Chapter 62: Dragon God

"Master Soul Master, although I, Dugu Bo, am no saint, I know to repay kindness with gratitude."

"I own a medicinal garden filled with numerous herbs. While I cannot identify most of them, they are undoubtedly precious treasures that should interest you! I know my token of appreciation may seem insignificant to someone of your standing, but it is a sincere gesture from the bottom of my heart."

Hearing this, Ling Xiao's gaze flickered slightly.

A medicinal garden!

This must be the place Lanxue mentioned six years ago. It sounded quite picturesque and would make a wonderful back garden. Hu Liena and the others would surely adore those gorgeous flowers.

"Very well. However, I cured you earlier on account of Ye Lengleng, whereas this medicinal garden is something that genuinely interests me. As an exchange, take this," Ling Xiao said, flicking his wrist and tossing out two vials of Life Water.

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan hastily caught them, looking down with curiosity at the translucent liquid shimmering within the crystal vials.

"These two vials are for the both of you. Drink them, and you will understand their purpose immediately!"

The pair hesitated for a brief moment before uncorking the vials and consuming the liquid.

Primarily, the person before them had saved their lives, and he had been brought by Ye Lengleng. There was no enmity between them, so there was little reason for him to poison them.

A delicate fragrance drifted from the vials, instantly arousing an intense desire to drink. Their eyes brightened, and they quickly swallowed the liquid inside.

The moment the Life Water entered their bodies, they immediately felt a surge of soul power coursing through their meridians. They hastily closed their eyes and steadied their minds.

When the two finally opened their eyes again, they stared at the empty vials in their hands, then looked up at the young man before them with expressions of absolute disbelief.

In just this brief moment, their soul power had broken through. Dugu Bo had advanced to the ninety-third rank, while Dugu Yan had reached the forty-seventh rank.

"This..."

Dugu Bo's face was utterly stunned. Only those who had reached the Title Douluo level understood just how agonizingly difficult it was to advance even a single rank.

Yet, a mere vial of liquid had propelled him straight from the ninety-first rank to the ninety-third.

What manner of supreme treasure was this?

Dugu Yan was equally thunderstruck. At twenty years old, attaining the forty-first rank as a Soul Ancestor already marked her as a genius of exceptional talent, but simply drinking a vial of liquid had instantly elevated her to the forty-seventh rank—how could this be possible!

Dugu Bo took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the tumultuous shock in his heart, and spoke in a complex tone: "Thank you! Not only did you save our lives, but you have also bestowed such miraculous treasures upon us. I now feel that a mere medicinal garden is wholly inadequate to repay you!"

In Dugu Bo's view, that medicinal garden had merely served as a consultation fee, especially since he used that location to alleviate his own torment. No matter how precious the herbs might be, what comparison did they hold to life itself?

How could he possibly repay such a profound debt of soul power advancement?

"Think nothing of it. It is merely an equivalent exchange!" Ling Xiao remained nonchalant. Two vials of Life Water were nothing to him—a mere drop in the ocean.

Ye Lengleng sat beside Ling Xiao, looking at him with a gentle smile as she held his hand, her eyes filled with tenderness.

As Dugu Bo watched the two of them, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Could this mysterious expert be of the same generation as Ye Lengleng? Otherwise, why would Ye Lengleng look at him with such a gaze? That was the look of affection!

Though advanced in years, Dugu Bo's mind remained sharp. Moreover, with the affliction that had tormented him now resolved, his clarity of thought had returned tenfold.

"Master Soul Master, how about I take you to the medicinal garden right now?" Dugu Bo suggested after a moment of thought, planning to have Dugu Yan casually inquire about this soul master's background later.

"Unnecessary. Just tell me the location!" Ling Xiao replied. He had no time to leisurely fly alongside Dugu Bo.

"Very well, Master Soul Master. That medicinal garden is located in the heart of the Sunset Forest, though I have laid down poisonous mist all around its perimeter!" Dugu Bo said.

"Understood!"

Ling Xiao nodded, stepped out of the room, dismantled the spatial seal, and closed the door behind him. His spiritual consciousness expanded, instantly locking onto the precise coordinates.

With a single step, he vanished directly from the spot and reappeared in the very center of the Sunset Forest.

Surveying the myriad flowers and grasses before him, Ling Xiao nodded in satisfaction. The place truly looked breathtaking, albeit slightly monotonous.

