Douluo: The Throne of Ice

Chapter 97 The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, Tens of Thousand-Year-Old Soul Beasts (1)

At noon, the sun blazed fiercely, and everything was laid out directly under the scorching sunlight, as if it had briefly lost its vitality. Even the bustling streets of Tiandou City seemed to quiet down a bit, with only the faint sounds of laughter and conversation coming from the small shops along the street.

The fountain by the roadside continued to spray water as always, but under the scorching sun, the rising water vapor quickly evaporated and disappeared without a trace.

After leaving Tiandou City, the group flew northeast of the city. After about several dozen kilometers, they noticed a large, lush forest from a distance.

After ten thousand years of development, much of the original Sunset Forest has disappeared, but fortunately it is still a Soul Hunting Forest, so the area is still quite large. However, the number and quality of the soul beasts in it are somewhat unsatisfactory.

In this forest, even the strongest soul beasts probably only have a thousand years of cultivation. Most soul beasts have a hundred or ten years of cultivation. The species are very diverse, but the quality is uniformly poor. However, because it is so close to Tiandou City, some soul beasts captured from other places are released here from time to time to maintain a barely sustainable ecological cycle.

Otherwise, it probably won't be long before the spirit beasts here become completely extinct, thus degenerating into an ordinary forest, which will eventually be developed by humans...

The four people were flying at an altitude of about one thousand meters. From this height, they easily spotted the thin layer of mist that covered the entire forest.

"That's miasma, a poisonous gas formed from the corpses of animals or plants that have died and been left unattended without being exposed to wind or rain. The toxicity of this stuff varies greatly, depending entirely on the cause of the miasma and the environment in which it is formed."

"The deeper we went into the Sunset Forest, the thicker the miasma became. Eventually, the miasma turned into seven colors, proving that its toxicity was enough to easily kill humans and even soul beasts."

Shu Yan said softly.

Xue Di released her spiritual power and instantly got a general idea of ​​the situation more than ten kilometers ahead.

"The deeper we go, the denser the multicolored miasma and marsh gas become. In the most concentrated areas, it's even distributed at an altitude of about 300 meters. Our target is there, isn't it?"

Shu Yan nodded and said softly:

"Yes, fly towards the place with the densest miasma. It should be a canyon now, with a drop of more than 300 meters. The outer perimeter is composed of tens of thousands of Azure Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers and Azure Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flowers forming an Azure Phosphorus Poison Array. Over the past ten thousand years, these Azure Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers and even Azure Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flowers have grown into plant-type soul beasts. They are also enhanced by Azure Phosphorus Serpent Venom, the most potent poison in the world. Although we have the Ultimate Ice Body Protection, which makes these toxins almost ineffective against us, it is still best to be careful."

Hyotei scoffed dismissively at this, then interjected:

"What are you worried about? Xue'er and I are here with you. Let alone any poison, even if seven or eight 100,000-year-old soul beasts came, they wouldn't be enough for us to fight. The ultimate ice can suppress all poisons, or rather, any ultimate attribute can completely suppress poisons that have not reached the ultimate level. With Xue'er and me here, you and Jiu Jiu can rest assured."

Hyotei's words may sound arrogant, but they are the truth.

Snow Empress's soul power surged in her hand, then transformed into an egg-sized, ice-blue, rhomboid ice crystal. Ice Empress, following suit, condensed a jade-green rhomboid ice crystal. She then took the one from Snow Empress's hand, smiled at Xu Jiujiu, and said with a playful laugh:

"Good girl, don't move around, okay? Let me add another layer of protection for you..."

After a long while, he smiled helplessly and let Hyotei integrate the two ice crystals into his body.

Two ice crystals entered her body. One of them went into Xu Jiujiu's spiritual sea, while the other moved towards her dantian. The two extreme ice crystals quickly began to merge without harming or affecting Xu Jiujiu, leaving a seemingly thin, transparent white film all over her body.

"This is an ice crystal formed from the primordial soul power of Bing'er and me. It possesses the purest and most pristine ice and snow. The energy within is enough to temporarily grant you immunity to external toxins and other problems. It can also purify the air and external energy. The soul power left by Bing'er and me can last for about three days. If you don't use it all up in the end, you can simply refine it. Don't worry, it won't do you any harm."

"It's snow," the Snow Empress said softly.

