Gu Rong's Observation (Please Subscribe, Tip, Vote with Monthly and Recommendation Tickets)

Gu Rong's Observation (Please Subscribe... Please Tip... Monthly Tickets... Recommendation Tickets...)

Outside.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, council hall.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy as lead.

Ning Fengzhi sat in the seat of honor, his brow tightly furrowed. His fingers unconsciously tapped against the rosewood armrest, producing a dull, steady rhythm.

Chen Xin sat to the left, holding the Seven Kill Sword in his arms. His eyes were slightly closed, yet the sharp sword aura around him was more concentrated than usual, revealing his inner unrest.

They were waiting for Gu Rong's findings. Every second felt exceptionally long.

Meanwhile, in the void outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in the core region of Sunset Forest.

A scorching voice, like churning magma and suppressing violent battle intent, shook through the void, directed at the figure cautiously moving through the cracks in space in the distance:

"Tch!"

"Looks like that old bone-playing bastard from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is here!"

"Sneaking around like that—I really want to go out there, tear apart that skeleton of his, and use it for firewood!" The speaker was none other than the Second Worship, Long Chen. The invisible scorching dragon's might around him distorted space ever so slightly.

A crisp voice, like an icy spring and carrying absolute authority, immediately rang out, instantly freezing that heat.

"Long Chen, silence! Conceal your aura!" It was the First Worship, Xue Qinglan. Her voice carried an unquestionable command.

"Gu Rong's spatial perception is extremely sharp. Alerting him would be the same as exposing the young master's location!"

"Do you want the entire continent to know that the young master is undergoing a critical transformation here?"

Long Chen's aura abruptly stalled, like flames extinguished by ice water. Only a few unwilling sparks flickered as he muttered, "...Understood!"

"I just don't like the way he's poking his head around!"

Deeper in the shadows, the aura of the Third Elder, Ying Yue, spread soundlessly as though it did not exist at all. It blended perfectly into the surroundings, reducing the three of their presences to the absolute minimum.

It was precisely his ability, combined with Xue Qinglan's Extreme Ice freezing energy fluctuations, that made Gu Rong's senses feel as if they were separated by a thick curtain of ice. He could not glimpse the true situation in the core region and could only catch a few lingering traces, along with the faint aura of Dugu Bo deliberately "leaked" to him.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, council hall.

The air twisted slightly, like a stone cast into a still pond.

Gu Rong's tall figure appeared silently in the center of the hall. The usual carefree mockery on his face had vanished, replaced by unprecedented gravity and... a trace of barely perceptible wariness.

He had not realized that his entire investigation had just been watched by three pairs of cold, vigilant eyes.

"Old Bone! How did it go?"

Chen Xin abruptly opened his eyes. His sharp gaze, like a tangible sword edge, instantly locked onto Gu Rong.

Ning Fengzhi also immediately straightened up, his gentle eyes fixed tightly on Gu Rong. "Uncle Bone, you've worked hard."

"Did you find anything?"

Gu Rong took a deep breath. His voice was low and solemn, carrying the faint ripple of someone who had just traveled through space. "Fengzhi, Swordy, the situation... is even more troublesome than we imagined!"

He walked over and sat down. Without keeping them in suspense, he got straight to the point.

"Using my spatial ability, I carried out an extremely cautious investigation around the core region of Sunset Forest, at the edge of the area once covered by Dugu Bo's Poison Fog." His expression turned grim. "The results... were alarming!"

"That area was terrifyingly quiet!"

"The Seven-colored Poison Mist that once covered dozens of miles had vanished without a trace!"

"It wasn't dispersed. It was... completely gathered up and swallowed by some kind of power!"

"There were traces of extremely pure poisonous Soul Power at the scene. Without question, they were Dugu Bo's work. But the way it had been gathered was so clean and decisive that it was nothing like his usual style!"

Ning Fengzhi's gaze sharpened. "The poison formation disappeared?"

"Could it have been gathered up?"

"That means Dugu Bo is not only alive, but very likely... under someone's control?"

"That's right!"

Gu Rong nodded heavily. "I tried to sense the lingering Soul Power fluctuations in the core region."

"Although the battle had ended long ago and the aura was already extremely faint..."

He paused, the muscles on his face twitching slightly as though he still felt lingering fear. "That residual pressure... was too terrifying!"

"Even I, touching those nearly dissipated traces through a spatial barrier, could still feel a tremor from the depths of my soul and... a sense of insignificance!"

He looked at Chen Xin, his tone incomparably grave. "Swordy, your previous judgment was entirely correct!"

