Chapter 166: Ultimate Power
While Yang Xiong was refining his body in the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well, the outside world was in an uproar.
In a grand and magnificent hall somewhere in the Spirit Hall, there were numerous individuals with incredibly strong auras. It was clear that the atmosphere was tense.
At the very center, sitting on a massive throne, was an extremely noble-looking woman—this was none other than the Pope, Bibi Dong.
Sitting beneath her were all the elders of the Spirit Hall, and standing were the Cardinals, all at least of the Soul Douluo rank.
A flamboyant man dressed in golden armor bowed to Pope Bibi Dong and reported, "Your Holiness, according to the latest information, we have found the bodies of several Elephant Armored Sect disciples in the Sunset Forest. However, due to the environment of the Sunset Forest, only a small portion of the bodies remain, and the exact cause of death is undetermined."
Bibi Dong's expression turned serious. "Where is Huyan Zhen? Last time, he was only pretending to retreat; there shouldn't be anyone targeting him specifically. Moreover, with Huyan Zhen's strength at rank 89, no one below Title Douluo should be able to defeat him. If he was in the Sunset Forest, there shouldn't be a soul beast strong enough to kill him."
The flamboyant man was none other than Ju Douluo Yueguan, one of Bibi Dong's most loyal followers.
Yueguan responded, "After our investigation, we found that both Yu Yuan Zhen and Sword Douluo, as well as Bone Douluo, have been within their sects during this time. They couldn't have acted against Huyan Zhen."
"But the Elephant Armored Sect has had very bad luck in recent years. They were attacked by two ten-thousand-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest. Now, Huyan Zhen has gone missing in the Sunset Forest, most likely also attacked by a soul beast."
The others in the room couldn't help but twitch their mouths. The Elephant Armored Sect seemed to be cursed, with these top-tier soul beasts always targeting them. Last time, they lost many Soul Douluos, and now their Sect Leader had disappeared.
Ju Douluo continued, "Now, with the high-ranking members of the Elephant Armored Sect lost, their support for us will likely be affected. It might even affect their position in the future. With their current top-tier strength, they can no longer maintain their place among the Four Lower Sects."
Bibi Dong's face darkened. "No matter what, we must see the body. Yueguan, you personally go to the Sunset Forest to investigate. Is there anything else?"
Yueguan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "Your Holiness, in recent years, the Four Lower Sects have had a lot of trouble. The Elephant Armored Sect has suffered heavy casualties, and the Black Tiger Sect, Saint Dragon Sect, and Wind Sword Sect have all been suppressed by the Star Luo Empire. Some smaller sects secretly aligned with them have also been suppressed."
"Looking at the current situation, the strength of the Four Lower Sects has been significantly weakened. I wonder if the Star Luo Empire already knew about our attempts to ally with the Four Lower Sects."
Bibi Dong's face grew dark with fury. "That Star Luo Emperor! I haven't gone looking for them, but I didn't expect him to dare obstruct the development of Spirit Hall. He's practically seeking his own death."
Yueguan said, "Your Holiness, given the current situation, the support of the Four Lower Sects will be very limited. Should we continue with our plans?"
Bibi Dong's face became cold with murderous intent. "Of course, we must continue. If we don't eliminate these eyesores, our subsequent plans will be affected."
"Even without the support of the Four Lower Sects, with the strength of Spirit Hall, completing the plan will be an easy task."
…
The entire soul master world was in turmoil. It seemed many were confirming the situation with the Elephant Armored Sect.
Whether it was Huyan Zhen or the Elephant Armored Sect, they had always acted dominantly, offending many people. Now that Huyan Zhen was dead and the Elephant Armored Sect's strength had been greatly weakened, many were preparing to take advantage of the situation.
…
Recently, Yang Xiong had been enjoying his time in the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well. He either soaked in the spring to refine his body or tested his combat abilities by sparring with Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi.
Yang Wudi was a combat enthusiast, with his whole life revolving around fighting and refining medicine. He had an extraordinary understanding of offensive strategies, and his Breaking Soul Spear was a top-tier weapon soul, with immense power.
After every battle with Yang Wudi, Yang Xiong felt that he had become much more proficient in his offensive techniques.
Yang Xiong had always practiced his fist techniques and swordplay, but now he found himself interested in spearmanship.
While swordplay emphasized agility and sharpness, spearmanship was even more forceful and dominating, advancing unrelentingly, and perhaps even more powerful.
In terms of combat strength, Yang Xiong still had a gap compared to Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi.
Yang Wudi's attacks were extremely fast and reckless. Even when Yang Xiong fought him, he had often found himself at a disadvantage. His once proud defense had also been broken by Yang Wudi.
As for Dugu Bo, while his poisons couldn't affect Yang Xiong, Dugu Bo was both an offensive and control-type expert. Yang Xiong, as a soul master focused on close-range combat, had often found himself overwhelmed by Dugu Bo. He was frequently left embarrassed and mocked.