"Thank you, Sister Xue, Sister Bingbing..."

She thanked him softly after a long while. Although her own starlight attribute gave her a certain degree of resistance to poisons, the poisons here were not like ordinary poisons. It was only with the protection of the Ice and Snow Emperors that she could enter with peace of mind.

As they were talking, Shu Yan, who had been observing the terrain and the thickness of the poisonous cloud below, suddenly spoke up:

"This is it, let's go down."

The terrain below was already sloping, and the poisonous clouds and miasma were so thick that nothing could be seen from above, and the situation below was unknown.

Xue Di looked at the thick poisonous clouds and miasma, then gently extended a slender white finger. She concentrated her soul power into a single point and sent it flying out like a ray. Finally, a loud bang came from the poisonous clouds and miasma below. The next moment, a sudden chill descended, and the poisonous barrier, which had been almost flawless, was torn open by the bursting ice spikes, revealing the colorful vegetation below and the dense miasma that was rapidly returning to its original state.

The four landed steadily through the hole, and a terrifying shockwave swept outwards within a five-meter radius around them, instantly turning countless colorful plants into fragments and sap.

But unexpectedly, the colorful world below, though still poisonous, was far less terrifying than the poisonous clouds and miasma above.

The poisonous barrier in this colorful world is seven-colored, and the ground is covered with all kinds of strange and brightly colored plants. These plants are so lush that even the land cannot be seen from the four people's sight because of their thick leaves and petals.

Because the seven-colored poisonous barrier here was not as dense as it was outside, the view was not obstructed. Xue Di pointed again towards the downhill slope at a certain angle, and then the highly poisonous plants along the way were frozen at an extremely terrifying speed. The cold air spread, and even the seven-colored poisonous barrier seemed to be pushed aside.

"Let's go. There isn't much moisture in the air here. Otherwise, I could turn this place into a frozen forest with a single thought, which would make our movements much easier."

Snow Empress took the lead and walked down the frozen path. Ice Empress followed, holding Xu Jiujiu's hand. Shu Yan looked around, sighed, and then quickly followed.

The danger here is no less than that deep within the Star Dou Great Forest mixed zone, but with Xue Di and Bing Di leading the way, he naturally has nothing to worry about, and feels as carefree as if he's on vacation.

After walking for about ten minutes, the four of them stopped in front of a huge skeleton exposed on a rock.

The original white bones have now turned into a rainbow of colors. The rich, strange colors, combined with the eerie atmosphere around them, undoubtedly create an extremely terrifying scene. And just like this scene, the deeper you go, the more of these things appear.

"Tsk tsk, the poisonous barrier here is still quite potent. It's a bizarre cycle. These corpses generate miasma, and they themselves nourish the poisonous barrier. As this continues, the poisonous barrier relentlessly attacks the surrounding soul beasts, the corpses generate miasma again, and the nutrients accumulate. I'm afraid it won't be long before this place becomes a true poisonous barrier forest. At that time, tsk tsk..."

Hyotei sighed, but still didn't feel anything else. What did it matter if it was poisonous or not? It had no effect on her anyway.

Xue Di gazed into the distance and spoke softly:

"The poisonous barriers here, as well as the miasma and poisonous clouds outside, all show signs of human manipulation. Otherwise, given the environment and terrain here, these poisonous barriers and miasma wouldn't stay so obediently within this area. I sense a significant drop ahead, where there are a vast and terrifying number of plant-type soul beasts, and the poisonous barriers there are even more toxic than here. As for below, I feel thick poisonous clouds slowly sinking, and then, there seems to be an extremely strange energy..."

The four of them did not linger in place. Led by Xue Di, they moved swiftly at a height of about three or four meters above the ground and soon arrived in a completely different emerald green world.

There are no other colorful plants on the ground here, but the colorful poisonous barrier still exists. Instead, large patches of emerald green luster appear in the field of vision. A dwarf emerald green plant is arranged in a row, and a faint emerald green mist rises upward and gradually spreads to the surrounding area.

These lush green plants are not very tall, almost all only about half a meter high.

However, they all look very similar, with nine leaves that resemble human hands, except that some leaves have seven fingers and others have nine.

At the top of each of these plants is a large, bright green flower, and the bright green mist is released from the stamens of these flowers.

