Dugu Bo

A month later, a large ship slowly docked.

Three adults and one child—four figures, resplendent and colorful—slowly stepped down from the ship.

The eldest woman appeared to be around thirty. Though she was a woman, she stood a full 180 centimeters tall.

Her sea-blue hair was straight and silky, trailing all the way to the ground. Her face was peerlessly beautiful, and though she wore a vivid red robe, it could not conceal her devilish figure in the slightest. Yet her bearing was noble and elegant, making others not dare harbor any disrespectful thoughts.

Beside her stood another woman. She was dressed in white, and her silver-white hair would certainly have dragged along the ground if it had not been tied in a knot at the middle.

She was immaculate from head to toe, without a single extravagant accessory, yet she seemed so pure and lofty, like a banished immortal untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

Of the two beauties, one was like a devil who could steal souls and seize hearts. Her powerful aura pressed people so hard that they could not lift their heads or dare meet her gaze. The other was like an immortal descending into the mortal realm. Though she possessed no overwhelming aura, merely looking at her made people unable to stop themselves from feeling inferior.

The last woman wore a jade-green gown. Her figure was slender and graceful, her features exquisite, and she possessed a wild, cold beauty of her own.

The only young man was equally outstanding. Though his face bore an unhealthy pallor, he seemed to possess a naturally infectious presence that made people feel close to him.

These four were Ye Han and his group.

When they had left to search for Sea God Island, it had taken them a full year.

Yet on their return, they had needed only one month. The difference was obvious.

The harbor had originally been bustling with people coming and going, but the instant the four appeared, it suddenly fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, unable to help lowering their heads as they secretly examined the four descending from the deck from the corners of their eyes.

"Wh-who are those people?"

Only after the four had gone far away did everyone begin whispering among themselves.

"Th-those aren't people. They're clearly gods, aren't they? How could anyone look like that?"

"Yeah! Their aura was way too terrifying. I only glanced at them once, and my eyes already started hurting."

"They must be powerful Lord Soul Masters, right?"

After leaving the harbor, the three women reined in their auras at Ye Han's reminder and took out masks to cover their peerless faces.

Yet after looking them over, Ye Han could not help shaking his head.

Beautiful women were beautiful women, after all. A veil alone could not hide that.

But neither could he have them deliberately make themselves ugly. All he could do now was hope that the people they encountered had some sense and that none of those cliché novel scenarios involving brainless young masters would occur.

However, reality was even more melodramatic than fiction.

Douluo Continent had always been a place where the strong preyed upon the weak, and this era was especially chaotic. Soul Masters fought one another, empires waged wars, and bandits and bullies ran rampant. Before they had even left the city, the four had suffered no small amount of harassment. In the end, Bo Saixi revealed her Soul Rings, and they bought a carriage before finally managing to leave the city smoothly.

The wilderness was even more lawless, filled everywhere with savagery and slaughter.

Over a journey of merely a hundred li, they encountered three groups of bandits blocking the road for robbery and two battles between Soul Masters.

Corpses drifted everywhere, and white bones covered the fields. The air was filled with a grim, tragic aura.

Even Soul Masters lived as precariously as eggs, unable to know whether they would survive the next day. How much worse was it for ordinary people?

As they traveled, the scenes before his eyes left Ye Han deeply moved.

"The people of Douluo Continent should thank that woman with the tragic fate!"

If not for her appearance, who knew how long this chaos on Douluo Continent would have continued.

Three months later, they entered Heaven Dou City.

At this time, Heaven Dou City was more prosperous than other places, but only to a limited extent.

Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat rotted; by the roadside lay the bones of those frozen to death. This was the truest portrayal of the present world.

In Heaven Dou City, noble estates stood behind towering gates, while the poor did not even have a single roof tile over their heads. Such sights were everywhere, and the gap between rich and poor was enormous.

The moment Ye Han's carriage entered the city, it was surrounded by a group of ragged beggars.

"My lord, please take pity on us!"

"Please, give us something to eat!"

"My lord!"

Though he was not human in this life, Ye Han could not help feeling touched by the sight before him.

Human lives truly were cheaper than dogs in troubled times!

With a casual flick of his hand, a handful of silver coins scattered like flowers cast by a celestial maiden.

Whoosh!

The crowd instantly broke apart and began scrambling for them.

"Thank you, my lord."

"My lord is merciful and compassionate. May Heaven bless you."

"May my lord live ten thousand years."