"The masters of those three auras possessed Soul Power of such a high level, and pressure so pure and vast, that they were absolutely far beyond ordinary Super Douluo!"

The fingers Chen Xin rested on the scabbard tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white. Battle intent and gravity intertwined in his eyes. "To make even you, Old Bone, feel 'insignificant'... it seems our caution was justified."

Gu Rong continued, "There's one more crucial point!"

"On a relatively concealed cliff at the outskirts, I detected an extremely faint but very clear Soul Power fluctuation!"

"Though the other side had done their utmost to conceal it, that brief leak carried Dugu Bo's distinctive poisonous attribute, as well as... an indescribable sense of 'calm'!"

"He is near the core region, and his state... is very strange. It doesn't seem like he is imprisoned. It's more like... he is protecting something!"

"Or rather, obeying orders!"

"Protecting? Obeying orders?" Ning Fengzhi rose abruptly, a sharp gleam bursting from his eyes. "It seems Dugu Bo really has... submitted?!"

That conclusion exploded through the hall like a thunderclap!

"I'm afraid... yes."

Gu Rong said solemnly, "Though it was only a fleeting sense, that feeling could not be wrong."

"Dugu Bo's aura no longer carried his former sinister, unruly nature. Instead, there was a kind of... stillness."

"He remained there more like a sentry or guard."

Chen Xin slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. "Three supreme experts capable of crushing Dugu Bo and making even you feel alarmed... plus a Poison Douluo who has submitted... this force is enough to overturn any sect!"

He looked at Ning Fengzhi. "Fengzhi, they have clearly taken root there!"

"That place must contain something they value immensely!"

Ning Fengzhi forced himself to calm down and sat back down, his mind racing.

"Taking root in the core of Sunset Forest... subduing Dugu Bo and making him guard their gate... something capable of making such powerful people willingly lie low here... what they seek is no small matter!"

He looked at Gu Rong and Chen Xin, his tone decisive. "Uncle Bone, Uncle Sword, convey my orders:

1. All disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and all affiliated forces are strictly forbidden from approaching within one hundred miles of the core region of Sunset Forest without the sect master's personal order! Those who defy this order will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect!

2. Place the intelligence network on the highest level of alert!

Use every covert channel and every possible means to gather any information regarding the three mysterious experts in Sunset Forest and any forces that may stand behind them!

Focus on the following: Have there been any reclusive supreme experts or families on the continent within the past century or even several centuries?

Does Spirit Hall possess hidden forces unknown to us?

Has the Star Luo Empire made any unusual moves?

3. Strengthen the sect's defenses. Raise every open and hidden sentry to wartime status!

Uncle Sword will oversee the central command. Uncle Bone, you will be responsible for surveillance outside. If any unidentified expert approaches the sect's territory, sound the alarm immediately!"

4. Temporarily suspend intelligence sharing with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and other forces!

Ning Fengzhi's orders were clear and methodical, filled with the decisiveness and deep concern of a sect master.

Faced with this mysterious force capable of overturning the existing order, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect chose the most prudent and helpless strategy—maintain the highest vigilance, investigate with all their strength, and avoid any direct conflict.

Chen Xin nodded slightly. "Understood."

He gripped the Seven Kill Sword, unyielding sword intent flashing in his eyes, but beneath it lay an even heavier sense of responsibility for the sect's future.

Gu Rong also nodded solemnly. "Rest easy, Fengzhi. Leave the surveillance to me."

"As long as they do not take the initiative to attack us, for now... we can only endure."

As his words fell, his figure merged once more into twisted space and vanished.

Shortly after Gu Rong left, beyond the mountain gate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, deep within the void where the ripples in space had completely settled.

After confirming that Gu Rong had fully departed and closed the spatial passage, Long Chen's suppressed irritability surged forth once more, his voice carrying the crackle of scattering sparks.

"Hmph! Lucky he left quickly! If he dares poke around again next time, I'll definitely—"

Xue Qinglan's icy voice cut him off directly. "Long Chen, guard your position. The young master's transformation is the utmost priority."

Her aura was like an ancient glacier, firmly locking onto the energy core undergoing astonishing changes deep within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—the young master, Ling Han. Ying Yue remained silent as ever, like the most loyal shadow, alert for any possible disturbance.

The hall remained silent, even more oppressive than before.

The unknown presence deep within Sunset Forest was like a massive dark cloud, heavily hanging over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and over the entire continent's balance of power.

And at that very moment, at the heart of the storm—deep within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—the young master Ling Han's transformation was reaching its most critical stage.