Looking through the lush green vegetation and aided by his mental energy, Shu Yan was able to see the scene behind the green vegetation.

Large swaths of miasma and poisonous clouds are slowly descending and settling, with a concentration there that is more than double that of the outside world. The downward deposition of the miasma and poisonous clouds means that the terrain there must be much lower than other places. It seems that they are only a short distance away from their true destination.

Just as Xue Di was about to clear a path again, Shu Yan stopped her.

"Sister Xue, let's not be so direct here."

Shu Yan said with a hint of helplessness:

Xue Di paused slightly, then said softly:

Explain your reasons.

Shu Yan sighed softly, then explained:

"It's very simple. These plants are called Jade Phosphorous Seven-Flaw Flowers. They are among the most poisonous plants in the world, possessing a highly corrosive poison and a poison that directly endangers the nervous system. The Jade Phosphorous Seven-Flaw Flowers surrounding this canyon are at least one kilometer wide. Many of them have even evolved into Jade Phosphorous Nine-Flaw Flowers, which means they have become plant-type soul beasts. The Jade Phosphorous Seven-Flaw Flowers themselves hold a king-like position in the plant world. In other words, those Jade Phosphorous Nine-Flaw Flowers that have become soul beasts have at least ten thousand years of cultivation."

"If we can kill tens of thousands of ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts in one blow, that's fine. But if we can't wipe them out in one blow, and once they start to organize a resistance, coupled with the special environment here that is favorable to them, the Azure Phosphorus Poison Cloud that they gather together can even easily defeat a Super Douluo. At that time, we will be in real trouble."

Xue Di was slightly taken aback, but then she slowly withdrew her hand. She was confident that she could kill all of these guys, but as Shu Yan said, it was a completely unnecessary thing to do, and doing it would only bring trouble to herself.

"Of course, it's not difficult for us to get through here. These guys are afraid of the cold. Whether it's Sister Xue's Emperor Frost Heaven or Ice Emperor's Eternal Frozen Domain, we can easily get through by controlling the range of their attacks."

Hyotei's eyes lit up, and the next moment, a bright green light suddenly burst forth from her body, which then transformed into a shield about five meters in diameter.

"Let's go. It's so simple. I was just wondering if I should just fly over there, but I found that there are poisonous barriers of this stuff even seven or eight hundred meters above the ground. The poisonous barrier above the valley is even thicker than I imagined, almost solidified. Moreover, the surrounding poisonous barriers are constantly converging towards it. It will undoubtedly take a lot of effort to take this route."

With the help of Hyotei's weakened version, the Eternal Frozen Domain, the four quickly passed through the endless expanse of Azure Phosphorous Seven Absolute Flowers and Azure Phosphorous Nine Absolute Flowers, finally arriving at the edge of the valley.

The edges of the valley are very sharp, as smooth as if they were cut with a knife.

Within the countless turquoise clouds of poison, there were still countless seven-colored poisonous barriers. The dense turquoise and seven colors almost occupied the entire world in front of them. Just as Hyotei said, if one wanted to enter the valley below directly from the sky, one would have to break through a poisonous barrier that was more than a thousand meters deep and almost solid. Just thinking about it made it a losing proposition.

Hyotei did not remove the weakened version of the Eternal Frozen Domain. She led the way and then flew downwards with the three of them.

Midway through, the Snow Emperor casually slew several seven-colored vines with ten thousand years of cultivation with a single sword stroke. When the light reappeared, all the miasma and poisonous clouds suddenly disappeared, and the previously obscured vision suddenly returned to brightness.

Although he had anticipated that what lay below would not be ordinary, Shu Yan was still inevitably shocked when he witnessed it with his own eyes.

The three Snow Empresses also had blank stares in their eyes. The fresh and vibrant air swept over them, and the rich, almost tangible, elemental energy of heaven and earth was virtually inexhaustible in this space.

The sky here was seven-colored, illuminating the entire world like a dreamlike fairyland, dazzling and beautiful. Not far behind them and on all the stone walls in the distance, thick, dark blue vines climbed all over. These were the same kind of soul beasts that had attacked them before, but the vines below were much more beautiful, less murderous, and more full of life...

It's hard to imagine that amidst countless horrors and crises, it's no longer an even more terrifying hell, but a true paradise on earth, a place like a fairyland...

……

(End of this chapter)