Chapter 48: A Treasure—An Absolute Treasure!
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing felt a burst of soul power beside her. Turning eagerly, she exclaimed, "Sister, you've broken through!"
"Yes, thirty-eight!" Zhu Zhuyun smiled with delight. "All those successive duels have condensed my soul power. I lost all track of time while cultivating just now—and finally broke through the barrier."
Her progress astonished even herself. Among the Zhu family's younger generation, she was already the fastest cultivator. Now she was one step closer to surpassing everyone.
Her eyes sparkled. Davis is one year older... his soul power is thirty-nine now. At this pace, I'll overtake him soon.
As Zhu Zhuyun's breakthrough spread through her meridians, the energy within Dugu Feng's implanted bead stirred, greedily absorbing a portion of her surge.
That bead's energy now exceeded that of the other three.
But the bead's wonder didn't end there.
The four beads began to rotate gently, and for an instant, space itself seemed to ripple around them.
Energy flowed between them—redistributed evenly, defying distance as equilibrium was reestablished.
Dugu Feng froze in astonishment.
When he had only two beads, their energy always grew together—never separate. But that made sense; they'd been close, contained within his body.
Now there were four—scattered, miles apart—and yet this mysterious connection still linked them perfectly.
"A treasure… A treasure beyond measure!"
His eyes gleamed in the night like polished gemstones.
It truly was a treasure.
Evolving, absorbing, sharing power across distance—it was alive.
"Go on, evolve faster," he whispered to himself. "I need more. Show me your power."
With newfound excitement burning in his veins, Dugu Feng began his journey northward.
He crossed the vast and populated plains of Lima, scattered with towns, farmsteads, and golden fields. But as he pushed further, the landscape shifted—rolling hills replacing fertile plains, population thinning with every passing mile.
After several days, he climbed a lofty mountain ridge.
Beyond it, the world changed—bitter cold wind swept through sparse, stunted trees. Lush forests gave way to scraggly woodlands, frost glinting on the leaves.
"Three whole days without seeing another soul," Dugu Feng muttered, half in awe, half resigned. "So this must be the wilderness your training spoke of."
"Indeed," came Old Scorpion's raspy voice beside him. "From here, Young Master, your true test begins."
The land spread before them like an endless prairie, dotted with stubby trees. From their branches, strange birds cawed while unseen beasts prowled below.
"It's dangerous here," Old Scorpion warned. "Stay in Martial Soul possession at all times. I'll be watching from the shadows, but unless your life is in peril, I won't intervene."
With a faint smirk, he vanished.
Dugu Feng frowned slightly. "Dangerous? But from whom—man or beast?"
He trusted Old Scorpion's instincts nonetheless.
Activating his soul power, he took in his surroundings with heightened senses.
Serpent. Rabbit. Wolf.
The aura of life shimmered around him—ordinary animals interspersed with faint traces of stronger energy signatures.
So the danger must lie with soul beasts.
He continued cautiously, capturing smaller creatures into his storage guide as he went.
By nightfall, nothing had yet attacked.
But the silence itself spoke of a lurking threat.
The calmer things seemed, the closer death usually hid.
"Graaawk!"
A piercing cry split the dusk sky. Dugu Feng snapped his head up—just in time to see a massive bird diving toward him.
His pupils shrank. "A Serpent King Eagle! So that's what Old Scorpion meant by danger!"
There was nowhere to hide—flat grassland all around.
The eagle's keen eyes glowed crimson, capable of spotting prey miles away. It specialized in snakes—the natural nemesis of all serpentine soul beasts.
And now, with his Jade Phosphor Serpent aura active... he must have looked delicious.
Its wingspan stretched three meters, feathers shimmering bronze—a three-thousand-year soul beast at least.
Its long, powerful legs gleamed with tough brown scales, like armor plates fitted to spears.
Dugu Feng tensed as blasting wind currents whipped around him. Every hair on his body stood upright.
Instinct alone saved him.
"Twelve Fingers of the Jade Phosphor!"
Twelve bolts of violet light shot forth—aimed straight at the eagle's eyes.
Years of daily practice had honed his soul skill to reflex. The poisonous rays tore through the air faster than a blink.
But speed was the Serpent King Eagle's pride.
With almost no movement of its huge wings, it shifted mid-dive, dodging the first volley flawlessly.
Dugu Feng didn't hesitate. Another twelve strikes followed, even as he retreated to lengthen the distance.
The eagle landed hard, talons gouging deep scars into the dirt.
"Graaawk!"
Its shriek was deafening. It flung its wings wide in a show of deadly grace.
Dodging each strike, it surged forward, its twin legs like storming blades. Its talons glistened coldly, pure killing intent emanating from every motion.
"What incredible movement..." Dugu Feng muttered. "No serpent could ever escape those claws."
Cursing under his breath, he changed tactic.
His pinkies flared with twin streaks of light that met midair—colliding violently before the eagle's path.
The explosion released a cloud of thick violet mist.
And within that haze, two dark-green streaks streaked out—his Nine-Segment Emerald Snakes, now two-thousand-year soul beasts themselves.
Swift as arrows, they dived into the serpent eagle's spread wings, hidden by the poison fog.
Dugu Feng's first ring glowed fiercely. "Jade Phosphor Violet Poison!"
A purple storm erupted around him, engulfing the battlefield.
The eagle, startled by the sudden toxins, tried to pull back midrun—but the serpents struck true, sinking their fangs deep into its wings.
Immobilized, the beast could only thrash futilely before the full wave of the violet poison washed over it.
Moments later, its body stiffened and crashed heavily to the ground.
"Good. Stay down," Dugu Feng murmured, controlling the spread of his venom carefully. "Can't waste such fine meat."
He approached cautiously, studying the magnificent corpse. The huge bronze wings lay spread, its fierce eyes still glassy and wide, not yet dimmed.
It must never have imagined dying at the fangs of its own prey's kin.
"Heh. Grilled eagle wings tonight, then."
With a nod, he signaled; the Emerald Snakes emerged from the feathers, coiling happily around his wrists, their ruby eyes gleaming with pride.
They seemed to be showing off their achievement.
Reflecting on the fight, Dugu Feng realized the turning point had been when his pinky blasts collided—creating a mini zone of concentrated Jade Phosphor Poison, just as he had against Heitian back in Suoto.
Each of the twelve finger strikes coursed through different paths in his meridians—each produced a subtly unique rhythm and force.
His pinky's energy was erratic, unpredictable—while the thumb and middle finger generated tremendous, crushing bursts.
"I see now," he murmured. "Every finger carries its own truth. That's the next step of mastery."
Excited, he rehearsed the Twelve Fingers again, refining and testing each variation.
Hidden in the distance, Old Scorpion smiled wryly.
He had thought the three-thousand-year soul beast might finally threaten the young master—but Dugu Feng had handled it with terrifying ease.
Two battles now—against men in Suoto and beasts here—had proven it beyond doubt.
The boy had already perfected the second stage of his Jade Phosphor Poison technique.
Twin-finger strikes like drawn swords—that was only the beginning.
Now, each finger carried its own essence, each movement fluid and alive.
So monstrous a talent left Old Scorpion both proud and helpless.
"Truly... I'll never get a chance to act," he sighed quietly.
(END CHAPTER)
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