Chapter 167: Ultimate Power

Just as Yang Xiong was Body Tempering within the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye, the outside world was also in an uproar.

In a resplendent golden hall somewhere in the Spirit Hall, countless people with extremely strong auras were present, and the atmosphere was clearly very tense.

At the very center, on the massive throne, sat a woman who looked exceedingly noble; she was none other than Pope Bibidong.

All those seated below were Elders of the Spirit Hall, and those standing were Archbishops in red robes, each possessing at least Soul Douluo‑level strength.

A flamboyant man clad in golden armor saluted Pope His Holiness and said, "Your Holiness, based on the latest reports, we have found numerous corpses of Elephant Armor Sect disciples in Sunset Forest; because of the forest's conditions, only fragments of a few bodies remain, and the exact cause of death cannot be investigated."

Bibidong's expression turned solemn: "What about Hu Yanzhen? Last time he merely feigned a strike; no one should have deliberately targeted him. Moreover, with Hu Yanzhen at Level 89, aside from a Title Douluo, no one should be able to deal with him. Even in Sunset Forest, there shouldn't be a Soul Beast strong enough to kill Hu Yanzhen."

The flamboyant man was Ju Douluo Yue Guan, also Bibidong's most devoted follower.

Ju Douluo said, "Our investigation shows that Yu Yuanzhen, as well as the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, have all been within their sects during this period, so they are unlikely to have acted against Hu Yanzhen."

"However, the Elephant Armor Sect has had terrible luck these years; originally they were attacked by two massive Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, and now Hu Yanzhen has vanished without a trace in Sunset Forest, likely also due to a Soul Beast attack."

Everyone's mouth twitched at these words; the Elephant Armor Sect was indeed unlucky, as these top‑tier Soul Beasts seemed to target them specifically—last time they lost several Soul Douluo, and this time even the Sect Leader disappeared.

Ju Douluo continued, "Now the upper echelons of the Elephant Armor Sect have lost eighty percent of their strength, which will likely affect their support for us and may even jeopardize their own standing; with their current top‑level power, they can no longer sustain the status of the lower four sects."

Bibidong's face grew grim: "Regardless of anything, we must see the dead and the corpse. Elder Ju, you go to Sunset Forest yourself to investigate. Anything else?"

Ju Douluo's face showed a hint of hesitation, and finally he spoke helplessly: "Your Holiness, in recent years the lower four sects have developed very poorly; the Elephant Armor Sect has suffered heavy casualties, the Black Tiger Sect, Holy Dragon Sect, and Wind Sword Sect have faced suspicion and suppression from the Star Luo Empire's imperial family, and even some medium‑sized sects that secretly aligned with us have likewise been suppressed by the Star Luo Empire."

"Given the current situation, the lower four sects have been damaged to varying degrees; we wonder whether the Star Luo imperial family already knew in advance our intention to court the lower four sects."

Bibidong's face flushed with anger: "What a Xing Luo Da Di! I haven't even approached them, yet he dares to obstruct the development of the Spirit Hall—truly courting death."

Ju Douluo said, "His Holiness, given the current circumstances, the lower four sects' support for us will be very limited. Should we still continue our plan?"

Bibidong's face was filled with a cold glint: "Of course we must continue. If we don't eliminate these thorns in our eyes, our subsequent plans will still be affected."

"With the Spirit Hall's strength, even without the lower four sects' support, accomplishing the plan would still be a piece of cake."

……

The entire Soul Master World was in a boil, as many people seemed to be confirming the exact situation of the Elephant Armor Sect.

Whether it was Hu Yanzhen or the Elephant Armor Sect, they have always acted domineeringly and offended many; now that Hu Yanzhen is dead and the sect's strength has plummeted, many are ready to kick them when they're down.

……

Yang Xiong has been doing quite well lately in the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye; he either bathes in the spring to cultivate or tests his combat abilities by sparring with Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi.

Yang Wudi is essentially a battle maniac, whose lifelong hobbies are fighting and alchemy; he especially has unique insights into offense, and his Soul‑Breaking Gun, a top‑tier Tool Spirit, is extremely powerful.

Each time Yang Xiong and Yang Wudi clashed, Yang Xiong became more adept at offense.

Originally Yang Xiong had always cultivated fists, feet, and sword techniques, but now he is very interested in spear techniques.

If swordsmanship is light and incisive, spear technique is more rugged and domineering, forging ahead without hesitation, and its power may even be greater.

In terms of combat power, Yang Xiong still has a certain gap compared to Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi.

Yang Wudi's attacks are extremely swift, a completely reckless style; even when Yang Xiong faces him, he repeatedly suffers setbacks, and even his proud defenses are breached.

As for Dugu Bo, his poison cannot affect Yang Xiong, but Dugu Bo is both a strong‑attack type and a Control System type; a Soul Grandmaster like Yang Xiong who favors close‑range attacks is at a disadvantage, constantly left disheveled and even mocked.

Dugu Bo, that eccentric old man, is unusually annoyed by Yang Xiong; after each duel he always says something, leading to a quarrel that resembles two angry children.

