Chapter 34: Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye

Yang Xiong only glanced around the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan and left without hesitation.

Given Dugu Bo's current strength, killing me would be as easy as crushing an ant; if I truly encountered Dugu Bo, I would have no hope of survival.

This is Dugu Bo's lair; he might be watching me from the shadows, and if I show even a hint of interest, I could be killed and silenced, or at least arouse his suspicion and bring trouble upon myself later.

With my current strength I cannot breach the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan; only the Sword Bone Douluo would have a chance, but they don't know its value and wouldn't offend Dugu Bo for something unknown, and Yang Xiong is also reluctant to reveal the value of the Immortal Herb.

After leaving, Yang Xiong walked unnoticed toward Heaven Dou City, intending to continue training on one hand and to bide his time on the other.

In fact, Yang Xiong had already calculated the timing; in about a month it should be Emperor Xue Ye's eightieth birthday, the biggest event in the Heaven Dou Empire in the past half‑year.

It is said that to prepare for Emperor Xue Ye's eightieth birthday, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family has made various preparations, and the banquet will likely be unprecedentedly spectacular.

Especially, Emperor Xue Ye, to showcase the empire's prosperity, has widely invited people from all quarters; not only the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were invited, but even sects of all sizes across the Heaven Dou Empire received invitations.

According to Yang Xiong's estimate, this grand event will likely involve not only domestic sects but also the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire sending participants, since the Heaven Dou Empire is one of the two dominant empires on the continent and is the de jure ruler.

At such a moment, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's sole Title Douluo, Imperial Guest Minister Dugu Bo, must attend; otherwise they could not contend with the masters of the major forces, especially since the Spirit Hall is expected to send a Chrysanthemum Douluo.

Yang Xiong has been timing himself in Sunset Forest, hoping to locate the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan before then.

As for the ownership of the Immortal Herb inside, that thing wasn't planted by Dugu Bo; at most he only occupies it temporarily, and even he doesn't recognize it, so it can only be called ownerless.

Whether Tang San and the Shrek Seven Monsters will have any Immortal Herb issues later is beyond my concern.

In a sense, the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect are allies, yet throughout it seems Tang San has only sold Hidden Weapon to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect at a high price and done nothing else for them; even he sacrificed the Sword Bone Douluo to save him, making it the most costly deal the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect ever made.

……

In the following period, Yang Xiong continued training along the same path, occasionally battling low‑level Soul Beasts, but always with efficiency in mind; if he couldn't defeat a beast quickly, he would instantly escape via Teleportation.

That day, while Yang Xiong was fighting a thousand‑year‑old thousand‑jin ant, a terrifying aura flashed across the sky, as if a powerful being were approaching from above.

Yang Xiong felt this aura was extraordinary, unlike the auras of the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo he had previously encountered, and it carried a faint foul smell.

Having studied toxins for years, Yang Xiong recognized that this aura contained poison, especially since the pressure must come from a Title Douluo; if Dugu Bo were not targeting me, the poison alone would be unbearable.

Yang Xiong pretended not to notice and continued battling the thousand‑jin ant before him.

After a full half hour, once he confirmed Dugu Bo had retreated and would not return, Yang Xiong sped toward the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan.

By the current count, there are still three full days until Emperor Xue Ye's actual birthday, and this period is my only chance; otherwise I would have to wait a long time for another opportunity to enter.

To avoid Dugu Bo's suspicion, Yang Xiong deliberately trained at a location twenty kilometers away from the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan, to monitor Dugu Bo's movements without raising doubt.

When Yang Xiong returned to the outskirts of the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan, his eyes were blazing; before him lay the greatest treasure of the Douluo Shijie, especially since the owner had already left.

At that moment, Yang Xiong restrained his excitement and took out a very unusual set of armor from his body.

The armor splits in two at the chest, forged by Yang Xiong with a fortune; its entire body is made of deep‑sea sunken silver, and the joints are bound with the hide of a high‑grade Soul Beast—specifically the skin of a Yi Wan Nian ice‑crystal toad that Yang Xiong deliberately selected.

The ice‑crystal toad is reputed as the nemesis of all snake‑type Soul Beasts, unafraid of any snake venom; its hide exerts a special suppressive effect on the deadly poison of snake Soul Beasts.

Especially the helmet: besides the solid deep‑sea sunken silver helm, it is inlaid with a mysterious crystal stone, a treasure that resists deadly poison and can transmit light, though its visibility is relatively poor.

As a precaution, Yang Xiong coated the exterior of the entire armor early on with the ice‑crystal toad's toxin, forming an icy coating that can definitely counter Jade Phosphorus Snake venom.

Yang Xiong had already tested it at home; even when wearing the armor in his home swimming pool, he could move normally, having stayed in the pool for a full half hour without a single drop of water seeping in.

However, the armor's drawback is that it barely allows walking; the fingers cannot move. Visually it resembles a Blue Star astronaut, but with higher protection and poorer flexibility.

After donning the armor, Yang Xiong strapped a steel cable to his back; the cable is extremely thin and long, and its end features a sharp reverse hook.

With all preparations complete, he slowly began walking into the center of the poisonous fog.

Visibility in the poisonous fog was extremely poor, and there were even Poison Arrays set by Dugu Bo, but overall the dominant toxin was the ice‑fire poison of the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan.

As he progressed deeper into the fog, the ice‑crystal toad toxin coating on the armor seemed to melt away, and even the deep‑sea sunken silver armor could not endure the Poison Array's erosion for long.

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth; he could no longer worry about anything else and had to cross the Poison Array quickly, for if the armor fully melted, he would likely turn into a pool of blood.

After walking for several minutes, he finally reached a sheer cliff, and Yang Xiong distinctly sensed an even stronger ice‑fire aura emanating from below the cliff.

At that moment, Yang Xiong rejoiced, quickly using his soul power to hold the reverse hook at one end of the steel cable and forcefully embed it into the cliff, then he spun his arm around the cable several times and, using soul power, pulled the cable to descend slowly.

(End of Chapter)