Dugu Feng refrained from asking Qian Renxue for this treasure because he feared that once she came into contact with the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover, she might recognize it as an artifact related to a Deity.
He would have no way to explain it then.
Of course, it was also possible that Qian Renxue would simply regard it as an ordinary Soul Tool, but Dugu Feng was unwilling to take that risk.
Even if he didn't need the Sea God's Godhood inheritance himself, he had to secure it first.
To avoid creating another enemy.
He had already sensed the Emerald Dragon Snake retrieving the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover, but on the surface, Dugu Feng remained composed.
After the palace banquet concluded, Dugu Feng calmly left with his father by carriage, showing no signs of abnormality.
Upon returning to his residence, he immediately retreated to his room.
Two little snakes rushed toward him, coiling around his wrists.
"Master, we've obtained the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure!"
"Master, our Corrosive Poison is incredibly potent. We directly corroded a hole in the treasury roof..."
The chattering spiritual fluctuations allowed Dugu Feng to understand the sequence of events.
It had gone so smoothly that Dugu Feng found it almost unbelievable.
He quickly realized that the two Emerald Dragon Snakes, as fifty-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, were already at the pinnacle of the continent.
There were very few places they couldn't access.
Dugu Feng hurriedly looked toward the brocade box on the table. The red cloth had already been discarded on the floor by the Emerald Dragon Snakes.
The holes left by the Emerald Dragon Snakes on the box emitted a brilliant blue light.
Dugu Feng extended his right hand, and a stream of Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom shot out, striking the lid of the brocade box.
With a bang, the lid flew open.
Instantly, the entire room was bathed in intense, radiant light.
Inside the box lay a three-dimensional triangular blue gemstone. The sapphire was only palm-sized, emitting a peculiar energy fluctuation.
Amidst the watery ripples of energy, the entire blue gemstone appeared crystalline and translucent, captivating Dugu Feng's gaze.
The Sea God's Divine Sense must be hidden within it!
Dugu Feng had no intention of revealing too much in front of the Sea God's Divine Sense.
"The legendary national treasure, the most powerful Soul Tool—let me see what wonders it holds!"
Dugu Feng spoke indifferently, naturally for the benefit of the Sea God's Divine Sense.
He wanted to convey that he didn't know this was the Sea God's Heart and was only interested in it as a Soul Tool.
He took two steps forward and picked up the azure-blue sapphire.
"I've heard that simply infusing it with Soul Power can unlock various miraculous functions!"
Dugu Feng murmured softly, carefully channeling a stream of Soul Power from his palm into the gem.
He remembered from the original plot that Xue Ye the Great had explicitly stated that infusing Soul Power was sufficient.
Tang San, defying convention, had infused spiritual power instead, thereby triggering the Sea God's Divine Sense, activating the Sea God's Heart, and unknowingly initiating the God Test.
But Dugu Feng wasn't yet prepared to embark on the Sea God's God Test path; he only intended to use the Sea God's Heart as a Soul Tool.
As Dugu Feng's Soul Power flowed into the gem, the azure-blue sapphire suddenly began to shimmer with swirling radiance, emitting waves of blue light like water.
Immediately after, an astonishing suction force erupted from the Sea God's Heart.
It directly drained one-tenth of Dugu Feng's Soul Power before finally ceasing.
Through the infusion of Soul Power, Dugu Feng had already established a connection with the Sea God's Heart.
He discovered that, similar to when he activated his Martial Soul Avatar, he had gained four additional Soul Skills.
They could be unleashed at any time through Soul Power.
Information about the Soul Skills clearly transmitted to him, allowing Dugu Feng to perceive them comprehensively.
The Universal Cosmos Protection Cover was a stealth skill that could conceal not only his body but also completely hide all traces of his aura.
With a flicker of thought, Dugu Feng's entire body abruptly vanished.
He tossed out the two Emerald Dragon Snakes.
As a result, the Emerald Dragon Snakes widened their green eyes in the small room.
Their master had disappeared!
His disappearance was absolute—his body was gone, and his aura was undetectable.
This demonstrated the might of the Universal Cosmos Protection Cover; its stealth capability was exceptionally powerful.
Watching the astonished Emerald Dragon Snakes, Dugu Feng felt quite satisfied.
Truly worthy of being an inheritance artifact of the Sea God.
Next, Dugu Feng tried the second skill, the Cosmos Spirit Fixation Cover—a control skill capable of immobilizing any opponent whose mental strength was less than three times his own.
Naturally, Dugu Feng used the Emerald Dragon Snakes for experimentation.
A flash of blue light passed, and the two Emerald Dragon Snakes were firmly fixed in mid-air, unable to move despite their utmost efforts.
Clearly, their mental strength had not surpassed three times that of Dugu Feng's.
Dugu Feng speculated that his own mental strength had at least reached the level of a Soul Douluo approaching that of a Titled Douluo. There weren't many enemies whose mental strength could exceed his by threefold.
This skill was a divine technique for overcoming stronger opponents through ambush.
The final two skills, Universal Cosmos Raging Wave and Cosmos Demon Slayer, were an area-of-effect attack and a single-target attack, respectively.
They required expending all of his Soul Power to execute a single strike. Dugu Feng did not test them here, deciding to let his enemies experience their power when the time came!
Gazing at the Sea God's Heart spinning in his hand, he felt a surge of joy—he had gained another trump card!
After some thought, Dugu Feng retrieved a sachet from his Storage Soul Tool, placed the Sea God's Heart inside, and hung it at his waist.
The Sea God's Heart could not be stored in the Storage Soul Tool, so he had to keep it on his person for now.
Having finished experimenting with the Sea God's Heart, Dugu Feng resumed his cultivation, continuing until the next day.
He then set out once more with his father, Dugu Shuo.
This time, the two did not take a carriage but swiftly made their way to the northern part of Heaven Dou City.
Outside the city gates, acquaintances were already waiting.
Dugu Feng immediately spotted the most excited among them—Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Indeed, they had come to protect Tang San as he absorbed his sixth Spirit Ring.
During yesterday's banquet, to express her regard for the Clear Sky Sect, Qian Renxue had naturally agreed to let the sect select a Spirit Beast from the empire's Soul Hunting Forest.
To ensure Tang San's safety, she had also requested Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Shuo to provide protection.
"Greetings, Crown, Grandmaster!" Dugu Feng greeted Tang Hao, Tang Xiao, and Yu Xiaogang, then nodded to Tang San.
He and Tang San were already quite familiar, and Tang San regarded Dugu Feng as a good person.
At this moment, Tang San appeared deeply grateful.
"Thank you, Clan Chief Dugu, for your righteous assistance. The Clear Sky Sect is immensely grateful!" Tang Xiao sincerely clasped his hands in gratitude.
Dugu Shuo smiled. "The actions of Evil Soul Masters are condemned by all under heaven. Moreover, the Clear Sky Crown selflessly shared his cultivation experience of the Slaughter Domain with Feng'er, for which I have been unable to repay him. I feel deeply ashamed!"
These words actually made Tang Hao feel ashamed in his heart.
When he had shared his cultivation experience of the Slaughter Domain with Dugu Feng, his intention was to make Dugu Fe
ng obsessed with Self-Created Soul Skills, not to genuinely teach him.
Now, in comparison, Tang Hao felt his own pettiness—he had actually been jealous that Dugu Feng was cultivating faster than Tang San.
(End of Chapter)