Yang Xiong recently discovered a terrifying fact in the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye: his cultivation speed had actually slowed, and by a great margin.

Since absorbing the Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Ring Soul Bone, Yang Xiong feels his strength has surged, as if every movement is brimming with power, which is one reason he dares to confront Hu Yanzhen head‑on.

Yang Xiong's self‑created Yin Yang Meditation Method has become increasingly refined, its circulation speed ever faster, even generating endless flow within his body, allowing constant improvement at almost every moment.

However, conversely, the growth of Soul Power has slowed considerably; by Yang Xiong's cultivation rate, gaining four or five levels per year should be no problem, especially in the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye's icy‑fiery environment, where cultivation speeds up.

Yet Yang Xiong feels his Soul Power increase is like a turtle's—barely any progress in a month, lacking the lightning speed he had just after his Second Awakening.

Conversely, Yang Xiong feels his raw strength is continually growing; purely in terms of power, he may already surpass Dugu Bo, who is a Title Douluo, and normally anyone below a Title Douluo can be crushed.

Thus, after each duel, Dugu Bo mocks Yang Xiong's body as a monster, having never seen such a mismatch between raw strength and Soul Power.

Moreover, Yang Xiong discovered a peculiar phenomenon: the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye exerts a uniquely strong attraction on him, yet even when he exerts all his effort to dive deep into its core, some force seems to block his progress.

After countless attempts, Yang Xiong decided to give up, perhaps his Soul Power Level is insufficient to break through to the true core of the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye.

After staying in the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye for a full month and a half, Yang Xiong and Yang Wudi finally left, especially since Yang Wudi also needed to return to Cloud Mist Mountain to handle matters of the Po Yi Zu.

During this period, Yang Xiong studied his body, carefully reviewing various cases from the original text, and arrived at a conclusion.

After many years of continuously absorbing Power‑type Soul Rings, each beyond his level, with every ring far exceeding his body's limits, his body should now possess an ultimate strength attribute.

Thus, Yang Xiong's cultivation speed has recently become extremely slow, but correspondingly, his strength is increasing even faster.

After leaving the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye, Yang Xiong and Yang Wudi went their separate ways; Yang Wudi would handle the sect matters, while Yang Xiong planned to continue training outside, as he still had some affairs to deal with alone.

Yang Xiong first went to Heaven Dou City; now less than a year remains before the so‑called Soul Hunting Operation, and many things must be prepared in advance, or at least some pre‑deployment arranged, otherwise once the operation begins, everything will be extremely tight with no room for handling.

After arriving in Heaven Dou City, Yang Xiong went straight to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's residence.

When he reached the Crown Prince's mansion, the guards were extremely strict, but that meant little to Yang Xiong, who had come many times following Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong, and was already familiar with the place.

Yang Xiong produced Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's token, and was immediately ushered inside the mansion.

In the reception hall, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe still appeared calm and untroubled, as if nothing in the outside world affected him.

Xue Qinghe laughed, "Yang Xiong, my junior, why do you have time to visit my mansion today? I recall it's been three years since you last came to see me."

Yang Xiong smiled, "Brother Qinghe, I'm truly sorry; I've been extremely busy lately, I just returned from training outside, and I came straight here to the Crown Prince's mansion to see you."

Xue Qinghe said, "Seems you miss me quite a bit; this visit isn't because the teacher arranged something, right? Otherwise you wouldn't come alone to my mansion."

Yang Xiong shook his head, "This has nothing to do with the Sect Leader; I just have some personal matters and wanted to see you."

Xue Qinghe looked puzzled, "That's odd; is there anything in this world that can truly trouble you? You and I are brothers; just say whatever you have."

After a moment of silence, Yang Xiong spoke, "Brother Qinghe, I'd like to borrow something from you; with your status, it should be a piece of cake."

Xue Qinghe replied, "No problem; the teacher has cultivated me many times, and you're also the teacher's closest person. I'll do my best to fulfill what I can."

Yang Xiong didn't hesitate: "I've heard the Han Hai Qian Kun Dome of the Heaven Dou Empire is shrouded in mystery; could I borrow it for a look?"

Xue Qinghe's expression changed instantly: "You want to borrow the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure, the Han Hai Qian Kun Dome? That's unlikely; the Dome is too special, guarded personally by the Emperor himself— even I, the Crown Prince, cannot obtain it."

Yang Xiong smiled, "Brother Qinghe, you're being too modest. In the Heaven Dou Empire, you are second only to the Emperor, truly a distinguished Crown Prince; what could you not have access to?"

Xue Qinghe shook his head: "Yang Xiong, you flatter me. I am only the heir, and I should be even clearer that the Crown Prince's position is extremely delicate; even before the Father Emperor, I could not say much."

"Moreover, the Hanhai Cosmic Dome is of great importance; if you truly wish to borrow it, it would be best to invite my teacher. Given the relationship between the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Father Emperor should be willing to lend it."

Yang Xiong internally sneered at this impostor Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, wondering whether this fellow truly regarded himself as the Crown Prince, yet still defended the Heaven Dou Imperial Family so fervently.

(End of chapter)