After a moment of thought, he retrieved some fertile soil and vegetation from the Divine Realm of Life, planting them around the perimeter. He then carved out several interconnecting trenches to encircle the entire area, leaving only a few designated pathways for passage, into which he poured streams of Life Water.

With these tasks completed, Ling Xiao nodded in approval. Now, under the transformative properties of the Life Water, faint wisps of divine essence would begin to permeate the air. These plants would flourish abundantly, and the location would truly evolve into a blessed realm of supreme fortune.

Meanwhile, shortly after Ling Xiao's departure...

"Ahem, Lengleng!" Dugu Bo coughed lightly and turned his gaze toward Ye Lengleng.

"Senior Poison Douluo, is something the matter?" Ye Lengleng asked.

"Well, I was simply wondering if you and that Master Soul Master are well acquainted!"

"Yes, we are!"

"Judging by the sound of his voice, that Master Soul Master shouldn't be very old."

"Indeed not!" Ye Lengleng thought to herself that although Ling Xiao possessed unfathomable strength, he was not even twelve years old yet.

"I noticed you sitting close to that Master Soul Master just now... do you perhaps harbor feelings for him?" Dugu Bo asked, struggling slightly with the words. It felt exceedingly awkward for someone of his advanced age to be inquiring about such matters.

Yet, what if it yielded some pleasant surprise!

Just as Dugu Bo finished his question, he was astonished to see Ye Lengleng's cheeks flush crimson, and a realization instantly blossomed in his mind.

At that very moment, Dugu Yan, sitting to one side, suddenly felt an ominous premonition wash over her.

Hehehehe!

Seeing this, Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed as the corners of his mouth curled upward into a sly, mysterious smile.

Deep within the Sunset Forest, Ling Xiao was walking across the surface of a tranquil pool, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes as he looked at the entity submerged beneath the water.

He discovered that resting within this pool were actually two divine-grade remnant souls and two divine-grade soul bones.

"These are..." Ling Xiao gazed at the two dormant dragon souls, a flicker of interest crossing his features.

Lanxue's voice sounded at that moment, introducing the origin of the pool.

"Master, this place is known as the Yin-Yang Wells of Ice and Fire. The two dragon souls beneath this water are the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King, two of the Dragon God's subordinate dragon kings who perished in the Divine Realm millions of years ago. It is precisely because of their existence that this glacial-volcanic spring was formed."

"Millions of years ago... truly a distant epoch!" Ling Xiao marveled as he observed the two majestic dragon souls.

However, curious though he was, Ling Xiao made no move to awaken the dragon souls.

After all, should these two dragon souls awaken, this miraculous spring might well cease to exist. The most captivating aspect of the Yin-Yang Wells of Ice and Fire was this very body of water; losing it would be a great pity.

Nevertheless, he retained a certain curiosity regarding the Dragon God.

"Lanxue, who is this Dragon God?"

"Master, the Dragon God was the most powerful and ancient deity in this Divine Realm, far surpassing even the current strongest God King, the Asura God. However, during the upheaval of the Divine Realm in ancient times, the Asura God united with four other God Kings and split the Dragon God into two entities: the Silver Dragon King and the Golden Dragon King!"

"The Silver Dragon King mastered the power of elemental forces and inherited the Dragon God's genesis godhood, representing wisdom and rationality. Severely wounded by the God Kings, it is currently slumbering within a spatial dimension beneath the Star Luo Great Lake on the Douluo continent. This gave birth to the evolution of soul beasts. The giant silver dragon Master detected last time was none other than it, and the accompanying soul beasts exist solely to guard its slumber."

"The Golden Dragon King mastered physical might and inherited the Dragon God's annihilation godhood, representing the destructive power of the Dragon God. Possessing a frenzied disposition, even though it was merely a fraction of the Dragon God, it still retained the tier of a God King. Fearing that it would continue to wreak havoc across the Divine Realm, the God Kings stripped away its soul before sealing it away."

Ling Xiao raised his gaze toward the Divine Realm as the River of Time manifested within his eyes.

Under the reversal of time, he beheld the Dragon God from millions of years ago, its entire form radiating a dazzling, multicolored brilliance, even down to its iridescent scales.

To the naked eye, its scales appeared irregular, each seemingly unique in shape, yet they possessed a flawless harmony, as though forged from countless inlaid gemstones. Its entire being emanated an overwhelming, supreme aura.

Upon transforming into a human form, it wore a nine-colored robe, exuding an authoritative presence capable of subduing the entire Divine Realm.