Sunset Forest.
It lay in the center of the Heaven Dou Empire. Though it wasn't as vast as the Star Dou Forest, it had once been one of the Soul Masters' favorite adventure spots.
That, however, had been ten thousand years ago.
The Sunset Forest of today had long since lost its former splendor. It could even be called a dead land.
High-level soul beasts had all but vanished, replaced by poisonous mists that blanketed the mountains and an oppressive, suffocating silence.
The outside world claimed that the forest had fallen into ruin because Soul Masters had hunted too many soul beasts.
"Overhunting?"
Standing at the edge of the forest, Gu Yuejin gazed at the woods shrouded in gray mist and curled his lips in icy mockery.
"Only ignorant commoners would believe that kind of nonsense."
As a Transmigrator, he knew the truth better than anyone.
Ten thousand years ago, this place really had been a treasure trove, especially the peerless treasure basin known as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.
Unfortunately, that treasure trove had caught the attention of that so-called "pure and innocent" man named Tang San.
He had not only stripped it of every Immortal Herb, but had barely left a root behind for those who came after him.
Worse still, to keep others from laying claim to his "private garden," he had turned a blind eye to—or even made use of—the poison array Dugu Bo had left behind, transforming the forest into a forbidden place where no living person could enter.
The so-called "ancestor of the Tang Sect" claimed to care about peace on the continent, but in truth, he cut others off from their opportunities and hoarded land for himself.
"Taking public resources for yourself and calling it 'protection'—how utterly hypocritical."
Gu Yuejin came back to himself and glanced at Huo Yuhao beside him.
"Let's go. There's no point talking about old history."
After leaving the Extreme North, the two had raced all the way here, crossing the territory and reaching this forest in the Heaven Dou Empire in just four days.
When they had first entered the outskirts, they had occasionally spotted a few low-level, ten- or hundred-year soul beasts darting through the trees.
But as they ventured deeper, the light began to dim.
The lush trees grew twisted and strange, and the air filled with a sweet, dangerous scent.
A faint pink poisonous mist hung around them like a veil.
"Master, the air here... it's poisonous."
Huo Yuhao frowned. Even with Soul Power protecting him, his chest felt tight, and his skin prickled faintly.
"Child's play."
Gu Yuejin kept walking and casually waved his right hand.
Buzz—
A brilliant blue-gold light flared as the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul appeared.
The pressure of a "king among plants" spread outward from him.
Wherever it passed, the plants that had been baring their fangs and emitting poison seemed to have seen an emperor. They trembled and drew in their leaves, some even bending to clear a path.
"I am the Blue Silver Emperor, the emperor of the plant world."
"Ordinary poisonous weeds don't have the right to run wild in front of me."
Gu Yuejin spoke calmly, as if stating a simple fact.
But he didn't rely entirely on himself.
He turned to Huo Yuhao and pointed at the increasingly dense poisonous mist ahead.
"Yuhao, suppression alone won't be enough."
"Poisonous fog seeps into every gap. The best counter is an extreme attribute."
"Extreme Fire or Extreme Ice can both disperse this filth effectively."
"Let Ice Empress and Snow Empress out for some fresh air. Don't let them sleep in the Sea of Consciousness."
Huo Yuhao immediately understood.
"Yes, Master!"
He was no longer the weak boy he had once been.
His eyes turned emerald green in an instant, and a wave of freezing cold burst forth.
"Ice Empress Claw!"
Though he hadn't fully summoned Ice Empress's true form, the Extreme Ice belonging to the ruler of the Extreme North instantly plunged the temperature around them to freezing.
The moment the poisonous mist touched the cold, it froze into powder and fell in a soft shower.
The Blue Silver Emperor's royal aura cleared the way, while Extreme Ice shielded them.
Together, the two forced their way through the poison array that even Titled Douluo dared not enter lightly.
They continued for about half an hour.
The forest opened up ahead.
The dense vegetation abruptly gave way to a vast hollow.
Through layer upon layer of poisonous clouds, they could make out broad patches of strange plants below.
"We're here. It's down there."
Gu Yuejin stood at the cliff's edge, looking down.
The poisonous mist below was more than ten times denser than above, and a strange emerald green—the core of the Bipure Poison Array Dugu Bo had laid down all those years ago.
"Let's go down."
Without hesitation, Gu Yuejin grabbed Huo Yuhao and leaped.
Whoosh—
The wind howled.
They had descended barely a hundred meters when several emerald vines suddenly shot out from the surrounding rock walls, lashing toward them like venomous snakes.
"Are those... Bipure Seven Absolute Flowers?!"
Huo Yuhao cried out in surprise as Spiritual Detection immediately fed him the answer.
Every flower gave off terrifying poison, and they even seemed to possess an awareness like soul beasts, coordinating their attacks!
"They're poisonous and they've got brains?"
"Too bad. You're still too green to play with plants in front of me."
Gu Yuejin snorted. The Blue Silver Emperor light around him flared, and he activated his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone skill.
"Flight!"
His body shifted several yards through the air in a strange sideways motion, avoiding the attack head-on.
At once, several blue-gold vines shot out like swords and wrapped precisely around the roots of the Bipure Seven Absolute Flowers.
Devour!
The Blue Silver Emperor's innate ability activated.
"Eek—!"
The Bipure Seven Absolute Flowers let out shrieks like mice. Their once-green leaves withered instantly, and the Blue Silver Emperor domineeringly converted their poison into pure Soul Power.
"Yuhao, activate Spiritual Detection."
"Find the place with the densest poisonous clouds and the brightest glow. That's the entrance."
"Understood!"
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, and his vast Spiritual Power spread out like a flood of quicksilver.
A moment later, he snapped his eyes open and pointed toward a sheer cliff to the lower left.
"Master! Over there!"
"There's a mass of rainbow-colored poisonous clouds, and the emerald glow is strongest there!"
"That's the place."
Gu Yuejin's lips curved into a faint smile. He turned sharply in midair with Huo Yuhao and headed straight for the rainbow-colored cloud.
After they passed through the nauseating poisonous mist, a narrow path appeared before them.
It was the only route to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.
"Be careful. The plants below are gathered in their own stronghold."
After warning him, Gu Yuejin once again took Huo Yuhao into a dive.
The farther down they went, the more frenzied the plants' attacks became.
Countless nameless vines, thorns, and flowers desperately tried to stop the two intruders.
But against Gu Yuejin's Blue Silver Emperor suppression and Huo Yuhao's Extreme Ice, which froze them solid, all their attacks were futile.
At last,
the two passed through the final layer of mist and landed safely on the ground.
The moment their feet touched the earth, the world around them changed completely.
There was no more sinister, poisonous forest, nor any dim, oppressive wasteland.
The light was bright here, and the air was so fresh it was intoxicating.
Everywhere they looked, exotic flowers and plants flourished. Some were crystal clear, others dazzlingly colorful, and each one radiated a brilliant light.
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