The dozens of silver coins were quickly snatched up. Those with a conscience took the lead in kneeling and shouting toward the sky.

Ye Han smiled soundlessly. If they had not blocked his path, would he really have been so charitable?

"Though troubled times are tragic, people's hearts are simple and easily satisfied. Perhaps that is why Spirit Hall was able to win over the people so quickly?" Ye Han mused inwardly.

After making inquiries, they arrived before an estate.

The tall gates, built of marble, bore the two words "Dugu."

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Bo Saixi asked, looking at the gate before them with a slight frown of displeasure.

Her purpose in coming to the continent had been clear.

Yet after setting foot on the continent, the young man who had acted on the ship as though everything was negotiable and he could handle it all no longer mentioned that man at all.

Whenever she pressed him, he would always evade the subject and refuse to utter a single word about that man.

"I need to heal my injuries," Ye Han said calmly.

Then he signaled Snow Empress to release her aura.

Upon hearing this, Snow Empress did so without a second thought.

The moment her aura was released, not only was the small Dugu Manor shaken, but the entire Heaven Dou City was stirred.

Every expert in Heaven Dou City above the rank of Soul Saint sensed it. It was as though calamity had descended upon them; their hair stood on end as they all looked in Snow Empress's direction. The stronger they were, the deeper their feeling.

Some who considered themselves exceptionally strong released their auras, intending to contend with Snow Empress's aura. Yet in an instant, they were crushed until they coughed up blood and became utterly dispirited.

In the current world, even a level ninety-nine Ultimate Douluo would not dare claim certain victory against Snow Empress, much less these ordinary cultivators.

These people might have been powerful within their own territories, some even the ancestors of their clans, but compared to Snow Empress's over six hundred thousand years of cultivation, they were nothing.

Her unmatched aura surged forth. Dugu Manor bore the brunt of it, and the people inside were immediately alarmed.

Not long after, a tall, thin man in green robes flashed outside like a phantom.

"This junior is Dugu Bo. I did not know Your Excellency would honor us with your presence, and I beg forgiveness for failing to welcome you properly."

The man bowed respectfully, cold sweat unconsciously beading on his forehead.

"You are Dugu Bo?" Ye Han asked after signaling Snow Empress to withdraw her aura.

Upon closer inspection, Ye Han discovered that Dugu Bo appeared to be only around forty years old at this time, and he was not yet a Titled Douluo.

"That would be me. May I ask who you are, little brother?" Dugu Bo asked uneasily after raising his head to glance at Ye Han.

Sitting at home only for disaster to fall from the sky—this perfectly described Dugu Bo's feelings at the moment.

He was utterly miserable, having no idea where he had provoked such a powerful expert.

Hmph!

Ice Empress snorted coldly beside him, clearly displeased with how Dugu Bo had addressed Ye Han.

"Bing'er!"

Ye Han hurriedly stopped her. "It's only a form of address. It's nothing."

Then he looked at Dugu Bo again and got straight to the point. "My name is Ye Han. I mean no harm. I came here only because I heard that you found a medicinal garden in Sunset Forest, and I have come specifically to ask for medicine."

Dugu Bo's brows twitched. He had only discovered the medicinal garden a few days ago, and since returning, he had been searching through documents in his study for records concerning those herbs. He had not come into contact with any outsiders, much less told anyone. So who had Ye Han heard it from?

Ye Han took in every change in Dugu Bo's expression and secretly laughed.

He did not know whether Dugu Bo had obtained the medicinal garden yet. He had merely been testing him, but it seemed there really was something to it.

Since that was the case, Tang San, I can only apologize to you.

"I will not take your medicinal garden for nothing. You lack several Soul Bones, and I will make up the difference for you," Ye Han said.

At this point, it was no longer a request, but a demand.

Dugu Bo wanted to curse.

Damn it, just now you were asking for medicine, and now you want the entire medicinal garden. How black-hearted can you be?

Dugu Bo was no fool. By now, he naturally understood the value of the medicinal garden. But did he dare refuse?

Did he?

No.

Did he want to run?

But did he dare move?

Casting a furtive glance at the two women beside Ye Han, Dugu Bo could not help swallowing.

Was he moved?

He did not dare move.

If he had dared move, he would have run long ago. Why would he have come out?

Dugu Bo's heart was filled with grievance and helplessness, to the point that he directly ignored Ye Han's final sentence.

Riding a horse with his head lowered in dejection, he led Ye Han's group for seven days before they finally arrived at Sunset Forest.