"Young Master, why are the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's pincers growing from your body?"
Just as Dugu Feng was about to continue sensing his External Soul Bone, Old Scorpion barged in with a look of shock.
He had been standing guard outside. Having already tested Dugu Feng's physical resilience, he knew there was no danger during the Spirit Ring absorption process. His main concern was guarding against Spirit Beasts from the Ice Jade Scorpion tribe.
When Dugu Feng finally completed the absorption, Old Scorpion let out a sigh of relief—the most critical task of this training mission was accomplished.
But then, this bizarre scene unfolded before him.
Despite his vast experience, he had never seen anything like this. Even if a Martial Soul mutated, it wouldn't manifest like this!
"Could it be… that legendary…?"
Old Scorpion suddenly grew excited. That kind of treasure was something he had only heard of in rumors—no one had ever confirmed possessing it.
Had the Young Master obtained it while absorbing the Spirit Ring?
"Old Scorpion, your guess is correct. This is the legendary External Soul Bone—the rarest type of Soul Bone, capable of growing alongside the Soul Master!"
As Dugu Feng spoke, he channeled Soul Power into the twin pincers.
The three-meter-long pincers gradually retracted into his body, disappearing completely before transforming into a peculiar energy that fused with his shoulder bones.
With a thought, Dugu Feng swiftly circulated his Soul Power, and the pincers burst forth from his body, snapping toward Old Scorpion in the blink of an eye.
It was like retracting a fist before striking again—no different from having two additional arms. They could attack at will.
Moreover, he could control the length of the pincers. This time, he didn't extend them to their full three-meter span, stopping just over a meter in front of Old Scorpion.
Old Scorpion was startled. He immediately released Soul Power from his hands to grip the tips of the scorpion pincers.
But the next moment, he regretted it.
Even with his strength, the External Soul Bone couldn't advance further—but the tips of Dugu Feng's pincers were unnaturally sharp, with serrated protrusions. Old Scorpion instantly felt his hands being sliced open.
"Old Scorpion, don't move! This External Soul Bone is of great use to our Dugu Family. Let me test whether it can absorb toxins!"
Dugu Feng spoke urgently.
His actions were deliberate. The Eight Spider Lances could devour Soul Power, life force, and even toxins from a Soul Master's body.
Within the pincers, there were also faint emerald-green specks—remnants of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's deadly venom.
When activating the Scorpion Pincer External Soul Bone, Dugu Feng's own toxins also flowed through his meridians into the pincers, ready to strike at any moment.
But beyond attacking, he sensed that they could also absorb energy from his opponent.
Could they extract deeply rooted toxins from another's body?
Dugu Feng immersed his consciousness fully, carefully perceiving the process.
Seeing this, Old Scorpion naturally cooperated.
The toxins in his body were Scorpion Venom, inherited from birth through his bloodline and intensified through cultivation.
The venom had long since fused inseparably with his Soul Power, bloodline, and flesh.
Now, hearing Dugu Feng mention the possibility of resolving his toxin issue, he watched with anticipation.
But was Dugu Feng truly only using the External Soul Bone?
Indeed—but he was also employing his Core Pearl.
The Core Pearl was his greatest trump card, and he wasn't ready to reveal it to anyone yet.
Its ability to absorb toxins was clearly far superior.
At this moment, with the aid of the External Soul Bone, Dugu Feng slowly extracted a trace of gray-green toxin from Old Scorpion's body.
The difficulty of detoxification lay in the fact that the toxins were part of one's strength. If the toxins were completely eliminated, one would also lose their power.
Therefore, Dugu Feng's idea was to first absorb the stubborn old toxins accumulated in the body, which could alleviate the pain of toxin outbreaks.
Then, by absorbing them periodically, it could at least significantly reduce the mortality rate of Soul Masters in the Dugu Family caused by toxin outbreaks.
After the evolution of his Core Pearl, part of the innate toxins in his body had already been absorbed. Although toxin outbreaks still occurred, the pain was almost imperceptible.
Now, with the External Soul Bone, he had the perfect excuse to address the toxin issue plaguing his family.
After a short while, Old Scorpion's face lit up with joy. "Young Master, this External Soul Bone of yours is truly miraculous! I feel the toxins in my body loosening somewhat!"
Old Scorpion was inwardly excited—could the family's toxin problem really be solved this way?
Dugu Feng slowly retracted the External Soul Bone, his face slightly pale.
The method was feasible, but the Soul Power consumption was too great. Supporting both the Core Pearl and the External Soul Bone drained his Soul Power completely in just a few minutes.
Moreover, the toxins in Old Scorpion's body were deeply intertwined with his physical form. Gradually separating and absorbing only the stubborn toxins was an extremely arduous task.
Dugu Feng said, "It seems I'll need to raise my strength further before I can fully detoxify you."
Old Scorpion, brimming with excitement, replied, "No rush, no rush! With your talent, Young Master, it's only a matter of time before your strength improves!"
Dugu Feng nodded. Though this was only a temporary solution, once he reached the level of Soul Expert or Soul Ancestor, he could at least resolve part of the problem.
Perhaps when he cultivated the Seven-Colored Poison Pill, a toxin-attribute Soul Core, he could completely solve it.
"There's movement—we should retreat, Young Master!" Old Scorpion immediately began backing the way they came.
Upon reaching the surface of the icy pool, Dugu Feng also sensed the disturbance. Likely, the disappearance of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's aura had gradually alerted the rest of its kind.
"Young Master, follow me!"
Dugu Feng immediately activated his Martial Soul Avatar and closely followed Old Scorpion as they navigated through the glacier.
After a long while, the two finally left the glacier and emerged from the mountain range, slowing their pace only then.
"Young Master, how's the offensive power of your second Soul Skill?" Now that they were safe, Old Scorpion rubbed his hands together and asked.
Since the second Spirit Ring was already purple, Old Scorpion was very curious about the power of this Soul Skill.
Dugu Feng grinned smugly and decided to demonstrate with action.
He glanced around and targeted a somewhat withered tree.
As his second Spirit Ring flashed, a ring of emerald-green Soul Power shot out, instantly enveloping the tree.
This left Old Scorpion puzzled. The emerald-green Soul Power was undoubtedly a fusion of toxins and Soul Power.
The color somewhat resembled that of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, but if it were merely a toxin attack, wouldn't that be too simplistic?
Just as he was pondering this—
A deafening explosion erupted.
The ancient tree in the distance burst apart violently.
"My second Soul Skill is called the Poison Burst Technique, derived from the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's innate skill, the Ice Burst Technique. Once the toxins enter an enemy's body, they rapidly condense and explode, dealing secondary damage beyond the toxin's corrosive effects. If the target is a Soul Master with insufficient physical resilience..."
"After the toxin's corrosion, the subsequent explosion will reduce them to dust!"
Dugu Feng's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. This Soul Skill was undeniably ruthless—a technique designed purely for killing.
No wonder it was a lethal skill obtained from absorbing a Spirit Ring beyond his level.
Currently, the poison used when executing Soul Skills with the Spirit Ring was still the poison condensed by the Spirit Ring itself.
If he were to use Mixed Poison to execute it, the lethality would be something even Dugu Feng wouldn't dare imagine.
Even Soul Masters one or two realms higher would have no ability to resist if they couldn't expel the poison from their bodies in an instant.
(End of Chapter)