"So much?"
On the ground, Danheng looked at the large pile of documents Dugu Bo had brought over. He reached out and weighed them in his hand. They were quite heavy—enough to keep him occupied for a long while.
"These are merely the materials I collected previously. Please see whether they satisfy you. If not, I shall set out at once to gather the latest information."
Dugu Bo watched Danheng eagerly from the side. He had collected these things by chance back when he was a guest of Prince Xue Xing.
If not for Danheng, these materials would likely have been left piled up until they grew moldy. Dugu Bo had never imagined they could be used to save his life.
"That will do. Go collect more. Gather as much as you can."
"Then, regarding my matter—"
"Do as you please. Whether you bring someone here or use it yourself, I have no objections."
Danheng walked beneath the tree. As though sensing his arrival, an ice-blue branch of the Jade Dragon Radiance Tree extended from above like a living thing, forming a chair just large enough for him to sit in.
Most of the Jade Dragon Radiance Tree's branches were sacred gold. Only around the outermost edges of the tree were there scattered ice-blue and fiery-red branches.
Danheng sat down and began leafing through the information Dugu Bo had brought.
"Thank you, sir. I shall take my leave."
Danheng's words stirred Dugu Bo's heart. He had not even said anything, yet Danheng already knew what he intended to do next.
Just how long had this guy lived? Why did this old man feel like a little brat with no pants on in front of Danheng?
"Yanyan, you'll be fine. We'll all be fine."
The moment he left the Herb Garden, Dugu Bo prepared to head for Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He needed to bring his granddaughter here as quickly as possible.
He himself did not matter. He had endured it so many times over the years; a few more times made no difference. But he did not want his granddaughter to suffer any pain.
"Someone's here? And they're strong!"
Having just left the Herb Garden and crossed through Sunset Forest, Dugu Bo sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching.
"Who goes there?!"
Dugu Bo immediately summoned his martial soul. The phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor appeared behind him and let out a strange hiss at the newcomer.
"Dugu Bo? It's you?"
Seeing the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor martial soul, the newcomer immediately halted, sounding somewhat surprised.
"She Long? What are you doing here?"
Dugu Bo recognized the newcomer as well and was equally astonished.
Wasn't this guy from Spirit Hall? Why had he come here?
"What I'm doing here seems to have nothing to do with you, does it?"
She Long retorted without the slightest courtesy. Dugu Bo's Soul Power was only rank ninety-one, making him one of the weakest among the Titled Douluo.
Of course, that weakness only applied to one-on-one combat. In a large-scale war, the role Old Poison could play was utterly terrifying.
But none of that mattered right now. There were only the two of them here.
He himself was only rank ninety-two, but surely Dugu Bo would not start a fight with him so easily.
"This land already has an owner. I advise you to leave at once."
To She Long's surprise, Dugu Bo answered with unexpected force.
"Heh, don't tell me the owner you're talking about is you?"
She Long sneered, believing Dugu Bo was merely putting on a show. What Titled Douluo would randomly claim an entire soul beast forest as their territory?
"Hmph. It was indeed mine before, but it has changed hands now. That's why I'm telling you to get the hell out!"
She Long's expression darkened. A spear roughly twelve feet long and entirely blue-purple suddenly appeared in his hand.
The spearhead was curved, its sharp point split like a serpent's tongue.
It was precisely his martial soul, the Snake Lance!
Dugu Bo's expression also turned grave. He was ready to strike at any moment, and the atmosphere around them instantly dropped to freezing point.
"What is Old Poison up to today?"
She Long stared at the battle-ready Dugu Bo, deeply puzzled.
"Has this place really changed owners? What kind of person could make this old poison willingly give up his territory?"
She Long knew exactly what kind of person Dugu Bo was. That golden pillar of light that had shot into the sky earlier did not look like something a poison-user like Dugu Bo could have created.
So there really might be some mysterious expert here. But there was still one thing he could not figure out: what secret was this place hiding?
What treasure in Sunset Forest could draw the attention of both Dugu Bo and the mysterious expert who had made Dugu Bo bow his head?
"Hey, are you going to fight or not? If not, get lost already! I don't have time to waste here with you!"
Seeing that She Long had made no move for so long, Dugu Bo grew impatient. What was this guy doing?
"Hmph. Then go ahead. I truly want to see what's in there that makes you guard it so tightly, you old bastard."
"If you think you can stop me, then by all means, try."
At She Long's words, Dugu Bo fell silent.
After a long while, Dugu Bo withdrew his martial soul and said blandly, "Then go in."
"Huh?"
She Long was a little dumbfounded. Was this guy messing with him?
They had been deadlocked for so long, only for Dugu Bo to let him in so casually?
Could there be some kind of trap inside?
"If you want to go in, then go in. I have other matters to attend to and can't be bothered wasting time with you here."
With that, Dugu Bo transformed into a streak of light and departed, leaving She Long standing there with a bewildered expression.
"Whatever. Even if it's a trap, I'm going in to take a look. That old Dugu Bo already came out—could I really end up trapped inside?"
Driven by curiosity, She Long stepped into the forest. Yet after wandering around for quite some time, he failed to discover anything unusual.
"There's nothing special here?"
She Long was beginning to lose patience. Could Dugu Bo have merely been putting on an act, tricking him into wandering around in circles?
That damned Old Poison—next time they met, he would definitely teach him a lesson!
As She Long thought this, he casually looked up and suddenly noticed a giant tree radiating dazzling light not far away.
"I knew it! Why else would that old bastard Dugu Bo be here? This tree clearly isn't ordinary."
"But Old Poison is far too careless. He didn't even set up any protection around it. With a Poison Array this weak, I'm afraid it couldn't even stop a Soul Sage, could it?"
She Long swiftly headed toward the tree. Along the way, he discovered several Poison Arrays that Dugu Bo had set up nearby.
However, for some reason, these Poison Arrays were all a little too weak to seem like Dugu Bo's work.
"Heh, She Long should have discovered something by now."
"Still, the Poison Arrays weakened by the Jade Dragon Radiance Tree are just right for serving as a smokescreen."
Elsewhere, Dugu Bo, who had already left, mused to himself.
"Mm, I just hope that fellow doesn't lose his life in there."
Dugu Bo: Just thinking about what She Long would probably go through makes me want to laugh!
Since you wouldn't listen to my advice, then go on in. I already warned you beforehand, so if anything happens again, you can't blame me!
You were the one who barged in.
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