture, like the primordial power before the creation of the world, like stars that had been dormant for billions of years being awakened.
He had lived to be eighty or ninety years old and had spent most of his life in the Soul Master World. He had never seen the aura of that mark in Nan Feng's soul before.
That power was more than an era older than Soul Power, like Core Flame sealed away before the ancient world shattered, dormant until awakened by the venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison.
Dugu Bo did not stop. The concentration of the poisonous fog increased again, turning a dark green almost black, swirling within ten steps.
He wanted to see more.
The incense stick was half-burnt.
The Tower Realm of the Nan Feng fluctuated violently again in the denser poisonous fog. New cracks appeared on the third layer of light membrane, deeper and denser than before.
The speed at which the Primordial World Power was being converted couldn't keep up with the speed of the erosion. 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 door on the third floor of the tower, repairing the meridian walls damaged by the poisonous mist.
Deep within his soul, the Primordial World Imprint continued to shine. Golden light surged forth wave after wave, each stronger than the last, stimulated by the poisonous fog.
The edges of the brand expanded outwards due to the erosion of the poisonous mist and the feedback from the Primordial World Power.
Like a star awakening, it uses its own gravity to pull the surrounding toxic fog into orbit, devouring, transforming, and releasing it.
The incense stick had burned down to two-thirds of its original length.
Dugu Bo took a step forward, then stopped.
He stared at the increasingly bright golden brand. His expression changed from indifference to shock, from shock to confusion, and finally to the look of someone who had been struck by something.
His lips moved a few times, but the words stuck in his throat.
"That is..." His voice was even lower than before.
His Soul Power probed towards the Nan Feng, more cautiously than before. When it touched the outer edge of the Primordial World Imprint, he felt a pressure he had never encountered before.
The pressure was heavier than any Soul Master he had ever faced. His Soul Power was like a stream meeting the sea in the face of the brand.
The Soul Power abruptly retreated, as if it had been struck by a scorching hot iron.
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 in the third layer 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 erosion. Each time the Primordial World Power repaired them, it reinforced the meridian walls with a layer, making them more resilient than before.
The patterns inside the tower rotated under the dual stimulation of the poisonous fog and the Primordial World Power, and the third door was pushed open a crack by the impact.
Behind the door lies the source of Power of Creation, its outline now prematurely revealed under the oppressive pressure of the poisonous fog.
Nan Feng sensed the outline. He was currently level 37, three levels away from level 40, and normally wouldn't have the power to push through that level.
The pressure from the poisonous fog and the reaction of the Primordial World Power caused the crack in the door to widen passively. It was like a wall being smashed open by a sledgehammer, with the power behind it seeping out.
The incense sticks burned out.
The last wisp of green smoke dissipated into the Spiritual Power of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Dugu Bo withdrew his right hand, and the dark green poisonous mist within ten steps dissipated, as if blown away by a gust of wind.
The air at the bottom of the valley cleared up again, leaving only the chill of the icy spring and the sweltering heat of the fiery spring.
Nan Feng sat on the stone platform and opened his eyes. His face was pale, his lips were slightly purple, and his breathing was steady.
He looked down at his palm. A very fine golden line was fading from his palm; it was the trace left by the transformation of Primordial World Power into poisonous mist.
He stood up, but his legs were weak, and he couldn't stand.
Dugu Bo stood ten steps away, silent for a long time.
His gaze shifted from Nan Feng's face and landed on the 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 slightly, 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.
The ashes of the incense sticks drifted in the Spiritual Power ice and fire, settling on the rocks at his feet.
After a long while, Dugu Bo raised his head. His expression had returned to normal, but the look in his eyes was different. The indifference and scrutiny were gone, replaced by an expression that Nan Feng couldn't understand.
"The Primordial World," he repeated, his voice much softer, "The legendary origin of the shattered ancient world? Are you sure?"
The Nan Feng nodded.
Dugu Bo remained silent for a long time.
The Yin Yang Well at the bottom of the valley churned between them. Ice dust and sparks rose and intertwined. The nine lotus seeds of the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus pulsated on the lotus pod.
Dugu Bo stood among the Immortal Herb, his thin figure more hunched than before.
Like someone who has been walking in the desert for too long, suddenly seeing an oasis.
"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? The complete one."
Nan Feng looked at him.
"You've guarded this place for thirty years," Nan Feng said, his voice steady, "Not just for these Immortal Herb, right?"
Dugu Bo did not answer.
His clenched hand loosened.