Dugu Bo's eccentric personality made him very annoyed with Yang Xiong. After every spar, he would always say something, and the two would end up in a heated argument, almost like two quarrelsome children.
Recently, Yang Xiong had discovered something terrifying in the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well—his cultivation speed had slowed down significantly, and a lot more than before.
Since absorbing the ten-thousand-year soul ring and soul bones, Yang Xiong felt his strength had increased greatly. His every movement seemed to be filled with power, which was one of the reasons why he was confident enough to face Huyan Zhen head-on.
The Yin-Yang Meditation technique he had created had become more refined and was operating at a faster speed. It continuously improved his body, almost constantly making progress.
However, in contrast, his soul power growth had slowed down tremendously. Under normal circumstances, Yang Xiong would be able to level up by four to five levels in a year, especially in the environment of the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well, which would speed up his cultivation.
But now, Yang Xiong felt as though his soul power increased like a turtle, barely advancing even in a month. It was nowhere near as fast as when he had undergone his second awakening.
But in contrast, Yang Xiong felt his strength was growing rapidly. In terms of pure strength, he had already surpassed Dugu Bo. After all, Dugu Bo was a Title Douluo, someone who could normally crush those below the Title Douluo level.
This made Dugu Bo complain every time they sparred, saying Yang Xiong's body was like a monster, with strength and soul power that were disproportionate to each other.
Yang Xiong had also noticed something strange: the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well seemed to have a special attraction to him. But even though he exerted all his efforts to dive deeper into the depths of the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well, a force seemed to be preventing him from advancing.
After countless attempts, Yang Xiong decided to give up, perhaps because his soul power level wasn't high enough to break through to the true core of the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well.
After spending a month and a half in the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well, Yang Xiong and Yang Wudi finally left, especially since Yang Wudi needed to go back to Yunwu Mountain to handle matters with the Breaking Sect.
After spending this time studying his body, especially by reviewing the original story, Yang Xiong came to a conclusion.
After so many years of continuously absorbing strength-type soul rings, especially ones that were above his level, his body had surpassed its limits, and his body should now possess the ultimate strength attribute.
That's why his cultivation speed had recently slowed down, but the increase in strength was happening at an accelerated pace.
After leaving the Ice Fire Yin-Yang Well, Yang Xiong separated from Yang Wudi, letting him handle sect affairs while he continued his own training, especially since there were still some matters he needed to handle alone.
Yang Xiong first went to Heaven Dou City. With less than a year left before the Soul Hunting operation, there were many things to prepare in advance. He needed to plan ahead, or else once the Soul Hunting operation began, things would become very tight, and there would be no room to deal with them.
Arriving in Heaven Dou City, Yang Xiong went straight to Prince Xue Qinghe's mansion.
When he arrived at the Prince's residence, the security was extremely tight, but for Yang Xiong, it was nothing. He had visited many times with Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong, so he was familiar with the way.
He immediately took out Prince Xue Qinghe's token and was promptly invited into the mansion.
In the reception room, Prince Xue Qinghe still looked as calm as ever, as if nothing in the outside world affected him.
Xue Qinghe smiled, "Young Brother Yang Xiong, what brings you to my mansion today? It's been three years since you last visited me."
Yang Xiong smiled, "Brother Qinghe, I'm sorry. I've been so busy lately. I've just returned from training, so I came straight here to visit you."
Xue Qinghe said, "Seems like you really missed me. You're not here because of some arrangement from the teacher, are you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to my mansion alone."
Yang Xiong shook his head, "This time, it's not related to the Sect Leader. I have some personal matters to discuss with you."
Xue Qinghe looked puzzled, "That's strange. What could possibly trouble you? You're like a brother to me. If you have something to say, just speak your mind!"
Yang Xiong hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Brother Qinghe, I'd like to borrow something from you. Given your status, it should be easy for you."
Xue Qinghe replied, "Feel free to ask, I owe a lot to the teacher, and you're the closest to him. Anything I can do, I'll try my best."
Yang Xiong didn't hesitate, "I've heard that the Hanhai Qiankun Dome of the Heaven Dou Empire is quite mysterious. May I borrow it for a look?"
Xue Qinghe's face changed immediately, "You want to borrow the Hanhai Qiankun Dome? That's probably not possible. It's a national treasure, personally guarded by my father. Even I, the Crown Prince, cannot obtain it."
Yang Xiong smiled, "Brother Qinghe, you're too humble. In the Heaven Dou Empire, you're second only to the Emperor. What is it that you can't access?"
Xue Qinghe shook his head, "Young Brother Yang, you overestimate me. I'm just the Crown Prince. The position of a prince is very delicate. Even in front of my father, I can't say much."
"Moreover, the Hanhai Qiankun Dome is of great importance. If you really want to borrow it, you should have the teacher come instead. With the relationship between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Royal Family, my father might be willing to lend it to you."
Yang Xiong couldn't help but sneer internally at the fake prince, Xue Qinghe. Did this guy really think of himself as the prince? He was still so protective of the Heaven Dou Royal Family.
(END CHAPTER)
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